Shen Xiaoyan and the others followed Wu Shuai for about half an hour before finally arriving at the courtyard where they would be staying.
Wu Shuai had originally intended to assign them separate courtyards, but Zheng Wei refused.
Given the turbulent times ahead, it was better to stay together.
Wu Shuai was indifferent to this and, after ushering them into the rooms and arranging for servants, he hurried back to find Wu Yihao.
In Wu Yihao's study, father and son sat opposite each other.
Listening to Wu Shuai recount his encounter with Yi Zhixie, and then with Long Xuan and the black-clothed steward, Wu Yihao's face showed a pensive expression.
He had truly not expected them to have such a significant background.
This was only considering the identities of Yi Zhixie and Na Muzhong. He had not forgotten that Wu Shuai had mentioned Shen Xiaoyan being able to produce hundreds of Immortal Crystals without batting an eye.
Did this imply that Shen Xiaoyan's identity was even more formidable?
Wu Shuai sat quietly, waiting for his father to speak. However, after a long while, there was still no movement.
He looked up in confusion and saw that Wu Yihao was no longer in his seat.
Wu Shuai was startled. "Where did he go?"
He turned to look aside and saw Wu Yihao already approaching the door.
Wu Shuai quickly called out, "Father, where are you going?"
Wu Yihao did not turn back. "To eat."
Wu Shuai was speechless. "It's already time to eat?"
Even he knew this was Wu Yihao's excuse, and there must be another reason.
Since he wasn't saying, Wu Shuai wouldn't ask.
He stood up, smoothed the creases on his clothes, and also walked out slowly.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Yi Zhixie's gentle smile from before vanished instantly.
It was replaced by a profound sense of heaviness.
Na Muzhong was startled. "What's wrong?"
Yi Zhixie looked deeply at Na Muzhong and then said, "Bai Ge'er will likely know about our return soon."
"How is that possible?" Na Muzhong exclaimed in surprise.
They were hundreds of thousands of miles away from Sunscorched Sect, and there were no disciples of Sunscorched Sect here. How could Bai Ge'er possibly receive the news...
"Could it be that there are disciples of Sunscorched Sect in Yingcheng? But how did they recognize you?"
Na Muzhong guessed so easily, which did not surprise Yi Zhixie at all.
"Indeed, there is a disciple of Sunscorched Sect, and it was the woman who bid against Shen Xiaoyan that day."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan was also somewhat surprised.
Who would have thought that things would be so coincidental?
Yi Zhixie continued, "That woman is named Long Xuan, the daughter of Long Ting, the Grand Elder of Sunscorched Sect. She is young, and coupled with Long Ting's deliberate concealment, she did not know me and Mu Zhong. However, she was accompanied by a black-clothed steward. This steward only heard my name and guessed who I was."
Na Muzhong frowned slightly. "Have you seen this black-clothed steward before?"
Yi Zhixie shook his head. "I haven't. But he could recount our affairs coherently, which truly puzzles me."
"Moreover, judging by his intentions before leaving, he was going to report to Bai Ge'er and have Bai Ge'er come to trouble us. Considering all this, does he also harbor great hostility towards me? But when did we offend him? I have no idea."
Hearing Yi Zhixie say this, Na Muzhong and the others were all perplexed.
This person, whom Yi Zhixie had never met, knew everything about Yi Zhixie and was going to report to Yi Zhixie's enemy. This kind of person, no matter how one looked at it, was not a good person.
After a period of silence, Na Muzhong said, "No matter who he is, or whether Bai Ge'er sends someone or comes herself, it's time for us to settle the score for past events. If they dare to come, we'll kill one, then kill another. Let's see if they dare to act recklessly again."
As Na Muzhong spoke, her gaze was filled with fierce determination.
Just standing beside her, one could feel the intense killing intent emanating from her.
Shen Xiaoyan was truly surprised that the usually carefree Na Muzhong could have such a side.
However, what she said was indeed true. If they dared to come, they would never return.
Yet, none of them had expected them to arrive so quickly.
Just as Na Muzhong's voice fell, numerous sounds of air being torn apart echoed from the courtyard.
The expressions on Yi Zhixie and the others' faces changed instantly. Shen Xiaoyan instinctively drew the three soft beings into her spatial artifact.
At this moment, she no longer cared if Wu Shuai would be suspicious later. The safety of the three soft beings was the most important thing.
After completing this, she heard Long Xuan's arrogant voice from outside, "You little slut, come out and die! Don't pretend to be dead inside and silent. I know you're in there."
Shen Xiaoyan's expression turned cold. Without a doubt, Long Xuan was referring to her.
She glanced out the window and, without further thought, shot out through the window.
Long Xuan, standing on the roof of the opposite house, did not expect Shen Xiaoyan to rush out so directly, and to fly straight towards her.
It was only when she felt Shen Xiaoyan's palm about to strike her face that she reacted and quickly dodged.
However, she was still a step too slow. Shen Xiaoyan's palm still grazed her cheek.
Although it did not cause any substantial injury, and not even a trace was visible, the crisp sound and the sensation of skin touching palm made Long Xuan's face burn with pain. Her anger churned within her.
"You slut, I'll kill you!"
Long Xuan roared, drew her long sword, and thrust it towards Shen Xiaoyan's back.
Shen Xiaoyan did not turn around. Her body flew straight upwards, effortlessly evading Long Xuan's sword.
Looking up at Shen Xiaoyan's retreating figure, Long Xuan slowly calmed down.
Although she was angry just now, she had not lost her composure.
In other words, she had attacked Shen Xiaoyan with all her might.
Yet, Shen Xiaoyan had still escaped with such ease.
This not only shocked Long Xuan but also made her feel it was a great humiliation.
"I didn't expect you to have some skill. However, if I get serious, you won't be so lucky."
Shen Xiaoyan chuckled. "Are you only good at talking? If it's about talking, I'm truly willing to admit defeat."
Shen Xiaoyan's mockery reignited a surge of anger within Long Xuan.
However, this time, she managed to control it.
She took a deep breath and then smiled. "Taunting me is useless."
With that, her wrist moved swiftly.
Her long sword flashed a beautiful sword flower in her hand.
This sword flower was not difficult to execute.
But the difficulty lay in the fact that ordinary people truly lacked such agility.
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan chuckled. Although Long Xuan's agility was indeed very high, her strength was about the same as Lu Taobao's.
Feeling everyone in the courtyard's gaze on her, Long Xuan was incredibly proud.
"You really look like a peacock displaying its feathers right now."
"What did you say?" Long Xuan's voice held surprise.
"Look at yourself. Don't you look like a peacock displaying its best side to others when it's seeking a mate?"
Understanding Shen Xiaoyan's taunt, Long Xuan became even more furious.
"Give me your life!"
Long Xuan no longer wasted words this time. With her sword tip pointed at Shen Xiaoyan, in the blink of an eye, it had reached Shen Xiaoyan's head.
Watching the sword tip get closer and closer, Shen Xiaoyan sneered softly. With a thought, she conjured countless long vines, wrapping around the sharp sword.
Long Xuan was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Shen Xiaoyan to have wood elemental spiritual veins.
But even so, what of it?
No matter how powerful these vines were, could they compare to her precious sword?
Thinking this, Long Xuan's wrist spun rapidly, and her sword moved accordingly. Countless long vines were cut into pieces and scattered around.
Looking at this scene, Long Xuan cast a triumphant glance at Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan's expression remained calm as she conjured more vines.
This time, the vines were a rare red. They were not as thick as before, but there were several times more of them.
Not only that, but when Long Xuan tried to shatter the vines using the same method, it was much more difficult than before.
It seemed that the hardness of these vines had increased, making her feel somewhat strained.
After about a quarter of an hour, she finally managed to break free from the encirclement of the vines. Long Xuan quickly retreated until she was amidst the group she had brought, then she let out a relieved sigh.
It was not her fault for retreating so quickly; it was because she realized that the hardness of those vines was slowly increasing.
If she hadn't retreated quickly, she might have been trapped within.
She recalled hearing that Bai Ge'er had sent people to the lower continent to kill Yi Zhixie and Na Muzhong, but those people were trapped in a vine cage and had their fingers broken.
Her current situation was very similar to that person's.
If it weren't for her superior strength and quick retreat, she had no doubt that her fate might have been the same as that person's.
What's more, she might have suffered an even more tragic fate.
Seeing Na Muzhong retreat quickly, Shen Xiaoyan mockingly smiled. "The speed of your escape is indeed a perfect match for the arrogance of your earlier shouts."
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's taunts, Long Xuan's teeth itched with anger.
"Don't underestimate me. So what if you're powerful alone? I have people. With your two hands against four legs, you'll eventually be captured."