Ximen Ren stood in front of the building alongside his bodyguards and entourage. A hopeful smile full of trust rested on his face.

His clothes were not made from luxurious or expensive fabrics. Instead, he wore a simple hemp robe, the same type of clothing that ordinary mortals could purchase from common cloth shops.

The robe was uncomfortable to wear, but the price was cheap. Even so, Ximen Ren continued smiling patiently without complaint.

"My lord," one of his bodyguards spoke up, "why don’t you sit down first? You’ve been waiting for Official Ke for a very long time."

Ximen Ren shook his head.

"How could I sit comfortably while Official Ke is working for our people? I cannot, in good conscience, rest while he is still out there and our people still lack grain to feed themselves."

With a sigh, Ximen Ren shook his head once again as remorse and guilt clouded his expression.

"It was my negligence, my own failure, that allowed evil infiltrators to sabotage our granary! I should have increased the patrols and guards during that time!" he said through gritted teeth as blood seeped from his palms where his nails dug deeply into the flesh.

"My lord does not need to blame himself for this!" a feminine voice rang out indignantly.

A woman walked out from the building carrying a chair with her.

"Lady Song!" The bodyguards immediately stepped aside and opened a path for the woman.

The woman possessed a fierce and independent demeanor. With her athletic figure and sharp expression, one might mistake her for a bodyguard rather than someone deserving of the title "Lady."

"Sit." Lady Song placed the wooden chair behind Ximen Ren.

"But..." Ximen Ren hesitated. He clearly did not want to sit, though his expression also showed that he listened to this fierce woman quite a bit.

"Sit, or I’ll break your legs and force you to sit!"

Faced with that ultimatum, Ximen Ren could only obediently sit down on the chair, much to the amusement of his bodyguards and subordinates.

"Listen to me, dummy. You don’t need to blame yourself for the damage that bastard brother of yours caused! He definitely sent someone to burn your granary down! He’s trying to create trouble for you in the competition for the heir position!" Lady Song declared indignantly.

"Hmph! If I could defeat all of his bodyguards, I would’ve already stormed through his front gate, dragged him out in front of the people, and let him experience their wrath firsthand!" she said with righteous fury.

"Don’t say things like that... We don’t have any proof. If someone were to hear you..." Ximen Ren tried to placate the woman.

"If someone were to hear us, then what of it!? Let them hear! Let them know that your brother is a bastard who burned the granary under your management to undermine you! Let the people know who they should look to when they have nothing to eat, and who they should blame and hate when their families starve!" Lady Song declared defiantly.

"Please don’t blame yourself, my lord," Bodyguard Zhao spoke up. "Open spears are easy to dodge, but concealed arrows are hard to guard against. We stand in the light while evil hides in the dark. Eventually, their schemes are bound to succeed."

He continued, "There’s no doubt that my lord has already fended off many of their underhanded methods. But alas..." Bodyguard Zhao let out a sigh.

Lady Song added, "Exactly as Bodyguard Zhao said! Ximen Ren, stop blaming yourself. We should be blaming those cowards causing trouble for you!"

Ximen Ren said nothing. He merely smiled weakly like a lord who could do little else despite trying his best.

With Lady Song speaking so loudly, the people working under Ximen Ren could not help overhearing the conversation as they passed by. In their minds, they already knew who to blame for their family’s suffering.

At that moment, every one of them cursed Ximen Hao for the despicable act of sabotaging their beloved and merciful lord, Ximen Ren.

At that moment, a man in official robes entered through the gate. It was Official Ke, the same man who had met Wei Chen earlier.

Ximen Ren immediately smiled and stepped forward.

"Official Ke, you’ve returned! What about the urgent task I entrusted to you?"

Official Ke knelt down respectfully.

"The task entrusted to this official by Your Lordship has been accomplished. The food has already been delivered to the people."

"That’s good, that’s good!" Ximen Ren said in relief.

"Moreover, I encountered an interesting guest," Official Ke added with a meaningful smile.

"Oh? Tell me, who was this guest?" Ximen Ren asked eagerly, clearly surprised.

"It was Young Master Wei of the Underworld Palace, the renowned Hidden Ancient Clan that has once again revealed itself to the world!" Official Ke announced.

"Oh? Where is he? Did he come back with you?" Ximen Ren asked excitedly. In his excitement, he even personally helped Official Ke rise from his kneeling position.

"This..." Official Ke hesitated before deciding to tell the truth. "Unfortunately, he did not come with us. Out of benevolence, Young Master Wei saw the distress and hardship of our people, so he allowed this humble official to use the Void Shipping Lane first while he remained behind."

Hearing this, Ximen Ren was stunned as if he had just heard something completely unexpected. However, he quickly regained his composure.

"It’s alright. He may simply be busy with something. By the way, can you meet me in the study? I need to discuss the construction of the new granary with you and figure out how to raise funds for it. As you know, my budget is rather limited," Ximen Ren said with a gentle smile.

Official Ke was visibly shaken for a moment before nodding.

"Of course, my lord. I would not have it any other way."

The two then walked into the building together, leaving Bodyguard Zhao and Lady Song standing near the entrance.

"Haaa... that guy always puts his people first. Honest and righteous to a fault," Lady Song said with a long sigh.

"At this rate, he might really lose the competition for the heir position to that bastard Ximen Hao!"

"By the way, Bodyguard Zhao, do you know this Young Master Wei Chen?" she asked.

"Huh?" Bodyguard Zhao tilted his head. "Lady Song doesn’t know about him?"

"Why? Is he famous or something? I just came out of secluded cultivation while trying to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, so I don’t know much about him."

"From the conversation just now, I only know he’s some kind of big shot from a Hidden Ancient Clan and also a benevolent lord. But is he really important enough for Ximen Ren to react like the world is ending?" she asked curiously.

She had known Ximen Ren for quite some time, yet she had never seen him show this much excitement about meeting someone before.

"I see... if you just came out of a secluded cultivation session, it’s no wonder you don’t know about him." Bodyguard Zhao nodded in understanding.

"I don’t know much beyond the basics. I only know that he’s the one behind that strange broadcast that has become popular lately. But the thing that truly made his name famous was what happened during his engagement ceremony with Lady Mo of the Thousand Treasure Pavilion."

Bodyguard Zhao then began telling her about Wei Chen and everything that had happened during that time.

As Lady Song listened to the story, her eyes widened in surprise before a smile of anticipation spread across her face.

No wonder Ximen Ren was showing this much excitement for the first time.

If Ximen Ren could establish a connection and build a friendly relationship with this legendary figure, then the competition for the heir position would practically be in the bag!

And Ximen Hao would finally receive what he deserved for all the evil he had done!

"Is that so!? Is that so!? Ximen Ren finally has a chance, huh! It’s a good thing that Young Master Wei is benevolent. If it were some other young master from a Hidden Ancient Clan, they wouldn’t care about the lives and deaths of ordinary people!" Lady Song said excitedly.

However, Bodyguard Zhao’s expression remained gloomy.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

"There’s a rumor that Young Master Wei Chen is a good friend of Young Master Ximen Hao. I don’t think it will be that easy for him to support Young Master Ximen Ren," Bodyguard Zhao said.

"Ugh! That Wei Chen must be blind! He must have been deceived by that bastard. I’ll find a chance to meet him and tell him what really happened!"

With that said, Lady Song turned and sprinted away.

Seeing this, Bodyguard Zhao immediately became alarmed.

"Where are you going, Lady Song!? Are you going to find Young Master Wei Chen!?" he shouted after her. Lady Song was exactly the type of person who was impulsive, hot-headed, and overflowing with a sense of righteousness.

"No! I don’t even know where he is! I’m going back to the Song Clan to ask my brother to help that silly idiot Ximen Ren raise funds to rebuild the granary!" Lady Song replied with a smile.

"Also! Protect Ximen Ren well! He doesn’t have any cultivation. We don’t know what kind of malicious intentions his elder brother might have," Lady Song instructed.

"That was already my intention, Lady Song," Bodyguard Zhao replied with a bow.

Then she leaped onto her flying sword and vanished into the sky toward the horizon.