"Cough~" Lu Zhiyuan coughed awkwardly. "You child, you haven't come back in three months, and this is Anli's first time back too. I wanted you to stay home."
"There'll be plenty of chances later."
Lu Yao had spent the day beating Lu Kang into submission and had firsthand felt the benefits of strength. Right now, she only wanted to hurry back and cultivate.
"Later is too long. We must seize every moment." Lu Zhiyuan still refused to yield.
Lu Yao found it a little strange.
She looked up and saw her father give Anli a meaningful glance.
Lu Yao understood. It must have something to do with Anli.
She gave up. "Then we'll leave tomorrow."
Meng Anli took in their exchange. "You want me to stay?"
Fang Xianrou took her hand. "Yes. It's your first time back. How can you not stay the night?"
No, that was not it.
Meng Anli felt that Uncle Lu was stopping her for another reason.
What reason could there be?
He had only just returned from the Heavenly Realm, so it could only be news from there.
Was he worried about her safety?
Other than the Meng family, she could think of no one else.
She guessed, "Did the Meng family set an ambush for me on the road?"
Lu Zhiyuan's expression went blank. "How did you know?"
"Tsk~" Fang Xianrou stomped hard on his foot.
"Awoo~" Lu Zhiyuan hugged his foot and hopped around.
The pain did not seem fake.
Fang Xianrou drawled, "Does it hurt, Husband?"
"No." Lu Zhiyuan put his foot down, his lips pale and trembling. "It doesn't hurt at all."
Meng Anli: "..."
She turned to look at Fang Xianrou's tiny foot.
Fang Xianrou tucked it beneath her skirt and smiled as she gently took Meng Anli's hand.
"He's very good at playing pitiful, Anli. Stay here tonight."
Lu Yao understood the situation as well and hugged Meng Anli's arm.
"Yes, Anli. Stay here. We can sleep together on my soft, big bed."
Meng Anli asked her, "What did Master Yuantuo tell us? Hardship lets us grow quickly. I want to meet them head-on."
Besides, if she stayed here for the night and the Meng family jumped over the wall in desperation, they might claim to be her family and say Niuyang Mountain had kidnapped her, then launch a sneak attack in the middle of the night.
Even if they only damaged a blade of grass or a tree here, she would feel distressed.
Lu Zhiyuan said worriedly, "Some hardships need not be endured. Tomorrow morning, take my carriage to the Heavenly Realm. They definitely won't dare stop you."
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle. Who is blocking the road?"
"Meng Xiuchen, along with a group from Meng Manor."
Meng Anli smiled. "Then I'm not afraid. Even if I can't beat them, I can still escape. I'm very fast. Ask Lu Yao."
"That's true." Lu Yao thought of Meng Anli's terrifying speed. "I'll go with Anli."
Meng Anli hurriedly shook her head. "No, I'll go alone."
"Niuyang Mountain stands behind me. He won't dare do anything to me. Let me go with you. I can be an extra helper."
Fang Xianrou was pleased. "Then the two of you can go together."
"Wife." Lu Zhiyuan disapproved. "They're young ladies. Shouldn't we stop them from taking such risks?"
Fang Xianrou smiled gently at him. Lu Zhiyuan immediately shuddered, straightened up, and changed his tune. "Taking risks is good too. You two should go together."
Meng Anli and Lu Yao packed their things and headed out.
Lu Zhiyuan draped an arm around Fang Xianrou's shoulders. "The Meng family hates Anli to the bone right now. Is it really all right to let them go just like that?"
Fang Xianrou chuckled. "That is why Husband will follow behind them, isn't it?"
"Ah!" Lu Zhiyuan understood. "So Wife wants me to protect them in secret."
"Don't act unless absolutely necessary. It will let the two children train themselves, and tomorrow, we can accuse the Meng family of 'bullying the few with the many and harming their own younger sister.'"
Fang Xianrou's voice remained gentle, but her eyes were icy cold.
For the sake of some half-human, half-bird mongrel, they treated such a good girl as Anli this way.
The entire Meng family had lost their minds.
After leaving Niuyang Mountain, Meng Anli deliberately slowed down.
What should have been a journey of three breaths was stretched out to a quarter of an hour.
Just when she thought Meng Xiuchen had grown tired of waiting and left, she saw him at the edge of the Heavenly Realm.
She put away her colorful feathers.
Meng Xiuchen had been waiting anxiously and was about to leave when he suddenly saw Meng Anli flying rapidly toward him from afar.
He shouted excitedly, "She's here!"
The others hurriedly took to the air, forming a semicircle that blocked Meng Anli's path.
Meng Anli stopped.
Mouth opening, Meng Xiuchen immediately rebuked her. "Meng Anli, your wings have hardened. Now you even dare not return home on rest days? Father and your brothers miss you very much, so I came personally to fetch you."
"Go home?" Meng Anli asked coldly. "I have already severed ties with the Meng family. Which home are you talking about?"
Meng Xiuchen flew into a rage from shame. "Meng Anli! Coming to fetch you is already giving you plenty of face. Don't fail to appreciate kindness."
"Pah!" Lu Yao cursed. "I have never seen someone as brazen and shameless as you. If you want to fight, then fight. Why are you wasting so much breath?"
"You!"
Meng Xiuchen wanted to attack, but remembering Niuyang Mountain behind her, he persuaded, "This is a family matter between Meng Anli and me. I advise you not to meddle. Get as far away as you can and scram."
"Anli is my family now. I can meddle in every single one of her affairs. You're the one who should scram!"
"Fine, I gave you a chance." Meng Xiuchen raised his hand. "Get them!"
The Meng family members surrounded Meng Anli and Lu Yao.
Meng Anli and Lu Yao stood back-to-back.
Meng Anli hurled water ball after water ball at the crowd.
Lu Yao's whip blazed with fire as she lashed it at them.
Their attacks were swift, and for a time, the Meng family members could do nothing to them.
Meng Xiuchen drew out the Fire-Tipped Spear and tangled with Lu Yao in battle.
After all, he had lost to Meng Anli before and was somewhat afraid of fighting her.
But he had not expected Lu Yao to no longer be the Lu Yao of three months ago.
Lu Yao flicked her wrist, and her whip coiled around his spear.
With a few hard jerks, the spear flew from his hand.
Lu Yao flung it aside, then whipped backhandedly at his face.
The sequence sounded slow when described, but in reality, it was so fast that Meng Xiuchen could not dodge. Her whip struck him squarely in the face.
He howled in anger, but hurriedly retreated.
Two Meng family members took his place and began fighting Lu Yao.
On Meng Anli's side, several earth-element experts blocked her water balls and closed in on her.
Meng Anli formed a hand seal, and two Emerald Water Swords appeared.
After her twin swords pierced two people, an earth-element expert used Earth Evasion to entangle her.
Meng Anli's rapid assault was completely broken. She knew it was time to run.
When she reached back to grab Lu Yao, however, she grabbed a spearhead instead.
Pain flared. She whipped around and saw that Lu Yao had already been captured.
Meng Anli cried out in alarm, "Let her go!"
Those besieging her seized the chance to launch a sneak attack.
A broadsword slashed across her back, while a longsword pierced her abdomen.
Then several weapons of varying kinds were pressed against her throat.
Meng Xiuchen burst into laughter, holding a blade to Lu Yao's neck with one hand, his face twisted with malice.
"Meng Anli, want to save her? Kneel and kowtow a few times."
Meng Anli met Lu Yao's gaze.
The two exerted force at the same time, knocking away the weapons around them as they ran toward each other.
Meng Anli thought that as long as she could grab Lu Yao's hand, they could escape.
Just as their hands were about to meet, a fierce killing intent descended from above and cleaved between them.
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