Losing Is Not Unjust

Hu Li was terrified upon hearing this. Could it be that he's going to meet the reclusive expert behind the Tianren Sect who gave Qin Tian that painting?

He nervously asked, "May I ask, Sect Master Qin, who is the person you are taking us to meet?"

Qin Tian's eyes showed disdain. "You're not qualified to know that senior's name. Just come with me to meet the senior."

What Are You Looking At Small Shop, backyard.

Xu Yan stopped playing, the song finished.

He looked at Qin Yudie and asked, "How was it, Miss Qin? Did it meet your expectations?"

Qin Yudie looked at Xu Yan with admiration. "Senior Xu, the zither music you played is the most beautiful and moving zither music I have ever heard."

In the cultivation world, there were many cultivators skilled in music, but even the most powerful ones couldn't play such an extraordinary zither piece.

It was as if this music belonged only in the heavens, not in the mortal realm.

Xu Yan smiled. "Miss Yudie, you flatter me."

Just as he was about to put the zither away in the inner room, he noticed a red feather beside him.

This feather was incredibly beautiful, as if it were burning with flames, so vivid it seemed alive, not inanimate.

Xu Yan picked up the feather. "What a magical feather. It's even warm."

He didn't know that it was a Phoenix True Feather, containing an immense power of the phoenix.

Ordinary cultivators, without the phoenix's approval, wouldn't be able to touch it. Otherwise, even a Sea of Consciousness Realm cultivator would instantly turn to ash.

Xu Yan put the Phoenix True Feather in his pocket, then stood up and placed the Floating World Zither in the inner room.

When he and Qin Yudie returned to the outer hall, the sound of knocking came again.

"Who is it?"

Xu Yan asked.

He wasn't aware of the situation outside and assumed it was still chaotic like before.

"Senior Xu, it's Qin Tian. I have something that requires your decision."

Qin Tian called out cautiously from outside the door.

The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder and Hu Li, along with other members of the Demon Tiger Clan, were stunned. Isn't this the small shop of that mortal, Xu Yan?

Isn't Xu Yan Qin Tian's illegitimate son? Why is Qin Tian bringing them to see Xu Yan?

Xu Yan opened the door and was surprised to see four people in black standing behind Qin Tian.

He recognized three of them.

One told him his uncle had collapsed and needed saving, only to later say he didn't need saving.

One had sent him two inexplicable letters, both of which he had torn up and thrown in the trash.

Another was the person who had shouted about a new roast chicken shop opening on the next street. Thanks to him, he had received a free roast chicken.

As for the old man, he didn't recognize him.

These four, especially the elder in black, clearly belonged together.

Qin Tian respectfully said, "Senior Xu, these four have been spreading Black Blood Pills at the behest of an Evil Cultivator. How should they be dealt with?"

He figured the zither music he heard earlier must have been played by Senior Xu. He believed Senior Xu couldn't stand it any longer and had secretly intervened, resolving the crisis in Tianren City.

Xu Yan was a bit confused. He looked at Hu Li and the others with surprise, then said to Qin Tian, "Mr. Qin, you should handle these matters yourself."

He didn't understand matters between cultivators and didn't want to get involved.

Mortals should act like mortals; that is their duty.

Hearing Xu Yan's words, Qin Tian looked coldly at the four Demon Tiger Clan cultivators. "You aided and abetted evil. You deserve death, but seeing as you didn't conceal the situation, your punishment will be lenient. Come with me and await your clan to redeem you."

He had initially intended to kill the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder and the others, but the Demon Tiger Clan was a top race among the Demon Race. With the appearance of Evil Cultivators, they should join forces to deal with them, and the grudges between humans and demons should be set aside for now.

Therefore, he decided not to kill Hu Li and the others, but extorting a large sum from the Demon Tiger Clan was still necessary, as Hu Li and the others had indeed worked for the Evil Cultivator.

Hu Li's gaze was fixed on Xu Yan, still unable to understand why Qin Tian addressed Xu Yan as "Senior" and showed him such respect.

In the cultivation world, one only showed genuine respect to powerful cultivators who were superior and earned their admiration.

The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder remained silent. Recalling the previous zither music and the mention of a reclusive expert, he suddenly understood.

He sighed inwardly. Losing to the reclusive expert behind the Tianren Sect is not unfair.

No wonder all my flawless schemes failed repeatedly. It turns out I ran into a reclusive expert. My apologies.

At the same time, he felt relieved, a mix of joy and sorrow.

He wouldn't die, but upon returning to the Demon Tiger Clan, he would undoubtedly face ridicule from certain individuals.

"Senior Xu, Tianren City has returned to normal. I will take them away now and then rally people to search for the Evil Cultivator."

Qin Tian said to Xu Yan, then quickly left with the Demon Tiger Clan's chief strategist and three elites.

Xu Yan left the shop door open and returned inside, saying to Qin Yudie, "I didn't realize Mr. Qin was so formidable. He's already resolved more than half the problem so quickly."

He thought the Black Blood Pill incident would take a long time to resolve, but he didn't expect Qin Tian to finish it so quickly after setting out.

Qin Yudie felt that the restoration of Tianren City to its former state wasn't her Grandpa's doing. Recalling the moment her swordplay broke through upon hearing the zither music in the Tianren Sect, she believed it was the effect of Senior Xu's recent zither piece.

She quickly understood. Senior Xu playing the zither for her was actually his way of saving Tianren City, all while remaining anonymous – a single song that saved the city.

The Golden Emperor Ant remained on the table, its gaze fixed on the small water tank on the counter.

Inside the small water tank, the green-haired turtle opened its eyes and met the Golden Emperor Ant's gaze.

Qin Yudie didn't linger. "Senior Xu, I'll be heading back now. The Black Blood Pill matter has just been resolved, and my Grandpa still needs to hunt down the Evil Cultivators. Someone needs to go back and keep an eye on those fellows."

She should have left with Qin Tian earlier, but she wanted to spend a little more time with Xu Yan, which is why she delayed.

"Alright."

Xu Yan naturally had no objections. Cultivators like Qin Yudie were probably very busy, so it was already good enough if she could visit him often.

After Qin Yudie left, the Golden Emperor Ant spoke.

"Green-haired turtle, I didn't expect it to be you."

It recognized the old turtle. They had even fought back in the day, and it never expected to meet it here.

It hadn't paid attention to the green-haired turtle in the outer hall before, after all, with its size, there were limited areas it could see.

Hearing the Golden Emperor Ant's words, Xu Yan was very surprised. "Little Jin, you know the green-haired turtle?"

He had received the green-haired turtle from an old man in the market after painting a picture for him. The old man had said the green-haired turtle was fated to meet him, which he had found strange at the time.

"Yes, it's an old turtle that has lived for a very long time," the Golden Emperor Ant replied.

The last time it met the green-haired turtle was ten thousand years ago.