"Young Miss, how could you just give things away like that? This is a complete loss-making business! The other Young Lords are all eagerly hoping to make a fortune through this Great Battle Between Righteous and Demonic, but you've gone and put yourself at a disadvantage. Those people won't even be grateful!" Xiao Die said, her heart burning with anxiety.
It should be noted that the current Xiao Die was no longer that fledgling young girl; after years of experience and tempering, she had successfully promoted to a Rank Three Gu Master. Despite this, when facing her own Young Miss, Shang Xin Ci, she still maintained that innocence and loyalty, guarding her side wholeheartedly and advising her with earnest words.
In stark contrast to Xiao Die was Tian Lan, who was nearby; she simply nodded obediently and replied, "Yes, Young Miss." Then, without hesitation, she focused all her attention on executing the orders Shang Xin Ci had given.
Tian Lan was originally a secret agent specifically planted by Shang Yanfei at Shang Xin Ci's side, but it was not out of suspicion or precaution; rather, it was more of a silent form of protection.
Seeing Tian Lan's lack of reaction, Xiao Die became even more annoyed and couldn't help but shout at her, "Xiao Lan, say something! You need to properly advise our Young Miss too! If she always acts this way, how will she ever have a chance to become the Family Head of the Shang Clan in the future?"
"Xiao Die, the Young Miss has already made up her mind. You should have grown accustomed to that meeting by now," Tian Lan said without hesitation. Her words revealed a sense of helplessness regarding the unchangeable situation, as if she were on the same side as Xiao Die.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Die was extremely anxious and couldn't help but stomp her feet, but she was powerless in the face of the current situation.
Shang Xin Ci gazed quietly at Xiao Die, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly to reveal a faint smile. However, this smile was fleeting; her gaze suddenly turned toward the window, as if she had remembered something important. At that moment, her eyes became dim and lusterless, as if attracted by an invisible force, staring intently in a certain direction outside the window.
Suddenly, Shang Xin Ci stood up abruptly as if struck by an electric shock. Because the movement was so hasty, the stool beneath her didn't have time to react and fell straight to the ground with a crisp and loud "thwack." Her body was stiff and her eyes were wide, as if she had seen the most incredible sight in the world; her entire being was plunged into shock.
"Young Miss, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Seeing this, Xiao Die rushed to Shang Xin Ci's side, asking with concern as she supported her swaying mistress. Following Shang Xin Ci's line of sight, Xiao Die also froze for a moment, seeing that person from their memories, and then cheered excitedly, "Young Miss, it's Lord Liu Chen! He's back!"
"Is it true... is it not my hallucination?" Shang Xin Ci was so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes, and she murmured to herself with a choked voice.
Immediately after, she quickly activated the movement valley worm in her Aperture. Her figure vanished from the spot like a flash of lightning, appearing outside the window in the blink of an eye. Without the slightest hesitation, she was like a young swallow returning to its nest, rushing toward that figure who haunted her dreams with open arms.
"I'm back!" Liu Chen said softly, reaching out his arms to gently and tenderly pull Shang Xin Ci into his embrace. His voice seemed to carry a warm power that reached directly into Shang Xin Ci's heart. At the same time, he also lightly patted Shang Xin Ci's soft back, as if wanting to convey endless comfort and care to her through this gesture.
Seeing this, the weight in Xiao Die's heart finally lifted. She let out a long sigh of relief, a smile of heavy burdens being removed appearing on her face: "That's wonderful, Lord Liu Chen has finally returned safely!"
Ever since Liu Chen went missing at Three Fork Mountain, all the heavy burdens had fallen without exception onto the Young Miss's thin shoulders. Now, seeing Liu Chen return to their side, Xiao Die was sincerely happy and relieved for her Young Miss.
At this moment, being held tightly in his arms, a faint blush appeared on Shang Xin Ci's cheeks, as alluring and lovely as a ripe apple. She tilted her head up slightly, her beautiful eyes gazing affectionately at the man who haunted her dreams, her red lips parting slightly: "Welcome back, Brother Liu..." Before she could finish, a sense of shyness had already crept into her heart.
However, just then, Tian Lan, who had been standing quietly in the corner, suddenly widened her eyes, her face filled with an expression of utter disbelief.
Regarding Liu Chen's abrupt appearance and his embrace with Shang Xin Ci, she was indeed extremely surprised; she naturally knew very well just how deep Shang Xin Ci's feelings for Liu Chen were.
However, what was puzzling was that after that world-shaking battle at Three Fork Mountain, no reputation related to Liu Chen had spread. It was as if he had never participated in that great battle at all.
Furthermore, that Gu Yue Fang Yuan from Three Fork Mountain's Lian Xian Valley was also without news, as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.
What was even more worrying was that he might have suffered a tragic death at the hands of that villain Fang Yuan, just like Tie Mubai of the Tie Family!
To prevent his beloved daughter from excessive grief and sorrow, Shang Yanfei had gone to great lengths, not hesitating to concoct a white lie: claiming that Liu Chen had obtained a great treasure and thus needed to disappear for a period of time, thereby soothing his daughter's state of mind.
At the same time, Shang Yanfei also bore an important mission—entrusted by the Family's Supreme Elder to go all out in investigating the whereabouts of Gu Yue Fang Yuan.
Consequently, he naturally took this opportunity to secretly search for Liu Chen's whereabouts. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned; despite his best efforts and searching everywhere, he ultimately found nothing and failed to find even a single clue. Facing the harsh reality, he had no choice but to gloomily choose to give up, silently swallowing the bitterness as he revealed the truth of the fabricated news to his daughter.
No one could have predicted that these two seemingly unrelated people would coincidentally head toward the Northern Plains, attempting to lay hands on that legendary Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
At this moment, Tian Lan did not hesitate to drive the Information Path Gu Worm, quickly transmitting the news of this place to Shang Yanfei's side.
...
Deep within the secret room of the First Inner City's Family Head Pavilion was a massive Blood Pond as crimson as gore. Within the pond, the blood-water rolled and surged, bursting forth with brilliant red light.
Above this Blood Pond, Shang Yanfei sat cross-legged in mid-air. Hovering before him was a crystal-clear blood-red longsword; the sword body was entirely bright red like blood-colored crystal, flashing with an eerie light. The hilt was carved into a terrifying blood-red ghost claw, and the powerful aura emanating from it surprisingly came from a Rank Five Valley Worm!
This Sword Gu was a Legacy that Shang Yanfei had obtained by chance after much hardship. He combined it with the Sword Gu left behind by Liu Chen, and after countless sessions of meticulous refinement, he was able to complete it, naming it the Blood Blade Gu.
Now, it had already become one of Shang Yanfei's most powerful trump cards; none who had witnessed the power of this sword had ever survived.