Nobody noticed the person leaving because everyone was focused on Xiang Shaoyun. Murong Qing, Yue Yuze, and Chen Jiayan crowded around Xiang Shaoyun. They all knew him from before. Once upon a time, he was a tiny bug in their eyes, a down-and-out young master being hunted by assassins.

And now, that young master had transformed into a powerhouse. He was no longer destitute and weak. Instead, he was now an existence they had to look up to. They offered to hold a feast for him, but he did not want to waste any time at Cloud Margin City. However, out of respect for Hua Cheng, Zi Changhe, and Gong Qinyin, he decided to stay.

The turtle and toad kept a distance from him, while Xia Liuhui strutted over and loudly said, "Boss, that's not very kind of you! You should have left these two bugs for me to show off my strength."

As he spoke, he was intentionally releasing his Emperor aura as well, as though he was worried that the others wouldn't notice that he was already a seventh-stage Emperor.

Unsurprisingly, the people from the Cloud Margin Pavilion were greatly shocked. Xia Liuhui was also someone from the pavilion. It had been less than 10 years, yet he had already surpassed them. They found it hard to accept.

Not satisfied with the amount he got to show off, Xia Liuhui deliberately went into the midst of the disciples to look for some familiar faces. He wore a smug expression that gave one the urge to punch him.

And yet, many female disciples were actually showering him with blatant affection. Finally, Xia Liuhui was satisfied. He thought proudly to himself, This young master's charm is indeed not something to be underestimated.

Xiang Shaoyun couldn't even be bothered with him. He started exchanging pleasantries with the Cloud Margin Pavilion's higher-ups without paying attention to him. He was focused on looking for another friend of his, Hua Honglou.

In truth, apart from Hua Cheng, Zi Changhe and Gong Qinyin, he was also there to see Hua Honglou, the bold woman he knew from the past. He still had great respect for her. Unfortunately, it did not feel right to search for her before the woman beside him, so he handed the task to Xia Liuhui through voice transmission instead.

However, after searching around, he found that Hua Honglou was no longer in the Cloud Margin Pavilion. After spending some time drinking, Xiang Shaoyun finally stopped wasting any time entertaining the old men chasing him around. Rather, he started spending some alone time with Gong Qinyin.

As for Hua Cheng, she was spending time with Du Xuanhao. Zi Changhe very tactfully decided not to disturb any of them.

In Gong Qinyin's courtyard, she was playing her zither to entertain Xiang Shaoyun.

Her playing reminded Xiang Shaoyun of the time when he first joined the Martial Hall Palace and met Gong Qinyin. He still remembered everything vividly like it was yesterday, and it made him melancholic.

After Gong Qinyin stopped, Xiang Shaoyun praised, "You have improved greatly. That is quite a surprise. It would be an amazing achievement to reach the Skysoar Realm from where you were previously, but you had actually reached the Dragon Ascension Realm through hard work. Truly amazing!'

"This is all thanks to the Seven Severing Tune you gave me. It has been extremely helpful in my zither cultivation. I wouldn't have reached this far without it. Also, I promised you that I would enter the Emperor Realm within 10 years, so I needed to fulfill the promise no matter what," said Gong Qinyin as she blinked her big, bright eyes.

She now shared the same graceful temperament Hua Cheng had, and the temperament helped make her seem much more attractive than she already was.

"It has been hard on you," said Xiang Shaoyun. He could feel just how many hardships Gong Qinyin had gone through, and he was moved by her dedication.

"You promised me. So long as I enter the Emperor Realm, you will allow me to become your woman. You won't go back on your words, right?" asked Gong Qinyin as she gazed at him expectantly.

Her face was rosy red, looking incredibly beautiful and alluring. Xiang Shaoyun felt his heart soften, and he pulled her into his arms before saying, "It will be too unfair for you to be my woman. I already have a lot of women by my side."

He was being truthful. Tuoba Wan'er was waiting for him outside the city. Yu Caidie was also waiting for him. And there were also Han Chenfei and the others. He felt somewhat guilty, but that sense of guilt would not stop him from feeling what he felt. He had indeed been moved by Gong Qinyin, and he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"I know. From the moment I saw your overbearing return, I knew that you were not someone I could monopolize. So long as you reserve a spot for me in your heart, I will be happy," said Gong Qinyin as she buried her head into Xiang Shaoyun's chest.

Although she had grown considerably, the gap between her and Xiang Shaoyun was still incredibly wide. She was not confident she could keep him for herself. Rather than forcing it, she might as well grant him his freedom. If she found herself unable to accept sharing her man, then she would probably decide to leave. Considering how deeply she had fallen for him, it was unlikely that she would let go of him.

"It is my, Xiang Shaoyun's honor, to receive your love," said Xiang Shaoyun earnestly.

He couldn't bring himself to disappoint this woman who had waited many years for him. The two spent an entire night together. However, they did not do anything apart from talking about their experiences during all these years.

Xiang Shaoyun also gave Gong Qinyin a decent number of emperor-grade items. His priority was to help her grow even faster.

Early morning the next day, the two pavilion masters came knocking again. They came for a simple reason—to get on Xiang Shaoyun's good side, hoping to reap some benefits.

Xiang Shaoyun was too busy to deal with them, so he left for Zi Changhe after chatting idly with them for a bit. Zi Changhe had been waiting for Xiang Shaoyun. And when Xiang Shaoyun finally appeared, he smiled and said, "So did you do it with the Tune Empress?"

"Senior brother, are you jealous or something?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

"Of course I'm jealous. Just look at how remarkably beautiful the Tune Empress is. The Zither Empress herself believes that she has surpassed her teacher. Many young masters had tried courting her, but none had succeeded. She has probably been waiting for you all the while. You must not break the heart of a woman so sincere," said Zi Changhe.

"Um, I know what to do," said Xiang Shaoyun with a nod. "Senior brother, when are you getting me a sister-in-law? You're not young anymore."

After all these years, Zi Changhe had improved considerably. He was now a sixth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator thanks to the battle techniques Xiang Shaoyun had given him in the past. Unfortunately, a small city like Cloud Margin City had limited cultivation resources. It had been hard for him to reach even his current cultivation level.

"It's still too early for that. I have been focusing only on cultivation. I have no plans to get involved in any romantic relationship for now," replied Zi Changhe. "So, are you back this time for your revenge?"