With Lan Youruo's Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivation, if she truly joined Twin Islands, she would hold the position of Third Island Lord — below only the husband and wife pair. Naturally, they had every reason to greet her in person.
Before Hua Yong and Shu Mudan could set out, the messenger added, "There is one more thing to report, Island Lords. Lady Lan appears to be wounded. Moreover, from what I observed earlier, there are quite a few pursuers behind her!"
"Pursuers? What pursuers?" Hua Yong's brow furrowed. With Lan Youruo's Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivation, who in the Shadowless Gale could possibly wound her — let alone dare give chase? He had a nagging suspicion that there was more to her rushing to seek refuge than met the eye.
The messenger said, "You two Island Lords have been in seclusion these past few years and may not be well informed about outside affairs. I'm afraid you don't know that Lady Lan has gotten into a conflict with Xuan Yang Mountain's Second Mountain Lord."
As he spoke, Shu Mudan suddenly waved her slender hand, drawing upon the surrounding water energy to condense a water mirror before them. The mirror reflected a scene of the waters outside Twin Islands.
Through the water mirror, they could clearly see Lan Youruo standing beyond the barrier with three companions in tow — one of them unconscious, slumped over another's back.
Shifting her gaze further into the distance, Shu Mudan's expression changed slightly. "The three great Mountain Lords of Xuan Yang Mountain!"
Hua Yong's face grew solemn as well, staring through the water mirror at Yun Feibai and the others bearing down with murderous intent. Xuan Yang Mountain's four Sixth Grade Mountain Lords — and this time three of them had mobilized directly, bringing a sizable force no less. It spoke volumes about Xuan Yang Mountain's determination to settle this matter.
"Just what kind of grudge does this Lady Lan have with Xuan Yang Mountain's Second Mountain Lord?" Hua Yong asked in puzzlement.
Ever since his wife had fallen pregnant, he had spent these past months at Twin Islands by her side, paying little attention to outside affairs. Before Lan Youruo's last visit, he hadn't even known that a new Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivator had appeared in the Shadowless Gale.
Seeing this situation now, he naturally couldn't quite piece it together.
The messenger replied, "The exact details aren't entirely clear to me either, but Xuan Yang Mountain has always been overbearing in its conduct. The Second Mountain Lord, Yun Feibai, is notorious for his lechery. When Lady Lan first entered the Shadowless Gale, she wouldn't have understood the local power dynamics. It's quite possible some incident sparked the conflict."
Hua Yong gave a slight nod, his expression turning somewhat dark. "So that's why Lan Youruo agreed so readily to join our Twin Islands — she had no other choice and wanted to use our Twin Islands as a shield. Hmph, she certainly played that card well."
Shu Mudan's brows knitted slightly. "What do you mean, Husband?"
Hua Yong said, "If she had agreed to join us during her last visit, I would have welcomed her with open arms. But this time she clearly harbors the intention of exploiting us. I can't just let that slide, can I? If I take her in, wouldn't that mean picking a quarrel with Xuan Yang Mountain?"
Shu Mudan said worriedly, "But if we don't let her in, she'll be no match for Yun Feibai and the others on her own."
"That would be her problem." Hua Yong slowly shook his head, then turned to glance at his wife. "What do you think, dear?"
Shu Mudan mulled it over for a moment. "If we could get Lady Lan to join Twin Islands, our strength would certainly increase significantly. We'd also have the leverage to stand up to Xuan Yang Mountain and the Peerless Society. Though the three great powers in the Shadowless Gale have kept a mutual peace, Twin Islands has always been at a disadvantage. Even the territories we control outside are far fewer than the other two powers."
"You want to take her in?" Hua Yong asked.
Shu Mudan shook her head with a bitter smile. "I don't know what the right move is. You decide, Husband."
Hua Yong looked down at his wife's rounded belly, and his gaze quickly hardened. "We won't get involved with her."
Taking in Lan Youruo would certainly bolster Twin Islands' strength, but with Yun Feibai and his men charging over in such a fury, they wouldn't simply back down. A fight would be inevitable — and in his wife's current condition, how could she engage in combat? What if something went wrong and the pregnancy was compromised? After all these years, the couple had finally been blessed with a child of their own. They treasured this child above all else.
Shu Mudan let out a soft sigh. As a fellow woman, she naturally sympathized with what Lan Youruo was going through right now, but she had no choice but to consider the child in her womb. It was a truly helpless position.
---
Beyond the barrier of Twin Islands, the Landlady's heart sank lower and lower.
The Twin Islands' two Island Lords had yet to show themselves, and there was no sign of the barrier being opened. The message was plain enough — they weren't willing to invite trouble to their doorstep.
She couldn't really blame or resent them for it. Though she had indeed harbored thoughts of joining Twin Islands before, arriving at this particular moment was admittedly ill-timed.
She had been driven to this choice by sheer desperation — otherwise, why would she have brought her troubles to someone else's door?
With the pursuers closing in behind and no more time to waste, the Landlady made a decisive call. "Go!"
Catalyzing her power, she wrapped the Chef and the others in her aura, preparing to surge off in another direction.
"Nowhere to run!" a thunderous shout rang out. A figure flashed into view from the side — none other than Xuan Yang Mountain's Third Mountain Lord, Geng Qing. The man had at some point crept around to the opposite flank, neatly cutting off the Landlady and her group's escape route.
A divine ability struck. The Landlady scrambled to respond, and with no other option, was forced back to where she had been standing.