Alarming the Ancient Kunlun Clan

"Ice cream will melt if left out too long; it can't be stored here for extended periods."

Chen Feng spoke while unwrapping another ice cream for Qilin.

As for the kind that doesn’t melt, Chen Feng didn’t dare buy it.

Gu Qianqian finished another mung bean popsicle before finally stopping.

Chen Feng had fed almost all the remaining ice cream to Qilin.

Then he opened the packaging of several musical instruments.

First was the guitar.

Chen Feng had played a classmate’s guitar back in school and knew a little.

Now, with the mastery of the Seven Absolute Zither’s heavenly unity realm,

his control over musical tones was unparalleled.

As for the guzheng, Chen Feng had some basic skill there too.

The guzheng and guqin had differences, but also similarities.

For someone who could play the guqin, learning the guzheng came quickly.

Chen Feng had done his homework beforehand.

Otherwise, buying so many instruments without knowing how to use them would’ve been awkward.

Gu Qianqian marveled at these strange new instruments.

She and Chen Feng practiced until sunset,

barely managing to grasp the basics of each one.

Her favorite was the harmonica—

small, portable,

and when played with the Seven Absolute Zither technique,

though it had almost no offensive power,

its sound waves still retained the ability to sense the surroundings.

From now on, with just this tiny harmonica, Gu Qianqian would never have to fear her blindness again.

After the music lesson,

Gu Qianqian remembered she’d brought a gift for her master.

She pulled out her little cloth pouch.

"Master, there are no Vermilion Fruits this time."

"The spirit crane said they’re too valuable; I shouldn’t pick too many."

Chen Feng chuckled.

"No need to bring gifts next time."

"Every time I leave, I take a dinosaur with me."

"Those are worth a lot outside too."

Though Chen Feng knew the Gu Clan had a medicinal garden full of rare herbs,

he worried his disciple might strip it bare.

After all, the true value of these herbs lay in their centuries-old maturity.

Chen Feng continued,

"This time, I came to see the stone forest engraved with martial arts techniques."

"I want to record some of them."

Gu Qianqian asked curiously,

"Master, do you want to learn martial arts?"

Chen Feng didn’t hide his intentions.

"The outside world is complicated. I’m from Great Xia."

"Zhang Bowen is teaching powerful martial arts to Great Xia’s enemies."

"So I want to record some techniques to teach our people and counter him."

At the mention of Zhang Bowen, Gu Qianqian frowned.

"I’ll take you there right now. You must stop that villain!"

"Qilin, take us there!"

Qilin obediently crouched low.

Chen Feng could tell—

Qilin doted on Qianqian.

The two climbed onto Qilin’s back, carrying their things,

and flew toward the Jade Mountain’s Heavenly Pool.

Chen Feng never dreamed

he’d one day ride a qilin through the skies.

Who would believe it?

Gazing at the endless mountain ranges below, he sighed.

"Such a sight is beyond most people’s imagination."

He saw a tyrannosaurus hunting its prey,

herds of brachiosaurs gazing at the heavens,

and pterosaurs with wingspans over ten meters following Qilin’s trail.

For a moment, Chen Feng nearly pulled out his phone to capture the scene.

But he resisted the urge.

If these photos leaked, he’d have no way to explain.

And if Zhang Bowen saw them—who knew what he’d do?

Would he storm into Great Xia and drag Chen Feng away for interrogation?

Meanwhile, in the Gu Clan’s Twin Fish Pavilion,

a young man addressed several elders:

"Grandfather, I just saw Qianqian and Qilin picking more herbs from the garden."

The elders exchanged glances.

They all recalled something.

Months ago, when Qianqian brought home strange new items, many had gone to look.

The elders had investigated and learned

that during the last Kunlun Mountain opening, Qianqian had taken an outsider as her master.

Like Zhang Bowen, this master could enter and leave Kunlun even during its sealed periods.

Those items had been gifts from him in exchange for herbs.

One elder spoke:

"Qianqian is naive by nature, favored by Qilin."

"Though mischievous, she’s never been destructive."

"Normally, she wouldn’t raid the herb garden like this."

"Her doing so now likely means her master has returned."

Another elder wondered:

"It’s been months since the last time."

"Every entry into Kunlun strips away excess qi and blood essence."

"How can this man disregard his cultivation so carelessly?"

The clan leader, silent until now, declared:

"Regardless, we must find this man—learn whose child he is."

"And determine his true intentions toward Qianqian."

"Send word immediately. Track Qianqian and Qilin’s whereabouts."

The entire Gu Clan mobilized at once.

The young informant, Gu Changqing, joined the search.

At twenty-three, his martial prowess ranked among the clan’s elite.

Gu Clan members didn’t need deliberate cultivation—

their qi and blood essence naturally peaked with age.

Their training focused on mastering techniques.

Since childhood, Gu Changqing had been exceptional.

Even his toy train,

the longest among his peers,

had grown to eighteen cars after winning bets in sparring matches.

Though adulthood had dimmed his interest in toys,

that train remained his most cherished childhood memory.

Until months ago,

when it became a laughingstock.

Because Qianqian had a bigger, finer train—

vibrant colors, spacious cars, even transparent windows.

And worst of all: twenty cars long.

Despite his age, he’d stared in awe.

The unbearable truth?

Qianqian claimed all her treasures—the train, a giant excavator, strange snacks and plush dolls—

cost just five Vermilion Fruits and three herbs.

She’d even said Zhang Bowen deceived him.

How could Gu Changqing accept this?

Zhang Bowen was his idol.

That train symbolized his youth.

Now both were jokes.

He’d been a fool.

Now, Gu Changqing only wanted to confront Qianqian’s master,

to prove this couldn’t be real.

He remembered stealing Vermilion Fruits for that train—

how they’d hung him from the rafters and beaten him raw.