"Hehe, old man, thank you very much."

Qin Yang displayed a smile and said, to be honest, Old Joe had treated Qin Yang quite well, this was something Qin Yang naturally kept in mind.

Among the rewards, what was most useful to Qin Yang were the two thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, followed by the Star Crystal Grass promised by Old Joe, and then the broken Storage Bag.

Although the space inside the Storage Bag had been compressed quite a bit, it was still as big as a hundred square meters room, as for the few Ghost Dao artifacts, Qin Yang didn't need them for now.

"Alright, everything here is settled, we should head back, everyone else also has their rewards, let's go."

Old Joe chuckled as he spoke.

Then, everyone packed up the tents at the camp and boarded the three military off-road vehicles parked beside the camp, heading towards Xishuang City Airport.

Old Joe and the others, like Thunder God and Jiang Huo'Er, were going back to Capital City, while Qin Yang naturally was heading back to Yunshui City.

At the airport, not long after, there was a flight to Capital City, Old Joe and the others took it first, while Qin Yang bought a ticket back to Yunshui City.

"The flight is at three o'clock."

Qin Yang glanced at the time on his ticket, it was just a little past two now, so he sat on an empty chair, intending to call and chat with Ruan Xinxue for a bit, but Ruan Xinxue called him instead.

"Hello, Sister Ruan, I was just about to call you, and here you are."

Qin Yang answered the phone with a smile.

"Little rascal, have you completed your mission?"

Ruan Xinxue's gentle voice came through the phone.

"Yes, it's finished, I'll be returning soon."

Qin Yang replied with a smile.

"Are you still in Nanyun Province?"

Ruan Xinxue asked. Last night, before she went to bed, she had spoken to Qin Yang on the phone, so she knew he was in Nanyun Province.

"I'm at Xishuang City Airport now, why, Sister Ruan?"

Qin Yang asked, puzzled.

"Little rascal, wasn't Ling Xiaoyu back in Nanyun Province a while ago? Something happened at her home, could you check on it?"

Ruan Xinxue's voice held a trace of urgency.

"Sister Ruan, what happened at Xiaoyu's home?"

Qin Yang raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Xiaoyu's father was beaten up and seriously injured, and now the Ling Family's situation isn't looking good." Ruan Xinxue said.

"Okay, Sister Ruan, don't worry, I'll go take a look."

Qin Yang's eyes sharpened as he nodded; with the troubles at little cool girl's home, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"I'll tell Xiaoyu to pick you up at the airport."

Ruan Xinxue suggested.

"Alright, let Xiaoyu know I'll be on the next available flight."

Qin Yang replied.

After hanging up, Qin Yang changed his flight from Yunshui City to Yukun City.

Yukun City is the capital of Nanyun Province, known as the "City of Jade," especially for its hard jadeite. Much of the jadeite transported from Myanmar passes through Yukun City as a transit point before being sent across the country. Thus, Yukun City's jadeite market is quite developed, and apart from jadeite, Xiuyu, and Yellow Dragon Jade also have renowned reputations.

Ling Xiaoyu's family, the Ling family, is located in Yukun City.

The flight Qin Yang took was scheduled for three in the afternoon, and by the time it arrived in Yukun City, it was already five o'clock.

After disembarking, a striking short-haired figure was already waiting in the airport lobby.

"Qin Yang, over here."

In the crowd, Ling Xiaoyu waved at Qin Yang.

"Mm."

Qin Yang nodded and walked over.

It had been some time since they met, the little cool girl in front of him still sported a short haircut that reached her ears. She wore a clean white short-sleeve on her upper body and denim shorts on the lower body, looking youthful and energetic, though her usually lively demeanor had given way to slight exhaustion on her pretty face.

Standing beside Ling Xiaoyu was a middle-aged man, with a restrained aura, seemingly responsible for protecting the little cool girl.

"Alright, I know the situation, no need to worry, I will heal your father's injuries."

Qin Yang smiled and ruffled Ling Xiaoyu's hair.

The middle-aged man saw the intimacy between Qin Yang and Ling Xiaoyu and was slightly surprised, before his expression returned to calmness.

"Mm."

Ling Xiaoyu lifted her gaze to look at Qin Yang, then nodded heavily. She had an inexplicable trust in Qin Yang, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

"Qin Yang, this is Uncle Fu."

Ling Xiaoyu introduced the middle-aged man beside her.

"Hello, Young Master Qin."

Uncle Fu greeted respectfully.

"Hello." Qin Yang nodded.

Leaving the airport hall, the three got into a black Audi car.

"Xiaoyu, who exactly injured your father?"

In the backseat of the Audi, Qin Yang looked at Ling Xiaoyu sitting next to him and asked.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaoyu remained silent for a moment, her eyes dimmed slightly, then she said, "It was an elder from the Ancient Sword Sect."

"Ancient Sword Sect? What level is this sect?"

Qin Yang inquired, as he was unfamiliar with Nanyun Province's ancient martial sects.

"The Ancient Sword Sect was originally a top-notch first-class ancient martial sect, with a heritage spanning hundreds of years. Within the sect, there were several experts of the Celestial Tier at Great Perfection level presiding, and there were rumors that their Supreme Elder had already stepped into the ranks of the Innate Realm, causing the sect to cross into the realm of superpowers."

Ling Xiaoyu spoke, her eyes filled with even more worry, obviously anxious about the trouble caused by offending such a formidable entity as the Ling family.

"Innate Realm? Superpower?"

Qin Yang raised an eyebrow.

Ancient Martial Artists, from low to high, are divided into Yellow Tier, Profound Tier, Earth Tier, and Celestial Tier. These four tiers are termed as the Postnatal Realm, and once surpassing the Celestial Tier at Great Perfection, one enters the Innate Realm.

Once an Ancient Martial Artist steps into the Innate Realm, their power soars rapidly, marking a qualitative change that is worlds apart from the Postnatal Realm. Even a Celestial Tier expert at Great Perfection, in the hands of an expert at the First Layer of the Innate Realm, could not withstand three moves, and this is assuming the Innate Realm expert isn't exerting their full strength.

Ancient martial forces, from low to high, are divided into third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, and superpower; a third-rate sect needs to have Profound Tier experts presiding, a second-rate needs Earth Tier experts, while a first-rate force requires Celestial Tier experts.

As for the superpower, there must be an expert of the Innate Realm presiding over it!

According to what the little cool girl said, if the Supreme Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect had indeed stepped into the Innate Realm, it would mean the Ancient Sword Sect had already become a superpower.

"Why did they injure your father?"

Qin Yang asked puzzled, why would such a superpower trouble the Ling family?

"It was like this, a month ago, our Ling family discovered a jade ore vein near White Dragon Creek in the White Dragon Mountain Range."

"After prospecting, it was highly likely that the jade ore vein was a rare Spirit Jade Ore Vein that could enhance the cultivation speed of Ancient Martial Artists. Father was excited, so as our Ling family was preparing to mine it, somehow, the news leaked out, and people from the Ancient Sword Sect appeared at White Dragon Creek, injuring my father."

Ling Xiaoyu said.

In fact, the Ling family also had a considerable foundation in Nanyun Province. Her father was an expert of the Early Stage of the Celestial Tier, meaning the Ling family was already considered a first-rate power. Coupled with the Ling family's longstanding involvement in stone gambling since the Qing Dynasty, their family wealth was substantial. However, when faced with the colossal Ancient Sword Sect, the Ling family was still far too insignificant.

A casual Celestial Tier elder from the Ancient Sword Sect could injure her father and then justifiably seize the Spirit Jade Ore Vein they discovered.

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