He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

Qi Ruxing and Qi Ruxing arranged to meet outside Dongjun City. As the sun set, a small painted boat descended from the sky.

At that moment, Leng Huan was squatting on a boulder, shading her eyes with her hand as she watched two eagles fight in the sky. Her back was to the setting sun, and her shadow resembled that of someone squatting on a mountain overlooking the sea... Suddenly, a shadow fell over her head. She looked up and exclaimed, "Whoa!"

What a beautiful painted boat!

She immediately banished the bet about "the black one winning against Fu Xun" from her mind, and with a thud, spat out the grass stalk, Leng Huan jumped up and heard a familiar voice calling her: "Fellow Daoist Leng!"

It was Qi Ruxing! Leng Huan waved happily, "Fellow Daoist Qi, you've finally arrived!!"

No wonder they said they shouldn't hire carriages before. That makes sense. Even if Qi Ruxing is rough and unrefined, Fang Shendu is a weakling. The Fang family definitely wouldn't let him go out alone!

In short, Leng Huan was overjoyed to hitch a ride on the boat. He pulled Fu Xun onto the pleasure boat and then discovered that the boat was quite large, with three bedrooms and a living room.

The pleasure boat headed west towards Dongdu, while the black eagle, its feathers flying everywhere and its flesh mangled, became Snow Eagle's dinner.

Fu Xun stood at the bow of the boat, glanced at the black feathers drifting down in the distance, and went into his room to meditate.

Qi Ruxing and his wife were in the master bedroom, Leng Huan occupied the largest room on the far side, and Fu Xun was in a small room on the other side. They lived peacefully for two days, and on the morning of the third day, they arrived in Dongdu City.

-

"Ah, the Eastern Capital is still as lively as ever!"

Leng Huan stood in the restaurant, peering out the window at the bustling street. After lunch, Qi Ruxing looked at the two of them, thought for a moment, and asked, "Let's find an inn to stay in first. Where are you two going now? Or should we find a place to stay first?"

“Fellow Daoist Qi, you can go to Xiankeju Inn. It’s the largest inn in the city center and easy to find.” Leng Huan turned to look at Qi Ruxing, paused for a moment, and continued, “We have some personal matters to attend to. We’ll send you a message to meet up later.”

With that agreed, the two parted ways. Qi Ruxing took Fang Shendu to the Immortal Guest House that Leng Huan had mentioned. Suddenly, Fang Shendu asked curiously, "Madam, where is that Senior Leng from?"

"I don't know, they must have come from the north..." Qi Ruxing shook her head, then asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Fang Shendu also shook his head: "...It's nothing, it's just that the sword cultivator senior doesn't seem like an ordinary person. I wonder how the two of them got together..."

Could that guy surnamed Leng who suddenly appeared be a variable?

Thinking about it this way, Fang Shendu couldn't help but feel a little irritated. He had recovered most of his foundation since waking up from the dream, and his complexion was much better now. His body was gradually recovering and his hands and feet were no longer cold. But at this moment, he felt a chill in his heart.

-

Meanwhile, Leng Huan and his companion went to Fengsheng Tower and learned the whereabouts of the gray-robed Taoist Yin Yi. He had actually left Dongdu and headed south to Dongting Prefecture before them.

Depend on!

"We're too late..."

Seeing Leng Huan's frustration, Fu Xun only said, "Don't worry, we'll catch him eventually. Go and hand over your mission first."

"Yes, that's true. Let's go. The Wu family is in the north of the city. I wonder what kind of thing they sent all the way from the Immortal Sect."

The two walked and talked. The Wu family was one of the great families in Dongdu. The mission required them to hand over the storage ring to the head of the Wu family.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen."

Upon arriving at the Wu family's gate, Leng Huan stepped forward and knocked on the door. The gatekeeper, upon hearing their purpose, dared not delay and immediately ran to inform the steward.

The butler emerged after a short while, leading the two to the reception room. He then told them to wait a moment, as he had already informed the host.

Leng Huan was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Wu family head to hand over the mission so she could hunt down her enemies, but things never went so smoothly.

After waiting for a while, a young man who looked like the master of the house hurriedly came to the hall. He was about 20 years old, the eldest son of the Wu family, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"I apologize for the neglect, both of you." Wu Shaoping hurriedly bowed to the two men in thanks.

"Young Master, you're too kind." Leng Huan cupped his hands in greeting, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Is your father at home? I've come to hand over a mission from the sect."

Wu Shaoping paused for a moment, his expression sorrowful, and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are too late. My father... my father has already passed away... a month ago, a month ago..."

What? Leng Huan and Fu Xun were both stunned. It took her a while to come to her senses: "What, what's going on?"

Wu Shaoping looked saddened. "My late father met Wang Shen, a master craftsman from the Misty Immortal Sect, more than half a year ago, and commissioned a magic weapon. He mentioned that someone would probably deliver it to him around this time, and it seems that it is you, fellow Daoist..."

“My father went astray during his cultivation a month ago, suddenly went into a state of demonic possession, and that’s why he died so suddenly… Our whole family is overwhelmed with grief…”

"Things are unpredictable, please accept my condolences, young master..."

Leng Huan sighed for a moment, never expecting that he would be unable to find the owner of the task he was supposed to deliver. "In that case, I'll hand the item over to the young master."

As she spoke, she took out a simple storage ring and placed it on the sandalwood carved table in the center. Just as she was about to take her leave, Wu Shaoping stood up first and implied that they should stay: "You two have come from afar, why don't you stay and rest for a couple of days? It just so happens that the day after tomorrow is the grand celebration in the Eastern Capital, you can have some sightseeing..."

"Besides, I don't know exactly where my father kept the jade token he used for the transaction. I'll have to look for it."

The Grand Celebration Day is a city-wide celebration, a very grand festival. The jade talisman he mentioned is the certificate for ordering a magical artifact. Leng Huan needs to obtain the jade talisman and the quest scroll to verify their authenticity, and then return to the quest hall for confirmation before the process is complete and he receives his reward.

Furthermore, since we've already met, we should offer incense to the Wu family head, so I agreed to stay for two more days.

—

"I never expected the city lord to suffer a qi deviation. Cultivation is quite dangerous."

After offering incense and leaving the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, Leng Huanchao sighed to Fu Xun upon arriving at the guest courtyard.

“Going against the heavens, how can things ever be smooth sailing?” Fu Xun stepped into the room first, turning back to say, “Moreover, unless one’s inner demons are too strong, they generally won’t suffer from qi deviation. Of course, if it’s practicing evil arts or something…”

Ah, Leng Huan quickly followed and stepped inside. For some reason, she felt a sense of oppression as soon as she entered the Wu family. When she saw her follow, Fu Xun just raised an eyebrow.

That evening, Wu Shaoping arranged a welcome banquet for them. The butler invited them to the banquet hall, which was simply decorated and not particularly fancy, presumably because the head of the household was in mourning.

The dishes were mostly vegetarian, but they were very elaborate. The hall was not dimly lit, but it was too quiet, which seemed a bit strange. Leng Huan and Fu Xun sat at the table, opposite Wu Shaoping, Madam Wu, and Wu Shaoping's sister, Miss Wu.

It was clear that the Wu family usually had strict rules. At the beginning, Wu Shaoping and Old Madam Wu exchanged a few polite words as hosts, and Miss Wu arrogantly looked them over and said a few words. Then everyone ate their meal in a proper manner.

At this moment, only the clinking of cups and plates could be heard, and there was no idle chatter. Occasionally, Wu Shaoping would raise his glass and say a few words, but otherwise it was relatively quiet. Leng Huan felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Taking advantage of the alcohol, she observed Miss Wu, whose emotions were quite outward. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old and quite pretty, with willow-leaf eyebrows and an oval face. However, there was a hint of meanness in her eyes. Leng Huan watched as her lips moved slightly, and she muttered to herself, her inner thoughts quite rich.

After finally finishing their meal, the servants cleared away the banquet, and everyone seemed to be released from their restraints, beginning to ask questions and chat.

"Where do you two young masters come from? Are you both disciples of the Immortal Sect? You are so handsome!" Miss Wu asked several questions in a sweet voice, sounding innocent and charming.

Wu Shaoping's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Xinrou! Don't be rude! Apologize to both of you right now!"

Wu Xinrou immediately pouted, and the old lady immediately smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, alright, why are you scolding her? Don't you know your sister is always like this?"

The old lady must have doted on her daughter and son. She smiled at Leng Huan and his companion, saying, "I'm sure you two wouldn't mind learning from a little girl."

Leng Huan smiled and replied, "Of course not. Miss Wu is innocent and romantic, and has no ill intentions."

Wu Shaoping bowed to them, seemingly helpless, and was about to say something when suddenly a maid from the inner courtyard rushed in, crying out in alarm, "It's terrible! She... the young mistress has appeared again!!!"

The Wu family members' expressions all changed.

Leng Huan and Fu Xun were puzzled: ?

-