Xu Lingling recounted her recent experiences to Xu Pingfeng, "If it weren’t for Song Yan Ning and the others saving me, I would be dead by now. Dad, I was so afraid I would never see you again."
Xu Pingfeng comforted her by patting her back. "Don’t worry, Dad will always protect you. Where are they now?"
"I’ve arranged guest rooms for them," Xu Lingling said as she leaned into Xu Pingfeng’s embrace and closed her eyes comfortably.
Xu Pingfeng looked down at Xu Lingling indulgently, "Ling’er, sleep for a while. Dad will come to see you later." He needed to make arrangements for them to leave as soon as possible—especially Ling’er’s friends. They had saved Ling’er, and he couldn’t let them be harmed.
"Mm," Xu Lingling obediently nodded and lay down.
Xu Pingfeng gave Xu Lingling a deep look, stood up, and walked towards the outside.
Song Yan Ning felt her Divine Sense had recovered and was about to pull Qin Yushen and Elder Mie Yu into her space when suddenly she felt lighter—Qin Yushen had already pulled her into his space first.
The rich Spiritual Energy hit her face, and the cool sensation made Song Yan Ning take a deep breath. Having Spiritual Energy felt great!
Opening her eyes and glancing at Qin Yushen, Song Yan Ning smiled lightly and closed her eyes, entering her cultivation state.
Qin Yushen’s lips slightly curved upward.
Xu Lingling felt her body had mostly recovered. She sat up and said to the maid beside her, "Xiao Cui, come with me to find Song Yan Ning and the others."
"Miss, you should lie down a bit longer; Xiao Cui will go find them." Xiao Cui poured Xu Lingling a glass of water and handed it to her. In her memory, the miss was always lively and active, seldom weak time.
Xu Lingling took a sip of the water, "Okay."
Just after Song Yan Ning and the others came out of the space, they heard a knock on the door.
Elder Mie Yu went forward to open the door and saw Xiao Cui, whom they had met yesterday.
"My miss invites you over," Xiao Cui said.
"Mm," Elder Mie Yu nodded. Their cultivation had recovered, and they were planning to bid farewell to Xu Lingling.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Lingling looked up excitedly and saw Xu Pingfeng entering. "Dad!"
Xu Pingfeng sat down beside Xu Lingling and said, "Dad has something to tell you." He decided to inform Ling’er about the current situation of the Xu family.
"Mm," Xu Lingling handed Xu Pingfeng a cup of tea.
"Ling’er." Xu Pingfeng was about to speak when he heard footsteps outside and paused.
Xiao Cui led Song Yan Ning and the other two into the room, "Miss, Family... Family Head!" Seeing Xu Pingfeng there too, Xiao Cui hurriedly bowed.
Xu Pingfeng looked at Song Yan Ning and the others, noted their distinguished air, and nodded slightly as he stood up. "Thank you for saving my daughter. Please, have a seat!"
The three did not hesitate and sat down at the table.
"This is my dad. Dad, this is Song Yan Ning, Qin Yushen, and Mie Yu," Xu Lingling introduced them.
"Family Head Xu!" Song Yan Ning and the others greeted Xu Pingfeng.
Xu Pingfeng nodded with a smile. "Thank you for saving my daughter. However, the Xu family has recently faced some troubles, so I regret that I cannot offer you a long stay."
"Dad!" Xu Lingling tugged unhappily at Xu Pingfeng’s sleeve. Was her father implying that Song Yan Ning and her friends should leave?
"Actually, we came to say goodbye to Ling’er," Song Yan Ning said. She could see that Xu Pingfeng truly faced difficulties, indicating the magnitude of his troubles.
Xu Pingfeng sighed deeply, "Ling’er, Dad will tell you the truth. In three days, Qingyan City’s Alchemy Competition that happens once every ten years will begin. If our Xu family loses this time, we will face a disaster. You must know that the Yan family, Zhao family, and the He family have always wanted to target us. To make us lose, they have been making various covert maneuvers. Even the City Lord is on their side."
"That’s despicable! Dad, isn’t Brother Ling a Level 5 Alchemy Master? Can’t we just have him compete?" Brother Ling was an orphan raised by the Xu family since childhood.
Xu Pingfeng gave a bitter smile, "Qu Ling is representing the Yan family in the competition." He never thought the Yan family could be so vile. All these years he had treated Qu Ling well and even considered betrothing Ling’er to him, but in the end, he betrayed them.