That instantly set off Feng Qing'er's fiery temper. "Are you looking down on our Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan? Aside from the Ancient Void Dragons and the Ancient Eight Clans hiding away from the world behind their barriers, we Heavenly Demon Phoenixes have never feared anyone!
"At most, I'll take another step back. All you have to do is cancel my one-month stint as your mount. That's the biggest concession I can make."
Feng Qing'er had already offered the furthest concession she could stomach.
"Do you two really want to know why? If you do, I can tell you. To be honest, I already think of you both as my own people.
"But you have to promise not to breathe a word of certain things to anyone outside, or things will get very troublesome. Whether you want to hear it is up to you." Qin Yun looked at the two before him and spoke solemnly.
Originally, Qin Yun had planned to send the two of them away for a little while and handle things alone.
But now that he thought about it, getting them into the same boat as him first would be better.
Fei Tian was easy enough to deal with. Even if he went out alone, he probably wouldn't cause Qin Yun much trouble.
Feng Qing'er, however, was another matter. Her personality was entirely that of someone who believed that, vast as heaven and earth were, she stood above them all.
Even if he merely took some time to meet Xiao Yan alone, she might get annoyed and stir up a huge mess for him. At that point, it would be hard to bring things to an end.
"Hmph. If you're going to talk, hurry up. Don't act like I'm forcing you."
Feng Qing'er shifted her crossed legs, instantly becoming haughty again. She clearly wanted to hear it, yet wore an expression of outright resistance.
"Can I choose not to listen?" Fei Tian suddenly felt a chill down his back. Although he didn't know exactly what was going on, his sixth sense told him this fellow was about to trap someone again.
"Nope. You can't get away now."
"..."
"First, Uncle Fei, can you tell which faction that hidden Dou Emperor belongs to?" Qin Yun began by keeping them in suspense.
"I can't tell in such a short time. I can only sense that he seems to practice a shadow-type cultivation method. As for anything beyond that, I'm not too sure.
"His perception is very keen, too. If I observe him for too long, he'll notice instead.
"Could he have some powerful backing?" Fei Tian asked, stroking his chin.
"Oh, why are you spouting all this nonsense? Can't you get straight to the point? I hate it when you humans speak in riddles."
Feng Qing'er was straightforward by nature. What she hated most was this way of explaining things by saying only half and leaving everyone to guess the rest.
"All right, I'll tell you straight. There's an important figure from the Gu Clan in the Xiao Clan, and that Dou Emperor is there specifically to protect her."
Qin Yun took Feng Qing'er's words to heart and explained it in the plainest, most direct terms.
"The Gu Clan? The one among the Ancient Eight Clans?" Fei Tian sucked in a breath of cold air. The Gu Clan was a colossal power, one of the very greatest existences on the entire Dou Qi Continent.
Although the Wind and Lightning Pavilion enjoyed considerable prestige in the Central Plains, it wasn't even a speed bump before the truly top-tier powers. Those people wouldn't so much as spare a proper glance for a faction without a single Dou Sheng.
Not only him-even Feng Qing'er grew unusually serious. Still, unwilling as ever to concede defeat, she tried to salvage some face.
"So what if it's the Gu Clan? Even if she belongs to them, her status definitely isn't very high. Otherwise, she wouldn't have just a measly Dou Emperor guarding her.
"Even if we kill her, the Gu Clan wouldn't casually fall out with our Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan over some marginal figure."
The more Feng Qing'er spoke, the more spirited she became. Even the sense of superiority that had been worn down earlier suddenly returned.
After all, someone protected by a Dou Emperor hardly amounted to anything. When she had first gone to the Wind and Lightning Pavilion, she had been escorted by two peak Dou Zuns.
Even on this trip far from home, she had Fei Tian, a five-star Dou Zong, ensuring her safety at all times.
"Heh, then all I can tell you is that you're getting ahead of yourself. I can tell you with absolute certainty,
"Her status is far more exalted than you imagine. She's the biological daughter of Gu Yuan, the Ancient Clan Chief." Qin Yun delivered the most devastating words in the calmest tone.
"Pfft! You did that on purpose, didn't you? Is that something you can just casually tell people? I'm done for. I can't forget it now." Fei Tian nearly spat out a mouthful of water.
He had known Qin Yun might be digging another pit for him, but he hadn't expected it to be this enormous. This had locked him into the same boat as Qin Yun for good.
"You're lying, right? How could the great Gu Yuan's own daughter have only a Dou Emperor guarding her? Is he really that careless?"
Feng Qing'er found it hard to believe. Was she really Gu Yuan's biological daughter? Even serving someone up on a platter shouldn't be done like this.
"Of course it's true. As for why she only has a Dou Emperor, I don't know." Qin Yun spread his hands, indicating that he couldn't fathom Gu Yuan's train of thought either.
If it were him, assigning a dedicated Dou Sheng to protect her at close quarters wouldn't be excessive.
Taking it even further, if he were Hun Tiandi, he would probably seize Xiao Xun'er and bring her back the moment he learned of this, then send Gu Yuan a grandson every year.
If Gu Yuan refused to behave, he would send him two a year.
"Th-this... does the Gu Clan's chief have bubbles in his brain? Sending his own daughter to a place where birds don't even shit."
Feng Qing'er's face flushed scarlet before she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. Sure enough, people like them simply couldn't understand the way powerful experts thought.
There was one thing she was certain of, though. Even if his brain didn't work properly, he was still a nine-star Dou Saint. Even calling Auntie over would only add another dish to his table-not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
"Then it's probably not a good idea for us to stay here, is it? Should we go back and discuss this properly first, then return once we've come up with a plan?"
For once, Feng Qing'er felt a trace of an urge to retreat. She might be bullheaded, but she wasn't stupid. If a real fight broke out, she would definitely be beaten miserably.
"Oh my, you're not scared, are you?" Qin Yun even reached out with two fingers and tipped up her chin, while raising his other hand in a thumbs-up before slowly turning it downward.
With her explosive temper, a little provocation like this would surely get her to stir up trouble alongside him.
"What's that supposed to mean? Would I be scared of her? I just want to make sure things go smoothly. I'm not panicking at all!" Sure enough, Feng Qing'er couldn't withstand this kind of provocation. She planted one foot on her chair and spoke fiercely.
"..." Lunatics. They're all lunatics. Let it all burn. Let it all burn. Please, when you two decide to stir up trouble, could you spare a thought for the person beside you?
Fei Tian didn't want to say anything now. He had gone completely numb. Damn it. If I'd known, I would never have gotten involved in this.
If anything really happened to the Gu Clan's young lady, even the earthworms throughout the Wind and Lightning Pavilion would probably be split lengthwise.
Before you continue