"Fellow Daoist, could you let me have this stone?"
The maiden, failing to obtain the stone from Long Ziqian's hand, showed a flicker of anxiety in her eyes and performed a curtsy to him.
Chu Lingwei's eyes widened in surprise as she observed the maiden's face.
She hadn't expected it to be her.
"No, I paid spirit stones, and this stone is mine now." Long Ziqian, never one for gentleness towards the fair sex, walked past the maiden towards Chu Lingwei, "Let's go."
"Fellow Daoist, I'll offer ten times the price." Shui Qin gritted her teeth; she had to have this stone.
Long Ziqian looked at the stone in his hand. The more anxious she was to obtain it, the more it indicated that the stone was extraordinary. How could he possibly give it to her?
Moreover, the deal was done; this stone was already his.
Whether to give it to the person before him was his decision.
"Not selling."
Chu Lingwei sized up Shui Qin, a cultivator in the Ling Lun realm.
She hadn't expected her to have become a cultivator.
She recalled that in the demon realm, Shui Qin had possessed no spiritual power. She wondered by what means she had acquired it and become a cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist, I'll tell you the truth, this stone is of no use to you." Shui Qin harbored hidden resentment. Why hadn't she discovered this luminescent stone earlier? She was so close.
"This is already my property. Whether it's useful to me or not, it's mine. Fellow Daoist, do you intend to snatch it?"
Long Ziqian raised his voice, a hint of mockery in it, causing Shui Qin's cheeks to flush with shame. She glared at Long Ziqian resentfully.
"Fellow Daoist, I advise you, it's best not to covet what is not yours." Long Ziqian continued his taunts unceremoniously, leaving Shui Qin no room for dignity.
"Let's go."
Chu Lingwei spoke up. If she didn't stop Long Ziqian, he would likely scold Shui Qin until she cried.
"Mm."
Long Ziqian reached out and took Feng Ming's small hand, leaving swiftly with Chu Lingwei. Seeing that Feng Ming hadn't shaken off his hand, his heart bloomed with joy, and he paid no heed to the minor incident.
"So, this is how Young Master Long conducts himself?" Chu Lingwei finally understood why Lingzhou feared Long Ziqian so much. His unreasonable and arrogant demeanor truly made one want to give him a good thrashing.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, then tell me, was there anything wrong with my actions just now?" Long Ziqian did not deny it but never felt he had done anything wrong.
Chu Lingwei shook her head. Shui Qin's identity was not simple. The mere fact that she possessed spiritual power and had left the demon realm was reason enough for suspicion.
"You will suffer the consequences for this sooner or later."
"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Chu." Long Ziqian took Chu Lingwei's words as a form of indirect concern.
Feng Ming rolled his eyes. How could this Long Ziqian not discern the difference between good and bad advice?
"Young Master Long, if that female cultivator just now were the descendant of some powerful being, you would be in grave trouble."
Long Ziqian handed the stone he had just bought to Feng Ming. "Feng Ming, this stone is for you."
Feng Ming's face lit up immediately upon seeing Ping Gu. "Don't worry, I will protect you."
"Alright, it's a deal."
Chu Lingwei, however, frowned deeply. She recalled saving Shui Qin by chance in the past and the great demon who took her away. That demon's status in the demon realm must have been noble.
And how had Shui Qin come to the Xuantian Continent? Was she alone, or were there others?
"Ziqian, are you sure there are no demon cultivators in the entire Lingzhou City?"
Shui Qin hailed from the demon realm; half her blood was of demon lineage. Her kin would certainly not allow her to come to the Xuantian Continent alone.
"No, not a single one," Long Ziqian affirmed. Seeing Chu Lingwei's skeptical expression, he added, "Unless there's a great demon here that we cannot sense its presence."
"Great demon."
These two words lingered in Chu Lingwei's mind for a long time. Perhaps, there really might be a great demon in Lingzhou City.
Five days later.
Chu Lingwei prepared to depart.
"Great Uncle, this is what I obtained during my previous training. I hope Great Uncle can accept it."
Chu Lingwei retrieved some spirit herbs, immortal medicines, and some spiritual artifacts from her spatial storage and handed them to her Great Uncle.
"Weiwei, you were in seclusion for ten years. Where did you get these things?" Lan Xingning did not accept them. Weiwei was about to embark on her travels after years of seclusion and would need these items.
"Great Uncle, don't worry. Even if I were in seclusion for a hundred years, I would never lack spirit herbs and immortal medicines. These are what I, as the Phoenix Clan's Saintess, give to my kinsfolk."
Her spatial storage could grow spirit herbs and immortal medicines of thousands and tens of thousands of years in a short time. She never lacked such items.
Seeing Lan Xingning's hesitation, Chu Lingwei knew what her Great Uncle was thinking. "Great Uncle, these items were all obtained through my own cultivation, not gifted by anyone else."
A flicker of discomfort crossed Lan Xingning's eyes. He wished Weiwei well, but their clan members were unwilling to rely on others, making Weiwei feel burdened.
"Alright, I thank you on behalf of the people of our Phoenix Clan."
"Great Uncle, I worry that there might be a great demon in our Lingzhou City. Uncle must be vigilant and cautious." Chu Lingwei reminded Lan Xingning, recalling Shui Qin whom she had met a few days prior.
"Weiwei, rest assured. Even if it's a great demon, it would take considerable effort to enter our Long Manor."
Having been pursued for so long, they were well-versed in defense.
"Mm, that's good then."
After bidding farewell to her Great Uncle and Second Uncle, Chu Lingwei flew out of Lingzhou City on her sword.
"This..."
Lan Xingning took out the storage bag Chu Lingwei had given him. He swept it with his divine sense and was stunned to see mountains of spirit stones, boxes of spirit herbs, and a large quantity of elixirs.
There was also a note.
"Great Uncle, these spiritual artifacts are my见面礼 for the descendants of the Lan family."
As far as Chu Lingwei knew, besides Long Ziqian, she had other younger relatives, but their identities prevented her from meeting them, and her Great Uncles had not deliberately introduced them.
Chu Lingwei did not know when she would be able to acknowledge them, but the world was in turmoil, so it was better to give them the meeting gifts early.
"What is it?"
Lan Xingyi saw the complex expression on his elder brother's face. He glanced at the storage bag left by Weiwei and gasped. Weiwei's generosity was truly astonishing.
"Eldest Brother, this is Weiwei's heartfelt gesture. Accept it."
"I hope there will come a day when our Phoenix Clan is truly rebuilt," Lan Xingning said, clutching the storage bag tightly. With Weiwei's appearance, they hoped the sacrifices of their fallen clansmen would not be in vain.
Chu Lingwei, along with Feng Ming and the Phantom Cat, flew a hundred miles out of Lingzhou City when a familiar aura emanated from behind them.
"Why are you following me?" Chu Lingwei looked at Long Ziqian trailing behind her, feeling helpless.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, I have already informed my family head. I am going out for training. Shall we travel together?" Long Ziqian boldly jumped onto Chu Lingwei's flying artifact, stating his intentions plainly.
"You want to go training with me?"
Chu Lingwei was greatly surprised. Her Great Uncle would surely not allow him to leave Lingzhou City.