First Encounter with Tong Yunfei

Qin Yu arrived at Qin Xue's residence.

After looking around, he didn't see Qin Xue. Puzzled, Qin Yu decided to return to his own living quarters first.

Just as he reached his small courtyard, he saw a graceful figure sitting by the entrance. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Qin Xue.

Qin Xue stared blankly at Qin Yu as he slowly approached. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her haggard face broke into an expression of sheer joy. She rushed towards Qin Yu, crying as she ran, "Brother!"

Feeling the fragile body in his arms, Qin Yu's heart warmed. He softly asked, "Xue'er, what's wrong?"

"Wuwu..." Qin Xue hugged Qin Yu and sobbed. Four months of constant worry and fear had left her mentally and physically exhausted. Moreover, after Tong Yunfei's scolding last time, Qin Xue had been even more terrified, fearing she would ruin Qin Yu's relationship with Zi Xun'er. Coupled with the upheaval in the Qin Family, which made her even more anxious, she hadn't had time to cultivate. She had been in a constant state of fear and excessive worry, causing her to become much more gaunt and frail. She was no longer the strong, independent person Qin Yu had first met.

"What happened? Who wronged you?" Qin Yu gently pushed Qin Xue away, looking at her tear-blurred face, his voice deepening.

At this moment, Xiao Tao and Xiao Hua also emerged from the small courtyard. Seeing Qin Yu, both showed expressions of pleasant surprise. During this time, they had both cultivated the Spirit Art given by Qin Yu and had successfully entered the Martial Realm First Layer.

"Third Young Master!"

"Third Young Master, you're finally back."

Xiao Tao and Xiao Hua ran over, looking at Qin Yu excitedly. Qin Yu glanced at them and asked in a low voice, "Has anyone bullied Xue'er during this time?"

"Third Young Master, no one bullied Fourth Miss. You don't know, you've been gone for four and a half months, and Fourth Miss has spent almost all of it worrying. She even put aside her cultivation," Xiao Hua said straightforwardly and quickly.

Qin Yu's heart ached. Holding the wolf cub in his left hand and Qin Xue's shoulder with his right, he said softly, "Didn't I tell you, brother, that I would be fine? You silly girl."

"Wuwu... Brother, Xue'er is scared," Qin Xue whimpered, her tears falling like broken strings.

Seeing Qin Xue crying with tears streaming down her face, Qin Yu felt uneasy. He quickly changed the subject and said, "Yes, it's all brother's fault. I won't do this next time. By the way, this is a gift brother brought for you. See if you like it."

Being young, Qin Xue lowered her head and looked at the sleeping wolf cub. "This is..."

"This is a young Green-backed Wolf, and it's the cub of a Wolf King! In time, it can reach the level of a fifth-order Fierce Beast or even stronger! For the sake of the cub, Xue'er won't cry anymore, okay?" Qin Yu playfully flicked Qin Xue's nose and said softly, then placed the wolf cub in her hands.

Qin Xue hugged the wolf cub, tears falling in large drops, and nodded heavily.

Qin Yu led Qin Xue into the small courtyard. After comforting her, Qin Xue's mood gradually eased. She chattered excitedly, asking Qin Yu where he had been these past few months, and warned him to be careful of Cui Shuo, relaying the rumors she had heard. Every word was about Qin Yu, as she feared he might suffer a loss a month later.

"Alright, Xue'er, you have to trust your brother. Cui Shuo, I have a hundred percent certainty that I can kill him! Alright, you should rest for a while. You look so worn out." Qin Yu affectionately stroked Qin Xue's hair, his heart filled with warmth and emotion. He could feel all of Qin Xue's care and worry.

Receiving Qin Yu's reassurance, Qin Xue's face lit up with joy. Although she was still worried, she was much better than before. She hugged the wolf cub, gently stroking its mane, and suddenly seemed to remember something, her gaze dimming. "Brother... Xue'er... Xue'er might have offended Sister Zi."

"Oh? What happened?" Qin Yu was surprised. Zi Xun'er, with her intelligence, shouldn't have made things difficult for Qin Xue, and Qin Xue wouldn't have offended Zi Xun'er.

"Twenty days ago, because Xue'er was worried about Brother, she went to ask..." Qin Xue, with red eyes, recounted what had happened. She had been worried for the past twenty days and had thought about explaining things to Zi Xun'er, but the thought of Tong Yunfei made Qin Xue fearful.

Qin Xue only mentioned asking Zi Xun'er and did not bring up Tong Yunfei.

"It's alright, Zi Xun'er isn't that petty. You're overthinking it," Qin Yu said with a faint smile upon hearing Qin Xue's explanation. However, he caught the fear and dread in Qin Xue's eyes, and his brow furrowed slightly. He had a vague feeling that Qin Xue was still hiding something from him, but he didn't press further, to avoid making Qin Xue worry more.

"Alright, I happen to have something to discuss with Zi Xun'er, and I'll mention it to her then. You rest well at home. I'll be back soon." Qin Yu slowly stood up. He had intended to find Zi Xun'er to understand what had happened in the Land of Beast Burial. With her influence, she would surely know, and Qin Yu even suspected that her arrival in Tianwu Main City was likely related to it.

"Okay, Brother. Please tell Sister Zi for me that I don't disbelieve her." Qin Xue nodded.

Watching Qin Yu leave, although Qin Xue was still gaunt, her eyes shone with relief. The current Qin Yu made Qin Xue feel cared for. What made her even happier and more relieved was that she, Qin Xue, finally had someone to rely on.

This feeling is truly wonderful! Qin Xue murmured to herself.

Zi Xun'er had been quite troubled lately.

An unexpected event had occurred in a plan she had been meticulously crafting for a long time: the Dao Mansion had opened ahead of schedule. Furthermore... it didn't seem to be as she had anticipated, meaning it wasn't unfolding as Old Man Wangxian had predicted.

Fortunately, a few days prior, experts from her Zi Family and the Guiyuan Sect had arrived in Tianwu Main City. Although they hadn't reached the Land of Beast Burial in time, they had still gained something. Notably, the Guiyuan Sect had found the remains and the Void Storage Ring of their ancestor, making the trip worthwhile.

However, the Lightning Fire, which Zi Xun'er was unwilling to let go of, was not obtained. What slightly balanced her mood was that the Lightning Fire was also not obtained by the Tianlong Ancient Sect.

"Xun'er, still thinking about that Lightning Fire?" Tong Yunfei poured Zi Xun'er a cup of tea and said slowly.

Zi Xun'er did not answer, her gaze fixed on the crowd below, lost in thought.

"It's fate. You've already done your best. No one expected the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Fire Sect to self-detonate at the last moment, creating an opportunity for the Heavenly Fire Sect's ancestor to seize the Lightning Fire?" Tong Yunfei said slowly.

Recalling the scene from ten days ago, he still felt a lingering fear. Fortunately, he and Zi Xun'er had watched from a distance; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Ten days ago, when they arrived at the Land of Beast Burial, it had already been razed to the ground. The Lightning Fire floated above the ruins of the Land of Beast Burial, its terrifying power burning a hole in space. At that time, a Dao Realm expert was already forcibly trying to collect the Lightning Fire – it was Li Jujin.

Just as they were trying to stop Li Jujin, the ancestors of the Tianlong Ancient Sect, Myriad Heavens Battle Sect, and Heavenly Fire Sect unexpectedly appeared, igniting a world-shattering battle.

In the final moments, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Fire Sect did not hesitate to self-detonate, creating an opportunity for the Heavenly Fire Sect's ancestor to collect the Lightning Fire. The self-detonation of a Dao Realm expert was incredibly destructive. Fortunately, several powerful formations had been set up around the periphery of the Land of Beast Burial beforehand; otherwise, the shockwaves from the self-detonation of a Dao Realm expert would have been enough to destroy all living beings within a radius of ten thousand miles.

In that battle, almost everyone who participated was injured to varying degrees, resulting in extremely heavy casualties. Fortunately, the Zi Family and the Guiyuan Sect had arrived relatively early and gained quite a bit; otherwise, this trip would have been a complete loss.

Even though ten days had passed, the matter that troubled Zi Xun'er had not subsided. Logically, Old Man Wangxian's prediction indicated that things would not have developed this way. Why had it opened ahead of schedule? This question continued to puzzle Zi Xun'er.

As Zi Xun'er's thoughts raced, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure below. Her eyes narrowed, and she thought in surprise, Martial Realm Ninth Level?

A moment later.

"Alchemist Zi, a visitor wishes to see you," the shopkeeper of the Myriad Phenomena Pill Shop said in a low voice.

"Let him come up," Zi Xun'er said calmly.

Tong Yunfei's brows furrowed.

After a while, Qin Yu appeared at the balcony entrance. He glanced at Zi Xun'er and Tong Yunfei and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Zi, it's been a while. I hope you've been well. My sister troubled you a few days ago; I hope you'll forgive her." On the surface, he was there to apologize, but his tone carried a hint of coldness.

In truth, Qin Yu was somewhat displeased with Zi Xun'er. Qin Xue had merely come to inquire; why did she have to make things difficult for her?

"You're that lowly servant's brother?" Tong Yunfei glanced at Qin Yu and suddenly shouted coldly.

Instantly, Qin Yu's eyes blazed with sharp light, and he turned sharply to look at Tong Yunfei.