Zong Hao was briefly stunned when he saw Yun Xi suddenly appear. After a pause, he stepped forward to greet her.
"Martial Uncle Wei!"
Yun Xi nodded and asked calmly, "Zong Hao, what brings you to me?"
Zong Hao smiled and replied, "I came to consult Martial Uncle about something."
Yun Xi immediately understood that he wanted to speak in private, so she said casually, "Then come with me."
The two passed through the barrier of Lingxue Peak and headed to Yun Xi's small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
Once seated, Zong Hao took the initiative and said, "Yun Xi, I've already reported to Master that I plan to go out for some training. I'm here to say goodbye."
Yun Xi wasn't surprised by this. Zong Hao had previously mentioned he'd hit a bottleneck in cultivation and wanted to gain experience outside. She had always supported the idea, so she nodded and said, "You do need to venture out for a while. Staying in the sect doing tasks has its limits. Have you informed your elders at home?"
Zong Hao smiled and nodded, "I told my father the last time I returned home. He fully supports me and even encouraged me to learn more from you, so I won't fall too far behind."
"That's good."
After speaking, Yun Xi waved her sleeve and placed a few items on the jade table—resources useful for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. She said to Zong Hao, "Take these with you. Never let your guard down. When you're out training, keep your wits about you. If danger arises, don't try to play the hero—just run first. Do you understand?"
Now looking like a young man, Zong Hao scratched his face a little sheepishly and said, "Don't worry, Yun Xi. I'm determined to ascend to the Spirit Realm with you someday."
With those words, he unceremoniously collected the items Yun Xi had prepared for him. Deep down, he quietly made a vow: if he could find cultivation resources that suited Yun Xi during his travels, he would definitely bring them back to give her a surprise.
Yun Xi smiled faintly. The chubby little boy who used to love eating had grown up. Now, he was about to begin a path of his own.
Once the light conversation ended, Zong Hao's expression became more serious. "Yun Xi, my decision to leave the sect is partly due to long-term planning, and partly thanks to your earlier advice. But what pushed me to leave ahead of schedule was Wei Yunqing."
Yun Xi raised her brows. "Has the news of her cultivating a fifth-grade spiritual plant already spread?"
Zong Hao nodded. "Yes. Now, not only the inner disciples from Dan Peak know, even disciples from the outer peaks are trying to get information. Even Master has heard about it."
Yun Xi asked with curiosity, "What did Yu Huo Zhēnjūn say?"
"Master didn't really comment. He's been focused on studying pill refinement lately. He said he's had new insights, and I can tell he doesn't plan to get involved. He even reminded me to focus on cultivation."
From this, Yun Xi understood that Yu Huo Zhēnjūn had no intention of wading into the mess and didn't want Zong Hao dragged into it either. That was likely why he agreed to Zong Hao's request to go out and train now.
Sure enough, Zong Hao continued, "After Master warned me, I brought up the training trip. He fully supported the idea and told me to leave as soon as possible. Then the next day, Wei Yunqing came to Dan Residence looking for me, but I avoided her. For the next two days, she lingered around the area, clearly hoping to bump into me."
"Looks like she's scheming something again," Yun Xi said with certainty.
She knew Wei Yunqing too well. That woman would never come to Zong Hao unless she had no other choice. Considering their relationship, Wei Yunqing was more likely to hate Zong Hao than ask for help. If something good came her way, Zong Hao would be the last person she'd think of.
Yun Xi lightly rubbed her storage bangle as she spoke, "Zong Hao, after leaving Lingxue Peak, go straight out of the sect. Don't return to Dan Peak. I suspect Wei Yunqing wants to redirect the trouble to someone else."
Zong Hao's heart skipped. "Redirect it to whom?"
Yun Xi thought for a moment and explained, "Zong Hao, we of the Wei family all know how you and Yun Qing get along. But outsiders don't. In their eyes, we're close blood relatives. If she were in trouble, naturally she'd seek help from the Wei family first.
And since you're the direct disciple of Yu Huo Zhēnjūn, if she wanted to refine a Dao Enlightenment Fruit into a pill, she'd trust you over some outsider. If you couldn't manage it, your Master could back you up.
You're already a second-grade alchemist. You should know the unspoken rules among pill refiners. If someone gives you three sets of ingredients, you're only obligated to produce one successful pill. Whether the remaining materials succeeded or failed, only the alchemist knows.
If word gets out that you had the Dao Comprehension Fruit, what do you think would happen?
As long as Wei Yunqing breaks through to Golden Core smoothly, she could claim it was because of the refined pill and never mention anything else. All attention, whether in the open or in secret, would shift to you."
"Hiss—" Zong Hao sucked in a breath. So that was what Wei Yunqing was after.
Yun Xi continued, "This is just my speculation. Whether it's true or not can't be confirmed right now. But based on what I know of Yun Qing, she never makes a move unless there's profit. That's why I advised you to leave quickly—don't give her a chance to act."
Zong Hao took a deep breath and said firmly, "I understand now. If she does come to ask for pill refining, I'll reject her without hesitation. I won't give her the chance to redirect any trouble my way."
Yun Xi gave him a sly smile. "Zong Hao, do you really think that's enough? Once you refuse her, rumors will spread saying the two of you pretended to be distant in public, while secretly you'd already refined the pill for her."
Zong Hao clenched his fists in frustration. Cultivating on the same peak as Wei Yunqing truly was bad luck.
Yun Xi, however, tried to ease his mood. "Zong Hao, don't overthink it. People with twisted minds will always find ways to clear themselves of blame by stepping on those around them. What you need to do is leave them no opportunity and keep growing stronger. Once you're powerful enough, no scheme will be able to harm you."
Zong Hao exhaled a heavy breath. "Yun Xi, you're absolutely right. Strength is the ultimate truth. I won't linger any longer. I'll leave the sect right now and won't give her a stage to perform on."
"Good. I wish you a smooth training journey."
Yun Xi didn't try to keep him and personally walked him out of Lingxue Peak.
Perhaps she was exaggerating Wei Yunqing's schemes. But Yun Xi never underestimated the malice of others. Right now, Wei Yunqing couldn't touch her directly, so she would likely reach for those close to her instead. Especially since Zong Hao had "taken" her Master, it made him an even bigger target for revenge. That was why she urged him to leave quickly.
Zong Hao took her words to heart. He trusted Yun Xi's judgment. So, he went straight to the Inner Sect Mission Hall and took a long-term assignment. Without even returning to Dan Peak, he left the sect and headed for Haoran City. He didn't take a flying ship, choosing instead to spend spirit stones to use the teleportation array. And he didn't go to the mission's designated location either—he traveled to a place he had already chosen for his training.
Meanwhile, at Dan Residence, Wei Yunqing waited for three days but never ran into Zong Hao. Finally, she asked around about his whereabouts, only to learn from a disciple guarding the area that Zong Hao had left the sect three days ago on a mission.