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"Absolutely true. That man said it himself—I and my daughter both heard it. We could not possibly have remembered it wrong."

Song Tonghai was startled for a moment by such an uncharacteristic reaction. After thinking it over carefully, he looked toward Song Lingxue at his side, seemingly seeking confirmation.

"That is right, it was Nightlight Pavilion. The man said it himself before he died, so it should not be false," Song Lingxue immediately nodded.

Fu Quanliang's expression visibly changed, growing increasingly grim.

Seeing that something was amiss with his expression, Song Tonghai could not help but grow nervous. "Supreme Immortal, is there some difficulty?"

His first thought was that Nightlight Pavilion had an astonishing background—so formidable that even those of the Immortal Path would rather not provoke it.

"It is nothing. I need a quiet room to enter seclusion for a few days."

Fu Quanliang gathered his thoughts and spoke expressionlessly. "If there is nothing urgent, do not disturb my seclusion."

"Understood. I will make the arrangements at once."

Uneasy at heart, Song Tonghai hurried away.

Chu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Fu Quanliang's reaction confirmed some of his earlier doubts.

Phantom Spirit Sect knew of Nightlight Pavilion's existence, yet Fu Quanliang had accepted the commission to guard the Song Family without knowing in the least what sort of situation he was walking into.

Only now did Chu Zheng realize something: his thinking had fallen into a misconception before. Perhaps he had regarded Phantom Spirit Sect as too powerful.

Even among mortal nations, there were vast disparities in national strength. The gaps between Immortal Sects would only be greater. There were certainly no small number of sects in this world stronger than Phantom Spirit Sect.

Inside the secret chamber.

Fu Quanliang stood with his hair disheveled, clutching his head with both hands, his fingers buried deep in his roots. He paced back and forth, his eyes shifting between light and shadow, his teeth clenched so tightly that blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. He kept muttering under his breath:

"Nightlight Pavilion... Nightlight Pavilion... Nightlight..."

The mission he had accepted had merely stated that the Song Family was currently being harassed by some mortal martial artists and needed someone to stand guard. That was all.

He had known nothing whatsoever about having to face Nightlight Pavilion when he came to guard the Song Family.

Even among those with Low-grade Immortal Bones, his aptitude ranked at the bottom. He had entered the sect ten years ago, yet he was still only in the Qi Cultivation Realm and knew only a few simple immortal techniques.

He could bluff ordinary mortals well enough, but against true practitioners of the Immortal Path, he could never be a match.

Whether he was here or not made no difference whatsoever. The more Fu Quanliang thought about it, the paler his face became.

What was more, Nightlight Pavilion and Phantom Spirit Sect had always been like fire and water, never fellow travelers on the same road. If they met, a battle of techniques and slaughter would be inevitable.

But... if Nightlight Pavilion intended to strike against the Song Family, it should have done so long ago. Why had it remained still all this time, even going to such lengths as to command mortal martial artists to harass them?

In terms of strength alone, Nightlight Pavilion surpassed Phantom Spirit Sect. It even had a Grand Elder at the Nascent Soul Second Transformation within its ranks. It had no reason at all to fear Phantom Spirit Sect.

Unless the old drunkard's intention lay not in the wine...

At that thought, a faint cold sweat suddenly seeped down Fu Quanliang's back.

By surrounding without killing, Nightlight Pavilion could force the Song Family to seek aid from Phantom Spirit Sect—a plan that achieved almost three goals in one stroke.

If Phantom Spirit Sect sent no one, Song Lingqing would become estranged upon learning of it later. If it sent someone, it would be sending fish straight into the net, needlessly draining the sect's strength.

As for an all-out war, Phantom Spirit Sect had even less of the strength for that.

And without knowing Song Lingqing's current condition, Nightlight Pavilion could still leave itself some room, avoiding the formation of an irreconcilable blood feud with Song Lingqing. Whether advancing or retreating, it had left itself a way out.

Having understood Nightlight Pavilion's approach, Fu Quanliang's expression became even more bitter.

He had fought hard to secure this mission in the first place, all in order to curry favor with Song Lingqing.

Song Lingqing was no mortal. The moment she entered the sect, she had already become a True Disciple and taken a Grand Elder as her master. Her future prospects were limitless.

Building a good relationship with Song Lingqing was a business that promised ten thousandfold returns on a single investment.

In Fu Quanliang's original view, this mission had been absurdly easy. Mere mortal martial artists—he only needed to display a few methods to send every last one of them packing.

Now, guarding the Song Family was equivalent to helping Song Lingqing resolve her worries at home. Once she returned successfully from the Myriad Sects Hidden Dragon Competition, there would naturally be no shortage of benefits for him.

Fu Quanliang had even fantasized about relying on Song Lingqing's connections to advance to become an Inner Disciple.

But now, all of it had become empty talk.

This mission was nothing less than a bottomless abyss. Once he stepped into it, he would be smashed to pieces.

As for abandoning the mission and leaving directly, that was even more impossible.

If he abandoned the mission now and the Song Family was destroyed as a result, every bit of blame would fall upon him. Then, to give Song Lingqing an explanation, the sect might even personally take action to purge him from its ranks.

How could an Outer Disciple possibly compare with a lofty True Disciple? Even a fool knew which one to choose.

Phantom Spirit Sect did not wish to go to war with Nightlight Pavilion, yet with the Song Family's plea for aid, it had no choice but to send someone. An Outer Disciple had practically become the best choice.

There was no way the sect did not know of the Song Family's current predicament. Issuing this mission was nothing more than an attempt to find a scapegoat.

Perhaps Phantom Spirit Sect was even hoping that Nightlight Pavilion would strike quickly and bury both him and the entire Song Family. That way, it would have an explanation for Song Lingqing as well.

The sect had even sacrificed one of its disciples to protect your family. No matter what, Song Lingqing would have to remember that debt of gratitude.

"Heh..."

Fu Quanliang slumped on the ground, leaning helplessly against the wall of the Secret Chamber, and let out a miserable laugh.

"Truly poisonous..."

From the moment he stepped into the Song Family, no matter what choice he made, he was already a dead man.

Song Manor's rear courtyard.

Chu Zheng moved into a spacious side room. Song Lingxue had originally wanted to assign servants and maidservants to him, but he refused them all.

He had many secrets. With outsiders at his side, there would be all manner of inconveniences. Being alone would be far easier instead.

Upon returning to his quarters, Chu Zheng immediately began preparing for cultivation. Over the past few days, the first half of the Dragon Tiger Body had already been restored, and he could begin cultivating it.

Compared to the Introductory Chapter, the first half of the Dragon Tiger Body had undergone many changes. Not only did it require many aged spiritual medicines, it also required spiritual energy to stimulate the fleshly body, allowing one to possess true dragon-and-tiger strength.

Chu Zheng felt an intense sense of urgency. He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible, so that he would possess at least some ability to withstand risks.

Fu Quanliang's reaction had already given rise to many ominous thoughts in Chu Zheng's mind.

The Song Family's earlier act of sending out pleas for aid far and wide might have been the reason the Phantom Spirit Sect arranged for someone to come.

Yet they had sent someone like this. Judging from his reaction, no one could say what scheme the Phantom Spirit Sect was plotting.

When all was said and done, the only one he could rely on was himself.

But Song Tonghai and even Song Lingxue saw things in a completely different light from Chu Zheng.

Although Fu Quanliang's reaction had been somewhat strange, he had not simply turned and left in the end. That meant the situation was not too serious and was still within a controllable range.

After keeping their nerves taut for so long, they were already somewhat unable to hold on. They would always think of things from the brighter side.