193: Am I a bad guy?

The Sword Intent suddenly softened. Fang Qingge held his longsword high, pondered for a moment, then looked at the two Elders glaring behind Xu Sanyan, and finally lowered it.

It was only a spar; there was no need to go all out.

"Brother Xu, wait. I concede," Fang Qingge said, cupping his hands.

Xu Sanyan also stopped, his Dao body dissipating and returning to human form. He slowly shook his head, unwilling to take advantage of him. "The victor is undecided. How can you concede? Let's call this a draw for now. We can compete again when there's an opportunity in the future."

"Alright," Fang Qingge put away his longsword, shaking his head with a slight sense of regret. "It's a pity Brother Xu mistakenly fell into the Demonic Path. Otherwise, perhaps we could have become very good friends."

Xu Sanyan, upon hearing this, disagreed. "You claim to be of the Righteous Path, but can you ensure that none of your Disciples within your Sect commit evil?"

"No, but I can ensure that I do not commit evil," Fang Qingge's tone was light but extremely firm.

Their Daos were different, so there was nothing more to say between them. Fang Qingge had only sighed with emotion.

"Farewell."

Fang Qingge turned and left. Wei Xunzhu looked back at Xu Sanyan, then followed him away.

Xiang Tan took out a red robe from her Storage Pouch again and draped it over Xu Sanyan, sighing, "A renowned reputation is not hollow. Fang Qingge is indeed extraordinary to be able to contend equally with Senior Brother."

"Indeed..."

The two Elders behind him exchanged glances, silent. They had only respected Xu Sanyan's status before, not truly acknowledging his strength. But after this encounter, they finally realized that the Saint had been deeply concealing his power.

They had only observed from the side and already felt the terrifying oppressive force of the Qingge Sword Intent. The pressure on the Saint, who was directly within it, was imaginable, yet he could push against it, showing his true strength.

On the other side, Junior Sister Yu was also immersed in the recent battle, unable to extricate herself for a long time. She never expected that someone could actually fight her Senior Brother to a draw.

"That Xu Sanyan is incredibly powerful," Wei Xunzhu praised.

Fang Qingge nodded in agreement. "Indeed, if it were a fight to the death, I wouldn't be confident of victory."

"Where are we going next?" Junior Sister Yu asked.

Fang Qingge thought for a moment, then pulled out a mother-child stone. "I'll ask where the Luo family siblings are. We can go find them."

"Okay."

...

Lin Fan sat cross-legged, one hand on Zuoqiu Yi's back, circulating his magical power to heal her injuries.

The two had spent a long time on the fifth floor. Lin Fan needed to recover his magical power, and Zuoqiu Yi's injuries were serious, both requiring time to recuperate.

"Are you feeling better?" Lin Fan asked.

"Yes, I'm fine now," Zuoqiu Yi stood up, her gaze slightly evasive, no longer having her previous carefree demeanor.

"Then, shall we..." Lin Fan pointed to the stairs, asking if she wanted to continue upwards or return the way they came.

Zuoqiu Yi lowered her eyes. "You decide."

"Hmm... then let's go. With our strength, this is probably as far as we can go. Continuing upwards might be dangerous," Lin Fan decided to prioritize Zuoqiu Yi's safety.

"Alright."

The two slowly descended the stairs. As Lin Fan stepped out of the Drum Tower, his expression froze.

"Why are there so many people?"

Zuoqiu Yi scanned the area and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Eldest sisters, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Sixth Sister, you're all here?"

Lin Fan's heart trembled. This was bad; he was meeting the Family, and he wasn't prepared! He frantically tidied his appearance, smoothing his hair back to look a bit neater.

"Why are you two together?" Qin Manyang looked at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan then noticed Qin Manyang and quickly bowed. "Greetings, Elder Qin."

Zuoqiu Yi was just telling her Eldest sisters about their journey when she suddenly remembered Lin Fan was still behind her. So, she pulled Eldest Sister Zuoqiu Shu's arm and introduced him gently, "This is my good friend, Lin Fan, a Disciple of the Tongxin Holy Sect. This is my Eldest Sister."

"Greetings, Eldest... uh."

Lin Fan was about to address her as Eldest Sister, but on second thought, it felt wrong. For a moment, he didn't know how to speak.

Zuoqiu Shu looked at the two of them, her heart sinking. Her little sister, usually so carefree and almost masculine, was now flushed with shyness, and even her voice was much softer. How could she not see that her little sister had already developed feelings for this boy?

This wouldn't do. The Zuoqiu Clan was a Righteous Path Family; how could they be entangled with the Demonic Path? So, she deliberately said in an indifferent tone, "So it's a talented Disciple from the Demonic Path. Thank you for taking care of my younger sister on this journey. This small gift is merely a token of my appreciation."

Saying this, she pulled out some Spirit Stones from her Storage Pouch and handed them to Lin Fan, intending to draw a clear line between them.

This attitude stunned both Zuoqiu Yi and Lin Fan. Zuoqiu Yi immediately exploded, "Eldest Sister, what are you doing? Lin Fan and I are good friends! You're insulting him!"

Lin Fan also said with a grim expression, "Senior, there's no need for this. Your Junior Sister and I simply helped each other; no thanks are necessary."

Zuoqiu Shu sighed deeply in her heart, her face filled with worry. She didn't want to be like this, but her Third Sister had a good relationship with Elder Qin, her Seventh Sister was entangled in love with a Demonic Sect Disciple, and she herself was fancied by the Demonic Sect Saint...

She couldn't understand how coming to a Secret Realm could lead to so many irritating things.

Oh, she just remembered, she didn't even have those parts...

Zuoqiu Shu regained her composure and spoke to Qin Manyang, "Then let's forget it. Your Sect's Saint is also here. You two can stay and wait. We sisters will take our leave first."

Saying this, she pulled Zuoqiu Yi, intending to leave.

Qin Manyang smiled as usual, nodding to Zuoqiu Hui in farewell. She naturally understood Zuoqiu Shu's concerns, which were only natural.

"No, you go! I want to train on my own!"

Zuoqiu Yi forcefully shook off her Eldest Sister's wrist, glaring at her angrily, like a stubborn donkey with its neck stiffened.

Zuoqiu Shu's tone turned cold. "Nonsense! Come with me!"

The Zuoqiu Clan had to draw a clear line with the Demonic Path, otherwise, they would be suppressed by various forces in the future, which would be a calamity for the Family.

"No!" Zuoqiu Yi's attitude was firm.

"Do you still acknowledge me as your Eldest Sister?"

"If I don't acknowledge..."

Seeing the situation escalate, Lin Fan pursed his lips and, with a heavy tone, interrupted Zuoqiu Yi, "You should go back with your Eldest sisters first."

Zuoqiu Yi's eyes widened upon hearing this. She slowly turned her head, feeling disbelief. Couldn't he see that everything she did was for him?

I even spoke harshly to my own Eldest Sister for you, and this is how you treat me?

This made her feel betrayed, and her eyes slowly welled up with tears.

Lin Fan felt a pang of heartache watching this scene, but being weak and powerless to change it, he could only promise, "Don't worry, I will come find you. I will definitely come!"

"Even if I die, I will never give up!"

His voice was low but full of determination.

Zuoqiu Yi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded heavily. "Okay, I'll wait for you!"

With that, she threw out a handkerchief. The handkerchief fluttered in the wind and landed directly in Lin Fan's hand.

Qin Manyang watched this scene with a beaming smile. She hadn't expected to witness such an emotional drama; it was truly interesting.

Lin Fan looked directly into Zuoqiu Shu's eyes, his expression solemn. "I don't know why Senior looks down on me, but thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't bully a young man in poverty!"

Zuoqiu Shu felt goosebumps all over. For some reason, hearing this sentence always made her feel a bit embarrassed. Did young people nowadays like to play these games?

"Alright, you do your best."

She secretly rolled her eyes, then pulled her younger sister away. At the same time, she inwardly pouted furiously, thinking, after all that, she seemed to have become the villain breaking up a loving couple?

Zuoqiu Shu didn't care about Lin Fan's words at all. In her opinion, the two had only known each other in the Secret Realm for less than two days. No matter how deep their feelings were, how deep could they really be?

As long as the two were separated, they would completely forget each other within a month.

Time was the best medicine for soothing emotions.