See you again

At the Fang Family’s entrance!

Fang Xiaotian’s expression was surprised and doubtful.

He had no prior interaction with Zhong Qing.

His understanding of him was merely Shen Jinkuo’s Master.

Although Shen Jinkuo’s identity was somewhat extraordinary, and Zhong Qing, as his Master, was presumably extraordinary as well, Fang Xiaotian still harbored doubts about whether he could resolve the Fang Family’s crisis.

Thinking of this, Fang Xiaotian frowned and asked, “Your Excellency, who exactly are you? And what is your background?”

Zhong Qing took a calm sip of wine: “Who I am is not important, nor is my identity.”

“What’s important is, do you want to resolve the Fang Family’s current predicament?”

These words clearly touched Fang Xiaotian’s heart.

The current Fang Family was a prime example of a declining power.

After the death of their only Supreme Realm Old Ancestor, their decline accelerated, and many Venerable Realm forces, and even forces without any Venerables, who once held the Fang Family in awe, now openly bullied them.

This caused the entire Fang Family to be restless.

They even openly demanded the execution of the Holy Maiden Fang.

Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that there were others with ulterior motives, but all these people wished for the Fang Family’s demise.

He truly loved his daughter to the core; how could he bear to let her suffer even the slightest harm?

Naturally, he couldn’t agree.

Moreover, the sinister intentions of those people went beyond that.

They were using a slow-boil approach, wanting to watch the Fang Family struggle and die step by step.

“How can I trust you?”

Fang Xiaotian’s expression shifted slightly.

Zhong Qing spread his hands: “You can only trust me now, can’t you?”

“I can resolve the Fang Family’s Karma for you.”

“But the precondition is, you must let my Disciple meet your daughter. If they still wish to be together, you must not obstruct them.”

As his words fell, a bitter feeling arose in Fang Xiaotian’s heart.

The current Fang Family had already reached a point where change was imperative.

If they didn’t find a way to resolve the crisis, their demise would likely only be a matter of time.

Zhong Qing’s appearance was undoubtedly a chance for the Fang Family to survive a desperate situation.

After a moment of thought, he said, “I have never stopped them from being together.”

“Even back then, when Yier went to find him, I turned a blind eye.”

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Jinkuo: “Fine, your matters must come to a conclusion.”

“But let me state beforehand, Yier Cultivated a Demonic Technique for your sake. That Demonic Technique is extremely overbearing; any man who harbors evil thoughts towards her will inexplicably die suddenly.”

“Let alone having close contact with her.”

“Meaning, even if Yier forgives you.”

“You two can never truly be together in this life.”

Hearing this, Shen Jinkuo felt both self-reproach and heartache.

“Fang Uncle, I don’t dare to hope that Yier can forgive me now, but I genuinely want to do something for her.”

“To personally apologize to her for what happened back then.”

“Please, Fang Uncle, grant my wish!”

As his words fell, Fang Xiaotian sighed: “If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have acted that way.”

It was unclear if he was speaking to Shen Jinkuo, to himself, or to both.

“Follow me!”

Under his lead, everyone entered the Fang Family residence.

After traversing several long corridors, they finally arrived at a hall surrounded by a Formation!

Fang Xiaotian looked at the pavilion before him, his expression tinged with sadness: “Yier is inside this Serene Heart Pavilion!”

At these words, Shen Jinkuo couldn’t help but tremble.

He even felt a surge of nervousness.

This was the person he had yearned for for a thousand years!

But very quickly, he looked at the surrounding Formation that carried the power of confinement.

His expression couldn’t help but change. “Fang Uncle, you… have imprisoned Yier?”

Fang Xiaotian’s expression was filled with unconcealed sorrow and loss: “This was a last resort.”

“These past years, due to her Cultivating the Demonic Technique, her mind was damaged, and her temperament changed drastically.”

“If this continues, she will sooner or later suffer Qi Deviation.”

“This Formation can suppress her Heart Demon and reduce the malevolence in her.”

“On another note, countless Prodigy Disciples have died because of her.”

“The Fang Family truly couldn’t bear the pressure from the forces behind those people.”

“To ensure fewer people die because of her, I could only resort to this measure.”

“To temporarily confine her in this Serene Heart Pavilion.”

As he spoke, Fang Xiaotian formed hand seals, opening a corner of the Formation confining the Serene Heart Pavilion.

“Alright, go in!”

“Yier is inside. You must not provoke her. My poor daughter can no longer withstand any stimulation!”

Speaking of this, Fang Xiaotian’s eyes reddened slightly.

He felt both heartache and helplessness.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinkuo felt a lump in his throat.

From just a few words, he could sense how Yier had spent the past thousand years.

Fang Xiaotian was right about one thing.

Yier’s current predicament was all thanks to him.

On his way to the Profound Domain, he had imagined countless scenarios of meeting Yier.

Perhaps a relieved smile upon reunion, or passing by like strangers, or the lingering regret of what was lost…

Sad, relieved, indifferent…

But he had never imagined it would be like this.

Ultimately, he had failed her.

At this moment, Shen Jinkuo even felt a little afraid to see Yier.

Because he didn’t know how to face her.

In the courtyard, Zhong Qing looked at his hesitant Disciple and encouraged him: “Some things must be faced.”

“You have already missed her once.”

“Don’t let your hesitation fill the rest of your life with regret again.”

At these words, Shen Jinkuo took a deep breath: “Thank you, Master!”

His expression shifted, he adjusted his mindset, and with firm steps, he moved forward. In a short while, he entered the Serene Heart Pavilion.

The moment he entered, his expression changed.

His entire body instantly stiffened.

He saw that the small pavilion contained no furniture or decorations, only paintings.

The paintings depicted mountains, water, and people.

Seeing these mountains, water, and people, a thousand years of sealed memories flooded his mind.

These were clearly the past experiences they had shared together!

Shen Jinkuo gently caressed a painting on the wall.

A part of the painting was already wet with liquid, leaving only a crumpled corner.

He gently sniffed it—salty!

The scent was very, very faint!

Clearly, a long time had passed.

He could vaguely sense the painter’s state of mind when creating this painting.

Weeping while recalling past events.

As he looked at one painting after another.

His state of mind was in turmoil, completely in turmoil!

He knew Yier loved him deeply!

But he never imagined her love ran so deep.

He frantically searched everywhere for her figure.

From the first floor, to the second floor, and then to the third floor.

On every floor, there were paintings.

Those were not just paintings; they were their memories.

The entire Serene Heart Pavilion had six floors in total.

Finally, Shen Jinkuo found her figure on the fifth floor.

Upon seeing her figure, his heart trembled violently.