Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

The agenda of the Five Cities Talks finally came to an end with Pei Linhai's decisive words.

The city lords stood up one after another, preparing to leave the hall and go back to rest.

At that moment, Pei Qianling, who was standing behind Pei Linhai, seemed to be unable to hold back any longer.

She grabbed her father's sleeve and tugged at it hard, urging him in a low voice, "Dad, have you finished talking about important matters? Hurry up and go teach that brat a lesson!"

Pei Linhai swayed slightly as his daughter pulled him along. He glanced at her with a wry smile, then sighed helplessly, "Ling'er, don't worry, I'll have someone go and find that boy's whereabouts right away."

"What are you investigating?!" Pei Qianling stamped her feet in frustration. "By the time you find out, they'll have vanished without a trace! Father, are you going or not? If you're not going, I'll take people myself!"

"Nonsense!" Pei Linhai glared at her feigned anger, but his tone lacked any real threat.

The city lords, who were about to get up and leave, stopped in their tracks upon seeing this scene.

Yuan Wangshu, the city lord of Shuangyue City, stroked his long beard and chuckled softly, "City Lord Pei really... cherishes his daughter dearly."

Teng Qingya shook his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Don't you think this is a good thing? If it weren't for this young lady diverting most of his attention, I'm afraid our four cities wouldn't be living as well as we are now."

Yuan Wangshu, the city lord of Shuangyue City, glanced at Teng Qingya beside him, then nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

Although what the other party said was blunt, the reasoning behind it was absolutely true.

Pei Linhai is a man of exceptional skill and cunning, capable of holding the position of Lord of Longyuan City. Over the years, under his rule, Longyuan City has grown increasingly powerful, surpassing the other four cities.

If he truly focused all his energy on expanding his power, the other four cities would likely be in a much more difficult situation.

Unfortunately, this Miss Pei was Pei Linhai's apple of his eye since childhood, cherished and pampered. For this daughter, Pei Linhai neglected countless important matters and turned down numerous opportunities for expansion.

However, the other four city lords saw this as an incredibly good thing.

Pei Qianling, this spoiled and willful young lady, is the best rein for Longyuan City. With her around, Pei Linhai, this fierce tiger, will not have the energy to pounce on the other four cities for the time being.

Pei Linhai, unable to resist his daughter's persistent pestering, could only bow to the city lords and say apologetically, "Please forgive my daughter's unruly behavior; she has made you all laugh."

Teng Qingya laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Lord Pei, what are you saying? Miss Pei is straightforward and frank; that's a rare and genuine quality!"

Yuan Wangshu nodded with a smile and echoed his sentiments.

Pei Linhai could naturally tell the politeness in these words, but he couldn't care less about that right now. He sighed and prepared to order someone to find out the whereabouts of the boy who had bullied his daughter in the market.

Just then, the Grand Master of the Hall also came out from inside.

As soon as he stepped out of the hall, his gaze paused slightly, and his steps stopped.

Outside the main hall, a tall, slender figure stood quietly.

The person who arrived was Xia Jin.

He had clearly been waiting here for some time. When he saw the Grand Hall Master come out, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile: "Grand Hall Master."

The Grand Master narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over Xia Jin.

This kid looks like he's got a smile on his face. Could he have gotten his hands on some kind of treasure?

The Grand Master said with a half-smile, "It seems you've gained quite a bit on this trip."

Xia Jin was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant. He didn't deny it, but just smiled and said, "I did manage to find a few trinkets."

"A little trinket? I'm afraid ordinary trinkets won't interest you!" The Grand Master raised an eyebrow and gave Xia Jin a meaningful look, but did not continue to ask questions.

While the two were talking, the other city lords also came out of the main hall one after another.

Pei Qianling tugged at Pei Linhai's sleeve, pestering her father to leave immediately to settle scores with that "wild boy." She kept muttering to herself, but her feet involuntarily followed Pei Linhai out of the hall.

Just as she was about to continue acting cute,

A somewhat familiar voice suddenly drifted into her ears.

The sound wasn't loud, but when it reached Pei Qianling's ears, it was like being doused with a bucket of cold water, making her freeze instantly.

That voice...

Pei Qianling's eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracted, and she abruptly turned her head, scanning the direction from which the sound came.

Not far away, a figure was standing in front of the city lord of Silver Sand City.

It's that bastard!

That's the same wild boy who attacked her at the market not long ago and almost slapped her in the chest!

Pei Qianling's face instantly turned ashen, a nameless fire surging from her chest. She released her grip on Pei Linhai's sleeve, staring intently at Xia Jin's retreating figure, and gritted her teeth as she forced out a single sentence: "Father!"

Pei Linhai was startled by his daughter's sudden sharp voice. Looking down, he saw that his daughter's face was tense and her eyes were almost spitting fire.

"What's wrong?" Pei Linhai followed his daughter's gaze and frowned slightly.

"It's him!" Pei Qianling pointed her finger at the figure below the steps. "Father, it's that wild boy! He's the one who bullied me at the market!"

Pei Linhai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and his gaze fell on Xia Jin.

Pei Linhai's gaze lingered on Xia Jin for a moment, then he looked at the Grand Hall Master beside him, his eyes flickering slightly.

Is this kid from Silver Sand City?

This discovery made Pei Linhai's expression turn somewhat strange.

He had initially thought the bully was some arrogant rogue cultivator, but it turned out to be someone from Silver Sand City. Moreover, judging from the tone of the Silver Sand City Lord's conversation with this young man, their relationship was clearly not ordinary.

Before Pei Linhai could say anything, Pei Qianling couldn't hold back any longer.

She ran straight up behind Xia Jin, hands on her hips, pointed at him, and yelled, "You bastard! I can't believe you dared to come to my City Lord's Mansion!!"

Xia Jin was talking to the Grand Hall Master when she heard the noise behind her. She frowned slightly and turned around.

When he saw who was standing in front of him, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

What's going on? How come I run into this annoying guy here?!

It seems we really are destined to meet again.