Jiu Shen didn't know how to coax a woman, so he just rubbed Xia Xinyue's back gently. If there was someone else here, they would have surely believed that they were a couple.

'She's already a very strong woman in Nuar's standard, but she's still acting like a little girl. Perhaps she might be someone with a not so nice past.' Jiu Shen's eyes turned milder when he thought about that.

After crying her heart out for several minutes, Xia Xinyue realized that she was too childish, so she couldn't help but blush in shame as she stared at Jiu Shen's handsome but expressionless face. 'If only I could see his smile...'

"Lord Sect Master, my apologies for having wasted your time." Xia Xinyue dipped her head in embarrassment. She actually cried in front of someone that she had just met. Although she admired Jiu Shen's power and charisma, it didn't reach the point of feeling affection towards him.

Jiu Shen shook his head and pulled her towards the fourth level of the mysterious cave. He wanted to complete his mission as soon as possible so that he can try to break through to the Nascent God Realm.

* * *

A day later.

The Immortal's Wine.

The wine store was packed with people like always, and the four little beauties Xia Hua and her friends were so busy attending to the customers, but there was not even a hint of dissatisfaction on their youthful faces. In fact, they were even proud to work as a staff in Jiu Shen's store.

At first, they had some resistance, but after receiving Jiu Shen's sword guidance, the four of them no longer harbored any discontent. Aside from that, nobody dared to bully them because no one had the guts to do so. Who would be foolish enough to flirt with these little beauties inside the store when there was always a pair of incredibly cold eyes watching them?

Not long later, Emperor Elyk came back to the store with a broad smile on his face. His appearance inside the store brought exclamations from the customers, but they instantly reverted to their normal states since they already knew that the emperor was also a regular customer of Jiu Shen's wine store.

Following behind the emperor were two teens wearing excited looks as they glanced at the new design of the store; they were the Fourth Prince Dante Silveria and the Fifth Princess Sylvia Silveria.

The emperor had already told them about Jiu Shen's proposal, and the both of them immediately accepted the offer without even voicing out their displeasure. This surprised Emperor Elyk especially after he saw the eager look of Sylvia, his only daughter. He thought that the little demoness would reject it instantly, but who knew that she was even more excited than him about it. As stunned as he was, the emperor looked at his fourth son to know why his daughter was acting weird, but the fourth prince merely let out an ambiguous smile. The emperor had a bad premonition about it when he saw the fourth prince's cheeky smile, but he didn't dare think about it anymore.

Emperor Elyk was not surprised about Jiu Shen's absence since he already knew that the latter would visit Green Wood City. However, he was dying to know the reason for Jiu Shen's sudden decision in going there.

"Young Miss Theia, I've brought my kids here under the instructions of Wine Master Jiu." Emperor Elyk smiled warmly while pushing his son and daughter forward.

Theia nodded her head indifferently at the emperor before she swept a casual glance at the fourth prince and the fifth princess. Her icy gaze sent shivers down their spines, but the two still flashed a forced smile.

"Greetings, Young Miss Theia."

"Greetings, Young Miss Theia."

They already heard about Theia's strength from their father, so they were more reserved and respectful to her this time.

"Go look for Hestia. She will teach both of you about what to do here." Theia said calmly.

The fourth prince and the fifth princess timidly nodded their heads and they didn't even dare look at Theia's eyes. After that, the two immediately sprinted out of the scene to look for Hestia. They were afraid that they might collapse if they stay near Theia for a much longer time.

Now, only the emperor and Theia were left standing there. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward as the two remained silent.

"Young Miss Theia, do you know how long will Wine Master Jiu stay in Green Wood City?" Emperor Elyk could not help but ask to dissolve the awkward air.

Theia shook her head lightly and answered with an imperceptible longing in her pair of enchanting eyes. "I don't know, but master wouldn't stay there for long. After completing his matters in Green Wood City, he will certainly return right away."

Emperor Elyk nodded his head in understanding and hesitated for a moment before asking another question. "Then what about Su... Sect Mistress Lu?" He didn't know why he asked that question, but his heart seemed to have not released all his feelings for Lu Sulan yet.

Theia's beautiful face turned weird when she heard him ask that and she didn't even bother to reply. And without even looking at him, Theia walked out away, leaving the emperor behind who was wearing a self-mocking smile.

'Sigh... Why is it so hard to forget her?' He muttered in his heart as he walked towards the second floor with a desolate look.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, he suddenly sensed two strong auras outside the store, making Emperor Elyk abruptly stop in his tracks. He frowned and peered deeply towards the figure of the two and he could not help but gasp in surprise.

"Two 9th-rank Saints?!"

Outside the store stood two old men wearing a set of embroidered black robes and their murky eyes revealed a trace of Corpse Qi that was invisible to the eyes of others.

"So this is the store of that bastard Jiu Shen. It doesn't look that bad." Xue Yangkai the Patriarch of the Xue Family muttered in a disdainful tone, but he was inwardly shocked at the store's exquisite design. He could even feel a strong fluctuation of energy surrounding the store that seemed to be a protective barrier. Although he could barely sense it, he could still somehow tell that it was definitely a high-level array formation. This revelation shocked him senseless since it was even stronger than their Xue Family's protective array formation.

Xue Yangkun the Supreme Elder of the Xue Family furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the store with great interest. "Oh, this Jiu Shen isn't simple indeed. Perhaps only Elder Ming can stand on the same level as him." He muttered.

The two old men impatiently stepped inside the store and their faces immediately changed after sensing the slight shift in space. The store looked huge from the outside, but it was actually a lot larger inside!

"Space Manipulation!" The two glanced at each other as they exclaimed with dumbfounded looks. They've already heard about this from the customers of the store, but they still felt shocked after experiencing it themselves.

"Welcome dear guests." Xiao Hua smiled radiantly at the two old men as she curtsied elegantly. Hestia taught them that everyone that steps inside the store was their customer and they should be treated with equal respect no matter what their race or social standing was. So upon seeing these two old men, she immediately revealed a professional smile.

Xue Yangkai and Xue Yangkun glanced at Xiao Hua with amiable smiles on their faces. They didn't come here to wage war with the store, and they were only here to gather information about the store's strength.

"Guests, may I be presumptuous and ask you guys about the level of your cultivation?" Xia Hua asked in a humble tone, but the two old men were caught off guard by this sudden question.

"Little lass, why do you ask this?" Xue Yangkun smiled gently at her, revealing the look of a cordial and kind-hearted elder.

Xiao Hua glanced at him gently and pointed her right index finger upwards and said in a mysterious tone. "Experts at the 7th-rank Emperor realm and above are allowed to go to the store's second floor."

Xue Yangkai and Xue Yangkun revealed confused expressions when they heard her answer, but their curiosity towards this second floor intensified.

"Oh, little lass, can you tell us what is the benefit of going up there?" Xue Yangkai asked.

Xiao Hua gave them a brilliant smile before she replied. "Guests, you'll know about it once you go upstairs."

Xue Yangkai and Xue Yangkun felt a bit doubtful since this might be a trap set up for them, but when they saw Xia Hua's innocent smile, they instantly discarded the thought.

"Ho, you're playing mysterious with us old men eh? In that case, we shall see what's so special about this second floor. If we will be disappointed about this, I won't be lenient with you little lass." Xue Yangkai jokingly said as if he was a harmless old man.

Xiao Hua giggled when she heard that and she didn't even realize that Xue Yangkai actually meant his words. "Guests, follow me upstairs and you'll know why I'm so confident about this."

Xia Hua turned around and gestured for the two old men to follow him.

Xue Yangkai and Xue Yangkun smiled widely and trailed behind her with amused faces.

Looking at their figures, Emperor Elyk who was now standing beside Theia frowned as he pondered deeply.