The next day, Xu Fengnian prepared to depart for Qingzhou. Before leaving, Wang Linquan had his daughter Wang Chudong accompany Xu Fengnian. Upon seeing Zhou Yan, Wang Chudong quickly nodded in greeting. Wang Linquan had hoped his daughter would grow closer to Xu Fengnian, but to his surprise, she instead gravitated towards Zhou Yan, leaving him feeling helpless.
Xu Fengnian and his entourage departed by boat. Suddenly, three more ships appeared in the distance, signaling ill intent. These ships were, in fact, carrying Zhao Kai and Zhao Xun, who had come to silence Xu Fengnian permanently.
The three warships closed in on Xu Fengnian's small boat, completely surrounding them. Xu Fengnian remained unfazed, but Zhou Yan declared, "Three ships are nothing, I can handle them."
Zhou Yan leaped into the air, drawing his Duan Yun Sword. He unleashed his top-tier martial art, "Tai Chi Seven Star Sword Control," and with a single strike, split one of the enemy ships in half.
Seeing Zhou Yan's fearsome power, the remaining two ships dared not approach. They quickly rescued their drowning crewmen and retreated.
"Li Chungang, didn't you say you were very powerful? Why haven't you made a move?" Jiang Ni asked Li Chungang.
"Zhou Yan already intervened. This old man is happy to enjoy some peace," Li Chungang chuckled.
Witnessing Zhou Yan's almost divine prowess, Wang Chudong's heart was completely captivated. She was utterly awestruck by his strength.
They soon arrived at Qingcheng and found an inn, preparing to meet with Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng.
From Wang Chudong, Xu Fengnian learned that Zhao Heng had brought his concubine, Pei Nanwei, with him, and that Zhao Heng doted on her immensely. Xu Fengnian understood everything instantly and went alone to meet Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng.
Zhou Yan knew their journey would be smooth and felt no concern, content to wait for Xu Fengnian's return.
Later, Xu Fengnian, Zhou Yan, and Wang Chudong traveled ahead to Laoshan Island. Wang Chudong instructed her family to depart as soon as possible.
Upon his return, Wang Linquan learned that Xu Fengnian had arranged for all members of the Wang family to return to Beiliang. Wang Linquan was reluctant, but Xu Fengnian took the opportunity to knock him unconscious and quickly put him on a boat, preparing to leave.
They returned to Qingzhou again, and Xu Fengnian had Grandpa Wei deliver a bracelet to Pei Nanwei, containing a letter inviting her to meet the next day.
This was all part of Xu Fengnian's stratagem, a plan to hold the concubine hostage and escape Qingzhou.
However, Xu Fengnian received news that Wang Mingyin had arrived in Qingzhou. Knowing Wang Mingyin's intention was to kill him, Xu Fengnian glanced at Zhou Yan and asked, "Wang Mingyin is ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Rankings. Can you handle him?"
"I've fought the number one, do you think a mere eleventh can be my opponent?" Zhou Yan replied with absolute confidence.
Xu Fengnian also smiled. With experts like Zhou Yan and Li Chungang by his side, he had nothing to fear.
The next morning, Xu Fengnian, accompanied by Zhou Yan, Li Chungang, and even Wang Chudong, arrived at the reed marsh. Xu Fengnian sat atop his carriage, awaiting the arrival of Prince Jing'an and his entourage.
Pei Nanwei arrived by carriage at the appointed reed marsh. Zhao Kai and his men had already laid an ambush there. At this moment, Ning Emei also arrived with his soldiers.
Xu Fengnian hadn't expected Zhao Heng to send Pei Nanwei alone. Pei Nanwei returned the bracelet to Xu Fengnian and handed him a letter that read "Send greetings from a thousand miles to your nephew."
Just then, the disguised Fu Jiang Hong Jia appeared and lured Ning Emei and his men away.
Soon, two more experts emerged, drawing Li Chungang away as well.
Now, only Zhou Yan remained by Xu Fengnian's side, and Wang Mingyin appeared.
Although Zhao Kai had warned Wang Mingyin about Zhou Yan's formidable strength, Wang Mingyin paid him little mind upon seeing his youth.
It wasn't until Zhou Yan unleashed a sword strike that repelled him that Wang Mingyin began to take Zhou Yan seriously.
Meanwhile, Xu Fengnian was already engaged in a fierce battle with Jin Jia, and he was even able to comprehend the sword techniques taught to him by Li Chungang, so Zhou Yan was not in a hurry.
"Who exactly are you?" Wang Mingyin asked in astonishment. Zhou Yan's youth combined with his strength, which was not inferior to his own, truly shocked him.
"I'll give you a chance. If you are willing to come with me, I will spare your life," Zhou Yan said.
"Don't be absurd. How could Wang Mingyin be defeated by you?" Wang Mingyin replied with arrogance.
Zhou Yan sighed, then used Lingbo Weibu, moving with lightning speed as he charged at Wang Mingyin. As the eleventh-ranked expert on the Heavenly Rankings, Wang Mingyin possessed some skill.
However, Zhou Yan's speed and power were superior. With a single blow, he repelled and injured Wang Mingyin. After fighting for dozens more rounds, Wang Mingyin was ultimately no match for Zhou Yan and was killed by his sword.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it," Zhou Yan said.
Subsequently, Xu Fengnian was severely injured in the reed marsh. Zhao Heng arrived shortly after but, upon seeing that Xu Fengnian was not in mortal danger, departed, leaving Concubine Pei Nanwei for Xu Fengnian to take with him.
Zhou Yan knew that although Xu Fengnian was heavily wounded, he would not die and would likely emerge with increased power. Therefore, he paid Xu Fengnian no mind and continued to stay with Yu Youwei.
"Aren't you worried that Xu Fengnian might die?" Yu Youwei asked, exasperated at Zhou Yan's nonchalant demeanor.
"You're so powerful, can't you save him? If he dies, my father would be very sad too," Wang Chudong asked.
"Don't worry, that brat is tough. He won't die, or I would have intervened already," Zhou Yan assured them.
Seeing Zhou Yan's confidence, the two women said no more.
Next, Xu Fengnian planned to travel to Jiangnan to find his elder sister.
Zhou Yan followed along, knowing that Xu Fengnian would encounter many challenges on his journey. However, he would not participate, as these were matters between Xu Fengnian and his sister.
As events unfolded, Jiang Ni's identity as a Chu princess was discovered by Lu Baixie. The Lu family harbored a deep hatred for the Chu people, as Lu family's eldest son had died at the hands of the Chu in the past. Therefore, Lu Baixie lured Li Chungang and Zhou Yan away and set a trap at Baoguo Temple to kill Jiang Ni.
Zhou Yan knew Lu Baixie's plan would fail and paid it no mind.
Following this, Jiang Ni was taken back to Western Chu by Cao Changqing. Despite his reluctance, Xu Fengnian could do nothing.
Then, their group headed towards Longhu Mountain. Xu Fengnian was surprised to learn that Xuanyuan Qingfeng was going to Huishan and saw her being prevented from returning home.
Zhou Yan intervened and drove off Xuanyuan Qingfeng, but did not kill her, as she could still be of use.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng was then astonished to learn that Xu Fengnian was Xu Fengnian of Beiliang. As Xuanyuan Qingfeng was going to Huishan and Xu Fengnian to Longhu Mountain, which were near each other, they could travel together.
However, Xuanyuan Qingfeng was very curious about Zhou Yan's formidable power and youth, and she asked him many questions along the way.
Zhou Yan answered them all and even said something enigmatic to Xuanyuan Qingfeng: "It would actually be better if you didn't go home."
"What do you mean by that?" Xuanyuan Qingfeng asked, utterly bewildered.
"You'll know when you get back. If you encounter something you can't handle, pull this. We'll be at Longhu Mountain, and we'll see it. I'll help you then, but you have to promise me one thing." Zhou Yan gave Xuanyuan Qingfeng a signal device.
"Alright," Xuanyuan Qingfeng replied, though she didn't understand. She pocketed it nonetheless.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng soon spotted the boat sent to meet her and, after bidding farewell to Zhou Yan and his companions, ascended the mountain.