Xiao Yan was naturally unaware that a member of the Hun Clan had infiltrated the Xiao Sect. If he had known, he would have immediately turned back to deal with the threat. At the moment, however, he was hurrying toward Jia Nan Academy under the guidance of little Zi Yan.
"Xiao Yan, wouldn't you say this counts as us going home to visit family?" Zi Yan suddenly grinned mid-journey, a mischievous glint in her violet eyes.
"Where do you even learn these sayings?" Xiao Yan said, somewhat speechless. This girl's train of thought was beyond unusual—thinking about that kind of thing at a time like this. Still, it reminded him to once again warn both Qing Lin and Zi Yan: under no circumstances were they to reveal their relationship with him to others. Not because he was trying to be a heartless scumbag—but rather because such a relationship, if made public, would definitely cause tongues to wag and reputations to suffer.
He didn't care about his own reputation. In his past life, he had already been branded a villain across the Dou Qi Continent. But Qing Lin and Zi Yan were different. If word got out, others might view them with disgust or suspicion, and that was a situation he didn't want to see.
Of course, if it ever came to that, he wouldn't hesitate to silence any gossiper in the bloodiest way possible.
Soon, they arrived at a small town on the border between Jia Nan Academy and the Black-Corner Region. Xiao Yan glanced at the sign hanging at the entrance—it read "Peace Town" in big, bold characters. The name was plain, almost mundane, but any cultivator entering from the Black-Corner Region was required to behave themselves here.
If they had followed normal protocol, they would've needed to register and take a special pill provided by Jia Nan Academy to proceed further. But with Xiao Yan's current strength, he could easily bypass such checks entirely—his presence couldn't be detected unless one was at least a Dou Zong. Jia Nan Academy had yet to reach the point of having Dou Zong experts standing guard.
Their target was the Inner Academy, so they skipped the outer campus entirely and slipped into the mountains behind. What most people referred to as Jia Nan Academy was really just the outer campus—the Inner Academy was hidden deep within a vast and secretive mountain range. Without a specific route, it would be almost impossible to locate.
Fortunately, Zi Yan seemed quite familiar with the terrain. Judging by her confident movements, she must have snuck out from here more than once. Not long after they entered the forest, a powerful aura surged toward them, and several figures suddenly emerged around Xiao Yan and the others.
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. With his soul power, he had already sensed their presence. If he wanted, he could dispatch them all in an instant. But now wasn't the time to stir up trouble with Jia Nan Academy, so he refrained.
A deep, aged voice echoed through the forest. "Stranger, why have you entered Jia Nan Academy's territory without permission?"
"Old Su Qian! It's me!" Zi Yan suddenly stepped forward, folding her arms with an indignant pout.
"Zi Yan?" The old voice clearly wavered with surprise. A moment later, an old man appeared from the trees, eyes scanning her intently. Once he confirmed her identity, he frowned. "Where have you been all this time?"
"Didn't I have someone send a letter? I went to play in the Black-Corner Region for a while." Zi Yan stuck out her tongue with a playful giggle.
"Ridiculous!" Su Qian immediately flared up. "Do you have any idea what kind of place that is? If someone had recognized your identity, you would've been sold to the highest bidder!"
Zi Yan shrank back behind Xiao Yan, startled by the elder's fury. "Why are you yelling? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
Su Qian wanted to scold her further, but his gaze landed on the two strangers beside her. His expression quickly turned serious.
Qing Lin, who appeared only around ten years old, had the aura of a Dou Ling. That alone was shocking. But the young man standing beside her—his aura was on par with Su Qian's own!
'A Dou Zong at his age? Is that even possible?' Su Qian's thoughts were spinning.
"And these two are?" he asked cautiously.
"This is my sworn sister, Qing Lin," Zi Yan introduced, then pointed to Xiao Yan. "And this is my hus—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Yan quickly covered her mouth and gave a polite smile. "I'm her friend. My name is Xiao Yan."
"Xiao Yan?" Su Qian frowned slightly, mulling over the unfamiliar name. Then his gaze fell on the enormous black ruler strapped to Xiao Yan's back, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock. "You're the one who defeated the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Alchemy Emperor Han Feng—the master of the Xiao Sect?"
News of Xiao Sect's rise had spread like wildfire through the Black-Corner Region, and Jia Nan Academy had naturally collected intelligence on its leader. One of the key details? He wielded a strange, black heavy ruler. Combined with the letter they had previously received, claiming Zi Yan was staying with the Xiao Sect, it was easy to deduce that the young Dou Zong before him was none other than the mysterious sect leader.
"Just lucky, that's all," Xiao Yan replied with a smile, neither confirming nor denying it.
Hearing that, many of the surrounding Jia Nan Academy members drew in sharp breaths. They were inwardly relieved that they hadn't attacked rashly—if a fight had broken out, aside from Su Qian, none of them would've stood a chance.
They didn't know Xiao Yan's exact level, but they had heard of his fearsome record. If he had really come here to cause trouble, only the academy's reclusive guardians or Su Qian himself might be able to hold him off.
Su Qian stared at Xiao Yan with admiration. "To think you're the one they've all been talking about… So young and already a Dou Zong. Truly, a hero among men."
He sighed deeply, then regained his composure. "So, may I ask what business the master of the Xiao Sect has with Jia Nan Academy, traveling all this way?"
(End of Chapter)
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