"What is it, Lianxue?" Yang Yi, hearing Murong Lianxue's slightly anxious voice, couldn't help but lower the ledger in his hand and ask with a puzzled look.

"Grandpa, Grandpa he..." Murong Lianxue called out, her face filled with urgency, panting slightly as if she was struggling to articulate something.

"Oh? What's wrong with that irresponsible old man?"

Before Murong Lianxue could speak, Yang Yi saw Mu Qingfeng walking in holding a box. Mu Qingfeng frowned as he glanced at Murong Lianxue, which instantly irritated Yang Yi. He genuinely considered Lianxue a sister now, so he dropped his pretense and said sharply, "Old man, stop looking at Lianxue with that expression, or we'll team up and teach you a lesson!"

"Uh!" Mu Qingfeng was taken aback by the words, then chuckled, "Hehe, my apologies, my apologies!"

He wasn't foolish. One was a Profound Tier Grandmaster skilled in hundreds of martial arts—him alone was hard enough to handle. Add to that a guy who was close to breaking through to the Yellow Tier Grandmaster, and he’d be finished, wouldn't he? Good heavens, may the gods protect him.

Yang Yi ignored Mu Qingfeng, instead gazing at Murong Lianxue with indulgence, and asked, "Lianxue, tell Brother Yi what happened?"

"Brother Yi, Grandpa won't let Lianxue leave the Xuanmen!" Murong Lianxue bounced and shook Yang Yi, her small face etched with worry.

"Oh?" Yang Yi frowned and glanced at Mu Qingfeng, noticing a flicker of panic in his eyes. A smile immediately played on Yang Yi's lips as he said to Murong Lianxue, "Alright, Lianxue, tell Brother Yi why you need to leave the Xuanmen?"

"I want to be with Brother Yi. I want to go see the outside world!" Murong Lianxue pouted slightly, speaking with complete seriousness.

"Hehe, Lianxue, you really want to go outside with Brother Yi?" Yang Yi felt a warmth spread through his heart. This girl, so young, yet she understood so much; it seemed a bit out of character.

"Mhm, Lianxue doesn't want to leave Brother Yi!" Murong Lianxue asserted, puffing out her little head.

Yang Yi looked at her indulgently, a silent decision forming in his mind. He turned to Mu Qingfeng and stated, "Leave Lianxue's matter to me. Rest assured, I won't let anyone harm her—and by 'anyone,' I mean absolutely everyone!"

Mu Qingfeng showed a moment of stunned silence upon hearing Yang Yi's words, then sighed deeply, "Sigh—as you wish. Lianxue, from now on, you will stay by the Sect Master's side!"

"Yay~~~~!"

Murong Lianxue leaped up excitedly, turning to Yang Yi with boundless joy, "Brother Yi, Grandpa allowed Lianxue to stay with you! Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Take good care of yourself from now on!" Mu Qingfeng also patted Murong Lianxue's head affectionately, then handed the box to Yang Yi, saying, "This is the Sect Master's Ring, the most vital token of the Xuanmen. We have businesses outside, and when they see this ring, they will naturally know you are the new Sect Master of my Xuanmen."

"Good, I understand." Yang Yi opened the box and saw a jade ring of clear, translucent color, glowing with an eerie blue. Strange, intricate patterns were carved into its surface. While not stunningly beautiful, it possessed a captivating, strange aura. He took it out and slipped it onto his right index finger, sighing quietly, "It fits perfectly!"

"When are you planning to depart?" Mu Qingfeng, seeing that he had accepted the Sect Master's Ring, hurried to ask.

"Tomorrow, perhaps!"

"Very well, I'll have someone make arrangements for you!"

"Mm, I appreciate the trouble!" Yang Yi replied with a slight smile.

"Uh!" Mu Qingfeng looked at him with surprise, then could only shake his head helplessly, saying nothing more.

###############################

"Phew!"

"Damn, it's finally over," Xu Ming stretched lazily and remarked with a carefree air.

"Heck, man, what's finally over?" A student turned around and asked Xu Ming.

"Ugh, it means we're almost done for, and aren't you in the same boat now?" Xu Ming looked at him with disdain.

"Uh!" The student managed a wry grin, said nothing, merely gathered his textbooks, and left.

Fatty Lin, standing nearby, shook his head, walked up to Xu Ming, and said, "You, kid, how about it? Which university are you planning to apply to?"

"The exams are done, but the university choice has to wait until the boss gets back," Xu Ming replied with a note of helplessness. "Sigh, who knows when the boss will return. We brothers really miss him."

"Let's go, Fourth Brother is waiting for us outside!" Fatty Lin also felt helpless. Even though they knew Yang Yi was fine, they still didn't know when he'd return—it was an open-ended wait.

As for Li Qian, who had learned Yang Yi was safe, while her worry lessened, seeing no sign of him left her feeling hollow. Furthermore, she didn't know which university he intended to attend, so she hadn't filled out her own application, seeming to harbor the wish to apply to the same school as Yang Yi.

"Qianqian, which university are you planning to apply to?"

Hearing her deskmate's question, Li Qian pouted slightly and smiled, "I haven't decided yet!"

"Oh, you haven't decided? You need to hurry up then. Hee hee, I picked Fudan University in Shanghai; it suits me better."

"Hehe, well, good luck to you then."

"Mm!" Seeing that Li Qian wasn't very talkative, her deskmate appropriately quieted down, packed her things, and left.

Yi, where are you? Why haven't you come back? Don't you know I miss you? Li Qian thought silently to herself.

Just then, Liu Qingqing arrived outside the door of Li Qian's classroom, spotting Ye Xiaohou, and Fatty Lin and Xu Ming slowly emerging. She laughed, "Well, well, the three musketeers~!"

"Damn, just say you're looking for Third Brother directly, why 'three musketeers'!" Ye Xiaohou grumbled softly, shooting a jealous glance at the now-smiling Xu Ming.

"Uh..." Liu Qingqing seemed to hear him. Holding back her girlish shyness, her face flushed slightly, but recalling certain things, she stared at Ye Xiaohou with a sly smile and said, "Hee hee, if you call me 'Grand-auntie,' I'll tell you some good news!"

"What good news?" Xu Ming pressed.

"You don't need to ask. I want Ye Xiaohou to ask," Liu Qingqing rebuffed Xu Ming, then turned to Ye Xiaohou.

Seeing Liu Qingqing's smug look, Ye Xiaohou felt a surge of anger and decided to challenge her. He adopted an imperious tone and declared, "Who do you think I, Ye Xiaohou, am! Even if it's earth-shattering good news, I won't sell my soul!"

Fatty Lin and Xu Ming nodded in agreement, silently giving a thumbs-up to the slightly self-satisfied Ye Xiaohou.

Liu Qingqing glared, angered. Ye Xiaohou was one thing, but even Xu Ming seemed to agree this involved selling his soul. She glared at Xu Ming and demanded, "Why are you nodding? Who are you siding with!"

"Of course, I'm... uh!" Xu Ming was about to speak, but the words twisted on his tongue. He glanced at Liu Qingqing, who was smirking mischievously at him, feeling a chill run down his spine. Then he looked at Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin, who were staring fixedly at him, utterly unsure what to do. Torn between his happiness and his 'marital bliss' on one side, and his brothers on the other, he muttered, "Heaven, have mercy on me! I can't afford to offend either side!" With that, Xu Ming pretended to stay silent, closing his mouth.

Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin both shot him looks of disdain. This guy was clearly terrified of Liu Qingqing. If he was already afraid now, what would happen later? They couldn't help but worry about Xu Ming's future life.

"You won't call me that, will you?" Liu Qingqing asked Ye Xiaohou.

"No way!"

"Fine, since you won't, then don't bother coming to this evening's reception," Liu Qingqing stated, turning away from Ye Xiaohou. In truth, she only wanted to give Ye Xiaohou a small taste of hardship. However, no sooner had she spoken than—

Fatty Lin and Xu Ming felt a gust of wind sweep past, and a figure moved with blinding speed. The sight left both of them dumbfounded. Ye Xiaohou anxiously asked, "A reception? What reception?"

Hearing this, a mischievous smile bloomed on Liu Qingqing's lips as she said slyly, "Didn't you just say you wouldn't sell your soul? Let me tell you, that reception will have lots of beautiful women."

"Beauties?"

"Whoosh!" Another gust of wind, and this time only Xu Ming was left staring blankly. But, one had to admit, a lecher was a lecher; the scent of beautiful women inevitably made him chase after it.

"Hehe, um, well, Miss Liu, that was Fourth Brother's fault. I haven't offended you, could you tell me who is hosting this reception? And, and, what else did you mention..." Fatty Lin started questioning, even winking suggestively at Liu Qingqing as he spoke.

"This guy is utterly shameless," Ye Xiaohou cursed Fatty Lin under his breath, then glared at him dismissively before turning back to Liu Qingqing.

"Alright, alright, I won't make things difficult for you anymore! Here, these are four invitations. The host of the reception is the campus beauty, Leng Yue. As for Yang Yi's invitation, you guys figure that out yourselves!" Seeing that Ye Xiaohou genuinely looked like he might cave and call her 'Grand-auntie,' Liu Qingqing quickly interrupted, pulling out several red cards and handing them to Fatty Lin. "You all can look slowly. I'm going to find Qianqian!"

"Whoa! I'm rich!" Fatty Lin yelled out, jolted by excitement.

"Idiot," Liu Qingqing shook her head speechlessly at Fatty Lin's over-the-top excitement for such a small event, then walked toward Li Qian.