“Hongyi?”

The despair that had begun to settle in Han Lie’s chest vanished instantly. That voice was unmistakable.

Space tore open like wet parchment. A figure stepped through the void, radiating a valiant and heroic aura that silenced the battlefield. It was a woman of breathtaking elegance, clad in the crimson-trimmed robes of the Heavenly Void Sect.

Zhuo Hongyi.

“Whoa—!”

The collective gasp of Qingzhou City sounded like a thunderclap. Another Nascent Soul Old Monster? For the common folk, seeing one such being was a lifetime event. Today, they were descending like rain.

“Who are you?” Li Qingyu’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. The pressure radiating from the newcomer made her skin crawl. “This is a private matter between this Senior and Han Lie. Do you intend to forge a blood feud with the Sun Moon Sect?”

“A feud?” Zhuo Hongyi laughed, a cold, sharp sound. “I am Zhuo Hongyi, Captain of the Vermilion Bird Squad, Law Enforcement Hall of the Heavenly Void Sect. Do you think I care about one more grudge? Our sects have been killing each other for thousands of years.”

She took a step forward, and the air around her warped. “Besides, you’re trying to kill my man. That makes it personal.”

Li Qingyu retreated rapidly, putting distance between them. Her instincts screamed danger. “Good… very good! It seems you want to exchange moves with this Senior today?”

Zhuo Hongyi raised a hand. Tiny, spiderweb-like fractures in reality danced across her palm, emitting a terrifying, high-pitched hum.

“I haven’t had a proper fight since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage,” Zhuo Hongyi said, her tone casually lethal. “You’ll make a fine test subject.”

She glanced back at Han Lie, her expression softening instantly. “Little old man, step back. Leave this hag to me.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Han Lie said, nodding as he retreated.

He watched her back with a sense of grim satisfaction. She had fully assimilated Ancestor Zhuo’s cultivation. While Li Qingyu was a formidable Nascent Soul cultivator, she was only at the Early stage. Zhuo Hongyi, having inherited the power of a veteran, was firmly in the Mid-stage. The gap was insurmountable.

Li Qingyu realized it too. Her bravado crumbled as she gauged the fluctuation of spiritual energy rolling off Zhuo Hongyi.

“Fine,” Li Qingyu spat, her face twisting in frustration. “Consider yourself lucky today, Han Lie. But luck runs out. The Sun Moon Sect will collect the debt for our slaughtered disciples eventually!”

With a wave of her hand, she tore a rift in space and vanished into the void, fleeing before the fight could even begin.

A chorus of boos erupted from the city below. The spectators, adrenaline still high, felt cheated out of a clash of titans. They wanted a spectacle, not a strategic retreat.

Zhuo Hongyi ignored them. She spun around, her aura of dominance vanishing as if it never existed.

“Little old man!”

She launched herself at Han Lie, crashing into his arms with the force of a cannonball, burying her face in his chest.

“I missed you so much~”

The silence that fell over Qingzhou City was profound. Millions of jaws hit the floor. This was a Nascent Soul Old Monster? This terrifying entity capable of shattering mountains was currently clinging to a Golden Core junior like a lovesick maiden?

“What the hell?” someone muttered in the crowd. “He’s just a Golden Core cultivator! Why does he get the Old Monster?”

“Go to sleep,” another replied bitterly. “In your dreams, you can have one too.”

Up in the sky, Han Lie held her close, ignoring the thousands of eyes watching them. He leaned down, whispering into her ear.

“Every day you were gone,” he said softly, “I thought of you.”

“Mhm, I know!” Zhuo Hongyi beamed, looking up at him. She knew it was sweet talk, but she didn’t care. She ate it up.

“Let’s go down,” Han Lie said. “My parents are waiting.”

The City Lord’s Mansion was a ruin of blood and broken stone, but the main hall still stood.

Han Lie introduced Zhuo Hongyi to his mother, Li Susu. The older woman was practically vibrating with excitement. Her son had returned not only with a terrifying cultivation base but with a Nascent Soul Dao Companion. For the Han family, this was glory beyond measure.

“Senior Zhuo, please, sit!” Li Susu fussed.

“Auntie, please, just call me Hongyi,” Zhuo Hongyi smiled, her demeanor polite and graceful.

Han Feng had already administered a healing pill to Han Zhentian, stabilizing his condition, though the City Lord remained unconscious. Han Lie sat beside the bed, placing a hand on his father’s chest. He channeled the Pure Yang Qi, the golden energy flooding Han Zhentian’s meridians and knitting the internal damage with miraculous speed.

“So,” Zhuo Hongyi asked, watching Han Lie work. “How many Sun Moon Sect disciples did you actually kill while I was away?”

“Not many,” Han Lie replied without looking up. “Fifty or so.”

“Pfft… fifty?” Zhuo Hongyi chuckled. “No wonder they sent an Old Monster after you.”

Han Lie shook his head. “I knew it was a trap. Yun Xuanzi was just bait. But it was an open scheme; I couldn’t ignore it. If I stayed in the sect, my parents would have been slaughtered.”

He looked at Han Feng, who was standing awkwardly by the door. “Han Feng, go handle the bodies outside. Clear the mansion.”

“Yes, Lie-ge.” Han Feng nodded and hurried out.

The reality of the cultivation world was harsh. The weak did not even have the right to survive. The servants, guards, and maids of the mansion had been butchered by Yun Xuanzi’s men—collateral damage in a struggle for power. It took several days for the group to cleanse the bloodstains and restore order to the estate.

Later that week, in the quiet of the inner chambers, Han Zhentian was resting peacefully. Li Susu pulled Han Lie aside.

“Lie’er,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “Can we talk?”

“Mn.”

“About what happened years ago…” Li Susu gripped his hand, tears welling in her eyes. “I know I can’t erase the past. I just hope you can give your father and me a chance to make it up to you.”

Han Lie looked at her. The resentment of his predecessor lingered, but for him, the ancient soul inhabiting this body, it was trivial.

“It’s in the past,” Han Lie said calmly. “Let it go with the wind.”

Li Susu wiped her tears, relief washing over her. She quickly pivoted, desperate to lighten the mood. “So… tell me about you and Hongyi. She’s a good girl, Lie’er. You must hold onto her.”

“I intend to,” Han Lie said with a faint smile.

“I can’t believe she fell for you before you even rose to power,” Li Susu marveled. “It must be good fortune from a past life.”

Han Lie didn’t correct her. It wasn’t past life fortune; it was the Pure Yang Sacred Body and his own manipulative charisma. But there was no need to explain the mechanics of attraction to his mother.

“Do you plan to become Dao Companions?” she asked, her eyes full of hope.

Han Lie smiled, saying nothing, but the answer was written in his eyes.

Li Susu laughed, patting his hand. She didn’t need words. Seeing the way Zhuo Hongyi looked at her son, and the way he looked at her, it was inevitable. If those two didn’t end up together, even the Heavenly Dao would not stand for it.

“Go,” Li Susu said, pushing him gently toward the door. “Spend time with her. Your father will wake soon.”

Han Lie nodded and stepped out into the sunlight.