Realizing the other party wasn’t joking, Bai Qingwu’s face hardened into a wooden, expressionless mask.

“Your request is simply too outrageous. I cannot agree to it. It’s not too late to change it to something else.”

“No need to change it.”

Qi Yuan smiled slightly, repeating himself with absolute seriousness, “I only want Eldest Senior Sister.”

Bang!

Under the strange gazes of everyone present, Bai Qingwu slammed the table and leaped to his feet, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

“You brat, I’d agree to anything else you asked for, but you are absolutely not allowed to have any improper thoughts about Rou’er! If you dare to…”

However, before he could finish his tirade, his sleeve was tugged by a blushing Bai Xirou.

“Father, Junior Brother Qi isn’t the kind of person you think. He must have his own reasons for saying this. Why don’t you hear him out…”

“What?!”

Bai Qingwu’s eyes widened in shock. He stared incredulously at his daughter, a sudden panic seizing his heart. “Rou’er, this kid is clearly making a move on you. Why are you speaking up for him?”

Given his daughter’s usual temperament, shouldn’t she be righteously refusing him at a time like this? Why was she defending him?

Could it be that…

He didn’t dare continue that train of thought.

Bai Xirou lowered her head, her cheeks still flushed, and murmured softly, “Junior Brother Qi has been very good to me. I’m willing to trust him.”

“Rou’er, you…”

Hearing this, Bai Qingwu felt a stifling sensation rise in his chest. He nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

Even though her words were reserved, even a fool could hear the undertone of reluctant acceptance—a desire to refuse that was actually a welcome.

Thinking of the delicate flower bud he had so carefully nurtured being stolen away—pot, soil, and all—the old father Bai Qingwu wore an expression of utter despair.

Coming back to his senses, his eyes blazed with fury. He fixed his gaze on Qi Yuan, who stood there looking completely unperturbed, and ground out through clenched teeth:

“Kid, you’d better give me a reasonable explanation right now, or I won’t be polite with you.”

“Father.”

Seeing the situation turning sour, Bai Xirou quickly stepped in front of Qi Yuan. “Please don’t scare Junior Brother Qi. He’s still your lifesaver.”

“I’m going to die of anger!”

Bai Qingwu felt his eyelids twitching wildly, as if he were about to explode. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and strode toward the two, shouting, “No! I have to beat this kid up first, no matter what! At worst, I’ll pay with my life…”

Seeing this, the surrounding elders who had been enjoying the drama hurried forward to hold him back.

“Sect Master, don’t be impulsive!”

“They’re just youngsters fooling around. Why take it so seriously?”

…

“All of you, get out. The Sect Master is handling family matters now. There’s nothing to see here.”

“And a few of you, drag the traitor Yin Qingyuan to the Enforcement Hall to await trial. His cultivation has already been crippled. Keep a close eye on him; don’t let him commit suicide to escape punishment…”

Some quick-witted elders cleared out all the unrelated personnel, leaving only a few esteemed senior members of the sect.

Amidst the chaos, Qi Yuan, who was standing at the center of the storm, suddenly let out a light laugh.

“Esteemed Elders, allow me to interject.”

At that moment, an overwhelming aura erupted from his body, instantly sweeping through the entire hall.

Everyone present froze, turning their eyes toward him almost instinctively.

That single look plunged them into a state of extreme bewilderment. Some even pinched themselves to confirm they weren’t dreaming…

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I doing here?

A series of soul-searching questions echoed in their minds. They stared blankly, dumbfounded.

“A Nascent Soul realm cultivator!”

Bai Qingwu, after all, was the Sect Leader and had recently survived a life-and-death crisis. He was the first to react, looking at Qi Yuan with a guarded expression.

“Just who are you?! And… where is the real Big Qi now?”

He could vaguely sense that the other party wasn’t just a Nascent Soul cultivator—he wasn’t an ordinary one, either!

The aura emanating from him was profound, heavy, and incredibly condensed. Although only at the early Nascent Soul stage, it gave Bai Qingwu—a late Nascent Soul cultivator—a sense of dread. It was utterly unbelievable.

Such an individual was rare even among top-tier powers. He certainly wasn’t someone a mid-sized or small sect could nurture, and definitely not a rogue cultivator!

Bai Qingwu’s voice broke the silence in the hall. The others snapped back to reality, their gazes toward Qi Yuan now mixed with shock and wariness.

Falling Cloud Valley had just suffered a calamity. Now, an unknown Nascent Soul expert had appeared. How could this not send chills down their spines?

Bai Xirou couldn’t help but take a few steps back. Her almond-shaped eyes grew misty as she asked in a trembling voice:

“You… how did you become a Nascent Soul cultivator… Are you really Junior Brother Qi?”

Qi Yuan gave a slight nod, his tone full of gentleness.

“Senior Sister, rest assured. From the moment I entered Falling Cloud Valley, I have been Big Qi.”

“Back then, you rushed specifically to save that kid Lin Zhen, but I arrived a step ahead. Later, you left quietly without showing yourself. If I weren’t Big Qi, I couldn’t possibly know about that.”

Hearing this, Bai Xirou finally sighed in relief, murmuring to herself, “That’s right, you really are him. That’s good…”

“Fellow Daoists of Falling Cloud Valley.”

Qi Yuan swept his gaze expressionlessly around the room, then slowly retrieved a small, radiant glazed seal from his robes.

“To be frank, I am Qi Yuan, Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.”

“I was sent down the mountain by my Master to travel and gain experience. Along the way, I detected traces of a Demonic Sect enchantress. That woman was lurking within Falling Cloud Valley under the alias Zhen Yuyan, with unknown intentions.”

“In order to investigate the conspiracy of the Demonic Sect, this Holy Scion decided to conceal my identity and join Falling Cloud Valley as the rogue cultivator, Big Qi.”

“Later, I discovered the Demonic Sect indeed had wolfish ambitions. They attempted to collude with a traitor to secretly take control of Falling Cloud Valley, thereby planting a nail within the righteous faction’s territory.”

As he spoke, his features blurred momentarily, revealing his original, handsome appearance.

“To thwart the Demonic Sect’s sinister plan, I battled that enchantress for several rounds. After driving her away, I returned to deal with another treacherous demonic cultivator.”

“Fortunately, your valley has a Soul Formation realm Formation Spirit guarding it. It easily handled that Demonic Sect Legacy Disciple, sparing this Holy Scion the need to intervene…”

Holy Scion of Supreme Mystery?!

At this moment, the senior members of Falling Cloud Valley stared dumbfounded at this man whose appearance had drastically changed, now exuding an extraordinary, noble aura. They were so shocked they couldn’t utter a word.

Just what the hell was going on?!

They never could have imagined that just after sending off a (fake) Holy Scion of Celestial Zenith, a (real) Holy Scion of Supreme Mystery would suddenly appear.

Although there was no official ranking among the Seven Great Sanctuaries, in terms of influence within the cultivation world, the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary held a slight edge over the Celestial Zenith Sanctuary, which was mostly confined to the northern region.

In other words, the status of a Supreme Mystery Holy Scion carried even more weight than that of a Celestial Zenith Holy Scion!

In the eerie silence, Qi Yuan turned to look at Bai Xirou, whose mouth was slightly agape and expression dazed. A warm smile spread across his face.

“The reason I said I wanted Senior Sister is because her character is upright and virtuous, and her aptitude is exceptional. She is fully qualified to receive better training.”

“If Uncle Bai agrees, I can take Senior Sister to the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary and recommend her to become a Legacy Disciple. Her future path will surely be smooth, her prospects bright.”

The simplest and most effective way to openly abduct the Falling Cloud Valley Sect Leader’s precious daughter was to directly reveal his identity.

After all, his mission at Falling Cloud Valley was complete. He now had no reservations and could do as he pleased…

As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Qingwu snapped back to reality. He widened his eyes, took a deep look at the seal in Qi Yuan’s hand, and said with a complex expression:

“This seal is indeed the token of a Supreme Mystery Holy Scion. However, I still find it hard to believe that a distinguished Holy Scion would come to our small, remote place to work as a menial laborer.”

Just then, a report came from a Falling Cloud Valley disciple outside the hall:

“Reporting to the Sect Master! Two unfamiliar cultivators have arrived outside, saying they are looking for someone.”