Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Ni Xuan stared at them for a while, and when he realized that neither of them had noticed his gaze, he couldn't help but say to Gong Fengyue beside him, "My ability to conceal my aura has become so good?"

Gong Fengyue leisurely took a sip of wine and rolled her eyes at him: "You can try drinking with Brother Lingguang."

That gaze could surely turn into a knife, sticking to Ni Xuan and turning him into a sieve on the spot.

Ni Xuan clicked his tongue and said, "I'm not stupid."

Gong Fengyue said, "Why didn't you seem more perceptive before? I think you've already forgotten that you're setting off for the blessed land tomorrow."

Ni Xuan choked, then suddenly realized what she meant and stared intently at Gong Fengyue: "What do you mean by that?"

Gong Fengyue smiled and shook her fan: "It means exactly what you think."

Ni Xuan stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "That person is, after all... shouldn't be so petty with a junior like me, right?"

At the time, he was unaware of the relationship between the two! And he genuinely only considered Xu Lingguang a friend!

Gong Fengyue patted his shoulder and offered a half-hearted consolation: "This won't do you any harm either. In fact, you're the one who benefits. If I had known, I would have gone to join in the fun. Maybe we could have gone to the blessed land together and kept each other company."

Ni Xuan rolled her eyes at him.

I know this guy is all talk; if I really sent him to a secluded paradise for a year, he'd cause a huge uproar.

Right now, they're just gloating over the fact that they're about to be imprisoned for a year.

While the two were joking around, Fu Jiyu had already sat down in front of the alchemy furnace to prepare for refining pills.

Perhaps to ensure everyone could see clearly, she deliberately chose an extremely large alchemy furnace, sat cross-legged above it, her hands forming a mudra, her aura surging.

Xu Lingguang watched intently.

Fu Jiyu had already begun processing the medicinal herbs. He noticed that many of the other party's techniques were indeed different from his own. As he watched, he memorized these techniques, thinking that he would try them out when he got back.

He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice Baili Qingyun's gaze constantly and subtly fixed on him.

Lan Jian noticed this and gave him a cold, warning look. Baili Qingyun smiled at him, looked away, and casually picked up her teacup.

Baili Qingyun's smile made Lan Jian increasingly uncomfortable, but the occasion was inappropriate and there was no reason for him to lash out. He simply released a blade of energy without making a sound, giving Baili Qingyun a warning in a subtle way.

The air blade pierced precisely into the back of Baili Qingyun's neck. The chilling killing intent made Baili Qingyun tremble all over, and at the same time, a salty and bloody taste rose in her throat. Only then did she belatedly look at Lan Jian, her eyes still filled with fear.

Lan Jian's strength was much greater than Baili Qingyun had imagined; that previous sword strike was not his full power.

Long Su, who was standing to the side, noticed that blood had suddenly seeped from the corner of Baili Qingyun's lips. He was also startled and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness?"

He looked around, but couldn't determine who had done it.

Suddenly, Baili Qingyun grabbed his arm tightly, gritted her teeth, and whispered, "Help me out, don't disturb anyone else."

Long Su had no choice but to comply, and quietly helped Baili Qingyun leave the table.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Fu Jiyu, so naturally no one paid attention to Baili Qingyun's situation. A few people did notice, but they didn't know the reason behind it. They just thought that Baili Qingyun was eccentric and didn't want to watch anymore.

When Xu Lingguang came to his senses, he glanced across the room and suddenly realized that the person who had been sitting there in his way had left.

"Bai Li Qingyun is gone? When did she leave?"

Lan Jian didn't say much, only saying lightly, "He left after seeing half of it. He's petty. He and Fu Jiyu are both Grandmasters. If he hadn't come for you, he definitely wouldn't have come here."

Xu Lingguang had only asked casually, and when Lan Jian said the person had left, he put it out of his mind and continued watching Fu Jiyu refine pills.

Meanwhile, Baili Qingyun was helped away from Jinyaotang by Long Su. After returning to the ship, she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and her body slid down weakly, with only one hand gripping Long Su's arm tightly like an iron claw.

Long Su was secretly alarmed as he saw the fine wrinkles appearing on the prince's face, but dared not show it. Instead, he said sternly, "Someone come quickly! His Highness is injured."

With the system at his fingertips, Long Su naturally knew that Baili Qingyun wasn't injured at all, but rather that it was time for her to take "tonics".

There are many rumors about Baili Qingyun, some of which are quite exaggerated.

Those who were unaware of the situation thought it was just hearsay, but Long Su had the cheat code of the system, so he naturally uncovered Baili Qingyun's true colors completely.

At least half of those exaggerated rumors are true.

For example, Baili Qingyun's lifespan is nearing its end, and he is facing the five signs of decay. He doesn't know why he is particularly concerned about his appearance and has been trying to prolong his life and preserve his youth.

He kept hundreds of cultivators in his manor, most of them at the Transcendent Realm, with a few at the Divine Realm. These cultivators were nominally his guards, but in reality, they were his blood donation packages.

Baili Qingyun somehow obtained a technique that allows her to prolong her life through blood transfusions while maintaining a youthful appearance.

Every month, he would go into seclusion with ten other cultivators to undergo a blood exchange. After the blood exchange, he would be full of energy, like a young man in his twenties. However, once the effects of the blood exchange wore off, he would become very weak, and his face would age rapidly.

According to the system's prompts, Baili Qingyun had just had a blood transfusion a few days ago, so it shouldn't have developed symptoms so quickly.

Many thoughts raced through Long Su's mind, but he still looked worried and flustered, after all, he didn't know any of Baili Qingyun's secrets.

Zi Su quickly arrived with several cultivators and hurriedly helped Baili Qingyun into the room, presumably to perform a blood transfusion for her.

Long Su wisely stayed where he was.

After waiting for about an hour, Baili Qingyun, looking radiant, came out of the room. Her eyes scanned Long Su repeatedly, as if she were pondering and judging something.

Long Su felt a surge of emotion, knowing that this was the crucial moment to completely gain Baili Qingyun's trust.

He rose to greet him, his expression concerned, and asked, "Is Your Highness feeling better? I wonder who dared to plot against Your Highness?"

Baili Qingyun withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and scoffed, "Besides the one from Qianjin Tower, who else could it be?"

Thinking of the opponent's unfathomable strength, Baili Qingyun was still a little scared. But as the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food. If it were before, he might have avoided the opponent's sharp edge, but now he didn't have much time left.

He was arrogant and looked down on everyone. Accepting these ignorant and incompetent monks to exchange his blood was already pushing his limits.

But after meeting Xu Lingguang today, he changed his mind.