Xu Qiu followed closely behind Yin Hongniang's delicate body, smelling the faint scent of milk on her.

I don't know how long I walked along the secret passage.

Suddenly, the view in front of him opened up. Xu Qiu left the secret passage and found himself on a cloud peak. Surrounded by towering cliffs, only the top of the peak was a flat garden.

The ground here is emerald green and colorful. When the breeze blows, the lawn sways like waves. The fragrance of flowers fills the breeze, attracting butterflies that dance with the wind.

The centerpiece is an exquisite loft.

Xu Qiu was looking around.

A voice came from the attic, "Hongniang, you are here..."

His voice was breathless and hoarse, as if he had been through a lot, yet at the same time, mixed with a bit of kindness.

"Yes, Master."

Yin Hongniang responded to the voice and then brought Xu Qiu in.

In the cozy attic filled with flowers, an elderly grandmother was sitting quietly on a mat, holding a cane in her hand.

The beauty on her face was long gone, leaving only the wrinkles on her face, like tree rings, telling of her age.

"She has lived for at least one hundred and fifty years," Xu Qiu guessed secretly.

However, the old man's breath gradually became weaker.

When Yin Hongniang saw the old man, she no longer looked like a mature woman. She came to the old man like a well-behaved little girl and said coquettishly, "Master, did you miss me?"

"I think about it all the time." The old man said with a chuckle.

The old hands also caressed her tender hands.

Yin Hongniang said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Qingluan Valley has many affairs to attend to, and it's difficult for me to get away, not to mention that they..."

Having said that, she stopped talking instantly, not wanting to make her master worry.

However, the old lady knew everything, and she reached out and gently stroked her forehead, just like an old grandmother stroking her granddaughter, doting on her with a hint of apology in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, you've been working so hard these days. I've asked you to manage the huge Qingluan Valley. I'm afraid they've been making things difficult for you all the time, right?"

The old woman's voice was hoarse, but her words still made Yin Hongniang's eyes red.

Like a little girl who has been wronged.

Yin Hongniang sniffed her red nose and said, "Master, it's okay. I can still suppress it. Besides, as long as the people outside know that you are alive, they won't dare to do anything wrong."

Listening to her words, the old man sighed helplessly.

"I'm afraid I can't stay with you for much longer. My time is almost up. Sorry..."

The old man's hand, which was stroking her head, paused gently.

His face looked much older.

The reason why Qingluan Valley was able to maintain peace of mind was that everyone knew that she, the leader of Qingluan Valley, was still alive. As a person of heavenly level, she could scare away the villains.

However, in reality, the old man is now too old and ugly to maintain the state of heaven, not to mention that he doesn’t have much time left.

If the tragic news of her death were to spread, all the major forces would take this opportunity to counterattack.

Yin Hongniang's eyes were moist. She looked straight at her master and held her old hands with both of hers. "Master, are you really leaving?"

“Yes.” The old man nodded helplessly. “I only have half a month left to live, but before I leave, I will hand over the position of the sect leader to you. From now on, Qingluan Valley will be in your hands.”

Yin Hongniang lowered her head when she heard this.

Xu Qiu hit the nail on the head.

The old sect master, Yin Hongniang's master, saw that her eyes were drooping and her expression was sad, so he changed the subject and said, "Speaking of which, would you like to introduce the young man you brought with you?"

"His name is Xu Qiu, a strange guy." Yin Hongniang said bluntly.

The old man laughed for a while when he heard this.

Then he looked at Xu Qiu carefully.

Xu Qiu could only raise his hands helplessly and said politely: "Senior Sect Master, I'm sorry to bother you."

The old man waved his hand gently, "It's okay."

Yin Hongniang was very satisfied and continued to introduce him: "He is the key to my breakthrough. Although I am not sure whether it can really be solved, I still brought him here."

“Not only that, even the masters at the Grandmaster level are no match for him.” Yin Hongniang added.

Upon hearing this, the old man glanced at Xu Qiu again, his face full of surprise.

Quite incredible.

Suddenly, she held Yin Hongniang's hands, understood what she meant, and said, "Hongniang, just go ahead and do it. I will always be with you until the end of your life and support you."

"Um!"

Yin Hongniang's eyes were full of gratitude.

She held her master's hand tightly, as if she was afraid that the old man would disappear in the next moment.

At this time, Yin Hongniang let go of the old sect master's hand and stared straight at Xu Qiu. Her expression was still very firm, and her hands were clenched together.

She said slowly, "As the Great Elder of Qingluan Valley, I beg you to help me recover to my original level of cultivation. I swear in the name of Yin Hongniang that I will do my best to make up for you afterwards."

His expression was very pleading, and his eyes were clear as blue, without any trace of doubt.

The old sect master was the same, "Xu Xiaoyou, I can only humble myself and ask you to help Hongniang and help her keep the position of sect master."

After saying this, she also planned to stand up and make a pleading gesture.

Xu Qiu scratched his head, speechless. It was Yin Hongniang who found that she couldn't persuade him, so she could only use the help of the older generation to persuade him. He finally nodded and said, "There's no need to do that. I will help Senior Yin with his affairs."

After all, things have come to this point, and if he continues to refuse, it would seem inhumane.

A satisfied smile finally appeared on Yin Hongniang's lips, and her eyes became like crescent moons, as if a stone in her heart had been lifted.

This is her last chance. Now in Qingluan Valley, both Xiahou Zongxing and Ni Taowan are pressing her step by step. Yin Hongniang has no more time to prepare.

Then she chatted with the old master for a while.

Only then did he reluctantly leave Yunfeng.

Return to the main hall.

At this moment, Hongniang looked at Xu Qiu, and for some reason her face turned red. She no longer looked as resolute as before, but she still pretended to be calm and continued to walk like a lady. She just said in a soft tone: "Thank you for what I did just now. I'll leave it to you in the future. Of course, I will make it up to you."

Xu Qiu remained silent, and in fact he had no losses.

The speed of dual cultivation improvement was extremely fast, which was what he needed.

Xu Qiu refused before because he simply didn't want to have a Taoist partner casually. Too many ties is not a good thing, so he had been refusing before.

Xu Qiu simply replied, "It's easy to make up for my losses. Just keep an eye out for special things, like jade like this."

He picked up the Immortal Jade and waved it in front of her eyes.

Yin Hongniang did not hesitate at all and nodded, "The Qingluan Valley Treasure Pavilion has a large number of treasures that are who knows how long they are old. After the matter is completed, you can choose to your heart's content."

"It's a deal." Xu Qiu looked at her with joy on his face.

…

The Baiqing Mountains where the Qingluan Valley is located.

Foot of the mountain.

Baiqing Town.

Since the Qingluan Valley was founded, many people have come here to admire its reputation, and a village has naturally formed.

Today, Qingbai Town is considered a well-known place in the surrounding area.

Qin Jianjia stood at the window sill of the inn's room, looking up at the towering mountains in the distance. That was where the Qingluan Valley was hidden.

Just when she was full of thoughts.

Xiao Xia broke the silence, "Miss, I heard something. Recently, a large number of Wumen disciples appeared in Baiqing Town, and it seems that they are taking action against Qingluan Valley!"

"What did you say?"

Qin Jianjia immediately turned around and looked at her, her eyebrows slightly raised, with a surprised expression.

(End of this chapter)