The entire Qiufeng Academy occupied about ten acres of land, featuring a courtyard and a high tower.
In the whole of Qiufeng Town, it was considered the most lavish and sturdy construction.
However, academies were countless throughout the world. Except for the stubborn Dongli Kingdom, every town in the various countries had an academy, which showed the deep penetration of the Dragon Temple across the world.
Furthermore, even if someone committed murder or arson within an academy, the local officials and commanders had no authority to deal with it.
This academy served not only as a representation of the Dragon faith but also as a school, an orphanage, and a hospital.
Could Zhi Li be leading Suo Lun to a trap by bringing him to the Qiufeng Academy in Qiufeng Town?
It was possible, but the chances were slim.
After all, it was the will of Marquis FuE that Suo Lun take his daughter away.
Once Zhi Li set up a trap here, that would undoubtedly mean offending Marquis FuE, the second most powerful noble in the world.
Of course, there was still one doubt.
If Marquis FuE had secretly pledged loyalty to Zhi Li, which meant he was also optimistic about Zhi Li’s prospects, Suo Lun would be left with no place to bury his body if he lost in this battle for the throne. So why would Marquis FuE still send his granddaughter and great-granddaughter to Suo Lun?
Regardless, the probability of this place being a trap was still quite low.
Despite this, Suo Lun and Zhen Yan Princess were very cautious as they circled the academy, releasing their spiritual power to sense everything inside.
They detected no powerful energy fluctuations.
Then, the two walked into the Qiufeng Academy.
The chief female practitioner here was a middle-aged woman, a Medical Daoist Monk.
Suo Lun stepped forward to give a greeting and asked, "Madam practitioner, may I inquire if Lady Fuyuan is present?"
Fuyuan was the alias of his cousin Fu Yan’er.
The female practitioner immediately became vigilant and said, "Who are you? We do not have anyone here named Fuyuan."
Suo Lun was shocked. Why would she react this way?
Then, the female practitioner’s gaze lingered on Suo Lun’s face for a while, as if she found him familiar. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "You, you are Qin Qin’s father."
Qin Qin was indeed the nickname of Suo Lun’s daughter, who closely resembled him, so it was no wonder that the female practitioner recognized him at a glance.
"Yes, it’s me," Suo Lun said.
"Heartless wretch, get out," the female practitioner bluntly said, her feelings of love and hate very clear.
Suo Lun said, "I only learned of this daughter’s existence today, so I have traveled thousands of miles to receive her. Could you please forgive my intrusion?"
The female practitioner said, "What about Fuyuan? Why did you abandon her, forcing her to wander to this place, raising a child alone, living in sorrow, with illnesses plaguing her?"
Suo Lun said, "She had another fiancé. After our affair was exposed, I was imprisoned, and she was expelled from her family, falsely declared dead to the outside world. I only learned today that she is still alive and has a daughter."
The female practitioner’s expression softened a bit.
Suo Lun continued to plead, "Please, madam practitioner, allow me to take mother and daughter back home to reunite."
The female practitioner said, "A father and daughter reuniting is of course a good thing, but you have come several days too late."
At those words, Suo Lun’s face suddenly turned ashen, and he exclaimed in alarm, "What happened?"
The female practitioner said, "A few days ago, Fuyuan and her daughter were taken away by someone."
Suo Lun was horrified and said, "Who? Who took them away?"
Let it not be that beast Ashi Luo!
The female practitioner said, "Several days ago, a young master brought an unconscious lady to my academy, along with a frail little girl. Of course, whether it was the lady’s or the little girl’s ailments, I couldn’t treat them, and I could only provide them shelter. It was Fuyuan who cared for the lady. Your daughter Qin Qin, who is such a lovable child that everyone adores, bonded very well with the little girl brought by the lady within two days, becoming inseparable."
The lady? Suo Lun wondered who the lady mentioned by the female practitioner actually was.
The female practitioner continued, "Then within two days, thugs repeatedly came spying on our academy, even forcibly intruding. The martial skills of that lady were incomparable; with merely a wave of her sleeve, she exterminated the dozen or so thugs who had barged in. Later, Fuyuan pleaded with the lady to take her daughter away, saying they were in danger in the academy and that someone had discovered their whereabouts. Fuyuan had taken care of the lady when she was unconscious, and the two little girls got along so well. Thus, the lady agreed and took both Fuyuan and your daughter Qin Qin away when she left."
After finishing, the female practitioner sighed and said, "Although I didn’t care much for Fuyuan, and didn’t particularly like her, Qin Qin is such a lovely and endearing child, our treasured little one. We were truly reluctant to let her go. But as Fuyuan said, if there were indeed bad people out to harm them, we wouldn’t be able to protect them. That lady’s martial skills were extraordinary, and she had a kind heart, so we agreed to let her take Qin Qin away. Had we known her biological father would come for her, we would have definitely kept Qin Qin here."
Suo Lun breathed a long sigh of relief, grateful it wasn’t Zhi Li’s or Ashi Luo’s people.
Suo Lun asked, "What did the lady you mentioned look like?"
The female practitioner looked at the Zhen Yan Princess beside Suo Lun and said, "We are recluses, so we regard physical appearances lightly. But I can tell that the woman beside you is probably the most beautiful in the world. The beauty of that lady is not inferior to hers, even though she was always veiled. The pair of eyes that she revealed were already extremely beautiful. The air around her would turn icy cold, and there was a mysteriously refreshing and cool fragrance about her. The air closest to her body would even condense into blue snowflakes."