Chapter 132: New Year

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Qian Qianxue arrived driving her flying saucer.

Perhaps having gained the approval of her family, Qian Ge, who had recently stepped into the Gathering Dan realm, appeared increasingly confident of late.

Upon arriving at Song Yue's home, she wasted no time in pitching in alongside Song Yue's elder sister, Song Yu, helping out busily to prepare for today's lunch.

Xiao Mei was rolling out dumpling wrappers nearby; the dumpling filling was already prepared, waiting for the wrapping to begin.

During the preparation, Song Yu suddenly noticed that the seafood in the large freezers at home was nearly depleted, so she said to Song Yue, who was reading nearby, "Do you have any more seafood? The freezers at home are almost empty."

Song Yue put down the "encyclopedia" of the cultivation world he was holding, glanced into the stone tablet space, and found that the seafood there was also running very low.

He thought for a moment and said, "Well then, you wait at home, I'll go catch some fresh ones..."

Song Yu: "..."

Qian Qianxue's eyes lit up, and she said to Song Yue, "We've eaten a bit too much shrimp and crab lately, get some other kinds!"

Song Yue smiled and said, "No problem!"

Hearing this from the side, Xiao Mei asked, "Where are you going to fish?"

"The Northern Sea."

With that, Song Yue mobilized his formidable spiritual power, shooting directly out of the house through the window. Mid-air, the flying saucer materialized, and the next moment, he entered the craft, instantly breaking through the void and departing.

The entire process was smooth and effortless in one go.

Xiao Mei chased to the window and shook her head with a hint of helplessness, "Will there be danger?"

Song Yu smiled, "Mom, you can rest easy. Back when Song Yue's realm was ordinary, those Northern Sea demon clans couldn't do anything to him. Now that he's going over there, I'm afraid the sea demons will be shaking in their boots."

The distant Northern Sea.

This season was right in the middle of the coldest time of the year.

The sea was swept by fierce winds and torrential rain, with towering, angry waves.

This was the most terrifying expanse of ocean for all fishermen; let alone venturing deep into it, no fishing boat dared to approach even its fringes.

The Northern Sea demon clan was also celebrating the New Year.

The killer whale that had once visited Hangzhou had recuperated for a long time, and its injuries were now completely healed.

As this auspicious Lunar New Year arrived, it intended to celebrate the New Year together with the various demons of the Northern Sea.

Inside a palace deep beneath the ocean, the killer whale, having transformed into human form, sat in the seat of honor. The banquet table was already laden with various feathered and furred beasts from the land.

Of course, top-tier seafood was also indispensable.

Although they themselves were sea creatures, this did not prevent them from eating seafood as well.

Killer whales were carnivorous animals by nature; virtually no vegetable dishes existed on its table.

The few vegetable dishes that were present served merely as decorative garnishes.

Even these vegetables were top-tier delicacies of the ocean, which normally would be extremely difficult for humans on land to taste.

A group of large and small sea demons, ranging across the Foundation Establishment and Meridian Access tiers, gathered together under the leadership of the killer whale, filling the palace with laughter and chatter.

At this moment, an old half-man, half-turtle demon of the Meridian Access tier suddenly spoke up, "Killer Whale King, I heard that a particularly formidable young man has recently emerged in Huaxia, and he has an old grudge with you?"

The killer whale was all smiles, but upon hearing this, its brow immediately furrowed, and it asked somewhat unhappily, "Old turtle, what do you mean by bringing this up?"

The old turtle looked at the killer whale and said, "Just received news that that person has come to the Northern Sea, driving a flying saucer, and is currently hovering over the sea fishing!"

A sudden uproar broke out in the main hall.

That ancient bone-shattering lobster, which had once suffered a heavy loss at Song Yue's hands and lost one of its large claws, said with displeasure, "Can't we talk about something cheerful on New Year's Day? He fishes if he wants to, what does that have to do with us?"

Ever since suffering that massive defeat, it had learned its lesson well, believing that human cultivators were far too insidious and cunning, capable of inflicting heavy losses on them even as a seemingly weak young martial artist. From then on, it decided it was better to honestly stay put in the Northern Sea.

Its submission, however, did not mean that other sea demons who had never crossed paths with Song Yue also submitted.

A burly man transformed from an emperor crab looked with utter disdain at the old lobster and said, "Daring to come to the Northern Sea and act presumptuously? A single claw of mine will snap him into two halves, just in time to serve as the main course for today's New Year feast!"

The other shrimp soldiers and crab generals immediately clamored in agreement.

"Right, finish off that human and use him as today's main course!"

"Too arrogant, daring to fish right under our noses? Such humans cannot be let off!"

"I support wiping him out!"

"A human meat feast!"

Sitting in the seat of honor, the killer whale remained silent, its expression appearing somewhat conflicted.

As one of the demon kings of the Northern Sea clan, first of all, its intelligence was very high, and secondly, its sources of information were far richer than those of other sea demons.

It was aware of the series of drastic changes that had recently occurred in Huaxia.

It also knew that that damned fellow Lu Shengfu had recovered his strength, transcended, and departed.

This seemed to present an excellent opportunity for revenge.

Yet the opponent actually dared to drive a flying saucer here alone to fish... Was it a bluff? Or did he truly possess backing and confidence?

At that moment, the old turtle spoke up again, "That brat has cast his bait precisely right outside our palace!"

This made the killer whale a bit unable to sit still.

This was provocation!

Naked provocation!

Who was he looking down on?

To actually dangle bait right at their palace gates? Did he take the Northern Sea demons for brainless fools?

As it was thinking this, the old turtle, who constantly maintained communication with the outside, spoke again to timely report the situation outside—

"If the Killer Whale King must know, one of your grandchildren, unable to swallow the insult, went to bite the bait on purpose, attempting to drag the opponent into the sea, and has now been fished away."

The Killer Whale King: "..."

Flying into an immediate rage, it led a swarm of shrimp soldiers and crab generals out of the palace, just in time to see a huge empty fishhook sinking down toward the sea.

On it... hung a piece of lobster meat.

The large lobster: "..."

Are you polite?

It instantly recognized that the meat hanging on the giant fishhook was precisely the meat from inside its lost claw!

At the same time, visible bloodstains remained lingering on the fishhook, slowly dissolving into the seawater.

The killer whale was thoroughly enraged.

From the aura emitted by the bloodstains, it accurately determined that it originated from the junior who had just been fished away!

It instantly manifested its true form, a unimaginably huge killer whale surging crazily upward from the depths of the ocean.

For ordinary deep-sea creatures, this action was undoubtedly courting death.

The pressure in the deep ocean was countless times greater than above, and rushing upward so rashly would cause one's body to burst from pressure nine times out of ten.

However, for powerful sea demons, this was not a problem at all.

Following the killer whale's charge, those shrimp soldiers and crab generals also roared and charged out together.

This expanse of ocean, already at the center of the storm, instantly became even livelier!

Torrential rain poured down, towering waves raged, and a large number of sea demons surged out from the deep sea, brandishing various weapons as they charged toward the flying saucer steadily hovering amidst the storm.

Song Yue sat atop the flying saucer, holding the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, which he had lengthened and thinned to serve as a fishing rod. The metal wire upon it came from the inventory of those two Yuding Sect cultivators previously, and it was quite tough, making it difficult even for beings of the Gathering Dan tier to break free once bound.

He had just caught a large killer whale, which he had already beaten to death and tossed into the space of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele.

He had never eaten an enlightenment-tier killer whale before and didn't know if it tasted good, but at least he had gained something.

Seeing a large number of sea demons charging out at this moment, Song Yue instantly became amused.

With a thought, the Yuxu Tongtian Stele in his hand directly transformed into a harpoon, fiercely thrusting toward a giant emperor crab whose claws spanned over a hundred meters.

The large emperor crab brandished its claws, attempting to snap the harpoon formed by the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, but failed to clamp onto it at all.

With a soft *puchi*, the harpoon stabbed into its unimaginably tough carapace, and this giant crab, which had already stepped into the Bone-Shattering realm, struggled frantically.

Song Yue pulled on the metal wire, dragging it close to him, beat it to death with a single punch, and casually tossed it into the stone tablet space.

Just then, a massive tail abruptly emerged from the churning, rolling sea—the portion breaking the surface was fully a thousand meters long—and slammed viciously toward the flying saucer where Song Yue was.

The enraged killer whale had made its move!

Despite being well-informed and knowing that many major events had occurred in Huaxia recently, seemingly related to his enemy's disciple, its perception still remained frozen in the past—

That tender, young martial artist had been chased away by Lu Shengfu the moment he entered their battlefield.

A newborn calf not afraid of tigers?

Your grandfather killer whale is going to eat human sashimi today!

Boom!

This strike whipped up terrifying waves, making the sky and sea seem to reverse at this moment, and the majestic force blew the other sea demons flying in all directions.

Song Yue swung the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, which he had instantly transformed into a stone staff, and brought it down heavily upon the killer whale's sprawling, all-encompassing tail.

Large patches of bloody light instantly burst forth.

The killer whale's tail was severed on the spot!

Issuing an earth-shattering scream, it fled frantically toward the depths of the ocean.

That single strike had inflicted heavy trauma upon it, allowing this Northern Sea demon king, who was already approaching the Gathering Dan tier, to instantly feel the breath of death.

Disregarding everything else, it fled wildly.

Those other sea demons that had just been blown away by the shockwave were truly miserable.

Song Yue locked his eyes onto a thousand-meter-long giant bluefin tuna demon; this thing was a top-tier delicacy among seafood!

Even ordinary bluefin tuna fetched sky-high prices on the market.

The one before him, however, was a tuna king that possessed the Bone-Shattering realm!

Without a second thought, Song Yue leaped directly into the air. Amidst the howling wind and driving rain, he swung the stone staff of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele in his hand and smashed it fiercely toward the giant fish.

Bang!

With a loud crash.

The head of this tuna king was instantly smashed to pieces by Song Yue.

Blood sprayed like a fountain, instantly dyeing large swaths of the churning seawater crimson.

The rest of the sea demons were frightened to the point of a complete mental breakdown, pissing themselves as they frantically drilled back into the deep sea.

The space of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, having opened its fourth layer of runes, had become quite vast. After throwing the tuna king inside, Song Yue discovered that not a single sea demon remained here.

They had all fled in terror!

He thought to himself that this wouldn't do.

Right now, there was only one killer whale, one emperor crab, and one tuna in the stone tablet space; the variety was far too sparse!

Subsequently, Song Yue entered the flying saucer directly and piloted it to dive into the ocean.

In the blink of an eye, he descended several thousand meters deep!

A massive palace sat squarely on the seafloor ten thousand meters down.

This was the lair of the Killer Whale King.

At this moment, a large number of sea demons were hiding inside, shivering.

Watching the opponent chase them down by driving a flying saucer, they all lost their wits.

The heavily injured Killer Whale King reluctantly transformed back into human form and, through the palace's formidable defensive magical array, roared at Song Yue, "What else do you want?"

"I don't want much, just send a portion of every kind of seafood over to me, and I'll be on my way."

Song Yue's attitude was very amiable. Remaining inside the flying saucer, he released his spiritual intent: "It's the New Year, and I don't want to resort to killing and fighting either; I've just come to ask for some seafood."

The Killer Whale King was almost so angered that it split apart.

You fucking know it's the New Year too?

We've never seen such a shameless human!

Song Yue spoke leisurely using his spiritual power, "Old killer whale, don't you think I'll forget our past grudge. Back then, my master was sealed, and my realm wasn't high either, yet you, a killer whale in the sea, actually dared to run onto land and bully people."

"And you were blind enough to cooperate with a family like the Zhang family. Today I'm merely here to ask for some seafood. If you truly anger me, I'll overturn this undersea palace of yours right now and wipe you out!"

"Do you want to gamble with me on whether I can shatter the defense of this undersea palace of yours?"

The Killer Whale King's expression was exceptionally ugly. To be honest, it didn't dare to gamble!

This young man was frighteningly demonic. How long had it been? He had leaped from a minor transparency that it couldn't even be bothered to look at twice into a terrifying powerhouse even more formidable than his master. Human cultivation methods... were simply too terrifying.

Through the defensive array, a pair of eyes shot out extremely chilling light as it said in a deep voice, "Young man, let people off where you can. You are still young, do not let your sharpness show too brightly. Hidden deep within this very ocean are peerless supreme demons that you cannot afford to provoke!"

Song Yue smiled and said, "Old whale, look at you. It's the New Year, wouldn't it be better if everyone was festive? I've only come to ask for some seafood, it's not as serious as you make it sound."

The Killer Whale King was almost so angered it cracked. Who was the one talking about shattering defenses and overturning my palace just a moment ago?

Turning around, he fucking brings up the New Year and being festive to me. Can anyone feel festive with a shameless human like you around?

Right now, it desperately wanted to disregard everything and awaken those few sleeping supreme demons deep in the ocean floor, but it also had many misgivings. Those supreme demons... were no pushovers either!

Once awakened, while they would wipe out this human, it would likewise spell a catastrophe for the entire Northern Sea demon clan!

Ordinary seafood was not eaten by those supreme demons.

Yet forcing it to swallow its anger like this was truly too stifling.

At this moment, the old sea turtle crept over and lowered its voice, counseling placatingly, "If all else fails, just casually send him some and hurry and send this plague god on his way."

The old sea turtle had also been frightened by this young human powerhouse. When on earth did the mortal realm produce such a terrifying existence?

He was simply a plague god!

It could still feel its legs trembling. Fortunately, it had stayed far enough away just now; had it gotten close and been struck by that terrifying staff in his hand, its turtle shell—no matter how sturdy—probably wouldn't have been able to withstand a few blows.

The large lobster also came over to advise, "To endure for a moment is to find calm and peace..."

Those sea demons that had clamored earlier all couldn't help stepping forward to advise the Killer Whale King.

To a certain extent, this also provided the Killer Whale King with a graceful exit.

Pondering for a moment, it finally nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, it ordered those shrimp soldiers and crab generals to send out a large quantity of seafood from the awakening and enlightenment tiers.

All sorts of fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish... including those from the old sea turtle's lineage. Those "seafood" being sent out all felt as though doom was imminent, but suppressed by the Killer Whale King's mighty aura, not a single one dared to resist.

Looking at the mountain of seafood sent out, Song Yue was very satisfied.

He had never intended to completely wipe out this Northern Sea demon clan; there was no need for that.

Whenever he wanted to eat, he could just come back and ask for some more.

If he truly exterminated them all, there really might be terrifying supreme demons slumbering deep within the ocean.

On the opponent's home turf, facing supreme demons of that tier, he didn't have absolute confidence either. Besides, since it was the New Year and there was seafood to eat, why bother with killing and fighting?

Sending the mountain-like seafood into the Tongtian Stele, Song Yue stood by the porthole of the flying saucer and waved to the Killer Whale King, whose expression was exceptionally unsightly: "Thanks! I'll come back when I finish eating these!"

Drop dead!

The Killer Whale King was about to explode.

Watching that flying saucer vanish from the deep sea, it stood there without any movement for a long time.

The old sea turtle stood beside it and asked cautiously, "Great King, shall we go back and continue celebrating the New Year..."

Slap!

The Killer Whale King lashed out with a palm, sending the old sea turtle flying.

Furious, it roared, "Celebrate my ass!"

Song Yue returned fully loaded.

Upon returning home, the various types of seafood instantly filled the freezers.

Yet for what remained inside the Tongtian Stele, this was merely a drop in the ocean.

Pulling Qian Qianxue along, he said to his sister and mother Xiao Mei, "I'm going to go deliver a round..."

Having good things meant they should always be shared.

The first place he went to was the Qian family.

Regarding their daughter running off to Song Yue's house to spend the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qian Qianxue's parents, while perhaps somewhat unhappy in their hearts, all tacitly condoned it.

Their own daughter had actually become a Gathering Dan grand expert; even now, they still found it somewhat difficult to digest this astonishing fact.

If they found it hard to accept, the rest of the family found it even harder.

No matter how shocked, stunned, and unbelievable it seemed, everyone understood that Qian Qianxue was destined to become the most outstanding and brilliant person in the entire Qian family.

It was likely that another genius like Qian Qianxue wouldn't appear again for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Geniuses naturally enjoyed privileges.

Therefore, Qian Ge now held considerable weight and influence throughout the entire family.

Even the older generation figures suddenly became exceptionally amiable toward her.

Regarding this, Qian Qianxue was still quite happy.

She had never truly felt hatred toward the members of her family; regardless of anything else, the family head had cultivated her first.

Even if they hadn't valued her deeply, they had never bullied or humiliated her.

When she was in danger previously, the family had also produced many treasures for her self-defense.

Including the Soul-Bewitching Bell that was still with Song Yue, which had helped Song Yue fight enemies at a critical moment.

So as far as Song Yue was concerned, the Qian family was not bad.

At most, some people within it were a bit snobbish. Living in this rolling mortal world, how many people were completely devoid of snobbery?

The two returned to the Qian family and received a warm reception.

Liu Qinyin had completely not expected her daughter to bring Song Yue over today; she had even thought her daughter would stay overnight at Song Yue's place...

So seeing the two appear, she wore a pleasantly surprised expression.

Actually, Liu Qinyin wasn't particularly snobbish; she merely hoped her daughter could become more outstanding.

Now that her wish had been fulfilled, her attitude naturally shifted rapidly.

Qian Ning was also at home at the moment, and seeing Song Yue together with his younger sister, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He always felt that Song Yue was too handsome and would definitely attract bees and butterflies; his younger sister was probably destined to experience heartbreak in the future.

He wasn't shooting arrows without a target either; recently, as the three young people—Song Yue, his sister, and Wen Rou—made waves throughout the capital, a large number of rumors regarding the true relationships among the three had surfaced.

Many people were even speculating that Wen Rou and Qian Qianxue were both Song Yue's girlfriends!

This left him somewhat depressed.

If things were like this now, how would things be managed in the future?

However, since his mom and dad had no objections, as an older brother, he could only keep silent.

"Why did you two come over? Quick, come inside, dinner is almost ready over here!" Liu Qinyin said warmly.

Qian Qianxue's father also wore a gentle smile on his face, his gaze toward Song Yue filled with satisfaction.

As the current head of the Qian family, his perspective on issues differed from many others. If Song Yue could truly become the Qian family's son-in-law, then even if he had other women outside, he would turn a blind eye.

Such an outstanding young man was simply too sought after!

Wanting to monopolize him—how could it be that easy?

Even though he and Liu Qinyin had a good relationship, didn't he keep several mistresses outside?

Regarding this, Liu Qinyin similarly pretended not to know, the two of them displaying a tacit understanding.

Song Yue paid New Year's greetings to Qian Qianxue's parents and then stated his purpose: "Uncle and Auntie, I just came over to drop off some things. I won't stay for dinner; my mom and sister are at home making dumplings, and since my dad and brother both can't come back, I can't leave the two of them alone at home..."

"You could all just come over together, I get along very well with President Xiao..." Liu Qinyin said with a smile.

Qian Qianxue glanced at her mother and lowered her voice, "Another day."

Liu Qinyin felt somewhat helpless. She hadn't even married out yet, and she was already this devoted to her man... this daughter had practically been raised in vain.

At this moment, Song Yue found an open space and directly retrieved a massive amount of lively, vibrant "seafood" from the stone tablet space.

Initially, Liu Qinyin, Qian Ning, and Qian Qianxue's father all remained somewhat unconcerned, merely feeling that Song Yue was quite polite to know to bring some gifts for the New Year.

However, upon seeing this "seafood," the group of people and other members of the Qian family who had rushed over upon hearing the news were all dumbfounded.

Qian Ning pointed at a shellfish over thirty meters long, his mouth twitching as he looked at Song Yue and asked, "You call this seafood?"

This fucking thing was clearly a sea demon!

Although they were all dead, they were extremely fresh, looking as though they had just been hauled up.

These members of the Qian family were also knowledgeable people, and upon seeing this seafood, their eyes bulged one by one.

"I brought some seafood for everyone to eat. Uncle and Auntie, Qian..."

Qian Qianxue glared at Song Yue.

Song Yue corrected himself in time, "Xiao Xue and I will be leaving first!"

Without waiting for anyone to urge them to stay, the two boarded the flying saucer and vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

Leaving behind a mountain-like pile of "seafood" in the courtyard, and a crowd of people left standing in disarray in the wind.

Their next stop was Wen Rou's home.

Actually, Wen Rou also wanted to run over to Song Yue's house for the New Year, but because too many people had recently been begging her to refine pills—many of them old connections whom the Wen family could not easily refuse—the little girl had been working very hard recently, spending almost the entire day holed up in the alchemy room even during the New Year.

Meeting Wen Rou's parents and dropping off a pile of seafood, the two quickly made their escape once again.

However, seeing the two arrive as a pair, Wen Rou's parents felt somewhat anxious. Their silly girl was cooped up there refining pills all day, while Song Yue had been snatched away by the Qian family girl!

Yet looking at that pile of seafood, the group of Wen family members was likewise rendered speechless by the shock.

Next were Sun Tong and the Senior Minister's home.

Seeing the seafood Song Yue brought, their reactions were surprisingly consistent: Good things! But kid, ease up a bit on bullying the Northern Sea demon clan; you have to know when to stop, as there are terrifying supreme demons hidden deep within that ocean, and you must never wake them up.

Song Yue accepted this with good grace.

He expressed that he simply wanted to eat some seafood.

Afterwards, he sent some more over to little Meng.

Xiao Qi couldn't be reached; grave-robbing families were too mysterious, and Song Yue didn't know where he lived, so that would have to wait for another time.

Finally, the two made a trip to the West to deliver some to Aunt Catherine.

Catherine was also gratified, while simultaneously instructing Song Yue that bullying the Northern Sea demon clan a little was fine, but not to bully them too harshly.

On the way back, Qian Qianxue sighed, "It seems people with broad horizons all have more or less the same mindset. Do you think there really are terrifying sea demons hidden deep within that ocean?"

Song Yue smiled, "There probably are? Who knows, maybe there are even dragons."

Qian Qianxue was speechless. She believed dragons existed, but she didn't believe they would be in the mortal realm.

By the time the two returned home, it was already noon.

Xiao Mei and Song Yu had long since prepared lunch.

With the addition of these seafood ingredients, the Song family's New Year lunch instantly became exceptionally lavish.

Happy smiles bloomed on everyone's faces.

"Happy New Year!"

Xiao Mei raised her wine glass: "Wishing the young people a happy New Year, and reaching new heights next year!"

The three young people also raised their glasses: "Wishing Mom (Auntie) a happy New Year, and becoming more and more beautiful!"

After saying this, Song Yue, Song Yu, and Qian Qianxue all paused for a moment, and then everyone burst into laughter.

Song Yu's pretty eyes fell on Qian Qianxue, and she smiled as she said, "Such great tacit understanding!"

Qian Qianxue's cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "Auntie is already unable to become any younger, so I can only wish her to become even more beautiful."

Song Yue gave Qian Ge a mental thumbs-up; disliking socializing truly wasn't due to low emotional intelligence.

A family of four—well, no mistakes, simply a family of four—enjoyed their meal immensely.

After the meal, Qian Ge stayed here for a while longer before letting Song Yue send her back.

Her family might not restrict her the way they used to, but Qian Qianxue was someone who knew her boundaries.

Arriving back at the Qian family, likely because the family was large and there were plenty of people, the banquet had not yet concluded.

Thus, Song Yue was enthusiastically roped in by the Qian family members to eat a second meal here.

The atmosphere on the Qian family's side was likewise quite pleasant, and their attitude toward Song Yue was very friendly. Qian Ning, who had long wanted to have a meal with Song Yue, finally seized the opportunity. Already tipsy, upon seeing Song Yue arrive, he pulled him directly to his side and began raising his glass frequently.

Qian Qianxue tried to stop him a little; she knew Song Yue's alcohol tolerance, and since her older brother couldn't hold his liquor to begin with, let alone the fact that he was already somewhat drunk, he stood no chance whatsoever against Song Yue.

Who would have known that her brother wouldn't appreciate it and would even tease his sister for turning her elbows outward.

Qian Ge rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

As a result, by the end of it, although Qian Ning wasn't completely knocked out, he was pretty close.

Throwing his arm around Song Yue's neck, he called him brother and even wanted to take Song Yue out for a wild night.

Unable to watch any longer, Liu Qinyin directly sent people to haul him away and put him to bed.

Song Yue's eyes remained bright throughout, maintaining absolute sobriety.

In fact, given his alcohol tolerance, under normal circumstances he would probably get drunk after drinking two banquets too, but he couldn't help the fact that his cultivation level was high now!

Without even needing to deliberately cheat, circulating the *Taiyi Body-Refining Scripture* in his body casually digested the alcohol in his blood completely.

So Song Yue drinking alcohol right now was truly no different from drinking water.

His powerful kidneys even meant he didn't even need to use the restroom, effortlessly sweeping the entire field.

By the end, almost everyone on the Qian family's side was drunk under the table; even Qian Qianxue's father couldn't help starting to channel his energy to dissolve the alcoholic haze.

He couldn't afford to lose his composure in front of Song Yue, a young junior, as that would be far too embarrassing.

The banquet lasted late into the night. Liu Qinyin, who stayed until the very end, extended a sincere invitation on behalf of the Qian family for Song Yue's mother and sister to come over as guests tomorrow.

Song Yue found it hard to refuse further, especially since they had personally paid a visit previously and courtesy demanded reciprocity, so he nodded and agreed.

Stepping out from the Qian family estate, Song Yue was just about to head home when he suddenly received a call from Xiao Qi.

He was somewhat surprised; he hadn't been able to reach this kid when he called earlier, and now he finally remembered to wish him a Happy New Year?

The call connected, and Xiao Qi's voice came through: "Brother, I'm sending you a photo, take a look and see if you recognize this person."

Song Yue was stunned for a moment—not a New Year greeting?

Before he could speak, Xiao Qi had already sent the photograph over.

The photo was slightly blurry; the background appeared to be a deep, ancient forest. A young woman covered in blood seemed to be sprinting fiercely, revealing only a young, beautiful side profile.

Song Yue was stunned on the spot.

Sister Wang?

Before he could speak, Xiao Qi continued on the other end, "I don't recognize this person, but I heard the people tracking her using you as a threat!"

"The people chasing her had monstrous, soaring demonic Qi and swaggered through the void without restraint. They seemed to be demanding that she hand something over, and then shouted loudly that if she kept running, they would go straight to Hangzhou and kill Song Yue..."

Song Yue asked in a deep voice, "When did this happen?"

Xiao Qi replied from the other end, "Just this evening. The person who took the photo was an elder in my family. At the time, he wasn't trying to take a picture of her, but was surveying the terrain, suspecting there was an ancient tomb in that location..."

"Get to the point." Song Yue interrupted Xiao Qi's habitual rambling with a stern expression.

"Uh, the location is in the Southern Frontier. My family's elder was just about to delete that photo when he heard the shouts from the pursuers behind. Knowing that you and I are friends, he forwarded the photo to me, but I was drinking at the time and didn't notice it. I only just saw it now..."

"I know." Song Yue didn't waste any more words and hung up the phone directly.

He casually sent a message to his sister, piloted the flying saucer, turned into a streak of light, and vanished into thin air in an instant, flying toward the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Frontier.

That territory was vast, and so much time had passed; Song Yue wasn't sure if he could find Sister Wang.

Yet hearing this news, he couldn't remain indifferent.

Especially since the group chasing her actually used him as a threat.

Song Yue was deeply afraid that Sister Wang might fall for the trap.

Therefore, no matter what, he had to make the trip.

...

Deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Frontier, Sister Wang had already been chased to the point of exhaustion.

Her body also bore severe injuries; bloodstains covered her clothes everywhere, some already dried and congealed, while others remained fresh.

Her flowing hair had been thoroughly soaked by sweat, clinging in strands to her forehead and cheeks.

At this moment, she was hiding behind a large waterfall, the splashing water soaking her entire body and effectively masking the scent of blood on her.

Outside, a group of people with varying appearances were angrily searching everywhere.

Among this group was an octogenarian hunchbacked old man. Though he looked decrepit, his movements were extremely swift, and his eyes occasionally swept the surroundings, shooting out sharp, piercing glares that made others reluctant to meet his gaze.

There was also a child who looked only four or five years old, and very pretty!

He wore nothing more than a red bellyband, exposing a tender, fair little backside, with his hair tied into a topknot. His clear, black-and-white eyes