I walked absentmindedly out of the library, my body moving on autopilot until a familiar presence brought me back to reality. Speedy was sleeping on the grass beside the large gate leading outside the Sect.

Sensing my presence, he opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were a bright green, almost like his shell.

“Did you miss me, little guy?” I asked, spreading my arms wide.

He stood up, slowly approached me, and rubbed his head against my chest. I rubbed his head and scratched his chin. But Speedy quickly got over his feelings, laying his head down and softly snoring.

“This artifact is yours, right?” Ye An’s voice came from behind a tree. She wore her usual inner disciple blue robes; her deep blue eyes had gained a silver lining around them and seemed to radiate coldness. She held the carpet artifact the governor had gifted me in her hands.

She looked the same as always, except for the increased silver bangs in her hair. When we first met, only a few strands in her bangs were silver. Now, the whole front part of her hair was silver.

There was an array that prevented people from sensing clearly, likely a method to stop any attackers from figuring out how many guards were in place. I had sensed someone else here.

I walked closer to her and put a hand on the carpet. Her cold fingers brushed against mine slightly. I covered the artifact with Qi, and once it was taken over by my presence, I easily stuffed it into my storage ring.

Ye An had a knowing smirk as if privy to a joke only she knew. “I heard some interesting rumors-”

“No,” I answered before she could finish her sentence.

“You didn’t even listen to what I had to say first,” she said, the smile slipping off her face.

“Well, the answer is still no,” I said, turning my back on her and walking up to Speedy. I felt her cold gaze on me. Despite hiding it quite well, she didn’t seem happy with my answer.

Song Song had many problems, some of which I wanted to fix. She may even change for the better. Or at least, I could direct her murderous energy toward people who deserved it.

As for Ye An? Whatever problems she had, I didn’t care about them. She had tried to kill me. That wasn’t something I would forget easily.

Also, whatever she was about to say probably had something to do with Song Song. She likely wanted me to betray her. But no matter how things played out, I would never betray someone who had saved my life many times for someone who had tried to take it.

“You are walking into a dead end with Song Song. No one will support a murderous psychopath. She could end up killing you next, just like she did with some of her previous supporters,” Ye An warned.

“Oh, you’re worried about Song Song?” I asked with mock surprise.

Ye An frowned, her face scrunching as if she had swallowed a lemon. Even as a joke, she never toyed with the idea of actually helping Song Song.

“No,” she stated resolutely.

“Then, Song Song and her supporters are not your problem,” I said.

Her face returned to normal as she regained her composure.

"I want to repay the debt of you sparing my life," she stated.

"You already saved me," I refuted. "You know, recently, when the assassins almost killed me."

"That is where we disagree," she smiled. "You could have probably held on until Song Song broke through."

I almost believed her. Ye An's expressions were immaculate, and she was a good actress. Her reasons sounded plausible, as some people had a weird sense of honor. Of course, said "honor" had nothing to do with Ye An.

"Don't worry," I responded to her smile with one of my own. "It doesn't matter how you look at it. You have repaid the debt in my eyes."

There was no debt to begin with. If I could have had it my way, she would have been killed back then when Song Song absolutely destroyed her. But Ye An must have a powerful background… This was just baseless speculation based on what I knew from my first life.

"If you are going to be selfish and only think about your feelings, then I will also be selfish and think only about my feelings and not take your opinion into account," Ye An said.

Before I could retort, some people walked in on us. There were five familiar faces: three inner disciples and two outer disciples.

It was Liu Qian, Liu Bo, Liu Heng, Liu Lia, and Liu Hong. They immediately grew tense when they met my gaze and glanced at Ye An.

What? Why were they all here and together like this? Oh, right. Song Song said something about my cousins looking for me. They must have heard the news I was in the Outer Sect.

I tried to keep a smile from appearing on my face. With my cousins around, there was no need to worry about Ye An having an edge in this conversation.

Sometimes, there were lucky coincidences in life. This was one of them. With them around, Ye An no longer had the overwhelming advantage if a fight were to break out.

"Yo! Liu Feng, we just returned from the front lines and have been looking everywhere for you!" Liu Bo, the cheery inner disciple, waved at me. He acted like he didn't understand what was happening, but the sharp look in his eyes and the bubbling Qi made it clear that he was ready for a fight.

I hadn't sensed them due to the array that covered the front gate. It made everything a bit blurry. Though from the rough centers around the area, specific effects probably would allow people with "keys" to sense perfectly well, meaning only the guards could sense as usual.

Now isn't the best time to analyze the high-level array.

How much had they heard? Because if they only heard Ye An's last words, some people might misunderstand. From a certain point of view, without context, her last words sounded like a confession.

I wouldn't stain any lady's reputation like that, as any man worth his salt wouldn't do something like that. Especially in a world like this…

"Sorry, I am engaged," I shook my head.

Of course, I didn't consider Ye An a lady. Her reputation was none of my business.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

That caused some of my cousins to widen their eyes in shock, especially Liu Qian, the daughter of the Liu Clan Leader. She was one of the few privy to the details of the alliance between the Liu Clan and the Clan of my fiancée.

I expected Ye An to get angry, or perhaps she would play it cool and act like nothing happened. However, she tilted her head and looked genuinely confused.

There was a strange culture here. It was weird how some people knew more about murdering someone than the birds and the bees. Song Song was the best example of this.

"Think about my offer," Ye An said, dismissing my previous words. She turned around and began walking away. "I won't get in the way of you and your family."

I watched Ye An as she walked away, ensuring she wouldn't sneak attack or anything like that.

After she disappeared into the trees, I turned toward my cousins. "Okay, we should first get away from these gates. We can barely sense anyone approaching."

I summoned the flying carpet from my storage ring and had it slip under Speedy, lifting up the turtle. Speedy let his body slump over the rug, and the sudden elevation didn't disturb his slumber.

My cousins were staring at me like they were looking at an exotic wild animal.

"You really changed," Liu Bo said, laughing as if he had just heard a funny joke. He was the only one who could state out loud what he was thinking.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Liu Heng, the strict-looking one, responded, "You were too bratty when you were young. Also, Ye An was the kind of girl you would have broken your engagement for."

Though I had outgrown that phase when I was five, it seemed like my cousins were still concerned. Old habits die hard, and my engagement was quite important. It was with another clan of similar power to the Liu Clan.

As I began walking away from the front gate, my younger cousins, the twins, followed behind me like baby ducks. While the other three took a bit longer, they still followed.

Once we were outside of the array's effects, we ended up in a forest with naked trees, though some of the greenery showed signs of revival. My senses were no longer disrupted.

I looked at my cousins, waiting for them to say something first. But it seemed like they were also expecting the same from me.

Liu Bo was the first to speak, slapping me on the back and saying, "Congratulations! We never thought any of us would be able to get so close to Song Song!"

"Also, you are now an inner disciple and a Qi Gathering Cultivator," Liu Qian calmly added. "Whatever methods you used to get this far, the clan will support you. However, you should be cautious of how your relationship with Song Song might come off to others."

"Especially with the Sect Tournament right around the corner, you must be extra careful of any rumors," Liu Heng advised. For a strict guy, even he looked worried. Though he always had that frown, so perhaps he was not as grumpy as he seemed.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on participating in the tournament," I clarified.

"That is not why we are worried," Liu Qian's calm gaze washed over me. "Your fiancée is from one of the big Sects too. There is a good chance that she will be coming as one of the spectators."

Ah…

"You will finally meet her after over a decade of being apart," Liu Qian added.

My fiancée… This was something I had been putting to the back of my mind.

"I might just have to go on a mission outside the Sect during that time," I joked.

It was common knowledge within the Liu Clan that I had fussed about how my fiancée was not some jade-like beauty when we were younger. This was often a source of playful banter among my fellow clan members.

"This is why I told you to keep an eye on your relationship with Song Song and how outsiders might perceive it," Liu Qian said, frowning. "I know Song Song is practicing the same technique as I, where she can't have the company of men. She would never ruin that for some man; I know her. But weaker, unknowing disciples with nothing better to do don't know that."

"Don't worry, I will handle it. I know just the things to say," I reassured my cousin. She was taking this whole thing as her personal responsibility.

Liu Qian was the Liu Clan Leader's daughter, but taking such heavy responsibility on her shoulders at such a young age would just cause undue stress. If I had learned one thing this last year, it was that I shouldn't worry about things I had no control over.

"Also, whatever you and Ye An have going on, keep it under wraps," she added.

"What we have is nothing. I would kill her if I ever got the chance," I responded.

"I guessed it was something like that," Liu Qian nodded. "Ye An is kind of like Song Song in that she seems very single-minded. But as I said before, rumors don't care about facts."

She glossed over the fact that I had confessed I wanted to kill someone. But it wasn't that strange here. Would I even be considered a cultivator if I didn't have one or two mortal enemies?

"Is it that bad?" I inquired.

She was making such a big deal about it. While I didn't have my fingers on the pulse of the Sect's rumor mill, it wasn't like many cared about the relationship between Song Song and me. There were many more exciting things to talk about, like how Song Song was indiscriminately killing people.

My cousins shifted around. While Liu Qian seemed worried, Liu Bo smiled from ear to ear and teased our twin cousins. On the other hand, Liu Heng was glaring at the smiling Liu Bo as if reprimanding him with his gaze.

Even Song Song's enemies would concentrate more on spreading rumors about her cruelty rather than something inconsequential as a possible relationship between us. Anyone with half a brain could tell that it was just made-up nonsense.

"Not necessarily," Liu Qian shrugged. "There are more important things to gossip about. Most don't believe someone like you, who is always known to be reading books can somehow get… along with Song Song in such an intimate way. But you should still keep an eye on things, and don’t give rumors a reason to form. This alliance is quite important for the Liu Clan."

"But Song Song is more important, right?" I inquired. This question came out of nowhere so I could get a read on them.

What was the Liu Clan's stance on Song Song? Did they consider me compromised and no longer tell me anything crucial, or did they think I was still working for Liu Clan's benefit?

“Of course, Song Song is a powerful potential ally. But that is only in the far future. Your fiancée’s clan, however, will help us immediately,” Liu Qian said, and there seemed to be no deceit in her voice. “Especially now that the clan has already publicized that we have found an Earth Grade Technique.”

While in the Blazing Sun Sect, as long as someone was an Inner Disciple, there was a good chance they had an Earth Grade Technique. But outside the Sect, even a local powerhouse like the Liu Clan would have difficulty getting their hands on something like that.

Still, meeting my fiancée... For some reason, I felt kind of nervous. Was this the original Liu Feng side of me acting up? Also, a tournament with Hu Jin around… The Blazing Sun Sect was weakened quite a bit during the last beast wave. Would it be one of those moments where the rival Sects took advantage of this whole ordeal and tried to destroy the Blazing Sun Sect while it was down?

I was joking with Liu Qian before when I said I would be on a mission outside the Sect during that time. But perhaps that wasn’t such a bad idea.

The sun set in the distance, covering the sky crimson. My thoughts were going a thousand miles a minute, trying to think of every outcome. My head felt like a balloon about to burst.

But I calmed down as soon as my heart began beating faster. I was no longer just some guy who would panic about anything and everything that even remotely had the potential for danger.

This was an issue way above my level. Perhaps I was wrong about this theory altogether. I should look at the positive things in life, like how I would see many high-level techniques used in the tournament!

I still had the Song Clan voucher that Song Song had given me, and there were likely many other secrets hidden in that library. Things had settled down enough where I could relax and read.

As for what would happen in the future? Who cared? I only had to worry about reading books. The Sect Elders and the Sect Leader had to worry about things beyond my level.

“Anyway, you must have had a hard time until now. Sorry we weren’t around,” Liu Qian apologized. After all that grinding my gears, she had a worried gaze as she looked me in the eyes. “We should go to a nice restaurant in the Inner Sect, my treat.”

“Lady Qian, can we also come there?” asked Liu Long, the feminine-looking twin.

“Of course, you’re coming along!” Liu Bo put his arms around the necks of the twins. “We must prepare a party for Liu Feng becoming an Inner Disciple. Perhaps a bit of a late party since so many things happened, but this is an achievement worth celebrating!”

Serious as ever, Liu Hong explained in more detail, “Liu Feng is now one of the reputed Qi Gathering Cultivators of the Liu Clan. He is now one of the powerhouses of the Liu Clan.”

“Usually, my father would host a party personally. But we can’t do that due to our circumstances,” Liu Qian bowed her head slightly toward me. “Sorry. I hope you’re okay with only us being there.”

“Why’re you acting so stiff?” I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. We are family, after all.”

Family… I never thought I would feel this way. Perhaps Liu Feng’s original memories affected me, but I did care about these people.

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End of Book 2