"Danger?" He Zhenghao stared blankly for a moment.
Then, brushing it off, he smiled and said, "Xinxin, you're overthinking things! Your father currently oversees the affairs of the Congyun Sea and spends every day in the Administration Hall without traveling abroad. What danger could I possibly run into?"
"It's true!" Seeing that her old father didn't believe her, He Xinxin stomped her foot in exasperation.
She leaned in and whispered, "Dad, you don't understand. My Foundation Establishment wonder has been with me since birth, called the Dao Script Compass. What's more, the cultivation method I practice is the Heavenly Net of the Dao, tailor-made for me by Mother..."
After listening to his daughter's explanation, He Zhenghao clicked his tongue in mild astonishment.
He had thought that by riding the coattails of the Lord Secret Emissary, thriving, and earning a mountain of contribution points, he had barely managed to become somebody of note.
He had not realized that compared to the Heng family of Tianyu Province—those ancient cultivation clans with unimaginably deep foundations—he was still far too lacking.
At the very least, having a cultivation method tailored specifically for oneself was something far beyond his current capabilities.
At this thought, a pang of bitterness welled up in He Zhenghao's heart.
"It really is mortal danger, Dad. You'd better come with me," He Xinxin said, performing another deduction right before He Zhenghao's eyes. In the end, she arrived at the exact same chilling result, and she couldn't help urging him once more.
Seeing how dead serious she looked, He Zhenghao began to second-guess himself.
*That can't be right. How could there be a life-and-death crisis in Congyun City? Lately, I've been dutiful and honest, doing nothing that could offend the Lord Secret Emissary.* Pondering carefully, He Zhenghao knit his brows, completely bewildered.
*Could it be that the Five Elders Association is repeating their old trick and launching another surprise attack on Congyun Immortal City?* Suddenly, He Zhenghao recalled the past events of the Congyun Sea and gave a start.
*Surely not... Didn't they just hold a Friendly Exchange Gathering?* He grew hesitant.
He paced back and forth in the room, his face full of unease.
Watching her old father hesitate, unable to make up his mind, He Xinxin grew anxious as well.
At the same time, He Zhenghao's reaction was quite different from her expectation—she had thought he would drop everything and follow her back to Tianyu Province the moment he heard the deduction's result. The young girl couldn't help pouting in frustration, resentful that her father didn't trust her.
He Zhenghao did not notice the change in his daughter's mood; he was still wavering.
It was not that he did not believe his daughter. Having personally experienced various trials in the past, he knew all too well how formidable the Heng family of Tianyu Province was. The Heavenly Net of the Dao created for He Xinxin truly appeared to be extraordinary as well.
However, He Zhenghao had risen from a destitute, down-and-out island garrison to someone whose word carried immense weight in the Congyun Sea today, with countless cultivators scrambling to curry favor with him...
All of this had not come easily. How could he abandon it lightly just over a few words from his daughter?
Besides, his foundation lay in the Congyun Sea. Stripped of the network of connections he had painstakingly built here, he was nothing.
Even if he returned to Tianyu Province, so what?
An utterly ordinary Golden Core cultivator wasn't even qualified to serve as a guard for the Heng family.
How could he face Heng Ruoshui like that?
...
Having slowly thought it through, He Zhenghao reached a decision.
With a shift of his eyes, an idea popped into his head. He beamed and said, "Xinxin..."
He Xinxin shot him a pouting glare.
He Zhenghao felt a touch awkward, but he smoothed his expression and said solemnly, "Father knows you care about me, and I know your cultivation method is extraordinary. But the world is ever-changing, and the art of deduction is, after all, only deduction.
"It merely reveals one possible outcome in the future. As for whether it is guaranteed to happen...
"I reckon even a Longevity Heavenly Venerable wouldn't dare make such a promise."
He Xinxin felt dissatisfied upon hearing this, yet she could not think of a rebuttal right away.
Just then, He Zhenghao continued, "Besides, speaking of deduction techniques, my direct superior, the Secret Script Emissary of the Congyun Sea and ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator—Lord Li Fan—is far stronger than you!
"His abilities are truly shocking, unrivaled through the ages! I am the Lord Secret Emissary's confidant. If I were truly in danger, how could he not warn me?"
At these words, He Xinxin's eyes went wide. "Li Fan of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?"
She had heard of Li Fan's name before. He had precisely predicted several major events that were about to unfold in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, feats far beyond her capability.
*Could it be that my calculation was really wrong?* He Xinxin could not help feeling uncertain.
Seeing that his words had hit home, He Zhenghao struck while the iron was hot.
"If you are still worried, I'll ask the Lord Secret Emissary directly, right in front of you."
With that, He Zhenghao took out the Divided Spirit Jade Slip left behind by Li Fan and began to summon him.
Before long, a phantom projection of Li Fan manifested above the room.
"Why have you summoned me?" Li Fan asked impassively.
At the same time, his gaze casually glanced over at He Xinxin beside him.
The girl was daring; not the least bit timid, she met Li Fan's eyes head-on.
He Zhenghao, on the other hand, was meek and subservient, bowing his head as he explained.
"Dare I ask, My Lord, will any upheaval occur in the Congyun Sea in the near future?" After recounting the situation, he looked up at Li Fan with hopeful eyes.
The room lapsed into silence.
In the projection, the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Die seemed to spin endlessly in Li Fan's palm.
"A Dao Script Compass? The Tianyu Heng family truly lives up to its reputation.
"Your daughter has such remarkable talent; her future achievements will surely be no less than mine."
A moment later, Li Fan did not directly answer He Zhenghao's question. Instead, he looked at He Xinxin and praised her.
He Zhenghao felt a shiver of awe, never expecting the Lord Secret Emissary to see right through his daughter with a mere casual glance.
He Xinxin's mouth parted slightly in sheer surprise.
"My Lord flatters her..." He Zhenghao said repeatedly.
"The younger generation is formidable indeed," Li Fan murmured, shaking his head. Looking as if he were reminiscing about something, he sighed with deep feeling.
With that, he pointed a finger toward He Xinxin's forehead.
"My Lord!" He Zhenghao's expression changed slightly, but he soon realized that Li Fan bore no ill intent; rather, he was transmitting knowledge to his daughter. His mind eased somewhat.
Before long, the streams of golden light dispersed, and He Xinxin came back to her senses.
Examining the sudden influx of knowledge in her mind:
*Great Subtlety Heavenly Numbers*, *Enigmatic Records of Thousand Mechanisms*, *Treatise on the Flow of Qi Mechanisms*...
Were these... writings of the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect?
And versions she had never seen before!
He Xinxin's eyes lit up, filled with instant delight.
Her face broke into a radiant smile. She immediately bowed and said softly, "Thank you, Senior."
"Think nothing of it. It is rare to meet someone suitable. Besides, these are hardly of great value," Li Fan waved a hand.
Then, his eyes turned back to He Zhenghao.
He Zhenghao's heart nearly stopped.
"Will upheaval occur in the Congyun Sea?" Li Fan chuckled softly.
"Even I am not leaving. What are you so afraid of, He Zhenghao?"
Chapter 631