"I have my plans, what about you?" Mu Qi said with a heavy tone, "Your father is not someone who compromises easily. If he dislikes the person in your room, he has countless ways to ensure that person meets an untimely end. After all, he is the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and his status and cultivation are far beyond yours."
"I won't let my father harm her in the slightest," Yue Ran said calmly. "After my birthday banquet, I will enter the Purgatory Tower again with my second brother, and we won't come out until we pass it. By then, I will have the strength to contend with him."
"Hiss, you brat, you're quite the planner. Your father would probably go mad with anger if he knew he had raised such a good son."
"I just want to be with the person I love, and there's nothing wrong with that," Yue Ran said slowly. "I don't want my marriage to become a transaction. Didn't my father defy all opposition to marry my mother back then?"
"Can that be the same? Your mother is, after all, a young lady of the Huo family. Even if she was an illegitimate daughter, she was still a young lady of the Huo family. But Xiao Qin, she has no background or status. Becoming the young madam of the Heavenly Sword Sect is not an easy matter!" Mu Qi reminded Yue Ran. Xiao Man had great talent and her cultivation was not low, but her status was too low. If she came from a noble family, this marriage would be perfect. But she came from the Land of Nowhere!
The Land of Nowhere symbolized inferiority. People in the Land of Nowhere were as humble as ants, even less than mere servants. Even as a Golden Core cultivator, they were considered inferior. How could Sect Master Yue possibly allow such a person to become the young madam of the Heavenly Sword Sect!
"Are people inherently high or low in status? Before the Heavenly Sword Sect was founded, my father was just a peasant," Yue Ran said calmly. "So-called high and low status is just an excuse to bully others with brute force. In my eyes, my second brother is far nobler than those who consider themselves noble."
When Xiao Man woke up, she found Yue Ran asleep beside the bed, holding her hand.
Xiao Man tried to pull her hand away but startled Yue Ran.
"Second Brother, you're awake! You're finally awake, you scared me to death!"
"I just took a nap, why do you look like I've been sick for a long time?" Xiao Man teased.
"You didn't just nap, you slept for three days! If you don't wake up soon..."
"He's going to kill me!" Mu Qi walked in from the doorway. "While you were unconscious these three days, he almost killed Huo Tong'er."
"Why would he kill Huo Tong'er?" Xiao Man asked, puzzled.
Mu Qi walked in and sat by the bed. "He suspects that Huo Tong'er did something to you, which caused you to fall unconscious. Give me your hand, I'll check your pulse."
Xiao Man extended her hand to Mu Qi for a pulse check. "Strange, your pulse changes every day. However, your breathing is stable, so you should be fine. Besides, you are a alchemist yourself, you should know your body best." Su Dan Novel Network.
"I probably got sick because I was too tired recently. There's nothing else. Thank you."
"No need to thank me, I got paid," Mu Qi glanced at Yue Ran, got up, and sat aside. "It's only a few days until Yue Ran's birthday banquet. People are constantly arriving to offer their birthday wishes. Perhaps someone you know has also arrived."
"Someone I know?" Xiao Man sat up and leaned against the pillow, asking in confusion.
"Someone from the Seven Sects has arrived," Mu Qi said, playing with the thumb ring on his finger. "You forgot, you are a disciple of the Seven Sects."
"Who from the Seven Sects has arrived? Senior Brother Bai Chen?" Xiao Man asked calmly. "If it's Senior Brother Bai Chen, Ah Ran and I have already met him."
"They should be arriving gradually," Mu Qi said, looking at Xiao Man. "Your master will likely come too. The Seven Sects will all send representatives this time. By the way, I heard that the new head of the Jin family is quite close to you?"
Xiao Man looked at Mu Qi, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Young Master Mu, are you here to gather information?"
"Curious, just asking."
"We are friends, I suppose," Xiao Man said with a smile. "If Young Master Mu wants to use me to contact the Jin family, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You probably don't know, but the Jin family has always been on good terms with the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Mu Qi looked at Yue Ran, who remained silent. He couldn't quite figure out Mu Qi's intentions for the moment, but Mu Qi definitely wasn't trying to connect with the Jin family, as it would be of no help to him.
"Yue Ran, I'd like to speak with Xiao Qin alone."
Yue Ran looked at Xiao Man. Seeing her nod, he got up and left, not forgetting to close the door.
When Mu Qi opened the door and came out, Yue Ran simply nodded and didn't ask what Mu Qi and Xiao Man had discussed. He simply stood up and entered the room. "Second Brother, are you hungry? I cooked some porridge. Would you like to eat a little first?"
Xiao Man nodded. Yue Ran immediately happily went to fetch the porridge and side dishes. After watching Xiao Man finish eating, he cautiously asked.
"Second Brother, do you still feel unwell anywhere?"
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Yue Ran remained uneasy. "How about you write a prescription yourself, and I'll go get the medicine for you?"
"I told you, I'm fine," Xiao Man threw off the covers and got out of bed. "It's just a minor illness, why are you so nervous?"
"You had a high fever for three days, and you call that a minor illness? Mu Qi said if it had persisted, your brain might have been damaged. I don't want my smart and clever Second Brother to become a fool... Ouch!"
Xiao Man flicked Yue Ran's forehead. "You're the one who'll become a fool. How many days are left until your birthday banquet?"
"It's not just my birthday, it's yours too. Today is the first day of the lunar month, eight more days."
"Only eight days left?" Xiao Man looked up at the sky. In eight days, could she find Chen An's soul from the Purgatory Tower? Once she moved Chen An's soul, Yue Tian Xia would surely discover it. She didn't have the strength to contend with Yue Tian Xia now, but she couldn't stay in the Heavenly Sword Sect any longer. She had to find Chen An's soul as soon as possible and leave.
"Second Brother, are you really alright?" Yue Ran always felt that Xiao Man was different now, but he couldn't pinpoint how.
Xiao Man reached out and touched Yue Ran's head. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Second Brother, if there's anything, don't hide it from me. I can help," Yue Ran said uneasily. He always felt that Xiao Man was acting strangely. After falling ill, she, who was already somewhat aloof, had become even more distant. This made him feel a bit flustered.
"I'm really fine," Xiao Man walked out of the room. The trees in the courtyard began to shed their leaves. Yellowed fallen leaves scattered all over the ground. Liu Han was sweeping the fallen leaves into a pile with a broom. The entire courtyard was filled with the autumn chill, making it look even more desolate. "Autumn has truly arrived."