Does it feel good to be a kept man?

Shen Wen’s gaze turned to the boulder where Xiao Yan was hiding, and he spoke in a flat tone, "You've been watching for so long, do you still not plan to come out?"

Behind the boulder, Xiao Yan sighed in his heart, knowing he could no longer hide. He had no choice but to retract his Purple Cloud Wings and step out from the shadows. He pulled down his hood and cupped his hands toward Shen Wen, "Brother Shen."

Feeling a bit bitter, he whispered to Yao Lao inside the ring, "It seems that incomplete map really did fall into his hands."

Yao Lao’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, "How could a Core Disciple of the Pill Tower have shallow knowledge? It's not surprising he recognized the incomplete map of the pure lotus demonic flame. Matters of Opportunity cannot be forced."

Xiao Yan also understood this logic, but it was inevitable to feel some regret.

He looked up and happened to see Xiao Yi Xian looking over.

Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly to him, her expression peaceful.

Xiao Yan also nodded in response, noticing the aura faintly circulating around her, which made him feel another wave of emotion.

"Blood has just been spilled here; it's not a place for talking," Shen Wen said, surveying the woodland where the scent of blood had not yet dissipated. "Let's go to Peace Town; it's quiet there."

Xiao Yan naturally had no objections.

He was originally going to Jia Nan Academy to find Xun'er anyway, so traveling together was for the best.

At this moment, Qing Mei, who was being supported nearby, took a breath and said, "Master Shen, actually, the Mansion also asked me to bring a message to you this time regarding..."

She hadn't finished her sentence, but Shen Wen already understood.

The deal between him and the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was for them to secretly keep an eye out for traces of the Hall of Souls.

Qing Mei’s hesitation now most likely meant they had discovered something.

"Since there's business, let's go together," Shen Wen interrupted her, his gaze seemingly sweeping over a spot not far away.

Fan Lao’s son, Fan Ling, was slumped under a tree, his face deathly pale and his body shaking like a leaf, clearly not yet recovered from the terror of seeing his father killed in an instant.

Shen Wen only took one look before ignoring him.

"Let's go."

He said no more and his figure soared forward.

Cai Lin, Cao Ying, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others immediately followed.

Xiao Yan also hurried to spread his wings and followed at the end of the group.

Qing Mei looked at the Heavenly Serpent Mansion guards and said, "Go find Elder Lu and tell her that I have gone to Peace Town, and..."

Qing Mei whispered a few words to one person, whose eyes flashed with a hint of horror, and he quickly nodded.

Only then did Qing Mei follow behind Shen Wen and the others... When the group flew to Peace Town and landed at the entrance, a Law Enforcement Team wearing Jia Nan Academy uniforms quickly came forward to meet them.

The leading captain had a serious expression and was about to begin an inspection, but he froze when his gaze met Shen Wen's. He then quickly bowed and saluted, "Elder Shen!"

Xiao Yan looked on with some surprise. Shen Wen only nodded slightly and said to the captain, "Take these friends inside and arrange a quiet place to stay."

"Yes!" The Law Enforcement Captain respectfully complied and stepped aside to clear the way.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Shen, you are..."

"Just an honorary title as an Inner Academy Elder," Shen Wen replied casually as he walked. "It makes things easier."

"Inner Academy Elder..." Xiao Yan repeated under his breath. Suddenly, he thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Then Xun'er... is she in the Inner Academy now?"

Shen Wen glanced at him sideways, his tone flat, "She's still staying in the Outer Academy."

He paused for a moment and added, "Probably because she's afraid a certain someone would travel thousands of miles only to miss her."

Xiao Yan's face immediately felt a bit hot.

He naturally knew who the "certain someone" Shen Wen was talking about was, so he could only rub his nose sheepishly and didn't respond.

The group was led to a quiet courtyard belonging to Jia Nan Academy in Peace Town.

Entering the hall, Shen Wen first looked at Cao Ying, "Ying'er, take Elder Qing to the side room to heal her injuries. Use whatever Medicinal Pills are needed."

Cao Ying smiled brightly, "Alright." She turned to Qing Mei, "Elder Qing, please follow me."

Qing Mei nodded. As she stood up, her gaze seemed to linger for a moment on the quietly standing Qing Lin before she followed Cao Ying to the side room.

Only Shen Wen, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yan remained in the hall.

Shen Wen sat in the head seat and flipped his palm. An ancient-looking jade pot appeared in his hand—it was the fire gathering pot.

A faint azure light flowed over the pot's body, and a strange energy fluctuation emanated from it.

Xiao Yan was no stranger to this fluctuation. He had the Wind Fury Dragon Flame hidden within him, making his perception particularly keen. He couldn't help but blurt out, "This is... the aura of a Heavenly Flame?"

Yao Lao, who occasionally spoke in his heart, had fallen into an unusual silence at this moment.

Because he sensed a relatively familiar aura.

"Yes," Shen Wen’s fingertip stroked the pot’s body, his tone casual. "Han Feng’s Sea Heart Flame."

Xiao Yan’s breath hitched. Han Feng... that Senior Brother who had betrayed his Revered Master and caused his teacher to fall to such a state.

He was silent for a long while before asking in a dry voice, "Brother Shen, what do you... mean by this?"

Shen Wen looked up at him with a half-smile on his face, "I have a deal with Xiao Xun Er.

She gave me some things I needed, and I helped her kill Han Feng to avenge Venerable Yao."

He shook the fire gathering pot in his hand, "This Sea Heart Flame is considered incidental spoils of war."

"Han Feng... how did Brother Shen know he had a grudge against Revered Master?" This was also what Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were puzzled about.

At first, they thought Shen Wen had sought trouble with Han Feng for his Heavenly Flame, but they didn't expect it to be a deal between Xiao Xun Er and Shen Wen.

Moreover, Xiao Xun Er shouldn't have known about the hatred between Yao Lao and Han Feng.

That meant...

This was something Shen Wen knew, or perhaps even told Xiao Xun Er.

"As long as one investigates carefully, it's not a difficult matter, not to mention that the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls already have a grudge."

He watched the changing expressions on Xiao Yan's face, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he added slowly, "So, Little Brother Xiao Yan, someone has paved the way for you... or rather, for your teacher, to this extent. Does this feeling of eating soft rice feel good?"

Xiao Yan opened his mouth, his face flushing between blue and red, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

For a moment, he didn't realize that the term 'eating soft rice' that Shen Wen used had actually never appeared in this world before.

Inside the ring, Yao Lao’s Soul fluctuation sent out an extremely complex and inexplicable sigh, and then he drifted out, saying, "I must thank Young Friend Shen for the help this time."

Shen Wen smiled and said, "It's just that Yao Lao was too... if you had sought help from the Pill Tower when encountering difficulties, you wouldn't have fallen to this point."

"I... sigh."

Yao Lao didn't say much more. This matter was indeed a result of him overthinking; he felt his own affairs shouldn't involve the Pill Tower, mainly because he initially only thought it was Han Feng's betrayal.

Only later did he gradually learn that Han Feng had a connection with the Hall of Souls, and it was the Hall of Souls that had incited Han Feng to betray him.

"Alright, I still have some things to discuss with Qing Mei. This Heavenly Flame was extracted from Han Feng's body, so it's not that violent. You can refine it whenever you see fit."