“Honored Sir, what would you like to discuss with me?” The emperor had a very respectful attitude towards this person.

The middle-aged man addressed ‘Honored Sir’ leisurely drank a cup of tea before speaking unhurriedly as though this matter wasn’t that important. It was as if this matter was as simple as drinking a cup of tea.

“The reason we didn’t send a request to visit is because of the severity of the matter. Qingfeng is already of age now and it is about time to honor the agreement set by our Patriarch.”

The emperor was startled for a moment before nodding silently, “What Honored Sir said is reasonable. Since this matter has been set a long time ago, it should be fulfilled.”

The middle-aged man laughed in response, “Haha, I knew Your Majesty wouldn’t go back on your words. However, we shouldn’t mention this to Qingfeng in case he becomes disgusted. If that were to happen, things would go south really quickly.”

“Of course, of course. Everything shall be arranged by Honored Sir.” The emperor’s attitude towards the middle-aged man was truly respectable. It was hard to relate the current emperor with that authoritative person in the imperial court that wielded absolute power.

At this moment. Pei Qingfeng led Ling Xian’er and a group of disciples to the imperial garden.

“Everyone can relax. Even though there are no exotic plants, every single flower here is nurtured and grown by imperial gardeners. These flowers might be mediocre and ordinary, but they are pretty in their own right. Everyone may enjoy the view. Don’t worry about messing up the place.” Pei Qingfeng felt that as a host, he should take care of them as best as he could and allowed everyone to enjoy the hospitality.

When everyone heard Pei Qingfeng, they weren’t overly constrained and grouped up with their closest friends to tour around the imperial garden.

As for Ling Xian’er, she didn’t behave as lively as usual. She didn’t go about messing around with others as she followed beside Pei Qingfeng. She tugged on the corners of her clothes and lowered her head as she thought of something.

Pei Qingfeng obviously detected something wrong with Ling Xian’er and he asked, “Xian’er, what is wrong with you? You were in such high spirits earlier, but why aren’t you happy after seeing me? Why don’t you go and play with them? Look, they are playing in the pavilion by the lake.”

Ling Xian’er forced out a smile before explaining herself to Pei Qingfeng,, “Hehe, Big Brother Qingfeng, it has been a long time since Xian’er met you. I really miss you! Can’t I spend more time with my Big Brother Qingfeng?”

Pei Qingfeng wasn’t happy after hearing her reply and he rolled his eyes at her, “Stop it. Don’t think that I’m stupid. Speak your mind. If you bottle up your feelings, you will be hurt. If that happens, someone will come and settle the scores with me.”

Ling Xian’er didn’t feel like hiding her emotions after Pei Qingfeng persuaded her. She went straight to the point and asked, “Big Brother Qingfeng, do you know why Honored Sir is here?”

Pei Qingfeng was startled as he didn’t expect this lass to be vexed because of this matter. Pei Qingfeng might have already guessed the objective of this visit but he didn’t wish for the young lass to bear this weight on her shoulders. He immediately laughed and said, “Isn’t he here to see me? Aren’t you here to see me as well? Why are you acting so sad?”

“No, Big Brother Qingfeng! Honored Sir is here for the agreement back then!” Ling Xian’er knew that Pei Qingfeng didn’t wish to speak of this matter. However, she knew that if she continued to hide their true objective, she would be the one suffering for it. She disregarded everything and screamed her heart out.

Pei Qingfeng responded with an expression that was hard to discern whether he was angry or happy. After a long moment, he let out a long sigh, “Sigh, you are still young. Go and play with your friends! You should also be cultivating diligently. Why are you interfering with such matters?”

Ling Xian’er acted as though she didn’t hear Pei Qingfeng’s reply and started to argue, “Big Brother Qingfeng, have you never thought of fighting or resisting?! I rarely get to see you normally! At this critical juncture, I have your best interest in mind! Right now, you are the only one suffering. In the future, there will be much more casualties! Xian’er doesn’t want this to happen!”

Xian’er was about to burst into tears as her face was flushed red.

Pei Qingfeng saw how emotional Ling Xian’er was and felt rather heartbroken. He took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears before rubbing her head, “Xian’er, your Big Brother Qingfeng doesn’t want that to happen as well. However, I do not have the strength to resist. Furthermore...” Pei Qingfeng’s gaze dropped as the image of a certain someone flashed through his mind. “Furthermore, your Big Brother Qingfeng has someone he wishes to protect now. I cannot expose her to danger, do you understand? You are thinking too much. The Sect Patriarch dotes on you the most. How can he allow you to suffer the same fate?”

He messed up Ling Xian’er hair which caused her to complain, “Big Brother Qingfeng, Xian’er styled my hair specially for you! Look at what you have done to my hair.”

She took out a small mirror and looked at her reflection. She tried her best to tidy up her hair but when she realized that she wasn’t able to fix it, she punched Pei Qingfeng in the chest. She grumbled, “Look! My hair is in a mess now! It looks like a bird’s nest!”

Pei Qingfeng laughed helplessly and felt that Ling Xian’er was still a child that had yet to grow up. Earlier on, she was still weeping endlessly, right now, the dark clouds were gone and she had the strength to hit him.

While Pei Qingfeng was still smiling, he didn’t notice that the look in Ling Xian’er’s eyes had changed.

Ling Xian’er withdrew her coquettish expression and squinted her eyes. There was a mischievous smile on her face as she started to question Pei Qingfeng, “Big Brother Qingfeng, I heard someone saying something about protecting someone else… Who is it? Why don’t you tell me?”

Pei Qingfeng silently cursed. Earlier on, he was trying to console this lass and accidentally leaked some information. Now this lass held on to his weakness.

It was impossible for Pei Qingfeng to admit it as he quickly denied, “What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about protecting anyone.”