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

The night was as dark as ink. The evening breeze from the outskirts of the southern border city swept across the eaves of the manor, swirling up the fine fallen leaves, which fell silently to the ground.

Ake watched the black paper butterfly disappear completely into the deep night, all the gentleness and obedience in her eyes melting away, leaving only a cold calculation.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she prepared to close the window, when the sound of a familiar car engine suddenly rang out at the manor gate.

The sound grew clearer as it approached from afar.

Ake froze, her face turned pale instantly, and her heart sank.

Why are you back?

Lin Pingming has already driven out to the deep mountains to visit a reclusive master, and there is absolutely no reason for him to turn back!

She suppressed the panic in her heart, quickly concealed all the strangeness in her eyes, put on a gentle and docile expression again, and turned to walk quickly out of the guest room.

In the courtyard downstairs, car headlights came on, their light piercing through the night.

As the car door opened, Lin Ping stepped out slowly, his tall figure accentuated by his black attire, which made him appear even more sharp and composed.

Hearing the commotion, Ade, Alu, and Zhu Xiaohan all came out of the hall, their eyes filled with doubt.

Ake quickly stepped forward, her voice soft and slightly puzzled, and cautiously looked up at Lin Ping.

"Ping-ge, you...didn't you go out? Why are you back all of a sudden?"

Lin Ping lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping lightly over her feigned composure, his expression calm and unwavering, revealing no sign of anything amiss.

"I forgot something important."

His tone was calm, without the slightest hint of emotion.

Zhu Xiaohan frowned slightly and asked softly, "Sir, did you leave something behind? We'll get it for you."

"No need." Lin Ping shook his head slightly, turning his gaze towards the underground wine cellar deep in the courtyard. "The reclusive master we're visiting is eccentric and has a particular fondness for nameless, aged wines. Arriving empty-handed would be a lack of sincerity."

As soon as he finished speaking, he strode straight toward the wine cellar.

Before long, the heavy wooden door of the wine cellar was pushed open, and Lin Ping walked out carrying a jar of old wine with an ancient seal and no signature in one hand.

The wine jar has been sealed for many years, and the aroma of the wine is mellow and rich, with a subtle, refreshing scent emanating from it.

He raised his hand and weighed the wine jar in his hand, then looked at the four women in front of him and solemnly instructed them.

"I have retrieved the goods and will depart immediately. I will be back within two days. Remember my instructions: keep the doors tightly shut and do not leave the house."

"Understood." Adele nodded gently, her expression calm.

Zhu Xiaohan nestled beside him, her eyes filled with worry: "Take care on your journey, sir, and may everything go smoothly."

Alu stood quietly, her gentle gaze always fixed on Lin Ping, a warm feeling flowing through her, and an ambiguous atmosphere quietly lingering in the courtyard.

Only Ake's hands, hanging limply at her sides, were clenched tightly, her fingertips turning white, her heart filled with doubt and unease.

She couldn't see any flaws in Lin Ping's actions; his earlier message-sending behavior seemed to have gone undetected.

She immediately suppressed all her emotions and put on a sweet smile: "Don't worry, Brother Ping, we will definitely stay obediently in the manor and wait for you to bring the expert back."

Lin Ping nodded slightly, said nothing more, picked up the wine jar, turned and got into the car. The car engine roared and drove away from the manor again, disappearing completely into the night.

Lin Ping wants to find an expert to break the deadlock?

She blocked all his avenues of communication!

Meanwhile, deep in the desolate mountains a hundred miles outside the city, inside a makeshift stone house.

Xiaoyuer's face was deathly pale, his body was filled with a fierce aura, and his eyes were filled with surging hatred.

A burly man knelt on one knee and bowed to report.

"Miss, news from our investigation has come back that Lin Ping has left the manor alone, carrying a jar of unnamed old wine, and has gone deep into the mountains to seek out a reclusive master who can break the formation. Moreover, several unfamiliar martial arts masters have suddenly appeared on various mountain peaks and around the formation's core in the southern border, surveying the terrain and investigating the formation's structure."

Little Fish suddenly looked up, his remaining left arm clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white, and he growled sharply.

"Scanning the array's core? Seeking out a master?"

Anger exploded within her instantly; extreme astonishment mixed with rage caused her body to tremble slightly.

She stared intently at the ground, gritting her teeth as she questioned, "You previously ordered the complete confinement of all reclusive martial artists and array masters within the Southern Frontier! Imprison them all in underground strongholds!"

"Where did these experts who can survey the array's key points come from?!"

The subordinate in black lowered his head, not daring to look up, his tone fearful: "This subordinate knows nothing! This group of people are of unknown origin, their movements are strange, and their cultivation is profound. They are definitely not the people we have imprisoned. They are distributed at various key points of the formation, and their movements are extremely fast. It seems that they are completely dismantling the Southern Border Earth Vein Formation that we have set up!"

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Little Fish was furious and slapped out hard.

The immense internal force exploded outwards, instantly shattering the stone table beside him into pieces, with fragments flying everywhere.

Her eyes held a mixture of obsession and madness, her emotions a complete loss of control, a complex interplay of love and hate.

She meticulously planned for months, using the entire southern border's geological veins as a cage, laying down layer upon layer of deadly formations, all to trap Lin Ping and exploit all his weaknesses.

They thought that by trapping all the masters of array formations, they could completely lock down the battle and wait for Lin Ping to enter the trap and be destroyed.

But now, a group of experts have suddenly appeared and are dismantling the array's core, completely disrupting all her plans!

She was initially certain that Lin Ping had no help and could only passively take the beating, but now the situation has completely reversed!

In the desolate mountains and dense forests, in the shadow of a treetop unnoticed by anyone.

Lin Ping stood with his hands behind his back, his black clothes fluttering slightly in the wind, his aura concealed.

He casually held the jar of old wine to his side, his eyes cold as he took in the fury of Xiaoyuer and the fear of his subordinates in the stone house.

His return to the manor, his fetching of wine, and his allowing Ake to send messages were all deliberate.

Those so-called "mysterious experts" who surveyed the array's core were all his old subordinates who had been lying in wait.

The goal was singular—to disturb Xiaoyuer's mind and disrupt the Blood Shadow Pavilion's overall plan.

Pretending to be weak to lure out the tiger, luring the snake out of its hole.

The goal is to completely throw this fanatical and insane Blood Shadow Pavilion Master into disarray, forcing him to reveal all his trump cards.

Lin Ping's lips curled into a faint, indifferent smile as he murmured to himself.

"You trap my reinforcements, I'll break through your formation's core."

"You want to destroy my weakness? Then I'll overturn your entire chessboard in the Southern Frontier."

Inside the manor courtyard, the gentle warmth remained, and Adele and her two daughters waited peacefully, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

Within the desolate mountains, murderous intent surged, and the situation underwent a dramatic change.

Little Fish was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, burning with extreme resentment and jealousy.

She suddenly looked up and gave orders to her subordinates in a stern voice.

"Pass on my orders! All personnel mobilize! Hunt down all the experts who surveyed the array's core! Thoroughly investigate the entire southern border and find out where these people came from!"

"Furthermore, increase manpower to keep a close watch on the manor! If Lin Ping's men dare to take even half a step out, kill them without exception!"

The subordinate bowed and accepted the order, then quickly withdrew to relay it.

Inside the stone house, only Xiaoyuer remained. She clutched her severed arm, the pain piercing to the bone, but it paled in comparison to even a fraction of the resentment in her heart.

She stared intently in the direction of the manor, her voice hoarse and obsessive.

"Lin Ping, do you think you can break my trap with these methods?"

"You want to protect your beloved and break my formation?"

"Then I'll stake the entire Blood Shadow Pavilion's resources!"

"Today in Southern Xinjiang, it's either you die, or... I'll personally destroy everything you cherish!"

On the treetops of the dense forest, Lin Ping's eyes suddenly darkened, his gaze turning icy cold.

Little Fish was completely desperate and was willing to fight to the death with everything he had.

But he hasn't used his real killing move yet.

The game in southern Xinjiang has only just begun to reach its climax.

Lin Ping knew that once Xiaoyuer was driven to the brink, he would inevitably use his last trump card: the Western-style modified assassin lurking in the shadows would soon appear.