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The clamorous street fell so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. If the two figures loitering before the Prime Minister's Manor had merely drawn curious glances earlier, the arrival of the black dragon carriage now drew virtually every eye toward them. Even more astonishingly, as the carriage door carved with coiling black dragons swung open, the Lord Chancellor himself, clad in his black dragon robe, stepped down to greet them in person. Having heard the girl beside Ran Jianli speak, Xu Yinhe seemed to understand something. A faint smile surfaced in his hawklike eyes. "You are just the same as ever. "My apologies. I had business in the palace today to see Li Yaoxuan, and Feng Jiuxuan was away on an errand as well. Practically anyone who recognizes you was away from the manor today." As he spoke, Xu Yinhe glanced sideways at the veiled girl beside Ran Jianli. "And this is..." "My disciple," Ran Jianli, silent for so long, finally spoke up again. "Brought her to the imperial capital this time to broaden her horizons." A subtle flicker passed through Xu Yinhe's eyes, and he said softly, "Coming to the capital now will certainly broaden her horizons, though the imperial capital has hardly been peaceful as of late." Ran Jianli's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Xu Yinhe. "Couldn't be helped. She said she wanted to see the world herself. Besides, haven't I come to find you, my old friend?" Xu Yinhe pondered for a moment, revealing neither joy nor displeasure. Nodding faintly, he turned toward the veiled girl and asked gently, "Ran Qingmo, correct?" Beneath her muli veil, Ran Qingmo's eyes blinked. She quietly put away the Source Crystal in her hand and nodded. "Mm." Xu Yinhe's expression remained calm as a still lake, though the corner of his lips seemed to quirk for an instant. "Accompany your master and me into the manor." Ran Qingmo pulled her neck in slightly. "Oh, okay." For some reason, she felt that Xu Yuan's father had to be in a very bad mood right now. Neither the smile nor the gentleness on his face could conceal the dangerous aura radiating from him. The subtle motion was keenly caught by Xu Yinhe, but he said nothing, merely casting a glance at the gatekeeper and the guards by the entrance. A Prime Minister's gatekeeper wields the influence of a seventh-rank official, and serving as an official requires knowing how to read the room above all else. Without a word spoken, some stepped forward to lead the carriage horses away while others went to open the gates. With a heavy rumbling sound, the magnificent main gates of the Prime Minister's Manor, several zhang wide, slowly parted. Standing before the steps, Xu Yinhe extended an arm. "Imperial Preceptor Ran, after you." Ran Jianli glanced at the layout beyond the courtyard gates, his stubble twitching slightly as though smiling. "I thought you'd have us ride in on the carriage. Walking through this manor of yours will take quite some time, I'm afraid." Xu Yinhe replied in a low voice, "I have already instructed someone to prepare a modest greeting gift for Qingmo. Besides, it has been so long since I last saw an old friend like you; walking and talking makes catching up far easier." "..." A thoughtful look flashed in Ran Jianli's eyes. Then, patting his disciple's shoulder with a calloused hand, he strolled boldly into the manor ahead of the rest. Ran Qingmo remained rooted to the spot, watching the middle-aged man at the foot of the steps with wide eyes. She felt her master was very rude. Xu Yuan had told her that when a host makes an inviting gesture, one ought to enter alongside them rather than walk in front. After a brief pause, however, she hurried after her master's footsteps. What made her eyes widen slightly was that after master and disciple stepped through the manor gates, Xu Yuan's father appeared beside them without the slightest warning. She instinctively glanced at her master, only to find him looking as if he were entirely accustomed to such things. A strange wave of dejection washed over her. Compared to her master and his peers, she was still far too weak. Soon enough, though, her dejection was replaced by a faint sense of anticipation. Her clear gaze swept back and forth across the Prime Minister's Manor through her black gauze muli veil. The Chancellor's Manor covered an immense expanse, and crowds bustled within. In the front courtyard especially, aside from servants, guards, and maids, there were numerous visiting officials, executives from commercial guilds, and even leaders of secular sects with sabers at their waists. Yet the three of them seemed cloaked in a certain qi dynamic, so none of the busy passersby appeared to notice them. After walking for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they reached a vast wetland lake before the first person capable of seeing them appeared. The lake breeze carried a hint of moisture. A child walked out from deeper inside the manor and came straight up to them, first bowing expressionlessly to Xu Yinhe: "Lord Chancellor, Imperial Preceptor, Miss Ran." Ran Qingmo stared at him, blinking in puzzlement. He was an exceptionally polite child, yet his eyes were as hollow and deathly quiet as a walking corpse. Xu Yinhe paid the child no heed and looked instead at Ran Qingmo, his voice softening slightly: "He will guide you to our manor's treasury to choose a gift." Hearing this, Ran Qingmo instinctively looked toward her master. Ran Jianli furrowed his brow and spoke up: "Chancellor Xu, since when did your manor start employing children like this for labor?" Xu Yinhe glanced back and asked in return, "Can you not tell?" Ran Jianli raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "Why does this child possess a Saint's soul force?" Xu Yinhe murmured, "Your disciple should be well acquainted with Mingxuan's master, so I had him guide her to the treasury." As his words fell, the illusory figure of a middle-aged man in scholar's robes drifted out of the ring hanging around the child's neck. His voice boomed like a resonant subwoofer: "Girl Ran, it has been quite some time." Looking at the familiar figure, Ran Qingmo darted her eyes between the child and him. "Who is he? Did you not go to the Northern Border with Xu Yuan?" Old Man Luo chuckled. "It is a long story. Let us walk and talk. Lord Chancellor truly is generous with you; even that boy Xu Yuan has to submit a formal request to enter the manor treasury." As a remnant soul living under someone else's roof, Old Man Luo knew well how to read the room. A brief glance at the burly elder was enough to tell him the Lord Chancellor most likely wished to speak with him in private. With that, his gaze shifted toward the muscular old man who was presumably also a Saint. Ran Jianli spoke up at this moment: "Go on, Qingmo. Even if only for his son's sake, Chancellor Xu ought to give you some gifts." Ran Qingmo remained standing where she was, not answering right away. Pressing her red lips together, she stared at Xu Yuan's father. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she asked softly, "Uncle Xu, has... has Xu Yuan returned?" "No," Xu Yinhe answered simply. Ran Qingmo lowered her eyes, a visibly crestfallen look passing through them. "Oh..." Gazing at the young girl's expression through the veil, Xu Yinhe pondered for a moment before adding, "In a few more days, however, he should be arriving in Di'an City. You may wait for him here in the manor." Ran Qingmo's eyes lit up, and a simple joy welled in her heart. She immediately nodded. "Okay." An imperceptible flicker of complexity crossed Xu Yinhe's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he nodded with a smile and said softly, "Go." "Mm!" With that, Ran Qingmo briskly followed the soul and child toward the deeper recesses on the other side of the manor. Watching the figures of the two people and one soul disappear around the corner of a courtyard wall, Ran Jianli suddenly let out a soft huff. "This manor of yours truly hides crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Even a Saint's remnant soul is here." Xu Yinhe glanced at him, his voice neither warm nor cold. "There is no need to probe. He is indeed the Saint from that soul ring." With the junior gone, given the current circumstances, there was no longer any need for pleasantries between those who remained. Hearing such blunt words, Ran Jianli showed a hint of surprise. "Since when did you become so straightforward?" Xu Yinhe started walking along the vast wetland lake toward the inner court, his tone calm. "I simply no longer care to beat around the bush." Ran Jianli fell into step beside him, giving an easy laugh with pointed insinuation. "It seems some things have happened to you recently. This killing intent rolling off you is something this old man could smell from leagues away." "Things have indeed happened." Xu Yinhe did not deny it, glancing sideways at the lake waters glistening under the morning sun. "Ran Jianli, in what capacity have you come to seek me today?" Ran Jianli narrowed his eyes, playing dumb. "Didn't I come to catch up with an old friend?" Xu Yinhe slowly turned his gaze back to him and continued, "As the Imperial Preceptor of Great Yan, as the Leader of the Sect Alliance, or as Ran Qingmo's master?" Meeting his gaze for a moment, Ran Jianli showed a curious glint in his eyes, but still refrained from answering directly: "Does that matter?" Xu Yinhe nodded, his hawklike gaze fixing upon the other man's clear, spirited eyes. "It matters very much. Because even if you had not come to find me today, I would most likely have sought you out." "Oh?" Ran Jianli let out an inquisitive murmur and curved his lips. "Then which of my identities did you intend to seek out?" A moment of silence fell. The lake breeze stirred their robes, while several sparrows flitted across the clear sky. Xu Yinhe enunciated each word: "The Leader of the Sect Alliance, and Sect Master of the Tianyuan Sword Sect." Ran Jianli's gaze narrowed slightly, and he murmured, "Then it seems my visit to you today can only be in the capacity of Qingmo's master..." "Ran Jianli," Xu Yinhe cut off the burly old man. "As I said, there is no need to beat around the bush, nor do you need to raise the stakes once more. What I intend to do benefits both the Prime Minister's Manor and the Tianyuan Sword Sect." Having dealt with each other for decades, Xu Yinhe knew full well just how meticulous a mind lay beneath this seemingly boisterous old man's exterior. Had he truly been as simple as he appeared, he would have been dragged down from the position of Sect Alliance Leader long ago. Ran Jianli reflected for a moment, an intrigued look gradually settling into his eyes. "You say you seek the Sect Alliance Leader and the Sword Sect Master, yet it only benefits the Sword Sect..." At this point, he shook his head slightly and lowered his voice: "So that means you intend to make a move against the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" Xu Yinhe stared at him in silence. Ran Jianli understood. No denial meant tacit admission. A multitude of considerations rapidly flashed through his mind, and Ran Jianli suddenly asked in a low voice, "Xu Yinhe, given the current situation in Di'an City, does your Chancellor's Manor truly have the leeway to deal with the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?"