Chu Xingchen halted his steps at Ning Qianqian's call.

He slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on the conflicted expression of Ning Qianqian.

Although Ning Qianqian had stopped him, her wariness likely hadn't diminished.

Handling this appropriately would better coax the truth from her.

"What is it?" Chu Xingchen asked, then turned around, looking calmly at Ning Qianqian.

Ning Qianqian appeared conflicted, but cautiously inquired, "Immortal, which sect are you from?"

Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen replied, "Central Continent, Myriad Arts Immortal Sect."

Chu Xingchen felt no shame in lying. After all, the girl before him had never been truthful with him, had she?

Deception is mutual.

Especially since the background of the frail girl before him was still unclear. Moreover, the name of the Heavenly Dao Alliance's sect was too grand, and he feared it might frighten the girl.

Ning Qianqian showed a look of admiration.

But in truth, as a mortal, Ning Qianqian had never stepped into the world of cultivation and knew nothing of Central Continent or otherwise.

Describing this world as boundless might be an exaggeration, but it was indeed vast.

Even a small border country spanned thousands of miles.

The southern Zhan Continent was already a major realm, and although the Qingfeng Sect was in a remote area, it was still renowned there.

As for the gathering place of spiritual veins in the southern Zhan Continent, it was home to many sects.

To this place, Central Continent was as distant as the heavens.

If it weren't for Ning Qianqian's father instructing her to go to the Qingfeng Sect, she, as a daughter of a rural farmer's family, wouldn't have known its name.

Ning Qianqian asked purely to subtly inform the masked man before her that she wasn't as ignorant as she appeared.

Don't try to fool me, she thought. Even if it might not be of much use, it's better than doing nothing, right?

However... Central Continent, her father had mentioned, was a legendary land of cultivation.

Moreover, the name Myriad Arts Immortal Sect sounded quite impressive.

Myriad Arts Immortal Sect!

And then there's Qingfeng Sect!

Isn't it obvious who's stronger?

Moreover, Myriad Arts Immortal Sect sounded more like a prestigious sect.

But it was said that dealing with such prestigious sects required first learning to play the victim.

Only by gaining the sympathy of such an immortal would they feel pity and extend a helping hand.

Just like beggars on the street.

Although Ning Qianqian was reluctant to do such things because her father said it would disgrace their ancestors.

But between disgracing her ancestors and losing her life, Ning Qianqian thought... her father would probably choose disgrace, right?

Anyway, she would definitely choose that, especially since, at the moment, relying solely on her own abilities was far from enough to save her father. She could only take a gamble.

Ning Qianqian adjusted her emotions from the past few days, tears suddenly streaming down as she recalled the expressions of beggars she had encountered, referencing them as needed, and then said with a hint of tragic dignity, "Immortal! Do you know that Qingfeng Sect..."

She seemed to choke up, letting out a wail.

But facing Ning Qianqian's deeply emotional lament, Chu Xingchen's face behind the mask twitched slightly...

Because at this moment, Ning Qianqian's expression was twisted and contorted, occasionally choking, looking extremely like a spasm, and quite exaggerated.

Moreover, her crying seemed entirely performative, especially when she looked at him with a sneaky expression.

Her snot and tears mixed on her dirty face.

Perhaps... she thought she looked pitiful?

Didn't this child realize her acting was terrible?

Who cries in such an abstract manner?

But since Ning Qianqian was taking this approach, he should cooperate, right?

Suppressing the urge to criticize, Chu Xingchen took a deep breath and asked in a shocked and puzzled tone:

"What happened to them?"

Ning Qianqian let out a wail and began spilling her story like beans:

"My father and I live in Ning Village. Amah passed away early due to poor health, and my father worked hard to raise me."

"This year, the village suffered a disaster, and we couldn't even eat once in two days. It was then that people from Qingfeng Sect came and tricked my father into cultivating."

"They said that with cultivation, we'd have everything we wanted. My father, being naive, believed them and only asked for food for me before leaving with them."

"My father just abandoned me like that, and many other brothers were tricked away too."

Chu Xingchen looked at the dirty and thin Ning Qianqian before him and sighed slightly.

This father wasn't naive; perhaps he just wanted to leave some hope for his daughter.

"Then how do you know they were deceivers?"

Upon hearing the question, Ning Qianqian quickly took out a tightly wrapped cloth bundle from her worn and hole-ridden clothes, her trembling hands quickly unwrapping it.

Inside wasn't anything precious, but a handful of dry yellow earth.

Chu Xingchen frowned slightly at the sight of this handful of yellow earth.

Ning Qianqian held the yellow earth in her trembling hands, seemingly revealing genuine emotion, her expression sorrowful:

"Not long after those immortals left... all the food they left turned into yellow earth."

"Auntie and Niuzi from next door ate the white steamed buns given by those immortals and soon died from being filled with this yellow earth."

"So many people in the village died..."

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

"My father was deceived, and my brothers were deceived too."

"They can't cultivate at all. Those from Qingfeng Sect are not good people. They'll die too... I only have my father left. My father can abandon me, but I can't not save him."

"I need to show this to my father, so he'll believe me."

Chu Xingchen didn't reply, just reached out and pinched the yellow earth before him, which still retained some lingering spiritual power.

He hadn't expected Qingfeng Sect to not even provide life-saving food.

Facing Ning Qianqian's hopeful gaze, Chu Xingchen felt a bit helpless.

At this moment, if he said he would sneak away with some spirit stones from the mine, it probably wouldn't be a big issue. However, rescuing someone under the support of a Golden Core cultivator and Qingfeng Sect wouldn't be easy.

Or rather, he probably couldn't ensure the safety of a mortal.

But nothing is absolute; blindly acting would inevitably lead to failure.

Chu Xingchen sighed, looking sincerely at the frail little girl before him.

The little girl had no real shoes, only a few vines tied around her feet.

The vines bore dried dark red bloodstains.

Ning Qianqian, who had braved the elements, had a face blackened with dirt, her slender and frail body seemingly ready to topple at any moment.

The mountain range was rugged and difficult to traverse, with many cliffs. Who knew what kind of hardships the little girl had endured to get here, or how long she had been trapped in the maze array? Not to mention the wild beasts roaming the mountains.

Looking at Ning Qianqian, Chu Xingchen said seriously, "Saving your father isn't something to rush now. I need to go back and make a plan first. Are you willing to come with me?"

After all, Chu Xingchen still needed spirit stones, and with a proper plan, Ning Qianqian's father might be saved as well.

Ning Qianqian hesitated slightly upon hearing this. She wanted to stay here to see if there was any chance of finding her father, even though she knew the chances were slim. But she didn't want to miss even such a slim chance.

"Can I wait here for you? I..."

Before she could finish, Chu Xingchen raised his hand to interrupt, "You're not foolish. You should understand that staying might not be good for your father."

Ning Qianqian fell silent for a moment, then nodded, but pleaded:

"If you decide not to save my father, can you bring me back here?"

"I don't walk this path as easily as an immortal; it's actually quite difficult for me."

Chu Xingchen looked down at Ning Qianqian before him, who at this moment seemed to have shed all traces of performance.

Her eyes were filled with endless pleading.