In the hotel room.

"Yes, Archbishop, I understand."

"I will stay by his side until the opportunity arises, and I will judge for myself whether to intervene," Chen Xuanbao said over the phone. "It would be best to have him cause a huge scene, turning the Capital City upside down!"

"Understood."

"..."

After ending the call with Chen Xuanbao, Xia Chan put down her phone. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the sky outside with a profound look in her eyes.

Luo Xiu, after this, everything between us will be over.

While murmuring to herself, she suddenly frowned and let out a muffled groan, her expression filled with pain.

This damned poison... Why does it have to act up right now?

She clenched her teeth, enduring the indescribable pain, and hurried into the bathroom.

「About ten minutes later.」

Xia Chan walked out of the bathroom, the look of pain on her face even more intense.

She didn't want to seek Luo Xiu's help to deal with the poison, so she had just tried to relieve it herself. However, the method was completely ineffective; in fact, it only made her feel worse.

With no other choice, she had to give up and decided to seek Luo Xiu's help again.

Luo Xiu, this is definitely the last time!

Damn it... How did I end up with such a disgusting poison!

「A moment later.」

「In Luo Xiu's room.」

With her head lowered and cheeks flushed, Xia Chan didn't dare to look at Luo Xiu. She stuttered, "Brother Luo... I... the poison in my body has flared up again."

Luo Xiu sighed silently. Just as he was about to speak, Xia Chan suddenly pounced, holding him tight.

"Brother Luo, it hurts so much..."

The intense, hot masculine aura instantly made her lose herself, compelling her to cast aside everything and focus only on the present.

...

「A good while later.」

Luo Xiu got out of bed and turned his back to Xia Chan. He reached out, drew the curtains, and secretly used the Soul Capturing Technique to refine the yin energy he had just absorbed from her body.

Weak and powerless, Xia Chan lay on her side, gripping the blanket tightly. She stared at the fresh red scratches on Luo Xiu's back, her lips pursed, as her gaze gradually grew hazy. When she came to, she realized her vision was hazy because it was blurred by tears.

She reached out to wipe away the tears that were about to spill over, then turned her body to face away from Luo Xiu.

What's wrong with me... Why does my heart suddenly feel so painful, as if I'm suffocating?

No, he is the most troublesome enemy of my sect right now. I must get rid of him!

"..."

"Xiaochan, after this time, the Supreme Yin Spirit Poison inside you should be completely gone," Luo Xiu's words brought her back to reality.

"Mm, I understand... Thank you, Brother Luo."

Luo Xiu smiled. "You should go find your family tomorrow."

"Okay."

「The next day.」

Wu Xin arrived at the hotel early in the morning.

Having not seen her for several months, Luo Xiu noticed she hadn't changed much. Similarly, Wu Xin felt Luo Xiu looked the same, still with his languid demeanor.

"Here, this is an invitation to the Ancient Martial Arts Summit. I'll come pick you up in ten days," Wu Xin said, handing him an invitation.

Luo Xiu took it and asked, "How is Qian Qing doing now?"

With a hint of pride in her expression, Wu Xin said, "My young miss has always been well. She is extremely gifted and has inherited the complete Chu Family bloodline. She's currently attempting to break through to the Grandmaster Realm."

Luo Xiu was somewhat surprised.

In just a few short months, she went from an ordinary person to a Martial Arts Grandmaster?

"You said yesterday that you were looking for a family with the surname Xia," Wu Xin said. "What was that about?"

Luo Xiu glanced at the demure Xia Chan standing aside. "It's just a small matter, but I appreciate your help nonetheless."

"Oh come on, when did you start being polite with me?"

Luo Xiu just smiled without saying a word.

Wu Xin suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard that Boss Huang and his crew died not long ago. Did you do it?"

Luo Xiu didn't deny it and nodded.

"You're really something. By the way, how is our Sister Daji? I miss her."

"She's fine."

"..."

In the days that followed, Wu Xin took Luo Xiu and Xia Chan all over the Capital City. They looked for anyone with the surname Xia, but in the end, they came up empty-handed. No one recognized Xia Chan, and Xia Chan herself didn't remember anything.

Having no choice, Luo Xiu had to temporarily give up.

...

Time flowed like a river.

「In the blink of an eye, the day of the Ancient Martial Arts Summit arrived.」

Early that day, Wu Xin came to the hotel to pick up Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu instructed Xia Chan to stay at the hotel and not wander off, then left with Wu Xin.

「About an hour later.」

Wu Xin drove Luo Xiu into an antique street. After navigating the street for a while, the car entered a deserted forest park. After winding through the forest park for a long time, Luo Xiu's eyes lit up at the sight before him.

What appeared before him was a vast lake.

In the center of that lake stood a cluster of ancient and majestic buildings. Merely gazing at them from a distance, one could feel their grand and imposing aura.

Wu Xin eased off the gas, hit the brakes, and expertly reversed into a parking space.

After getting out of the car, Wu Xin said, "That over there is the Chu Family headquarters."

"Quite magnificent and impressive," Luo Xiu said.

With a touch of pride in her expression, Wu Xin stated, "A lake of clear water reflects Chu Yun, standing alone and proud beyond the Sky Dome!

"Among the Four Ancient Martial Families in the Capital City, the Chu Family is the strongest because they are the only family that has a Secret Realm as their base.

"This lake is called Lake Chu Tian. It's a Secret Realm discovered by the Chu Family ancestor, Chu Yun.

"Although it's a small Secret Realm and can't compare to the larger ones, it's still a Secret Realm."

"Impressive," Luo Xiu said, nodding lightly.

In truth, for Luo Xiu, who had lived in a Secret Realm since childhood, none of this particularly interested him. The only thing he found interesting after arriving here was...

"Can you fish in this lake?" Luo Xiu suddenly pointed at a spot. "I think that promontory looks good," he said. "We could probably catch some big fish there."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xin nearly fell flat on her face.

She really had to hand it to this guy. Fishing, fishing, all day long, nothing but fishing! She guessed that even when he died and had to cross the Naihe Bridge, he'd insist on dangling a line or two underneath before reluctantly drinking the Meng Po soup!

"In ancient times, we had Tomb Raider Captains who could divine the location of treasure vaults. Today, we have a fishing master who can spot a school of fish just by looking at the water." With a sullen look, Wu Xin gave Luo Xiu a reluctant thumbs-up. "You're right," she said grimly. "That promontory is undoubtedly where the fish are hiding."

Luo Xiu chuckled awkwardly.

Wu Xin glanced sideways at him and teased, "By the way, Luo Xiu, you're about to meet my young mistress. Are you excited?"

"..."

「Before long.」

The two walked along the quaint wooden bridge leading to the center of the lake. Crossing the bridge meant officially stepping onto Chu Family land.

The path twisted and turned through countless corridors. Luo Xiu followed Wu Xin left and right until he was completely disoriented. Finally, she led him to a grand, ancient gate.

By that time, guests arriving for the Ancient Martial Arts Summit had already formed a long line at the entrance, as an invitation was required to enter.

Wu Xin took Luo Xiu to the end of the queue, whispering, "I don't know what you're here for, but the people who attend the Ancient Martial Arts Summit are either experts or individuals with notable backgrounds, so you'd better keep a low profile and curb that temper you had in Sea City."

Luo Xiu nodded lightly, then asked, "What exactly is this Ancient Martial Arts Summit for?"

Wu Xin explained, "There's one every month. It's mainly a gathering of the Four Ancient Martial Families to discuss family development, exchange insights on the Martial Way, and trade elixirs and cultivation resources." She added, "Only people from the four families can enter and leave freely. As for outsiders, they must have an invitation issued by one of the Four Ancient Martial Families to attend the summit."

"I see." Luo Xiu wasn't particularly interested and asked again, "When is Qian Qing coming?"

"I don't know, but it should be soon.

"The young mistress came out of seclusion two days ago. She successfully reached the Grandmaster Realm and is now consolidating her strength. I didn't tell her you were here because I was afraid she'd get distracted."

As she spoke, Wu Xin gave Luo Xiu a meaningful look. "A female Grandmaster in her twenties is a rarity in all of Hua Country," she said. "So, Luo Xiu, the pressure is on. You'll have to work hard from now on."

Luo Xiu understood what Wu Xin meant, but he just smiled and said nothing.

"Heh, what a coincidence. I never thought a good-for-nothing like you would find this place."

Just as the two were talking, a familiar voice sounded from nearby.

Luo Xiu's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he slowly turned his head to look.

The person approaching was Ye Xingzhou, the very man he was looking for.

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