What stunned the two of them wasn't anything else. It wasn't just the fact that Zhong Shenxiu and Robin had returned that was surprising; what they truly couldn't accept was the manner of their return—they had descended from the sky!

This spectacle was almost too much for the three sets of eyes. None of them could have imagined that Zhong Shenxiu and Robin would return this way. Were they even human?

Robin was the first to hop off the flying sword, taking a look at the others before saying nothing. Then, Zhong Shenxiu tucked away the sword and approached Xia Luo.

Xia Luo stared at him, her wide eyes glazed over, clearly still stunned by the shock.

"We depart tomorrow!" Zhong Shenxiu stated flatly.

"Where to?" Xia Luo asked instinctively.

"What do you think?" Zhong Shenxiu countered.

Xia Luo startled, finally snapping back to reality. She understood that their departure meant heading to the 'Damp Forest' to find those beautiful stones.

Seeing Xia Luo finally grasp the situation, Zhong Shenxiu ignored her and moved to Lis’s side.

"Hey, kid," Zhong Shenxiu suddenly called out. "You said you wanted to follow me?"

Lis clearly hadn't expected Zhong Shenxiu to be so direct upon returning; he hadn't been prepared for this at all.

"Yes," Lis’s heart hammered against his ribs.

"You can come along for a short while!" Zhong Shenxiu’s voice remained placid.

For Lis, this was the best news imaginable. Though he didn't know how long this "short while" would last, holding onto the thought of "one day at a time" made him overjoyed!

Zhong Shenxiu wasn't angered by Lis standing there grinning foolishly; instead, he continued, "I'll give you today to prepare. Tomorrow morning, we leave. No waiting if you're late."

"Understood." Lis instantly straightened his back, as if receiving a command. Just as he was secretly delighted, his eyes inadvertently flickered toward Angelia, whose expression was decidedly strange.

"Um, Master," Lis began, looking as if he had something more to say but hesitated.

"Anything else?" Zhong Shenxiu turned back to him.

"Could you... could you take Big Sister along too?" Lis requested.

He understood Angelia’s thoughts; he knew she must have wanted to go but didn't know how to ask. As her junior who had often received her care, this was the moment for him to step up!

When Angelia heard Lis's words, her body visibly trembled. She had indeed been agonizing over how to bring it up, and now Lis had voiced it for her. She couldn't help but cast a grateful glance his way.

Lis didn't dwell on it, offering only a slight smile. He was naturally diligent and warm-hearted—precisely why Xia Luo and Angelia were so fond of him.

Zhong Shenxiu didn't answer Lis’s question immediately. He turned to Angelia and suddenly commanded, "Girl, come here!"

Angelia dared not ask why, scurrying over obediently, as gentle as a tamed kitten.

"Do you want to come too?" Zhong Shenxiu asked Angelia calmly.

"Yes!" Angelia’s voice was very low, her gaze wandering, daring not meet Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes.

"If you wanted to, why didn't you say so?" Zhong Shenxiu pressed.

This time, however, Angelia didn't answer. She simply lowered her head even further! It wasn't that she didn't want to speak; it was that she was afraid to, unsure of how to phrase it!

Zhong Shenxiu watched Angelia for a long moment before saying, "Same for you. Today to prepare, and tomorrow morning is the deadline, no exceptions!" With that, he actually turned and retreated to his room with Robin!

Only then did Angelia raise her head. She could hardly believe it was true; she hadn't expected Zhong Shenxiu to agree so readily!

"That's wonderful, Big Sister! We can be together again," Lis expressed his delight.

Truthfully, he had always been a self-doubting and lonely person, having rarely experienced familial warmth in his life. But since arriving at this small courtyard, he had become cheerful. The care Xia Luo and Angelia showed him was like sweet dew nourishing the scars in his heart. He was no longer alone; he had two sisters who cared deeply for him, a Master who seemed fierce but was actually quite decent, and the quiet but incomparably powerful little Robin. Being with them gave him a sense of home!

Angelia turned to Lis then, saying with great sincerity, "Thank you!"

Her seriousness made Lis feel awkward and at a loss.

"Big Sister, you don't need to thank me. You’ve looked out for me so much; I should be the one saying thank you!" Lis spoke with genuine emotion.

Angelia smiled at Lis and said no more. In moments like these, any additional words felt superfluous. From this moment on, Angelia truly regarded Lis as her own little brother!

Xia Luo, watching from the side, felt a wave of emotion. She hadn't expected that after only a few days together, they would become such close siblings!

Next came the preparations. Angelia and Lis both needed to return home to pack. Since they didn't know how long this trip would last, they needed ample money, changes of clothes, and other essential travel supplies.

Dong seemed completely relaxed. She had nothing to prepare and could leave anytime. Her subordinates had already returned to Poison territory the day the "Academy Ranking Tournament" ended, so she, as the Captain, was currently free to go wherever she pleased and stay as long as she wanted! It seemed she was a rather irresponsible Captain, sigh!

"Hey, woman, come here for a second," Zhong Shenxiu’s voice suddenly cut through Xia Luo’s musings.

Xia Luo looked over and saw Zhong Shenxiu standing at the door of his room, staring directly at her.

"What is it?" Xia Luo walked over.

"Help me store some things!" Zhong Shenxiu, unusually, was taking the initiative to ask Xia Luo for help.

Xia Luo was momentarily stunned by his request and asked curiously, "What things?"

Zhong Shenxiu didn't answer directly but said, "Follow me!" He then walked into the room!

At that moment, Xia Luo’s body trembled again as she stared, shocked, at his retreating figure. Could it be that he wanted her to enter?

Xia Luo had lived there for days and had never set foot inside Zhong Shenxiu’s room, nor did she know what it contained. She had never imagined that this space, usually considered forbidden ground, was now being offered to her by Zhong Shenxiu!

Xia Luo entered with a mix of excitement and thrill. Her innate female curiosity seemed to be fully awakened, and her eyes darted around, taking everything in!

However, the interior furnishings only deepened her astonishment. This place wasn't a living quarter; it was clearly a laboratory crammed full of various oddities!

Bottles and jars lined the shelves everywhere. The surrounding walls were covered in strange patterns—some resembling ancient magic arrays, others looking like diagrams for complex machinery—utterly baffling!

"Hey, woman, hurry up and come here," Zhong Shenxiu’s urging voice cut through Xia Luo’s observation.

Afraid of keeping Zhong Shenxiu waiting too long, Xia Luo quickly took a couple of steps closer to where he and Robin stood.

She saw that in front of Zhong Shenxiu lay numerous bottles and jars of varying sizes, along with strange, misshapen plants, many of which Xia Luo couldn't name.

"Woman, can your ring hold all this?" Zhong Shenxiu inquired.

He had originally intended to ask Angelia for help, but she had already gone home to prepare. Thus, he had to delegate the task to Xia Luo.

The bottles and jars on the floor were mostly refined elixirs, and the plants were precious herbs he had painstakingly collected. All this had to be moved! If Zhong Shenxiu and Robin’s own magic rings weren't already completely filled with those 'Phosphor King Stones,' he wouldn't have troubled Xia Luo!

It was surprising that even with so many magic rings between them, it still wasn't enough. It seemed truly necessary to forge items like 'Storage Bracelets' or 'Qiankun Bags'!

But, a craftsman can't cook without rice; they needed the materials for forging first!

Xia Luo finally understood his intent and felt momentarily speechless, thinking to herself: He’s young, but he certainly has a lot of stuff!

Meanwhile, Angelia returned home in a state of excitement.

What puzzled her, however, was the absence of Emryda. At first, she paid it no mind and went to her own room to begin preparing her things.

Time ticked by, and the sun was visibly setting. Angelia had finished packing everything she needed but still hadn't seen Emryda return!

Angelia frowned slightly. All the academies were on break now; even if her sister had gone out to play, she should have been back by this hour. Why was there no sign of her?

Had she turned bad and decided to spend the night out?

Angelia was furious, almost letting out a lion’s roar!

To find out where her sister had gone, she entered Emryda’s room without permission, hoping to find some clue.

As she pushed the door open, she saw two conspicuous letters resting on the writing desk.

Angelia glanced casually at them, but the handwriting on the envelopes made her freeze.

The address on the first letter clearly read: To My Sister, Angelia, Open Personally!

Angelia picked up the letter. The address on the second envelope made her pause even more: To My Daughter, Angelia, Open Personally!

Angelia couldn't fathom what was going on. She hastily opened the first letter. Inside, she recognized the messy handwriting of her sister, Emryda:

After reading the letter her sister had left her, Angelia’s face turned nearly green with anger. That little brat had executed a 'shoot first, report later' maneuver on me?!