Everyone Lends a Hand

"It seems your relationship with him is quite special."

Su Xuanqing held his teacup and said slowly.

"No way! He and I are just ordinary friends." Su Ying's voice was a few decibels faster than usual.

"Just friends?"

"Su Xuanqing! Are you going to help him or not?"

Su Ying became a little anxious and shouted loudly, a thin layer of red appearing on her face.

Seeing that Su Ying was getting anxious, Su Xuanqing stopped teasing her and his expression turned serious:

"Tell me, who did he kill?"

Zhao Changgeng!

"What? Zhao Changgeng? Zhao Changgeng from the Central Province Demon-Slaying Bureau?"

It's him!

Su Xuanqing stopped holding the teacup.

He certainly knew the name Zhao Changgeng.

The first disciple among the younger generation of the Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau the Central Province Headquarters to break through to the Great Grandmaster, and Song Xuanji's prized student.

If it were Su Ying himself who killed Zhao Changgeng, he would protect him without hesitation.

For Su Xuanqing, turning against the Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau Division for an outsider was completely not worth it.

"This is something I, your father, cannot do!"

"Father!"

Su Ying's voice softened, carrying a hint of coquetry.

"Don't give me that. You know Zhao Changgeng better than I do. Do you think I'd allow him to turn against the Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau for an outsider?"

Su Ying did not continue to pester him as usual.

She dropped her coquettishness, straightened up, and looked at Su Xuanqing with a serious expression.

"If you agree, I will go into seclusion to cultivate from today onwards. I will not emerge until I reach the Celestial Person Realm."

Su Xuanqing looked at Su Ying with a blank expression, but his heart was in turmoil.

He knew his daughter well. She was extremely talented, especially in Dao Arts magic, which even the elders of the Sacred Hall had personally praised.

She's just too playful; otherwise, at her age, she should have broken through to the Celestial Person Realm long ago.

Now, she has actually taken the initiative to go into seclusion, and will not leave until she reaches the Celestial Person Realm.

"That's not enough. I also need you to promise to go to the Sacred Hall to participate in the trials after breaking through to the Celestial Person Realm and become a candidate for Holy Maiden."

"I agree!" Su Ying said without hesitation.

"Aren't you going to reconsider?"

"No need, I've already thought it through."

Su Xuanqing looked at her and remained silent for a few moments.

He knew his daughter too well.

Given her free-spirited nature, it's astonishing that she would go to such lengths for a stranger.

This shows that the young man named Lu Feng was extremely important to her.

Even if she doesn't agree, she'll find another way.

Rather than pushing her to do something more extreme, it's better to go along with her wishes.

Su Xuanqing took out a token, dripped some blood into it, and sent a message to Xie Yunyuan, the Si Zheng of the Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau.

A moment later, the token vibrated.

Su Xuanqing glanced down.

"How was it?" Su Ying asked impatiently.

"Resolved. Headquarters will no longer pursue the matter of Lu Feng killing Zhao Changgeng."

"Great! Let me see it."

Su Ying snatched the token and looked down at it.

The token did indeed state that Lu Feng would not be held accountable for killing Zhao Changgeng.

However, the condition is that Su Xuanqing must go to the Cangyuan Battlefield to help Xie Yunyuan kill a Third-Transformation Demon Emperor.

The joy on Su Ying's face froze instantly.

"Third-Transformation Demon Emperor? Then Minjiang is equivalent to the Celestial Person Realm Third Layer."

"You're only at the Celestial Person Realm First Layer, and Xie Si Zheng is only at the Celestial Person Realm Second Layer. How could you possibly kill a Third-Transformation Demon Emperor?"

Su Ying's voice was full of worry.

"Then should I go and refuse?"

"This... this... that..."

Su Ying didn't know what to say for a moment.

She certainly didn't want her father to take that risk, but if she refused, Lu Feng's situation would be in jeopardy.

Seeing her like this, Su Xuanqing finally stopped teasing her and said seriously:

"Don't worry. Xie Yunyuan's willingness to make this request indicates that he has a certain level of confidence."

"He had invited me to the Cangyuan Battlefield before, but I declined, citing my need to go into seclusion to break through to the Celestial Person Realm Second Layer."

"This is perfect opportunity; let's take this chance to meet that Third-Transformation Demon Emperor."

He paused, looked at Su Ying, and his tone became more serious:

"But after I leave, you must cultivate diligently. If you dare to sneak out again, I won't help you next time."

Su Ying's eyes instantly reddened. She nodded heavily, without saying a word.

"Alright, go and rest. From now on, I will have someone deliver your cultivation resources to you regularly."

Su Ying didn't leave immediately. She sat down opposite Su Xuanqing and suddenly asked:

"Father, Cangyuan Battlefield... dangerous?"

Su Xuanqing smiled. He didn't answer the question.

"Do you remember when you were a kid, the first time you practiced the Lightning Summoning Technique, you blew up the whole training room?"

Su Ying was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

"I remember. That time you punished me by making me copy the cultivation technique incantation three hundred times."

"When you copied it for the last time, you secretly changed the mnemonic to ' Su Ying is the best in the world.'"

"How did you know?" Su Ying's eyes widened.

"You wrote too big. A whole page with only four words."

They both laughed at the same time. That night, Su Ying didn't go back to her place. She sat opposite Su Xuanqing and listened to him talk about many things from his childhood until late at night.

On the other side, in Shouyun City, inside a tent.

Ji Qingqing, Lin Amei, and several other female disciples sat together, their faces flushed and panting heavily, as if they had just run back from outside.

"I went to the east to inquire, but there was no news of Commander Lu," a round-faced female disciple spoke first.

"I don't have any there either."

"I don't either."

Several people reported one after another.

Ji Qingqing sat in the middle, her brows furrowing more and more as she listened.

In the past two weeks, ever since the crisis in Shouyun City was resolved, she has had everyone go out of their way to find out about Lu Feng.

I asked everyone I could, inside and outside the city, and in the surrounding villages and towns.

But Lu Feng seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

"My lord, do you think Commander Lu might already be...?"

A female disciple timidly opened her mouth, but before she could finish speaking, Lin Amei interrupted her.

"Pah, pah, pah! The commander will be fine."

"Lin Amei is right."

"No news is good news. We must believe the commander is still alive. Keep searching, this time expand the search area."

Ji Qingqing raised her head and glanced at everyone. Although she had her doubts, she was the team leader at this moment.

The female disciple, who had just spoken, timidly replied, "If the area expands further, we might encounter high-level demonic beasts. I..."

"If you're afraid of dying, you don't have to go."

Lin Amei retorted without holding back.

The female disciple shrank back, not daring to speak again.

She was one of the people Lu Shuang left behind. After Lu Shuang returned to headquarters, Ji Qingqing took over her management.

Just as the atmosphere was getting a little tense, the tent flap was suddenly yanked open.

A female disciple rushed in, her face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

"My lord! The commander is back! He's on his way!"

Everyone stood up, poured out of the tent, and looked outside.

On the path outside the camp, a figure in dark robes was slowly walking towards them. It was Lu Feng.