Inside the council hall of the Zhan clan.

The two women seemed to be at odds with the old man sitting on the high seat. The old man kept trying to teach the two women with great care and patience, but the two women just sat silently in their seats.

"Grandpa admits that he was indeed a bit unfair in his dealings with Qin Xin, but didn't he take that thing away?"

"He didn't lose out either!"

Zhan Sheng's somewhat weathered voice echoed in the council hall.

Shortly after Qin Xin left Dading City, Zhan Sheng, who was locked in her boudoir, was released by the Zhan Qingqi sisters.

As Zhan Sheng spoke, his brows furrowed suddenly, and he looked up in the direction of the palace with a puzzled expression.

"That old guy actually came out!" Zhan Sheng muttered to himself.

"It seems Qin Xin has already returned to the Great Xia Dynasty, so you don't need to worry too much, sister."

Seeing her worried younger sister, Zhan Qingyue gently comforted her.

“I will go and see you. You will stay in the clan. There are many things to deal with in the clan now. You sisters should learn carefully from the elder.”

After Zhan Sheng finished speaking, he also left the family and chased after the direction in which the aura in the palace had disappeared.

~~~~~~

Luo Lingyan carried Qin Xin through the dense forest for a while before stopping beside a waterfall.

This place is relatively hidden, and even some monsters cannot find it.

"Stop pretending! Heal your injuries and return to the Great Xia Dynasty!"

With a gentle flick of Luo Lingyan's slender jade hand, Qin Xin fell directly onto the stream below the waterfall. The pain in his chest made Qin Xin let out a soft groan.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Luo. But how did you end up here?"

After taking the healing pills, Qin Xin lay half-reclined on the bluestone by the stream and asked with some confusion.

"It was just a coincidence."

Luo Lingyan's clear voice came from behind the veil. She then found a place to sit down, glanced at Qin Xin, and had a conflicted look on her face.

"Aren't you the son-in-law of the Zhan clan? Why did you suddenly leave Dading City?"

Luo Lingyan's face behind the veil showed no expression, only a voice of doubt could be heard.

"Isn't Zhan Qingqi from the Eastern Wilderness Academy just like me? ...After I've helped her, I'll naturally have to go back to the Eastern Wilderness Academy."

Qin Xin casually recounted how he was rescued by Zhan Qingyue when he was in danger, and how he helped the Zhan clan when they faced a crisis. "However, the Zhan clan's son-in-law's actions were merely a temporary measure, and now the engagement has been cancelled."

"Why are you explaining this to me? Your engagement to someone else is none of my business."

Luo Lingyan gave a somewhat aloof reply, but unnoticed by anyone, a slight smirk appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"This is the border between the Daoding Dynasty and the Great Xia Dynasty. It will take you about a day to walk back to the Eastern Wilderness Academy."

After saying that, Luo Lingyan turned to leave.

“Miss Luo…”

When Qin Xin saw Luo Lingyan about to leave, he called out softly to stop her, but when that beautiful figure stopped, he suddenly forgot the words he was about to say.

Will we ever meet again?

As Luo Lingyan took her first step, Qin Xin finally spoke.

"You lured Xia Qi away back then, so helping you today can be considered offsetting each other, right?"

Luo Lingyan lightly touched the ground with her lotus-like feet, paused for a moment, and then spoke.

Qin Xin was quite conflicted about his relationship with Luo Lingyan. Although their relationship was due to an accident, Qin Xin was not an irresponsible person. However, the woman refused to mention it, so Qin Xin didn't know what to say.

As Qin Xin watched Luo Lingyan's figure disappear, a pang of regret rose in his heart.

"You little rascal, you're missing a golden opportunity! Just seduce this girl again, and she'll be completely devoted to you!"

Just as Qin Xin regained his senses, an aged voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Teacher! You're awake!"

Upon hearing Danqing's voice, Qin Xin was overjoyed, but he inadvertently aggravated his injuries, wincing in pain.

"To be precise, I woke up before you were surrounded!"

Danqing's voice rang out, and a golden spot flashed between Qin Xin's brows. Then, a somewhat tangible spirit appeared in front of Qin Xin.

"Then why didn't you lend a hand!"

Qin Xin, who was initially excited about Danqing's awakening, immediately showed a resentful expression upon hearing Danqing's words.

"You've faced far too few crises. Your master will one day disappear, and then I will no longer be able to protect you. You'll have to rely on yourself for everything."

Danqing stared quietly at Qin Xin, her words filled with deep thought.

Qin Xin understood the deeper meaning behind Dan Qing's words. After all, the path of cultivation is fraught with danger, and relying on the protection of others will eventually lead to one's downfall.

For a moment, Qin Xin looked at the old man with white hair hanging down in front of him, his eyes filled with more awe. Qin Xin, who had always lacked family affection, also felt a warm current in his heart at this moment.

"Your performance was quite good. Concealment, assassination, feigning weakness to lure the enemy into a trap, and then gathering your strength to strike – your composure was beyond my expectations." Danqing looked at Qin Xin with satisfaction in his eyes.

Danqing hadn't expected Qin Xin to kill Qin Kunpeng so easily.

After Qin Xin finished washing up, Dan Qing stared at him with a wicked grin, making Qin Xin's scalp tingle.

"Teacher, why are you looking at me like that?"

Qin Xin asked cautiously, because Danqing's expression always meant that nothing good was coming his way.

"To be honest, I think that girl named Luo Lingyan is quite nice. How about I help you ask her for a hand in marriage at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"

After refining the Soul-Nourishing Tree, Danqing's spiritual body recovered, making his spiritual sense more accurate. Although Luo Lingyan obtained spiritual cultivation techniques at the Luoshen Sect ruins, she still could not escape Danqing's detection. That's when he discovered Luo Lingyan's figure following behind Qin Xin.

After realizing that the other party had no malicious intent, Danqing was relieved.

"Could it be that she's been following me ever since I left Dading City?"

Qin Xin pondered, looking at the painting with suspicion. After running away in the Dead Leaf Forest for many days, even he himself couldn't identify his location for a while. It was unlikely that Luo Lingyan's reunion was just a chance encounter between the two. The only explanation was that Luo Lingyan had been following him all along.

"I don't know about that."

Danqing shook his head and smiled at Qin Xin, "To be honest, you're old enough to find a partner. I have quite a few cultivation techniques that can be used for dual cultivation, which are good for cultivation..."

"Ahem, teacher, you're here again. These dual cultivation techniques, aren't they something you used to use often..."

"ah!"

"You brat, how dare you joke with your teacher."

After a cry of pain, the old man and the young man started bickering again, and the tension of the previous crisis disappeared completely. After recovering, Qin Xin looked for directions.

Its figure once again disappeared into the dense forest, rapidly heading towards the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty.

~~~~~~

One day later.

Inside the Zhan clan, Zhan Sheng returned with doubts, as if he had lost track of them.

Some of the clan leaders who followed the powerful aura from the palace that day also returned to their clans.

Not long after, news spread throughout Dading City that in a remote city of the Ding Dynasty, all living creatures in the city had been slaughtered, and their blood had pooled together, staining the surrounding rivers red, a truly gruesome sight.

Many martial artists speculated that the town had been attacked by a beast tide, but no trace of any monsters was found at the scene.

Shortly after these clan leaders returned to their clans, the powerful aura from the royal palace returned once more.