Unsheathed

All of the other horseback figures quickly swiveled around to gather before Chen Ping'an and the woman.

"What's going on, Jingcheng? Did I do something wrong, Uncle Sui?" Cao Fu asked with a dumbstruck expression.

Sui Xinyu was furious, but he fought to maintain his composure as he smiled and said, "Ever since she was a child, Jingcheng has always liked to stay at home and keep to herself, so perhaps she's a little shaken by the events that transpired earlier."

"I see. It makes sense that Jingcheng would feel a little frightened after what happened just now," Cao Fu replied with a smile and a nod.

Sui Wenfa was very surprised to see this, thinking to himself, Auntie may not go out much, but she's never like this. Whenever something happens back home, she's always the most calm and collected, even when Mother and Father are unable to keep their composure. I heard from Father that Auntie is often the one to provide effective solutions when it comes to problems that he encounters in the officialdom, and she's always really calm and patient about it.

"Can you glean his cultivation base?" Cao Fu asked through his mind's lake.

Xiao Shuye hesitated momentarily, then replied in kind, "No, but he's not to be underestimated, and it's best that we don't make an enemy out of him. Right now, there's a great deal of turmoil all over the Great Seal Script Empire.

“Just as we've left our sect, who knows which other formidable figures may be out and about? For example, if he's an official immortal of the Golden Scale Palace, then our actions could pit your mistress in direct conflict against the Golden Scale Palace."

"Alright, I'll try and settle this amicably unless he wants to take Sui Jingcheng for himself," Cao Fu said.

"That would be best," Xiao Shuye replied with a nod. "From the looks of it, he doesn't seem to be someone who likes to meddle in the affairs of others. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left the pergola on his own earlier."

"What I'm worried about is that he's putting on an act, and that he could've been targeting us all along," Cao Fu said with a wry smile.

"If that's the case, then we'll just have to fight him," Xiao Shuye said with a smile. "Sui Jingcheng is someone that your master is determined to get his hands on. She bears an immense fated opportunity, and she must be captured. In the pursuit of the Great Dao, a fated opportunity will only come around once, and if you miss it, then it will be forever gone. Ultimately, your mistress is doing this for your sake.