"Brother Su, until we meet again!"

Feng Zhengyuan and Su Xuan had come to know each other through their clash, and Feng now regarded Su Xuan as a respected senior brother. As they left the City Lord's Mansion together, Feng Zhengyuan bade Su Xuan an enthusiastic farewell.

"Until we meet again."

Su Xuan waved to Feng Zhengyuan, watching as the other man departed. Afterward, he mounted his white horse and flew toward his home.

SNOORT! SNOORT!

On the brief journey, the white horse kept snorting, appearing very agitated. It was all because, during this visit to the City Lord's Mansion, it had been tied up!

"Heh, Little White, I understand you're upset," Su Xuan said with a laugh, patting the horse's neck. "But would you believe me if I told you that I can't kill him yet?"

SNOORT! SNOORT!

The white horse shook its head vigorously. In its eyes, Su Xuan was invincible.

Su Xuan didn't explain further. He soon landed in his own courtyard, where he was greeted by an odd scene. His steward, Tang Fu, and Tang Fu's daughter, Tang Shu, stood at the door to his room. Their grim expressions suggested they had just argued with someone inside.

"What's going on?" Su Xuan stepped forward and asked.

"Young Master, you're back!" Tang Shu interjected before her father could speak. "The City Lord's precious daughter came by uninvited, went into your room, and refuses to come out! She even called my father and me 'watchdogs.' This is our home..."

"I'll have a look. You two can attend to other things for now," Su Xuan said, waving her off as he walked into the room.

He saw Ning Wan lying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling. Her legs were crossed and her bare feet swung leisurely, exuding a relaxed demeanor.

"Umm..." Su Xuan began, "you don't have athlete's foot, do you?"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Wan sat up abruptly, her beautiful eyes widening like two copper bells. In Hua Shui City, she was considered one of the top three beauties. Any man would probably go mad with excitement at the sight of her on his bed; he might even start venerating the spot she had lain on. Yet, the first thing Su Xuan asked was if she had athlete's foot?

It was so infuriating she almost wanted to jump up and curse! And how could she possibly have athlete's foot? Her feet were always washed with petal-infused water; they were fragrant and clean. Every day after washing them, she would even lift them to her nose for a sniff...

"If you don't, then get down quickly," Su Xuan said with a grin, ignoring her wide, bell-like eyes. "I'm worried you'll catch it from my bed."

PHEW!

Ning Wan, who had been simmering with irritation, breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the out Su Xuan had offered her, climbing off the bed. Of course, she didn't believe Su Xuan's bed was contaminated. She hadn't laid on it just to upset Tang Fu and his daughter. The real reason was the faint, pleasant scent coming from it—a fragrance that made her heart soar and her spirits drift to faraway places...

Thinking about this made Ning Wan's cheeks flush red.

"I know why you've come to find me," Su Xuan said with a shrug. "You know what happened at the City Lord's Mansion, right?"

"I know," Ning Wan nodded. She knew all about Su Xuan's bout with Feng Zhengyuan and how he had used the broken sword to stab at Ning Zhendao. That was why she had hurried over to his home before the tea party ended, eager to discuss it with him.

"What cultivation level do you think your false father is at?" Su Xuan asked.

"Only the Longevity Realm Initial Stage. He definitely hasn't reached the middle stage," Ning Wan responded.

"I used that broken sword from Feng Zhengyuan to attack your false father, and I even added some of my own power to it. The blow should have easily killed a mid-stage Longevity Realm expert, yet your false father caught it effortlessly with just two fingers," Su Xuan told Ning Wan with a wry smile. "That level of power is superior to both mine and Feng Zhengyuan's. He must be at least at the Complete Later Stage of the Longevity Realm."

Ning Wan's expression grew serious. "His movements have been very strange recently, as if he's up to no good. Could he have found some way to raise his cultivation?"

"Ning Wan, I advise you to keep a low profile for a while," Su Xuan said as he opened the door and a window, taking in a breath of cool air. "You tipped me off today, and I made a move against Ning Zhendao. He's not a fool. He's definitely putting the pieces together."

"I don't need to keep a low profile, you do," Ning Wan stated suddenly.

"Oh?"

"I'm his daughter. Even if he knows that I know he's a fake, he won't kill me. I'm his proof... proof that he's the real city lord. Hey, you get it, right? He would never kill me!"

"I get it, I get it," Su Xuan said.

"I won't come looking for you for the next few days." Seeing Su Xuan's distracted demeanor, Ning Wan walked gracefully toward the door, muttering, "You act like you can really help me, but you just don't take this seriously. You're infuriating..."

"Ning Wan, I'll say it again," Su Xuan said, looking at her retreating back. "Be careful. Don't provoke him, or you might die."

Ning Wan's foot had already crossed the threshold. She pulled it back. Turning her head, she looked at Su Xuan. "Why?"

Su Xuan shook his head and murmured, "You said his movements have been strange lately, didn't you? I have a feeling that if you discover what he's up to, he will kill you."

The air in Su Xuan's room wasn't hot, but beads of sweat suddenly appeared on Ning Wan's forehead. She spoke to Su Xuan with a rare seriousness, "Understood."

With that, she lowered her head and left the room. Once outside, her figure vanished without a trace, leaving Tang Shu, who had been building up the nerve to glare at her, feeling thoroughly deflated.

After Tang Shu left, Su Xuan brought two fingers together and lifted them before his eyes. This is getting more and more interesting, he murmured.

His gesture was very similar to how Ning Zhendao had pinched the broken sword tip between his fingers. There was something he hadn't told Ning Wan, something he hadn't told anyone. When Ning Zhendao caught the blade, a black mist had swirled between his fingers. The aura of that mist was chillingly familiar—it was the aura of the monsters from the great pit below!

Ning Wan had said Ning Zhendao's movements were secretive lately. He dared to guess that Ning Zhendao, much like the old man who rode the bat, was involved in some shady dealings with the monsters in the pit.

I thought the world up on the mountain was a place of peaceful cultivation, he muttered to himself. Who knew it would be even less pure than the world below.

Su Xuan pushed the thoughts aside. He sat on the bed, took out a large pile of Moon Profound Stones, and began to cultivate. Based on what the Third Elder said today, the Sect Leader of the Ten Cauldrons Sect, Fu Yong, was not an easy man to deal with. Borrowing the Pill Furnace tomorrow probably wouldn't go smoothly.

Su Xuan quickly entered a state of meditation, his cultivation level steadily climbing.

「That night,」

RUSTLE! RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

The Third Elder of the Nine Cauldrons Sect was writing a letter. He wrote with intense concentration, each stroke of every character crafted with meticulous care, never connecting them, as if they were printed. His wrinkled face was suffused with the glow of reminiscence.

Ah Lian, I'll be able to see you tomorrow. Have you been longing to see me, too?

Ah Lian, if Fu Yong hadn't forcibly taken you as his wife...

You would have been mine...

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