Boom, boom, boom!
Ye Feng's refining speed at this moment could only be described as frantic.
To Xiao Chen's eyes, this level of madness was practically suicidal.
He had no idea what Li Guanqi's shout about finding Big Head meant.
He only knew that something had happened, and he, too, had unconsciously begun quickening his own refinement.
And as he guessed at what might have occurred, an anxious restlessness stirred within his chest.
It was as though he wanted to lend a hand, too.
A feeling like this… was something he had never experienced before.
Without realizing it, his relationship with Ye Feng and Li Guanqi had shifted into something between rivals and friends.
In truth, they could hardly even be called enemies; at most, they were love rivals.
*Hum—!*
Ye Feng's aura surged wildly, his strength visibly rising, and most importantly, his comprehension had been elevated.
At this moment, Ye Feng could clearly sense golden specks of light drifting around him like stars.
In the past, he could only sense these flecks of light with vague obscurity, never with the piercing clarity he possessed now.
*Boom!*
Ye Feng raised a hand and tore through the spirit-gathering boundary beside him, striding forward and flashing outside the courtyard gate.
"Boss, when do we leave?"
Watching Ye Feng walk out with wild abandon, Li Guanqi could not help but say, "Get ready. We set off immediately!"
In Li Guanqi's heart, having received no word of Cao Yan had weighed on him with constant worry.
Even the Tianji Pavilion had failed to track Cao Yan down, proving that Cao Yan had been extremely cautious.
Yet this piece of news had actually come from Long Hou!
Which meant… Grandfather still cared deeply about him, and was even going out of his way to protect the people he cherished.
As for why Grandfather had not saved him directly, or told Long Hou to step in—
perhaps there was a reason he could not make a move.
On numerous occasions when Li Guanqi had teetered on the brink of death, Long Hou had never intervened. After all, Long Hou was not his Dao protector.
Furthermore, Li Guanqi understood that in all things, relying on oneself was one's greatest assurance.
*Riiip!*
Xiao Chen tore open his own spirit-gathering boundary and declared in a low voice, "I'm coming too!"
Ye Feng frowned. "It has nothing to do with you. What are you coming for?"
At this, Xiao Chen shrugged and stated bluntly, "I consider you my friends. If your friend is in trouble, then my friend is in trouble.
"When a friend is in trouble, of course I'll take knives in the ribs for them."
Ye Feng fell silent at once. He hadn't expected Xiao Chen to think this way.
Even Li Guanqi was a little surprised, but recalling what Meng Wanshu had said, he suddenly understood.
For someone who had not had a single friend for all these years, spending so much time around Ye Feng and himself lately had naturally allowed Xiao Chen to experience emotions he had never felt before.
Meng Wanshu, who stood quietly to the side, spoke up softly.
"I want to go too."
Li Guanqi's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"Wanshu… how about…"
Before he could finish, she interrupted him, her voice firm.
"No. I'm going with you!
"I don't want us to be separated right after finally being reunited!"
Meng Wanshu looked up, gazing straight into Li Guanqi's eyes without the slightest intention of backing down.
Li Guanqi rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath, "That Southern Heavenly King of the Xuanmen Domain is at most at late Void Refinement. The three of us are more than enough."
Met with her gaze, Li Guanqi had no choice but to concede. Besides, he didn't want to part from her right now either.
"All right, all right, all right. We'll go together. When the time comes, I'll introduce you to another good brother of mine, Big-Headed Cao."
Seeing him nod in agreement, a captivating smile immediately blossomed across Meng Wanshu's face.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she asked, "Big-Headed Cao? Is his head really that big?"
Hearing that, Li Guanqi exchanged a look with Ye Feng, and both burst into hearty laughter.
The corners of Ye Feng's mouth curled up, and he chuckled softly. "Well… back then his head was indeed pretty big. Who knows about now."
Though the two seemed to be joking, internally they were fraught with anxiety.
For Long Hou to deliver the message personally could only mean Cao Yan's situation was already dire.
Yet they both knew that being anxious would accomplish nothing.
The urgent priority was finding a way to cross domains!
The Xuanmen Domain!
Meng Wanshu took Li Guanqi's hand to leave, turning her head to Ye Feng. "You two come along as well."
Li Guanqi paused, then took Meng Wanshu by the hand and led her back toward the courtyard.
Arriving at the entrance of the house, Li Guanqi gathered his robes and slowly sank to his knees.
Beside the cooking stove, the woman stood with her back turned to them, tidying up.
Yet her reddened eyes could not conceal her sorrow.
Li Guanqi spoke in a steady voice. "Honored Mother-in-law, your son-in-law will take the liberty of changing how I address you early today and kowtow to you."
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Having finished kowtowing, Li Guanqi grinned.
"Aunt Li, don't be sad. I have neither father nor mother, so just think of it as gaining an extra son.
"This time Wanshu is coming with me to the Xuanmen Domain. I will definitely take good care of her and never let her suffer any grievance or harm."
Meng Wanshu knelt down beside him as well, speaking softly.
"Mother, Guanqi treats me very well, so please put your heart at ease.
"This journey to the Xuanmen Domain won't be dangerous…"
Li Guilan, her back still to them, raised a hand to wipe her tears, waving them away with a choked voice.
"Go on, go. Go find your father.
"As long as the two of you are well, that's enough. Why would your mother need you fretting over me here?"
The group took their leave one after another, leaving behind only the woman silently wiping down the stove.
After finishing, she lifted her luxurious hem and subconsciously wiped her hands on it, then sat in the rocking chair in the courtyard for a long time to calm her heart.
The group flew through the air, arriving at a resplendent small hall on a mountain peak.
Though called a small hall, it was nearly a hundred zhang across, and this was where Meng Jiangchu usually handled all manner of affairs.
After opening the boundary, Li Guanqi looked at Meng Jiangchu managing business behind his desk and could not help feeling a sense of wonder.
The uncle next door from back then had transformed into one of the Domain Lords of the Six Domains, a supreme figure towering above ten thousand people.
Meng Jiangchu glanced at them and said casually, "Find somewhere to sit. Wait until I finish handling things here."
The others nodded. Li Guanqi cast a casual glance and saw Meng Jiangchu wielding a brush, writing a massive character for 'kill' across a paper scroll before tossing it aside.
The sight filled Li Guanqi with quiet awe. For all his appearance as an easygoing good man who could be scolded by a rustic village woman, Meng Jiangchu was, after all, the Lord of a Domain.
Before long, after processing all the transmissions from the jade slips, the man asked softly, "Headed for the Xuanmen Domain?"
Li Guanqi nodded. Then the man looked over at Meng Wanshu, whose expression was bashful and fidgety, and his face instantly darkened.
"You're going too?"
Meng Wanshu walked over to him, taking his arm and shaking it gently.
"Father~"
"Fine, fine, fine, fine. Go, go, go, go.
"I'll prepare the teleportation array for you right away. Remember to keep the ring I gave you on your finger."
Meng Jiangchu knew full well that he couldn't stop his own daughter from going along, so he might as well give his support sooner rather than later.
Chapter 550