"But there's no need to rush."
Gu Han formed hand seals, allowing his body to enter a cultivation state while he focused entirely on observing the Black Tortoise Shell.
Yun Yun would return to the Cloud Mist Sect in seven days, so he didn't need to hurry back to Cloud Mist Mountain to keep an eye on Ka Long just yet.
Once the Yin Wind dissipated in five days, there would be nothing left to linger for here, and it wouldn't be too late to return then.
And these five days would pass in the blink of an eye.
In the capital of the Jia Ma Empire, in front of the Nalan family residence, a carriage stood ready.
Nalan Yanran finished packing and stepped out of her courtyard with two maidservants.
At the entrance, Liu Ling was already waiting, greeting her with a smile. "Yanran."
"Senior Brother Liu Ling." Nalan Yanran nodded with a polite smile.
"Yanran!"
Just as Liu Ling was about to say more, a voice, aged yet robust and authoritative, sounded from the side.
"Grandfather." Nalan Yanran's face brightened into a smile as she hurried over to Nalan Jie. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you during this visit."
"This Branding Poison is stubborn; even I can't say for sure how long I'll need to be in seclusion," Nalan Jie stroked his beard, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
He was quite fond of this talented granddaughter, who had been taken as a disciple by the Cloud Mist Sect's leader.
"You're looking well, Grandfather, and your cultivation has improved again, hasn't it? Congratulations."
Nalan Jie threw his head back with a hearty laugh.
Years ago, in his pursuit of greater power, he had taken a risk and ended up afflicted with this "Branding Poison."
Fortunately, he could suppress it with his formidable Dou Qi. Though it caused him occasional suffering, enduring it allowed his cultivation to advance, making it hard to say whether it was a blessing or a curse.
"Liu Ling pays his respects to Elder Nalan." Liu Ling stepped to Nalan Yanran's side and bowed respectfully to Nalan Jie.
"You are Pill King Gu He's disciple?" Nalan Jie's gaze held a hint of pressure.
"My master is indeed the Pill King." Liu Ling straightened his posture.
"A fine young man." Nalan Jie nodded in approval.
Liu Ling took this as recognition from Nalan Yanran's grandfather, a trace of pride appearing on his face.
But before he could respond, Nalan Jie turned to Nalan Yanran and said, "Come with me, child."
With that, he turned and walked away, ignoring the expressions on Nalan Yanran and Liu Ling's faces.
Nalan Yanran seemed to realize something, her smile vanishing instantly.
Taking a deep breath, she followed Nalan Jie, and the grandfather and granddaughter entered a neighboring courtyard.
"Yanran, you are betrothed; you shouldn't get too involved with outsiders," Nalan Jie began with criticism. "If you have time, you should visit your fiancé in Wutan City."
"Grandfather!" Nalan Yanran's temper flared instantly, and she looked directly at Nalan Jie. "I've said it since I learned of this engagement—I don't accept it!"
"My life should be decided by me, not bound to a stranger because of promises made by elders."
"Besides, I am now the young mistress of the Cloud Mist Sect!"
"Using the Cloud Mist Sect to pressure me?" Nalan Jie's anger ignited, his voice turning cold. "You've certainly grown bold."
"Grandfather, you were the one using your status as an elder to pressure me first." Nalan Yanran clenched her fists. "In any case, I refuse to acknowledge this engagement. If you insist on forcing me, then consider me no longer your granddaughter."
Without waiting for Nalan Jie to say another word, Nalan Yanran turned and strode away.
"Impudent!" Nalan Jie raised a hand, his chest heaving with rage, but in the end, he did nothing.
Suddenly, a piercing cold pain shot through his chest, causing him to uncontrollably spit out a mouthful of black blood.
"Not good!" Nalan Jie immediately sat cross-legged, circulating his Dou Qi to suppress the Branding Poison.
"Father!"
Nalan Su, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared and swiftly took out a pill, placing it into Nalan Jie's mouth.
"Whew." A few breaths later, Nalan Jie opened his eyes, still shaken. "Su'er, I owe you this time."
"Father, there's no need for formalities between us." Nalan Su's expression was steady, but his eyes revealed shrewdness. "As for Yanran's matter, don't be too angry. She's talented and has become Sect Leader Yun Yun's disciple, with suitors like Pill King Gu He's student. Being forced to marry an unfamiliar, useless man is bound to upset her."
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking." Nalan Jie glared at Nalan Su. "Let me tell you, if it weren't for Xiao Lin back then, I would have died from this Branding Poison long ago and wouldn't be alive today."
"Now that the Xiao family has declined, if our Nalan family reneges on the marriage, how will the entire Jia Ma Empire view us?"
"A person without integrity cannot stand. This matter absolutely cannot be changed."
Nalan Su opened his mouth to speak but ultimately gave up on persuading him.
He knew his father's temper was unyielding, and arguing further might aggravate him to the point of a poison flare-up.
He could only hope Yanran would find a way to resolve this herself. The Cloud Mist Sect wouldn't just stand by idly.
Meanwhile, at the summit of the third peak.
"Mystic Yin Finger."
Gu Han pointed at a rock but stopped an inch away.
Crack!
A surge of icy energy erupted from his fingertip, infusing the rock and instantly freezing it. The rock flew backward, smashing into a slightly larger boulder and shattering it to pieces.
Over this period, Gu Han had successfully advanced both the Mystic Ice Force and Mystic Yin Finger to proficiency, fully stabilizing his Three-Star Dou Fighter cultivation with slight improvements.
The Yin winds on the mountain peak had begun weakening three days ago and were now almost gone, significantly slowing his cultivation progress. This prompted him to take his first Mind Awakening Pill.
"Staying here is pointless now. It's time to return."
Gu Han retracted his finger, adjusted his breathing slightly, and prepared to head back to Cloud Mist Mountain.
But before that, he decided to check for opportunities one last time at the third peak's summit.
In recent days, he had only gathered some second-tier spirit herbs or first-tier Magical Beasts—hardly noteworthy gains.
[Nalan Yanran departed for Cloud Mist Mountain at 9:45 AM today, accompanied by Liu Ling throughout. When bidding farewell to Nalan Jie, she was reminded not to forget her marriage to Xiao Yan and to visit her fiancé in Wutan City when possible, strengthening her resolve to use the Cloud Mist Sect's influence to annul the engagement.]
"Determined to call off the marriage?"
Gu Han frowned subconsciously. If this were happening to the neighboring God King, it would already be a death sentence.
As a disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect, indebted to its favors, he hadn't yet figured out how to perfectly intervene in this matter.
"Focusing on improving my strength should come first."
Gu Han shifted his attention to the second opportunity.
[At a hundred-zhang elevation on the third peak, there is a cavern with a hot spring. At the bottom of the spring, a Century Jade Embryo, influenced by days of Yin winds, will transform into Century Cold Jade at midnight tonight, turning the hot spring into a Cold Spring. This environment is highly suitable for cultivators with Yin or Ice attribute Dou Qi.
The cavern has two entrances: one on a cliff face and the other at the bottom of the open-air hot spring, requiring diving to access.]
Century Cold Jade: When worn by practitioners of ice and yin attributes, it increases cultivation speed by thirty percent for Dou Fighters, twenty percent for Dou Masters, and ten percent for Dou Grand Masters.
If one emerges from another Cold Spring at the first quarter of the hour of Zi, they may gain the favor of a Dou Emperor.
Century Cold Jade—this is truly a timely blessing.
With this, it wouldn't matter even if Yin Feng never came again.
And there's even a chance to gain the favor of a Dou Emperor.
"But in the Cloud Mist Sect, which Dou Emperor's favor could one obtain?"
"Yun Yun?"
"It shouldn't be her."