The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, killed by an energy blast, had degenerated into a demonic beast, rendering its corpse worthless. However, it remained undeniable physical evidence for the Korean side. Thus, Zhang Yang instructed his spirit beast, the Azure Eagle, to retrieve the corpse of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox from the large pit behind the creek.

Carrying this crucial evidence, Zhang Yang and his group departed the Canyon Grotto-Heaven.

After leaving Mount Zijing, Zhang Pinglu had to first contact the National Security personnel to notify the other cultivators, so the Elder left first with the Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect. The corpse of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, serving as evidence, was left with Zhang Yang.

Qiao Yihong, concerned about visiting the old man injured by Park Seung-eun, obtained the address of the hospital where the old man was staying from Zhang Yang and left with the Phantom Wolf to check on him first.

In the end, only Zhang Yang remained, returning alone.

As dawn barely broke, Zhang Yang rode his Wind Chaser back to his villa. At that moment, Qu Meilan had only recently risen and was performing her morning cultivation exercises in the courtyard.

Just as she concluded a set of breathing and absorption exercises, Qu Meilan opened her eyes and happened to see Zhang Yang dismounting from Wind Chaser while carrying a fox with nine tails. Wu Ying and Lightning, the two little ones, also jumped down from Zhang Yang’s side, their large eyes full of surprise and curiosity.

Zhang Yang had no intention of explaining anything to Qu Meilan. Instead, seeing how early she was up practicing, he was very satisfied with his disciple’s diligence. He gave Qu Meilan a slight smile and a nod, signaling her to continue her practice, before walking toward the villa.

Although Qu Meilan’s talent was not high, her diligence was commendable. Combined with the pills Zhang Yang provided and her own hard work, she was now showing subtle signs of breaking through to the second layer of Inner Strength.

“Is Mi Xue awake?”

After taking only a few steps, Zhang Yang suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Qu Meilan, and asked again.

“Probably not yet? Usually, she only comes downstairs after I have finished preparing breakfast.”

Qu Meilan replied with certainty after thinking for a moment.

Hearing Qu Meilan’s answer, Zhang Yang felt relieved. Since Mi Xue was not awake, he could sneak upstairs later, ensuring Mi Xue wouldn't discover he had left during the night.

Sneaking out late at night and returning only in the morning after being gone all night would inevitably lead to troublesome explanations.

Entering the villa, Zhang Yang went straight back to the bedroom upstairs. In the room, Mi Xue lay quietly on her side, breathing evenly, seemingly still asleep.

After changing into his sleepwear, Zhang Yang lay down gently, trying not to disturb Mi Xue. However, just as he settled in, Mi Xue’s arm wrapped around him, holding him close.

It turned out Mi Xue had been awake for some time. After all, she was now an Inner Strength cultivator, and her sensory perception was much sharper than before. Coupled with her naturally light sleep, how could she have missed the sudden vibration of Zhang Yang’s phone in the middle of the night? She had only refrained from getting up, seeing Zhang Yang needed to leave urgently, fearing she might cause him trouble. After Zhang Yang left, she had been lying in bed waiting for his return.

“I’m sorry, Mi Xue.”

When Zhang Yang realized Mi Xue was awake, he murmured apologetically.

“Silly boy, I’m not blaming you.”

Mi Xue sat up in bed, then leaned over and kissed Zhang Yang. A gentle smile touched her lips, showing no sign of resentment over Zhang Yang sneaking out in the dead of night. She spoke softly to him, “You’ve been busy all night; hurry up and get some more sleep. I’ll go down and help Qu Meilan prepare breakfast, and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Zhang Yang was now at the Great Perfection stage of cultivation and didn't truly need sleep, but hearing Mi Xue’s understanding words filled his heart with inexplicable warmth.

Seeing Mi Xue stretch lazily, her curves vividly displayed, Zhang Yang let out a hearty laugh, reached out, and pulled her back, drawing her into his embrace.

“Ah~~ Zhang Yang, what are you doing…”

“No, no… giggles… giggles, Zhang Yang, you are so naughty…”

……

……

The exquisite moments of the early morning passed amidst a stretch of intimate joy.

It wasn't until lunchtime approached that Zhang Yang and Mi Xue came downstairs from the upper floor. Mi Xue’s cheeks were still flushed red, but her expression was utterly blissful.

“Young Master!”

Seeing Zhang Yang and Mi Xue coming down, Qu Meilan immediately approached them, hesitating to speak.

“What is it?”

Seeing Qu Meilan in that state, Zhang Yang asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s like this, a very strange person came to our house this morning. They said… they said they wanted the Young Master to visit them.”

Qu Meilan pulled out a letter from her person and said indignantly, “Here, this envelope was given to me by that person. They also told me that once the Young Master reads the letter, he will naturally understand who is looking for him and where to find them.”

“Oh? Let me see.”

Zhang Yang took the envelope and opened it, finally understanding who possessed the confidence to demand his personal presence.

On the letter paper, a large official seal of the National Security Bureau was stamped in the lower corner. The content of the letter was nothing more than an invitation urging Zhang Yang to arrive at the Changjing National Security Bureau office before 12:00 PM for a discussion.

Unexpectedly, the state-affiliated cultivators had made the first move to contact him.

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Mi Xue, standing nearby, glanced up and asked curiously, “Zhang Yang, what do they want to see you for?”

“Oh, it’s still about that incident with the Japanese and Koreans last time. Don't worry, it’s nothing,” Zhang Yang explained casually, signaling Mi Xue not to worry.

“Young Master, who are those people? They act so high and mighty! If they need to discuss something with the Young Master, they shouldn't just not come in person, but demand that the Young Master go to them—that’s too much!”

Qu Meilan seemed genuinely displeased with the messenger from that morning. Hearing Zhang Yang’s explanation, she immediately voiced her opinion.

“Heh heh, don't worry about them. They will come to us themselves.”

Zhang Yang crumpled the letter into a ball and casually tossed it into the nearby trash can, then said to Mi Xue and Qu Meilan, “Alright, let’s go eat lunch.”

If he hadn't received this envelope, Zhang Yang might have preferred to meet those state-affiliated cultivators sooner. But now that he had seen the letter, he understood the situation and was no longer in a hurry.

Somewhere in Changjing, three silver-robed figures sat quietly in a conference room. At the very front, a black-robed figure stood with his hands behind his back, looking out of the conference room window.

“It’s already one o’clock. Why hasn’t this Zhang Yang arrived yet!”

“Does he not take us seriously at all?”

“Exactly! Even a Great Perfection cultivator should maintain basic courtesy once they know who we are!”

……

The several silver-robed figures seemed impatient, beginning to murmur amongst themselves.

“Enough!”

The black-robed figure, who had been silent, suddenly snapped, and the three silver-robed men immediately fell silent.

After the sharp reprimand, the black-robed figure walked directly toward the door, and the three silver-robed men quickly rose to follow.

Following behind the black-robed figure, one of the silver-robed men asked with confusion, “Sir, where are we going now?”

“To Zhang Yang’s house. Since he won’t come to see us, we will have to go see him.”

Upon hearing this, the bodies of the three silver-robed men paused almost simultaneously, and they instinctively widened the distance between themselves and the black-robed figure.

“Aren’t you following!”

The black-robed figure’s voice immediately followed, and the three silver-robed men snapped back to attention, hurrying to keep up.

The three silver-robed men were filled with shock. They were all keenly aware of the black-robed figure’s strength, and given their special status, no one in the cultivation world had ever dared to ignore their summons.

It had become an unspoken rule among them that the other party must come to them; they never visited others. Yet, now, their superior was personally going to visit someone else. This compelled the three silver-robed men to pay even closer attention to this young cultivator named Zhang Yang.

The three silver-robed men were not high-ranking enough to have access to Zhang Yang’s detailed files. Other than knowing he was the youngest Layer Four cultivator and recently acclaimed as the number one in the cultivation world, they knew nothing else about him.

This was why they had approached him as usual, simply summoning him to meet them.

Unexpectedly, not only did Zhang Yang refuse to come, but their high-ranking superior was now personally going to seek him out, which clearly indicated how much this prominent figure valued Zhang Yang.

The main gate of the villa compound was practically nonexistent to these individuals. When the black-robed figure led the group into Zhang Yang’s main living room, Qu Meilan realized her home had visitors—four uninvited guests!

“Who are you people!”

Qu Meilan shrieked before immediately blocking the path of the four figures, adopting a defensive stance, and demanding without courtesy.

“Qu Meilan, don't be nervous. They aren't enemies. Go back inside your room.”

Zhang Yang suddenly appeared, stepping behind Qu Meilan and placing a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to relax.

Zhang Yang had sensed their approach the moment they arrived near the villa, so he was already outside to greet them when they reached his doorstep.

These people were beyond Qu Meilan’s ability to handle, so Zhang Yang directly sent her back to her room.

Once Qu Meilan was gone, the leading black-clad figure looked at Zhang Yang, chuckled softly, and stated directly, “We meet again.”

This black-robed figure was the same one Zhang Yang had encountered previously outside the Jiang family villa in Yanming Mountain. Furthermore, it was this black-robed man who had brought the remnant from the Zhang family of Huatuo Residence to the Jiang family. The peerless Poison Scripture belonging to their medical saint Zhang family had been stolen by that remnant from the Huatuo Zhang family.

What Zhang Yang had never anticipated was that the man was actually a state-affiliated cultivator.

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes and replied coolly, “Indeed. I truly didn't expect you to have such an identity. But weren't you waiting for me to come to you? Why come in person instead? Speaking of which… you cultivators affiliated with the state certainly have a grand sense of entitlement.”

Swish!

Behind the black-robed man, the three silver-robed figures stepped forward in unison. Zhang Yang's attitude had clearly enraged them.

In the living room, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point!