Qin Ruqing also smiled without surprise, nodding gently. “Indeed, the Director relies on his strength, while Ruqing’s reliance… is perhaps that the Director hasn’t found a worker with talents better suited than Ruqing’s.

So far, Ruqing should be the most special, thus still having a bit of qualification to negotiate here.”

Qin Ruqing extended a finger, indicating a size as small as a fingernail, mimicking Fifth Lingyu’s earlier gesture, and lightly blew on it.

Afterward, he folded his hands behind his back and smiled serenely at him.

The air stilled for a moment, then Fifth Lingyu burst into laughter again.

He felt that the joy and amusement he had experienced over the past year were nothing compared to today.

After laughing, he walked up to Qin Ruqing, lifted his lips, and said softly, “You are indeed special. You do have the capital to negotiate with me.”

With that, he extended his hand.

Qin Ruqing stared at his fingertips but didn’t evade them as she did last time.

Fifth Lingyu’s fingertip touched Qin Ruqing’s forehead once more.

However, this time, the meaning was completely different from before.

As their fingertips touched, a golden light flashed.

Fifth Lingyu used his other hand to cast a spell.

A mark appeared on Qin Ruqing’s forehead and then disappeared.

Fifth Lingyu withdrew his hand and turned away. “I’ll give you another protective mark. This mark can block a fatal blow for you. It can passively appear or be summoned by you, by crushing the jade pendant from earlier. If you never use it, its defensive power will increase with my cultivation.” With a playful smile, he added, “If I ascend to immortality one day, you will have a charm that can resist attacks from immortals.”

Qin Ruqing widened his eyes in astonishment and covered his forehead in joy.

After a while, she bowed respectfully and said crisply, “Thank you very much, Director!”

When she lowered her head, she secretly smiled.

So, cool, when it’s like this, naturally grows thicker.

When Qin Ruqing left the council chamber, he noticed that the scribe recorder had been waiting outside the door the whole time, instead of leaving.

Seeing Qin Ruqing come out, the recorder sighed and said, “Elder Qin, let me escort you.”

Since he was so polite, Qin Ruqing naturally wouldn’t refuse.

As they walked slowly through the corridor, the recorder didn’t look at Qin Ruqing, but spoke with a complex expression, “Your talent is extraordinary, but your temperament is obstinate. If you were born into an aristocratic family of celestials, you would be thrown into the Four Hell Pools to temper and discipline you.”

Qin Ruqing smiled.

Although he didn’t know what the Four Hell Pools were, she imagined it wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Our ancestor used to say the same thing.”

The recorder glanced at Qin Ruqing.

The meaning in that glance was clear—since your ancestor said such things, how did your temperament turn out like this?

Qin Ruqing grinned, “Our ancestor also couldn’t help it,” she sighed.

Her parents were the type who couldn’t control her and couldn’t bear to control her, so they relied entirely on their ancestor.

As a result, the ancestors gradually indulged her more and more, and eventually, no one…

The recorder widened his eyes and shook his head.

The Qin family’s authority was still too weak.

Someone like Qin Ruqing really couldn’t be restrained.

In the recorder’s view, Qin Ruqing was like an uncut jade that needed proper polishing to shine in the future.

Allowing her to run wild would only damage her genius.

The recorder pondered on educational methods, but Qin Ruqing suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked at him seriously.

“Today, I have spoken quite rudely in the hall. Thank you, Elder, for being magnanimous and not taking offense at a junior like me.”

With that, she respectfully bowed.

The recorder was stunned by her bow, suddenly understanding why their ancestor hadn’t tried to tame her temperament.

With such politeness and charm, coupled with extraordinary talent, even if she was bold in her actions and a bit mischievous, what harm could it do?

“With Small Floating Island over, it’s time for Ruqing to return to Nanling. I formally bid farewell to the Recorder.”

The recorder watched the slender and free-spirited red figure disappear into the misty night, feeling strangely complex, and sighed deeply.

Qin Ruqing saw Tang Zifeng waiting quietly, waved at him, and took a few quick steps toward him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Tang Zifeng shook his head, his gaze fixed on her. “Are you alright?”

Qin Ruqing spread out her hands and spun around in front of him, carefree. “Look, not a single hair out of place.”

Tang Zifeng smirked, “That’s good.”

He asked again, “How did it go today?”

Qin Ruqing shook her head playfully, “Thanks to my sincere gratitude in words, they not only didn’t trouble me but also gave me a lot of extra things.” I managed to pull a lot of wool.

Sincere gratitude in words?

Tang Zifeng raised an eyebrow subtly and instantly understood that Qin Ruqing was likely playing tricks on people again.

After cursing the aristocratic family of celestials countless times in the secret realm, how could she sincerely thank them?

Those easily fooled by a little trickster’s mouth are usually inexperienced and haven’t suffered losses.

Someone like Tang Zifeng, who has been turned upside down and tricked countless times, has long learned from experience and lessons.

This venting was necessary.

Tang Zifeng’s lips were just about to curl when Qin Ruqing caught on.

She sighed and quickly said, “See through it but don’t expose it, alright?”

With that, she clapped her hands lightly. “Alright, it’s late. Time to go back.”

Tang Zifeng indeed closed his almost curled lips and nodded.

He summoned a small flying boat, and Qin Ruqing immediately jumped on board excitedly.

“Hey, let me drive the boat today.”

Tang Zifeng remained silent but automatically moved to the stern.

That was his way of yielding the driver’s seat.

Thus, the flying boat darted through the night desert.

The wind tousled Qin Ruqing’s hair as she exclaimed with gusto, feeling quite pleased with herself.

“Well, I told you, I’m pretty good at piloting these flying boats. You never let me touch them.”

Tang Zifeng’s index and middle fingers, hidden in the darkness, subtly emitted spiritual fluctuations to stabilize the stern of the boat.

His expression remained calm as he murmured, “You’re not bad.”

Back at the Fifth Inn after a day dealing with the Celestial Bureau, Qin Ruqing didn’t immediately go to sleep.

She sat on the rooftop of the inn, gazing at the stars.

“Well, of course not,” she thought to herself, dismissing any romantic notions.

Qin Ruqing was busy summarizing her gains from the journey in Small Floating Island.

“Hmm, got my hands on the Mysterious Heart Liquid. The Lin family might have some ideas left, but it’s manageable. Basically secured it, no big issues there.”

“The Spirit of the Earth is really something good. Bringing this back from the trip makes it worthwhile. I’ll put it in the medicinal field at home and let it nourish the soil. Yes, turn all our land into fertile soil.”

“Not sure what that purple gas cloud is. Fifth Lingyu won’t tell me. But no worries, I’ll ask our ancestor when I get back.”

“Also, where Fifth Lingyu wants me to go requires being recognized by the Heavenly Dao as a genius.

That’s definitely not a problem.

I’m definitely a little genius!

Even capable of reincarnation as a great immortal.

But from what Fifth Lingyu said, it’s too dangerous.

No rush though, when I’m ready in the future, I’ll definitely seize the opportunity there.

Fifth Lingyu thinks he’s not losing out and maybe even gaining a bit, haha, but I’ll definitely win big.

That’s what winning is about!”

“Simple analysis: Fifth Lingyu has a high status in the aristocratic family of celestials, definitely from a main branch, but doesn’t seem to be at the top.

If he were, why bother coming to Xiling, a place that could bake someone into charcoal? Gilding oneself, but if you’re already solid gold, why bother gilding?”

“And he needs to win me over, certainly because of the special nature of that place and my unconventional ways.

But his own foundation isn’t stable, that’s a fact.

My guess is, within the aristocratic family of celestials, there’s intense internal competition, divided into several factions.

Fifth Lingyu has strong competitors who are even more unconventional than him, because they don’t need to come down here to wilderness themselves.”

“Hmm, told not to contact the Feng family? Can I really obey that?

A true adult naturally has to make contacts.

But dealing with the aristocratic family of immortals requires a lot of brainpower.

Mainly because my strength isn’t there yet, no matter how I maneuver, it’s useless and could easily backfire.

So, in the future, I need to be more cautious.

The Feng family… seems to manage the Northern and Eastern regions.

For now, the Qin family can’t get involved, so no need to worry.”

Qin Ruqing muttered to herself, organizing her thoughts one by one.

Tang Zifeng : “….”

Qin Qirong : “….”

Qin Luwei : “…”

Qirong murmured quietly, “Does my sister always think so much? Can she even sleep tonight?!”

Lu Wei was listening attentively, finding Qingqing’s words intriguing, while also trying to understand her thought process.

As for Tang Zifeng, he noticed the frequent mention of Fifth Lingyu in Qin Ruqing’s words.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he mentally noted the place Qin Ruqing needed to go, and resolved to accelerate his research into refining a spiritual weapon capable of blasting through Nascent Realm.

After Qin Ruqing finished muttering to herself, she calmly and gracefully placed her legs on the eaves, then hung upside down.

With her head hanging down from the eaves, she spread her claws and let out a loud roar:

“Woo hoo!”

Qirong / Lu Wei / Tang Zifeng widened their eyes: “Ah ah ah ah ah!”

Qin Ruqing chuckled while hanging upside down, “What are you three lurking around here for? With your eavesdropping skills, you’ll be caught and tortured sooner or later.”

Qirong covered his heart, which was pounding from the scare, and complained, “It’s because your spiritual sensitivity is too keen!”

As he spoke, he stopped crouching and jumped onto the roof, taking a seat.

Lu Wei and Tang Zifeng followed suit, jumping up as well, and the four of them lined up.

The evening breeze was just right.

Qin Ruqing played with her fingers for a while, staring at the moon over Xiling, which was larger and rounder than in the Outer Regions.

Suddenly, she said:

“Tang Zifeng, once we wrap up the final matters with the Lin family, we’ll be heading back to Nanling.”

She turned her face towards him, looking serious:

“Have you made up your mind? Stay in this ghostly place of Xiling, or come back with us?”