“I understand!” Ye Guan nodded and sighed in relief.

At the moment, the Ye Clan couldn’t go against the Nan Clan. Ye Guan simply had no other choice but to retaliate earlier because he knew that it would be impossible to resolve issues diplomatically once one side had already attacked.

They could have asked for mercy or forgiveness, but those two options would only result in their humiliation.

Therefore, Ye Guan decided to kill them all. 

The consequences? Of course, he thought about the consequences.

It seemed that the worst outcome would be an all-out war against the Nan Clan, but it was actually the best outcome. The Nan Clan had visited the Ye Clan to look for him, so they obviously wouldn’t let the Ye Clan go scot-free; it didn’t matter whether Ye Guan was the one who had murdered Nan Qingyue and Zheng Lin.

Ye Guan could only borrow the Guanxuan Academy’s prestige and power by then.

Fei Banqing examined Ye Guan from top to bottom, and the corners of her lips turned up. “Little brat, you truly surprised me!”

Ye Guan didn’t reply. He was still wary of Fei Banqing. After all, he had witnessed her absurd mood swings.

However, Fei Banqing was a pragmatic individual, so the best way to get through to her was to talk about the profits she could reap and what he could do for her in exchange. It was the only way for them to work together.

Fei Banqing turned around to look at Ye Qing. Ye Qing bowed slightly upon noticing Fei Banqing’s gaze. 

Fei Banqing examined Ye Qing as well and said, “You’re not bad. Would you like to join the Guanxuan Academy?”

Ye Qing hesitated for a moment before replying, “I appreciate your kind intentions, but no thanks!” 

Fei Banqing didn’t push the matter any further. “It seems that you have had your own opportunities; I guess I won’t take you away, then.”

With that, Fei Banqing turned to look at Ye Guan once more and said, “Tomorrow, we’ll depart for the academy. Of course, I know what you’re worried about. Let’s go, I’ll bring you to go meet the Nan Clan’s Grand Elder.”

Ye Guan nodded in agreement.

Ye Guan looked at Ye Qing and said, “Brother Qing, take good care of Clan Leader!”

Ye Qing nodded and replied, “Please go ahead, Brother Guan! Leave the clan to me!” 

With that, Fei Banqing grabbed Ye Guan’s shoulder, and they disappeared into the horizon.

Ye Qing stared into the horizon and muttered, “So he’s a swordsman…”

A mysterious voice echoed in his head. “He stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter.” 

Ye Qing nodded slightly. It was great that Ye Guan was strong.

A martial life was filled with all sorts of dangers, but there wasn’t any rule about how one couldn’t have brothers along the way to the summit. Wouldn’t it be better for someone to have brothers willing to fight next to them? 

Ye Qing’s train of thought was interrupted by Ye Xiao’s shout, “Little Qing!”

Ye Qing hurriedly walked over to Ye Xiao. “Clan Leader!”

Ye Xiao looked at Ye Qing and laughed bitterly. 

“So you have been hiding your true abilities as well!” said Ye Xiao.

Ye Qing nodded slightly.

Ye Xiao hesitated before saying, “A family must be united…”

Ye Qing chuckled. “Clan Leader, I know what you’re trying to say. Brother Guan is stronger than I am, and I lost fair and square to him. If I were stronger than him, I believe he’d feel the same way.” 

Ye Xiao smiled at Ye Qing’s words.

Ye Qing smiled as well and said, “Clan Leader, let me treat your wounds.”

With that, Ye Qing helped Ye Xiao up, and they walked deeper into the manor.

…

Ye Guan arrived with Fei Banqing at the Nanshan Mountain Range. 

The Nanshan Mountain Range still had many strong cultivators, including cultivators from Beizhou and Zhongzhou. Obviously, they were here for the Imperial-rank demonic beast. 

It seemed that its mere presence was enough to attract the attention of these powerhouses from all three states.

They arrived at a mountain peak, and Fei Banqing brought Ye Guan deeper into the mountain.

Ye Guan made sure to stick close to Fei Banqing. He surreptitiously glanced at her and admired the long dark green dress she was wearing today. The embroidered plum blossoms on her dress gave her a coquettish but cold vibe, and the white jade belt around her slim waist accentuated her curves.

He couldn’t deny Fei Banqing’s beauty, but he was more curious about her age. Of course, he wasn’t dumb enough to ask her that. After all, it would be tantamount to seeking his own death.

Fei Banqing suddenly turned to look at Ye Guan. “Enjoying the view?”

Ye Guan froze before nodding. “Yes…”

Fei Banqing wordlessly stared at him. Ye Guan hesitated before saying, “Tutor Fei, why are you looking at me like that? I was indeed looking at you, but I didn’t have any dirty thoughts.”

Fei Banqing replied, “I just realized that you’re quite attractive. I’m sure many girls will be attracted to you once they find out that you’re a swordsman.”

Ye Guan shook his head and said, “I have a fiancée…”

Fei Banqing shook her head and pointed out. “It’s not uncommon for a man to have a few wives and concubines in this day and age.”

Ye Guan remained silent. It would be better if he didn’t say anything. 

Fei Banqing also abandoned the topic.

Fei Banqing brought Ye Guan to a particularly crowded spot. They walked over to an elderly cultivator wearing a gray robe. 

The gray-robed elderly cultivator smiled upon seeing Fei Banqing.

“Greetings, Tutor Fei!” said the gray-robed elderly cultivator.

Fei Banqing went straight to the point and said, “Nan Ku, I killed the people you sent over to the Ye Clan.”

The nearby cultivators stiffened along with Nan Ku. 

Fei Banqing stared at Nan Ku and said nonchalantly, “This little brat became my disciple not too long ago, and he is now a student of Guanxuan Academy. The Nan Clan must never find trouble with him again; otherwise, I’ll take it as the Nan Clan challenging me!”

Nan Ku laughed nervously and hurriedly said, “Tutor Fei, it’s a misunderstanding! If I had known that he was your disciple, we wouldn’t have done something like that. It was truly a misunderstanding!”

Fei Banqing stared deeply at Nan Ku before declaring, “Kill one person from the Ye Clan, and I will kill two from the Nan Clan!”

With that, she took Ye Guan away with her and left. 

Nan Ku was all smiles as they left, and it seemed that he wasn’t furious at all! 

Ye Guan glanced at him, but Nan Ku was still smiling without any trace of fury and hostility in his eyes.

Ye Guan’s face fell at the sight. Damn it! People who can endure any kind of humiliation are the most terrifying people to stand against!

Those people would be all smiles on the surface, but they would have sinister intentions beneath the surface. Ye Guan knew that people like them would be extremely troublesome to deal with.

Fei Banqing suddenly said, “Stop looking at him.”

Ye Guan withdrew his gaze and said, “Tutor, that old man is definitely a vile person!”

Fei Banqing glanced at him and asked, “And what? Do you really think that you’re a good person?”

Ye Guan smiled sheepishly, but he didn’t say anything in response.

Fei Banqing calmly added, “If he had dared to show even an ounce of dissatisfaction, I would have killed him on the spot!”

Hearing that, Ye Guan asked hesitantly, “Aren’t the top three clans just as powerful as the Guanxuan Academy?”

Fei Banqing explained, “It’s true that the top three clans of Nanzhou cannot be underestimated, but the Guanxuan Academy here in Nanzhou is just a branch of the Guanxuan Academy in this Lower Realm. We don’t have a shortage of powerhouses above us, but what about them? They have none!”

Ye Guan’s expression stiffened. 

Fei Banqing added, “In this world, you can’t fight alone. If you want to live a long life, you need people who will back you up.”

Ye Guan nodded slightly and said, “I understand, Tutor…”

Fei Banqing brought Ye Guan to a middle-aged man. A white-robed young man was standing behind the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man smiled upon seeing Fei Banqing and said, “Tutor Fei, it’s been twenty years since we said goodbye to each other. How have you been?”

Ye Guan glanced sideways at Fei Banqing. I guess she’s a bit older than I think…

Fei Banqing said indifferently, “Tutor Zuo, it has been so many years, but why is it that you haven’t improved at all?”

Tutor Zuo laughed boisterously. 

He looked at Ye Guan next to Fei Banqing and asked, “Is he your student?”

Fei Banqing nodded. 

Tutor Zuo momentarily examined Ye Guan. Once he was done, he chuckled and remarked, “He has an imposing aura but a calm demeanor. He’s definitely a great talent!”

With that, the middle-aged man asked, “What do you think about letting our disciples duke it out in a duel?”

The white-robed young man saluted Ye Guan and exclaimed, “Please teach me a thing or two!”

Ye Guan was about to say something, but Fei Banqing spoke, “Forget it! He’s not good at fighting. The one who’s good at fighting decided to stay behind in Ancient Desolate City.”

Fei Banqing glanced at the white-robed young man before leaving with Ye Guan in tow. 

Tutor Zuo stared deeply at Ye Guan’s departing back. He turned to look at the white-robed young man and asked, “What do you think of him?”

The white-robed young man shook his head. “He was very calm, and I couldn’t tell what kind of person he was...”

Tutor Zuo smiled. “Do you know why I wanted him to fight you?”

The white-robed young man bowed slightly and replied, “Please tell me, Tutor Zuo.”

“Tutor Fei enjoys fighting, but she intervened and stopped that young man from fighting you. The young man looked like he wasn’t afraid of fighting you, but she still intervened,” said Tutor Zuo. After a few moments of silence, he continued. “There’s only one explanation—she does not want to expose that young man’s true power.”

The white-robed young man frowned. 

Tutor Zuo added, “The decennial martial contest is nigh. The next time you see him, you must be extra careful, and you must never underestimate him!”

The white-robed young man bowed respectfully and replied, “I understand!”

Meanwhile, Ye Guan turned to look at Fei Banqing and asked, “Tutor, did you stop because you want to hide my true power?”

Fei Banqing nodded and explained, “The white-robed young man you saw earlier was Han Jin—an outstanding talent from Beizhou’s Guanxuan Academy. I think he’s already a Divine Path Realm cultivator.”

Ye Guan was stunned. He looked young, but he was already at the Divine Path Realm?

Fei Banqing stared at Ye Guan and added, “However, he’s not the most heaven-defying talent of Beizhou’s Guanxuan Academy.”

Ye Guan remained silent. 

“Didn’t you say that you’ll be invincible at the decennial martial contest and that you’ll be able to do whatever you want by then?” teased Fei Banqing.

Ye Guan was speechless, but he quickly recovered and said, “I’m not afraid.”

Fei Banqing laughed and praised him. “That’s it; I like that confidence.”

Ye Guan nodded, but he reminded himself that he had to work even harder. There would always be someone stronger than him! He was a swordsman, but being a swordsman didn’t mean that he was invincible. 

He had to continue cultivating so that he would eventually surpass everyone else.

Fei Banqing said, “We’ll be at the academy by tomorrow. Troublesome people will surely come knocking on your door once you’ve enrolled in the academy.”

Ye Guan asked, “Is it because of Little Jia?”

Fei Banqing made a sidelong glance at Ye Guan. She had to admit that Ye Guan had never failed to surprise her. It hadn’t been that long since they met, but the little brat had surprised her again and again with his methods and wits.

What a bright young man! Fei Banqing dismissed those thoughts.

“Little Jia has the Holy Spirit Physique, so her future is limitless. She’s also naturally talented, and her beauty is unmatched. As I’ve said before, many suitors are chasing after her. Unfortunately, those people aren’t just talented, but they also come from wealthy and powerful backgrounds—”

Ye Guan interrupted with a shout, “But I have a powerful backer as well!” 

He looked at Fei Banqing and said, “You’re my backer, so I’m not afraid of anyone!”

Fei Banqing boisterously laughed. “Stop trying to suck up to me; there’s no way that I’ll fall for that—Pfft! Hahaha!”

However, her smile couldn’t be any wider…