The leader of the group also snorted coldly and glared fiercely at Ning Fa.
Ning Fa's exceptionally handsome appearance was the main reason he felt so displeased.
This person was handsome, with a red ribbon tied around his hair, and carried himself with an imposing air.
However, compared to Ning Fa, he was still lacking.
This person then said softly to the beautiful woman, "Junior Sister Ling, it's getting late. Let's find an inn to rest."
The beautiful woman's delicate eyebrows did not relax. She looked at Ning Fa, her expression seeming a bit strange.
For some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity towards Ning Fa, yet she was certain she didn't know him.
She then nodded gently.
The group of four walked out of Tongbao Pavilion.
Ning Fa watched their retreating backs, feeling an inexplicable sense of reluctance.
He even had the urge to go up and talk to the woman again.
At that moment, a woman's voice sounded in his ear, "Stop looking. They're already far away. You should just chase after them if you want."
Ning Fa turned around and saw Wei Shiqin looking at him with a teasing smile.
Ning Fa gave an awkward laugh and offered no explanation.
Wei Shiqin covered her mouth and giggled, then led Ning Fa up to the second floor.
Wei Shiqin looked at him with curiosity and asked, "I'm very curious. Although that Miss Ling is beautiful, Ruoqi is her equal. Why were you so calm when you saw Ruoqi earlier, but now you look completely smitten after seeing Miss Ling?"
Ning Fa laughed it off, "Sister Shiqin, please don't tease me. I just saw that they seemed to be disciples of the Huayu Sect, so I took another look."
Wei Shiqin looked unconvinced. "Then why were you staring specifically at Miss Ling?"
Ning Fa avoided the topic and instead asked, "Are they outer disciples or... inner disciples of the Huayu Sect? Why are they here in our remote Thousand Wave Lake?"
Wei Shiqin didn't press the issue further and replied, "They are all outer disciples. They've come to Thousand Wave Lake for a sect mission. They need to find several types of Spiritual Materials, which are produced here in Thousand Wave Lake."
Wei Shiqin then chuckled, "Seeing how interested you are in Miss Ling, why don't you help them complete this mission? With your assistance as the prospective Hall Master of the Ning Family's Blazing Wind Hall, you should be able to help them find those Spiritual Materials quickly. Perhaps you might even win the beauty's heart."
Ning Fa appeared to be deep in thought.
From the Travelogue of Yun Songzi and the ancient texts Ning Fa had collected himself, he had some understanding of the Huayu Sect.
The Huayu Sect had been established for over a thousand years, with Nascent Soul True Monarchs appearing in every generation, ensuring its continued prosperity.
Currently, the Huayu Sect had two Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
It had over ten thousand disciples, hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and more than ten Core Formation Cultivators.
It could be considered a colossal power.
Furthermore, as the Huayu Sect and the Myriad Beast Gate were the two Nascent Soul sects closest to the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh.
These two major sects had the strongest influence over the southern part of the Jiang Kingdom, including Thousand Wave Lake.
It could be said that all the major and minor powers in southern Jiang Kingdom had to defer to these two major sects.
Even ordinary cultivators dared not provoke the outer disciples of the Huayu Sect.
If an inner disciple of the Huayu Sect were to appear, even Core Formation powers would have to treat them with respect.
Thinking of a major sect like the Huayu Sect, Ning Fa couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning.
He had a vague feeling that he possessed a special thunder body.
With the resources of Thousand Wave Lake, it might be possible for him to reach Foundation Establishment, but reaching Core Formation seemed unlikely.
Perhaps he could only accumulate enough resources to reach Core Formation by going to a major sect like the Huayu Sect.
These thoughts flashed through Ning Fa's mind, and he certainly wouldn't act impulsively.
He hadn't even achieved Foundation Establishment yet, and his family had treated him well.
Currently, Thousand Wave Lake was in turmoil, with the situation constantly changing.
The situation in the Ning Family's territory was not very good, with Ning Huarong and Ning Zhongjiu both being injured. He couldn't afford to leave at this time.
Just then, Ning Fa saw Wei Shiqin still looking at him with a teasing expression.
Seeing her constantly teasing him, Ning Fa, not one to be outdone, immediately retaliated.
He chuckled, "Sister Shiqin, are you perhaps jealous?"
Upon hearing this, a blush spread across Wei Shiqin's face, and she shot him a playfully angry glare.
Ning Fa smiled and then asked, "Aren't you worried that I might fail to refine the Soul Quenching Pill?"
Getting down to business, Wei Shiqin smiled faintly and said, "I was indeed very worried at first, but after seeing you, I'm not nervous at all. I guess you've brought good news, haven't you?"
After saying this, Wei Shiqin's beautiful eyes stared intently at Ning Fa, unblinking.
Clearly, despite saying she wasn't nervous, she still cared deeply.
Ning Fa stopped teasing her and directly handed her a pill bottle.
Wei Shiqin immediately accepted the pill bottle with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.
An hour later.
Ning Fa left Tongbao Pavilion.
Beneath his bamboo hat, a faint smile touched his lips.
Wei Shiqin was overjoyed to receive the Soul Quenching Pill; such a reaction was rare for someone usually so composed and elegant.
Clearly, the pill was very important to her. Ning Fa even felt she might rush forward and kiss him.
In the end, to ensure Ning Fa could refine this pill for Tongbao Pavilion long-term, Wei Shiqin offered him a very high refining fee.
The Spirit Stones earned from each successfully refined pill were enough to purchase a very fine mid-grade magic artifact.
It could be said that the refinement of this pill elevated their relationship to a new level.
Wei Shiqin placed even greater importance on Ning Fa, even going so far as to provide him with some classified intelligence gathered by Xudong Merchant Guild.
Ning Fa did not seek out Ning Xiuying.
He had important matters to attend to next; it wasn't the time for romantic dalliances, and he needed to conserve his energy.
Ning Fa exited Tianshui Market and flew southwest.
Over a thousand miles away, Ning Fa arrived at a desolate island.
The island spanned only a few dozen miles, devoid of any spiritual energy, making it utterly unremarkable.
Ning Fa inspected it carefully. Following Ning Yuwen's hints, he indeed found some clues.
He let out a cold laugh, then glanced around, finding a suitable spot several dozen yards away.
Ning Fa immediately concealed himself in the small dense forest. With his current divine sense strength, he could easily detect the area over there.
Next, he settled down like an old monk in meditation, patiently awaiting the arrival of his prey.
At the same time, he activated a secret technique. A moon wheel flashed in his eyes, and then a circle of moonlight emanated from his body, enveloping him.
After this moonlight appeared, Ning Fa's aura fluctuations dropped to their lowest, becoming faint and almost imperceptible.
Even if a cultivator of the same level were right in front of him, it would be difficult to detect his presence.
Ning Fa was using a secret technique attached to the third layer of the Moon God Art.
It was called the [Moon Concealment Art].
This hand seal was a very advanced aura-concealing secret technique.
Only if one's divine sense strength significantly surpassed the user's could they potentially detect him.
With this secret technique, Ning Fa was confident that unless the arriving cultivator was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would have great difficulty detecting his presence.