Tan Tao knew the matter was highly improper, and with a sigh, he admitted, "If the Young Master and little Miss [Qǐ Háng Méi Shuǐ Yìn] wish to blame me, Tan Tao will accept it. I know that in the Young Master's eyes, I, Tan Tao, must now seem like a treacherous and vicious man. This is the reality, and I will not offer further defense. I only wish the Young Master to know that everyone's heart in this world is inherently biased. Even the most just person is so. They only wish for their own kin and friends to fare better and not fall into disaster. Take little Miss [Qǐ Háng Méi Shuǐ Yìn] for example: if you possess one steamed bun, and both your mother and a stranger are starving to death, would you rather give the bun to your mother or watch your own mother starve to death?"

Xuanyuan Yiren remained silent for a moment, her expression unchanging, but her grip on Zong Shou's small hand tightened slightly.

Seeing this, Tan Tao burst into laughter, "Miss [Qǐ Háng Méi Shuǐ Yìn] is truly not a truly pedantic person. If you were to speak of benevolence and righteousness, and take that bun to save another person, I, Tan Tao, would definitely be here to cut you down with a single stroke. If one doesn't even care for those closest to them, what right do they have to speak of benevolence and righteousness?"

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow in surprise; this Tan Tao was unexpectedly interesting. He then heard the man continue, "In my youth, due to youthful impulsiveness, I incurred the wrath of a great enemy and was accidentally saved by a City Lord who was adventuring in the Central Cloud Continent. A few years ago, in the Ruo Sea Strait, I escaped certain death thanks to the aid of the Qiantian Demon King. But in my eyes, the City Lord's rescue was sincere and entirely selfless, and he is the one who feeds and clothes me. As for your father's rescue of me, it was for his own purpose. The distinction between closeness and distance is obvious. The situation at Mount Qiantian is too chaotic; one wrong step and one could be utterly destroyed, and even the City Lord might not escape unscathed. Therefore, even though Xuanshan City currently relies on Mount Qiantian's support, I still disregarded everything to ensure the City Lord and Xuanshan City escaped this whirlpool, even if it meant being cursed as an ungrateful wretch."

Zong Shou's doubts were somewhat cleared, but he still didn't particularly like Tan Tao. A few words exchanged were enough; he had no desire to become close friends with him.

The two did not linger there and soon arrived at Lord Zhu Jun's residence.

However, in the place where refusal seemed least likely, Zong Shou was firmly shut out.

According to the explanation given by the steward of this General Zhu, the master was in closed-door cultivation, stating he absolutely would not emerge until he could defeat a certain brat and give him a sound spanking. As for who this brat was, the steward remained tight-lipped.

Zong Shou couldn't help but rub his nose, secretly offering a wry smile. It turned out this Lord Zhu Jun, the great general of Xuanshan City, had an even fiercer temper than Luo Yan.

Fortunately, from the looks of things, he didn't seem overly angry.

Finally, Xuanyuan Yiren led him to the City Lord's manor, entering the inner garden directly.

Zong Shou couldn't help but muse internally, perhaps this little girl intended to take him to meet his future mother-in-law, which would be somewhat awkward.

That Lin Shina, though she hadn't said anything overtly offensive to him, it was clear from her demeanor that this middle-aged woman was proud and strong-willed, unwilling to yield. Having provoked her a few times yesterday, Lin Shina might not easily bring herself to face him.

But when they rounded a truly magnificent rockery and stepped onto the shore of a considerable lake, Zong Shou's pupils immediately contracted.

In an exceptionally elegant wooden pavilion in the center of the lake, a richly robed figure with an exceedingly young and handsome face sat beside a stone seat, observing the lake's beauty with keen interest.

Zong Shou knew the face intimately. It was not only in his thirteen years of memory but also the face he had spoken to face-to-face just yesterday. It was none other than the old man he had called out for feigning youth—the City Lord of Xuanshan City, his future father-in-law, Xuanyuan Tong!

He immediately felt an awkward trepidation. He could face a battle of life and death, moving calmly through flashes of cold steel, yet at this moment, he suddenly felt a wave of fear. He considered slipping away, but Xuanyuan Yiren stared at him fixedly, making retreat impossible.

Then he thought, whether sticking his neck out or keeping it tucked in, the result was the same. He grit his teeth abruptly and walked boldly across the wooden walkway over the water.

Upon reaching Xuanyuan Tong and offering a bow, Zong Shou saw Xuanyuan Tong turn back with a gentle smile, flicking his sleeve robe, and commanded, "Sit."

After Zong Shou sat down unceremoniously, Xuanyuan Tong personally took a bronze pot, filled the two cups before him, and handed one of them to Zong Shou. The liquid within was amber-colored, smelled sweet, and was highly appetizing.

However, as Xuanyuan Tong raised his cup, Zong Shou felt a pang of awkwardness and forced a smile, "Father-in-law, please, Zong Shou cannot drink alcohol right now."

Xuanyuan Tong immediately laughed upon hearing this, shaking his head, "How could I not know? Even if you wanted to drink, I wouldn't give it to you; I'm genuinely afraid you’d take turns beating up my subordinates again. Relax, it’s just fruit jam!"

Zong Shou was slightly relieved, taking a large gulp. Indeed, while the taste was sweet and delicious, it lacked the rich potency of fine wine.

He sighed inwardly again, calculating that the days of drinking heavily and feasting on meat were likely far behind him. It was a pity he had sought out so much monkey wine, potent enough to be considered immortal brew, intending to temper his [Qǐ Háng Méi Shuǐ Yìn] body and cleanse his meridians. But now, all of it would benefit that glutton, Chuxue.

He then observed Xuanyuan Tong, wondering if his father-in-law had resolved the issues of old hidden injuries and cultivation deviations, given that he could emerge from the Iron Gang Hall.

It must be said, Xuanyuan Tong sitting in this pavilion seemed perfectly integrated with the lake and the surrounding heavens and earth, without the slightest hint of forced effort.

And before him, his own aura was neither overly strong nor weak, appearing simple, unadorned, stable, and harmonious.

Even without the suppression of the Iron Gang Hall, his true essence was restrained to an almost imperceptible degree.

From the look of it, his martial arts had clearly advanced significantly.

He scrutinized him again from top to bottom, noting that Xuanyuan Tong had no other visible injuries or bruises. Only his two sleeves, for some reason, appeared exceptionally wide. Zong Shou finally breathed a sigh of relief; Xuanyuan Yiren had indeed been trying to frighten him.

This Xuanyuan Tong had clearly achieved a profound insight into heaven and earth; he could advance to the Heaven Rank Martial Grandmaster realm within mere tens of days. How could it possibly be someone he could defeat?

"Your father dislikes wine; this Fragrant Nectar is his favorite thing. It is said your mother also likes it very much. Is it good?"

Seeing Zong Shou nod, Xuanyuan Tong smiled with satisfaction and got straight to the point, saying calmly, "I had Xuanyuan Yiren summon you here today for two reasons. The first concerns Yiren. I, Xuanyuan Tong, have only this one daughter, whom I cherish like the pearl of my palm. I entrust her to you from this day forward; do not mistreat her. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will take your head!"

Before the words were finished, Zong Shou interrupted, "Father-in-law, there's no need to instruct me on this. I, Zong Shou, am a man of honor; how could I ever mistreat my woman?"

Xuanyuan Tong was momentarily speechless and then chuckled softly. He saw that though Zong Shou hadn't made solemn vows, sitting there quietly now inexplicably gave people a sense of security.

It seemed as if anything could be relied upon, as if he could support heaven and earth should it collapse. Xuanyuan Tong’s eyes lit up slightly, and he changed the subject, "Then for the second matter, Young Master, do you know of the Yin Dragon Gorge?"

Zong Shou’s gaze instantly narrowed, staring intently at Xuanyuan Tong, somewhat perplexed by his intent.

The Yin Dragon Gorge, of course, he had heard of; it was famous. As the Sword Emperor Tan Qiu, he had visited it once.

In the Divine Emperor game, it was a massive dungeon, connected to a series of quests and associated with over a dozen ancient mystical treasures.

Xuanyuan Tong ignored his expression and calmly narrated, "About two years ago, word spread from an unknown source that the Yin Dragon Gorge contained the ruins of a Martial Immortal from the Cloud Desolation Era, holding countless ancient martial arts inheritances... There were even rumors that the Zhou Ji Ming Shi Shu, one of the Two Cosmic Scrolls, was within it. This caused all the sects of the Eastern Lin Cloud Continent to become frenzied. The great cities on the west side of the Cloud Continent also began to..."

Zong Shou’s heart shook violently. The Zhou Ji Ming Shi Shu?

In his previous life, he had suddenly fallen unconscious precisely when he obtained the Zhou Ji Ming Shi Shu within the virtual illusion.

In truth, he had been harboring doubts all these days: how could a spiritual treasure manual created in a game have brought him to this era? Or was there some other reason?

"The spreading of this news appeared extremely peculiar. Both Wei Ran and I dispatched people to investigate. Two eight-vein Black Tortoise Masters were sent in on a specific day to avoid the Yin Dragons in the gorge and penetrate deep within. They discovered that the location indeed held ruins dating back ten thousand years. The talk of the Zhou Ji Ming Shi Shu is likely false, but those treasures and the Cloud Desolation Era martial arts inheritances are real. Furthermore, the time for their emergence is estimated to be within these next few years."

Xuanyuan Tong smiled helplessly at this point, "Then the other cities and sects confirmed this, leading to even more turbulent undercurrents. Those open blades and hidden arrows began converging on Mount Qiantian. Your father’s defeat is partly due to the grudges he accumulated from his aggressive expansion in the past, and partly due to this Yin Dragon Gorge."

Zong Shou frowned slightly, not foolish enough to ask Xuanyuan Tong what the fall of Zong Weiran into the Sinking Cloud Sea had to do with the Yin Dragon Gorge.

The Yin Dragon Gorge was located thirteen hundred li south of Mount Qiantian. If Zong Weiran were still around and Mount Qiantian at its peak, uniting the power of the nine provinces, even the Lingyun Sect would have to yield three steps. As the landlord, they could virtually determine the fate of most treasures in the Yin Dragon Gorge. Even now, Mount Qiantian remains crucial, attracting covetous glances from various sects—it was only natural.

"This is Heaven not favoring your father. If he had been given a few more years to consolidate the nine provinces under his command, absorbing Mount Yunxia and Mount Blazing Flame, and commanding millions of demon tribes, establishing a dynasty in the Eastern Lin Cloud Continent would not have been out of reach. But precisely at this critical juncture, such a change occurred, forcing him to be constantly preoccupied."

Xuanyuan Tong sighed slightly, sounding infinitely regretful, his voice continuing, "However, your father is also a man of great resolve. Seeing that the situation was unredeemable, he decisively gave up. About half a year ago, from an unknown source, he acquired one of the three ancient Barrier-Breaking Talismans. He personally entered the Yin Dragon Gorge, preparing for an all-or-nothing gamble. If he could find some supreme treasure, perhaps he could resolve the crisis of the Yin Dragon Gorge. If not, he intended to abdicate his position and temporarily avoid the sharp edge of the other sects..."