Bing Yun's eyelids narrowed. "Is her Life Lantern still burning?"
An Ruoyun replied, "It is. Third Junior Sister is still alive, though we don't know where she is."
"That's good." Bing Yun let out a breath of relief.
An Ruoyun continued, "Fifth Junior Sister... failed her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm and perished."
Hearing this, Bing Yun's delicate frame trembled slightly, but she quickly composed herself. She sighed, "Such is fate. Little Five was always too impetuous. I always knew her path wouldn't be smooth."
An Ruoyun's eyes reddened. "It's because I, as her Senior Sister, failed to take proper care of her."
Bing Yun shook her head. "It has nothing to do with you. What about Little Nine? Is she... alive or dead?"
An Ruoyun answered, "Ninth Junior Sister has been in closed-door cultivation in the valley for ten years now. She says she won't come out until she successfully breaks through to the Emperor Realm."
"Very good." Bing Yun smiled faintly. In the three thousand years she had been away, of the nine disciples she had taken, seven had already advanced to the Emperor Realm. An Ruoyun and Sun Yunxiu had even lived up to her expectations, reaching the second level of the Emperor Realm. One had perished during the Heavenly Tribulation, and only the youngest, Little Nine, remained in closed-door cultivation.
She could accept such a result. For a master to have achieved this level of success was truly unparalleled in the Star Boundary. Who else could claim so many disciples who had reached the Emperor Realm? She honestly couldn't tell whether it was her teaching or the nurturing environment of Ice Heart Valley that deserved the credit.
"Bing Yun, save the pleasantries for another time." From across the way, Feng Xuan's voice rang out, his tone dripping with impatience.
Bing Yun let out a cold snort and turned to look at him. "In the three thousand years I've been away, Sect Master Feng has certainly shown my Ice Heart Valley great care."
Her tone was laced with heavy sarcasm, clearly expressing her fury that the Wenqing Sect had taken advantage of her absence to bully her sect and force them to marry off their most talented disciple.
Feng Xuan said mildly, "Our two sects are both among the Northern Region's finest. A union between the strong is only natural! I see nothing wrong with it. Why can't you accept that, Bing Yun?"
"Is it me who can't accept it, or is it that Sect Master Feng has gone too far?" Bing Yun snapped. "You're supposed to be one of the elder generation, yet you bully a few young girls by flaunting your seniority. Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?"
Feng Xuan frowned. "Bing Yun, you still have that sharp tongue of yours. I won't waste my time arguing with you! I've come here today for two purposes. First, to see my son and Miss Zi Yu happily married. Second, to reclaim the Azure Blood Qilin! Bing Yun, if you still care about our past relationship, then please see fit to accommodate me!"
Bing Yun smiled coldly and raised a slender, jade-like finger. She said in a deep voice, "Then let me make things clear to you. First, Zi Yu is a disciple of my Ice Heart Valley and will absolutely not marry your worthless son. You'd better give up on that idea. Second, the Azure Blood Qilin is none of my concern. If you have the ability, come and take it yourself. If you don't, then get out of Ice Wheel City before you lose face in front of all the heroes of the Northern Region. It'll be hard to show your face in public afterward!"
Bing Yun's forceful stance caught Feng Xuan off guard.
Over on the other side, Hu Yuan and the rest were utterly shocked, vaguely sensing an incredibly oppressive aura descending upon them, pressing down like a mountain.
These two powerhouses looked ready to erupt into a full-blown battle at the slightest provocation. If they actually started fighting, Ice Wheel City would surely be destroyed, and whether they could escape unscathed was anyone's guess. They were already considering whether they should leave immediately, lest they become collateral damage.
Feng Xuan was silent for a long while before he broke into a grin and sneered, "Could this brat be your illegitimate son? To think you'd protect him so fiercely!"
The moment those words left his lips, An Ruoyun and the others all changed color. For someone of Feng Xuan's status and standing to publicly slander Bing Yun's reputation in front of so many people—his intentions were nothing short of malicious.
In an instant, all the women of Ice Heart Valley were brimming with fury, their teeth clenched, glaring at Feng Xuan as though they wanted to rush up and tear him apart.
To everyone's surprise, Bing Yun showed not the slightest hint of anger upon hearing this. Instead, she cast a meaningful glance at Yang Kai and said calmly, "If I had such a son, I would have no regrets in this life."
Feng Xuan was dumbfounded.
An Ruoyun and the others also gaped in astonishment at their master.
Each of them was silently screaming in their hearts—what did that mean? Was she tacitly admitting it, or what? Could this young man actually be Bing Yun's illegitimate son? Otherwise, why would she not only show no anger at all, but actually say something like that?
In that moment, everyone's gaze toward Yang Kai shifted subtly, as though they were looking at someone who had been branded with the mark of Ice Heart Valley.
Yang Kai couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and said to Bing Yun with a bitter expression, "Senior, when you say things like that, it's bound to cause misunderstandings."
Bing Yun pursed her lips and smiled. "I was just saying. Don't take it to heart."
She had no intention of taking advantage of Yang Kai. She simply knew that Feng Xuan was deliberately trying to disgust her in order to disrupt her state of mind, which was why she had responded so nonchalantly.
"It seems this brat really does have deep ties to you!" Feng Xuan immediately realized that Yang Kai's relationship with Bing Yun was anything but ordinary. Otherwise, Bing Yun would never have disregarded her own reputation and said something like that.