Qin Dehao gently patted Lu Wei on the head and sighed, “Lu Wei, you’ve really grown up.”

“You’ve far outdone me as a father.”

Lu Wei was taken aback by the careful touch on her head.

She couldn’t help but look up, seeing the trace of aging in her father’s eyes, which finally showed the admiration and acknowledgment she had always longed for.

Her eyes grew moist with the impulse to cry.

She… didn’t actually want to argue with her father.

Since she was very young, and perhaps even now, she had always hoped for her father’s recognition and approval.

She had doubted her choices countless times because of her father’s reproach.

She had even felt somewhat inferior.

Now that she had finally moved past those emotions and looked at her father, she felt a pang of sadness.

Lu Wei opened her mouth to speak, but Qin Dehao raised his hand to interrupt her.

He looked serious, as if he had never been so resolute before: “Lu Wei, don’t say anymore. I’ve made up my mind. There are reasons for my actions.”

It might seem a bit hypocritical to say, but a significant part of Qin Dehao’s persistence was for Lu Wei’s sake.

If the branch didn’t wrap up the past matters satisfactorily, which would silence everyone’s criticism, Lu Wei’s reputation would suffer.

The higher she stood, the more conspicuous the stains became.

Qin Dehao thought he had made many mistakes in the past and couldn’t let his past errors jeopardize his daughter’s future.

So, because of Qin Dehao and the Grand elder’s stubborn attitude, they ultimately stayed in the Southern Ridge.

On the day the Qin family relocated, Qin Ruqing and Lu Wei were among the first to leave.

Lu Wei bid farewell to her father, her emotions somewhat subdued.

Seeing this, Qin Ruqing thought for a moment, walked over, and took Lu Wei’s hand.

When Lu Wei met her gaze, Qin Ruqing gently said:

“Third Sister, don’t worry. Uncle won’t stay in the Southern Ridge forever. It’s just that he’s still troubled by past events and fears affecting you… so he insists on staying there for a few more years before he can be at ease! I’ll arrange for him to be brought back later.”

“And the Qin family has established great influence in the Southern Ridge. Even if we relocate, Uncle serving as a branch leader will face no difficulties. People will only handle him with great care.”

Feeling the warmth in her hand, Lu Wei hesitated, “But even if he’s a branch leader, how can the position be changed just like that? And if he’s replaced, who will take the position of the new clan leader?”

Qin Ruqing smiled slightly, raising an eyebrow: “I’ve already thought of a candidate. Cheng Yiming, although young, is my trusted subordinate and has trained alongside Father for a long time. When Uncle leaves, he will succeed him as the clan leader. By then, the Qin family’s Southern Ridge branch will have already grown. His succession will not dishonor him.”

Lu Wei followed Qin Ruqing’s words and gradually accepted the arrangement.

Then she began to worry about others, “But Cheng Yiming is still a Cheng. It’s fine for him to be a branch leader, but if he merges into the main branch… there’s no such precedent in the family, and there will be gossip.”

Qin Ruqing smiled calmly: “Our clan has many outstanding female immortals. We can always find someone Cheng Yiming will be interested in, and have him marry in. That way, it’s a win-win.”

Ah, marrying in.

That’s indeed a common solution.

“But, will Cheng Yiming agree?” Lu Wei frowned.

Though marrying in is common in the cultivation world, it depends on the person. Cheng Yiming, whom she had interacted with, was ambitious and proud; such a person might not be willing to marry in.

“He is ambitious, but if he can become the main clan leader of a Golden Grade family by marrying in, it’s a deal he’d eagerly accept. Third Sister, don’t worry about him. He’s clearer about this than you. I’ve already asked him.”

Qin Ruqing meticulously explained to Lu Wei, even having prepared a speech for persuading Qin Dehao to return in a few years, which reassured Lu Wei completely.

The two sisters stood together, enjoying the pleasant scenery and a harmonious atmosphere.

Qirong, watching from the side, felt a bit emotional and couldn’t help but mutter, “Brother Tang, it seems like my sister has never spoken so gently to us.”

Tang Zifeng’s expression remained unchanged: “Lu Wei is parting from her father and feels sad. Isn’t it natural for Qingqing to comfort her a bit more?”

Qirong instinctively nodded but then felt something was off.

He tilted his head, looked at Tang Zifeng oddly, and suddenly had an epiphany, blurting out:

“Brother Tang, you’re not… feeling emotional too, are you?”

Tang Zifeng turned and gave Qi Rong a cold, silent stare.

Qi Rong shrank his neck, feeling like he understood something.

---

The Feng family allocated an island in a central position of the Bu Zhou Archipelago to the Qin family.

The island, named Jie Ri, had a pleasant sea breeze and was once a hub in the Bu Zhou Archipelago.

It was said that standing at the top of Bu Zhou Mountain and looking in that direction, the island would catch the setting sun, thus its name Jie Ri (Sun Catcher).

With its advantageous location and historical charm, the Feng family’s decision to allocate this island demonstrated their sincerity.

Relocating a clan wasn’t a task that could be completed in one or two days.

Even after arriving at Jie Ri Island, there was much work to be done, and it couldn’t be inhabited for at least a few days.

Originally a tranquil island, it was now crowded with people who came to congratulate the Qin family on their relocation.

Even close allies like the Song family and the Ming family sent people to help.

At this moment, Qin Ruqing was being harassed by Song San, who was excitedly recounting the spectacular scene of the Bu Zhou Golden List’s brilliance.

He said that, though it was a pity they hadn’t recorded the scene in the virtual space, they had managed to capture the spectacle outside Bu Zhou Mountain.

Missing such a sight would be a lifelong regret for him.

When Song San mentioned “for a lifetime,” Qin Ruqing glanced at him, thinking to herself that there were many things that could impact his lifetime.

Song San didn’t notice Qin Ruqing’s disdainful glance.

He was in high spirits, ready to start his first segment, when he suddenly noticed Qin Ruqing looking up and staring intently in one direction.

That gaze was like an ancient beast suddenly spotting an interesting little prey.

Song San couldn’t help but fall silent: “Miss Qingqing?”

He no longer called her Fairy Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing was completely engrossed in the prey she had spotted and didn’t turn back.

She only responded faintly, “I see an old acquaintance I need to meet. You continue with what you were doing.”

With that, she transformed into a streak of purple-gold fire and quickly disappeared over the horizon.

Song San was left puzzled, thinking, “An old acquaintance? In these times, you still have old acquaintances?”

Perhaps it was more like an enemy!

Though Song San wasn’t serious, he had keen eyes.

The person Qin Ruqing was fixated on was indeed her “enemy.”

Qin Ruqing slowly intercepted Fang Zhejun.

Fang Zhejun, as if anticipating this, slowly came to a halt.

Fang Zhejun, like a beast choosing its prey, coldly and sharply stared at Qin Ruqing.

Seeing this, Qin Ruqing… whistled at her.

“Wait for me~” She always knew how to infuriate people.

Fang Zhejun’s breath clearly paused for a moment.

Soon, she clenched her fists, as if trying to suppress some emotion, and said coldly, “Are you satisfied with the situation now?”

Qin Ruqing landed on the sea, her golden lotus stepping down.

Fang Zhejun, seeing this, quickly took several steps back in caution, though Qin Ruqing had only alighted from the air onto the sea.

Qin Ruqing said, “By right, I should mock you and make a show of being triumphant to balance your psychological state and provoke your anger.”

“I’m quite good at triumphalism, but considering the situation involves you, I’ll reluctantly change my approach—what’s there to be satisfied with in this situation? My ancestor’s wounds aren’t healed yet! It’s not like I sent your ancestor out to kill people. If he lacked the strength and got killed, who can he blame? I’m only passively retaliating. You’re in this predicament today; you should reflect on yourselves. Stop speculating about others. I don’t care about your family as much as you think.”

Eastern Domain female Cultivator are known for using power or beauty to suppress others, but not for using verbal attacks.

Unfortunately, Fang Zhejun was a typical Eastern Domain female cultivator.

In other words, she wasn’t good at verbal confrontations.

Even more unfortunate was that Qin Ruqing was exceptionally skilled at verbal confrontations.

She was even better at it than at conjuring fireballs.

Fang Zhejun’s cold, pale face quickly turned red from Qin Ruqing’s words.

She seemed on the verge of jumping up to attack Qin Ruqing but managed to restrain herself.

Her emotions were forcibly suppressed, making her demeanor even more dangerous than before.

Fang Zhejun said, “You can kill me now. Otherwise, I will definitely seek revenge in the future.”

She stood upright, looking resolute.

Qin Ruqing fell silent for two seconds, then began to examine Fang Zhejun with a serious expression.

Her gaze was unsettling.

Fang Zhejun couldn’t help but take a step back, instinctively raising her sword. “If you’re going to attack, be straightforward…”

Qin Ruqing didn’t attack.

Instead, she moved her legs.

In the next moment, the purple-gold fire appeared behind Fang Zhejun.

A hand as white as jade firmly gripped Fang Zhejun’s shoulder.

Qin Ruqing’s lips moved to Fang Zhejun’s ear as she whispered:

“I’ve never seen anyone make such strange demands of me…”

“But I don’t dislike you. That’s enough.”

Qin Ruqing’s white hand slowly moved to Fang Zhejun’s chest, then quickly formed a seal with one hand in front of her.

Fang Zhejun couldn’t resist; she was completely enveloped by Qin Ruqing’s domain of all things.

“What did you do to me?” Fang Zhejun’s beautiful pupils dilated.

Qin Ruqing smiled and answered off-topic:

“You deliberately exposed your aura outside Jie Ri Island to draw me out, hoping to find an opportunity for self-destruction and take me down with you. When you realized you couldn’t defeat me and had no chance, you gave up.”

“You started to leave but feared I might stop you.”

“In fact, you could have just left directly. I wasn’t planning to do anything to you.”

“But you just had to remind me…”

Fang Zhejun’s expression shifted from shame and anger to calm.

She even lifted her chin, as if saying, “If you’re going to kill me, then do it!”

Qin Ruqing regarded her as if she were a piece of art:

“Do you want me to kill you? Indeed, in this situation, dying at my hands would reflect your loyalty and integrity as a member of the Fang family.”

Qin Ruqing shook her head as if to herself: “But my intuition tells me there’s more to it. Humans are such complex creatures.”

Qin Ruqing stared at Fang Zhejun: “You want to die, but at the same time, you harbor a hope.”

“You think I might spare you due to some mutual recognition among geniuses. Because as long as I’m confident, I shouldn’t fear your revenge.”

“You can’t help but scrutinize and observe me. If I kill you, it would mean I’m timid, losing the grace of a genius, and falling short. You even hope I will kill you so that you can gain a bit of pathetic psychological superiority.”

“Unfortunately, you’ve misjudged me… I’ve never had the grace of a genius.”

Qin Ruqing said lightly as she formed another seal on Fang Zhejun’s forehead.

Fang Zhejun watched everything helplessly.

She couldn’t move, and all her sensations were magnified.

Previously, her view of Qin Ruqing was filtered through her pride and prejudice.

Today, that filter was gone, and she faced Qin Ruqing directly.

She finally understood what kind of dangerous figure the Fang family was up against.

Or rather, a monster.

She was unlike the ordinary geniuses cultivated in the Eastern Domain or within families.

She was a bloodthirsty beast.

She had no rules.

She wasn’t defined or constrained by any worldly norms.

At this moment, Fang Zhejun’s fear of Qin Ruqing reached its peak.

She began to regret coming here and even stopped thinking about revenge.

But it was too late.

Qin Ruqing released her grip, looking relaxed and content.

“Alright, now you have a divine soul fire seed in your forehead and an explosive fire seed in your heart. As soon as I activate them, they’ll explode instantly. Oh, if you’re worried I might be deceiving you, you can check yourself. We don’t lie here~”

“With these two fire seeds, I can rest easy now.”

“Go on, Daoist Zhejun. We’ll meet again.”

“Looking forward to your revenge~”