Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Good news, Ye Tingxiu has been found.

The bad news is, the person has become completely depressed.

Ye Tingxiu is now like a walking corpse, lost and dejected. He doesn't eat, drink, speak, or move all day long. He either lies or sits in a daze. When anyone talks to him, he looks half-dead and lifeless.

In Ye Tingxiu's world, he always believed that Lan Yue, whom he loved, was a unique existence, a real person who had spent countless days and nights with him and shared his joys and sorrows.

However, when the truth came out, the news, like a bolt from the blue, shattered the last shred of peace in his heart. Lan Yue was merely a fragment of the soul of the powerful Ren Xin, briefly reborn to fulfill some unknown mission.

This means that the emotional foundation Ye Tingxiu had always relied on—his memories of Lan Yue, his feelings for her, and everything they had experienced together—was suddenly overturned. He couldn't accept it and repeatedly questioned, "This isn't real."

By denying reality, one can avoid an emotional breakdown in the short term and buy oneself some time to gradually accept the facts.

As the shock gradually subsides, Ye Tingxiu will fall into a deep sense of sadness and loss.

He would feel that he had lost not only Lan Yue, but also all the beautiful memories he had shared with her.

These memories are now blurred, like a dream.

"Who do I really love? Is all of this just a lie?"

This grief is not only about Lan Yue's passing, but also includes doubts about the authenticity of one's past feelings.

Ye Tingxiu will begin to question whether his feelings for Lan Yue are real, and even doubt whether he has ever had true love.

Especially when he realized that Lan Yue was just a fragment of a powerful being's soul.

He felt he had been deceived, or that his fate was being controlled by some force.

At the same time, he felt guilty, believing that he had failed to protect Lan Yue.

These two emotions often intertwine, making Ye Tingxiu feel even more confused and pained.

Ye Tingxiu will fall into a state of deep confusion, no longer knowing who he is or where his future lies. His life goals and emotional attachments were all based on Lan Yue's existence, but now all of that has been taken away.

Life suddenly lost its direction, and one even began to doubt their own value.

Ye Tingxiu will re-examine his relationship with Lan Yue, wondering if he truly understands her or if he is merely pursuing an illusory image. Ultimately, after a period of struggle, Ye Tingxiu will gradually accept this fact.

This is a gradual process that Ye Tingxiu needs to figure out for himself; no amount of advice from others will help.

As an outsider, Zhou Qingfeng had a clearer perspective and could see things very clearly. However, he was not Ye Tingxiu, and Ye Tingxiu was not him. Therefore, Ye Tingxiu could not be absolutely rational or objective in examining this relationship in a short period of time.

Zhou Qingfeng was helpless in this regard and could only take him home with him for the time being.

Everything will be alright once you get home.

When passing by Crow Castle, Zhou Qingfeng made a brief stop and met with Cai Guozhong. He learned from Cai Guozhong that Madam Cai had been safely rescued and was receiving treatment at the mansion, but the treatment was not very effective. Meanwhile, Partridge Di had been beaten to death.

Cai Guozhong originally wanted Zhou Qingfeng to stay in Crow Castle for a few more days to show him hospitality.

However, Zhou Qingfeng was eager to return home, and after exchanging a few brief words with Cai Guozhong, he set off again.

Considering that there was an additional heartbroken person in the group, a horse-drawn carriage was prepared.

The group made their way to the Sword Tower at a leisurely pace.

When you successfully pass the level and return to the Sword Tower territory.

Zhou Qingfeng's heart finally settled down, because he was back in Sword Tower, which was his territory. Compared to being abroad, the safety within Sword Tower was greatly improved. This training trip, barring any unforeseen circumstances, was about to come to a perfect end.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Qingfeng, Xiao Hongyun, and Ye Tingxiu sat in the carriage, while Ning Cha and Jin Wei acted as grooms outside. The Zhanfu and Zhanqi brothers rode on the left and right sides on ordinary horses. No matter how you looked at it, the caravan was unremarkable and there was nothing noteworthy about it.

Ye Tingxiu curled up, clutching two knives in his arms, lying on his side at the very back of the carriage.

Xiao Hongyun said, "Old Zhou, I have already informed Senior Ye."

Zhou Qingfeng, holding a book, replied while looking down at it, "What did Senior Ye say?"

Xiao Hongyun said, "Senior Ye said that when he returns to the Sword Tower, he will definitely beat Old Ye's shit out, then beat Old Ye with shit, and finally beat Old Ye into shit. Hmm... that's what he said. You can tell that Senior Ye is very angry right now."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu, who was half-dead, suddenly twitched as if he had a final burst of energy: "..."

Seeing that Ye Tingxiu was responding, Xiao Hongyun immediately intensified his stimulation, focusing on topics that Ye Tingxiu was interested in, in an attempt to divert Ye Tingxiu's attention and hopefully restore some of his vitality so that he wouldn't remain depressed.

"Old Zhou, who exactly is that sorcerer from the Renxin Sect who looks exactly like Lan Yue?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng looked up at Xiao Hongyun, understood immediately, and continued the conversation: "It's impossible to be sure, but based on the way the other party behaved, I speculate that he should be one of the Thirteen Venerables of Renxin, a title given to him by the world, a false worldly soul that preemptively seizes the Demon Venerable."

"According to unofficial historical records, the origin, name, experience, abilities, age, and true appearance of the Demon Lord of the False World True Soul are unknown. The only characteristic is that he wears a pure white mask and a cape of 'Free Heart,' and wherever he goes, frost and frozen earth is left behind."

"This person rose to power a thousand years ago and is known as the number one person in the Soul Path throughout history. He lived a life of unbridled freedom, was lawless, and acted in ways that were both righteous and evil. He is currently ranked twenty-eighth on the Most Wanted List, with a bounty of 280 trillion magic coins."

Xiao Hongyun clicked his tongue: "Really impressive. So do you think there's any chance for Old Ye to get the Demon Lord back from this fake world and true soul?"

Zhou Qingfeng continued reading his book and casually remarked, "No chance. This False Soul Demon Lord has probably cut off countless wisps of his soul to be reborn. Lan Yue is just one of his wisps of soul. How could she be affected by the emotions and memories of a wisp of soul?"

Xiao Hongyun deliberately leaned close to Ye Tingxiu's ear and said, "Isn't that a complete loss of hope? That's too tragic. The woman you've loved for half your life turns out to be just someone else's fake body. If it were me, I would definitely go find Jiang Qing'er. After all, Lan Yue is just a fake person, but Jiang Qing'er is real. If I miss Jiang Qing'er, I'll regret it to the core."

Ye Tingxiu covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes, and pretended to be 'I won't listen to this nonsense'.

Xiao Hongyun reached out to pry his hand away, but couldn't budge it, so he decided to provoke him further.

"Alright, let him be. Let him have some peace and quiet." Zhou Qingfeng put away his books, patted Xiao Hongyun's arm to signal him to sit back down, and then brought up the important matter: "What are the results of the reconnaissance of the surrounding environment? Are there any ambushes on the way back to the city?"

Xiao Hongyun pulled out more than ten storage rings from his pocket: "The spies lying in ambush have been cleared out, but Qiu Chenghu and his men still haven't given up on killing you. Seeing that they can't catch our trail, they will most likely ambush us on the way back to the city. How can we break this situation?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng rubbed his fingers together inside his sleeve, his dark eyes gradually turning cold, like bottomless pools of ice: "Qiu Chenghu, this man is truly a persistent ghost, relentlessly haunting us. Since that's the case, let's set a trap for him and kill him in one fell swoop!"