At the edge of the horizon, the outline of a massive city faintly appeared.
"The Central Plains is truly vast... After nearly half a month, I've finally seen a city."
Lin Xiu exhaled deeply, suddenly accelerating his pace.
After parting ways with Hei Qing, he immediately chose a secluded spot to deal with his hidden dangers.
Although the Hall of Souls had sophisticated methods, Lin Xiu had even more techniques at his disposal. If one method didn't work, he would switch to another.
After spending some time and maintaining the Star Fire Spirit body state, he successfully found the mark left by the Hall of Souls' guardian.
Using the power of the Heavenly Flame, he successfully eliminated the hidden danger.
Since the first major task of this journey, returning Zi Yan to the Ancient Void Dragon clan, had been completed, Lin Xiu wasn't in a hurry. He planned to find a city first, determine his current location, and then board a space ship again to head to Burning Flame Valley.
It's naturally impossible to achieve a breakthrough to Dou Venerate in a short time. Therefore, having a Dou Venerate-level fighter by his side became especially important, and that person was Venerable Tian Huo.
Holding the Flame Mantra, the method of refining the body was no longer a secret to him. What he lacked now was a third Heavenly Flame. After careful consideration, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame of Burning Flame Valley seemed very suitable.
This flame, passed down through generations of Burning Flame Valley, already bore the mark of Burning Flame Valley. Ordinary people couldn't use it even if they obtained it. But Lin Xiu wasn't worried; with the Flame Soul Separation Technique, this problem was nothing to him.
As he got closer, the characters on the city wall became clearer.
Seeing the words, Lin Xiu was stunned, a somewhat strange expression on his face. "Tian Bei City?"
Isn't Senior Sister Han Yue's family in this city? What a coincidence.
Just as he reached the entrance, a commotion erupted from within, and soon after, a group of people rushed out, their expressions anxious.
At the front of the group was a young man, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, dressed in a tight outfit. His tall, slender figure and stern expression made him look imposing.
"Move aside! Everyone, move aside!"
The young man swung a short whip in his hand, making the air crackle with sharp sounds.
"It's someone from the Han family."
"What's going on?"
The crowd lining up at the city gate quickly stepped aside.
Standing to the side, Lin Xiu scanned the scene, and a flash of white caught his eye.
"Senior Sister Han Yue."
He called out.
In the group, a woman with beautiful silver hair, sitting on horseback, looked over in surprise towards the source of the voice.
When she saw the face with a faint smile at the back of the crowd, joy welled up in her eyes.
Han Yue sharply tugged the reins, lightly patted the saddle, and her figure gracefully leapt into the air, her skirt fluttering as she landed beside Lin Xiu.
"Lin Xiu... how are you here?"
Han Yue's face was full of surprise, unable to hide her delight. Had he come specifically to see her in response to her invitation?
A trace of anticipation flashed in her eyes.
"Han Yue, who is this?"
The young man leading the group rushed over. Seeing the expression on Han Yue's face, he felt a jolt in his heart, and a hint of jealousy arose.
Ever since the young lady began practicing the ice attribute Qi Method, she often maintained a cold demeanor, not allowing any man within two meters of her.
Why would she show this kind of expression to a man?
"Lin Xiu, a very good Junior Brother from the Academy."
Han Yue turned her head, her face as cold as frost, a stark contrast to how she had just been with Lin Xiu.
"Han Yue, we still have important matters to attend to," the young man said, frowning slightly. His eyes were filled with jealousy, but he didn't show it much.
"I don't need you to remind me," Han Yue first glared at him, then turned to Lin Xiu, her expression softening as she smiled lightly. "Lin Xiu, go stay at Drunken Dream Hall in the city and wait for me. Let me, as your Senior Sister, show you some hospitality."
"Wait, Senior Sister, I don't have anything urgent to do right now. How about I go with you?" Lin Xiu felt that since they had run into each other and he had the ability to help, it wouldn't hurt to lend a hand.
"What would you do? This is a Han family matter; it has nothing to do with you. Besides, we don't have time to take care of you," the young man scoffed.
"Shut up, Han Lin!"
Upon hearing this, Han Yue's face turned icy, and Dou Qi surged out from her body as she angrily glared at him.
Lin Xiu needing someone to take care of him? What a joke!
Junior Brother's strength is even greater than mine; he already broke through to Dou Ancestor before, and there's probably no one in the family who can match him!
"I'm sorry, Junior Brother. He didn't mean any harm; he just has a limited perspective," Han Yue said with some apology as she looked at Lin Xiu, satisfied only after seeing the young man lower his head.
"It's alright, Senior Sister. Whatever trouble you're facing right now, it's better to solve the problem first," Lin Xiu felt that Han Yue was being too anxious. Their relationship wasn't so fragile that he would be offended by the rudeness of a mere servant.
"Well, not long ago, my younger sister led the family's caravan out for supplies. According to the timeline, she should have returned by now, but there's still no sign of her," Han Yue sighed, her eyebrows furrowing.
Recently, tensions between the Han family and the Hong family in the city had been escalating.
Originally, the Han and Hong families were the two dominant forces in Tian Bei City, and they never got along. But with the return of a man named Hong Chen from the Wind Lightning Pavilion, the Hong family had become increasingly arrogant, with clear intentions of taking over Tian Bei City.
At such a critical time, even the slightest anomaly could raise suspicion.
Han Xue's sudden disappearance made it difficult not to speculate.
"Han Yue, why are you talking to an outsider? He hasn't even entered Tian Bei City; what could he possibly know? If you ask me, we should search the trade route, and if we don't find Xue, we should go straight to the Hong family and demand her return!"
The young man's displeasure with Lin Xiu was obvious, showing clearly on his face. He even ignored Han Yue's warning glance.
"So you're looking for someone, Senior Sister? I might know where she is."
Lin Xiu had seen the storyline and knew that something like this would happen around this time.
In the original story, it was Xiao Yan who resolved the situation, but now that he wasn't around, Han Xue and her group were likely trapped due to their lack of strength.
"You know? You've seen Xue'er? Wait, I never mentioned her to you before."
Hearing Lin Xiu's words, Han Yue's eyes widened. She had only mentioned it casually because Lin Xiu asked; she hadn't actually expected much.
"Could it be that you captured Xue?"
Han Lin drew his weapon and pointed it at Lin Xiu.
How could it be such a coincidence that they ran into an acquaintance just outside the city gate? Maybe this guy had been plotting against the Han family all along!
Bang!
The temperature in the air suddenly dropped, and a blast of cold air shot from Han Yue's hand, striking the young man and sending him flying.
"If you ever point a weapon at Junior Brother again, it won't be as simple as getting injured!"
Han Yue glanced at the young man lying on the ground, her gaze cold and serious.
"Senior Sister, is there a place nearby where there are particularly many snakes?" Lin Xiu asked.
He couldn't remember the exact name of the location but recalled that there were a lot of snakes nearby, including a Rank 6 Serpent Emperor.
"There is such a place. Outside the city, there's an area called Ten Thousand Snake Gorge."
Han Yue nodded without hesitation, though her eyes were filled with confusion.
"You know where it is, right?" Lin Xiu asked, recognizing the name and finding it familiar.
Uncertain of what he intended, Han Yue instinctively nodded.
"Alright, show me the way."
Lin Xiu wrapped his arm around Han Yue's waist, and lightning flashed beneath his feet.
In the next instant, the two of them appeared a thousand meters away.
The people at the city gate could only see a distant black dot, their jaws dropping at the incredible speed.
"Did Senior Sister just call him Junior Brother?"
The young man stood there in shock. Wasn't the Senior Sister supposed to be stronger than her Junior Brother?
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