Black Cloud City. Qingfeng Daoist Academy.

After instructing Li Yuanyuan to arrange other accommodations for Mingchen and Mingxiu, Lin Hui had Mingde and Weiwei stay with him personally.

After they had a chance to wash up, rest, eat, and recover.

He also summoned a physician to examine the four of them and treat their conditions.

It wasn’t until the next morning, once they were completely stable and had no further issues, that they had the time to meet again and talk in detail.

As Lin Hui’s wife, Liu Xiao had rushed back from the Rain Palace as soon as she heard the news to receive Weiwei, who was staying in their home.

Lin Hui would look after Mingde, while she would take care of Weiwei. After all, it was more convenient for women to communicate with each other about certain matters.

In a small courtyard where pear blossoms fluttered through the air.

Liu Xiao was dressed in simple, openwork armor that protected only the three vital points of her body. She set down her longsword, hanging it on a sword rack on the outer wall of the house.

With her back to Weiwei, the fine curves of her figure were unintentionally displayed for the other woman to see.

Liu Xiao’s figure wasn’t as buxom as Ouyang Yining’s, but her hips were round, firm, and eye-catchingly full. Weiwei, who had followed her into the courtyard, couldn’t help but blush slightly and avert her gaze, not daring to look too long.

"Have a seat. I’ve been away on business recently and haven’t been back for a few days. I rushed over the moment I heard about you and Master Mingde, Senior Sister Weiwei." Liu Xiao turned around and casually unstrapped the three-point armor, revealing her body. This made Weiwei lower her head even further, not daring to look.

She wasn’t shy, but rather felt a sense of inadequacy.

Although she had washed up and regained her original appearance, the long period of hard labor and malnutrition had left her figure gaunt and thin, devoid of any aesthetic appeal. Aside from her face, which was as beautiful as ever, the rest of her couldn’t compare to Liu Xiao in the slightest.

"We’re both women, why are you looking down?" Liu Xiao glanced at her own body in confusion before draping an outer robe over herself. "Oh, are you not used to the Inner City’s fashion? It’s pretty much like this inside the Moon Tower. For a Summoner, armor is only useful for covering a few key vital points. The rest of our bodies have Copper Skin and Iron Bones, even stronger than the armor itself, so it’s not needed. Wearing too much just gets in the way of our Body Technique and attack speed."

"I... I see." Weiwei nodded.

"Have a seat. As it happens, I’m quite interested in what happened to you all after leaving Xinyu Town. Senior Sister, take your time and tell me everything. If there’s anyone you need revenge against, anyone you want dead, just say the word. I’ll bring you their heads!" Liu Xiao said cheerfully, patting her ample chest.

"No... there’s no one, really. The people who harmed us... Junior Brother killed them all at sea..." Weiwei lowered her head, feeling as if she were blinded by the dazzling splendor of Liu Xiao’s confidence and forthrightness.

"What a shame. I’m not very good at comforting people... so don’t be offended if I say the wrong thing, Senior Sister. Now that you’re back with the Qingfeng Dao, don’t leave again. Just live and grow with everyone here. This place, Black Cloud City, is so much stronger than Tuyue," Liu Xiao encouraged.

"Mm, I know... Thank you, Xiao Xiao." Weiwei nodded gratefully.

Her gaze darted about unnaturally, taking in the surroundings from the corner of her eye.

At the same time, she voiced the questions that had been weighing on her mind.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is Junior Brother’s situation now? Why did he come to Black Cloud City? And why is he with the Black Army?"

Liu Xiao didn’t hide anything and recounted the series of events from their time in Tuyue to their arrival in Black Cloud City.

At first, what Weiwei heard sounded relatively normal. Back in Xinyu Town, she had already sensed that her junior brother, Lin Hui, had the potential to develop and expand the Qingfeng Temple, so that part was understandable.

But what came next... what did she mean the Qingfeng Temple had gotten involved in the Inner City’s network of connections, allied with the Inspectorate, and become the most powerful force in the Outer City??

What was this about a top expert from one of the Inner City’s Three Sects coming to them for a martial arts exchange?

And something about a sudden exposure... discovering that Lin Hui had hidden too much of his strength, which he could no longer conceal when he was being hunted, leading to an explosive reveal...

When she heard that Lin Hui had suddenly erupted with power during the convoy’s transfer into the Fog Area, instantly killing a Palace Master-level expert who had come to ambush them.

Weiwei’s jaw dropped, her small mouth agape, almost wide enough to fit an egg.

What in the world had she missed all these years!?

Had she really only been gone for a few years, and not a few centuries?!

Then she heard about the convoy boarding a ship and traveling overseas to Black Cloud City, and her emotions calmed slightly.

But just as she settled down, Liu Xiao changed the subject again. She started talking about their days in Black Cloud, how Lin Hui had somehow, for some unknown reason, established a connection with the Inner City’s Moon Tower. Now, the Qingfeng Daoist Academy was on solid footing, and Lin Hui even held a position in the Inner City, thriving and making a name for himself.

This series of changes left Weiwei completely dumbstruck.

Although she had been a laborer for several years, she had heard about Black Cloud City from others who boarded the ships after her.

It was a prosperous urban center many times stronger than Tuyue. And in a place like this, the Qingfeng Temple—no, the Qingfeng Dao, as it was now—had actually managed to establish a firm foothold and even secure a position in the Inner City!?

And what’s more, Lin Hui could actually defeat a Palace Master-level expert!

This was what Weiwei simply couldn’t comprehend.

She clearly remembered that when she left, Lin Hui was only comparable to the Circulation Realm.

But it had only been a few years!

From the Circulation Realm to a Palace Master, how many levels did one have to cross!? Weiwei didn’t even know the extent of the gap.

She couldn’t help but ask.

"From Circulation to Palace Master, huh? Well, the Circulation Realm generally corresponds to the Upper-Rank Summoning Realm. After breaking through from Circulation to the Little Sanhe Grandmaster Realm, that level generally corresponds to a Priest like me... After that, a Great Three Harmonies Grandmaster corresponds to a High Priest, and only the strongest, a Bright Extreme Grandmaster, can match a Palace Master."

"Wait, Xiao Xiao, you’re... a Priest!?" Hearing this, Weiwei suddenly realized what she’d said and asked in shock.

"I am? Did I not tell you? I broke through to the Priest Realm years ago. I’ve only just now fully consolidated my realm," Liu Xiao said with a natural nod. "But my strength is nothing compared to Ah Hui’s. The gap is just too, too wide. Every day is unbearably difficult. Thankfully, his superiors found him an assistant who’s very strong and should be able to share some of the burden. Otherwise, I’d be worrying about where to find more people to help share it."

Weiwei stared at Liu Xiao, who looked so matter-of-fact, and fell silent.

’A Priest... a realm she had once only heard of and yearned for with all her heart.’

’She had fantasized countless times that she, too, was a talented individual, one of the legendary Summoners who could ascend to the heavens in a single step, obtain Copper Skin and Iron Bones, and enter the Inner City to become one of the natural elite.’

’But now...’

’Wait, what does she mean by ’share’? Share what? What’s so ’unbearably difficult’?’

Suddenly, as Weiwei looked at Liu Xiao’s perfectly composed expression, a bad feeling began to creep into her heart.

She quickly voiced her confusion.

"Oh, that," Liu Xiao said casually. "It’s because Ah Hui’s constitution is just too powerful. I can’t handle being intimate with him by myself. That’s why even though we’ve been married for a while now, there’s been no sign of pregnancy. So..."

"You..." Weiwei started to speak but stopped. She wanted to ask if Liu Xiao really didn’t mind.

But the words died on her lips.

Suddenly, she remembered how her father had once tried to arrange a marriage between her and Lin Hui.

’Unfortunately, back then, she couldn’t see any of Lin Hui’s outstanding potential.’

’No, that’s not it. It was that back then, she was only captivated by outward appearances. All she wanted was to live with a handsome man of the type she admired.’

And now.

She looked at the radiant, stunning, and voluptuously figured Liu Xiao, then looked at herself—gaunt, with barely passable looks. A sense of inadequacy quietly welled up inside her.

’If, back then, I had agreed to be with Lin Hui...’

An irrepressible thought rose from the bottom of her heart, but she forcefully suppressed it.

’What’s missed is missed. Regret is meaningless.’

As Weiwei listened to Liu Xiao quietly tell her about the surroundings, the living arrangements, and their daily life, she tried her best to suppress the regret that was constantly growing in her heart.

She quickly pushed the bitter feeling down.

But for some reason, even as she listened to these trivial matters and saw the hint of happiness in Liu Xiao’s expression, her eyes began to moisten without her realizing it.

"Hey, why are you crying!?" Liu Xiao noticed something was wrong and quickly stopped talking.

"It’s nothing... I’m just... just happy..."

*

*

*

In the other courtyard.

Lin Hui and Mingde sat facing each other. By now, they had finished explaining all the changes and the relocation of the Qingfeng Dao.

"So, what are your plans for Tuyue?" Mingde asked.

"For now, the disciples over there will have to endure a little longer. It will take some more time before I can support that branch," Lin Hui replied.

He still had his medicinal garden base there, as well as some Qingfeng Daoist Disciples, including Tao Xuehai, Mingxia, and Han Xiaoyue.

Sooner or later, he would return.

But before he did, he had to resolve the hidden dangers there.

"In any case, Master, now that you’re here, don’t leave again. The foundation of our Qingfeng Dao is now stable. I have created several new Martial Arts, all of which are extensions of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship. If you study them carefully, Master, you may very well have a chance to break through again in the future," Lin Hui said comfortingly.

"I know... To think that I, Mingde, would end up being saved by the very student I taught." Mingde’s heart was filled with sorrow, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

After venting his emotions, he asked about many of the details here. Once he confirmed that it was far superior to Tuyue, he settled down in the town with peace of mind.

Mingxiu and Mingchen, however, were different from Mingde and his daughter. They were from a branch of miscellaneous-duty servants and had left the Qingfeng Temple. After Lin Hui rescued them, they had hoped to continue relying on the Qingfeng Dao to settle down. But when Lin Hui made it clear that only Mingde and Weiwei were allowed to stay, the two didn’t dare say another word and had to leave.

After the disturbance in the Black-Fog Sea was resolved, his assistant, Ouyang Yining, compiled a full report of the incident and submitted it to the City Lord’s Moon Tower.

With this, Lin Hui’s position in Black Cloud City was thoroughly solidified.

After settling in Mingde and his daughter, he quickly began preparing for his trip to Eagle-Man Island.

The influx of the Wind Disaster Power was growing stronger and faster. He felt he had to raise his Star Breath Sword Manual cultivation as soon as possible to suppress it. Otherwise, for some unknown reason, he had a feeling that something terrible would happen.

And just as Lin Hui resolved the disturbance...

In Black Cloud’s Inner City, within a floating black mountain peak.

Second City Lord Zhang Yao of Baoxin Tower was currently seated in a palace at the mountain’s highest point, drinking with a woman wearing a short skirt made of beaded chains.

The woman had an otherworldly appearance, with four eyes on her face. Her long silver hair was like spider silk, fine and translucent, and eight arms grew from her back. At this moment, all eight arms were constantly grabbing food and drinks from all around and stuffing them into her mouth.

This person was none other than Tang Hanxi, an envoy of the Inner Court and a Federation Member.

Zhang Yao had no idea why this Tang Hanxi had suddenly and inexplicably shown up. However, as she was a Federation Member, he had no choice but to receive her with the utmost hospitality.

This Tang Hanxi was not a pure member of the Human Race. She came from the Demon Bone Clan, and her strength was formidable, no less than that of his elder brother, Xie Chang’an. Therefore, even Zhang Yao had to be on his guard to avoid offending her.

After eating and drinking her fill, Tang Hanxi wiped her mouth, clearing away the bloodstains at the corners.

She only enjoyed eating raw food, so the dining table was quite a gruesome sight.

"Brother Zhang, I came this time because I heard some rumors. It’s said that your city has just promoted a mortal to Deputy City Lord, one who is not of the Blood Progenitor lineage? Is there any truth to this?" Tang Hanxi asked slowly and deliberately.