To Elder Zheng Da's words, Zhu Bufan etched them firmly in his mind. After all, regardless of Elder's intention with those words, they would only benefit his future cultivation, and Zhu Bufan was not one to ignore such advice.

...

In the Zhou Family estate in You State, inside a luxurious yet exceptionally elegant room, a beautiful woman in her thirties lounged lazily by the fireplace, cradling in her arms a white-furred creature resembling a fox. Five fingers, as delicate as scallions, unconsciously stroked its fur, while the animal squinted its eyes, emitting a content low growl. Ten meters from her, a curtain stood as a barrier, beyond which a group of musicians played an elegant tune. Beside her, a pretty maid sat cross-legged, peeling grape-like fruit to feed the woman, who took the fruit with three fingers and placed it into her peach-colored lips. Next to the young girl was an old woman trimming the fur of the white creature. The atmosphere seemed warm, harmonious, and peaceful.

But then, a knock on the door abruptly shattered the room's pleasant ambiance.

"Miss, a message has arrived from Nanli City!" A hoarse and low voice came from outside the door.

The woman, lazily resting with her eyes closed, instantly opened her eyes upon hearing these words.

"Bring it in!"

Upon hearing this, the maid quickly stood up, opened the door, and let in a gaunt old man.

Without needing any command from the woman, the old lady stopped what she was doing, stood up, and took the secret letter from the old man's hands.

Opening the secret message, it was written in peculiar symbols. Without understanding what these symbols represented, intercepting the letter would be pointless as the content would remain unknown.

"Miss, Bald Scar failed, and disappeared in the Endless Ice Field. Zhu Bufan passed the selection. Elder Zheng Da headed to Nanli City to bring back Zhu Bufan."

"Oh..." Suddenly, the little beast in the woman's embrace let out a heart-wrenching scream, its fur bristling instantly like a porcupine.

"What? Disappeared? Hmph!" The woman waved her hand, and a handful of white fur scattered around.

With this angry rebuke, a sudden whirlwind kicked up in the room, silencing the melody within the curtain. Vaguely, one could see blurred figures rapidly exiting from a side door.

"No wonder it's been so long without news from Bald Scar and the others. So it was..." The old woman's fingers trembled lightly, a strand of power shot through them, and the paper turned to pieces, thrown into the fireplace.

"Has even Zheng Da been dispatched?" The woman pondered, her eyes emitting a terrifying fierce light.

"Miss, should we send someone..." The gaunt old man's entire body suddenly radiated a shocking killing intent, clearly someone who had walked through numerous life-and-death situations.

"No need. Since Zheng Da personally escorts, making a move would be too audacious. Hmph, you think the old man stays secluded all day, but he's aware of everything going on within the family!" The woman said, her expression darkening.

"But Miss, are we just going to watch that little bastard return safely?" The old woman asked unwillingly.

"Hehe, my eldest young master's return surely calls for some preparations!" The woman suddenly bloomed with a beautiful smile, "Uncle Chai, haven't you been secretly recruiting the bandits and robbers from Panlong Ridge all these years? It's time for them to show their worth!"

"Miss means..." The old woman's expression changed.

"Hmph, all these years, I've been trying to win Zheng Da over, but the old guy doesn't appreciate it and has never responded. But as soon as that little girl returns, he sticks to her. Hmph... it's an outrage. He's responsible for the escort from Nanli City this time, isn't he? Hmph, kill as many as you can for me. I want to make an issue of it. Many in the clan are dissatisfied with his post as an outsider Elder. This time, I want to humiliate him properly," the woman said with a slight raise of her dainty eyebrow, her face full of malicious intent.

"As you wish... this old servant will handle it at once..." The gaunt old man bowed and immediately withdrew.

"Miss, although those bandits are local tyrants and have strength in numbers, it's not easy to execute that little bastard in Zheng Da's hands!" The beautiful maid continued to peel the fruit's skin, speaking softly.

Enjoying the delicate fruit, the woman resumed her languid expression and said, "I never expected that rabble to kill that little bastard anyway. Besides, the little bastard isn't important enough to expend too much effort on. Simply put, he's just a pawn, unable to influence the final outcome. For us, Mengjie is the real threat!"

"Quite so, Miss!" the old woman and the beautiful maid replied in unison.

"By the way, has Zhengde returned?" the woman asked softly.

"There's word that he's on his way back. This time, the young master has gained quite a lot and is rumored to have broken through to the peak of the Seventh Rank!" the old woman said with a smile.

"Oh!" Hearing this, the woman's eyes brightened, and joy spread across her face.

...

It was the depth of winter, and after departing Nanli City, the surroundings were still dominated by snowy scenes, with everything remaining bitterly cold.

Rather than a journey, it seemed more like a travel experience.

This time, in addition to the Guard Team, the oldest among those who passed the selection was only seventeen, and most of them had never been outside Nanli City. Now, like birds released from a cage, they were curious about everything in the outside world.

Zheng Da, the Elder, was surprisingly lenient about it all, with frequent stops along the way, stretching a journey that should have taken over a month to a month and a half.

"Feng, aren't you going to play outside? We're planning to have some fun. Want to join us, Bufan?" Zhou Wei knocked on Zhu Bufan's door to ask.

In recent days, the Zhou family party had arrived in Mowu City, taking the opportunity to replenish food supplies and rest for a night, which was the third city they had encountered in over a month.

"No need. You all go ahead; I've had some insights from today's cultivation, and I need to consolidate it!" Zhu Bufan replied with a smile.

"Oh, alright then. We'll bring you something to eat!" Hearing this, Zhou Wei didn't insist, greeted him, then turned away excitedly.

Zhu Bufan closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed.

In recent days, Zhu Bufan spent most of his time with Zheng Da. At all times, he restrained his Qi, even in usual conduct, cautiously portraying an image of a frivolous scion, reducing his cultivation time by more than half compared to before.

However, over the past few days, what Zhu Bufan gained far surpassed mere cultivation; it was an understanding of the martial arts, promising a more effective outcome in his future training.

Sitting cross-legged, with five hearts facing the sky, Zhu Bufan soon entered into cultivation.

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