Yu Shui City, located in the Southern Continent of the Middle Ancient Realm.

In the entire Southern Continent region, it’s not a small city, but it’s not a big one either.

Here, nearly a hundred families, large and small, stand. Yet, only five can be considered prominent, causing pressure in people’s hearts.

These five families, in Yu Shui City, present a stance of five tigers contending, openly competing and secretly fighting for nearly a thousand years without determining a true ranking.

Gradually, the long-standing family ranking competition of the Middle Ancient land became their largest stage on the surface, used to determine the rankings among their five families.

However, in reality, the few years before each ranking competition begins are filled with unseen stormy battles, surging in the dark.

This day, it was already three days before the family ranking competition in Yu Shui City was set to start.

Three days later, this competition, symbolizing the leadership position of the entire Yu Shui City, would begin.

At that time, it would be Yu Shui City’s most bustling moment, as well as its most brutal.

Among the five great families, many young talents would emerge, dormant dragons soaring into the sky. Countless geniuses would also shed blood on the stage, sacrificing their lives for their family.

Wan, Tan, Jiang, Sheng, Le, the five families held a grand event, a massacre, becoming a topic of great interest in Yu Shui City.

That night, Yu Shui City fell into silence, all living things held their breath, waiting for three days hence.

Only one exception, the place of fireworks in Yu Shui City, the carefree den of indulgence, remained active.

In the quiet Yu Shui City, that place was ablaze with light, filled with melodious voices, enticing countless men to draw near.

That night, a heavy rain had just stopped, and the stone slabs of the streets still bore traces of water, reflecting the lanterns under the eaves.

Most of Yu Shui City had already plunged into darkness, only a small place remained illuminated by candle and lantern light.

The rows of red lanterns in the darkness served as guides, leading those craving pleasure step by step into the blossoms, enacting the tale of "dying beneath the peony, becoming a romantic ghost."

Suddenly, a paper lantern fell to the ground, soaked by the water on the stone slabs, extinguishing its flame.

All around, the light dimmed slightly, leaving only the red lantern under the eaves swaying in the wind.

A foot suddenly stepped on the broken lantern, adorned with an exquisite embroidered shoe, the gold-threaded upper embroidered with spiritually vibrant flowers.

Above the embroidered shoe, sheer silk floated, the ankle vaguely visible.

Just as the foot appeared, hurried footsteps and a commotion floated in from afar behind.

The owner of the embroidered shoe seemed to hesitate for a moment, then lightly tapped the broken lantern with the other foot and ran without hesitation into a nearby alleyway.

Her silhouette exuded determination, and the sheer, diaphanous clothing she wore on her body, rather than looking worldly, lent her an air of unreachable coldness.

In her flight for life, she was completely unaware that on the dark roof, a few cloaked figures stood.

They watched her escape into the dark.

Among them, the person at the forefront possessed a pair of clear eyes, seemingly devoid of emotion, yet also the most deeply emotional.

She watched the familiar figure leave, pursing her lips lightly.

"Mo Yang," she softly spoke.

Beside her, a person stepped forward, needing no further command, and immediately departed from the group, heading in the direction the woman had fled.

After he left, the owners of the chaotic noises also finally arrived at where the paper lantern had fallen.

"Damn girl! Dared to run? Wait till I catch you and see how I deal with you!" The leading man, his fist emanating deep purple spiritual power, clearly at the Purple Realm Peak in cultivation, spoke harshly.

His face was hideous and vicious, eyes filled with lewdness—a man who was clearly trouble.

Behind him were several others wielding crude clubs, wearing the same ferocious, evil grins, each with cultivation between Middle Rank and High Rank of the Purple Realm.

This group would likely be feared by ten thousand in Linchuan.

But here in the Middle Ancient Realm, their cultivation is merely the lowest tier of existence.

Thus, they are destined only to do some dirty, disgraceful work.

"Boss, there are two alleys here; which way did that girl run?" one of them asked, pointing to the two alleys.

This question made the leader frown, pondering deeply.

Another spoke, "That girl dared to hurt the Jiang family’s young master, if we don’t catch her, we’ll all suffer!"

"Hmph! Pretentious worthless thing! Does she really think she’s some virtuous maiden?" the leader bitterly said.

"Boss, the lantern fell here; she probably ran in this direction," another chimed in, pointing in the opposite direction of the woman’s escape to showcase his cleverness.

His words immediately gained approval from the others.

However, just as they were about to give chase, the leader raised his hand to stop them: "Wait! That bitch’s cultivation may be weak, but she’s somewhat cunning. This lantern’s fall could be a trick to lead us astray. We’ll chase in this direction!"

The leader surprisingly showed some analytical insight, guessing the woman’s path of escape.

At this time, their every move was observed by the group standing on the roof.

As they pursued the woman in the alley, the person on the roof suddenly uttered a single word, "Kill."

Her words had barely fallen when five cloaked individuals beside her descended from the roof like phantoms, silently appearing behind the group, raising their blades.

Swish, swish, swish—!

A few flashes of sword light, and before those men could even cry out, or see their attackers clearly, they silently fell in the alley.

After completing their task, the five returned to the person on the roof, guarding her in silence.

Once all was quiet again, the person encircled by the stars let out a slight sigh, uttering a long-unused name: "Qin Yiyao."

...

The woman fleeing desperately was unaware the crisis behind her had been resolved, unaware a shadow was silently following not far behind her.

She ran skillfully through the alleys of Yu Shui City, gradually leaving the area of red lanterns, entering a place of ruins and slanted walls.

Here was the shanty town of Yu Shui City, the slums. The home of the city’s lowest class residents.

In this place, there was a stench, filth everywhere.

It was a place people from the city’s families refused to step into.

Even when sudden events occurred requiring patrol and search, this area was deliberately overlooked.

Yet the woman, whose attire didn’t match here at all, showed no disdain for the filth, stepping on the messy stones and uneven ground, slipping through a broken wooden door.

Just as she entered, a shadow appeared at the door.

Mo Yang’s face was concealed by a wide cloak, only exposing a pair of steady eyes.

He stared at the wooden door, which couldn’t properly shut, his gaze flickering slightly, before he slipped into the yard, standing on an uneven patch of ground.

Sparse weeds grew on the ground, resembling unsightly bald patches.

Puddles of rainwater reflected the moonlight, adding a faint sparkle to the scene.

Mo Yang glanced around, a trace of incredulity in his eyes.

It seemed he couldn’t believe the woman lived in such an environment.

The flickering candlelight in the dilapidated cabin in front of them dispelled the darkness of the shabby courtyard and added some warmth.

The sudden candlelight made Mo Yang’s silhouette flicker as he appeared under the slanted eaves, pressing close to the rammed-earth wall, peering through the window that barely provided any cover.

The interior was extremely simple, with only a four-cornered table with uneven edges.

The oil lamp was placed on top of the square table.

Mo Yang silently surveyed the place and discovered that behind the square table stood an old cabinet, and on the side closer to the cabinet, a corner of a bed was exposed.

Qin Yiyao, the once-glorious princess of Qin Country, stood in front of the square table at this moment.

She lit the oil lamp and did not notice anyone was secretly watching her; nor did she change out of the sheer and revealing gauze dress she wore, instead walking with her back to Mo Yang towards the bed.

Mo Yang pressed his face closer, allowing him to see more of the bed.

The bedding on the bed had yellowed and bulged slightly, as if covering something.

Suddenly, Qin Yiyao’s voice floated out from the room—

She seemed to be talking to someone.

"Tonight, I avenged you. Jiang Tianyi hurt you like this, and I’ve killed him for you. Can you rest in peace now? You didn’t save my life in vain." Qin Yiyao’s words were calm, a calmness that seemed to have been bred from countless despair.

Even though the words she spoke were rich with emotional undertones, the calm tone somehow dulled the sincerity of her emotions somewhat.

As if the person speaking these words was cold-hearted and ruthless, and what she did was merely an equitable trade: you saved my life, and I avenged you.

Such a Qin Yiyao was unfamiliar to Mo Yang. He struggled to associate the woman before him with his impression of Princess Changle, yet he could never succeed.

Mo Yang slightly frowned, wanting to know who was worth such risks to the princess.

Having tracked her, Mo Yang already discovered that Qin Yiyao’s cultivation was only at Blue Realm Peak. Someone who isn’t even in the Purple Realm unexpectedly appeared in the Middle Ancient Realm and even appeared in such a place of debauchery.

Moreover, from what she said, it let him know that Qin Yiyao seemed to have killed a rather significant person tonight.

’Jiang Tianyi’, Mo Yang did not miss the name uttered in Qin Yiyao’s words. This name was not one he heard for the first time; on his first day in Yu Shui City, he already knew that the owner of this name was the second son of the Jiang Family, one of the Five Great Families in Yu Shui City.

Qin Yiyao actually killed Jiang Tianyi?

Upon hearing this news, Mo Yang’s first reaction was to immediately inform the little Lord, to prevent this sudden event from affecting the little Lord’s entire plan.

However, the situation on Qin Yiyao’s side was yet unclear, and he could not leave immediately.

Mo Yang’s gaze flickered slightly as he continued to observe the movements of Qin Yiyao in the house.

It seemed that Qin Yiyao had finished her conversation with whoever was on the bed. She stood up and walked towards the cabinet. Opening the cabinet door, she took out a bundle she had long prepared.

Then, she took out a set of ordinary clothes and got ready to change.

Seeing this, Mo Yang could only temporarily shift his gaze, avoiding the awkward scene inside.

After a rustling sound came from the room, it fell silent.

Mo Yang furrowed his brows and peeked through the window once again. He cautiously tested the view, fearing he might see something inappropriate. When he saw the room’s scene again, he quietly exhaled in relief.

Qin Yiyao had transformed into a handsome young servant. She donned a cap on her head and slung the bundle diagonally over her shoulder, then glanced at the person on the bed one last time and said, "I’m sorry, but I have to leave."

This sentence had clearly expressed her attitude.

She had repaid the debt of gratitude to the person on the bed. Yet, having avenged the person on the bed, she had to flee Yu Shui City quickly before the Jiang Family could act.

So, she could only apologize to the person on the bed. The life and death of the person on the bed no longer concerned her!

Qin Yiyao blew out the oil lamp, opened the door again, and ran out.

Mo Yang concealed his aura, hidden in the darkness, not worried at all about being discovered by Qin Yiyao.

And indeed, Qin Yiyao did not detect anything unusual, only quickly leaving the rundown courtyard.

After she left, Mo Yang thought for a moment and then slipped into the cabin, heading directly to the bed. Approaching the bed, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from outside, Mo Yang saw the person lying on the bed clearly...

His eyes suddenly contracted, shock appearing in his gaze.

The being lying on the bed before him could no longer be called a ’person’; all her limbs were amputated, leaving only her head and torso.

On that face, scarred deeply, one could barely discern that the person once was a beauty.

At that moment, she was staring wide-eyed at Mo Yang with eyes filled with hatred and unwillingness, even despair.

For a moment, Mo Yang could not discern whether the hatred in her eyes was directed towards her enemy, Jiang Tianyi, or towards Qin Yiyao, who left her here to die.

He just noticed that after he appeared, a glimmer of hope lit up in the eyes of this silent woman.

She opened her mouth as if trying to plead for help from Mo Yang, but no sound came out; instead, Mo Yang realized that her tongue had been cut out.

Mo Yang ignored the hope and plea in her eyes; he was no saint and had no obligation to act.

He glanced at the woman on the bed, then drew his blade, and with a flash, left a dot of vermillion between her brows. The hope in the woman’s eyes completely dispersed.

Perhaps death at this moment was the greatest help to the woman.

After finishing, Mo Yang swiftly left the room. Yet, after a round in the ’slums’, he discovered he had lost track of Qin Yiyao’s trail; her presence seemed to vanish suddenly.

’What’s going on?’ Mo Yang stood on the dirty ground, furrowing his brows.

...

In the darkness, a massive Spiritual Beast Car roamed the streets and alleys of Yu Shui City like a ghost.

Whenever it spotted some ’wandering souls’ left alone at night, it would extend a giant claw, grasp them by the shoulders when they were unguarded, swiftly pull them into the car, and then leave as if nothing had happened, isolating all auras.

The space inside this carriage was vast, yet suffocating and oppressive.

It was filled with many people, both men and women, all very young. Once captured onto the car, it wasn’t long before they fell into a drowsy sleep. The hideous beast heads embedded in the walls constantly emitted wisps of smoke, seeming to have a ’hypnotic’ effect.

Qin Yiyao fell into the carriage, her shoulder faintly aching.

The sudden event plunged her heart into utter despair.

She wanted to escape here, yet had fallen into a new tiger’s den? Her eyes gleamed with a hint of despair, but quickly reignited with the will to survive.

Billowing smoke coiled around her on all sides; she felt an unprecedented drowsiness creeping over her, unable to resist this biological urge.

’I can’t sleep! I can’t sleep! I have to escape!’ she continually commanded herself, but ultimately fell against the carriage floor, her heavy eyelids closing.

After she lost consciousness, the carriage door opened once more, and another slender figure was thrown inside, landing beside her...

The ghostly carriage roved about Yu Shui City with phantom-like stealth, while Mo Yang was also searching for Qin Yiyao’s traces.

He was puzzled as per Qin Yiyao’s pace, it shouldn’t have been possible for her to completely vanish from his senses in such a short time. Yet, this seemingly impossible event just happened.

The sound of wheels slowly approached from afar, drawing near.

Mo Yang immediately concealed himself, silently hiding in the shadows.

Just as he finished hiding, he discovered a massive Spiritual Beast Car cutting through the dense fog, gradually approaching under the heavy night.

The beasts pulling the carriage had their eyes covered, with bells hanging from their ears. A thin string was tied to the bells, seemingly guiding the route solely by the sound.

The entire body of the carriage was tightly sealed, looking window- and door-less, with strange and mysterious totems carved upon it.

The sudden appearance of such a bizarre Spiritual Beast Car, roaming the streets and alleys of Yu Shui City at this hour, aroused Mo Yang’s curiosity.

He hid in the shadows, his eyes tightly fixed on the Spiritual Beast Car.

Just then, from the car came a faint voice, "Huh?" It was impossible to discern if the voice was male or female, young or old. The only discernible element was confusion.

"It was right here just a moment ago, and now it’s gone in the blink of an eye!" A hoarse voice sounded.

The voice was harsh and unpleasant, as if it had been infused with a potent poison, corroding the vocal cords and stripping away its original melodious sound.

He seemed to be talking to himself, with no one responding.

The Spiritual Beast Car stopped where Mo Yang had stood earlier, surrounded by thick night fog, making it seem even more mysterious and terrifying.

A strange feeling suddenly surged in Mo Yang’s heart, as if he sensed that the person the Spiritual Beast Car was looking for was himself.

He restrained his aura, pressed his lips tightly, keeping his breathing steady, and watched the eerie car without moving.

After a while, the car seemed to give up waiting and slowly moved away, gradually disappearing from Mo Yang’s sight.

After it left, Mo Yang patiently waited a little longer.

The silence gradually enveloped him, and just then, the departing car returned, reappearing.

Mo Yang’s eyes darkened a shade as he silently stared at it.

"Indeed, it’s gone." The hoarse voice sounded again.

Then the car turned around and disappeared from Mo Yang’s sight once more.

Only after it left did Mo Yang step out from the darkness, staring thoughtfully in the direction the car had gone.

...

Before dawn, Yu Shui City gradually awoke.

Mo Yang returned to the temporary courtyard.

As soon as he entered, he saw Jing Hai emerge from the kitchen with a bright smile. "Brother Mo, you’re back?"

Mo Yang glanced at him and asked, "How is your cultivation going?"

Jing Hai nodded vigorously. "I just finished cultivating, thinking everyone would be getting up, so I decided to make breakfast for everyone."

Mo Yang watched him calmly and after a brief pause, spoke in a deep voice, "From now on, you don’t need to do these things. Focus on cultivating, don’t disappoint the Lord’s expectations of you."

Jing Hai restrained his expression and nodded again.

With that concluded, Mo Yang entered the second gate of the courtyard.

The Dragon Tooth Guards had already begun their daily training. Mo Yang glanced over and then walked towards Mu Qingge’s room. As he entered the room, Jing Hai had also abandoned the idea of making breakfast to join the training.

Upon entering, Mo Yang saw Mu Qingge standing by the window, watching the Dragon Tooth Guards train outside.

He walked to her side and whispered, "Lord."

Mu Qingge nodded slightly.

Following her gaze, Mo Yang noticed Jing Hai among the Dragon Tooth Guards outside the window.

Mo Yang withdrew his gaze and opened his mouth as if about to speak but hesitated.

Mu Qingge’s eyes fell on him, "Speak your mind."

Mo Yang lowered his gaze and expressed his thought, "That young man lacks ruthlessness." He lacked the ferocity and wolfish courage akin to the Dragon Tooth Guards, being too pure and kind-hearted.

His assessment was harsh, just shy of saying Jing Hai was not fit to be Mu Qingge’s apprentice.

Upon hearing it, Mu Qingge wasn’t angry about her judgment being questioned, she simply smiled indifferently, "Keeping him as a disciple is merely an opportunity. I won’t deliberately train him, nor do I have the energy and time. How much he learns and becomes is up to him. So don’t worry too much."

All she needed to teach would be taught, but how much he could absorb and learn was Jing Hai’s business.

Taking Jing Hai under her wing was an impulsive decision, with no expectations of getting returns from him.

Mu Qingge withdrew her gaze and left the window, heading into the room. She approached the table, poured Mo Yang a cup of hot tea, and sat down. "Rid yourself of the night’s dew."

Mo Yang approached the table, lifted the hot tea, and drank it in one go. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Settling the empty cup back on the table, Mu Qingge asked, "How did it go?"

Mo Yang pursed his lips, "I lost track."

This answer unexpectedly raised Mu Qingge’s brow.

Mo Yang immediately recounted his tracking of Qin Yiyao in detail. "...After she left, I went inside to investigate the room and found someone lying in bed... Later, when I chased after, I couldn’t sense her presence. I suspect, could it be that someone from the Jiang Family caught up and took her away?"

Mu Qingge listened expressionlessly but shook her head slowly. She flicked her fingers and told Mo Yang, "Jiang Tianyi is not dead; he merely suffered a minor injury." After speaking, she chuckled as if talking to herself, "Jiang Tianyi, with his Gray Realm Second Layer cultivation, how could he be successfully assassinated by someone from the Blue Realm? Even without defenses, she couldn’t have killed him."

"Then..." Mo Yang furrowed his brow slightly.

Since Jiang Tianyi wasn’t dead, the Jiang Family wouldn’t react too aggressively. The timing of Qin Yiyao’s disappearance and Jiang Tianyi’s stabbing don’t match, meaning it wasn’t the Jiang Family.

If not the Jiang Family, then who?

Suddenly, Mo Yang recalled that mysterious Spiritual Beast Car roaming in Yu Shui City at night.

He immediately reported to Mu Qingge, "Lord, I also encountered something peculiar." He then recounted his encounter with the car in detail to Mu Qingge.

After speaking, he shared his feelings, "I felt that the car seemed to sense my presence, which is why it appeared, but at the time, I didn’t follow because I was eager to find out about the Changle Princess." Saying this, a trace of regret showed in his eyes.

Mu Qingge listened, slightly squinting her eyes, not feeling troubled by Qin Yiyao’s disappearance.

After a pause, she simply remarked, "It seems the depths of Yu Shui City are more profound than we imagined!"

Last night, after dealing with the few hooligans, she sent people to investigate the area with clustered red lanterns. According to timing, she knew about Jiang Tianyi’s stabbing sooner than Mo Yang, and those sent reported seeing an enraged Jiang Tianyi returning to the Jiang Family.

Qin Yiyao appearing here and even attempting to assassinate the son of an authority was indeed surprising to her.

Recalling Mo Yang’s repeated statements, hearing words from Qin Yiyao’s mouth made her speculate a lot. Mu Qingge’s eyes slightly darkened, questioning in her heart: "Qin Yiyao, how did you come from Linchuan Realm to the Middle Ancient Realm all this way? What have you experienced? Do you know that with your cultivation, you’re an anomaly in the Middle Ancient Realm?"

For the Middle Ancient Realm, the Blue Realm Peak Qin Yiyao was far too weak.

So weak, she’s less than an ant.

"Send people out to investigate carefully, focusing on the car you mentioned." Mu Qingge raised her eyes to look at Mo Yang.

Mo Yang was momentarily startled, then immediately understood. "Lord, do you suspect the Changle Princess is on that car?"

Mu Qingge gave a barely noticeable nod, and slowly said, "Based on your description, it’s possible." They had just arrived in Yu Shui City, hiding all actions in the shadows, who would target Mo Yang?

Moreover, currently, with Mo Yang’s cultivation being Gray Realm Second Layer, if someone were to target him, what level would they be?

Dismissing this specific possibility, the only thing left was the reality.

That car was not searching for Mo Yang but for anyone alone at night!

If this judgment is correct, then Qin Yiyao, who disappeared from Mo Yang’s senses, likely ended up on that car, taken away.

This major oversight caused Mo Yang’s face to darken.

He immediately stated, "I’ll take care of it right away."

Noticing his self-reproach, Mu Qingge said, "Leave this matter to others, you need not feel guilty or eager to make amends. You did nothing wrong; delegate people and I have other more important tasks for you."

Her words pierced through Mo Yang’s thoughts, causing his face to flush.

He would not disobey any of Mu Qingge’s orders and quickly arranged for the Dragon Tooth Guards to secretly investigate information about that mysterious Spiritual Beast Car.

Upon returning to her room, Mu Qingge already had a pre-prepared list in her hand.

While she was examining the list, Mo Yang did not interrupt, instead standing quietly to the side.

When Mu Qingge left Haiyu City, she had sent a message to the Dragon Tooth Guards to gather everyone in Yu Shui City. Upon her arrival outside Yu Shui City, she saw the Dragon Tooth Guards led by Mo Yang, as well as Hua Yue and You He.

The previous tsunami had divided everyone into several groups, and now reunifying was reassuring for these comrades-in-arms, seeing each other safe and sound.

They had only secretly infiltrated Yu Shui City for two days before unexpectedly encountering the former Qin Country Changle Princess, Qin Yiyao, here.

"Mo Yang, have you contemplated the information I sent you earlier?" Suddenly, Mu Qingge closed the list in her hand and raised her eyes to ask Mo Yang.

Mo Yang immediately responded, "Are you referring to the matters of the Floating Guest Tribe, young lord?"

Mu Qingge nodded.

Mo Yang replied, "After receiving the young lord’s message, we visited the nearest city to learn about the Floating Guests and their tribe. Originally, we planned to register as Floating Guests according to your instructions, but we put it aside after receiving the gathering message."

"What do you think of the Floating Guests?" Mu Qingge inquired.

Mo Yang’s usually calm eyes suddenly lit up with rare excitement as he exclaimed, "Subordinate believes this profession is tailor-made for our Dragon Tooth Guards! Young lord, I am confident that I can establish a Heavenly Level Floating Guest team in the shortest time!"

Mo Yang’s rare excitement made Mu Qingge smile involuntarily.

She thought it would be difficult to see such an expression on Mo Yang’s mature face.

She jested, "The Dragon Tooth Guards have the most seamless cooperation, no need for trust trials, rich combat experience, unified coordination, and high compliance. If you can’t create a Heavenly Level Floating Guest team in a short time, you ought to commit seppuku to apologize."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yang immediately knelt on one knee, pledging, "Subordinate guarantees to the young lord that in one year, the Dragon Tooth Guards will become renowned within the Floating Guest Tribe as a Heavenly Level team!"

"One year..." Mu Qingge listened and then slowly shook her head. She looked down at Mo Yang kneeling before her and said in an irrefutable tone, "One year is too long; I can only give you a maximum of half a year. You must make the Dragon Tooth Guards, within half a year, like a divine weapon descending from the heavens, firmly embedded in the land of the Middle Ancient Realm! Can you do it?"

Mo Yang raised his head, gazing into Mu Qingge’s clear eyes, and seriously nodded.

As long as it was an order from the young lord, no matter how difficult, he would accomplish it!

Mo Yang’s nod made a smile appear at the corner of Mu Qingge’s mouth. "Good, I trust you. Rise."

Mo Yang got up in response and stood energetically in front of Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge tossed the list into his arms, which Mo Yang quickly caught.

Upon opening it, he saw that the list contained names of people from the Dragon Tooth Guards.

Mu Qingge said, "Once the matters with the Le Family in Yu Shui City are settled, take the Dragon Tooth Guards and leave, go to any city, join the Floating Guest Tribe, and imprint the name of Dragon Tooth on the Floating Guest roster. This list is for you to give to the Floating Guest Tribe, and it’s also the leadership team I’ve created for you. Whether you can complete my task in half a year will depend on your future cooperation. Also, keep up the cultivation of the combined martial technique, continually refining and perfecting it through practical experience. I hope to see a more excellent and renewed Dragon Tooth Guards in half a year."

"And you, young lord?" Mo Yang anxiously asked upon hearing Mu Qingge’s arrangement.

The purpose of the Dragon Tooth Guards’ existence was to protect Mu Qingge. However, in fact, they rarely fulfilled this duty.

"You don’t need to worry about me; I have other matters to attend to. Your rapid growth will be the greatest help to me." Mu Qingge waved him off.

Mo Yang hesitated and said, "But by your side..."

"You don’t need to worry about no one being available to me; don’t forget, I have You He and others with me, as well as Bai Xi and Yin Chen." Mu Qingge interrupted him.

Hearing her words, Mo Yang stopped speaking.

Mu Qingge’s decisions are never changed by anyone.

Mo Yang took the order and left. Shortly afterward, Bai Xi appeared before Mu Qingge, transformed into human form, lazily lying on the bed and curiously asking Mu Qingge, "How do you plan to deal with the Le Family that dared to offend you?"

Mu Qingge’s eyes flickered, and she said, "With the Yu Shui City family ranking contest approaching, all five great families are actively preparing; we must not make rash moves." She wanted to first see if the once overbearing Le Family still remembered the Mu Family of the Linchuan Realm.

Of course, she was quite sure the Le Family had no knowledge of the existence of the Mu Family in the Linchuan Realm. What she cared about was whether the Le Family would continue to send people to the Linchuan Realm.

The three members of the Le Family were dispatched to the Linchuan Realm to find someone. Later, to force Mu Qingge out of hiding, they used her family as bait. This series of actions crossed Mu Qingge’s bottom line.

Therefore, to root out the problem completely, she had long decided to eliminate the entire Le Family.

However, before taking action, she wanted to see if the members of the Le Family in the Middle Ancient Realm still remembered the matters of the Linchuan Realm. If the Le Family had long forgotten about it, and the main culprits who had humiliated the Mu Family were already dead, then perhaps there was no need to go on a killing spree in Yu Shui City.

But if the Le Family still held onto the idea of sending people to the Linchuan Realm to dig into the past... to avoid affecting the old man’s retirement life and not to upset her pregnant aunt, she would have no choice but to go on a rampage!

Oh right!

Thinking about her family in Linchuan, Mu Qingge suddenly recalled that, according to the timeline, Mu Lianrong’s child should have been born already. She wondered whether the little one was a boy or a girl and if they could bring joy to Grandpa.

Mu Qingge’s eyes suddenly softened, a detail Bai Xi noticed clearly.

She couldn’t help but ask, "What did the Le Family do to provoke you, making you go from Linchuan Realm to the Middle Ancient Realm to destroy them?"

The softness in Mu Qingge’s eyes faded, replaced by a cold smile, "An old matter from years ago."

Bai Xi frowned. Clearly, she was dissatisfied with this answer!

In the end, Mu Qingge did not tell Bai Xi the whole story. It wasn’t that she was deliberately trying to be secretive, but because she truly wasn’t good at storytelling.

According to the intelligence bought from the Floating Guest clan, the highest cultivation in the Le Family belonged to the family’s Great Elder, Le Ying.

His cultivation was at the sixth layer of the Gray Realm. In terms of the realm divisions of the Middle Ancient Realm, each realm is divided into six layers. Above the Gray Realm is the Silver Realm, meaning that Le Ying’s cultivation was on the brink of breaking through into the Silver Realm.

At any moment, he could enter the Silver Realm and reach a new level.

Mu Qingge was at the fifth layer of the Gray Realm, still some distance from the Silver Realm. If she encountered someone at the sixth layer of the Gray Realm, she might still have a fighting chance. But if she faced an opponent from the Silver Realm, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Just like when Mu Qingge used her fifth-layer Gray Realm strength to deal with the Dou Family ancestor in Haiyu City, a fourth-layer Gray Realm expert, in just a few moves.

Even though the Dou Family ancestor relied on Spirit Stones to reach the fourth layer of the Gray Realm, his strength was definitely superior to an average third-layer Gray Realm.

The higher the realm, the greater the disparity.

If she encountered a Silver Realm expert, her revenge might turn into a suicide mission.

It was the presence of Le Ying that made Mu Qingge refrain from directly charging into the Le Family for revenge, opting instead for a well-thought-out plan.

Cultivation, cultivation!

Any schemes or plots are vulnerable under absolute strength!

Even though Mu Qingge excelled at strategizing and was well-versed in tactics, she understood this principle.

Just like her, if she had overwhelmingly superior strength, she would never waste the mental effort to meticulously plan; instead, she would strike directly to achieve her goal.

Mu Qingge looked up at Bai Xi and asked, "Has there been any progress on the matter I asked you to research before?"

Bai Xi hesitated, remembered what Mu Qingge mentioned, and nodded, "There is a feasible method, but no one has ever tried it, so I can’t guarantee success. However, if it fails, it may lead to your meridians becoming disordered."

Mu Qingge furrowed her brows.

Bai Xi carefully explained, "Human meridians are the most fragile. Even though you’ve been persistent in body cultivation, there’s still a gap compared to us Spirit Beasts, not to mention Yuanyuan, the little one formed by abnormal fire. If successful, all four of us will benefit, achieving a fourfold cultivation speed effect. But if accidents occur during the process, all risks will be borne by you alone. At worst, your meridians may disrupt, and at worst, your meridians might rupture entirely, rendering your cultivation useless. Are you sure you want to take the risk?"

Pausing for a moment, Bai Xi added, "In truth, with your innate talent and cultivation speed, it’s already extremely rare and hard to come by. Why risk it?"

Of course, Mu Qingge understood the reasoning.

Mu Qingge smiled slightly and said to Bai Xi, "I don’t have much time left; I must seize every moment." There were too many matters weighing on her shoulders, compelling her not to slack off even a little and to strengthen herself as quickly as possible.

Originally, when she stepped into the Purple Realm, she believed she was strong enough to protect those she wanted to protect, but after truly entering the Purple Realm, she realized there were even more things she wanted to accomplish, yet her current cultivation wasn’t sufficient to support her in achieving them all.

"Let’s go, let’s test it out in the space." Mu Qingge was always someone who favored action; upon hearing that Bai Xi had thought of a method, she was eager to try it out immediately.