The Old Master's deepest regret was that he had not put enough effort to stop the Great Elder. Otherwise, the Lan family would never have thoroughly offended Grand Lord Hong Lian...

Mu Youyou, who was standing in the midst of the crowd, started to back away. She was silently rejoicing as she had escaped the dire circumstances that the Lan family had encountered this time. After all, even though the Master of the Mu family had broken through to the Martial Saint rank, he was no match for a madman like Grand Lord Hong Lian.

"Come, we shall return to the Mu residence and report this matter to my grandfather."

Mu Youyou showed no signs of hesitation as he led the Mu family members away from the crowd. She had no intention of saving their former allies, the Lan family, at all...

On this mainland, where only the strong were revered, this was the reality of it all.

If someone had power, many would wish for their favor. However, once they had befallen on hard times, that relationship will be considered redundant. No one would remember the good rapport they had once had...

This was the current situation for the Lan family!

"Yun'er," Grand Lord Hong Lian no longer bothered to look at those eyesores and turned to approach Gu Ruoyun. His cold features became gentle and his eyes filled with tenderness as he said, "I'll send some of my subordinates over to deal with them! On the other hand, we haven't seen each other for so long. I'm curious about what had happened to you after you had arrived in the Northern Block Territory."

Gu Ruoyun smiled. She did not ask Grand Lord Hong Lian what his plans were for the Lan family. However, she knows that the Lan family's fate would be a horrible one!

"Alright."

She nodded and smiled gently. "Let's go then, it's not worth dirtying your hands over these people. Let your subordinates handle them."

"Oh, your my little girl..." Grand Lord Hong Lian smiled as he stroked Gu Ruoyun's head. The love in his eyes was more than words could describe. "Haha, since that's the case, we shall have a good chat. If Yu'er were here..."

The atmosphere instantly turned very silent.

The smile on Grand Lord Hong Lian's face had disappeared. It was replaced by a hint of agony in his gaze as if he had just remembered his long-lost wife.

"Father, don't worry. Once I've broken through to the Martial Saint rank, I'll journey towards the First City. By then, we will definitely discover mother's whereabouts!" said Gu Ruoyun earnestly as she held Grand Lord Hong Lian's hand.

Grand Lord Hong Lian laughed bitterly, "I've longed for our family's reunion for so long but I don't know when our family will truly be reunited."

His dream for many years was to reunite his family! Unfortunately, despite his many years of effort, he could not find the woman who haunts his thoughts every day...

Gu Ruoyun did not say very much. However, she made a decision in her heart that she would achieve her breakthrough as quickly as possible so that she could journey forth towards the First City! She has a feeling that her family could be reunited only when she has entered the First City.

...

The night was calm and peaceful. The night wind brushed against the air and the rustling of leaves sounded from outside the window.

Gu Ruoyun gently closed her eyes as she lay on her bed in her chambers. She had not completely gone into a deep sleep so she managed to detect a small sliver of aura which slipped in from outside the house.

However, she did not make any movement but remained with her eyes gently shut as if she had not sensed a thing.

A hand landed gently on her face and trailing tenderly down towards her neck. The hand moved so gently as if it was stroking a most beloved object.

She then felt a warm sensation washing over her lips. Gu Ruoyun's brows moved a little but she did not open her eyes and allowed the man to softly kiss her lips...