“My thanks, elder.” Pi Yan turned to face the silver dragon clan elder and bowed to him. He had received a surprisingly severe injury during his bout with Yun Ruoyan. Although it hadn’t seemed particularly serious at the time, it was an internal injury that was worsening at a noticeable rate, requiring him to hurry back to the Pi city to seek out the silver dragon clan elder to help him recuperate.

After more than ten days, over eight whole sessions, the wound was finally healed.

“It’s shocking that this Yun Ruoyan was able to hurt you to this extent,” the first elder commented, and Pi Yan couldn’t help flushing. After all, Yun Ruoyan was still a ninth-rank blademaster, and he should have been able to crush her with just a modicum of effort, and yet…

“Elder, are you certain that Yun Ruoyan won’t die from the injuries that I inflicted on her?” Pi Yan asked again. He had asked the same question thrice over. Each time, the silver dragon clan elder had replied in the negative.

“Do you doubt my judgment?” The elder furrowed his brows.

“No, no!” Pi Yan hastily added. “I’m simply shocked that she would be able to survive such a grave injury given her cultivation. My wounds were far less serious than hers, and I still required help from you to recover, Elder! I simply can’t imagine how she would be able to live.”

“It’s because the demonic dragon bloodline runs through her body. Their greatest strength has always been their innate self-recovery. As long as she still breathes, she’ll not die so easily.”

“Is that so?” Pi Yan seemed to have come to a revelation. “I was afraid of killing her with my blows, so I had to restrain myself, but in the future---”

“There won’t be a future.” The silver dragon clan elder’s voice turned sharp. “Pi Yan, you’re one of my strongest subordinates, but your recent performance has been quite dissatisfactory. I’ll give you ten days to bring Yun Ruoyan before me. Otherwise, you’d better not show up in front of me again.”

“Yes, Elder.” Pi Yan, who was a domineering figure on the Mingyuan continent, bowed deeply to the silver dragon clan elder, his forehead covered in a light sheen of sweat.

“I’ll wait for your good news,” the elder added. The surface of the mirror rippled, and the elder’s image faded.

“Elder, please wait!” Pi Yan suddenly shouted, having thought of something strange.

“What is it?”

“I’ve tried to capture Yun Ruoyan twice, but a mysterious black-robed man appeared both times to stop me. His cultivation isn’t below mine,” Pi Yang continued.

“I’ve infused a little silver dragon blood into your body, so your cultivation has broken through to mid-third-rank. Spend some time meditating, and you should become a fourth-rank sword saint within the next ten days. You’ll be able to deal with your opponent then.”

“My gratitude, Elder.” Pi Yan bowed down to the blurring image in the mirror once more. After it vanished, Pi Yan straightened up and patted down his robes. The respectful look on his face had entirely vanished, replaced by the tyrannical and domineering countenance of the lord of the Pi family.

Pi Yan was the son of a concubine, and didn’t initially have the right to become the next head of the Pi family. His talent for cultivation wasn’t particularly high, so the young Pi Yan had been a rather average existence within the Pi family.

When by some fortuitous stroke of luck, he obtained the mirror that now hung in his secret chambers. The mirror afforded him a connection with the silver dragon clan elder on the Jiyuan continent, who was searching for spies and informants on the Mingyuan continent. The silver dragon clan elder took in Pi Yan and infused draconic blood into his body to raise his affinity for cultivation, allowing him to raise his position within his family. Subsequently, he sent Master Shade to assist him.

Pi Yan, ambitious and willing to use any means possible to get his way, advanced from a nameless member of the Pi family to its head within a mere decade. By cruel oppression and all sorts of vicious methods to suck wealth out of the lands he governed, he had elevated the Pi family to their current position as a hegemon of the Mingyuan continent.

Pi Yan walked out of his secret chambers. As he sat down in a throne-like chair in his room, a gust of cold wind blew in from the outside, and a black shadow appeared in front of him.

“Master Shade, have you managed to find Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo?”

“Yes. I’ve tracked them back to a villa owned by the Feng family,” Master Shade replied, his voice as unpleasant and hoarse as ever. “Yun Ruoyan is no ordinary mortal: despite the grave injuries she suffered, she’s now mostly recovered after only a month.”

“After all, the demonic dragon clan was once a part of the high-grade Jiyuan continent, and they surely have powers beyond the likes of us. Otherwise, why would the silver dragon clan elder fail to eradicate them completely after a whole millennium?” Pi Yan wasn’t surprised after hearing the clan elder’s explanation. “But now that we know her whereabouts, we can’t give her another opportunity to run. This time, we need to make sure to snatch her back.”

Pi Yan told Master Shade about the ten-day deadline that the silver dragon clan elder had imposed.

“Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo are now being backed by the Feng family, so we have to try to avoid them as much as possible,” Master Shade advised. “The black-robed man who helped Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan out was undoubtedly a hidden expert from the Feng family, so it would be best if we could avoid any direct confrontation with him. Ten days should be sufficient for us to act.”

In one of the Feng family villas, Yun Ruoyan and the Lin sisters were seated next to Lin Tianming as they chatted. After a month of recuperation, Lin Tianming had gotten far better than before, but the years of neglect, akin to torture, had so severely withered his constitution that it would take him far longer to recover completely.

“Uncle, I’m sure Grandfather will be very happy to know that you’re safe and sound,” Lin Qingxue began. “I just wish we could send him a letter…”

It would be another three years before Kongming Academy once again activated the portal through the all-seeing mirror, so they would have to wait three more years before being able to return to the Chenyuan continent.

Lin Qingxue glanced at the withered leaves in the courtyard. “We came in the heart of spring, and now it’s fall. After this year, there’ll be two more years to go before we can return. Oh, how I miss Grandfather! I wonder if his body’s still alright.”

Lin Qingxue leaned against Yun Ruoyan for support and consolation. Yun Ruoyan patted her round face. “I’m sure Ling’er will take good care of Grandfather. There’s no need to worry.”

“As a son, I’ve truly failed my father, to cause him to worry and grieve for me and my brother’s loss for the better part of two decades.” Lin Qingxue’s words prompted Lin Tianming to voice his own concerns.

Over this period of time, the Lin sisters and Yun Ruoyan had told Lin Tianming much of what had happened to the Lin family on the Chenyuan continent during his absence. Although they tried to focus on the positive aspects of the change, Lin Tianming was clearly quite distraught.

“Father, once you return home, we’ll have another person in the Lin family.” Lin Qingchen draped a blanket over Lin Tianming’s feet.

Lin Tianming smiled. “There’s no need for the likes of me. With you three, the Lin family is sure to prosper.” His heart was full of hope as he glanced at the three beautiful, talented girls by his side.

Over the past few days, Feng Yicheng had dragged Li Mo all around the Feng city to show him the sights. He had even given Li Mo a rather imposing manor, allegedly as thanks from the Feng family for Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan’s contributions against the Pi family, but Li Mo had refused the gift.

Neither he nor Yun Ruoyan were fond of crowds, and his manor back on the Chenyuan continent had been built in a rather secluded location. The manor that Feng Yicheng had shown him was located in the middle of a populous area, and he was clearly dissatisfied with the location. On the other hand, the manor that they were currently staying in was peaceful and serene. Both Yun Ruoyan and the Lin sisters were pleased with the location, so Li Mo asked if they could have it instead. Naturally, Feng Yicheng agreed: as long as Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan would stay in the Feng city, he would do his best to meet their demands.

Over these few days, Li Mo had gotten a better idea of the Feng city. In contrast to the Pi city, there were far fewer restrictions on the general populace. Its citizens boasted a high level of satisfaction, and it appeared to be the wealthiest and highest in quality of life amongst the seven cities. If they planned on staying in the Mingyuan continent long-term, doing so in the Feng city was naturally an excellent choice.

At noon, Feng Yicheng brought Li Mo to a certain restaurant. Although both of them had long since reached the point where they could sustain themselves on spiritual energy alone, they were still able to enjoy delicacies. Li Mo led an austere life, and he didn’t much care about the amenities that the Feng city had to offer, but Feng Yicheng clearly did.

“Brother Li, the manor you’re interested in is quiet and peaceful, but it’s also extremely difficult to secure,” Feng Yicheng explained, pouring Li Mo a cup of wine. “It’s right by the mountainside and two bodies of water, and the natural conditions are ill-suited for arrays and formations. Furthermore, given how far it is from the center of the city, it’ll take some time to reach the manor if you’re ever in trouble.”

Li Mo didn’t respond, and Feng Yicheng finally relented, “Alright, let me discuss things with the head of the Feng family and see if I can get him to send a few dozen swordsmen to guarantee your safety.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Li Mo tipped his cup of wine at Feng Yicheng. He drained the cup and turned his attention to the streets. There were quite a few pedestrians, and stalls peppered the sides of the road. It wasn’t as crowded as Peak Darkness, but the area was clearly bustling with activity. Li Mo couldn’t help smiling at the sight: once Yun Ruoyan was feeling a little better, they would be able to explore the streets of the Feng city together.

Just then, two familiar men appeared on the streets: Zhuo Yifeng and Qin Feng, both of whom were following behind Feng Bo.

Feng Yicheng glanced in the direction of Li Mo’s gaze and smiled. “Feng Bo assists the head of the Feng family in securing the city, and your two friends have become his trusted aides, Brother Li.”