Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Wen Yutang and Shen Wei stepped out of the Qingxuan Temple gate. The outside of the temple was still noisy, with a constant stream of worshippers, which contrasted sharply with the tranquility inside the temple.

The two walked side by side on the cobblestone path, neither of them speaking.

It wasn't until the two of them descended the mountain and returned to the street that Wen Yutang sighed softly, her tone tinged with disappointment, and spoke first.

"Sigh, it wasn't that easy to persuade Master Chengxuan."

"Um."

Shen Wei gave a perfunctory reply, his mind currently preoccupied with Cheng Xuan's earlier question: "Benefactor, have we met before?"

These words from him made him think, but they had never met before. He couldn't possibly say that Chengxuan had remembered him from just one glance from afar.

"Hey, hey, are you even listening to me...?"

Wen Yutang waved her small hand in front of him, and Shen Weicai snapped out of his thoughts. Wen Yutang's face was puffed up with anger, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was extremely dissatisfied that he hadn't listened to her.

Seeing her like this, Shen Wei immediately showed a hint of apology: "I was thinking about what Master Chengxuan said just now, and I didn't quite hear what you were saying. Please continue."

Seeing that Shen Wei didn't seem to be doing it on purpose, she, who wasn't that angry to begin with, immediately calmed down.

"It's nothing really... My father is coming back from the capital soon, and I hope he can bring good news."

Shen Wei was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "What...uh, what did your father do in the capital?"

Wen Yutang couldn't help but smile and waved her hand: "No need to be so polite. His trip to the capital was to ask for help for our Qingyun City."

Her father?

Shen Wei had heard rumors that he had stayed in Qingyun City for a short time after being entangled with Ji Lingyuan. Many of the missions seemed to have been issued by his father, but at that time his cultivation level was too low to meet him.

No wonder that in recent days, such a large family as the Wen family has only relied on Wen Jingxing to support the uprising. It turns out that the patriarch of the Wen family went to the capital to seek help.

As the largest clan in Qingyun City, the Wen family has deep roots and is closely tied to the rise and fall of Qingyun City.

Now that the Fuyou Sect is in an ambiguous position and unwilling to lend a hand, the only force they can rely on, besides themselves, is the imperial court.

"When he comes back, I will introduce you to him," Wen Yutang said earnestly, looking at him.

The sun was now high in the sky, its rays shining brightly on Qingyun City.

Just as the two finished speaking, a series of rapid and heavy hoofbeats suddenly came from the direction of Tongxuan Gate in the north of the city. The sound was powerful and resounding, and instantly drowned out the noise of the streets and alleys.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of fine horses galloped towards them, their heads held high. The guards on horseback were dressed in black, with long swords at their waists. Their expressions were solemn, their postures upright like pine trees, and they exuded a chilling and murderous aura.

Behind the guard followed a richly decorated ebony palanquin.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding people stepped aside to make way for him, their expressions showing not fear, but respect.

In Qingyun City, no one else but Wen Xuantong of the Wen family could pull off such a grand display.

However, upon seeing this scene, Wen Yutang's eyes lit up instantly. She quickly grabbed Shen Wei's sleeve and hurried towards the group.

Shen Wei looked up and saw that Wen Xuantong was not sitting in the sedan chair, but instead riding a jet-black horse at the front of the procession. He was dressed in a dark brocade robe, with a tall and upright posture and a resolute face.

Wen Xuantong had sharp eyes and quickly spotted the two people in the crowd. When he saw Wen Yutang, his expression softened slightly, and he raised his hand to signal the group to stop.

He straddled the horse, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, and when it landed on Shen Wei, he looked at him with some confusion, "It's Yu Tang."

"Father, you're back."

Wen Yutang didn't rush to ask if there was any good news; it wasn't appropriate to discuss such things in front of everyone.

Wen Xuantong understood, and gave her a subtle look, indicating that they should discuss the matter again when they got back.

Wen Yutang understood immediately and nodded. Then she turned to Shen Wei and said softly, "My father doesn't know your identity yet. I'll introduce you to him properly when we get back."

Then, as if remembering something, a hint of apology appeared on her face: "My father just returned today, and I need to go back to the manor to welcome him back, so please excuse me for not being able to accompany you."

Shen Wei nodded. "It's alright."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Yutang glanced at him with some reluctance, then turned around and quickly followed the group. She walked to Wen Xuantong's side and whispered something to him.

Shen Wei stood on one side of the street, quietly watching the procession move forward slowly.

The horse's hooves clattered steadily across the cobblestone path. Just as the ebony sedan chair slowly passed in front of him, the curtain was gently pulled open for a fleeting moment. In that single glance, Shen Wei clearly saw the figure inside the sedan chair.

She was a woman with a beautiful and ethereal profile. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes were like autumn waters rippling across the surface. There was a hint of aloofness between her brows and eyes, and her temperament was extremely extraordinary. She could be described as stunningly beautiful.

But that glance lasted only a moment. The woman's eyes met Shen Wei's, and she quickly raised her hand to pull the sedan curtain tightly shut.

Perhaps this is the helping hand Wen Yutang was talking about?

This woman might be the helper that Wen Yutang's father brought from the capital, as he mentioned.

It's highly likely. Just from that one glance, his extraordinary temperament suggests he's no ordinary person.

After the procession had completely disappeared into the distance and at the end of the street, Shen Wei did not rush back to Wangyue Pavilion.

For some reason, he felt uneasy, as if a gaze was following him closely, like a shadow. But when he focused his mind and released his divine sense to carefully search his surroundings, he could not find any trace of it.

He hesitated for a moment, then deliberately turned and walked into a secluded alley. The alley was lined with high walls on both sides and rarely frequented by pedestrians.

He stopped in the middle of the alley, slowly turned around, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Since you've been following me all this time, if there's anything you need to do, you can simply come out openly. Why hide and cause unnecessary trouble?"

But after a while, no one paid any attention to him. Only a few passersby looked at him with surprised eyes.

Shen Wei remained silent for a moment, his brows furrowing even more, before slowly walking out of the alley.

As he stepped out of the alley, he was filled with doubts and thought to himself, "Isn't that how it's always written in novels? As long as the protagonist discovers someone is following him, he says something mysterious, and that person will automatically come out and confess."

Could it really be just my imagination?

He rubbed his throbbing head, suppressed his doubts, and hurriedly left the place.

Deep within the alley, in the shadows, lurked a slender figure—it was Leng Yue.

She was wearing a black mask, revealing only her eyes. A thin layer of sweat was already beading on her cheeks beneath the mask.

The moment Shen Wei spoke, her heart tightened. She really thought she had been discovered and almost instinctively walked out.

But she calmed herself down and thought quickly. They had clearly met once before. If Shen Wei really recognized her or was sure that she was the one following him, he would never speak in such a probing tone.

Thinking about it this way, he probably only had some doubts, and had not really confirmed it.

Only after Shen Wei's figure had disappeared into the distance did she leap out of the shadows, thinking to herself:

Now that Shen Wei has become suspicious, if we continue to follow him, he might really find out. It would be better to go back first, report all the information we have gathered over the past few days, and then make a plan.