Lost Him?

Qin Feng, who had been secretly delighted just moments ago, froze instantly. He had been smug that even this mysterious Brother Chen knew his name, but the words that followed plunged his heart into an abyss. Panic surged within him, and he could not help raising his head to look at Qin Yu.

When he found Qin Yu staring at him with icy eyes, Qin Feng felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

This was someone even the Fourth Princess had to call brother. When had he ever offended such a figure? Qin Feng's mind raced, but he had no recollection of this person at all.

Both Fourth Princess Long Ling and Long Yu turned to look at Qin Feng. Long Ling's eyes in particular carried a chill. She had gone through great trouble to learn that Zi Xun'er had arrived in Tianwu Main City and had intended to curry favor with her, only for this unexpected mishap to arise.

What Brother Chen meant was nothing more than that Qin Feng had come with her. Birds of a feather flocked together—if Qin Feng was arrogant and overbearing, acting as though no one else existed, then how much better could the rest of them be?

Long Ling was ice-snow clever, but this time, she had overthought things and guessed wrong.

Wang Yu and the others stared at Qin Feng with cold smiles. Everyone had heard the mockery and disgust in Qin Yu's words. If nothing unexpected happened, just that one sentence would be enough for the Thirteenth Princess to cast Qin Feng aside. A merchant's son dared pursue the Thirteenth Princess? Even if his maternal grandfather was a great general, it could not change the lowly status of a merchant's son.

Zi Xun'er's gaze brightened slightly, a trace of surprise appearing in her eyes. During her secret clash with Qin Yu, she had failed to obtain even the slightest information about him. Now, however, she could start with Qin Feng and perhaps infer Fellow Daoist Chen's identity and origins.

"Brother Chen... Brother Chen, th-this... th-that is all other people spouting nonsense. I, Qin Feng... though I may not act... act modestly, I have... never been arrogant and overbearing, much less acted as though no one else existed." Qin Feng was nearly crying. If he did not explain himself clearly, all the connections he had painstakingly cultivated for so long would slip away, and he would lose the chance to grow close to Thirteenth Princess Long Yu.

At that thought, Qin Feng felt an icy chill climb from the soles of his feet straight into his heart. If he lost the Thirteenth Princess, this great tree, what would he use to inherit the position of family head?

"I fear this is not smoke without fire." Zi Xun'er shot Qin Feng an indifferent glance. She could sense Qin Yu's disgust toward Qin Feng, so she did not mind adding fuel to the flames and letting Fellow Daoist Chen owe her a favor.

"Xiao Yu." Long Ling turned toward Long Yu and spoke coldly, her words carrying a hint of reproach. Why had she brought Qin Feng along and disrupted her plans?

"So this is the kind of person you are, Qin Feng. From now on, do not follow me anymore." Whether Long Yu had understood the situation or truly loathed evil as an enemy, after hearing this, she stared coldly at Qin Feng and spoke calmly.

Qin Feng went limp and collapsed. If he had still held a sliver of hope before, then Long Yu's words had utterly severed all his delusions.

At this thought, terror-stricken, he dropped to his knees. His face was filled with panic, and like a drowning man clutching at a life-saving straw, he threw himself at Long Yu's feet. "Thirteenth Princess, this is all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! You know what kind of person I am, don't you? I have never been arrogant and overbearing, never acted as though no one else existed! This Brother Chen must have mistaken me for someone else, mistaken me for someone else!" Although Qin Feng also harbored a trace of doubt, feeling vaguely that Brother Chen's figure seemed familiar, he could only deny it outright now.

"Alright, Ling'er, you should all leave first. I still have something to discuss with Fellow Daoist Chen. I will come find you another day," Zi Xun'er said calmly.

Long Ling's expression changed slightly at first. Though she was unwilling a thousand times over, Zi Xun'er had spoken, so she could only comply. After glancing at Qin Yu, she said, "Senior Sister Zi, Brother Chen, we will take our leave first." With that, Long Ling shot Long Yu a cold glance and turned to leave. Long Yu glared fiercely at Qin Feng before turning and leaving as well.

"Take him away," Zi Xun'er said.

Qin Feng was dragged away by Wang Yu, Liu Yu, and the others.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you owe Xun'er a favor." Zi Xun'er glanced toward the entrance and winked playfully at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu gave Zi Xun'er an indifferent look. "I merely saw Qin Feng bullying others."

"Is that so? So Fellow Daoist Chen is a kind-hearted person." Zi Xun'er smiled, looking somewhat thoughtful, as though she were considering how credible Qin Yu's words were.

"Enough. Hurry and prepare the medicinal ingredients for me." Qin Yu could not be bothered to continue speaking with Zi Xun'er. Nine times out of ten, she was probing him. When dealing with someone like her, silence and departure were the best responses; otherwise, it would truly become a headache.

Zi Xun'er paused, then pretended to be disappointed. "Does Brother Chen dislike being with Xun'er that much?"

Qin Yu's face twitched.

Half a day later.

Qin Yu left the pill shop wearing the Void Storage Ring. He weaved continuously through the crowd, entered several more shops, and only then changed back into his original appearance.

The matter with Qin Feng had reminded Qin Yu that whether in the past or the present, authority and strength were especially important. Qin Feng's situation had plummeted in a single stroke. His own words had merely been a spark; what had truly decided Qin Feng's fate was Zi Xun'er's attitude.

One attitude could decide another person's entire life!

After confirming that no one was following him, Qin Yu entered Qin Manor.

"Third Young Master, the family head summons you!" A deep, powerful voice rang out.

At the same time.

"Fourth Sister, just what is Senior Sister Zi's background? That person is only at the Martial Realm First Layer, so why does she call him big brother? I am already at the Martial Realm Third Level," Long Fei could not help asking after entering the imperial palace.

"Could someone at the Martial Realm First Layer stand together with Zi Xun'er? Zi Xun'er's origins are extremely mysterious. Even my sect's Senior Brother treats her with seven parts reverence. Ordinary people have no chance of approaching her at all, much less being called a fellow daoist by Zi Xun'er. I keep telling you to play less and cultivate more, yet you never listen. Especially you, Xiao Yu—what kind of friend did you make? Arrogant and overbearing, acting as though no one else existed? He already dared behave like that in this tiny Tianwu Main City. If he went to an Immortal Sect, he would not even know how he died." Long Ling turned toward Long Yu and spoke angrily.

Long Yu's face was full of grievance. "Sister, I did not know Qin Feng was that kind of person either. He had always been honest and obedient in front of me..."

"Enough. This is good as well. Start with Qin Feng and see whether we can uncover Brother Chen's identity. Since he is from the Wu Kingdom, we should be able to investigate his origins. You two should cultivate properly. At the grand gathering half a year from now, you must pass the first two trials. Only if a sect takes a liking to you will you understand that there are always greater people beyond people, and greater heavens beyond heaven. The Wu Kingdom is merely a corner of the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain." After saying that, Long Ling hurried away.

"Sister Yu, what does 'a corner of the land' mean?" Only after a long while did Long Fei ask quietly.

Long Yu stared ahead, seemingly not hearing Long Fei's words. Her gaze was distant, and a trace of burning passion and longing flashed through her eyes. "A corner of the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain... Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain... One day, I, Long Yu, will ascend into the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain! Rather than forever remain this princess of the Wu Kingdom in name only!"

In the world of cultivation, nations were merely tools for various powers to fight over territory and cultivation resources. As a princess of the Wu Kingdom, Long Yu had long realized that a great sect stood behind the Wu Kingdom, and that sect had several affiliated nations. The Wu Kingdom was merely one of them.

The emperor of the Wu Kingdom—her father—remained in seclusion year-round and did not concern himself with state affairs. Much less would he fight for them to gain qualifications to enter an Immortal Sect. Everything depended on themselves.

Among the more than twenty princes and princesses of the Wu Kingdom, only one had obtained the qualification to enter that sect. Even Long Ling was merely a disciple of a mid-tier sect. Though Long Yu was a princess, her innate talent was exceedingly mediocre. At seventeen, she had only stepped into the Martial Realm Second Level. With such aptitude, she did not even qualify to enter a sect, and this left Long Yu especially unwilling to accept it.

Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary mortals, a princess was a phoenix perched upon a parasol tree, but before an Immortal Sect, a princess was scarcely different from a commoner!

Myriad Phenomena Pill Shop.

"Elder Ge, have you found that person's trail?" Zi Xun'er stood on the pavilion balcony, gazing at the densely packed crowd below when she suddenly spoke. There was no one else beside her, making it seem as though she were talking to herself.

"I lost him." A black-robed figure appeared eerily beside Zi Xun'er.

Zi Xun'er was somewhat moved. She turned her head slightly and asked in surprise, "With Elder Ge's cultivation, how could you have lost him?"

"That person is exceptionally vigilant. Moreover, he seemed to have sensed this old man's divine sense. I do not know what method he used, but he actually succeeded in shaking off this old man's divine sense. Miss, forgive this old man for speaking frankly: before we have investigated this person's origins, do not rashly touch his bottom line. If this old man has guessed correctly, then that person has either obtained a heaven-defying fortune, or he has been possessed by another."

Zi Xun'er shuddered.

"Possession?"

"Miss, you may reproduce another set of the medicinal ingredients he requested and see exactly what he uses to carry out Bone Marrow Tempering. That should allow you to infer his identity from it. Miss can also start with the Qin Family and see whether you can find any clues."

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