At that moment, Lin Hui, who was still in the martial academy, remained completely unaware of the situation.

He truly didn’t know.

Thanks to his Wind of Surrounding and Wind Disaster Affinity, his power level was incredibly high, and his defenses were exceptionally strong. After the Body Tempering from his Typhoon Swordsmanship, the Star Breath Sword Manual had boosted his physical fortitude by another huge margin.

Based on his own tests, an ordinary Priest could stand in front of him and attack for as long as they wanted, and they still might not be able to break his defense.

With such a formidable defense, Lin Hui truly didn’t need to concern himself with many conventional forms of protection.

Furthermore, his specialty was speed, and his reflexes far surpassed those of others. Otherwise, he never could have reached such velocities.

After all, an uncontrollable burst of speed would inevitably lead to self-injury. One wouldn’t be able to react in time, which would cause their combat effectiveness to plummet.

Thus, an increase in the speed of one’s Body Technique necessitates a corresponding enhancement in reflexes.

In short, anyone slower than him also had inferior reflexes.

Therefore, Lin Hui limited his perceptive range to a two-hundred-meter radius.

As long as he could react before an opponent entered his perceptive range, he would be fine.

Of course, he had already been notified in advance via Wind Chime that Tuyue and Ning Qianzhi were coming to find him.

He was a little surprised at first, but he had long since imagined what it would be like and how he would respond when he finally came face to face with a Fog Person.

In fact, he was very much looking forward to this meeting.

After all, a Blood Ancestor like Han Sanmian could no longer test the limits of his strength.

Here in Black Cloud, a place governed by strict regulations and the rules of The Three Greats among the Fog People, sparring with Tuyue under certain restrictions might actually be an excellent opportunity.

Finally, he also wanted to see if Tuyue and her companion would actually invade the martial academy to make a move against him.

But unfortunately, after waiting in the martial academy for so long, there was no sign of movement outside by noon. This made him realize that, in practical terms, Black Cloud’s authority superseded Tuyue’s.

Having figured this out, Lin Hui went to the cafeteria, got some food, and sat at a table, eating at a leisurely pace.

Regardless, after dealing with Tuyue, someone from Black Cloud was bound to contact him to discuss the situation.

It was only a matter of time.

Before long, a tall, sturdy teacher with a dark complexion approached him.

"Instructor Lin, the Dean is looking for you. He’s in the main academy building. He’s asked for you to come over."

’The Dean?’

A thought crossed Lin Hui’s mind, and he had a guess as to what this was about.

"Alright, I’ll be right there."

He slowly got up and followed the teacher out of the cafeteria at a brisk pace.

They went up to the fourth floor of the main building and entered the largest office at the end of the hallway.

The Dean wasn’t inside. There was only a woman with a high ponytail, dressed in a long, dark-red dress, standing before the desk, lightly tracing patterns on its surface with her hand.

The woman had fair skin and a tall, slender figure. Over her long dress, she wore a formal outer robe with vertical stripes and white trim, making her look as though she had just come from a banquet.

Hearing the commotion, the woman slowly stopped what she was doing and turned around.

At the same time, the office door swung shut behind Lin Hui automatically.

CLICK.

An invisible ripple instantly filled the entire office, sealing it off into a separate space.

"No sound or aura can escape this room now. We can talk freely."

The woman’s voice was stern, carrying a natural, chilly quality.

"Young friend Lin Hui, can you tell me what would motivate a Fog Person to travel thousands of miles, cross the ocean, and come all this way just to capture you and drag you back?"

"Before I answer, may I know who you are?" Lin Hui walked over, pulled out a chair for himself without being asked, and sat down.

"I am Gongsun Xinlian, one of The Three Great Fog People of Black Cloud, and one of the rulers of this city," the woman stated flatly.

Her features were striking; she wasn’t beautiful in a conventional sense, but she exuded a strange, intimidating pressure that made one’s Heart and Spirit unconsciously tense up in her presence.

She didn’t have the colorful crystals of a Blood Ancestor; instead, she reminded Lin Hui of the strict Class Leader he’d had in his previous life.

Tense, but not dangerous. Stern, but not cruel. In fact, there was a strangely familiar feeling about her.

"I see. I am Lin Hui, Daoist Master of the Qingfeng Dao. I was originally cultivating quietly in the Outer City of Tuyue City, working to improve my strength. But then one day, I discovered that I had been targeted by a Blood Ancestor and was to become little more than a spare meal..."

Lin Hui carefully recounted the entire sequence of events. He didn’t embellish anything, simply telling the truth as it happened.

After he finished, he added one last thing.

"So, in reality, the most I did was, with the help of a friend, use all my strength to kill a Blood Ancestor from Tuyue—and a low-ranking one at that. I never imagined Tuyue herself would personally come after me. To be honest, I don’t really understand things at the level of the Fog People, so I had no idea she would actually show up."

"That part, I can understand." Gongsun Xinlian’s expression softened. With her nine thousand years of experience, she could naturally tell at a glance whether Lin Hui was lying.

"Tuyue is greedy and faithless. She cares only for pleasure, promiscuity, and fine food. If something catches her interest, she’ll act on a whim, impulsively. This isn’t my first time dealing with her. The woman is a bitch. When she wants something, she’ll do anything to get it, consequences be damned. If she can’t have it, she’d rather destroy everything!"

It was clear there was some history between her and Tuyue.

One could tell from her tone alone how deep her resentment for Tuyue ran.

Before Lin Hui could speculate further, Gongsun Xinlian continued.

"That bitch seduced my fiancé the exact same way. She threw herself at him, willing to play any game, with that disgusting, saccharine look on her face as if she loved every second of it!" She stopped there, reining in her anger before she could say more.

"Alright. Since you’ve come to my Black Cloud, you are now one of the Black Cloud People. As long as you don’t cause trouble, my two siblings and I will take care of things. Of course, you must also demonstrate sufficient value. Otherwise, if Tuyue becomes too much of a nuisance, we might just hand you over."

This last part was clearly tacked on at the end, likely because she was afraid Lin Hui would start slacking off under Black Cloud’s protection.

"Thank you, Lady Xinlian! I am already endlessly grateful just to have a safe place to cultivate. In the future, I will certainly work hard for the good of Black Cloud and keep to myself," Lin Hui quickly declared.

’He liked people like this, who were willing to step up and handle trouble head-on.’

’If the sky were to fall, someone else would be there to hold it up. All he had to do was live his quiet life in peace.’

’That was his philosophy.’

"Good. For someone of your strength, continuing to teach here is a waste of your talents. If you wish, you can go to the main academy to be an instructor," Gongsun Xinlian said, her tone softening.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ve already grown familiar with this area. If I move now, I’ll just have to get used to a new place all over again. This is good enough," Lin Hui quickly replied.

"As you wish." The moment she finished speaking, Gongsun Xinlian’s figure slowly dissipated, as if she had never been there at all.

The seal on the Dean’s office vanished without a trace, and the room returned to normal.

Lin Hui rose from his chair. The turn of events had far exceeded his expectations.

He had assumed the Fog People of Black Cloud would hand him over and make him deal with the trouble from Tuyue himself.

He never expected that this Gongsun Xinlian would ask only a few questions before taking responsibility for the whole affair.

’She must still be holding on to that old personal grudge,’ Lin Hui guessed.

’She just didn’t have a pretext to act on it before. Now, I’ve arrived, giving her the perfect excuse to make a move.’

’She even let him stay without worry. Wasn’t that a clear sign she was going to back him up to the very end?’

Just by comparing the general atmosphere of Tuyue with that of Black Cloud, Lin Hui could see the difference between the Fog People of the two sides.

Leaving the office, he knew this matter was far from over. Tuyue had chased him from thousands of miles away. With that kind of determination, she wouldn’t be dissuaded by a single obstacle.

Soon, on his way home after classes ended for the day, Lin Hui received numerous messages from Wind Chime.

They were all inquiries and expressions of concern from the members of his Qingfeng Dao.

When he returned to their compound, most of the core members of the Qingfeng Dao were already back.

Xia Si, Su Yaping, Wang Hongshi, and the others were all present.

"What are you all doing here? Relax. Tuyue won’t dare to make a move by force. This is Black Cloud."

"It’s not that... Daoist Master... look... over there." Su Yaping pointed to the right of their academy’s courtyard. At some point, a large mansion, similar to their own, had been erected right next door.

A large character, "Ning," hung above the mansion’s main gate.

Just then, the courtyard gate swung open silently, and a slender woman, wearing only two strips of black cloth, emerged with a graceful gait.

The two strips of black cloth formed a V-shape across her body, barely covering the three crucial points.

With her long hair unbound, her upper body swayed and trembled with every step. Her face, though merely pretty, somehow exuded an astonishing allure, as if she were practically dripping with seduction.

HISS...

The male disciples of the Qingfeng Dao couldn’t help but sharply draw in their breath.

"Be careful. This is that bitch’s specialty: Heart and Spirit seduction!" Suddenly, a cold, stern female voice boomed in Lin Hui’s ears.

Lin Hui understood. The greatest strength of the Fog People was said to be their Heart and Spirit, so it was only natural for them to possess such abilities.

But honestly, he felt nothing. The power of the Wind Calamity had already infused his Wind of Surrounding and the Inner Strength that constantly protected him, even seeping into every inch of his body.

Through the Body Tempering of his Typhoon Swordsmanship, this power was continuously reforging his physique and his Heart and Spirit, enhancing his mental fortitude.

This was the key reason his Heart and Spirit had improved so rapidly.

"Elder Sister, must you be this way? Your Little Sister only wants to have a friendly chat with a child from her own city. Surely you won’t interfere in such a small matter? Is the great Black Cloud truly so idle?" Tuyue said with a hint of grievance, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"If we weren’t both Federation City Lords, bound by the rules that prevent us from fighting, I would’ve crushed you on the spot for acting so pretentiously in front of me!"

Gongsun Xinlian’s disembodied voice grew even colder.

Their entire conversation was telepathic, not spoken aloud. To an outsider, it simply looked as if Tuyue had walked out her door, paused for a moment, and then adopted a pitiful, wronged expression.

"Alright, you all should go. I’ll handle this," Lin Hui instructed his followers via Wind Chime.

"Instructor... please be careful! This woman is extremely dangerous!" Among the crowd, even the women like Li Yuanyuan were captivated by Tuyue’s seductive aura. Clearly, this mental corruption didn’t discriminate based on gender. Only Xia Si seemed unaffected. Before leaving, she bowed to Lin Hui and sent him a grave warning via telepathy.

It seemed some special quality kept her from being affected by Tuyue.

"Oh?" Tuyue noticed this as well, her gaze falling on Xia Si.

"Now, I’m becoming more and more interested in you," she said, though her gaze quickly shifted back to Lin Hui.

The crowd around them quickly dispersed.

Only Lin Hui was left, standing at the gate.

"And you are...?" he asked softly.

"You grew up in my city. Now that you see me, your City Lord, in person, don’t you feel a sense of kinship?" Tuyue stepped forward, pressing her body naturally against Lin Hui and trying to nudge her chest against his arm.

"Bitch! You dare lay a hand on him, and I’ll make sure you never return to Tuyue City!" Gongsun Xinlian’s furious, disembodied voice roared.