The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

Lingshan is located in the south.

Su Zinong recalled the news he had heard at the Heavenly Demon Sect Conference and asked Qin Xiangxue if she knew what had happened to the Southern Families.

As expected, a prominent family in the south was attacked, and it was a large manor, one of the best in the south, called Red River Manor.

The Red River Villa, together with the Yellow River Villa, the Green River Villa, the Black River Villa, and the White River Villa, form an alliance.

At that time, Qinghe of Qinghe Manor issued a warning to the major families in the south, but it did not attract enough attention and they only slightly strengthened their defenses.

However, the Heavenly Demon Sect sent more than seventy experts from the east and south, including more than a dozen elders of six stars or above, and two of them of seven stars, and they launched a surprise attack at night.

Red River Manor only slightly strengthened its defenses, but ultimately it was no match for the enemy. Reinforcements came from nearby areas, but they arrived too late. In the end, most of Red River Manor's members were killed, leaving only a small number, and the manor was nearing its end.

"Why did they go to such great lengths, specifically to choose Honghe Manor?" Su Zinong didn't know much about this aristocratic family.

"It's said to be because of a Red River Divine Book, but I don't know what's so magical about it. I asked my father, and he seemed to know a little, but he didn't tell me. He only said it was a very important and magical item, but now it's fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Demon Cult!" Qin Xiangxue replied.

"Sigh, all our hard work was for nothing. We even disguised ourselves and sneaked into the Eastern Conference of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Your brother Chenghe even dressed up as a woman, haha, it's funny to think about it." Su Zinong couldn't help but smile.

"Ah, he dressed up as a woman? Did you draw it? I really want to see it." Qin Xiangxue couldn't help but yearn for it, feeling extremely regretful. Huang Chenghe's cross-dressing was simply too shocking.

“I didn’t think of that at the time,” Su Zinong said. “Once is never enough. Next time, have him recreate the woman’s style for you to see.”

Mount Ling is a renowned place, famous for its abundance of various medicinal herbs and elixirs, which is why many cultivators and herb gatherers go there to search for them.

However, not everyone can harvest some ancient medicinal herbs. The mountain is steep, and those who can reach the summit need a cultivation level of at least four stars.

Moreover, Mount Ling is quite large, shrouded in mist all year round, making visibility poor; sometimes even if the elixir is right at your feet, you may not be able to see it clearly.

There are even rumors that there are ferocious beasts on the mountain, which makes many people hesitate to go there.

Qin Xiangxue is not a person who is afraid; her curiosity outweighs her fear.

However, she had also heard many things about Mount Ling; after all, she was a young lady from a prestigious family and well-informed. She seriously doubted how she could possibly find the elixir of immortality.

Because they were all young masters and ladies from prominent families, many had been to that mountain, and many of them, even those with stronger cultivation and skills than themselves, returned empty-handed. Some even searched the mountain for two or three months without finding anything.

Therefore, Qin Xiangxue couldn't help but worry that the two of them would have made a wasted trip. They went with high hopes, only to return disappointed.

“That way you won’t have to worry. Although we may not necessarily find the elixir of immortality, just treat it as a journey of exploration and training. It’s not about having any specific outcome or obtaining any treasures; the most important thing is the experience itself. You will gain some insights, and returning empty-handed is also a kind of insight. Let’s go with a try-it-out mentality,” Su Zinong said.

His words were always very persuasive, and Qin Xiangxue listened in a daze, nodding repeatedly.

******

White Sand City.

There is a small family of cultivators here called Baishabao, which is the family of Bai Yansha, the young groom who married Liu Qianyu, the Palace Master of the Goddess Palace.

Su Qin and Qin Xiangxue didn't visit them, and Qin Xiangxue wasn't familiar with them either.

“I’m more familiar with the aristocratic families in the east, but I don’t know many people in other places, unlike Huang Chenghe, who travels around everywhere and knows a lot of different people,” Qin Xiangxue said.

Passing by a brothel, the women, dressed in flamboyant attire and with eyes full of spring, frequently flirted and waved to Su Zinong, while an unusually strong fragrance wafted over.

Qin Xiangxue smiled and said, "Brother Su, if you want to go, then go. I can wait for you outside."

"With you here, why would I need to go to a brothel?" Su Zinong laughed.

"Honestly, have you ever been there?" Qin Xiangxue asked curiously.

"No, last time Huang Chenghe tried to take me there, but I stopped him," Su Zinong said truthfully.

Qin Xiangxue looked left and right, seemingly a little incredulous.

After walking thirty paces, Su Zinong whispered, "Xiang Xue, someone is following us. They came from that brothel."

"Ah, is it your enemy?" Qin Xiangxue asked. She didn't seem very flustered.

“I don’t know, but I disguised myself while you didn’t. If they’re enemies, they might be after you, or they might be after your beauty. In any case, let’s be careful,” Su Zinong said.

"I don't have any enemies, and my family's enemies aren't in White Sand City, but they are in White Cloud City," Qin Xiangxue said.

“Baiyun City is less than 300 li from here, so it’s possible that people from that city came here,” Su Zinong analyzed.

The two suddenly dashed forward, displaying their agility.

The person behind him caught up quickly, and his speed was surprisingly not slow. However, his movements were strange, swaying left and right, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. When he was fast, he was clearly at the peak of the fourth star, two minor realms higher than Su Zinong, but when he was slow, he was very slow.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, Su Zinong said, "That man seems to be drunk, but his cultivation level is higher than ours. Let's take this opportunity to fight him. I'll engage him head-on, while you fight alongside him. Be extremely careful!"

“I know. That person is indeed my family’s enemy, named Bai Fengjun, the eldest son of the Baiyun Fort family.” Qin Shangxue finally recognized the enemy’s identity.

As expected, following Su Zinong made it easy to encounter enemies, and one dangerous thing after another followed. Qin Xiangxue couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, Bai Fengjun had caught up, drew his long sword and thrust it at Qin Xiangxue, shouting, "Oh, it's been years! Miss Qin, you've grown into a beautiful woman, quite to my liking. Why don't you come back to the inn with me and have a chat?"

Qin Xiangxue drew her White Snow Sword and began to fight it, completely forgetting Su Zinong's instructions to use flanking maneuvers.

Su Zinong shook his head and had no choice but to go up in person, transforming into Qin Xiangxue and Bai Fengjun to fight head-on, while Su Zinong fought from the side.

After receiving guidance from Su Zinong, Qin Xiangxue's understanding of sword techniques improved considerably. Although she was temporarily at a disadvantage, she was not afraid.

Su Zinong could only stand aside and use his full strength to move left and right, forward and backward. Occasionally, he would thrust out a sword with an unusual direction, forcing Bai Fengjun to withdraw his sword to defend.

Although Qin Xiangxue and Su Zinong were slightly at a disadvantage, they were not defeated in the short term. Both of them were in high spirits and fought seriously.

After fighting for half an hour, no victor had emerged. Bai Fengjun hurriedly urged his true energy to speed up his attack, but as his true energy rose, the smell of alcohol also surged up, and he suddenly staggered, almost dropping the long sword in his hand.

Seeing this opportunity, Su Zinong swung his sword and stabbed at Bai Fengjun's right hand.

Bai Fengjun never expected Su Zinong's sword to pierce this spot, and before he could dodge, he let out a scream of "Ah!"