Chapter 155

The Devil Heart sensed Lu Fang's bad mood and said, "You should've listened to me before and allied with that entity; then you wouldn't be so anxious now—you could just use a voice talisman to speak with them."

"What good is this unnecessary sense of justice?"

"Still, I'll remind you: never expose your weaknesses to anyone—it'll only make your life harder."

"It's just one woman. With your status and position, how many beautiful women could you have? Why care so much?"

"Shut up!" Lu Fang snapped inwardly, impatient—his mood was terrible, and he had no patience for the Devil Heart.

The Devil Heart, sensing the mood, had said all it needed to say; it saw no need to push Lu Fang further and fell silent.

"There seem to be many people over there—should we go ask what's happening?"

Lu Fang's aura was still strong enough to sense the general surroundings; not far to his right, he detected over a dozen cultivators gathered, seemingly in combat, hence his suggestion.

"Alright." Zhou Yi Yi nodded and swiftly led Lu Fang toward that direction.

Upon reaching the battlefield, Lu Fang saw a band of desert raiders attacking a caravan. When he recognized the leader as Zhao Ya, whom he'd met briefly before, he hesitated—then decided to intervene.

If he didn't act, Zhao Ya's caravan would be slaughtered entirely.

Whether to honor his own conscience or for any other reason, Lu Fang couldn't simply turn away.

"Fourth Senior Sister, stop the battle—use the fastest, most direct method. We can't afford to waste time here. Try not to harm the caravan members, but show no mercy to the raiders."

Lu Fang said.

Zhou Yi Yi nodded, vanished from Lu Fang's side in an instant, appeared on the battlefield, and instantly obliterated the raiders' strongest fighters with absolute power, leaving the rest too terrified to continue fighting.

The scattered raiders, Zhou Yi Yi did not pursue.

Seeing Zhou Yi Yi and Lu Fang, Zhao Ya's face lit up with relief; he hurried over and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Young Master—if not for your arrival, my caravan would've suffered heavy losses."

"Glad you're safe. Those raiders won't dare return anytime soon—head to a secure place first, regroup, then continue."

Lu Fang said, expressionless.

Zhao Ya smiled and asked, "Young Master, why only two of you? Last time, weren't there several of you?"

Lu Fang didn't answer but asked instead: "Have you seen a team of fourth-rank Zhou cultivators? Their attire is unmistakable—you'd know them at a glance."

Zhao Ya hesitated. "You mean the Zhou envoys invited to the Buddha Capital? We traveled together, but their pace was far too fast—they're probably still ahead."

"Oh?" Lu Fang's eyes brightened. "When did you see them? Did the envoy group seem strange in any way?"

Zhao Ya thought a moment, then cautiously replied: "We saw them just before dawn. They were traveling day and night, moving swiftly—so their formation was spread out."

He paused, then added: "As for anything strange… I'm not sure. Their speed was so great, we only caught a fleeting glimpse."

"In that direction?" Lu Fang pointed east.

Zhao Ya nodded vigorously—just as he opened his mouth to reply, Lu Fang and Zhou Yi Yi vanished.

…

"Please don't be hurt…"

Lu Fang muttered under his breath.

Even Zhou Yi Yi sensed his unease and offered reassurance: "Li Yu is a fourth-rank Confucian, carries a Great Confucian's ink artifact. I don't know the full details, but if she wants to leave, no ordinary person can stop her."

Lu Fang sighed. "That man is strong. I've fought him before, but I'm not sure if he still has hidden cards."

"His realm is only sixth-rank, third stage—but Li Yu doesn't know his true identity. She might let her guard down."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yi Yi tilted her head, as if to speak, then held back, saying nothing—instead, she swiftly scanned for Li Yu's aura.

Traveling at full speed, an hour passed.

Zhou Yi Yi smiled. "Li Yu's aura is ahead—along with many Confucian energies. That must be the envoy group you're looking for."

Almost as she finished speaking—

Zhou Yi Yi had already brought Lu Fang above the envoy group.

"Li Yu! Li Yu! "

Lu Fang dropped down in haste, frantically searching for Li Yu's figure. Everyone else recognized him as the Zhou Marquis of Letters and stared, puzzled.

"What do you want?"

A clear voice rang out.

Li Yu, clad in white, rose gracefully, gazing at Lu Fang with bewilderment—as if asking, "What are you doing?"

Seeing Li Yu unharmed, Lu Fang stood frozen, grinning foolishly. He'd overthought it—this was what it meant to worry too much.

Thinking back, as Zhou Yi Yi had said—

Li Yu was a fourth-rank Confucian, carried a Great Confucian's ink artifact, and was surrounded by many Confucians—how could she be in danger?

"Little Uncle?"

Seeing Lu Fang silent, Li Yu called again.

Only then did Lu Fang realize everyone was watching him, whispering among themselves about his relationship with Li Yu.

Even Zhou Yi Yi stood to the side, gazing at him with thoughtful eyes.

Fortunately, Lu Fang had thick skin; he remained calm. "Everyone is safe—that's good. I heard Song Ce had fallen to demonic influence, so I came to check if he posed a threat to you."

At this, everyone exchanged glances.

"Song Ce fell to demonic influence?"

"No wonder he dared attack Li Yu, the Confucian—so he was corrupted."

"Marquis, you should've arrived sooner—we could've joined forces and captured the corrupted Song Ce."

"…"

There were many present; voices rose and fell. Lu Fang caught only fragments—didn't understand the full situation.

So he pulled Li Yu aside—he had many questions.

"Little Uncle, how did you know Song Ce fell to demonic influence?"

Li Yu asked, puzzled.

Lu Fang stared at her, then exhaled deeply, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I was terrified. When I realized Song Ce might target you, I really… I was afraid."

Li Yu averted her gaze, voice barely a whisper: "Little Uncle… you're afraid? I heard you weren't even scared entering the unknown land called Xingdi."