Qiuling was shocked.

  He had never imagined Yiyun Palace’s formations were this powerful, far beyond his expectations.

  The rebound of the Five Heavenly Thunders enraged Miss Jiu.

  She slashed her claws through the air, seven-colored spiritual light surging, launching a pure physical assault straight at Qiuling!

  In an instant, Qiuling was clawed on the shoulder, flesh torn open, blood streaming down.

  He stumbled back several steps, clearly on the verge of defeat.

  Jieyou and the National Teacher had not even moved yet, and he was already this miserable.

  His strength was truly nothing special.

  In desperation, Qiuling spun twice, activating a secret escape technique of the Immortal Assembly—

  Qianyuan Earth Shrink.

  An earth-escape art.

  Perfected, it could carry him ten thousand miles in an instant, straight back to the Immortal Assembly.

  Of course, that was only the ideal state.

  With Qiuling’s cultivation, escaping a few miles was already his limit.

  Jieyou had no experience fighting enemies.

  Seeing Qiuling about to flee, she thought: Good, let him go. I won’t have to deal with him, and won’t have to repair the hall.

  But the National Teacher thought sharply:

  We cannot let him leave!

  Today he dared assassinate the palace lord in Yiyun Palace. If we let him return, he will bring the full wrath of the Immortal Assembly. Endless trouble.

  He must be killed!

  But before the National Teacher could stop him,

  the sky-soaring Crown Phoenix swooped down like a colorful cloud, claws slashing fiercely into the ground, carving a deep ditch as if splitting the earth!

  In less than thirty meters, Qianyuan Earth Shrink was forcibly interrupted!

  Qiuling was dragged back like a rag doll, slamming heavily onto the ground, covered in dust, utterly embarrassed.

  Dirty, bloodied, clothes charred by flames—he looked miserable.

  Yet his expression remained arrogant, refusing to bow.

  “How about it, little guy? Want another round?”

  Jieyou grinned, not uttering clichéd lines like “Bold traitor!”

  She just teased him playfully.

  She truly could not stand Qiuling’s unrepentant attitude.

  You’re already a loser—what right do you have to be arrogant?

  The majestic Crown Phoenix then transformed back into the tiny, cute Miss Jiu, fluttering back into Jieyou’s arms, rubbing her cheek as if begging for praise.

  “Wow—I finally saw your true form! So cool, Miss Jiu! You’re stunning!”

  Jieyou hugged the little fluffball affectionately, smiling brightly.

  “I didn’t dote on you for nothing! Such a good girl!”

  Miss Jiu turned her head arrogantly, not even lifting her eyelids.

  She only glanced at the dusty Qiuling on the ground, eyes full of disdain—

  someone like him was not even worth her revealing her true form!

  The National Teacher had a simple reason for keeping Qiuling alive:

  he wanted to let Jieyou practice on him.

  After all, she had never truly fought anyone before.

  Qiuling was the perfect target—

  he could let her see human treachery, practice combat skills, and even cure her obsession with wandering the world.

  “Hmph.”

  Jieyou glanced at the damaged side hall, frowning.

  “The hall is ruined. How long will repairs take? How much silver will it cost?”

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  She did not care about Qiuling’s life at all.

  Her mind was filled with Miss Jiu’s breathtaking true form.

  She touched the totem on her chest, imagining herself flying on Miss Jiu’s back, sword at her side—how cool that would be!

  She grinned widely.

  Can I ride on her back and fly in the future? How did I climb that tree before?

  Xiaobai can fly too—would it be more imposing to stand on Xiaobai, or ride Miss Jiu?

  At that moment, Xiaobai inside her seemed to sense her thoughts, growing even more restless.

  It had held back its anger from not being able to fight Qiuling earlier.

  It wanted to carry Jieyou and soar, to stretch its wings—it had been too long since it saw the outside world, and it too wanted to show off its power.

  Jieyou came back to her senses and touched the totem on her chest.

  In truth, it was like Xiaobai’s internal storage.

  With a single thought, she could open it—a small world inside, able to hold many things.

  But Jieyou had no valuable items to store, which frustrated her a little.

  She could only stuff her favorite snacks and toys inside, but it still looked empty.

  “Sigh, what if I’m too poor?”

  Jieyou sighed sadly.

  Unfortunately, Miss Jiu was a total money-burner—extremely picky about food and belongings.

  At this rate, she might have to lead all palace servants up the mountain to collect herbs and ores just to make ends meet.

  That was why she was so eager to leave Yiyun Palace.

  As the saying goes: a rabbit does not eat the grass around its burrow.

  The sooner she left, the sooner she would be free.

  Then, the sky would be her limit, the ocean her breadth.

  A living person cannot be choked by hardship! There would always be a way!

  Fortunately, she finally saw Miss Jiu’s true form today—it was all worth it!

  The National Teacher stepped forward quietly, hands behind his back.

  At some point, he had taken out a pair of shackles—pitch-black, carved with intricate runes, emitting a faint cold aura. Clearly not ordinary.

  “I haven’t used these in a long time.”

  The National Teacher looked at the shackles, his tone calm but with undeniable authority.

  These were the Soul-Locking Shackles, specially forged by Yiyun Palace.

  They could bind not just the body, but imprison the spirit.

  Once locked, no matter how high one’s cultivation, escape was impossible.

  And as the shackles tightened, one’s cultivation and spiritual power would flow away like a tide, leaving the dantian empty and weak.

  Only when unlocked would the spirit recover and cultivation return to peak.

  Seeing the National Teacher walking toward him with a smile, Qiuling’s face turned pale.

  He thought: This is bad!

  He had broken into Yiyun Palace and openly assassinated the palace lord—how could he possibly survive?

  But then he thought:

  People of the Immortal Assembly are never reckless. Since I dared to come, I definitely have a backup plan.

  Just a little physical pain—no big deal.

  He hung his head, fingers hidden in his sleeve silently forming a spell, a faint silver light flashing at his fingertips—too fast to notice.

  It was a distress signal of the Immortal Assembly.

  Once sent, his fellow disciples would come to rescue him soon.

  As the saying goes:

  Heroes are forged through life and death; wealth has always belonged to the mortal world.

  He could endure this little pain!

  “Hehe… little Qiuling, you fight quite well.”

  Jieyou hugged Miss Jiu, leaned forward, and looked at him with a mischievous smile.

  “Hmph, you want to kill me? It won’t be that easy! Let’s see if you have the guts!”

  Qiuling raised his head, neck stiff with stubborn arrogance.

  Even in such despair, he refused to admit defeat.

  “Kill you?”

  The National Teacher sneered, tone mocking.

  “Our palace lord is kind-hearted. How could she kill so easily?”

  “Why would I kill you?”

  Jieyou tilted her head, confused.

  “If I kill you, who will repair this ruined side hall?”

  “Click——”

  A crisp sound.

  The exquisitely carved Soul-Locking Shackles locked tightly around Qiuling's wrists.

  Once on, they clung to his body like leeches.

  No matter how Qiuling channeled energy or struggled, they did not move at all.

  He could not break free, could not shake them off.

  Worse, as the shackles slowly tightened, his cultivation and spiritual power drained away like a tide, leaving his dantian empty and weak.

  He could barely lift his hands.

  Qiuling's heart shook violently.

  He suddenly remembered a secret from his sect—

  his senior brother had warned him repeatedly:

  These Soul-Locking Shackles held a vicious restriction.

  Anyone locked within them, if they had physical contact with a woman, would have all their essence, spirit, and strength absorbed by her, nourishing her, while he weakened day by day, eventually dying from exhaustion.

  “Unless you meet true love, never touch a woman—otherwise, you will suffer a backlash!”

  His senior brother’s warning still echoed in his ears.

  But where was Qiuling's true love now?

  He had not even tasted a moment of joy, yet he had already fallen into this trap!

  Seeing his pale face, the National Teacher curled his lips into a triumphant smile.

  Subduing a member of the Immortal Assembly so easily was far better than fighting.

  Keeping him alive: he could repair the side hall, let the palace lord practice, and contain the Immortal Assembly.

  A triple win!

  “If I kill you, who will fix this ruined hall?”

  The National Teacher said calmly, tone mocking.

  “Next, you have two tasks. Do them well, and I will let you leave. Fail, and face the consequences.”

  He turned to Palace Lord Jieyou, his eyes asking for her bottom line—

  after all, Jieyou was the master of Yiyun Palace; the final decision was hers.

  Jieyou met his gaze and nodded without hesitation.

  She also thought killing Qiuling would be too merciful.

  Better to make him work and compensate for the damaged hall.

  “First: repair the yellow-tiled side hall you destroyed.”

  The National Teacher pointed at the messy hall and said slowly:

  “The logistics department will give you a list of damaged furniture, decorations, and teacups. You must repair everything according to the list.

  And—hire craftsmen at your own expense, supervise the work yourself, bear all costs. You shall not use a single silver coin from Yiyun Palace.”

  The National Teacher paused, pointing at the shackles on Qiuling's wrists, sneering:

  “Of course, you may move freely within this hall. We have complete confidence in these Soul-Locking Shackles.

  If you can force them open by external means, the maker owes us enough silver to rebuild Yiyun Palace ten times over.”

  Qiuling snorted coldly.

  Just wait until you finish your conditions. Then I’ll reveal my trump card—we’ll see who’s embarrassed then!

  He held his head high, neck stiff with arrogance.

  Even weak all over, he refused to show weakness.

  “Second: you must accompany our palace lord in her cultivation.”

  The National Teacher continued, his voice growing serious.

  “At the very least, let her see how treacherous people can be.

  Best if it cures her desire to wander the world.

  If not, it should give her a clear understanding of the outside world—

  at the very least, teach her how to fight seriously, and how not to be seriously hurt.”

  The latter part was meant specifically for Jieyou.

  He truly worried his lady was too naive.

  If she rushed out blindly, she would surely be deceived and wronged.

  Only by experiencing real combat and seeing human treachery could she truly grow, and firmly hold the position of Yiyun Palace Lord.