The speed of the sleigh was extremely swift, and after half a day, they left the Endless Ice Field and arrived at Nanli City.

"What? Elder Zhu Yuheng and his group haven't returned? Could they have encountered some formidable Wild Beast or Fierce Beast?"

In the hall of the separate courtyard, an elder sat composedly. The elder looked about ninety years old, dressed in a dark golden robe, with long white hair, a jade hairpin securing it, a rosy complexion, and gentle features, giving him a kind and benevolent look.

"Indeed, the training has just ended, those younger ones have all returned, with only a few slightly injured, but that's nothing serious. At that time, Elder Zhu Yuheng and his group didn't show up!" Zhu Zichu stood respectfully on one side, answering the elder's questions.

"Hmph, thinking that aligning with that person would secure them a patron? Hmph, little do they know, the Zhu Family remains the Zhu Family, how could an outsider intervene!" The elder was not even slightly reproachful about Zhu Yuheng's disappearance, but rather seemed excited. "Go, summon Zhu Bufan for me!"

...

"What? The Elder wants to see me?" Zhu Bufan had just returned to his small courtyard and hadn't had time to assure Aunt Rong of his safety, when a personal guard of the Zhu Family arrived and delivered a message that left Zhu Bufan very surprised.

The thought passed through his mind a hundred times in an instant, but he couldn't determine what it was about!

"Could it be because of Zhu Yuheng and his group?" However, he immediately shook his head, dismissing the idea.

Given the special status of Zhu Yuheng and the others, if it was known they were killed, there wouldn't be a moment of peace in all of Nanli City; it would have been highly publicized already.

Moreover, considering Zhu Bufan's displayed strength at the middle stage of the Fifth Rank, no matter how he associates it, it wouldn't relate at all to Zhu Yuheng and their downfall.

"What's this about?" Zhu Bufan had just finished washing and was adjusting his clothes when he asked indifferently.

Seeing Zhu Bufan's calm expression, the personal guard of Zhu Zichu was astonished.

As Zhu Zichu's personal guard, Zhu Zichu held a high position, and previously he didn't even bother to glance at this young master of the Zhu family; however, seeing that he managed to pass the selection, he began to regard him more seriously.

Zhu Zichu's summons were a great honor to everyone, yet now Zhu Bufan's demeanor was so calm, revealing a hint of impatience in his brows, showing that he didn't care much for this honor.

As Zhu Zichu's loyal guard, naturally very protective of Zhu Zichu, seeing Zhu Bufan's indifference made him fume with anger and he almost erupted, but recalling Zhu Zichu's repeated urgings, he took a deep breath and suppressed his rage.

"That's not something my humble self can know!" The guard spoke with a cold face, speaking stiffly.

Hearing the dissatisfaction and anger in the guard's tone, Zhu Bufan glanced lightly. And under Zhu Bufan's gaze, the guard's heart tightened, feeling as if his eyes were pierced by a dagger, lacking the courage to meet his eyes.

The guard found this feeling very strange, as such situations only occur when a subordinate looks at a superior, or when the weak face the strong.

"Could it be, this wasteful young master already possesses strength not weaker than a Seventh Rank Martial Artist?" The guard smiled and shook his head.

Unable to ponder further, Zhu Bufan no longer wasted time guessing wildly, and followed the guard directly toward where he resided.

On this journey, naturally, many Zhu family members saw them and couldn't help pointing and gossiping. Zhu Bufan believed before long, the news of him being summoned by Zhu Zichu would spread throughout the Zhu Family.

Zhu Bufan lightly shook his head; if so, letting Aunt Rong know he returned safely wouldn't be a bad thing.

After passing several small courtyards, Zhu Bufan arrived at Zhu Zichu's residence.

Zhu Zichu's courtyard was noticeably more luxurious; not to mention its spaciousness, even the ever-blooming proud plum in the courtyard was something an ordinary residence couldn't possess.

Entering the courtyard, the gentle and elegant scent of plum blossoms swept over, faint yet enduring, straight to the heart, giving the impression that even a breath carried the fragrance of plum blossoms. Outside was bone-chilling cold, yet inside spring seemed to flourish; such a huge contrast might bewilder anyone with such scenery!

However, Zhu Bufan wasn't captivated by the beautiful sights of the courtyard, it wasn't that the beauty wasn't appealing to him, but rather his attention wasn't on the environment, but on the open doorway.

Inside the doorway, at this moment, Zhu Zichu appeared like a servant, attending to the well-dressed elder beside him, nodding humbly, serving tea and water, his face full of humility.

"Who is this person? To have Zhu Zichu so deferential?" Zhu Bufan speculated inwardly, his brows slightly furrowed, but quickly they smoothed out, a hint of realization appearing in his eyes.

"When did You State send people over again?" Zhu Bufan raised a brow, suddenly asking the guard beside him.

Faced with Zhu Bufan's abrupt question, the guard momentarily couldn't react.

"They arrived three days ago!"

The guard paused, answering entirely on instinct, blurting out spontaneously.

However, the guard's response wasn't slow, almost as soon as he spoke, he came to his senses, looking at Zhu Bufan in shock and uncertainty, his gaze increasing with reverence.

"How... how did you know?" The guard was puzzled; the news of someone coming from the You State's main family was known only to a few elders with real power, even he only knew because of his special position as Zhu Zichu's personal guard.

Zhu Bufan seemed not to have heard the question, giving no response.

Seeing that Zhu Bufan didn't even react to his inquiry, the guard was infuriated to the point of almost wanting to act, if not for Zhu Zichu's repeated instructions before coming, he might have already moved to teach this discourteous fellow a lesson.

Suppressing his inner anger, the guard lamentably found he had spent only a little time with Zhu Bufan, yet in that short duration, his anger, which hadn't been stirred in years, was repeatedly provoked by Zhu Bufan.

"Is my temperament regressing, or is this kid truly too infuriating?" The guard thought to himself with self-mockery.

The reason Zhu Bufan didn't respond was actually that he didn't hear him at all.

"The You State sent people again, sent people again! Who exactly? It certainly can't be people allied with Zhu Yuheng and his group. With those old guys over, there's no need for more! Sending people at this special time must mean they're opposed to Zhu Yuheng's group. Since Zhu Yuheng's group wants to kill me, then the arrival must be to protect or even try to ally with me!" Zhu Bufan's mind was racing, all chaotic thoughts vanished in an instant, the clouds cleared, revealing the truth.

Thinking of this, Zhu Bufan's expression changed, the previously calm demeanor vanished, replaced with an arrogant and flamboyant air.

"Who dares summon this young master?"

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