The Great Elder remained calm, as if Liu Zixuan’s agreement was already within his expectations.

Indeed, anyone whose soft spot is seized would have no choice but to agree.

With a smile toward Liu Zixuan, he said, "No matter who you take, we will take good care of the remaining one. When you return, we will deliver them to you in perfect condition."

Liu Zixuan asked solemnly, "Can you tell me now what you want me to do?"

"No rush. That task may be difficult for others, but it will be particularly easy for you. After you participate in the martial arts tournament, we will send someone to connect with you and give you the details."

With that, the Great Elder gestured with a hand, "Come on, I’ll take you to see those two girls first."

The two of them walked directly out of the pavilion, and the Great Elder led him through twists and turns until they stopped in front of a civilian house.

Two men standing at the front rose to greet the Great Elder with a bow.

Liu Zixuan inadvertently looked up, his eyes slightly surprised. These two men were at the peak of the Imperial Realm, which meant they were on par with my beautiful master’s realm. It seems that the Medical Immortal Sect has quite a number of experts.

It was fortunate that I hadn’t acted rashly just now, otherwise... the outcome would have been unpredictable.

"They are inside, and everything is normal except they can’t leave the yard." The Great Elder remained at the door without any inclination to enter.

"Aren’t you worried I might just take them and dash out?" Liu Zixuan asked meaningfully.

"Once you see them, you’ll abandon such thoughts," the Great Elder replied with a mysterious smile, then stood aside.

Liu Zixuan’s eyes moved, and he pushed open the door and walked right in.

The courtyard contained very few things, yet each item was meticulously arranged, resembling an authentic rural farmhouse.

After passing through the courtyard, Liu Zixuan reached the door and knocked lightly.

"I told you you’re annoying..." Ye Lianyi opened the door with an impatient look, but upon seeing the person in front of her, she was shocked and immediately exclaimed, "Liu Zixuan! Why are you here?"

"How could I not come when something happened to you two?"

Liu Zixuan grinned and walked straight in; at that moment, the beautiful master also walked in from the inner room.

There were three rooms in total; upon entering was a living room, with two bedrooms to the left and right, making it feel quite cozy. It seemed to be their everyday living space.

The beautiful master looked at Liu Zixuan for a while and sighed slightly, "You came after all."

"I did, though it’s a little different from what I expected." Liu Zixuan smiled as he walked into the beautiful master’s bedroom and sat down on the soft bed.

"Originally, Ripple and I planned for you to come and have fun after the New Year, but we hadn’t expected that as soon as we returned to the sect, our phones would be confiscated, and we’d be kept here. We had no means of communication to inform you of this."

The beautiful master shook her head, "Let’s not talk about this. What exactly do they want you to do?"

Seeing the expressions of the beautiful master and Ye Lianyi, Liu Zixuan understood that it seemed they were only being detained temporarily, as the Medical Immortal Sect hadn’t informed them of what was happening.

Then Liu Zixuan briefly explained the situation.

"You agreed?" Ye Lianyi asked in surprise.

"I didn’t want to agree either. Although you’re very pretty, you’re not my woman, so why should I go to such great lengths? But, thinking about it, my dear master is here, so for her sake, I had to agree!"

Liu Zixuan joked with a smile.

The beautiful master gave Liu Zixuan a light shove, "Enough, you’re still in the mood for jokes now!"

However, upon hearing Liu Zixuan’s words, Ye Lianyi paused slightly and then strode back into her bedroom.

Liu Zixuan scratched his head, "I was just teasing. You’re not seriously mad at me, are you?"

As he was about to get up and explain, the beautiful master stopped him.

"She’s not angry because of you."

"Then what is it?" Liu Zixuan asked.

"She feels disappointed."

The beautiful master shrugged lightly, "Do you remember what I told you when we parted with Qian Nan?"

Liu Zixuan furrowed his brows, trying to recall, and then suddenly remembered: "You told me that Ye Lianyi intended to do something significant at the martial arts tournament."

"Exactly, and it involves her lineage and the secret of how she used the Youthful Appearance Technique to disguise herself."

"But what does that have to do with what I just said?" Liu Zixuan was still puzzled.

The beautiful master poked Liu Zixuan’s forehead with her finger, "I thought you were usually smart, but why do you become so dull when you meet a girl!"

"I..."

"You just mentioned that with the Ghost Gate Needle left behind, you can only take one person. I am your master while she is just a friend. In this situation, she naturally believes you will take me away and leave her here."

Listening to the beautiful master’s words, Liu Zixuan suddenly found himself in a difficult situation.

His intention in coming to see the beautiful master and Ye Lianyi was actually to discuss who to take away first.

To be honest, the scales in Liu Zixuan’s mind indeed tipped a bit towards the beautiful master, partly because of their relationship, and also because on the journey, there will surely be many unknowns. The beautiful master, being from the Medical Immortal Sect, surely knows more than Ye Lianyi, and can provide Liu Zixuan with much more assistance.

Moreover, until the task is accomplished, Liu Zixuan is confident that the Medical Immortal Sect wouldn’t dare do anything to Ye Lianyi, so he feels assured leaving her behind.

But after listening to the beautiful master’s explanation, everything seemed different once again.

"Zixuan..."

"Hmm?"

The beautiful master leaned gently against Liu Zixuan’s shoulder, her arm wrapping around his waist, speaking softly, "When did you first come with me to Spirit Extinct Mountain?"

A look of confusion crossed Liu Zixuan’s eyes, "About seven or eight years ago, I think?"

"Yes, it’s been seven or eight years since we met, doesn’t it seem so quickly?"

The beautiful master suddenly raised her head, "So, you should know me well by now, right?"

Hearing this, Liu Zixuan was taken aback, and then he replied, "Have you decided?"

"I made this decision because I believe you will come back for me, and because I feel that I shouldn’t be selfish. Ripple should be the one to accomplish what she’s been striving for. She has endured far more than we could ever imagine since childhood, so for the martial arts tournament, take her. I’ll stay here."

The beautiful master’s gaze was firm.

Liu Zixuan fell silent, neither agreeing nor refusing but instead embraced the beautiful master in his arms. After a long while, as if the words came directly from his throat, he said, "If you suffer even the slightest grievance within the Medical Immortal Sect, I’ll flatten the entire sect and make them regret dearly!"