Chapter 305: Cooperation Between the Dao Sect and the Hehuan Sect

The moment the girl shouted, Tang Ben felt like his life was over.

Make a run for it? The Hehuan Sect had Fusion Stage cultivators guarding it, and their mastery of the Fusion Stage was second to none.

Reveal his identity? The Head of the Artifact Refining Peak visiting the Hehuan Sect… no matter how you spun it, it didn’t sound good.

Use a long-distance communication talisman to ask the Sect Master for help? That would be way too embarrassing.

Sell himself to repay the debt? He’d rather beg the Sect Master.

“I just didn’t want to pay, it’s not like I was freeloading,” Tang Ben blurted out, and immediately wanted to slap himself twice across the face.

The girl stared at Tang Ben in surprise. She’d been in the Hehuan Sect for years, and had never heard such a ridiculous excuse.

The two of them locked eyes, and for a moment, neither knew what to say.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last long. Lady Yousi entered with a cheerful smile and pushed the door open.

“You go out first. I’ll take care of this.”

“Yes.”

The girl clearly respected Lady Yousi. She nodded and obediently left the boudoir.

“Tang Dahui, right? It’s been a while since we last met,” Lady Yousi said gracefully, like a queen surveying her territory, bringing in Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu like two attendants.

Tang Ben looked at the two unfamiliar men and couldn’t figure out why Lady Yousi had brought them to him.

Were these two male disciples of the Hehuan Sect?

Was he going to have to join the Hehuan Sect? No way, he was from the Dao Sect—how could he become a disciple of the Hehuan Sect?

But male disciples were really tempting…

“I’m Bai Hongtu,” Bai Hongtu sent a voice transmission to Tang Ben. He felt Tang Ben’s gaze was getting weird, like he was thinking something very inappropriate.

“This one here is Jiang Li.”

Since it was a Tribulation Stage voice transmission, Lady Yousi naturally couldn’t hear it.

“Mas—Mas… Thank goodness you’re here,” Tang Ben almost called him Sect Master.

“Did you make this Invisibility Clothes?” Jiang Li handed over the garment.

“I did. It’s been missing for a while. Didn’t expect someone… someone to find it.”

Jiang Li thought, So it really was you, you b*stard, who made me streak. If it weren’t for the fact that you forged the Desolate Heaven Halberd, I’d have taught you a lesson already.

“How did you lose it?” Bai Hongtu asked, more interested in the how.

“Well, after it turned invisible, I took it off and… then couldn’t find it,” Tang Ben scratched his head sheepishly.

The Invisibility Clothes were top-quality—once activated, not even a Fusion Stage divine sense could detect it.

“…” Bai Hongtu suddenly remembered his own Daoist robe was also made by Tang Ben. Could it have an invisibility function too?

“Tang Dahui, you’ve been coming to the Hehuan Sect for hundreds of years, and I didn’t even know you could make clothes,” Lady Yousi said with a smile.

Hundreds of years?

Jiang Li felt like he was getting to know a completely different Artifact Refining Peak Master.

Tang Ben, who always seemed so proper, had apparently been frequenting the Hehuan Sect for centuries.

All the previous Human Sovereigns gave off the same vibe.

Was being true to oneself really that hard?

Tang Ben didn’t quite catch what Lady Yousi meant.

“Lady Yousi thinks your invisibility garment is a great fit for the Hehuan Sect and wants to discuss a collaboration,” Jiang Li explained her interest after witnessing the outfit in action.

Tang Ben felt like he’d taken a huge loss.

“We don’t need the clothes to be that high-quality. You can downgrade the materials a bit. I’ll pay one hundred superior-grade spirit stones per piece. How about it?”

Considering the number of disciples in the Hehuan Sect, this offer was extremely generous.

The Hehuan Sect was filthy rich—few factions could match their wealth.

After all, part of the reason cultivators earned money was to enjoy life, and the Hehuan Sect was the best place to indulge.

Some disciples even suggested expanding the business with gambling, which could potentially double the sect’s income.

But the upper echelon of the Hehuan Sect had not approved the idea.

The Hehuan Sect’s public openness was for cultivation, not for raking in endless profits.

Plus, the Human Sovereign Hall didn’t like gambling dens.

“Forget the money, I’ll make them for free…” Tang Ben thought that if he could make clothes for the Hehuan Sect disciples, he’d be a VIP every time he came by. He could do whatever he wanted.

That kind of treatment was priceless.

Then he noticed Bai Hongtu’s dangerous glare.

The materials for the clothes were all provided by the Dao Sect, and you think you can just give them away?

You dare say it’s free? Then I’ll deduct your salary—and the Artifact Refining Peak’s budget too.

“Giving them away for free won’t do. I think one hundred superior-grade spirit stones is a fair price,” Tang Ben quickly corrected himself.

Given how many Hehuan Sect disciples he’d already been intimate with, Lady Yousi didn’t need to play any bargaining games.

“But Lady Yousi, do you have the authority to approve such a large order?”

Lady Yousi smiled gently and didn’t answer.

Seeing her reaction, Tang Ben realized she was no ordinary figure—definitely not just a madam of the brothel.

“May I ask what types of clothing Lady Yousi would like to order?”

“Formal and solemn official robes, festive wedding gowns, physician uniforms…” Lady Yousi quickly listed a whole series of outfits, leaving the three men amazed.

Tang Ben took careful notes and said he could complete them soon and would personally deliver them.

Lady Yousi replied that he was too kind—if he came again, the Hehuan Sect would gift him a free session.

Tang Ben was thoroughly encouraged.

Jiang Li felt that helping establish this collaboration between the Dao Sect and the Hehuan Sect fulfilled the long-standing instructions passed down by the Human Sovereigns—to support the Hehuan Sect.

After the three left the Hehuan Sect, Tang Ben sighed on the road, “I still don’t know who Lady Yousi really is.”

Of course, Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu knew. The moment they saw her, they recognized her identity.

She was none other than the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect, Meng Youyou.

…

Lady Yousi returned to the deepest part of the Hehuan Sect and reverted to her original form—an unparalleled beauty who could topple kingdoms.

“Jiang Li…”

Meng Youyou whispered his name.

She, too, had recognized the identities of Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu.

But since Jiang Li didn’t want to make it public, she didn’t need to announce it and put everyone in an awkward position.

Before the Great Zhou Spiritual Treasure competition, Jiang Li once asked Meng Youyou why she liked him. She listed a few reasons, but he shot them all down.

Even after the competition, she still couldn’t figure it out. She almost turned to Buddhism, seeking detachment from worldly desires.

She visited the Buddhist Sect, but listening to their scriptures gave her a headache, so she obediently returned to be the Hehuan Sect’s Sect Master.

Still, the teachings from Wuzhi did help. After a few days in seclusion, she finally understood the answer.

You don’t need a reason to like someone.

She believed that even if this question were posed to Holy Maiden Jingxin, she would arrive at the same answer.

…

Tang Ben rushed back to the Dao Sect to start crafting clothes overnight, leaving Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu idling in place.

“I’m heading into a secret realm. Old Bai, you coming?” Jiang Li suddenly asked.

“What kind of secret realm?”

“Void Cave Secret Realm.”

“I’m in.”