Arranging His Old Friend's Future

Lu Qing'an's words rooted both of them to the spot, leaving them standing motionless in midair.

As far as they knew, a Peak Great Emperor Realm expert could travel at most ten thousand li in a single breath.

They had clearly felt themselves pass through many spatial passages just now, covering at least over a hundred thousand li. They weren't certain whether it had been several hundred thousand li.

But Lu Qing'an had no reason to lie to them!

"Qing'an, could it be that your emperor's position has something to do with space?" He Hong thought of something and ventured a question.

Lu Qing'an looked at his old friend and smiled. "Elder He, don't ask. The children have been waiting for you two for a long time. Come on, we can sit down and talk once we're there."

He Hong suppressed his curiosity and nodded.

Xu Yunyi, meanwhile, stared fixedly at Lu Qing'an's profile. Before, she had only thought that her brother-in-law was exceptionally considerate, principled in his actions, and easy to get along with. Now, however, she found him unfathomably mysterious!

She couldn't figure him out anymore!

And the harder one person was to figure out, the more another wanted to find out the truth.

This time, Lu Qing'an didn't need to shatter the void again. He simply flew with the two of them for a short while before they appeared above a secluded mountain range.

"We're here."

Lu Qing'an led them down toward a quiet little courtyard below.

Below, Lu Zixuan and Lu Miaomiao were already standing in the open courtyard with Xiao Qingyi and the others, looking up and waiting for the guests to arrive.

"Grandpa He! Auntie!!" Lu Miaomiao jumped up and waved both hands, overjoyed.

Lu Zixuan also smiled as she waited for them to land.

As soon as the three landed, Lu Zixuan and Lu Miaomiao rushed over to the two of them like a gust of wind.

The two children hugged Xu Yunyi and greeted them both.

"Good children, have you been settling in here in the Demon Domain?" A gentle light appeared in He Hong's aged eyes as he asked with a smile.

"Grandpa He, we're doing well. We eat well, drink well, and sleep well," Lu Zixuan said with a smile.

"What about you, Miaomiao?"

"I'm doing great! I just missed you a little! Grandpa He, do you want some chilled watermelon? It's really tasty!" Lu Miaomiao said with a smile.

"Haha, not right now."

"Elder He, Auntie, my sister and I have already prepared rooms for you. Come on in!"

Lu Miaomiao grabbed their hands and pulled them toward the house.

Lu Qing'an smiled at the sight and followed them inside.

"Qing'an, who are these two?" He Hong asked after sitting down, looking at Xiao Qingyi and Xue Tianfei, who had remained silent.

"They're both friends of mine here. Why don't you two introduce yourselves?" Lu Qing'an said.

Xiao Qingyi smiled. "I am Xiao Qingyi, Great Emperor Leixiao, one of the top experts in the Demon Domain and a friend of his for many years. How should I address you two, fellow Daoists?"

"So you're Fellow Daoist Xiao! I am He Hong, just a little old man from the Immortal Ruins who's fairly skilled at artifact refining."

"I am Xu Yunyi. Greetings, Senior Xiao!"

Xue Tianfei introduced herself as well. Having heard what He Hong said just now, she also made an effort to show a gentle side as she looked at him.

"Xue Tianfei, one of the top experts in the Demon Domain and also one of his pursuers."

Xue Tianfei had slipped her own agenda into her introduction without hesitation.

As soon as she said it, the atmosphere, which had just begun to improve, suddenly turned awkward.

Lu Qing'an glanced at Xue Tianfei, speechless.

Always saying this kind of nonsense.

After a moment of surprise, He Hong quickly laughed to break the awkwardness. "Haha, I didn't expect Qing'an to be even more popular here!"

He couldn't help taking another look at Xue Tianfei.

Both of them had just said they were among the Demon Domain's top experts. Did that mean they were also at the Peak Great Emperor Realm?!

Huh?! Wait! Why does this woman look so much like that Demon Domain expert who was besieged by a group of experts from the Immortal Ruins that day?!

"Let's stop talking about this nonsense. You've come a long way, so get some rest first."

Lu Qing'an brought the strange conversation to an end.

Xue Tianfei felt a little aggrieved when Lu Qing'an cut her off, then quietly looked at Xu Yunyi.

She found Xu Yunyi looking at her too, and a faint, dark glint flashed through her eyes.

Xu Yunyi wasn't even in the Great Emperor Realm. Though she was quite good-looking, her bearing still fell somewhat short of Xue Tianfei's, to say nothing of her strength. Presumably, Xu Yunyi's sister wasn't much better!

That foolish woman! She was just lucky to get her hands on this man!

He Hong and Xu Yunyi went to their cleaned rooms and put their things away.

Afterward, He Hong pulled Lu Qing'an into his room.

"Qing'an, I have a lot of questions for you."

Looking at his old friend, Lu Qing'an said nothing. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gestured for He Hong to ask.

The reason he and He Hong had become friends was that the little old man had a stubborn streak too.

When He Hong was researching something, he could forget to eat and sleep, and Lu Qing'an was the same.

He had also had a friend who had died long ago and had been the same way. He saw a reflection of that friend in He Hong.

Over the more than a thousand years they had spent together, the little old man had treated him sincerely, so he had come to regard He Hong as a close friend.

"Is there really no possibility left between you and Qingying? If you need me to do anything between the two of you, I'll help with everything I have!"

He Hong's expression was sincere.

Lu Qing'an had known He Hong would say this, but he still shook his head. "There's no need. Let's just let it go."

"All right, then. Do you really plan to stay here and never return to the Immortal Ruins?"

Lu Qing'an nodded.

"Good, then I've made up my mind too! I'll settle down here! Anyway, this little old man of yours only likes studying artifact refining and doesn't care about other affairs in the outside world. Just get me a place to refine artifacts here. Most importantly, I can still see the two children when I'm done with my work. Ah, I really do like your two children. I want to see them grow up healthy!"

Toward the end, a trace of sorrow flashed in He Hong's eyes.

As far as Lu Qing'an knew, He Hong had once had a daughter, but an accident had taken her life when she was very young.

"The two children like you a lot too, Elder He. I'll have someone set up an artifact-refining room for you soon. If you need any refining materials in the future, just tell me. You've only just arrived in the Demon Domain, so I'll make sure everything is properly arranged for you."

Lu Qing'an patted He Hong on the shoulder.

"How could I accept all that?" He Hong said with a smile.

"You don't know the place or the people, so you can only rely on me. What, can you get everything yourself?"

"Ahem, then I suppose I'll just have to accept! But I can't take advantage of you either. If you want any artifacts refined in the future, just put me to work! I'll refine them for free!" He Hong said with a smile.

"All right, you said it. I'll be sure to make use of this free labor of mine in the future."

Lu Qing'an had no need to ask He Hong for help refining artifacts. Here in the Demon Domain, there were far too many top artifact refiners who would have begged to do it for him.

The artifact refiner who had crafted his treasured sword had forged such a divine weapon for him, and Lu Qing'an had used that sword to turn the Demon Domain upside down and kill countless enemies. As the one who had forged the divine weapon, the refiner had risen with it to become the most renowned and sought-after artifact refiner in the Demon Domain.