After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

As soon as Lin Ping stepped out of the wooden gate of the courtyard, a sinister and angry curse erupted behind him.

"You ungrateful wretch! You're an ungrateful traitor who'll betray you! A few kind words from an outsider and you're blinded by greed. I bet you'll be fooled sooner or later!"

The middle-aged man's curses were sharp and cutting, each word piercing the heart.

The sobbing in the courtyard suddenly intensified.

The next second, a slender figure stumbled and rushed out the door.

With tears blurring her vision, Ake rushed straight to Lin Ping, bent her knees, and knelt heavily on the cold ground.

"Brother!" She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice hoarse and pleading, "I know I'm useless, no one cares about me! From now on, I'll be your servant, I just beg you to take me away, I never want to stay here again!"

Lin Ping paused, looking down at the kneeling girl with a calm expression: "Get up. This isn't the old society anymore, no need for this. Studying hard, going to school, and growing up properly is the best way out."

He reached out to help her.

"Let's see who dares to protect her!"

A furious roar erupted from inside the courtyard.

Ake's father, holding a thick feather duster, chased after her out the door with a fierce and menacing look in his eyes.

He stared intently at Ake kneeling on the ground, his anger blinding him. He raised the duster and lashed it hard across her back: "I'll beat you to death today, you disgraceful thing!"

The whistling wind cut through the air with tremendous force.

Lin Ping's eyes turned slightly cold.

This man is narrow-minded and mean-spirited; he could be so cruel to his own daughter.

His fingertips clenched slightly, and his martial arts power was already poised to be unleashed. However, looking at the opponent's crude and weak appearance, he immediately lost interest in making a move.

Such a petty, lowly person doesn't even deserve a fight from him; one punch would cripple him, and winning would be utterly undignified.

Lin Ping didn't want to waste any time. He reached out and shielded Ake with his body, lifting her up as he lightly touched the ground with his feet. The two of them instantly retreated several meters, steadily avoiding the vicious slap.

The feather duster slammed hard onto the open ground with a crisp crack.

The middle-aged man missed his shot, staggered half a step, and angrily wanted to chase after him again.

Lin Ping turned around and gave him a cold glance.

That hidden supreme pressure swept out again, instantly freezing the opponent's body, leaving his arm suspended in mid-air, unable to move. Endless chill and fear surged in his heart, and he dared not take another step forward.

"If you make another move, don't blame me for being impolite." Lin Ping's tone was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable deterrent.

After saying that, he ignored the man whose face was pale and ashen, and turned to leave with the still-shaken Ake.

The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

Unnoticed by anyone, Ake, with her head bowed and tears streaming down her face, subtly moved her fingertips from her sleeve, quietly taking out a pinch of fine gray powder from her schoolbag. With a flick of her fingertips, she scattered it all onto the road behind her, the movement extremely stealthy and leaving no trace in an instant.

After walking out of the old residential area, Lin Ping led Ake to stop under the shade of a tree by the roadside.

He looked at the girl, whose eyes were still red and who was filled with anxiety, and said in a deep voice, "Find a relative's house to stay with temporarily, study hard, and stop thinking nonsense."

Ake suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, and shook her head repeatedly: "I have no relatives... My mother passed away a long time ago, and my father is the only one left in the family. No one is willing to take me in."

She took a half step forward, cautiously tugging at Lin Ping's sleeve, her voice filled with humble pleading: "Brother, I really have nowhere to go, I can only follow you. Please take me with you? I can do anything, I won't be a burden to you."

"No way," Lin Ping refused outright.

The Southern Frontier is fraught with danger, and Lingyun Mountain is rife with undercurrents. Hidden sects and masterminds are all lying in wait, making the road ahead extremely perilous. He himself is already caught in a terrifying trap, and he absolutely cannot take an ordinary girl with him.

Seeing Lin Ping's resolute attitude, Ake panicked instantly. Tears streamed down her face, and she swayed slightly, as if about to crash into a stone pillar by the roadside: "If you don't take me in, I really can't live anymore. I might as well die!"

His stubborn yet desperate demeanor seemed genuine.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, several familiar, arrogant laughs came from the alleyway not far away.

"Hey! That kid's still here!"

The blond thug who had been slapped and made to cry by Lin Ping earlier returned with the rest of his men. His face was now filled with sinister resentment, and he was carrying steel pipes and wooden sticks.

Clearly, he was unwilling to accept defeat and came back specifically to seek revenge.

A group of people blocked the intersection, their eyes fixed menacingly on the two people.

Ake felt a chill run through her body, her face turned deathly pale, and she gripped Lin Ping's sleeve tightly, her voice trembling, "It's them... they definitely won't let me go! If I stay, they'll definitely take revenge!"

She looked up, her eyes filled with helplessness, staring intently at Lin Ping: "Brother, I really can't stay here alone!"

Lin Ping frowned slightly.

He could easily deal with this group of thugs, but while he could defend against them once, he couldn't defend against them a hundred times. These local bullies were relentless, and Ake, alone in this place, would inevitably face their entanglement and retaliation.

Left with no other choice, he had to temporarily agree: "You'll stay with me for now, but don't cause trouble, and do whatever I say."

Ake instantly stopped crying and started laughing, her eyes shining brightly. She nodded vigorously, her gaze towards Lin Ping becoming increasingly infatuated and admiring.

Just then, Lin Ping's cell phone vibrated urgently.

He pulled out his phone, and the screen lit up. It was an urgent text message from Zhu Xiaohan, each word hurried and filled with intense anxiety: [Lin Ping, rush to Southern Xinjiang immediately! The seal on Lingyun Mountain is violently loosening, and the secret realm is filled with killing intent. Not only are the Shen family members trapped, but all the major hidden sects have also moved in. The situation is completely out of control! Delay will only lead to further complications!]

The text message was jarring; the situation was extremely urgent.

The safety of Shen Aoxue, the whereabouts of the Shen family, and the schemes of the mastermind behind the scenes—all these mysteries converge in the secret realm of Southern Xinjiang.

Lin Ping's gaze suddenly sharpened like a blade.

He had originally planned to settle Ake in before setting off, but now there was no time to waste.

Ake, standing to the side, appeared obedient with her head bowed and eyes lowered, but a faint, strange light flickered deep within her eyes. The subtle powdery scent lingering on her sleeve subtly echoed the hidden aura of Lingyun Mountain in the distant Southern Frontier.

Lin Ping put away his phone and looked towards southern Xinjiang, thousands of miles away.

He vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

The chance encounter with the thugs, the extremely obsessive Ake, and the perfectly timed text message urging them on—all these coincidences piled up together, making it seem too deliberate.

From the moment they stepped out of the base, this rescue mission to the secret realm of Lingyun Mountain may have already fallen into a series of new traps set by their adversaries.

Is the seemingly weak, helpless, and pitiful ordinary girl beside him just a chance encounter, or a hidden pawn planted by a force behind the scenes?

Numerous doubts and shrouded in mystery.

Lin Ping suppressed his doubts and said in a deep voice, "Let's go, come with me to the Southern Frontier."