Xu Qing had always been cold to enemies.
Chen Feiyuan nodded and glanced at Xu Qing, sighing inwardly. After his teacher's death, he lost his protection and had to learn to be ruthless and cold in the internal struggles of the family.
"But Xu Qing, from a very young age, had already developed what I later learned as instinct."
Chen Feiyuan's understanding of Xu Qing mainly came from his investigation after he participated in the family's power struggle.
Regardless of whether it was the name of the Kid in the scavenger campsite, the camp leader later on, or the path of slaughter after joining the Seven Blood Eyes, all of these made Chen Feiyuan understand Xu Qing even more.
He understood that Xu Qing's personality and methods of doing things were also something he had to learn.
At this moment, without saying much, Chen Feiyuan took out a sound transmission jade slip and gave the order to execute the assassins.
Xu Qing didn't pay much attention to the specific details. He didn't stay in Purple Earth for too long either. After spending three days with Chen Feiyuan and Ting Yu, and bidding farewell with the eight great families, Xu Qing left.
When he left, Ting Yu cried.
Since the passing of their teacher, Ting Yu's vulnerability seemed to have become more apparent all of a sudden. Partings seemed to affect her even more.
Her feelings toward Xu Qing were no longer the simple curiosity and infatuation in her childhood. As she grew up, the bond they shared as fellow disciples became a rare source of warmth for her amidst the cold Purple Earth and cunning eight great families.
Life was often like that: old things were replaced with the new, as if nothing had changed. The colder the world, the more likely such occurrences were, and emotions in the world weren't limited to just romantic love.
As for the depth of emotions, it couldn't be measured solely by the length of time.
But she made an effort to restrain herself, not shedding tears in front of Xu Qing. Instead, after he left, she couldn't help but lean on Chen Feiyuan's shoulder and burst into tears.
Chen Feiyuan looked at his senior sister who had grown up with him and felt the sadness that parting brought her.
"Senior Sister, do you remember what Teacher often said?"
"The world is the guest house of all living beings. Time is a passerby since ancient times…" Chen Feiyuan's voice entered Ting Yu's ears. Ting Yu lifted her head and muttered softly.
"As long as we don't die, we will meet again."
The same words also came from Xu Qing, who was standing on the great wing in the sky.
The wind from the sky blew over, swaying his clothes and lifting his long hair. As the great wing moved, these words appeared in Xu Qing's mind, as well as Grandmaster Bai's expression when he said these words.
During these three days in Purple Earth, he asked Chen Feiyuan and Ting Yu about many details of Grandmaster Bai's life. He asked whether there were any close friends aside from Old Master Seventh, whether there were any unusual behaviors, and if he had spoken any peculiar words before he was killed, and so on.
Chen Feiyuan was at a loss about this but Ting Yu had a sharp memory. Under her recollection and description, Xu Qing didn't find anything abnormal about Grandmaster Bai.
There was only one thing… Ting Yu told him that their teacher had a habit of looking at the sky.
This habit didn't exist from the start. It only appeared a year before he was killed.
Xu Qing silently lifted his head and looked at the sky.
Xu Qing fell into deep thought.
However, at the end of the day, Xu Qing did not have an accurate answer to Grandmaster Bai's matter and could only bury this matter in his mind. He left Purple Earth on the great wing, crossing the Forbidden Sea and returning to the Yinghuang Province.
During this process, Xu Qing also made a trip to the Phoenix Forbidden.
He wanted to verify Huang Yan's identity.
However, even though Qingqin cawed inside the Phoenix Forbidden, Flame Phoenix didn't have any reaction. The entire Phoenix Forbidden was enveloped by a fog.
Xu Qing stared at it for a long time before choosing to leave.
However, the moment he walked out of the Phoenix Forbidden, he received a voice transmission from Second Senior Sister.
"Junior Brother, I'm in the Phoenix Forbidden and I'm pregnant. However, due to this, there were some minor issues during my breakthrough in cultivation. It's quite bothersome, all thanks to that annoying fatty Huang Yan. I'm so frustrated."
"Huang Yan is helping me resolve it, but we can't go out to see you. Also… Huang Yan asked me to tell you that what he said to you back then is still valid."
"If you're unhappy outside, return to the Nanhuang Continent."
After Xu Qing received Second Senior Sister's message, he took a deep breath and looked at Qingqin.
Qingqin let out a cry. Its expression was also filled with excitement and curiosity. Clearly, it had also sensed the strangeness in the Phoenix Forbidden.
"Is Huang Yan really the Flame Phoenix?"
Although all the clues pointed to this point, Xu Qing still felt that it wasn't real when he recalled his memories of Huang Yan.
Finally, with these emotions, Xu Qing saw the Yinghuang Province from afar.
On this trip back, Xu Qing didn't stay in the Eight Sects Alliance for too long. A few days later, Old Master Seventh left with half of the Seven Blood Eyes' disciples and more than half of the Mystic Nether Sect's disciples and teleported to the county capital.
Zi Xuan had already set off in advance and was in charge of choosing the location of the new sect in the county capital.
After they left, the Alliance Leader of the Eight Sects Alliance still had a smile on his face. His expression even revealed some emotion and reluctance as he bid farewell to Old Master Seventh.
There were still eight sects in the Eight Sects Alliance. There were no changes.
As for the Qing Xuan Sect that was about to be established in the county capital, it was a separate sect. Moreover, regardless of status or future development, it would far surpass the Eight Sects Alliance.
With Old Master Seventh's deputy governor identity and the addition of Xu Qing's name, the various forces in Fenghai County understood that even though the Qing Xuan Sect was weak now, it wouldn't be long before there would be another super sect in Fenghai County.