Chapter 15

This made her even more confused about Ling Qingxiao’s current mental state. When he had fought Ling Zhongyu in the secret realm, every move had been filled with deadly intent—clearly a form of revenge. Yet now, after receiving such a blatantly unfair command from his father, he remained utterly calm.
Had Ling Qingxiao already begun to blacken or not? Luo Han couldn’t understand him at all.
Since Luo Han wanted a good meal, they stopped at a bustling restaurant, where she eagerly tried various delicacies. Naturally, she needed a walk As soon as she knew they were finally leaving, Luo Han practically leaped into action. She hurriedly tossed cushions, books, and accessories back into her storage space. Ling Qingxiao watched silently, enduring the chaos as she ruthlessly stuffed a fine blanket inside without even folding it.
As Luo Han swiftly cleaned up, she marveled once again at how convenient the storage space was. If she could bring only one thing from this world back to her modern one, this storage space would definitely be it—an absolute must-have for home and travel.
Although Luo Han left the campsite in disarray, Ling Qingxiao had few belongings himself, standing ready almost instantly. He waited patiently as Luo Han finally finished and walked outside together.
Outside, Ling Qingxiao had arranged layers of barriers and arrays—lethal traps, bewildering illusions, and elaborate formations nested within each other. Indeed, not even a fly had entered in the past half-month.
Watching Ling Qingxiao methodically dismantle each array, Luo Han admired sincerely, "Even arrays—you’re proficient in them too?"
"Only superficially," he replied calmly.
Superficially...Luo Han rolled her eyes inwardly at this understatement from the genius cultivator.
Finally, with the last barrier removed, birdsong and insect chirping instantly filled the silence, rushing in like a torrent of sound. Luo Han took a deep breath, savoring the taste of freedom.
With the barrier lifted, their auras reappeared in the cultivation world, and several messenger talismans quickly fluttered before them. They were all from Ye Zinan, who’d safely reached Yunzhou, anxiously inquiring about their safety.
Communication talismans were common tools in the cultivation world—fast, secure, and efficient, almost like specialized mobile texts. One only needed to write down a message and the recipient’s unique identification code, activate it with a minimal amount of spiritual energy, and it would quickly find its recipient.
Due to Ye Zinan’s fear of provoking Ling Qingxiao earlier, he’d left without daring to ask for Luo Han’s personal code. Thus, unable to reach Luo Han directly, he could only bite the bullet and send messages straight to Ling Qingxiao.
Ling Qingxiao briefly skimmed the messages and waved his hand, storing them all away without much reaction. In the end, Luo Han couldn’t bear it and took the initiative to reply to Ye Zinan, quickly imprinting the Vermilion Bird clan symbol and Ye Zinan’s identification mark onto the message talisman before sending it off with a flick of her finger.
The moment Luo Han withdrew her hand, the message talisman glowed brightly, spun once in midair, and swiftly vanished into the sky. She couldn't help but look up, marveling at this mystical method of communication. "That's incredible."
Ling Qingxiao waited patiently until Luo Han withdrew her gaze, then softly reminded her, "Let's go."
Just as Luo Han nodded and was about to speak, another message talisman suddenly approached from the horizon. Its brilliant glow and extraordinary speed clearly indicated it belonged to an entirely different class compared to Ye Zinan’s earlier messages.
An uneasy feeling stirred within Luo Han’s heart, and instinctively she glanced at Ling Qingxiao. Though she had yet to see its contents, she had already guessed who sent it.
This talisman arrived later despite its obvious superior quality, which meant it had traveled from a much farther realm. While Ling Qingxiao was in seclusion, his aura had been concealed by multiple layers of restrictions, causing the talisman to wait at a midpoint until it could finally sense its recipient’s presence again.
Thus, it arrived after Ye Zinan’s casual notes.
The message slowed automatically as it approached Ling Qingxiao, steadily floating in front of him. Ling Qingxiao remained calm, waving his hand lightly as the talisman unfurled itself, revealing a single line of harshly written text:
"Disgraceful child, return to Zhongshan immediately."
The letters lingered briefly before the entire talisman erupted into flames, swiftly turning to ash that dispersed silently into the wind.
Ling Qingxiao made no effort to conceal the message from Luo Han, who saw everything clearly. Her embarrassment was palpable—she had just inadvertently glimpsed a deeply personal matter. After a brief silence, Luo Han carefully asked, "Are we heading back to Zhongshan now?"
Although Luo Han had bound Ling Qingxiao to serve as her protector for a thousand years, that was merely her way of staying close to him to prevent his eventual descent into madness and destruction. As long as the future Celestial Emperor stayed by her side, Luo Han was content to follow wherever he went—even if that meant accompanying him back to his complicated family in Zhongshan.
Ling Qingxiao, however, appeared indifferent. Summoning his Jiuxiao, he replied softly, "There's no rush. We’ll proceed according to our original plan: visit the nearby town first, let you enjoy a proper meal, then head to Zhongshan."
Luo Han hesitated. "But your family must be waiting anxiously by now. Won’t delaying any longer cause trouble?"
"Why would it?" Ling Qingxiao responded evenly, calm and composed as always. "Since I've already promised to take you to eat first, naturally, I cannot break my word."
Luo Han inwardly marveled at how rigidly disciplined Ling Qingxiao was. She quietly agreed and stepped onto his sword.
afterward, which quickly turned into shopping, taking up the whole day.
On the second day, Ling Qingxiao still appeared unhurried, guiding her leisurely toward a larger city to catch a flying ship back to Zhongshan.
Luo Han’s cultivation was far too low to fly such an extensive distance on their own. Since the Zhongshan Clan’s personal flying ships had already left—carrying Ling Zhongyu and the injured Ling family members—they had no choice but to find commercial vessels to take them back, a journey both inconvenient and slow.
Surprisingly, Ling Qingxiao showed no frustration at being left behind. Seeing his calm demeanor, Luo Han relaxed as well. Let those biased parents wait as long as they had to. After all, they were the ones who had caused such complications to begin with.
Traveling home could be done either quickly or leisurely. This was Luo Han’s first opportunity to genuinely explore the cultivation world’s vast territories. As they wandered from town to town, she discovered countless wonders. By the time they boarded a direct flying ship bound for Zhongshan, four months had already passed.
Luo Han’s storage space was now overflowing with countless specialties and souvenirs. Thankfully, the Bodhi Tree’s storage pendant was spacious beyond imagination—she could have even stored an entire mountain within it, much less a few trinkets.
Their final destination was Tianzhao City, aptly named as it sat beneath Zhongshan’s majestic peaks, crafted entirely from white stone. When viewed from afar, the city gleamed like a reflection of heaven itself, vast and magnificent.
As one of the Four Great Cities of the Sixteenth Heaven, Tianzhao City thrived beneath Zhongshan’s protection, bustling with auctions, treasure shops, artifact markets, and medicine exchanges. It was a major trading hub in the cultivation world, bringing wealth to Zhongshan, which in turn safeguarded its prosperity—a symbiotic relationship that had lasted for countless millennia.
After reaching Tianzhao City, Luo Han, for once, suppressed her desire to explore and quickly joined Ling Qingxiao as he summoned his sword, flying directly toward Zhongshan itself.
Luo Han stood atop the Jiuxiao, rising higher and higher into the sky. Below her, Tianzhao City gradually shrank into a delicate miniature, like a proud white swan nestled amidst verdant peaks. Passing through thick layers of clouds, the view suddenly became expansive. Streams of colorful sword-light crisscrossed between the peaks, weaving vibrant rainbows through the misty clouds. Higher up, graceful pavilions and halls peeked through the drifting haze.
Taking in the breathtaking scenery, Luo Han softly asked, "Is this…where you grew up?"
Since entering Zhongshan’s territory, Ling Qingxiao had grown increasingly quiet and withdrawn. Hearing Luo Han’s question, he merely nodded slightly. "Yes."
Indeed, it was the very place where he grew up—a majestic, ancient, powerful sect that dazzled the eyes, yet was icy, ruthless, and bound by cruel rivalry.
Flight was prohibited once they reached the Wentian Gate, so Ling Qingxiao landed gently on the stone steps and turned around to carefully help Luo Han step down.
Luo Han glanced upward along the grand staircase and finally understood why Ling Qingxiao had previously described the temporary residence at Xiankeju as merely “acceptable.” Before her now stood Wentian Gate, towering and solemn, a formidable entrance opening onto countless majestic halls and palaces further beyond. Spiritual radiance drifted in ethereal ribbons, auspicious cranes glided past, and an air of silent majesty filled the atmosphere.
Wentian Gate, the bustling southern entrance of Zhongshan, was busy as ever. As soon as Ling Qingxiao appeared, all eyes subtly locked onto him.
But at the very center of everyone’s attention, Ling Qingxiao seemed entirely indifferent. After landing, he turned to gently assist a young lady down. She wore a veiled hat that concealed her features, but her bearing was elegant enough to rival Ling Qingxiao himself, known throughout Zhongshan for his extraordinary appearance.
Whispers rose immediately—who was she?
Within moments, messaging jade slips and transmission talismans flew in every direction across Zhongshan, all bearing the same burning question. By the time Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao had climbed halfway up the stairs, a group of attendants hurried down from Wentian Gate, calling respectfully from afar, "Second Young Master!"

Ling Qingxiao didn’t even spare them a glance. Luo Han, closely following his lead, also coldly passed by them without a word. The leader of the attendants, clearly a steward, was momentarily stunned by Ling Qingxiao’s arrogance, but quickly chased after him, insisting, "Second Young Master, the Patriarch is waiting for you."
Ling Qingxiao merely responded with an indifferent hum, showing no intention of hurrying.
Noticing that Ling Qingxiao was not heading towards the Patriarch’s main hall, the steward’s temples began twitching in panic. He urgently repeated, "Second Young Master, both the Patriarch and Madam are anxiously awaiting your arrival!"
The Eldest Young Master had left Zhongshan in perfect health, only to return with a severed hand, leaving Madam and Lady Bai utterly distraught. All previous grudges between the two ladies were forgotten as they tearfully surrounded Ling Zhongyu. When the Patriarch, Ling Xianhong, rushed home and learned it was none other than the Second Young Master who had inflicted the injury, his fury had nearly overturned the heavens.
Zhongshan had been on edge ever since. Yet despite all this, the Second Young Master had taken a leisurely four months to return, during which the Patriarch and Madam’s anger had accumulated like a brewing storm. Now it threatened to consume the whole of Zhongshan.
The steward was desperate, unable to bear it any longer, and raised his voice, "Second Young Master!"
What had happened to Ling Qingxiao? Not only had he returned with a mysterious girl, but he now even treated her with surprising gentleness. If Ling Qingxiao didn’t hurry, the Patriarch might just destroy what remained of Zhongshan in his anger!
When Ling Zhongyu underwent his heavenly tribulation, half of Zhongshan had already been damaged by lightning. The sect was currently facing financial strain due to repairs—if the Patriarch destroyed the remaining half in his anger, Zhongshan would truly be ruined.
But Ling Qingxiao had always been strictly disciplined—or rather, he never listened to anyone’s opinions. Seeing the steward’s distress, Luo Han thoughtfully intervened, whispering softly, "Just tell me where to go, I can settle myself in. Your family is clearly waiting for you, you should go handle things first."
"They have plenty of time," Ling Qingxiao said indifferently. "It doesn’t matter if they wait longer. It’s not safe for you to go alone. I'll escort you."
The steward nearly fainted in frustration, feeling like he might spit blood at any moment. He had pleaded until his voice went hoarse, but Ling Qingxiao had remained utterly unmoved. Yet, with just a single sentence from this girl, the Second Young Master immediately complied?
What strange spell had this young woman cast on him?

Author’s Note:
Luo Han: It’s safest if I watch him personally.
Ling Qingxiao: It’s safest if I watch her personally.