Harboring Ye Qun

With the emergence of this voice,

Ye Qun's danger senses spiked to their peak.

Who was it?!

As the calm voice faded, Ye Qun and Li Yue quickly scanned their surroundings,

only to find that thick, viscous black mist had begun seeping from the walls—just like when they first entered.

Ye Qun's heart sank.

His entire body tensed as he fixed his gaze in one direction.

Tap, tap.

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, his steps measured and deliberate, each one landing like a hammer on Ye Qun's frayed nerves.

It was Qin Luo.

Clad in a flowing black robe, its hem swaying gently with his movements, he exuded an aura of chilling dominance.

His hands were casually clasped behind his back, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

Yet his eyes held an unsettling mix of serenity and mockery.

Without even glancing at Li Yue, who stood trembling in his path, Qin Luo walked past him and stopped beside Su Bailian.

"You did well," he said. "Your sister says she’ll give you a red packet when you get back."

Hearing this,

a smug grin flashed across Su Bailian’s face as she happily retreated behind Qin Luo.

Peeking out from behind him, she taunted Ye Qun, "~~Trash~~ You should be grateful you even got to exchange words with me!"

Tr... trash?!

Ye Qun stared dumbfounded at Su Bailian’s sudden shift in demeanor.

What the hell? How could she change so drastically?

And this man...

His expression darkened, fists clenching so hard his knuckles cracked. "You... you’re the lapdog Su Muwan keeps by her side..."

Qin Luo smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

His voice, deep and magnetic yet laced with bone-chilling coldness, cut through the air, "Ye Qun, you must be wondering—what exactly is going on here?"

"The ancient ruins appearing, factions swarming in..."

"The strange black mist that gathers people inexplicably..."

"All of it was arranged—just for you."

Ye Qun’s eye twitched. "What?"

What was this guy saying?

Did that mean...

Everything they’d encountered was orchestrated by him?

No... that couldn’t be.

Suddenly, realization struck. Ye Qun’s gaze locked onto Qin Luo as a figure flashed in his mind—

Su Muwan!!!

As a mere lackey, Qin Luo couldn’t have devised such a meticulous plan. Though his exact motives were unclear,

one thing was certain: this scheme was far too elaborate for a mere subordinate to conceive.

In other words—!!

Ye Qun’s fists trembled, his voice boiling with fury as he roared, "I get it now!!"

"All of this!!"

"Was Su Muwan’s doing, wasn’t it?!"

(Meanwhile, in the distant Heritage Hall, Su Muwan, who was casually bullying some noobs, suddenly shivered: ??)

So that’s how it is.

Su Muwan, you vicious witch!

Qin Luo blinked, pausing for three seconds before replying,

"Color me surprised—you actually figured that out."

"Indeed, this was all my lady’s plan."

"Of course, there’s a much simpler explanation."

His smile turned almost kindly as he added, "It’s because you’re a T0."

"That’s why you’ve earned the privilege of such an... elaborate process."

As if realizing he was dragging it out, Qin Luo shook his head. "Enough talk."

"It’s time for you to go."

With that, he took a step forward.

T0?

What did that mean?

No time to dwell on it.

Ye Qun braced himself, eyes locked onto Qin Luo’s approaching figure.

It’s fine.

Just a lackey—how strong could he be?

He’s not Su Muwa—

Wait.

No.

Ye Qun’s brow furrowed as he scanned the shadows. If Qin Luo was the bait, Su Muwan could very well be lurking nearby!

But Qin Luo’s mocking voice suddenly rang right beside his ear, "Don’t bother."

"A fallen T0, plummeting from grace."

"My lady need not dirty her hands."

What?!

Ye Qun’s pupils contracted in shock as he stared at Qin Luo, who had somehow appeared right in front of him in an instant.

Too fast!

[Little Ye!! Use the Primordial Profound Heaven Art!! NOW!!!!]

The old man in his mind screamed frantically.

Snapping back to focus, Ye Qun’s eyes sharpened.

Primordial Profound Heaven Art!!

Huumm!

In an instant,

everything before him slowed to a crawl, as if time itself had decelerated.

His eyes widened as he watched Qin Luo’s face materialize inches from his own.

I... can see it!

The Primordial Profound Heaven Art—capable of heightening brain and ocular reflexes to the extreme, laying bare every minute movement of an opponent’s attack.

Allowing him to counter before the strike even landed.

The only downside? His own movements were equally sluggish.

But it didn’t matter.

This was just a lackey.

His body could keep up.

Focusing, Ye Qun scrutinized Qin Luo’s movements.

Qin Luo raised his hand—slender, elegant fingers, their pale contours gleaming faintly in the dim light.

A raised hand?

Ye Qun’s mind raced, sifting through countless techniques and martial forms, trying to predict Qin Luo’s next move.

A spirit-gathering killing strike? Some esoteric sealing art?

In that split second, possibilities flooded his thoughts. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, his back drenched.

Every muscle tensed, his heart pounding so violently it threatened to burst from his chest.

After the earlier battles, his stamina and mental energy were already stretched thin.

Dammit, I can’t hold the Primordial Profound Heaven Art much longer.

But!

I’ve seen through you!!

Exiting the slowed state, Ye Qun’s gaze steadied with newfound confidence.

Whatever Qin Luo was about to unleash, it was definitely...

SMACK!!!

His thoughts shattered.

A crisp slap echoed through the air as Ye Qun’s body spun three full rotations midair before crashing into the wall like a human top.

BOOM!!

Embedded in the cracked stone, his cheek swelled instantly, a trickle of blood escaping his split lip.

His pupils trembled.

Mind blank.

What...

I... got hit?

No—

"What... technique was that?"

Ye Qun lifted his head, all logic obliterated by that single slap.

"Technique?"

Qin Luo flexed his hand, retrieving a silver needle before replying dryly, "Huh? Couldn’t tell? Just a slap."

"A... slap?"

Ye Qun’s expression went slack.

Seriously?

What kind of slap freezes a person in place like they’ve been paralyzed?!

"Grrr—AAAAAH!!"

"Don’t screw with me!!"

Ye Qun gnashed his teeth, struggling to pry himself from the wall.

[Move! Hurry, Little Ye!!]

[Get out of there NOW!!]

The old man’s voice screamed in his mind.

Ye Qun was his only hope—he couldn’t die here!!

[Remember!! You still have vengeance to take!! Su Muwan is just a stepping stone on your path!!]

"Quick! Quick, activate the Primordial Profound Heaven Technique, Little Ye!!"

As the voice echoed, Ye Qun gradually reignited his fighting spirit.

"That's right... yes!!"

He roared with all his might, "I still have to... reach the pinnacle of martial arts—"

Splat!

The sound abruptly cut off.

A silver needle suddenly pierced Ye Qun's head.

In an instant, his consciousness scattered.

His fighting spirit slowly dissipated.

His expression turned vacant: "Heh... heh... heh..."

"I'm Little Ye... I love eating Sky Leaves..."

[???]

[What the—?]

Qin Luo gave Ye Qun a strange look, as if the latter had been about to do something grand just moments ago.

He curled his lip and muttered, "What the heck was he babbling about?"

Su Bailian gulped nervously.

She glanced at Qin Luo with difficulty.

Damn...

So both you and your wife are freaks of nature, huh...

Qin Luo turned his head toward Su Bailian.

Instantly, she brightened up again, putting on a pitiful expression. "Big... big bro-in-law..."

She pointed at Li Yue, who had been standing there dazed from the start. "What should we do about this guy?"

"Oh, don’t worry."

Qin Luo glanced at the nameless cannon fodder under the control of [Charm Eyes] and said, "He’s one of us now."

"Alright, then what about the promised red envelope..."

"Relax, you’ll get it."

"Yay!"

"Oh, and big bro-in-law, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

Qin Luo told himself that his patience wasn’t solely due to her calling him "big bro-in-law" over and over.

"It’s about that Chu Yu, I want..."

"And the Devouring Sky Spirit Ox, I also want..."

"Oh, and also, these things even more..."

"Do you want a little slap? So many demands?"

"Eep—!"

......

......

Inside the Heritage Hall.

"Hmm..."

Su Muwan, who had been engrossed in a real-life fighting game, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.

After effortlessly defeating her opponent in two moves,

She took a deep breath, frowned, and muttered suspiciously, "Seriously... why do I feel like I’m being framed again..."