On the street, Yue Liu and the black-robed elder had already vanished, leaving behind Zong Na, whontinued to kowtow relentlessly with a bloody forehead.

Ye Guan walked up to him and said, "They're gone now."

Zong Na stopped. He sprawled out on the ground and trembled untrollably.

Looking at the young man before him, Ye Guan sighed inwardly

.

"The first sword upon rising ashore cuts down one's beloved."

Little Pagodammented,

"She has great ambitions, far beyond what this young man can handle."

Ye Guan nodded faintly.

Zong Na suddenly stood up, gazing blankly toward the end of the street.

"I thought she would stay…" he muttered.

"Do you regret it now?"

Zong Na turned to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan explained, "Do you know why she was chosen? It's because of the purple energy you gave her. That was the Nine Continents Destiny. Outsiders place great value on it."

Zong Na murmured, "I see."

Ye Guanntinued, "That was originally yours."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Zong Na shook his head. With that, he turned and walked away, his figure hollow and lifeless, as though his soul was sucked out of him.

Little Pagoda remarked,

"He might do something foolish."

Ye Guan glanced at Zong Na's retreating figure.

"It's something he'll have to work through on his own."

"True."

Little Pagoda agreed.

Back in theurtyard, Ye Guan noticed that Daoist Zhang was still absent. He glanced at the Daoist's room and muttered, "That guy is always so mysterious. Who knows what he's up to?"

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Ye Guan turned and opened it, revealing an unfamiliar middle-aged man standing outside.

Somewhat puzzled, Ye Guan asked, "And you are?"

The man looked at him and replied, "I'm Zuo Lou."

Ye Guan raised an eyebrow. "A relative of Miss Zuo Yan?"

"Yes."

"Please,me in," Ye Guan said, stepping aside to let him in.

As Zuo Lou followed him into theurtyard, he sized Ye Guan up. After a moment, he remarked, "Yan'er told me you were impressive. Seeing you now, it seems she wasn't wrong. So young, yet somposed. You are a rare person indeed."

Ye Guan smiled politely. "You flatter me, senior."

Zuo Lou explained, "When I brought Yan'er back yesterday, she wanted to say goodbye to you. Due to certain circumstances, Iuldn't let her disturb you. Upon our return, she kept mentioning you, so I decided tome and meet you myself."

Ye Guan nodded. "Lady Zuo Yan is thoughtful."

Zuo Lou studied Ye Guan. "You don't seem like a local."

"I'm not," Ye Guan replied. "I was sent here due to some unusual circumstances."

Zuo Lou added, "Yan'er wanted me to take you out, but my family can only bring two people out of here. Yan'er is one of them, and the other spot has already been assigned."

Ye Guan paused and smiled. "It's fine."

In his eyes, leaving now didn't really matter. Once Zuo Yan left andntacted his sister Ye An, she would undoubtedly find a way to rescue him.

Zuo Lou observed Ye Guan for a while without speaking.

Ye Guan chuckled. "Is something wrong?"

Zuo Lou asked, "Did Yan'er give you anything?"

The question put Ye Guan on alert, but his face remained calm on the outside. "Did she give me anything?"

Zuo Lou nodded. "Yes."

Ye Guan grinned. "She often gave me cucumbers."

Zuo Lou stared at him for a moment before replying, "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Zuo Lou said no more, turned, and left.

Watching him go, Ye Guan's eyes narrowed. Zuo Lou hadme to ensure that Zuo Yan hadn't passed on anything to him.

The book from the Nine Continents Master was meaningless for Zuo Yan, but her family certainly saw it differently—no, everyone in the Nine Continents saw it differently.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He had to tread carefully to avoid bming a target again.

***

Outside, Zuo Lou walked down the street, joined by an older lady—Granny Yu.

Granny Yu gravely asked, "Clan Leader, why didn't you just get rid of him?"

Zuo Lou turned to her. "Do you think Yan'er has feelings for him?"

Granny Yu hesitated. "I can't say for sure, but I think it's safer to eliminate him."

"No need." Zuo Lou shook his head. "Yan'er has gained the greatest opportunity here, and her future is boundless. If I were to kill that young man, it would only drive a wedge between father and daughter. It's not worth it."

Granny Yu seemed unvinced, but Zuo Lou added, "Besides, that boy is no simpleton. He has a calm and unflinching demeanor. He's likely not an ordinary person. There's no point in creating unnecessary enmity."

Granny Yu pressed, "Then why not take him out with us?"

Zuo Lou smirked. "That's exactly what worries me. Yan'er holds him in high regard. If I brought him out and something truly developed between them, it would be disastrous. After inheriting that legacy, Yan'er's future spouse mustme from one of the Nine Continents's top clans."

Granny Yu nodded silently, letting the matter drop.

Zuo Lou gestured forward. "Let's go."

The two figures soon disappeared into the distance.

**

Meanwhile, Ye Guan was about to return to his room when another set of footsteps approached the door.

A middle-aged man entered, grinning as he said, "I'm Pan Zhen. Just passing by. I noticed someone else visited you earlier, so I got curious."

Ye Guan smiled faintly. "We didn't talk about much. Just casual questions."

Pan Zhen chuckled. "Casual, huh?"

Ye Guan nodded.

Pan Zhen suddenly asked, "Do you know his daughter, Zuo Yan?"

"Yes," Ye Guan replied.

"Are you friends?" Pan Zhen inquired.

Ye Guan nodded again.

Pan Zhen's expression turned sly.

Ye Guan eyed him warily.

What's with this guy?

Pan Zhen examined him, and then he burst out into a peal of laughter.

Pan Zhen asked, "Kid, want to get out of here?"

"Out of here? Where?"

"Outside. The real world. Out there, you can cultivate, fly, live forever. It's amazing!"

Ye Guan frowned. "You're not trying to trick me into bming free labor, are you?"

Pan Zhen's face darkened. "Do I look like an man?"

Ye Guan nodded solemnly.

Pan Zhen's face turned pitch-black.

Ye Guan, feigning caution, replied, "The outside world sounds dangerous. I heard people can kill withoutnsequences. It's safer here."

"You foolish boy!" Pan Zhen burst out laughing. "What do you know? Once you're out there, you can cultivate and bme immensely powerful. Imagine waving your hand and shattering mountains! Youuld live for eons!"

Ye Guan hesitated. "Really?"

Pan Zhen replied earnestly, "I'm not lying. Come with me, and I'll show you the world!"

Ye Guan thought for a moment. "Do I get paid?"

"What?!" Pan Zhen stared at him, incredulous. "Do you realize how many people will kill for this opportunity if? And you're asking for money?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "No pay, no deal."

Pan Zhen's face darkened even more. After a moment of silence, he sighed and remarked, "Fine, I'll pay you."

Ye Guan grinned. "Deal!"

"Stay here. I'llme for you the day after tomorrow," Pan Zhen said. When he reached the door, he turned back and exclaimed, "Don't wander off!"

Ye Guan nodded. "Got it."

Once Pan Zhen was no longer in sight, Ye Guan muttered, "What does he see in me?"

He recalled Daoist Zhang mentioning that while he had good luck, he lacked any strands of Nine Continents Destiny. Compared to someone with it, he wasn't as valuable.

Still, Pan Zhen seemed harmless—no, a bit odd at most.

With that in mind, Ye Guan decided to play along for now.

***

Outside, an elder walked up to Pan Zhen and respectfully asked, "Clan Leader, are you sure about choosing him?"

Pan Zhen smiled. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

The elder hesitated. "But why?"

"Are you wondering why I'm going to waste a slot on him even though he doesn't have any strands of Nine Continents Destiny?"

"Yes."

Pan Zhen shook his head. "That's exactly what's strange here…"

The elder frowned. "Strange?"

Pan Zhen nodded. "Look at thisurtyard. The one on the left received a strand of Nine Continents Destiny, and the one on the right received the inheritance, but he has nothing. Isn't that weird?"

The elder frowned slightly and said, "Doesn't that prove that his luck isn't strong enough?"

Pan Zhen shook his head and chuckled. "I looked into it. This kid is friends with that young girl from the Zuo family. This time, Zuo Lou came looking for him, likely at her request, hoping to take him out of here. But clearly, Zuo Lou wasn't impressed by him…"

The elder grew more puzzled. "Doesn't that mean that the young man isn't up to par?"

Pan Zhen glanced at the old man and said, "Whether Zuo Lou is impressed or not doesn't matter. What matters is whether his daughter likes him or not."

Pan Zhen let out a light laugh andntinued, "That girl is no ordinary person. To think she managed to catch

his

attention... I must say, Zuo Lou has remarkable resolve.

"Back then, to get that girl admitted here, he gave up his allocation of slots for thirtynsecutive years. We all laughed at him back then, but now, it's clear that we were the real fools."

Pan Zhen turned toward theurtyard where Ye Guan was staying and added, "His luck is extraordinarily high. By logic, he should naturally possess the Nine Continents Destiny. And yet, he doesn't… Could it be that the Nine Continents Destiny thinks it isn't worthy of being attached to him?"

The elder was stunned upon hearing that.