"Pregnant, really?" The Snow Lotus Sect Master started, then involuntarily touched her eyelids, feigning the action of rubbing sand out of her eye. Pei Hao, standing nearby, secretly chuckled; his niece always rubbed her eyes when she felt deeply embarrassed or humiliated.

The Snow Lotus Sect Master was, at that moment, undeniably mortified.

"This Snow Lotus Sect Master is truly..." Teng Qingshan inwardly suppressed a laugh.

However, the Sect Master recovered quickly. After finishing her rubbing, she looked at Li Jun with an expression of feigned surprise and chided gently, "Xiao Jun, you're pregnant—such momentous news, and you didn't even tell your Master. Do you still consider me your teacher?"

"Master, before, I..." Li Jun looked somewhat awkward.

Previously, at the Snow Lotus Sect headquarters, the Sect Master had lectured Teng Qingshan, and he had retorted sharply before pulling Li Jun away. When would there have been the time or the right occasion for Li Jun to announce, "I am pregnant"?

"Since that is the case, Xiao Jun, your pregnancy means nurturing the child is paramount. I agree to you temporarily stepping down as Sect Master. However, once your child is born, you will still serve as the acting Sect Master of the Snow Lotus Sect." The Snow Lotus Sect Master glanced at Teng Qingshan, adding under her breath, "Whether my disciple, Pei Xuelian, serves as Sect Master is not something her husband gets to decide."

Teng Qingshan merely smiled; he wasn't about to stoop to arguing with the Sect Master.

"Brother Pei Hao," Teng Qingshan turned to Pei Hao, "I have an urgent matter to discuss with the Palace Master. I implore you, tell me, where exactly is he!"

"My father is in seclusion. Why do you need to see him?" The Snow Lotus Sect Master frowned.

"Naturally, it is important," Teng Qingshan didn't wish to waste time explaining to these people.

"Then you cannot see him."

The Snow Lotus Sect Master engaged Teng Qingshan in an argument. "My father being in seclusion is a major event. What if you interrupt him during a crucial moment of sudden enlightenment? Can you compensate for the losses my father might suffer?" The Sect Master’s words caused Pei Hao to hesitate slightly.

Indeed, being interrupted at the threshold of enlightenment would be disastrous.

"Hmph!"

Teng Qingshan's expression darkened. He had no patience left for persuasion. "Snow Lotus Sect Master, you should know... your father owes me a favor. And he owes me a promise of profound gratitude."

The Snow Lotus Sect Master, Pei Hao, and the others were momentarily stunned; they were all aware of this history.

"Now, I require your father to repay that favor!"

Teng Qingshan stated coldly, "What? You aren't going to let your father settle his debt, are you?"

A debt of obligation is the hardest to repay. Now that Teng Qingshan had brought it up, requiring Pei San to clear his debt, everyone present, being figures of stature, naturally could not renege. Pei Hao, the Beast King Wu Hou, and the Heavenly God 'Su Mengte' exchanged glances. Finally, Pei Hao smiled and said, "Since Brother Hu He has an important matter requiring the Palace Master's attention, so be it... Very well, Wu Hou, you shall accompany Brother Hu He to see your master."

The Beast King 'Wu Hou' stepped forward with a smile. "Hu He, please."

Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile.

"Xiao Jun, let's go." Teng Qingshan and Li Jun mounted the Six-Legged Saber-Chir together, while the Beast King 'Wu Hou' sat cross-legged at the front of the creature's back.

The three were indeed slightly cramped on the Saber-Chir’s back.

Fortunately, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun were husband and wife, and they leaned close together.

"Roar~~" The Six-Legged Saber-Chir let out a low growl and immediately shot skyward, heading directly north.

...

Looking up as the Six-Legged Saber-Chir departed, and the Heavenly God 'Su Mengte' left, only Pei Hao and the Snow Lotus Sect Master remained in the courtyard, along with the Lightning Divine Eagle huddled in a corner.

"Xuelian, what was that display just now?" With no one else around, Pei Hao frowned. "You know the etiquette... why such a loss of composure this time?" Although Pei Xuelian had a willful temper, she was still a Sect Master and should have learned some decorum over the years.

"Fifth Uncle," Pei Xuelian snorted, "Loss of composure? Hmph. Why should I show Hu He any pleasantries?"

"Initially, Father tried every means to get this Hu He to join my Heavenly God Palace. But Hu He refused everything." Pei Xuelian sneered. "Then, I made Xiao Jun the acting Sect Master of the Snow Lotus Sect, partly to win over this Hu He... and at that time, I treated Hu He with at least a semblance of goodwill, right?"

"But—"

A chilling glint flashed in Pei Xuelian's eyes. "But this Hu He, outside Hongtian City, did not exert the Six-Legged Saber-Chir's full strength... otherwise, how could Senior Brother have lost an arm?"

Indeed, Pei San and the Lightning Divine Eagle had done their best to restrain the situation, and the Six-Legged Saber-Chir had not fought with its utmost ferocity. In the Saber-Chir's view, its only true friends were Teng Qingshan and Li Jun, and with its intelligence, it knew that the Heavenly God Palace members and Teng Qingshan were not on the same side. Therefore, even though it assisted, it held back.

"Even if it tried its best, those spikes couldn't possibly have pierced You Shijin's Hongtian Divine Armor," Pei Hao countered.

"Regardless, the Six-Legged Saber-Chir did not fight its hardest." Pei Xuelian sneered. "Just this matter alone wouldn't prompt me to hold a grudge. But... when You Shijin fled, my father severely wounded the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Mouse. At that time, my father summoned the Six-Legged Saber-Chir to help, but where did it go? It flew towards Hu He."

Pei Xuelian continued to sneer, "This Hu He is overwhelmingly selfish!"

"From beginning to end, he never truly considered himself one of my Heavenly God Palace. Even after acquiring those two sets of Divine Armor and gifting one to my father... the set he kept was the Hongtian Divine Armor! That is second only to the Supreme Battle Armor." Pei Xuelian expressed extreme disdain. "From that moment, I knew that Hu He had already drawn a clear line between himself and my Heavenly God Palace in his heart. Gifting a set of Divine Armor in exchange for a promise of profound thanks—I truly feel indignant on my father's behalf."

Pei Hao was taken aback.

"Fifth Uncle, for someone who never intended to truly join my Heavenly God Palace in his core being—and someone my Heavenly God Palace gains no benefit from—do I need to put on a pleasant face? What is wrong with cursing him a few times? If I don't curse him, he still won't join the Heavenly God Palace. If I curse him, will he dare to rebel?" Pei Xuelian scoffed.

Pei Hao sighed inwardly... his niece saw the situation clearly enough.

Once she determined that Hu He would never join the Heavenly God Palace, her attitude immediately shifted—I'll shield someone in my faction, but if they aren't with me, what's wrong with kicking them a bit?

"You, my dear, offend people this way too easily. Your father warned us not to make an enemy of this Hu He," Pei Hao shook his head.

"I truly don't understand what my father fears about him—someone who hasn't reached Great Completion in the Void Realm, plus a monstrous beast? My father rules several prefectures with a single command. Why waste breath on this Hu He? Hu He's ambitions clearly do not lie with my Heavenly God Palace." Pei Xuelian shook her head, then suddenly smiled. "Fifth Uncle, guess why he's come to see my father this time?"

"It must be related to the recent attack on Yangzhou," Pei Hao suggested.

"Exactly."

Pei Xuelian smiled confidently. "This Hu He has repeatedly helped the Guiyuan Sect before. Furthermore, according to my intelligence, I heard... the Guiyuan Sect once showed Hu He great kindness. I suspect that in Hu He's heart, the Heavenly God Palace holds less importance than the Guiyuan Sect!"

"We are attacking Yangzhou, and he is likely worried for the Guiyuan Sect, so he has come to beg my father."

Pei Xuelian sneered. "Fifth Uncle, tell me, how could someone like this ever join my Heavenly God Palace... Even if he did, he would just be an internal mole."

** Pei Xuelian was right; Teng Qingshan never considered himself a member of the Heavenly God Palace. Drawing a clear boundary now would make future interactions easier. Otherwise, if things remained ambiguous, it would be awkward for both sides when Teng Qingshan eventually sought to control all of Yangzhou and potentially confront the Heavenly God Palace.

If he were a sinister person, he would join the Heavenly God Palace now, flourish, and let them drop their guard. Once fully established, he could easily kick the Heavenly God Palace aside and seize Yangzhou. That path would certainly be simpler, but Teng Qingshan was incapable of it. He could only manage to clearly delineate the boundaries from the outset.

...

Within Youzhou territory, a thick fog had set in that morning. The Six-Legged Saber-Chir flew continuously through the mist.

"Look, that high mountain ahead is called Mount Songyang; that's where Master is in seclusion," the Beast King 'Wu Hou' pointed toward a mountain peak, hazy in the fog but soaring into the clouds. As the Six-Legged Saber-Chir flew swiftly, Mount Songyang grew larger in their vision.

"Hmm? Brother Li Chao is here too?" Teng Qingshan expressed surprise; he had already sensed the auras of two Void Realm experts within the mountain.

"Yes,"

Wu Hou sighed. "Senior Brother lost an arm, which affected his swordsmanship. This time, he is accompanying Master in seclusion to adapt his sword techniques to a single arm." Before he finished speaking, the Six-Legged Saber-Chir had landed halfway up Mount Songyang.

The scenery on the mist-shrouded Mount Songyang was breathtakingly beautiful.

It was just the beginning of autumn. While Yangzhou in the south still held the lingering heat of summer, the mornings in Youzhou to the north were already quite cold; faint frost could be seen clinging to the vegetation on the mountain.

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, the Beast King 'Wu Hou,' and the Six-Legged Saber-Chir walked towards the seclusion spot of Pei San and Li Chao. Though they hadn't arrived, they could already sense sharp sword energies permeating the area, evidenced by the numerous fallen trees and the fragments of plants and leaves scattered about.

In a clearing halfway up the mountain, a black-haired, white-browed man with a single arm was practicing his sword forms. Every movement, though not fast and devoid of infused True Essence, carried a terrifying sharpness that seemed capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart; strands of sword energy manifested in the surrounding space.

"Hoo!" The one-armed man let out a long breath, sheathed his sword, and walked towards the small group, greeting loudly, "Brother Hu He, what brings you here... Oh, congratulations." Li Chao looked at Li Jun with surprise. "I didn't expect that after such a short time, Brother Hu He is about to become a father."

Mentioning this matter naturally brought a wave of joy to Teng Qingshan's heart, and he glanced affectionately at Li Jun beside him.

"Brother Li Chao, I have urgent business with the Palace Master; he is..." Teng Qingshan looked at Li Chao.

"Master is in seclusion, this—" Li Chao hesitated slightly.

Suddenly—

"Haha, Hu He, you are about to become a father. Yet instead of staying home to await the child's arrival, you travel here to see me. It seems you have something important." Pei San, with his hair unbound and wearing a loose, moon-white robe, strode out of the shadowy cave entrance, his face beaming as he looked at Teng Qingshan.