Outside Jingjiang Prefecture, Mount Bieli.
The mountain stood tall. Standing at the summit, one could overlook the vast Jingjiang City.
At this moment, a man was standing quietly on the steep cliff of the mountain peak, gazing into the distance at a grand residence within Jingjiang City, a faint smile playing on his lips.
a graceful figure descended from the sky, landing more than ten meters away from the man. The soft footsteps made the man glance sideways, and upon seeing who it was, he immediately said with a smile:
Yu Lan, however, wore no smile, her eyebrows knitted tightly:
"Qin Weijiu, what are you up to?"
Qin Weijiu responded with a light sound of doubt, counterasking:
"What do you mean ’up to’?"
Yu Lan’s tone grew slightly heavier:
"Don’t play dumb with me here. Why did you let that Qin Mo enter the Xu Residence?"
Qin Weijiu did not answer immediately, his gaze fell as he fiddled with an ancient token in his hand.
It was something he and Yu Lan had found together in that Secret Realm.
Seeing the token, Yu Lan’s anger intensified:
"Qin Weijiu, I’m asking you a question!"
Qin Weijiu looked up with a smile, his voice deliberate and measured:
"Yu Lan... what’s the rush?"
Yu Lan’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly: "Ever since we came out of that Secret Realm, don’t tell me you still don’t know who the Saint residing in the Soul Ring is?"
Qin Weijiu sighed softly at her words, tossing the ancient token to Yu Lan, the Sumeru Ring on her:
Yu Lan caught it with a frown, storing the ancient token in the Sumeru Ring, but her tone grew heavier again:
"Knowing that, you still dared to send Qin Mo into the Xu Residence?"
"Because I know, that’s why I sent him," he said.
Qin Weijiu shook his head gently: "Don’t you understand that adversity reveals true feelings? If Qin Mo is willing to rescue Jin Xuan, giving a little push will also help foster the affections between the two youngsters, won’t it?"
Yu Lan took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm her emotions, but ultimately failed and said coldly:
"But what if something happens to Qin Mo? The Soul Ring would fall into Xu Yinhè’s hands then, don’t you realize what that means?! That’s the Saint of Jiatiange!"
Qin Weijiu shook his head, his tone reassuring:
"Yu Lan, don’t worry."
"Breaking into the residence to rescue someone was Qin Mo’s own decision. I merely gave him a little push from behind. Even if I hadn’t helped him, he would have done it anyway, and he must have had his own confidence to dare to break in."
"Heh... Moreover, even if Qin Mo himself is reckless, could the Saint who helped him break into the Xu Residence also be reckless?"
"...." Yu Lan fell silent.
Qin Weijiu turned his head back to continue looking over Jingjiang City, his voice gentle:
"Yu Lan, where in this world can you find anything with a hundred percent certainty?"
Yu Lan’s eyes flickered for a moment and she spoke: "I hope you know what you’re doing."
Qin Weijiu smiled lightly, his voice calm:
"Don’t worry. If an incident occurs inside the Xu Residence, couldn’t we also enter Jingjiang City to rescue him? The city is no fortified town of the Border Army, its formations pose no threat to us. If the two of us take action, who in this world could..."
His leisurely words were suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
There was a moment of silence,
Qin Weijiu and Yu Lan almost simultaneously turned their heads sharply towards the southeast,
gazing into a calm and clear sky.
But they sensed the Origin Qi in the heavens being subtly disturbed.
Someone was speeding towards Jingjiang City full tilt!
Atop Mount Bieli, an abrupt silence ensued, so profound that one could hear a pin drop.
A Primordial powerhouse?
Coming to Jingjiang Prefecture at this time?
After several seconds of silence,
as the ripples of speeding Origin Qi gradually became clearer, Qin Weijiu’s steady breathing began to grow iterative and more rapid.
The familiar fluctuations of Origin Qi from the sky brought forth images that he had forgotten deep in the recesses of his memory.
Before he turned twenty, he was confident and proud.
At seventeen he underwent Integration Body, reached Grandmaster by twenty, and by the age of coming-of-age ceremony had become invincible among his peers, which was the basis for his pride.
But laughably, the greatest praise the world had for him was merely being on par with the son of the Prime Minister.
A Heaven’s Element Conference,
Gave Qin Weijiu the opportunity to prove that others could only aspire to be his equals.
It was a massive canyon that captured everyone’s attention.
It was the son of the Prime Minister who had been his traveling companion for several months.
Three sword lights so powerful they made it hard to breathe!
The sword lights flashed,
Everything shattered...
His former pride now seemed so laughable,
And what’s even more laughable was that afterward, some considered this a compliment to him...
Three swords, though not dead, but his state of mind had completely collapsed.
"Qin Weijiu! What are you zoning out for?!"
The woman beside him softly scolded Qin Weijiu, snapping him out of his reverie.
Regaining his composure, Qin Weijiu paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.
Qin Weijiu laughed at himself, sensing the Origin Qi fluctuations from afar, his trembling palms gradually steadying as he raised his hand to rub his temples:
"That really was embarrassing...."
"What?" Yu Lan asked, puzzled.
Qin Weijiu looked towards the sky and shook his head:
"Nothing, just recalling some old events. That presence in the distance... It should be Xu Changge."
Yu Lan suddenly understood why the man before her reacted so intensely; she had heard about that year’s events too. Her pupils shrank slightly as she trembled, "Why would he be here?!"
Qin Weijiu shook his head, slowly rose into the air, and his tone once again became calm, "But I think we need to stop him now, after all, the Soul Ring can’t fall into Xu Yinhè’s hands."
As he spoke, Qin Weijiu flicked his finger.
A beam of white light shot out instantly, speeding toward the direction of the Xu Residence in Jingjiang.
Hovering in the air, Qin Weijiu glanced at Yu Lan, who was still standing on the mountaintop, and said with a smile:
"I’ve already sent a message to that kid Qin Mo, are you going to keep standing there?"
At his words, Yu Lan rubbed her temples, casually threw a mask to Qin Weijiu in midair, and put on another for herself:
"What reason should we use when we face Xu Changge?"
Qin Weijiu put on the mask, his figure becoming ethereal, and laughed softly:
"Naturally, in the name of attending the funeral of a village elder and friend."
Yu Lan also rose smoothly into the air:
"We’ll stall for a bit then leave, the two of us might not be a match for Xu Changge."
Qin Weijiu shrugged his shoulders:
"Can’t you trust my strength for once, what if I could actually take him down?"
Yu Lan gave him a glance:
"Back then, you were almost beheaded by three swords, and now just sensing his Qi you freak out, have you the nerve to say that?"
Qin Weijiu sighed, his emotions fully calmed, and said with a smile:
"After all, it’s the inner demon that was planted back then. Now, over a decade later, after entering the Primordial, I should have made some progress, right?"
Yu Lan felt a surge of emotions but lacked the strength to scold, and so she rubbed her temples:
The two of them turned into streaks of light, speeding in the southwest direction....