I long to return home!

Shen Lian responded calmly, and the black-robed old man's aura became undetectable in an instant.

In a scenic spot with beautiful mountains and waters, a retro-style pavilion sits in the middle of the lake. An elderly man with white hair is quietly brewing tea when he looks up and sees an old man in a black robe approaching.

"Fellow Daoist, please." He then handed over a cup of richly colored, fine tea.

The old man in black robes didn't think much of it. He took the tea and sipped it carefully. After a long while, his expression relaxed, and he said softly, "Good tea."

The white-haired old man revealed a meaningful smile, cupped his hands and said, "I am Baiyu Zhenren, may I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"Zhang Yan," the old man in black robes said.

As soon as he finished speaking, both of them smiled and cupped their hands in greeting, saying, "It's an honor to meet you."

Bai Yu Zhenren sized up the black-robed elder and saw that his cultivation level was the same as his own, both being at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. A hint of solemnity rose on his face: "Fellow Daoist Mo, are you from the Yin Yue Empire? May I ask what brings you to my Murong Manor?"

"I am indeed from the Yin Yue Empire. My son has come to your esteemed residence at the invitation of your young lady," the black-robed elder said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Master Baiyu's face lit up with joy. He stroked his white beard, showing no surprise or displeasure at the fact that the other party was a cultivator from an enemy country.

Judging from Fellow Daoist Zhang's words, Han'er must have a deep relationship with that prince, and he brought her home at the end of the year...

As he pondered, Master Baiyu's expression grew even more delighted. After a while, he cupped his hands and respectfully addressed the old man in black robes, saying, "It is truly an honor for my Murong family to know a prince. Fellow Daoist Mo, could you please tell me which prince is currently residing in your household?"

Upon hearing this, the old man in black robes took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Prince."

Master Baiyu was taken aback. The eldest prince of the Yinyue Empire, could it be Shen... Lian, the most virtuous and respected prince among all the princes?

After confirming that everything was correct, Master Baiyu showed an exaggerated expression on his face. With a wave of his hand, a white crane came stepping on the water. "Go and tell Fu'er that there are distinguished guests in the manor. Do not neglect them."

With a cry, the white crane flapped its wings and flew away. Master Baiyu hurriedly refilled the black-robed old man's cup with tea, secretly delighted. It turned out to be Prince Shen Lian who had come. If Han'er could seize this opportunity, it would be an immense stroke of luck. If they could get married, with the help of royal resources, this old man would definitely be able to break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

In the courtyard, an elegant pavilion is built against the mountain and by the water, layer upon layer, arranged in a well-organized manner.

The entire courtyard was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers, and plum blossoms with buds about to bloom were planted in every corner of the courtyard, like a beautiful painting.

Walking on the bluestone path, one after another, maids dressed in the same uniform walked past him. Shen Lian wondered why these maids seemed so rude to the eldest daughter of the Murong family, not even offering a greeting. Their pace seemed to quicken, as if they wanted to get away as soon as possible.

"Young Miss." A maidservant, sneaking around, greeted Murong Shuang after confirming that no one was around.

"Yan'er." Murong Shuang was delighted and took the maid's hand, smiling, "You've come at the perfect time, saving me the trouble of looking for you."

The maid named Yan'er looked around again, nervously released Murong Shuang's slender hand, and whispered, "Miss, the Second Miss and the Young Master are practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard. They seem to be in a bad mood. Please tell me what you need, Miss. I still have work to do."

Hearing this, Murong Shuang felt a strange mix of emotions. She turned to Shen Lian, who was playing with his folding fan, and asked, "Your Highness, does your senior need a room prepared?"

Shen Lian pondered for a moment, then said, "No need, just prepare one for me."

Upon hearing this, Murong Shuang said softly to the maid, "Yan'er, please prepare a room for this young master."

"Yes, Miss. I'll take care of it right away." The maid replied with her head bowed, and left without looking back.

After she walked away, Shen Lian lightly shook his folding fan and looked at Murong Shuang with surprise and doubt, saying, "Aren't you the eldest young lady? How come you have such a low status in the manor?"

Murong Shuang glanced at him coldly and slowly walked forward. "Your Highness, please leave. Do not say that I have neglected you."

Shen Lian was taken aback, and seeing Murong Shuang walking away, he hurriedly chased after her, saying, "I already said that you are you and I am me, there's no need for the master-slave address."

As soon as I entered the inner courtyard, I heard the sound of swords slicing through the air. Upon closer inspection, I saw a woman in a light blue dress whose beauty, while not stunning, was no less than that of Murong Shuang. She was instructing a young boy who was just reaching the age of 18 to practice swordsmanship.

The boy swung his sword with all his might to chop at the plum blossom branch in front of him, but he could not cut the same spot with each strike. It took him four or five strikes to barely cut off one branch, which drew the dissatisfaction of the woman.

"Second sister, I'm tired. I don't want to practice swordsmanship anymore. I want to go out and play." The boy put down his longsword, took a piece of pastry from the fruit plate held by the maid, and put it in his mouth.

The woman was furious upon hearing this, and pinched the boy's ear, scolding, "How many times have I told you, don't call me second sister, I'm your own sister."

The boy struggled to free his bright red ear, the pain intensifying in the cold wind. He clutched his ear and groaned, "Sister, don't I still have my older sister?"

As if she had heard a key word, Murong Han immediately became displeased, and her tone became stern. She showed no trace of the demeanor of a well-bred young lady. Pointing at the boy's chest, she scolded him sharply, "Murong Qing, you and I are family. That wretched woman only stayed in the manor because her mother died young and her father took pity on her. You will be the head of the family in the future."

The girl snorted and crossed her arms. "Besides, Mother has long said that she will be married off sooner or later. She can be a bed warmer, or better yet, a concubine. She can also make connections with other noble families and sect prodigies."

Murong Qing listened, and seeing Murong Han's stern expression, could only swallow hard, but dared not utter a word.

Little did they know that Murong Shuang, who was not far away, had overheard everything. Her face was terribly gloomy, and she could be heard sobbing from time to time.

Shen Lian was at a loss. Looking at Murong Shuang, who was trembling with sobs in front of him, he felt deep sympathy for her experiences in the manor.

No wonder Liu Ma said those things to him back then; now he's even considering keeping her as a mistress.

The sobbing stopped abruptly. Murong Shuang held a white flute and played it. She didn't care what happened to her, but her words had touched on her deceased mother.

The sound of the flute spread out, and as soon as Murong Han turned around upon hearing it, a ball of water rushed towards him at lightning speed, freezing instantly upon hitting his cheek with a "plop".

His body involuntarily fell backward, crashing heavily to the ground. His frozen cheeks trembled violently from the biting wind.

"Miss!"

The maids were all shocked and hurriedly tried to break the ice on the frozen Murong Han, but the ice formed by spiritual energy was impossible for them, who had not cultivated the Dao, to break.

Murong Shuang could have left directly, but if she left now, there would only be more trouble in the future. Besides, she didn't want to leave, as there were some grudges involved.