"I don't want it anymore..."

The moment Su Xuan took out the item, Qi Li shook her head. It was a bracelet, the very one she had given him.

"I'm a grown man. What do I need this for?" Su Xuan had no idea what special significance this bracelet might hold.

"This bracelet is very... very valuable!" Qi Li felt too embarrassed to reveal the bracelet's secret, so she dodged the question. "Let's go find my father!" she said.

"Alright, let's go." Su Xuan turned and walked toward the dungeon exit.

"Do you two still have other matters to attend to?" Qi Li suddenly asked the two Enforcement Hall Disciples who were still accompanying Su Xuan. "Don't mind us. Go on, get busy!"

The two disciples didn't understand why Qi Li was suddenly shooing them away. They exchanged puzzled glances but didn't dare to ask, leaving hastily.

Once they were gone, Qi Li closed the distance between herself and Su Xuan, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

She was a bit shorter than Su Xuan. If she tilted her head just so, it could rest perfectly on his shoulder...

「Half an hour later, in a secret chamber of the Floating Cloud Sect.」

Qi Qingshan, Yan Peng, Dai Xiu, Qi Li, and Lu Dongshan were seated, seemingly in the middle of a secret meeting.

"Father, Su Xuan's contribution this time was so great that merely giving him a protector position isn't enough!" Qi Li, who now knew all the details of what had happened that night, said solemnly to her father. "With his strength and intellect, why not let him take Elder Liu's position?"

"What?" Qi Qingshan's eyes widened in alarm. Su Xuan is a newcomer. Giving him a protector position is already risky enough to cause unrest, so how could I directly offer him an elder's position? He's seriously lacking in seniority! Besides, he doesn't need to be an elder. As long as he's willing to be with my daughter... then the next Sect Leader will most likely be...

"Ahem!" Qi Qingshan placed his hand to his mouth and coughed twice, then said solemnly, "Li'er, let's discuss the important matter at hand first."

Qi Qingshan glanced around at everyone in the secret chamber, nodded at Yan Peng, then fixed his gaze on Lu Dongshan. "Dongshan, you can bring the witness out now."

"Right away!" Lu Dongshan produced a bag from behind him, opened it, and pulled a person out. It was the same man who had tried to assassinate Qi Li at the inn in town.

"I advise you to release me immediately!" the man snarled the moment he was out of the bag. "Otherwise, you won't even know how you died! And I will not utter a single word to you!"

Qi Qingshan didn't waste time with words. He walked straight up to the man, brought two fingers together, and pressed them against the man's forehead, activating the Mind Control Technique.

However, the technique seemed to fail. It was unclear whether his own injuries were affecting its power or if the man's willpower was simply too strong. Even after the Mind Control Technique was applied, the captive managed to speak defiantly, "I will not submit! You'll never pry my mouth open!"

"Protector Su, that is..." Qi Qingshan looked toward Su Xuan. "You do it!"

At these words, Qi Li and Lu Dongshan were stunned. Have Su Xuan use the Mind Control Technique? Did Qi Qingshan teach it to him? And did Su Xuan actually learn it? The Mind Control Technique is far more advanced than the Floating Cloud Sect's introductory mental cultivation method! It should be impossible to learn without years of training!

Qi Li and Lu Dongshan immediately focused their gazes on Su Xuan.

Su Xuan could only walk reluctantly to the man. He pressed his fingers to the man's forehead, and the captive's eyes immediately lost their focus.

Su Xuan said, "Now, you will answer whatever we ask you."

The man replied obediently, "Yes."

Qi Li and Lu Dongshan stared at each other in disbelief. It's true! Su Xuan really learned the Mind Control Technique! That's unbelievable! What overwhelming talent! It makes us feel like we've wasted our lives! Compared to him, he's like a true man of the mountains, while we should just go down and become farmers!

Qi Qingshan saw the expression on his daughter's face and chuckled to himself. Of course, he had wanted Su Xuan to show off in front of his daughter, to let her know what an incredible fiancé she had brought home! This kid, Su Xuan... he liked him a lot!

"Was it your people who killed Yan Xiaosong?" Yan Peng demanded coldly the moment the Mind Control Technique took effect. "And why did you kill him?"

"Yes," the man replied truthfully. "We killed him to seize the opportunity to incite a war between the Floating Cloud Sect and the Spirit-Taming Sect, weakening you both."

BAM!

Yan Peng strode forward and kicked the man, sending him flying. The captive's back slammed against the chamber wall before he collapsed to his knees.

"Keep questioning him," Qi Qingshan said, holding Yan Peng back, worried he might kill the man. "Ask about their motives."

"Brother Qi, I was a fool to start this war!" Yan Peng gripped Qi Qingshan's hand. "I owe you an apology!" As he spoke, he began to bow.

"We're family. There's no need for such words." Hearing Yan Peng call him 'Brother', a title he hadn't heard in over twenty years, Qi Qingshan's eyes suddenly reddened. With a voice full of relief, he said, "From now on, let's live in harmony. No more fighting."

"Yes, no more fighting!" Yan Peng nodded vigorously.

Seeing her father and Yan Peng reconcile meant their sects had reconciled as well, and Qi Li was filled with immense relief.

She took another deep look at Su Xuan. This is all thanks to him! Giving him an elder's position really isn't too much to ask! I wish I had met him sooner!

"What is your name?" Qi Qingshan asked the man.

"My name is Niu Wangqian," the man replied.

"Niu Wangqian?" Qi Qingshan's mouth twitched. What a strange name. He then asked, "Where are you from?"

"I come from Flying Wolf Villa," Niu Wangqian said.

"Flying Wolf Villa..." Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng exchanged a meaningful glance.

Flying Wolf Villa was located west of Luoyue Village, not far from the territories of the Floating Cloud and Spirit-Taming Sects. Their organization was slightly larger than the two sects, so it was logical that they would want to make a move against them. After all, within their limited region, conflicts of interest were inevitable.

"Why did you do it?" Qi Qingshan wanted to get to the bottom of things. He never anticipated that this question would uncover a massive secret.

"While searching for Moon Profound Stone veins, we accidentally discovered a rich deposit at the border between your two sects," Niu Wangqian said in a monotone. "To prevent you from finding that vein and to monopolize it for ourselves, we devised a plan to make your two sects..."

Before Niu Wangqian could finish, Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng asked in unison, "Where exactly is that vein?"

Niu Wangqian pointed in a specific direction. "At the foot of the mountain, to the southwest."

Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng locked eyes again, seeing a bright gleam in the other's gaze. It was the glint of excitement, of exhilaration! They looked like people lost in a desert who had just stumbled upon an oasis filled with food and water.

Su Xuan asked curiously, "What is Moon Profound Stone?"

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