The look in her eyes was entirely different from how Chu Lingwei had first seen Meng Qinghe.
"Patriarch Meng, what exactly happened in Songcheng that day?" Chu Lingwei looked at Meng Qinghe. The formation eye of Songcheng had been broken, and Songcheng had self-destructed. It looked like an accidental act, but since Meng Qinghe could stand here perfectly fine, it seemed they had been well-prepared.
"Miss Chu, what do you think happened?"
Meng Qinghe countered with a question, wanting to hear Chu Lingwei's thoughts.
"Naturally, it was a trap set by your Meng family to eliminate the strong cultivators of the Profound Heaven Continent." Chu Lingwei spoke very directly. So many powerful cultivators had died or been injured in a single event.
The Meng family had become a public enemy of the Profound Heaven Continent. As long as they appeared, they would be hunted from all sides.
Meng Qinghe shook his head with a hint of bitterness. "Miss Chu, you are mistaken. Our Meng family also suffered heavy losses. We never had any reason to do such a thing."
"Then why?"
Chu Lingwei drank the spiritual tea in front of her and looked at him. "Where is the former Patriarch of the Meng family?"
There were only two possibilities for the former Patriarch to abdicate: either he voluntarily stepped down, or he met his end.
The former Patriarch of the Meng family absolutely did not want Meng Qinghe to seek him out. He likely would not pass the position of Patriarch to Meng Qinghe for the time being.
"My father unfortunately perished in that accident." Meng Qinghe's eyes were filled with sorrow. "He wanted to use his cultivation to save everyone in Songcheng, but alas, his ability was insufficient."
As expected, it was the same as she had thought. Chu Lingwei remained silent. The Meng family Patriarch deserved his fate.
"Miss Chu, I am the current Patriarch of the Meng family now, and everything in the Meng family is decided by me." Meng Qinghe's tone suddenly turned serious as he looked at Chu Lingwei. "The old rules no longer need to be followed."
Hearing this, Chu Lingwei's heart sank. This was simply a madman.
"Patriarch Meng, as I said, I have no interest in you. Please do not waste your time on me." Chu Lingwei shook her head. Regardless of whether her senior brother was present, Chu Lingwei would never like Meng Qinghe.
Someone who would not give up until they achieved their goals was not a good person.
"Miss Chu, you will definitely fall for me." Meng Qinghe was unconcerned by the rejection. As long as she stayed in the underwater city, she would eventually fall for him.
Chu Lingwei: "..."
"Patriarch Meng, I am very sure that I will not be interested in you. Please do not force me."
"Miss Chu, I believe you will willingly become my dao companion." Meng Qinghe stood up and turned to leave.
"Master, I will take you away." Shui Yi had sensed danger as soon as she entered the underwater city. This was not a place she could leave safely, not even for someone in the Supreme Realm.
"Not for now."
Chu Lingwei knew that Shui Yi was incapable of taking her away. They could only first figure out how the underwater city was controlled by the Meng family before making any plans.
In fact, Chu Lingwei was not worried at all about being brought here.
When her senior brother returned and couldn't find her, he would search for her. She imagined that with his abilities, finding her shouldn't be difficult.
"Let's go out for a stroll."
Chu Lingwei summoned her Water Repelling Pearl, enveloping herself within it, and walked through the streets of the underwater city.
This underwater city was built in an interesting way. Most of the buildings were constructed in the water. Some shops even displayed all their goods in the water, while others used Water Repelling Pearls to create shops similar to those in the Profound Heaven Continent.
From these shop habits, one could see that shops using Water Repelling Pearls were generally from the Profound Heaven Continent, while those who disliked them were the local residents.
"The cultivators here are no less than those in Songcheng," Chu Lingwei couldn't help but exclaim. There really were many cultivators.
"Master, once cultivators enter here, they cannot leave," Shui Yi whispered to Chu Lingwei. These people might have entered by accident, and leaving would be harder than ascending to heaven.
"Has no one ever left?"
Chu Lingwei's mind stirred. She wished Meng Qinghe had not been so confident in letting her and Shui Yi leave the inn, instead of stopping them. It wasn't that he was confident in her, but rather that he knew she was fundamentally unable to leave.
"There shouldn't be."
When Shui Yi was cultivating in the past, she had heard of the underwater city. Knowing that anyone who entered could not leave, she had never dared to approach it.
Chu Lingwei did not believe it.
The most common item sold in the underwater city was the Water Repelling Pearl. Chu Lingwei bought a few of the largest ones and returned to the inn to begin cultivating.
When she opened her eyes again, a familiar face was standing before her.
"Miss Chu, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Meng Wanyang's eyes were complicated when she saw Chu Lingwei. She thought she would never see this woman again, but unexpectedly, she met her again so quickly.
"Senior Meng."
Chu Lingwei stood up and greeted Meng Wanyang.
"Miss Chu, this place is not suitable for you." Meng Wanyang was filled with regret at this moment. She regretted not listening to her elder brother's words and doting on Meng Qinghe so much, leading their Meng family to such a fate.
"Senior Chu, I don't want to stay here either, but I can't leave." Chu Lingwei found it amusing. Didn't she know that this was something she couldn't resolve?
Meng Wanyang sighed and lowered her head in thought. "I can send you out."
Chu Lingwei was surprised.
"Aren't you afraid he will punish you?" Meng Qinghe did not seem like a merciful person.
"You can even see this?" Meng Wanyang's inner bitterness became even more apparent. Chu Lingwei had only taken a few days to see what her nephew was like, yet she had doted on him for decades and still hadn't discovered his cold and ruthless nature.
"Consider it the last thing I do for my elder brother." Meng Wanyang gave a tragic smile. Since her elder brother's death, she had realized that he was actually the most successful Patriarch of the Meng family.
With Meng Qinghe as their Patriarch, the Meng family would only continue to decline.
"Thank you for fulfilling my wish, Senior Meng."
Chu Lingwei stepped forward to express her gratitude.
"I will take you away in three hours. Prepare yourself." Meng Wanyang said and then vanished from the room.
"Master, you cannot trust this person's words," Shui Yi quickly stepped forward.
"Mm, I know."
If she were Meng Wanyang, to prevent her nephew from violating the family precepts, there was only one way to achieve a lasting solution.
Shui Yi quietly retreated behind her. She would follow her master's lead.
Three hours later, Meng Wanyang appeared before Chu Lingwei.
"Miss Chu, Qinghe will not appear for now, hurry and come with me."
"May I ask how Senior Meng plans to take me away?" Chu Lingwei remained standing still.
Meng Wanyang's expression stiffened, but her composure returned. "I know an exit from this place, one that only we Meng family members know. If you wish to leave, then come with me."