West District.

Twilight descended, casting long shadows upon the crowds of disciples clustering around the imposing spirit ship docking tower.

Amidst the throng, Qian Bage waited, his sharp eyes impatiently scanning the area until they noticed on a familiar figure approaching.

With a wave, he called out, "Oh, Brother Bai, you also got someone on the Mo Clan convoy?"

Bubai, who had just arrived, nodded. He walked over to join Qian Bage, looking upwards. "Both ships should be above, right?"

Following the other’s line of sight, Qian Bage nodded, his hand reaching to comb his messy hair back. "Yeah. They’ve already docked a while ago. They should be coming down any moment now..."

As anticipation hummed in the air, the murmurs of the disciples suddenly swelled like a rising wave where surprise and disbelief surfed.

From the front of the crowd, a commanding voice cut through the noise, bellowing, "Make way, make way!"

The crowd obediently parted, revealing a group of disciples carrying stretchers.

Their faces were drawn with weariness as they hurried forward, each carrying a burden – their bloodied companions with stumps where limbs once were.

Qian Bage and Bubai stepped aside, their expressions turning somber as the procession passed by.

Their attention returned to the tower exit, where more disciples soon emerged.

Most were wrapped in bandages, some supporting their companions limping with broken limbs. It was as if they had just emerged from a brutal battlefield, bearing the scars of a harrowing ordeal.

Cultivators naturally had plenty of life-saving measures on the go. To end up in this state... spoke volumes of the circumstances.

Suddenly, Qian Bage's voice cut through the murmurs of the crowd, his excitement clearly bubbling over, "Ou, that’s them!”

Qian Bage gave a friendly pat to Bubai’s shoulder. “Brother Bai, I’ll catch up with you next time! Bage will go first."

Before Bubai could respond, Qian Bage rushed forward, pushing through the crowd.

He soon arrived in front of a small group of middle-aged men emerging from the tower, each one bearing the familiar features of him, albeit without his trademark grin.

“Hahaha!” Qian Bage gave two of the men hearty pats on their shoulders, eliciting winces of pain. "Si Ge, Wu Ge, it’s rare to see you two this roughed up. But it’s good to see you back!"

Turning to the tallest among them, who wore a solemn expression as if he had met Hades himself, Qian Bage quipped with a cheeky smile, "Lao Er, where are eldest brother and Lao San? And those two cheeky troublemakers?"

“…” Lao Er closed his eyes.

His silence hung heavy in the air, prompting Qian Bage to glance at the other two, who averted gazes and bowed their heads.

“…” Qian Bage's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly brushed off the unease. "Haha, they must still be coming down, right? Oh, why are they so slow, it’s not like them."

With a reassuring pat on their shoulders, Qian Bage took a step forward, determination etched on his face. "Wait here, I’ll go up and help them-"

"Xiao Ba!" Lao Er's voice cut through Qian Bage's resolve like butter, his firm grip on Qian Bage's arm stopping him in his tracks.

Qian Bage turned, a note of uncertainty creeping into his timid voice. “Er Ge?”

"Stop making trouble.” Lao Er took a deep breath, his posture straightening, steeling himself for what he had to say. “Go home. Da Ge and them… won’t be coming back."

Boom! The world seemed to collapse for Qian Bage.

Qian Bage stumbled back, as if the ground had been pulled from beneath him. The other two injured brothers rushed forward, their worried voices blending with the murmurs of the crowd, "Xiao Ba!"

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Watching from afar, Bubai's heart sank like a stone, weighed down by the similar cries unfolding around him.

This was the grim reality of secret realms. Behind the triumphant ascent of the powerful lay the crushing despair of the ordinary.

Countless disciples waited anxiously for the return of their lovers, families, and friends, clinging to hope that gradually turned to bitterness as empty air greeted them instead.

To make it worse, perishing in the unforgiving depths of a secret realm... there might not even be a trace of a corpse left behind to mourn.

Bubai's gaze returned to the tower, his senses extending outward in search of a familiar presence.

But, he didn’t find the one he was looking for.

"What’s taking her so long to come down? Did she already leave with the old geezer?"

Barely after his words finished, Bubai’s focus sharpened. He spotted a beauty clad in a black, tattered Qipao emerging from the tower's exit!

Despite the bandages wrapped around her arms and thigh, she exuded an aura of confidence, as if everyone else was a mere speck of dust in her presence.

With a disdainful expression, she walked right past the melodramatic show, her red bangs swaying with each step, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

When her gaze landed on him, Bubai saw a change in her expression.

She wiped off the disdain on her face, but there was no mistaking the sneer that tugged at her lips as she approached him.

Halting in front of him, Xiao Hong plastered on a smile, speaking in a voice dripping with false sweetness, "Come with me. Master wants to see you."

See him? Oh, he really doesn’t want to meet the old geezer, lest he reveals too much.

Alas, Bubai knew better than to defy her openly. “Please lead the way Miss Hong.”

“Walk.” Leaving the command behind, the crimson beauty strutted away.

With a nod, Bubai fell into step beside her, his mind racing with an ominous suspicion...

Twin Dragons Garden.

It had only been a few hours since Bubai had left here, yet now he was back. This time, with a stunning beauty.

With a face that screamed “I am entitled”, Xiao Hong approached the front desk, rapping lightly on its surface, "We've got a meeting on the fifth floor."

The eunuch stationed behind the counter nodded, "The fourth Sky Route is open."

Without another word, Xiao Hong turned away, and Bubai trailed behind her. They went around the stage and past the staircases, coming to a stop before an archway that led into a shaft.

With a pat on her pouch, Xiao Hong flung out a carpet that automatically unfurled itself in the shaft.

One glance was all it took to see the rather fine rose design that matched the aesthetics of this thorny rose.

Seizing Bubai, Xiao Hong pushed him forward, causing him to stumble.

By the time he regained his footing, Xiao Hong had already leapt onto the carpet, commanding in a tone laced with condescension, "Stand still and don’t touch me, or don’t blame me for pushing you off."

After dropping that ultimatum, the carpet surged upward through the shaft without further warning. Whoosh!

Though Bubai felt he could stand steadily… he still wobbled around, making an effort to have panic painted his features, earning nothing but contempt from the beauty.

The carpet soon reached the fifth floor and drifted out from the archway.

Before he could offset the forward momentum, Bubai felt the rug being yanked from under him.

He stumbled forward and landed on all fours in an undignified fashion.

"Tsk. So weak. I don’t know what Master sees in you," Xiao Hong’s tone was laced with thinly veiled disdain, "But orders are orders. Now, stop wasting time. Master will not be happy if he waits too long."

Hastily scrambling up, Bubai scurried after Xiao Hong, who was already striding away.

Soon, they arrived before the door to a private room. Xiao Hong gave it a knock and announced, "Master, I've brought him."

From inside, the unmistakable voice of the old geezer beckoned, "Come in."

Xiao Hong opened the door and stepped aside, her gaze nailed onto Bubai as she subtly gestured for him to enter with a jerk of her head.

Taking a deep breath, Bubai gathered his resolve and accepted her invitation.

With a quick glance around, Bubai noted that the private room was significantly larger than the one Qian Bage had rented earlier.

It boasted a round table, an arhat bed, and swirling tendrils of incense that filled the air with a heady aroma.

Seated on the arhat bed was Ma Pei, the same old geezer who brought him to the sect, now garbed in a rather simple black robe.

At the moment, the old geezer’s attention seemed wholly absorbed by a ring on his finger, which he turned over and over, seemingly not paying any heed to their entry.

As Bubai approached the elder, his curious eyes peeked at the object of interest. Huh? Did the old man always have that ring?

He certainly didn’t have any memory of it. Yet, he couldn't be certain if it was merely an oversight on his part.

Xiao Hong’s steps came to a stop beside the old man, standing as a silent vigil and casting a disdainful glare at Bubai, who came to a stop not far in front of the elder.

After a moment's hesitation, Bubai offered a respectful salute. "Disciple Mo Bubai meets Elder Ma.”

The old man finally tore his gaze away from the ring, his eyes appraising Bubai with keen interest.

"Hoh? What an interesting young man. Already at the late stage of Qi-refinement. If I hadn’t plucked you from the wild myself, given your posture, I might have mistaken you for a spy from the orthodox sects."

Bubai smiled sheepishly, flattering, "It’s thanks to the elder’s support that I could progress so quickly."

"Hoh, it's good that you know.” Ma Pei's eyes twinkled with mirth. “Well, let's dispense with formalities this time. This old man is not here to find fault."

Following his words, the old man reached for the crimson-haired rose, pulling her onto his lap. His hands slipped into the folds of Xiao Hong’s qipao, eliciting a gasp from her.

Despite her circumstances, Xiao Hong still maintained her condescending gaze on Bubai, her lips curling into a meaningful sneer.

This thorny rose’s acting was so fake, yet her antics brought brought a pleasant smile to the old man’s face. Wantonly fondling the rabbit, the old man’s eyes settled upon his only audience.

Noticing Bubai’s features that were schooled into a mask of polite indifference, Ma Pei grinned mischievously, "Now, there is a good news and a bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"