Mo Yanhong’s character was truly despicable, and he died in such a disgraceful manner, it was simply a joke, even the Mo Family’s young members were ashamed to acknowledge him. Han Yan did not insist and ordered him to be buried casually on a mountain. Originally, Han Yan wanted to bury him together with the fallen defenders and civilians, but others firmly opposed, considering it an insult to the fallen, forcing Han Yan to change his mind.

The young master of one of the Eight Great Families ultimately met such a fate, and even in death, no one wanted to be buried with him; truly a sorrowful end. However, all of this was his own doing, and he couldn’t blame anyone else.

"Is this the so-called family elites following me? The same descendants of the Eight Great Families, why are those following Han Yan so brave and fearless, while those following me are all such useless fools?" Dan Tai Xuan looked at Han Yan with some bewilderment, embarrassed to remain at Qingyang Pass, quietly withdrawing from the crowd and walking away heavily.

As the fiery sunrise once again ascended from the horizon, the deep canyon and the two sides of the majestic fort resumed their tranquility. The sunlight drove away the chill of the night, along with the bloodiness and desolation following the great battle.

Though the Exotic Beasts recently suffered a crushing defeat, even the Netherworld Beast named Xu Ming was injured and fled, no one dared to be certain they wouldn’t return. So after a brief rest, the seemingly tireless soldiers stood atop the city wall once again.

The reinforcements from various chambers of commerce and families were welcomed into Beining Pass amid cheers; if they hadn’t arrived in time, providing invaluable time for Beining Pass, it might not have held out to the end, nor could the invading Exotic Beasts have been nearly exterminated. Whether the soldiers and civilians within the pass, or Han Yan herself, all felt grateful toward them.

At the General Mansion, the Fifth Prince specially hosted a banquet to entertain everyone. Although the ingredients were simple, with not even a drop of wine, the gesture was genuine.

"Young Master Pu, thanks to your timely rescue, Beining Pass was able to avert danger. I toast you." Han Yan raised a water-filled cup to Park Donghan.

This time, the various chambers of commerce followed Park Donghan, which surprised Han Yan a bit, recalling their past unpleasant interactions in Fang Town.

"Young Master Mu, you may not know, but Lu’an City is actually the foundation of my Pu Family. If you hadn’t arrived in time last time, the number of civilians that could have died from the Exotic Beasts’ invasion is unimaginable, and my family might not have been spared either. As the saying goes, the rise and fall of the world concerns everyone. We, the Eight Great Families, dispatched elites to help defend Lu’an City; if we, as chambers of commerce, remained uninvolved, how could we face the world?" Park Donghan spoke with both shame and gratitude.

Han Yan was indeed surprised to learn Lu’an City was the Pu Family’s foundation. Though Park Donghan came with personal motives, his frankness was far preferable to the sanctimonious hypocrites.

"Mr. Park speaks truly. If Lu’an City fell, it would throw the world into chaos—how could we chambers of commerce hope for a good end then? Young Master Mu not only compensated us generously in Fang Town by driving out the Exotic Beasts but also helped us tame Sword Pets. Our president, upon hearing of Young Master Mu’s benevolent acts, was full of praise and thus sent us to assist here." Another chamber steward chimed in.

Other chamber stewards echoed in agreement; if not for recognizing Han Yan’s potential, these chambers wouldn’t have been so united despite their patriotic aims in helping Wei Country. Ultimately, they were drawn to Han Yan.

"In any case, thank you all for coming to assist in time," Han Yan said.

"Elders, I didn’t expect you all to come as well." Han Yan addressed the elders from the Mu Family branch in Heishi City.

They hadn’t met for over a year, and the elders had advanced to the Sword Master Realm, while other branch family members had made considerable progress—though still not matching the guest officials hired by the major chambers, they were not lagging behind. Such strength was already impressive for elders from a remote small town.

Other branch family members who grew up together also showed notable improvement; even if they didn’t achieve great feats in recent battles, they could certainly protect themselves, bringing Han Yan joy and comfort.

"You are the pride of the Mu Family in Heishi City; how could we not come if you needed help?" The Great Elder laughed heartily.

The other brothers and sisters from the branch family looked at Han Yan with faces brimming with pride and honor.

"Alright Han Yan, we’re all family, no need to be formal with me. Go see the other family elders and friends; this time they staked their all to lend you a hand," the Third Elder thoughtfully suggested.

He was referring to the Yuan Family Patriarch and others—over a year ago, they still viewed Han Yan with the disdainful lens reserved for playboys, but now they could only look up to her, watching her chat with chamber stewards, without even the qualification to interject.

"Thank you, Yuan Family Master, Elder Qi, Kai Yun, for everything this time." Han Yan offered a ceremonial bow to the Yuan Family Patriarch and others.

"Young Master Mu, it’s our duty when Anyun is in trouble," the Yuan Family Patriarch and others, surprised by Han Yan’s gesture, hastily rose to return the courtesy, showing none of the elder’s dignity.

"No need for those words, remember we are brothers; if not for your rescue in Exotic Beast Valley, I wouldn’t be alive now," Qi Kaiyun replied candidly. Recalling the valley incident made him emotional enough to almost drape an arm around Han Yan, but he quickly withdrew the gesture.

Han Yan smiled slightly, grasping and shaking Qi Kaiyun’s hand firmly before releasing.

Qi Kaiyun’s eyes shimmered with tears of excitement—time had passed, Han Yan remained changed, even he, the first young master of Nanxi County’s top family, could only look up to her; yet he knew Han Yan would never forget their joint struggle in Exotic Beast Valley, nor their shared life-and-death moments—unchanged was their friendship.

After catching up with the chamber stewards, elders, family members, and Qi Kaiyun, Han Yan and Ye Lanfeng ascended the highest stone pavilion in the General Mansion, gazing into the endless sky.

The Holy Court’s elixir proved potent. Ye Lanfeng, earlier inflicted heavy blows by the Black-clothed Man, and fully exerting herself throwing the Broken Killing Sword, suffered ruptured meridians and Qi Sea damage. But after taking the elixir, her meridians quickly healed, leaving no sign of injury.