Life went on like this, noisy yet with a touch of warmth.

The outside world still seemed to be turbulent, but in this small courtyard, Zhang Shaozhong found a peculiar balance and... a sense of belonging.

Until this day, the black cell phone, which had been silent for some time, started vibrating rapidly again.

The information displayed on the screen made Zhang Shaozhong's heart, which had just relaxed, jump up again instantly.

[Urgent Intelligence: The Dongying Water-Pumping One-Sword School is suspected of large-scale unrest! Several skilled fighters have secretly infiltrated, and its leader, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, has spread rumors that he vows revenge for his grandson, Yagyu Kame-taro! The target appears to be Shu (Sichuan)! Again, the target appears to be Shu! All three are urged to be on high alert!]

Seeing the glaring red warning message on his black phone, Zhang Shaozhong's relaxed mood, which had just been due to "family harmony," instantly sank again, and the apple he had just put in his mouth no longer tasted sweet.

"Damn it, it's like a persistent ghost!"

He cursed and handed his phone to Ling Qingxue, who was standing next to him, and Ye Meier, who was admiring her new jade hairpin in the mirror.

Ye Meier glanced at them, chuckled, stuck the hairpin in her hair, and lazily stretched: "Oh? The parents of those defeated guys have come knocking? Perfect! I've been itching for a good workout lately! I'll take them down one by one, or two at a time!"

After reading the message, Ling Qingxue narrowed her cold eyes slightly and pondered, "Yagyu Tajima-no-kami... This person's cultivation should be much stronger than his grandson's. His school of swordsmanship is unpredictable and insidious, and he is good at assassination and escape techniques. He should not be underestimated. Moreover, since he dared to come here, he must have something to rely on."

Zhang Shaozhong sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is just too much to bear. Are we just going to wait here for them to come knocking?"

"Otherwise what?"

Ye Meier leaned closer and hugged his neck. "Are we supposed to welcome them with drums and gongs? Don't worry, my husband~ With me and the fake aloofness here, we'll make sure they don't leave alive!"

Ling Qingxue nodded: "This place is protected by an array, making it both offensive and defensive, indeed the best place to deal with the situation. However..."

She looked at Zhang Shaozhong with a hint of concern in her eyes, "Husband, you need to improve your strength as soon as possible, and you should become more proficient in using the Chaos Qi, in preparation for any eventuality."

Well, the pressure is back on me.

Zhang Shaozhong nodded resignedly: "I understand, my wife."

I'm getting more and more comfortable calling her "wife" now.

In the following days, the atmosphere of cultivation in the courtyard became noticeably tense.

Besides consolidating her own Golden Core cultivation, Ling Qingxue spent most of her time guiding and urging Zhang Shaozhong to cultivate.

She no longer limited Zhang Shaozhong to simply and brutally using chaotic energy to smash people, but began to teach him some more sophisticated methods of accumulating energy and simple defensive and evasive techniques.

"The chaotic energy encompasses everything; it can be both hard and soft, offensive and defensive."

Ling Qingxue condensed a wisp of gray air at her fingertips. The air was sometimes as sharp as a steel needle and sometimes as supple as silk. "My husband needs to carefully understand the changes within it in order to control it as if it were his own arm."

Zhang Shaozhong studied very hard. He knew that the enemy who came this time might be much stronger than the previous small fry, and that strength was the only true measure of power.

Under Ling Qingxue's careful guidance, his control over the chaotic energy was indeed improving at a visible speed. Although he was still far from being able to "control it as if it were his own arm," he was at least no longer just using brute force to attack.

Ye Meier wasn't idle either. Although she said she wasn't afraid, she began to cultivate her demonic energy even more diligently, while repeatedly refining the seven "Seven Emotions Bewitching Nails" to ensure their power was at its peak.

She would also occasionally pull Zhang Shaozhong aside for "sparring," ostensibly to help him improve his combat reflexes, but she was incredibly ruthless, always targeting the most painful spots, leaving Zhang Shaozhong grimacing every night.

"Husband, does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."

After each "sparring session," Ye Meier would come over and "massage" him with her hands, which were imbued with demonic energy and had "just the right" strength, leaving Zhang Shaozhong in a state of both pain and pleasure, daring not to speak out against her anger.

Besides cultivating, Ling Qingxue also reinforced the "Two Elements Micro Dust Array" in the courtyard and quietly set up several trigger-based warning and trapping arrays on the outer perimeter. In her words, this was "better safe than sorry."

A few more days passed peacefully (on the surface).

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Zhang Shaozhong had just finished a round of cultivation and was preparing to wash up and go to bed. Ling Qingxue was meditating in the courtyard, while Ye Meier was tinkering with something in her room.

Sudden--

Buzz!

Outside the courtyard, a very well-hidden warning array was triggered!

It emitted a barely perceptible fluctuation!

Almost the instant the formation was activated, Ling Qingxue suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them: "They're here!"

Zhang Shaozhong's heart tightened, and he immediately rushed out of the room: "Where is she?"

Night Enchantress appeared beside him like a ghost, a smile of excitement on her face: "Finally here! I've been waiting forever!"

Ling Qingxue's divine sense spread outwards like mercury, instantly locking onto the location: "Southeast direction, 300 meters away, five people. Their auras are concealed, and they are slowly approaching."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Shaozhong, with his enhanced perception from the Foundation Establishment stage, sensed several sinister auras, like venomous snakes, silently creeping towards the courtyard!

Here they come! The ninjas from Japan!

Those few chilling auras, like venomous snakes in the dark, silently crept towards the courtyard, clearly intending to launch a sneak attack.

"Damn it, they actually dared to come!"

Zhang Shaozhong's eyes turned cold. He had just made a breakthrough in his cultivation and was looking for a place to test his skills when these Japanese rats delivered themselves to his doorstep!

Ye Meier transmitted her voice: "Husband~ be ruthless! Don't embarrass me!"

Zhang Shaozhong took a deep breath, and the chaotic energy surged within his body.

Instead of rushing out as before, he followed the method Ling Qingxue had taught him over the past few days, gathering the chaotic energy within his body. He blended into the night, his aura becoming almost imperceptible.

He scaled the courtyard wall like a raccoon dog, and using the shadows and the array for cover, he crept towards the ninjas in the opposite direction.