"No need for you to go in there," Luo said flatly, observing Nuowen’s desperate struggle. "There’s no one inside."

No one? Nuowen froze, his expression bewildered, and he looked toward Charlotte as if to ask: Are you messing with me?

"You were a step too late. They’ve left!" Charlotte continued in the same detached tone.

"Where did they go?" Nuowen asked. He vaguely sensed the room was empty; otherwise, why hadn't anyone shown themselves after he’d shouted for so long? Besides, that little girl named Robin wasn't there either.

"I don't know!" Charlotte replied.

Her expression was strange now, the look she gave Nuowen seemed to question: Someone like you came here to cause trouble?

"When will they be back?" Nuowen pressed.

"I don't know! But they won't be back any time soon."

Nuowen turned back to his sister, his gaze asking: Is that really true?

Qie He couldn't fathom what kind of mood her brother was in today; she just felt deeply embarrassed. She offered a polite, apologetic smile to Charlotte and the others, then rushed over to tug at Nuowen’s clothes. "Second Brother, what are you doing? Let’s go home quickly!"

Nuowen was still somewhat dazed. He couldn't quite grasp it; he had seen Robin and the others this very morning. Why were they suddenly gone now?

Qielie didn't want Nuowen to continue making a spectacle of himself. She quickly teamed up with Thomas to physically drag him out. As for where they were being taken, that remained unknown!

After they were gone, Charlotte and the other two remained standing there. They were completely baffled, wondering at the sheer number of bizarre and increasingly strange things that had happened in a single day!

Meanwhile, the dragged-away trio—Nuowen, Qielie, and Thomas—didn't stop until they reached a small pavilion.

Qielie let go of Nuowen’s shirt with a flourish and glared at him, asking crossly, "Second Brother, what on earth are you doing?"

Nuowen just stared blankly at Qielie, remaining silent.

"Don't you know you’ve made me lose face?" Qielie scolded him as if chastising a puppy. One must always remember: a woman in anger transforms into an entirely different person!

"I was just—" Nuowen started to speak, but Qielie cut him off mid-sentence.

"Why are you always so impulsive? Didn’t I tell you not to provoke those two? Why won't you listen? Are you deliberately trying to make your sister furious enough to die?" Qielie seemed to grow angrier the more she spoke, verging on an uncontrollable outburst.

Thomas, witnessing this side of Qielie for the first time, widened his eyes unconsciously, unsure how to intervene.

"I wasn't—" Nuowen tried to explain, but Qielie interrupted again.

"Do you realize how dangerous your actions were? It’s a good thing Robin and the others left, or nine of your lives wouldn't have been enough!" Worry flashed across Qielie’s face, mixed with residual fear.

She still needed to ask Charlotte and the others for a favor: to keep this incident a secret from Zhong Shenxiu and the rest. Otherwise, she couldn't guarantee that Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't actively seek out Nuowen.

Nuowen seemed to calm down now. Seeing Qielie’s fury reminded him vividly of the time he’d been spanked by his mother when he was little.

"You talk about revenge—how many sisters do you have? Which one are you avenging?" Qielie fired off questions, giving Nuowen no chance to defend himself.

Nuowen could only look at Qielie with a deeply aggrieved expression, his look communicating: You are my only sister.

"Tell me why you suddenly came to 'Fengshao Yuan' to cause trouble. Who instigated this?" As she spoke, Qielie glanced at Thomas, who quickly shook his head in terror to indicate it wasn't him!

Nuowen truly couldn't understand why his sister was so angry. Nothing had even happened!

At this point, Qielie took several deep breaths to steady herself, then irritably asked Nuowen, "Why aren’t you talking? What exactly is going on??"

Nuowen looked utterly wronged. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; he had tried several times only to be shut down. Now, to have Qielie turn the tables on him—the misery of being unable to retort was immense!

Qielie seemed exhausted from scolding and paused to catch her breath. Seeing this momentary opportunity, Nuowen quickly recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

After hearing his narrative, Qielie uttered one sentence that left Nuowen depressed for a long time afterward.

"You ran off to cause trouble just for that?" Qielie seemed rested enough for a new round of reprimand.

Nuowen didn't know how to explain himself and could only suffer in silent frustration, like a person swallowing a bitter pill. Thomas, not wanting the conflict to escalate, tried to mediate. "Qielie, actually, Big Brother Nuowen misunderstood. He thought you were..."

"Misunderstood I was what?" Qielie turned her attention to Thomas.

"Misunderstood you were... you know... that!" Thomas struggled to articulate.

"That? Which 'that'?" Qielie asked again, with surprising obtuseness.

Nuowen and Thomas exchanged glances. Nuowen realized with a jolt that he truly had misunderstood; otherwise, his sister wouldn't be unaware of what "that" referred to, nor would she look this way.

Thomas found it difficult to explain to Qielie, as such matters couldn't be spoken too directly! A brief silence descended upon them.

It was Qielie who finally broke the quiet, meekly asking, "You two didn't think I was... molested, did you?" As she spoke, her eyes darted back and forth between Nuowen and Thomas.

Nuowen and Thomas both looked startled. They hadn't expected Qielie to be so blunt. They quickly nodded their heads.

Qielie’s delicate face flushed instantly, whether from anger or some other reason was unclear. She immediately adopted an expression that clearly warned: I am very angry, and the consequences will be severe.

Killing intent! Nuowen and Thomas instantly felt a chill run down their spines and looked warily at Qielie, looking ready to bolt at the slightest hint of trouble.

Qielie genuinely wanted to unleash a "Shining Heaven" strike upon both of them, but she hadn't completely lost her reason. She finally held back and proceeded to recount everything she had done during the days she had stayed near Zhong Shenxiu's small courtyard.

After hearing Qielie's account, Nuowen chuckled awkwardly. "Heh heh, I knew that little boy couldn't do anything so despicable. How old is he, anyway?"

Nuowen stopped speaking abruptly. He saw Qielie looking at him with a strange expression, as if silently urging: Go on. Why did you stop?!

"There better not be a next time!" With that, Qielie simply turned and walked away!

Nuowen wiped a bead of sweat from his brow—though there was no sweat on that part of his forehead! "Women when they're angry are truly terrifying!" Nuowen remarked with deep feeling.

"Indeed!" Thomas nodded heavily, feeling the sentiment acutely as well!

.

As for the departed Zhong Shenxiu and his companions, they had actually gone to the "Misty Forest." This choice naturally sparked curiosity: what were they doing there?

Since they were traveling by sword flight, they arrived at the "Misty Forest" in the blink of an eye!

Robin rarely showed such excitement, a faint smile gracing her lips. Kaine, as this was her first time entering this forest, was curious about everything around her.

The three followed a small river upstream. During their journey, they encountered not a single demonic beast. After about fifteen minutes, Zhong Shenxiu stopped. He first surveyed the surroundings, then took out the high-grade Immortal Stones he had previously collected and quickly set up a grand formation, enveloping an area of five hundred meters.

No one could have guessed the main purpose of Zhong Shenxiu's trip: it was purely for leisure and enjoyment!

One couldn't help but marvel at Kaine’s capability—how had she persuaded Zhong Shenxiu? Up to this point, she was the first person ever to successfully sway Zhong Shenxiu's decision!

Of course, the main reason she succeeded so smoothly was closely tied to Zhong Shenxiu's current state of "Returning to Simplicity." If it were the Zhong Shenxiu of the past, no matter how skilled Kaine was, she likely couldn't have influenced his choices!

With the formation set, the next task was construction. Even Robin was now experienced; she was happily working alongside Zhong Shenxiu with a smile.

Kaine also helped, though she lacked Robin's immense strength. She was relegated to the more delicate, lighter tasks.

About an hour later, a beautiful little wooden cabin was finally completed. This cabin was prettier and more spacious than any built before. Its furnishings were also complete, including wooden chairs, a wooden table, and even a surprisingly large wooden bed!

Robin currently wore a sweet smile. Despite running errands back and forth, she was clearly enjoying herself!

Next came preparing the food.

To fully experience the meaning of this outing, Zhong Shenxiu actually picked up a piece of ore from the ground and used his Samadhi True Fire to refine three fishhooks!

It hardly needs stating what they planned to do next: go fishing!

This was a first-time experience for both Robin and Kaine, and they were filled with anticipation.

Since they were right beside a small river, the three moved a flat stone over and sat down together to cast their lines!

Zhong Shenxiu had already taught them the fishing method. Now, all three stared intently at the wooden float on the water's surface.

The river seemed teeming with fish. After waiting only a short while, Robin’s float dipped. When the moment felt right, Robin flicked her wrist upward, and a large fish leaped out of the water!

However, Robin used slightly too much force; the fish was flung straight out, stopping only after smashing into a tree about a hundred meters away. It stopped, yes, but it was shattered into several pieces—clearly inedible.

Robin blinked first, then stuck out her little tongue, and rebaited her line for another cast.

Just then, Kaine’s float also moved. Unlike Robin, she didn't possess immense strength. When she pulled her hand up, only a splash disturbed the water surface; the fish remained submerged, struggling hard.

The fish Kaine had hooked was not easy to pull up with her single stream of energy.

"Robin, a little help!" Kaine shouted excitedly. She had never experienced anything this fun in her life!

This time, Robin, having learned from experience, carefully lifted the fish out of the water. It weighed a good five or six pounds, explaining why Kaine had struggled so much.

Looking at her catch, a sense of accomplishment swelled in Kaine’s heart. She hurried over to help. However, the fish was restless, and as she reached for it, it thrashed, spraying both her and Robin with water. The two looked at each other and laughed, working together to finally subdue the struggling fish!

A tranquil life nurtures happy smiles, and the bond among these three was thus established. To know what happens next, please log in to [Insert Platform Name], where more chapters await. Support the work.