“Have you made up your mind? Are you staying in this terrible place, Xiling, or coming back with us?”

Qin Ruqing sat next to Tang Zifeng, while Qirong and Lu Wei turned to look at him curiously.

Tang Zifeng lowered his gaze and didn’t answer right away.

Qin Ruqing sighed, “Honestly, this is an easy question. Nobody in Xiling really cares about you, so you shouldn’t hesitate. But I’ve asked you twice, and you’re still silent. Tang Zifeng, you don’t really want to stay here, do you?”

Qirong and Lu Wei were surprised by Tang Zifeng’s thoughts.

They thought this was a clear-cut decision.

Tang Zifeng had been a guest elder in their family for many years, and the Qin family valued him greatly.

With Tang Biao executed, not many in the Tang family truly cared about him anymore.

Coming to the Qin family meant having friends like them.

So why the hesitation?

Qin Ruqing shook his fist in front of him. “Speak up! You have a mouth for a reason, not just for eating. People who don’t talk get criticized, and readers can’t stand that!”

Finally, Tang Zifeng spoke in a low voice, looking a bit confused. “But my mother always taught me that she owes the Tang family and wants me to make up for it. Besides, aside from Tang Biao, the others in the Tang family haven’t been that bad to me…”

Qin Ruqing was shocked and exclaimed, “You’re staying because of your mother! She tells you to serve the Tang family, but when they needed her for marriage, why didn’t she do something about it?”

Feeling that his words might sound like an attack on his mother, Qin Ruqing took a breath and changed his tone. “Of course, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with your mother choosing her marriage.

She made her choice, so she should bear the consequences.

But now she feels guilty and thinks she owes the Tang family.

It’s fine to feel that way, but why pass that burden onto you? If she felt guilty, why didn’t she take action herself back then?”

Qirong nodded seriously. “Brother Tang, even though it’s not our place to interfere in family matters, your mother’s marriage has caused you a lot of trouble.

If she hadn’t called off the wedding, maybe Tang Biao wouldn’t have kicked you out. You really shouldn’t let her influence you.”

Lu Wei looked at Tang Zifeng but stayed quiet.

While she didn’t fully understand Qin Ruqing and Qirong’s views, she could see why Tang Zifeng was hesitant.

Tang Zifeng slowly placed his hand on his chest, frowning as he tried to understand his complicated feelings.

“I know I shouldn’t be influenced by her, and I know I don’t owe the Tang family anything.

With Tang Biao’s situation, I should have no attachment to them…

But the clan leader once had a deep talk with me about the Tang family’s current situation.

After Tang Biao’s execution, the family’s reputation has suffered greatly.

Even though I won first place in the crafting competition, my status is special—I’m not considered a true member of the Tang family.

The family is Silver rank, but our ancestor is old and sick, and the Lin family is pressuring us…

In such a critical situation, if I just walk away…”

Tang Zifeng bit his lip. “When the clan leader talked to me that day, I wanted to refuse.

But just as the words were about to come out, the image of my mother weakly holding my hand on her deathbed, urging me to serve the family, came to my mind, binding me like chains that I couldn’t shake off…”

After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Qin Ruqing felt a chill inside, thinking: It’s over; Tang Zifeng is trapped by his mother and this family.

There’s a popular topic these days about “breaking free from one’s original family’s influence.”

Many people struggle under the weight of their family in the first half of their lives and spend the second half trying to escape or heal from that shadow.

People who don’t understand might think escaping a difficult family is easy.

If we know it’s bad, why not just leave?

But a person’s original family shapes their personality and values during their formative years.

The influences from that family become a part of who they are.

As outsiders, Qin Ruqing and the others knew Tang Zifeng shouldn’t be affected by his mother.

However, for Tang Zifeng himself, his mother raised him until he was ten, instilling feelings of guilt about the family.

If she constantly reminded him of her debt to the family, that would become second nature for him.

It’s no wonder he felt so wronged and thought the only way to return to the family was by asking the Qin family to create alchemical pills for the Tang family, trying to exchange benefits for a chance to go back.

His entire mindset was focused on making things difficult for himself while protecting the family.

Realizing this, Qin Ruqing started to analyze for Tang Zifeng: “You’re completely brainwashed! The things your mother told you and the influence of the Tang family have bound you like chains!

You need to find a way to break free!

Otherwise, do you really plan to carry your mother’s guilt and work tirelessly for the Tang family for the rest of your life?”

Tang Zifeng didn’t respond, but then Lu Wei suddenly drew her sword and softly said:

“Brother Tang, do you see this sword? You know I practice both alchemy and swordsmanship, right?

But did you know my father actually doesn’t allow me to practice swordsmanship?”

“And,” Lu Wei smiled gently, covering her mouth, “look at my relationship with Qingqing. Can you imagine that our parents aren’t really friendly with each other?”

Qin Ruqing understood what his sister was trying to say and quickly nodded. “It’s not just unfriendly. Before I had any say in family matters, her father argued with my father in the council hall every day. Their rivalry affected everyone below them, creating a really bad atmosphere.”

Lu Wei looked at Tang Zifeng seriously. “My father has never liked Qingqing. He can’t exactly say he dislikes her, but his feelings are complicated. On one hand, he thinks she has great talent, unlike my uncle, but on the other hand, he often criticizes me for not being as good as her…”

Qin Ruqing blinked and couldn’t help but interject, “Wow, sister, so that’s what Uncle says about you at home!”

Lu Wei nodded and continued, “If I completely listened to my father, I wouldn’t be able to practice swordsmanship at all.

Even if I focused solely on alchemy, my skills wouldn’t improve much.

Most importantly, I wouldn’t have the good relationships I do with Qingqing and Qirong.

Without coming to places like this, I wouldn’t experience the outside world or improve my strength, let alone obtain the Heart of Earth Fire.”

“I know what’s best for me, so I decided to make my stance clear to my father. At first, it was almost like severing our father-daughter relationship. He called me an unfilial daughter. But eventually, he began to accept the reality.”

Lu Wei smiled as she said this. “It’s mainly because Qingqing is so strong at home that my father had no choice but to accept it. Once he acknowledged it, our relationship returned to normal.”

Lu Wei drew her sword and elegantly performed a flourish under the moonlight.

The blade glimmered before she sheathed it again.

“It’s like a festering wound that needs the rotten flesh removed. Digging out the bad parts will inevitably cause pain, but it’s a necessary path to healing.”

“Brother Tang, your mother and the Tang family are like that rotten flesh. You need to resolve to remove it, or these issues might haunt you for a lifetime.”

Qin Ruqing firmly patted Tang Zifeng’s shoulder. “Did you hear that, Brother Tang? My sister is the best example. You can certainly return to your family, but going back doesn’t mean you should work for them out of guilt. You need to understand the difference!”

---

“We’ll rest for a day tomorrow and head back to Nanling the day after. Take this time to think it over. No matter the outcome, you will always be our Guest Elder Tang!”

On the day Qin Ruqing and his group left Nanling, several waves of people came to see them off.

The first group was from the Yang family.

Qin Ruqing had initially come to Xiling to collaborate with them, resulting in a win-win situation and a good relationship between both sides.

The Yang family was eager to establish a long-term partnership with the Qin family, so they were very courteous and even offered to send a team to escort them home, which Qin Ruqing declined.

The second group came from the Celestial Bureau.

The Bureau steward who had previously worked with Qin Ruqing personally came to see them off.

The Celestial Bureau usually maintained a balanced distance with the noble families, so sending someone specifically was a big favor to the Qin family.

After the Celestial Bureau left, Qin Ruqing’s group prepared to set off.

Tang Zifeng was part of their team as well.

Since their earlier conversation, he hadn’t spoken up, and Qin Ruqing didn’t push him.

Today, he automatically joined them, so Qin Ruqing decided that if he remained silent, they might as well bring him along!

Qirong suddenly remembered something. “Sister, you mentioned the Lin family, but they haven’t shown up. Are they really just letting us go?”

Qin Ruqing smiled. “Isn’t it better for them to let us go directly? It saves me trouble. However…” She gazed into the distance, squinting her eyes. “The temptation of Mysterious Heart Liquid is too great. The Lin family has three Foundation Establishment members, and they just need an ancestor to reach Core Formation. They’re unlikely to let this go easily.”

In the distance, on a sand dune, a group stood, including a familiar young female cultivator in red—Yijun Xianzi, who had previously crossed paths with Qin Ruqing in the small floating island.

“Mother, they’re leaving! Are we not going to act?” Lin Yijun was a bit anxious.

Back in the small floating island, her strength was lacking to seize the Heart Liquid, but now that they had left, with the Lin family’s experts gathered, they were confident they could handle the three young members of the Qin family.

Standing at the front, Lin Yan glanced at her daughter. “You’re always so impatient. If you were half as capable as that little elder from the Qin family, I wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble to get the Mysterious Heart Liquid.”

Lin Yijun irritably flicked her whip. “Mother, why am I not capable? Just because you see that little monster from the Qin family, your standards suddenly get raised!”

The Lin family elder ignored the mother-daughter argument, frowning as he looked in the direction of the Qin family. “I didn’t expect the Celestial Bureau to value the Qin family so much and send a steward to see them off.”

This was the Celestial Bureau of Xiling!

They had never seen the Bureau treat any family in Xiling with such warmth.

Hearing this, Lin Yan’s expression turned serious.

She quietly said, “This is indeed difficult.”

“What’s so difficult? With you and the elder both at Foundation Establishment, plus our formations, we can’t capture just one little monster?”

Lin Yan wanted to say it wasn’t about whether they could capture the Qin elder but rather how to handle offending the Qin family afterward.

Before she could speak, she suddenly felt a sharp gaze directed at them.

In her mind’s eye, she saw the little monster from the Qin family looking right at them, a slight smile on his lips.

Lin Yan’s heart sank.

What keen senses!

They were positioned so far away and being careful, yet they were discovered.

She quickly said in a serious tone, “They’re leaving. Follow me, and no one act rashly, especially you!” She shot a fierce glare at Lin Yijun.