Chapter Forty-Four Dust Settles

  "Housekeeper, although this time the five major forces suffered a great loss of power, however, they have been operating in Wanshan City for many years after all. So, it's better if you don't make any rash moves for now!" Leng Ruoxue said thoughtfully.

  "Yes, I understand." The housekeeper hastily replied. He wouldn't be impatient; he had endured for so many years, couldn't he wait just a little longer?

  "Hmm, let's head back then. The results should be out by tomorrow." Lan Ruo Xue said, seeing that the fight in the main courtyard had already died down, and felt that staying any longer would be pointless.

  "Yes," said the butler with a nod.

  After settling with Leng Xue, he put the other beasts into his sleeve, leaving only Yu outside, and had Yu take them back to Wu Xin Yuan.

  Back in the Wu Xin Yuan's room, Leng Ruoxue took You Yao with her into the ring, where Leng Qing Tian and others were already waiting for them!

  "Xue Er, you've arrived." Leng Qing Tian said happily, his face full of joy. Hehe, his granddaughter's plan was very successful!

  "Grandpa, why are you so excited?" asked Leng Ruoxue with some puzzlement, huh! Did she miss something?

  "Haha, little girl, from now on we can walk sideways in Wanshan City." The old man said with a smile, his old face almost bursting into bloom.

  "Think it's that easy to take down the five major powers? Their roots run deep, and they won't be so easily uprooted." Leng Ruo Xue was not as optimistic as Old Man Jiu. One internal conflict wouldn't be enough to bring down the five major powers so easily! If it were that simple, the five major powers would have been replaced long ago, and there's no way they could have dominated Wan Shan City for so many years.

  "What to do? Are we going to give up this good opportunity?" The old man said with some regret, tonight the five major forces have lost a lot of Xuan Huang! He felt that they should seize this opportunity!

  "It's still a bit early, let's wait and see!" Leng Ruoxue said cautiously, although there were also a few Xuan Huang among her subordinates, but except for Cheng Wu and a few others who were stronger in the Xuan Huang, the rest of the Xuan Huang at the same level could only be considered as bottom-of-the-barrel. If it really came to a fight between the two sides, the role they could play would be negligible.

  Xue Er is right, this kind of thing can't be rushed. Leng Qing Tian thought for a moment and immediately understood his granddaughter's idea, and said.

  "Grandfather, I think you can just rest assured and let the steward and others handle this matter." suggested Leng Ruoxue.

  "Yeah, our current strength is too low, we can't do anything without being restricted. The top priority indeed is to quickly enhance our strength." Leng Qingtian agreed.

  "Alright, let's continue our seclusion then!" said the Old Man with a discerning eye. Alas... he was still a Mystic, and who knows when he would be able to break through to become a Great Mystic? Sigh... the Mystic King was now an unattainable goal for him, too far away!

  "Hmm." Leng Ruo Xue nodded slightly and watched as the several reluctant old men each went into their own rooms, before turning her gaze towards Wu.

  "No, do you think the Yue family will seek help from the Leng family like we did?" Leng Ruoxue asked with some curiosity.

  "If I were him, I wouldn't ask for help, haha, it would really be a loss of face for him. After all, he is also a mysterious and dignified person." Wu lightly laughed and said, with his understanding of the head of the Yue family, that old man should be a cautious and very proud person, so he absolutely wouldn't do something like asking for help.

  "Hmm." Cold Snow nodded in agreement, thinking along the same lines. However, it's better to be safe than sorry, and if that old man were to refuse help from the Cold family, things might get complicated! So, she had to take precautions!

  "Xue Er, don't worry, that old guy absolutely can't pull off that face." said with great certainty.

  "En, no, it's getting late, let's go rest first." Leng Ruoxue glanced at the time and said, then entered the Purple Bamboo House with Yao Jiao.

  In the following days, Wanshan City fell into a silence. Although the business in Wanshan City was still operating normally, there was a strong shock among the high-level officials of the five major powers, and everyone was in danger. Only they knew how tragic the battle was on the night of the previous few days, and Xuan Wang and Xuan Huang were killed or injured countless times! The strength of the five major powers has been reduced by nearly two-thirds! Now, all five parties have entered a dormant period, recuperating and waiting for an opportunity to move.

  The main house of the Yue family.

  In the master bedroom.

  The master of the Yue family lay in bed, his whole body covered in wounds. At this time, he was extremely pale, and his originally handsome face was furrowed with worry, not saying a word, nobody knew what he was thinking!

  "Dad." Yue Qun's voice rang out in the room, and immediately, he strode in with big steps.

  "What's the progress on the investigation?" The head of the Yue family raised his head at the sound of his son's voice and asked coldly. Alas, this time's loss was really too severe. Not only did they gain nothing, but they also completely fell out with four other families. Now, he didn't dare to easily trust anyone except his own son, at least not until he found out who had betrayed him.

  "Dad, I couldn't find out, sorry, it's all because I'm useless." Yu Qun said with great self-blame.

  "Brother, how can you be blamed for this? That traitor was too cunning." The head of the Yue family gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph! If I find that person, I will tear to shreds anyone who dares to betray me!"

  "Dad, I'll continue to have people keep an eye on everyone, don't worry!" Yue Qun assured.

  "Hmm, Gu Er, although Father is seriously injured, however, the other four old things are not much better than me either. Hmph! Tell everyone to be on high alert, lest they come to launch a sneak attack." Yue's family head instructed.

  "Hmm, I will," said Yue Qun.

  "Qun'er, did you invite that dan master I told you to invite?" asked the head of the Yue family. He was injured too severely; unless a dan master could refine a high-grade medicinal pill specifically for healing his wounds, it would be difficult for him to recover!

  "Dad, I've already sent someone to look for him, but the subordinate reported back that Dan Shifu is not at home now." Yue Qun said somewhat gloomily. He had also heard about a mysterious and powerful Dan Shifu in Wanshan City, so after Dad got injured, he immediately sent someone to invite him, but couldn't find him.

  "Have someone stay at his house, and if they find out where he is, bring him back to me immediately. Also, send someone to the Alchemist Association to invite a respected alchemy master over!" The head of the Yue family ordered, he couldn't just hang himself from one tree after all! If they can't find this alchemy master, then they'll have no choice but to go to the Alchemist Association, even though it will take quite some time to make the round trip.

  "Dad, I've already sent someone," said Yue Qun.

  "Hmm, Qun'er, you're really getting more and more thoughtful." said the head of the Yue family with great pleasure.

  "Dad, you're the pillar of our family, how could I let anything happen to you!" Yue Qun said with some fear, Ah! He was very clear that if his dad were to have an accident, their family would be completely finished. With his current abilities, he wouldn't be able to hold up the family.

  "Don't worry, son, Father will be fine. Sigh... Father is tired, you go out first!" The master of the Yue family instructed, then closed his eyes.

  "Dad, take a good rest," said Yue Qun, and then quietly left.

  These days, the Yue family is on high alert from top to bottom, old and young. However, in the Wuxin Garden, it is a scene of relaxation and joy.

  In the garden.

  Leng Ruo Xue, Yao Nie, and Wu were sitting on a stone bench, drinking tea and eating snacks. Especially Wu, without that annoying man to bother him, felt extremely pleased...

  "I say, Miss, your fiancé is now busy to the point of being frazzled and hasn't even had time to come visit you, how can you not be worried at all?" Cold Snow looked at Wu with a slightly smug expression and teased in a soft voice.

  "Dead girl, what's the point of mentioning him?" She glared at Leng Ruoxue with gritted teeth, her exquisite face filled with displeasure.

  "Xu?r said it's right, I also think you're too ruthless." The demon also added fuel to the fire and echoed.

  "You two want to drive me crazy, don't you? Just when I finally had a few quiet days, he didn't come to bother me, and now you're bringing him up again." He growled in a low voice, he could see that these two were intentionally trying to infuriate him! Hmph! Two scoundrels!

  "Haha, you demon, I was right, wasn't I? Wu Nu really flipped out." Leng Ruo Xue said with a light smile. Hehe, she had just made a bet with the demon that as long as Wu Nu heard something related to Yue Qun, he would definitely flip out. The demon didn't believe her, but now it seems like she won!

  "Indeed, you won!" The demon said with a pampered expression, without any hint of disappointment on his face!

  "Damn it, you're actually using me as a bet?" Wu Yi didn't hear this and his lungs were about to explode. Have these two been too bored lately?

  "Oh, are you really angry? It was just a joke with you, won't you be so petty? " Ling Ruo Xue coaxed somewhat helplessly, sigh! Wu's temper has been getting bigger and bigger lately, I don't know if it's menopause or not!"

  "Hmph! You have time to make bets with me, why not think about how to keep them fighting? They've been calm for several days now." Wu reminded him that the five major forces were severely injured and might not clash again in a short period of time. This would mean their plan would be delayed once more, which was not what he wanted to see!

  "Haha, don't worry, I have a plan." said Leng Ruoxue with a mysterious smile.

  "Hmm, what have you done behind my back again?" she asked with some curiosity.

  "What's going on?" Leng Ruo Xue pretended to be clueless.

  "Do you know?" he asked the demon without turning his head.

  "What's up?" The demon also pretended to be stupid.

  "You... are too unrighteous, we are comrades in arms, how can you deceive me!" Wu Mei said tearfully, with tears welling up in her beautiful eyes, looking as if she was about to cry!

  "Huh!" Leng Ruo Xue's forehead was covered in black lines, how could he also use this move!

  "Xu?r!" Suddenly, a cold voice like ice and snow came from Leng Ruo Xue's heart.

  "Brother is out of prison!" Leng Ruoxue said happily, and at the same time, she turned her mind and brought both Yao Jiao and Wu Yi into the ring together.

  After entering the ring, Leng Ruo Xue looked at the stunningly handsome man standing not far from her, and couldn't help but rush into his arms, choking back tears as she said: "Brother, I miss you so much!"

  "Xue Er, brother misses you too." Leng Ruo Han also tightly hugged his beloved little sister, excitedly saying.

  Standing a few meters away from the cold and snowy siblings, looking at the extremely discordant handsome man and ugly woman embracing each other, someone with some gossip poked the demon with their elbow and said: "Hey, you vinegar jar, why aren't you eating vinegar? It's really too rare."

  "That's Xue Er's brother!" The demoniac fiercely glared at Wu Yi, saying with a hint of displeasure, "Hmph! How could he not be jealous? He just didn't show it!"

  "Oh!" she drawled, understanding dawning on her face.

  "What are you doing? Come over quickly." After embracing her brother warmly, Leng Ruo Xue turned around and looked at the two of them before urging them.

  "He's here." The demon hastily said, taking three steps as two to arrive in front of Leng Ruo Han.

  "Big brother, you've finally come out." The demon said happily.

  "Yes, I can finally break through to the Spiritual God realm with my own power." Cold Frost said excitedly. The day before leaving the Diamond Wind Continent, he and Feng Da had decided to go into seclusion because their strength was too low and they wouldn't be able to help Xue Er in the next realm. So, they all unanimously decided not to come out of seclusion until they reached the Spiritual God level. And today, his wish had finally come true, and he could fight side by side with Xue Er again.

  "Haha, brother, congratulations!" said Leng Ruoxue happily.

  "Alas! Xue Er, I really don't know what level you are at now. It seems that I have fallen far behind you again!" Leng Ruo Han sighed lightly and said with some helplessness.

  "Brother, don't worry, the cultivation methods in this world may be slightly different from those on our Rhombus Continent, but with your talent, you'll quickly catch up to us." Lan Ruoxue comforted.

  "Uh, I'll try my best." Cold and unyielding determination filled his voice. He would stand by his sister's side in the future, fighting alongside her, so he wouldn't give up on himself!

  "Brother, his name is Wu, we just met him here." Leng Ruo Xue said again, pointing at Wu to introduce him to her brother.

  "Hello." Leng Ruohan looked at Wu with a very friendly tone, since he was able to enter here, Snow must have trusted him very much, so naturally Leng Ruohan also trusted this man, because he believed in Snow's judgment!

  "Hello, although I've long admired your reputation, but what I'm more curious about is how did you know she's definitely your sister? She doesn't look like your sister at all?" Wu asked with a puzzled tone. He had heard that Leng Ruo Han and others had already gone into seclusion before arriving on the Great Heaven Continent, so he shouldn't have known that his sister had disguised herself. But why didn't he suspect that the person in front of him wasn't his sister at all?

  "How could I possibly mistake my own sister? No matter what she looks like, I'll be able to recognize her at a glance." Leng Ruohan said with extreme confidence.

  "Hmm, impressive." He said with a tone of admiration. Sigh! No wonder Xue Er always says that she has a good brother! He really envies the deep affection between them siblings!

  "You guys chat slowly, brother, I'll take you to a place where you can upgrade!" Leng Ruoxue suggested, hmm, wonder when Feng Da and the others will come out of their seclusion?

  "Good." Lan said coldly, nodding slightly.

  Then, Leng Ruo Xue took the demon away from the shackles and summoned Yu and Ling out. She had Ling cast a concealment spell on them before having Yu carry them to fly towards that uninhabited deep valley!

  After arriving at the deep ravine, Cold-as-Snow once again took her brother out of his shackles, and then stood quietly beside the demon, waiting...

  After a long time.

  The Heavenly Rules have finally descended upon the Deep Abyss, and Leng Wuhan has officially advanced to Spirit God. His beasts have also advanced individually...

  After the promotion ceremony was over, Leng Ruo Xue and others quickly returned to Wu Xin Yuan...

  Half a month later.

  For the past half month, Leng Ruo Xue and others have been quietly staying in Wu Xin Yuan. They spend their days drinking tea, chatting, and carefully observing the movements of the five major powers in Wan Shan City through Qing Jue, waiting for changes to occur!

  During this time, the five major forces had several more fierce battles. Among them, the heads of the Yu and Zhao families were unexpectedly killed by members of the Yue family in the chaos. Meanwhile, Yue Qun led the elite fighters of the Yue family to take advantage of the situation and wipe out the leaderless Yu and Zhao families. From then on, the Yu and Zhao families officially disappeared from the five major forces, while the battles between the remaining three major forces continued unabated...

  However, what delighted Cold-as-Snow the most was not the battle situation between the five major powers, but that Feng Da and others had also come out of their secluded cultivation! Moreover, each of them could now advance to the Spirit God realm!

  After a brief reunion, Leng Ruo Xue took them to the deserted deep valley of Jinjie, and then sent his own beast to send Gege and Feng Da to the Windless City where Lan Ming was located for spiritual power conversion.

  It had been over ten days since Leng Ruohan and the others left Wu Xin Yuan, but they still hadn't returned. Leng Ruo couldn't help but feel a little anxious as she waited.

  In the garden of Wú Xīn Yuàn.

  "Xue Er, it's only been over ten days, don't worry, they'll probably need several more days to complete the spiritual energy transfer!" The demoniac comforted Cold Snow who was pacing back and forth in the garden with a hint of helplessness.

  "There's nothing to worry about, they have such good qualifications, the time it takes for them to convert their spiritual power will definitely be longer than usual spirits. Besides, isn't Ice Horn going with them too?" Wu also chimed in to comfort them.

  "I know, but I just can't help worrying!" Leng Ruoxue said with some helplessness. Alas, when one cares, they become disordered. Those people were her relatives, how could she not worry?

  "I think you should focus all your energy on those three major forces now, we've stayed here long enough." Wu Tiandao said, fortunately, during this period of time, Yue Qun didn't have the time to bother him, otherwise, he would be depressed to death!

  "I haven't forgotten them!" Leng Ruoxue said with a cold smile.

  "Huh? What have you done again?" asked someone with a hint of suspicion, hiding something from him again?

  "Hmph! I didn't do anything!" Leng Ruo Xue turned her face to the side, deliberately ignoring Wu.

  "You guys didn't tell me, waa... you actually ganged up to bully me! This is too bad!" The unattractive face was filled with grievances and slightly choked accusations.

  Unfortunately, his pitiful appearance was once again ignored by Cold-as-Snow and Demoness Hong Guo Guo...

  The day after tomorrow.

  News arrived that Yue Qun had been killed by the joint forces of the Ni and Fang families, instantly shocking the entire Yue family. The head of the Yue family, disregarding his injured body, angrily led his men to storm into the Ni and Fang residences, and both sides engaged in a fierce battle...

  "None, we can leave!" Wu Xin turned her head to Wu Dao in the Wuxin Garden.

  "Great, I can finally leave!" A smile appeared on his extremely ugly face, he really wanted to get out of this birdcage!

  Leng Ruo Xue summoned the small peacock from the bangle, and the three of them sat on its back, leaving Wu Xin Yuan and flying straight to their mountain stronghold.

  In the thatched cottage behind the mountain.

  Leng Ruoxue sat in the main seat, with Yao Jie and Wu sitting on either side of her. The steward and Cheng Wu stood before them, reporting their work results!

  "Miss, now the Wàn Shān City no longer has five major forces." The butler said excitedly. Yesterday, the Yue family and the Ni and Fang families had a fierce battle, while they took advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack. When both sides were wounded, the fisherman benefited and became the final winner. Alas! The masters of the five major forces thought they would be famous for generations, but in the end, they died miserably. It's really pitiful!

  "Hmm, how many of those people attached to the Five Great Powers are left?" asked Leng Ruoxue thoughtfully.

  "Not many are left, only some small fries remain. The strong ones above the Xuan Wang level have basically all died in these few battles." The housekeeper explained.

  "What do you plan to do with those people?" asked Leng Ruo Xue again.

  "I also hope that Miss will make it clear!" The steward and Cheng Wu's eyes collided, and they said in unison. They can now be said to be convinced of Leng Ruo Xue.

  "If you want to keep them for your own use, let them sign a loyalty contract. Otherwise, get rid of all of them!" Leng Ruoxue said emotionlessly, she wasn't someone with sympathy, and even less so towards enemies. Her kindness was only reserved for her own people!

  "Yes." The butler and Cheng Wu hastily replied in unison. They knew that Miss's intention was to let them take charge of those people!

  "Miss, those shops in the inner city are now all under our control. I wonder what plans you have?" The steward asked very respectfully.

  "Housekeeper, I've told you before. From now on, the Wan Mountain City will be managed by you people. You can discuss those matters among yourselves and don't need to come ask me about everything!" Leng Ruoxue said with a tone of complete irresponsibility.

  After hearing Leng Ruoxue's words, the demon couldn't help but chuckle, heh heh! It seems that Xue'er is going to be a absentee boss again. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but think of when they were in Lingfeng Continent, Xue'er was also so adorable and hated trouble!

  "Huh!" The butler was stunned by Leng Ruoxue's words and looked foolish. What did Miss mean? Was she not going to take care of them anymore?

  "Miss! You can't ignore us!" The steward said with some sadness, and looked at Leng Ruoxue with a wronged and resentful gaze.

  "Big housekeeper, you're already an adult, don't need others to take care of you." Leng Ruoxue's forehead was covered with black lines, and she said somewhat speechlessly, "Are you still going to rely on me?"

  "We need Miss's wise leadership." The butler said with some impertinence.

  "That's right, we need Miss's wise decision!" Cheng Wu also hastily echoed.

  "Housekeeper, I didn't have the intention of leading you all from the start. When I first took a liking to this mountain stronghold, it was just because I wanted a place to stay. To be honest, the reason I helped you all was mainly because I found you troublesome, but since we're living on the same mountain, I helped out a bit with some small matters, and that's it." Lan Xue pushed back, humph, she didn't want to get stuck with this group of people, otherwise, she would have endless trouble in the future!

  "Miss, what you paid is not the accommodation fee, you have bought the entire Wan Shan City, of course, including us!" The butler said pitifully, anxiously as if he was about to cry!

  "Really! Since I overpaid, then give me the change!" Leng Ruoxue frowned and said with some helplessness.

  "Hmm! We don't have any money, only those shops and ourselves. Otherwise, Miss, please take it back!" The steward said with a smile.

  "No returns, once the goods are out, they will not be taken back!" Leng Ruoxue's forehead was dripping with cold sweat, thinking to herself, why is this steward so stubborn? Why does the dignified Emperor Xuan insist on relying on her, a great master of the mystic arts?

  "Hehe, miss, we don't have any money on us right now, but when we make some, we'll pay you back then! Uh...we'll take our leave to go make some money first!" Cheng Wu suddenly spoke up and said, before pulling the steward who was trying to persuade Leng Ruo Xue away.

  "Haha! Xue'er, it seems they're stuck on you!" said the steward with a hint of schadenfreude after Da Guanjia and Cheng Wu left.

  "Alas!" Leng Ruo Xue let out a somewhat helpless sigh, her heart feeling stifled. Hadn't she already made herself clear? Why were they still bothering her?

  "Xue Er, actually, it's not bad that they can make money for you as a backing. Why don't you consider taking them in?" Wu Ti proposed.

  "Alright then! I don't have that idea right now," said Leng Ruoxue.

  "Xue Er, we're back." At this time, a cold and stern voice came from outside the room.

  Leng Ruo Xue heard her brother's voice and hastily stood up and ran out of the room.

  "Brother, you've finally come back." In the courtyard, Leng Ruoxue rushed into Leng Ruohan's arms, who had just jumped down from Yu's back, and said with some concern.

  "Xue Er, I've worried you." Leng Ruo Han said with some embarrassment.

  "With me here, what's there to worry about? Alas! I'm truly heartbroken, Xiao Xue actually doubts my abilities... Waaah..." Bing Qiluo's icy blue eyes welled up with tears as she lay on Yu's back, gazing at Leng Ruoxue with a wronged expression.

  "Xiao Bingbing, how dare I doubt your abilities? I'm just worried sick!" Leng Ruoxue heard Bingji's words and hastily hugged him in her arms to comfort him.

  "I know, forget it, I forgive you." Bing Qi said magnanimously.

  "Hehe! Thanks, Little Ice!" said Leng Ruoxue, happily stroking Bingji's head.

  "Brother, why did you guys take so long?" Leng Ruoxue raised her head and asked somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, if they flew day and night from Wu Feng City to Wan Shan City, it should have taken only about two days, but brother and the others had actually been gone for almost half a month!

  "My spiritual power conversion took a bit longer, so I was delayed for a moment." Leng Ruo Han explained.

  "Oh, hehe, brother, the longer the spiritual power conversion takes, the better the talent is!" Seeing that Brother and others returned late for the same reason as they guessed, Leng Ruo Xue also felt relieved!

  "Alas! I was ignored." Suddenly, a faint and resentful voice rang out.

  Digression

  Thank you dear jenhui and Crystal for sending flowers.

  Thanks for the votes from appleliuyp and jin19851105.

  Thanks for voting for Miao Miao yesterday!