“Maybe Lan Cailing’s father is dead,” Huang Ling’er said.

"How did you know?" Mu Yuqing asked.

"I was just guessing," Huang Ling'er said with a smile.

Ye Feng and Mu Yuqing got off the carriage, and Lan Cailing naturally followed suit.

Lan Cailing hurriedly entered the Lan family compound, where she was greeted by an old man.

This man is the Lan family's steward, named Chang Boen.

"Uncle Chang, what happened?" Lan Cailing asked anxiously.

Chang Boen strode up to Lan Cailing and poked her in, saying, "Miss, Master suffered a qi deviation while cultivating three days ago and suddenly died!"

"What? How is this possible!"

Lan Cailing's expression changed drastically, and she even staggered back a few steps.

If Ye Feng hadn't caught her in time, Lan Cailing, a peak True Essence Realm martial artist, would have fallen to the ground.

“I received the news three days ago and rushed back as fast as I could, but I didn’t expect it to still be like this…” Lan Cailing’s eyes were red and tears were about to flow from her eyes.

Chang Boen shook his head and said, "Miss, Master suffered a severe injury three days ago due to a qi deviation. I immediately sent you the message, but he couldn't hold on for more than two days and passed away... Miss, please accept my condolences!"

Just then, a middle-aged man led a young man out of the inner courtyard.

Upon seeing the young man, Ye Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who are they?" Night Wind asked.

“They are my second uncle, Lan Jiaye, and my cousin, Lan Caifeng,” Lan Cailing explained.

"Cousin?" Ye Feng's lips curled into a cold smile.

Lan Jiaye and Lan Caifeng have now arrived in front of Lan Cailing.

"Cailing, you're finally back, but you're too late. You couldn't see your father one last time," Lan Jiaye said sadly.

"Second Uncle, what exactly happened? My father was perfectly fine, why did he suddenly go into a state of demonic possession?" Lan Cailing asked.

Lan Jiaye said, "My elder brother has been stuck at the peak of the Divine Realm for many years. He wanted to break through to the Transcendent Realm, so he tried to break through the bottleneck in one go. As a result, he failed to break through and instead suffered a qi deviation, which severely injured him..."

“I invited several of the most famous doctors in Jade City to treat him, but unfortunately, they were all just doctors in name only. They were helpless and unable to treat your father.”

"Later, your father held on for two more days, and then... sigh!"

Lan Jiaye sighed heavily as he finished speaking, his face still showing sorrow.

Lan Caifeng glanced at Ye Feng and Mu Yuqing, and asked, "Cousin, who are these two...?"

“They are friends I met on the road. This is Young Master Gong, and this is Miss Mu,” Lan Cailing replied.

Lan Caifeng cupped his hands in greeting.

Lan Jiaye said, "Cailing, leave your two friends to the steward. Go see your father in his room. If he knows you're back, he'll be pleased in heaven."

"I...I'll go take a look right away."

After saying that, Lan Cailing hurriedly ran towards the inner courtyard.

Ye Feng and Mu Yuqing did not enter the inner courtyard, but stayed temporarily in a side room in the courtyard.

After closing the door, Mu Yuqing cast a protective barrier to isolate the inside from the outside.

"You jinx!" Mu Yuqing glared at Huang Ling'er.

Huang Ling'er said with a grin, "You can't blame me for this. I didn't expect that I would actually be right."

Mu Yuqing sighed and looked at Ye Feng, saying, "If we had known that something like this would happen to the Lan family, we shouldn't have come here."

"Yes, this is indeed awkward," Ye Feng said with a wry smile.

"Should we say goodbye and leave now?" Mu Yuqing asked.

But before Ye Feng could answer, she shook her head and said, "No, no, we're already here. It would be impolite to leave so soon."

"Let's stay here for the night. Besides, I have a feeling that things won't be peaceful at the Lan family's place tonight," Ye Feng said meaningfully.

Night fell.

In the study, Lan Jiaye coldly looked at Lan Caifeng and asked, "Are you sure those two people beside Lan Cailing are the experts who are blocking you?"

“I’m absolutely certain! I just don’t know which one of them was the one who injured me back then,” Lan Caifeng answered without hesitation.

Lan Jiaye paced back and forth, his face grim.

"Everything was going according to plan, but then something went wrong with Lan Cailing. Sigh..." Lan Jiaye shook his head, looking somewhat frustrated.

Lan Caifeng immediately said, "Father, why don't you personally kill Lan Cailing and those two guys?"

"Are you an idiot? You don't even know what level those two young people are at, and you're already recklessly attacking? What if I find out they're stronger than me after I attack?" Lan Jiaye said irritably.

"Then I'll send someone to test their strength first?" Lan Caifeng said immediately.

Lan Jiaye thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "No, let's wait. Maybe those two will leave soon. We can wait until they leave before we make a move against Lan Cailing. There's no need to create unnecessary trouble at this critical juncture."

"What if they don't leave?" Lan Caifeng asked.

“If they don’t leave, we’ll deal with it later. We can’t just act rashly against them,” Lan Jiaye said.

Lan Caifeng finally nodded.

Just then, a series of loud knocks sounded on the door.

Then, an aged voice came from outside the door: "Second Master, Miss has taken those two strangers to Master's bedroom!"

"What!"

Lan Jiaye suddenly stood up from his chair, his face extremely pale!

Half an hour ago.

Ye Feng and Mu Yuqing were chatting and laughing in this room.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ye Feng said.

The person who pushed open the door was Lan Cailing.

Lan Cailing was carrying a tray with two plates of delicate side dishes and a pot of fine wine.

Lan Cailing's face was pale and her eyes were red, clearly indicating that she had just been crying not long ago.

But when she reached Ye Feng and Mu Yuqing, Lan Cailing forced a smile and said, "I'm so sorry for neglecting you."

"It's alright. With such a big incident happening to your family, it would be perfectly normal for you to not only neglect us, but also kick us out," Ye Feng joked.

“How could I possibly send you away?” Lan Cailing quickly shook her head.

Mu Yuqing asked curiously, "Miss Lan, how exactly did your father die? Was it really because he failed to break through his bottleneck and went into a state of demonic possession?"

After a pause, Mu Yuqing continued, "Even if failing to break through a bottleneck carries the risk of qi deviation, it generally won't result in immediate death. Otherwise, the risks and costs of breaking through would be far too great, and who would dare to cultivate?"

"I also find it strange."