This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

In the canyon ahead, neat rows of houses stood, forming a palatial complex. The buildings were brightly lit, and many people were coming and going, creating a lively scene.

This was deep in the mountains, how could there be so many people? Before he could even react, the three people behind him had already caught up, and they were equally shocked when they saw the scene in the canyon.

"My God, what's going on with this Great Qian capital? Why are there so many people here, and why is there a nine-story palace complex? Could it be that Emperor Wu is here?"

Qingyu was astonished. These buildings were no temporary encampments. The palaces were clearly tiered, with nine floors representing the highest authority. Only those of suitable status could reside on each floor. Densely packed soldiers patrolled below, and the banners bearing the large characters "Huangfu" seemed to foreshadow something.

"The ancestral home of the Great Qian royal family?" Tian Yuanzi asked uncertainly.

"Yes, it should be,"

Chen Miao never imagined that they had actually managed to infiltrate the ancestral homeland of the Great Qian royal family. For a nation's royal family, the ancestral homeland is of paramount importance; it is inaccessible to anyone other than a member of the royal family, and it is the true repository of their resources.

"This is bad. Since this is ancestral land, there must be many experts gathered here. We must retreat immediately!"

Tian Yuanzi's expression changed completely.

"Ancestral home, that means hometown, right?"

Only Xiao Xingchen remained completely clueless, looking utterly idiotic.

"Now I believe he really did come from a small town; he didn't even know what the ancestral home of the royal family was."

Tian Yuanzi's words reassured Chen Miao a lot. She wasn't afraid of Xiao Xingchen's humble origins, but she was afraid that he had ulterior motives. But now it seems that she really misunderstood him. Maybe the so-called Great Tang of the East is just a remote mountain village?

"This is the foundation of the Huangfu family of the Great Qian Dynasty. We have stumbled into an extraordinary place. Do not try to advance now. Find a way to leave immediately. We will be lucky enough to leave safely. This is not a place we can explore."

"But Tiger's matter hasn't been settled yet,"

"Didn't you see that the White Tiger has quieted down? Obviously, there's someone here that even it dares not mess with. You'll die if you go in," Chen Miao earnestly advised. After all, exploring Xiao Jianxian's tomb required Xiao Xingchen's accompaniment, and she didn't want him to die here.

"Is that right?"

The white tiger nodded, then rubbed against Xiao Xingchen before leaping into the canyon.

"Hey,"

Just as Xiao Xingchen was about to give chase, Tian Yuanzi covered her mouth.

"Shut up, you want to die but we don't, be quiet."

Xiao Xingchen wasn't stupid. Seeing the three of them with that same expression, he understood what was going on and quickly quieted down.

"Go, go quietly, don't let anyone see you,"

Chen Miao had already begun to retreat, but they hadn't gone far when Black Tiger caught up again.

"Ouch..."

"Tiger? Shh, stop yelling,"

Xiao Xingchen quickly made a shushing gesture, afraid of attracting the attention of the people below.

"Aww... Aww... Aww,"

The big black tiger growled softly, sounding somewhat aggrieved. Then, it opened its large mouth, and a small creature fell out, landing right in Xiao Xingchen's hand.

"My God, this is a white tiger cub!" Tian Yuanzi exclaimed in surprise.

Looking at the little white tiger cub that had fallen into his hands, nestled there like a puppy, Xiao Xingchen asked in confusion,

"Brother Tiger, do you want me to take him away?"

"Ouch,"

"The White Tiger has been imprinted with the Beast Taming Seal, probably to prevent the cub from suffering the same fate. Therefore, they hope you will take him out. However, I must warn you, this belongs to the Great Qian royal family. If you take it out, it will cause a lot of trouble," Chen Miao couldn't help but remind you.

The little white tiger was incredibly cute, nestled in Xiao Xingchen's arms like a puppy. It was unaware of its impending fate; this was merely a desperate act by its mother to free her cubs from a life of enslavement. But Xiao Xingchen hesitated.

If it were truly a wild white tiger, it wouldn't be a problem. But this white tiger bears Huangfu's mark, and it's already being eyed by someone in the palace. Now, with another one being eyed, it's like dancing at the gates of hell.

"Awooo, awooo," seeing Xiao Xingchen's hesitation, the white tiger growled softly in a pleading tone, even making a kneeling gesture, which made Xiao Xingchen's heart tremble.

The tender love between mother and son, a sentiment that touches the hearts of parents everywhere, welled up in my mind. Xia Buyu once said that the people he felt most sorry for in his life were his parents, and wasn't he the same?

“I’ll take it, I’ll take good care of it,”

"Awooo, awooo," the white tiger cried, tears welling in its eyes, as it nudged them with its head, signaling them to leave quickly.

Chen Miao and the other two didn't say much, but instead cautiously looked around, a vague sense of foreboding lingering in their hearts.

"Take care, I'll treat him well," Xiao Xingchen wanted to say something more, but the white tiger suddenly raised its head and let out a deafening roar towards the sky.

"roar,"

"You beast! You actually colluded with outsiders to send away the White Tiger! Die!" A furious roar drowned out the beast's howl, the sky and earth changed color, and the wind and clouds surged.

"Oh no! Run!"

Tian Yuanzi shuddered, grabbed Xiao Xingchen, and sped into the deep forest, not daring to linger for a moment. In their final moments, Xiao Xingchen saw a sword descend from the sky, stabbing directly at the white tiger, its roar echoing through the forest.

The white tiger in his arms seemed to sense something, opening its sleepy eyes and looking around. Finally, it looked in the direction of the large white tiger, as if some of its loved ones were dying.

With a single sword strike, the White Tiger was torn apart, its blood disappearing into the darkness. Though invisible, Xiao Xingchen felt a sudden, sharp pain in the softest part of his heart. Was this the power of this world?

He had no doubt about the White Tiger's strength; its body, several stories high, was far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. Yet, under that roar, the White Tiger was instantly defeated without any power to resist. This was the first time he had directly experienced the power of this world.

"No, we'll all get caught if we keep going like this. Let's run towards Xiaojianxian's tomb; that might be our only way out."

Tian Yuanzi shouted anxiously. When that sword appeared, he knew something was wrong; an invincible master had appeared.

Chen Miao sighed helplessly, and Qingyu also looked at Xiao Xingchen in silence, seemingly having something difficult to say.

"Put me down. You can't get out of here with me. We were just strangers who met by chance. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Xiao Xingchen could easily sense that on a desperate escape, the worst enemy was someone like him who held them back. His movement speed was worlds apart from theirs; even a world champion would be nothing but dust in their presence, let alone him.

This was a difficult choice. Chen Miao didn't want to abandon him, but if she didn't, none of the three of them could escape.

"Take care. It's not that we're heartless, but one death is better than all four of us dying."

Seeing Chen Miao's inner turmoil, Tian Yuanzi stepped in as the villain. He abandoned Xiao Xingchen, grabbed Chen Miao, and disappeared into the distance.

Chen Miao gave him a somewhat apologetic look, and then the three of them quickly disappeared into the distance.