After bidding farewell to Fujiwara Shifei, Bai Ying walked out of the grand hall.
Only then did Long Xuan notice Bai Ying. As she watched Bai Ying's departing figure, a flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes.
While Bai Ying's appearance could not be described as absolutely stunning, she bore a resemblance to Long Xuan.
It wasn't that they looked exactly alike, but rather that the sect leader of the Sun Heat Sect had no daughters, and Long Xuan had always considered herself the little princess of the Sun Heat Sect.
Though she was undoubtedly spoiled, she believed herself to be quite charming.
However, Bai Ying, even seen from afar, exuded a captivating charm that made Long Xuan feel envious.
When had this person appeared?
Long Xuan glanced at Fujiwara Shifei opposite her, her thoughts stirring, and in an instant, she understood.
Without a doubt, this must be someone Fujiwara Shifei had brought back from the outside.
When Fujiwara Shifei had left the sect hall for her training, Long Xuan had not yet returned. Now that she was back, and Bai Ying had appeared, who else could have brought her back?
A sour feeling rose in her heart, and Long Xuan could not restrain her tongue.
"Some people truly treat the Sun Heat Sect as a refuge, bringing all sorts of riff-raff into the sect hall. Since when did the halls of this sect become a place where anyone could enter?"
Fujiwara Shifei glanced at Long Xuan upon hearing this. Her face was expressionless, but a chilling glint in her eyes made Long Xuan's spine shiver.
Long Ting naturally sensed Fujiwara Shifei's gaze. He stood up, blocking Long Xuan, and spoke calmly, "Xuan'er is still young and has a pure nature. Her words are sometimes thoughtless, but she is kind-hearted. I trust that Elder Fujiwara will not hold it against her?"
Fujiwara Shifei withdrew her gaze indifferently, ignored Long Ting, and simply stood up and walked out of the hall.
Only after her figure had vanished did Long Xuan complain indignantly, "Father, why should we be afraid of her? She is merely an elder without a ranking. You are the Grand Elder."
Long Ting felt a pang of sadness.
Fujiwara Shifei's status within the Sun Heat Sect was indeed special. She was an elder, but she had no ranking.
To outsiders, this might seem as if Fujiwara Shifei's status was insufficient.
However, those who knew the inside story understood that it was precisely because of Fujiwara Shifei's exceptional status that she disdained ranking with them and was unwilling to associate with them, thus she had no ranking.
In the eyes of the sect leader, ten elders were not as valuable as Fujiwara Shifei alone.
But these were not words he could speak to Long Xuan.
He forced a smile and tried to appease her, "Xuan'er, she is an elder and possesses considerable strength. Father cannot always be by your side. If you offend her, be careful that she doesn't beat you."
Long Xuan's shoulders trembled slightly. Although she remained displeased, she ultimately said nothing more.
Having teetered on the brink of death, she now cherished her life dearly.
Long Ting's words were meant to placate Long Xuan, but her obedient response truly surprised him.
In the past, when he had told Long Xuan to endure, she had always been reluctant and required him to repeat himself multiple times before complying.
But this time, why was she so compliant?
Had she matured from her trip?
Or was it due to the incident she had experienced?
Since this hall was not the place for further discussion, Long Ting said no more and led Long Xuan out.
Thus, the once magnificent hall was left in silence, devoid of any presence or sound.
Long Ting brought Long Xuan back to his courtyard. After they were seated, he began to inquire about her recent experiences.
To his surprise, as soon as he asked, Long Xuan rushed over and collapsed onto his lap, sobbing uncontrollably.
Long Xuan's behavior startled Long Ting.
In his memory, it had been a long time since Long Xuan had cried like this.
Though she often cried, it was usually to act spoiled in front of him.
This time, however, she was truly crying with deep sorrow.
Long Ting's heart pounded with unease. After much effort, he managed to soothe her and then urgently asked what had happened.
After her tears subsided, Long Xuan felt a sense of relief. She recounted her experiences to Long Ting.
Long Ting was naturally furious. He had never expected that his daughter, merely on a training trip, would almost lose her life.
And the person who had endangered his daughter's life was none other than Yi Zhixie.
Long Ting then sneered, "They were already enemies, and now with a new grievance added, settling the score will be even easier. Sooner or later, I will make that family pay for their actions."
After finally comforting Long Xuan, Long Ting said in a deep voice, giving orders to the outside, "Go and summon Long Hao."
Hearing that Long Ting wanted to see Long Hao, Long Xuan finally remembered, "Father, Long Hao cares nothing for my life. He wishes I were dead."
Gently stroking Long Xuan's hair, Long Ting said, "He still has some use. Once he is no longer useful, Father will deal with him for you. How about that?"
Long Hao happened to be walking by the door at that moment and overheard Long Ting's words clearly.
Long Ting was seated facing the door and naturally saw Long Hao enter.
Yet, even so, there was no hint of embarrassment on Long Ting's face.
Even when Long Xuan turned and saw Long Hao, her face was filled with disdain.
Long Hao walked forward expressionlessly, his heart feeling as though it were being sliced by a knife as he looked at the father and daughter.
Meanwhile, after leaving the grand hall, Bai Ying headed directly towards the courtyard where Yi Zhixie's parents resided.
As she passed by countless people, all of them were discussing Yi Zhixie's return.
It seemed that Yi Zhixie's return had caused quite a stir within the Sun Heat Sect.
She hurried along and soon arrived at her destination.
She had visited this place several times with Fujiwara Shifei in the past month, so upon entering, she was led inside without needing to say a word.
Entering the living room, she saw Shen Xiaoyan and the others sitting quietly, but Yi Zhixie and Na Muxia were nowhere to be seen.
It was easy to surmise that Yi Zhixie and Na Muxia were inside, accompanying Yi Zhixie's mother.
Lu Taobao was the first to see Bai Ying enter. The moment he saw her, his face lit up with joy.
"Yingying, you're here?"
As Lu Taobao spoke, he stood up and walked to Bai Ying's side. He glanced behind her, and seeing no one else, he appeared somewhat surprised.
Had Fujiwara Shifei not come?
Not only Lu Taobao but also Shen Xiaoyan and the others felt puzzled.
Bai Ying saw their expressions and knew what they were thinking, so she explained, "My master has visited several times this past month. Each time she came, she was filled with hope, but each time it was... Therefore, Master said she wouldn't come again until she found a solution."
Hearing the sorrow in her tone, Shen Xiaoyan and the others understood.
From Fujiwara Shifei's previous interactions with Yi Zhixie, they could infer that Fujiwara Shifei had a good relationship with Yi Zhixie's parents.
Now that Yi Zhixie's mother was in such a state, Fujiwara Shifei must also be feeling distressed.
Shen Xiaoyan glanced inside, then looked back at Bai Ying, "Could you introduce us to Yi Zhixie's parents?"
Although they had known Yi Zhixie for a long time, she had never spoken about her parents. They realized now that they didn't even know their names, which was rather embarrassing.
Fortunately, Bai Ying was here, and it would be good for her to introduce them.
After everyone took their seats, Bai Ying briefly introduced Yi Zhixie's parents.
Yi Zhixie's father was named Yi Maodun, and her mother was named Yin Susu. They were fellow disciples who had grown up together. They fell in love in their youth, their relationship a classic tale of childhood sweethearts, leading smoothly to marriage and the birth of their child.
Their talents were also comparable. Later, they both became elders of the Sun Heat Sect, and then they had Yi Zhixie.
However, after giving birth to Yi Zhixie, their lives were no longer as smooth as before.