As the middle-aged man finished speaking, Zhao Xian quickly came to his senses. While feeling surprised, he hurriedly and awkwardly got up from his kneeling position in the void, gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain all over his body. He then turned around and fled quickly towards the distant horizon without looking back.
Only after Zhao Xian had completely disappeared into the horizon did the middle-aged man withdraw his gaze and look at Murong Qianqian once more.
At this moment, the latter was looking at him with a frustrated expression, his eyes seemingly blaming the middle-aged man for letting Zhao Xian go.
"Hehe, is the little girl angry?"
The middle-aged man smiled faintly, a hint of doting in his eyes.
"I really don't understand why you let him go. If you hadn't appeared in time, Qianqian would be dead."
Seeing that the middle-aged man could still smile at this time, Murong Qianqian's pretty face immediately showed a pitiful look as if she had been wronged, and she pouted with tears in her eyes as she spoke.
"Heh, you little brat, you ran away from the family all by yourself and now you've caused such a big mess, and you're blaming me instead? Every single one of these injuries you sustained was your own doing. If you had stayed obediently in the family, who could have hurt you?"
The middle-aged man's words left Murong Qianqian speechless for a moment. After a long pause, she pouted again, snorted softly, and said:
Even within the family, my father and brother can still bully me, can't they?
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile and said again:
"You ungrateful girl, how can you be so ungrateful? They're disciplining you so you won't cause trouble in the future. Look at you now, running around with other people and only causing them trouble."
As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, Murong Qianqian's pretty face flushed with anger. She was about to speak again, but the former immediately spoke up, subduing the girl in front of her with a single word.
"Besides, it's not just here. Your father and brother are extremely worried about your unauthorized departure from the family. They were already furious before they called me out to pick you up. If you don't behave yourself, you should know your father and brother's personalities."
In the end, the middle-aged man said no more, and the girl's complexion, which had just begun to recover, was once again filled with fear because of the middle-aged man's words.
Shaking his head helplessly, the middle-aged man ignored the girl and turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, who lay flat in the void with his eyes closed. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and a slow smile appeared on the middle-aged man's lips as he said:
"You don't need to pretend anymore in front of me. The fourth-grade pill I just gave you should wake up by now, even if your injuries are serious."
His soft voice carried an air of unwavering confidence, and at the same time, the young girl's gaze quickly fell on Xiao Yan because of the middle-aged man's words.
Immediately, a look of worry appeared in her pair of bright, beautiful eyes. Only after she clearly heard what the middle-aged man said did her eyes flash with a hint of surprise.
"Cough cough..."
Although his injuries had healed somewhat, Xiao Yan still couldn't help but cough a few times upon hearing the middle-aged man's words of exposure. At the same time, Xiao Yan felt a sense of horror, never expecting that the middle-aged man had given him a fourth-grade pill.
"Junior Xiao Yan thanks Senior for saving my life. I apologize for what happened earlier."
Standing up, Xiao Yan realized that thanks to the power of the fourth-grade pill, he was now able to stand alone in the void. However, he still respectfully cupped his hands to the middle-aged man to express his gratitude and also to apologize for his eavesdropping earlier.
Seeing Xiao Yan seemingly unharmed, the middle-aged man couldn't help but be a little surprised. Although he had given Xiao Yan a fourth-grade pill, Xiao Yan's recovery speed had exceeded his expectations.
The middle-aged man looked deeply at Xiao Yan before smiling faintly and speaking in a calm tone:
"It's alright. According to Leng Bingshuang's message, Qianqian Qian was protected by you the whole way. Bringing her here is enough. As for the pills, consider them a token of gratitude."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan once again respectfully cupped his hands in greeting to the middle-aged man.
Although the former said there was no need to be polite, Xiao Yan understood in his heart that no matter what, the former was still a senior in Xiao Yan's eyes. Since the former was a senior and had saved his life, Xiao Yan should be respectful to him.
Upon seeing Xiao Yan's actions, a look of surprise flashed across the middle-aged man's eyes. His gaze flickered slightly, and then he nodded slightly and spoke again.
"Now that the person has been delivered and the danger has passed, it's time for us to leave."
As he finished speaking, the middle-aged man looked at Murong Qianqian. Upon hearing this, the expression on her pretty face changed again, and her beautiful eyes immediately turned to Xiao Yan, filled with reluctance. Then she hurriedly spoke to the middle-aged man to stop him:
"Fourth Uncle, Xiao Yan's injuries haven't healed yet. If we leave now, what if Zhao Xian comes back to fight back? Wouldn't Xiao Yan be in danger then!"
"You don't need to worry about that. His condition is much better than we think. Besides, with me involved, if that guy dares to come back, I'll definitely kill him. As for you, girl, if you don't want to anger your father any further, you'd better come back with me now, right now, immediately!"
The middle-aged man stared at Murong Qianqian with a serious expression, his warm demeanor causing the young woman to feel a slight chill.
After speaking, the middle-aged man looked at Xiao Yan again. He knew that at this time, his words would probably not have much effect on getting Murong Qianqian to obediently go back with him. On the contrary, Xiao Yan might be the one to make the girl listen to him.
"Well..."
Upon seeing the middle-aged man's gaze, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. He quickly regained his composure and, in the instant their eyes met, he saw the middle-aged man nod to him silently, his lips moving slightly, seemingly as if he were saying thank you.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan nodded almost imperceptibly, then looked at the girl, forcing himself to stand up, and smiled slightly, saying:
"Hehe, little girl, go back now. I promised Leng Bingshuang I would get you safely. Now that you've met your senior, you've arrived. That's all I can do for you. Next, I need to do some things I want to do."
The girl stared at Xiao Yan's smiling face, the forced blush on his cheeks indicating that Xiao Yan seemed to be truly alright. Only then did Murong Qianqian turn away with a pale expression, her brows furrowed, revealing a hint of sadness, making the already injured girl look even more pitiful and charming.
"Alright, let's go. You heard it too, he has his own things to do, you..."
The middle-aged man spoke slowly, but this time, before he could utter a word, the girl suddenly turned her gaze to him. Her beautiful eyes, filled with moisture, also revealed a fierce glint that seemed to devour someone.
"Well..."
Seeing this, the middle-aged man swallowed back the words he was about to utter, then gave an awkward smile and withdrew his gaze with a sullen expression. Clearly, the girl had already guessed the real reason why Xiao Yan had said those words.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle inwardly. Then, the middle-aged man pulled Murong Qianqian up again. This time, for the first time, the middle-aged man looked directly at Xiao Yan Xiao Yan. His usually indifferent face revealed a kind smile. Such a smile would probably not even be seen by his own clansmen at other times. He wondered what Xiao Yan would think if he knew.
As the middle-aged man turned around with Murong Qianqian, the girl's gaze never left Xiao Yan.
"Well..."
Seeing the middle-aged man about to leave with Murong Qianqian, Xiao Yan couldn't help but let out a long, inexplicable sigh.
Xiao Yan had no romantic feelings for Murong Qianqian; he simply regarded her as a Murong Qianqian sister.
Although their time together was short, Murong Qianqian's lively personality added fun to Xiao Yan's monotonous cultivation journey. However, seeing the two about to part ways now, Xiao Yan felt a little reluctant.
This parting is inevitable, and it's uncertain whether we'll ever have the chance to meet again. Judging from the fact that this middle-aged man is Murong Qianqian's fourth uncle, her family must be quite extraordinary; at the very least, they must have no shortage of Dou Di experts.
Moreover, considering that Leng Bingshuang is connected to them, their family probably contains experts at the Origin Transformation Realm or above. This alone is enough for Xiao Yan to look up to them.
Of course, while he admired it from afar, Xiao Yan firmly believed that he might reach such a high level in the future. With the help of Gu You, once Xiao Yan had collected all the Flame Mantra and devoured more Heavenly Flames, he would not only be able to reach the Origin Transformation Realm, but probably even higher realms!
" Xiao Yan, thank you..."
However, at that moment, the middle-aged man's gentle voice came again.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback at first, then focused his gaze. Not far away, the middle-aged man was holding Murong Qianqian's hand, smiling as he looked at Xiao Yan from afar. Noticing Xiao Yan's gaze, the Xiao Yan -aged man nodded to him, then continued speaking:
"Remember my name, Murong Hao. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Blue Eagle City in the Western Wilderness Region to find me. I will do my best to help you!"