Lin Qian and Ye Xin had already settled into their designated bedroom, where the array had been modified to keep out the seawater. The Carefree Sect's group was staying in the adjacent courtyard, as they had more people.
"Xiao Qian, can you figure out what's going on?" Ye Xin, sitting in the bedroom, asked Lin Qian, feeling a bit uneasy. For some reason, this whole situation gave her a sense of dread.
"Right now, Zhang Tianxin and Zhou Yi'an have gone to demand an explanation from the Black-Blade Fish Clan and the Eightfold Hall. We'll see what happens when they return," Lin Qian replied with a slight shake of his head. The situation was strange, and even he couldn't quite put his finger on what was happening.
The Huaxia Empire's collected texts had no records of anything like this, so even Zhuge Ming couldn't provide any conclusions. This world was still unfamiliar and mysterious to the Huaxia Empire, and their knowledge depended entirely on Lin Qian's experiences and the books he had acquired.
At least for now, none of the texts Lin Qian had gathered contained any mention of such phenomena.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a buzzing sound emanated from the array barrier that enveloped the courtyard.
Lin Qian's mind moved, and the door to the bedroom opened. The array barrier at the courtyard gate created an opening, and the gate itself swung open.
Through the gate, Li Yunfeng, Zhang Zidong, Zhang Qi, and Zhang Wenxuan entered the courtyard and made their way towards Lin Qian's room.
Once inside, the four of them casually sat at the table in front of Lin Qian and Ye Xin, poured themselves cups of spiritual tea, and began drinking without any formalities.
"So, how did it go?" Seeing the four of them, Lin Qian didn't need to ask further to know that there had been some kind of outcome.
"The matter has been resolved, and quite smoothly at that," Li Yunfeng said, fiddling with the teacup in his hand before removing his water-breathing soul device and downing the tea. "Too smoothly, in fact, it's a bit unnatural."
"Unnaturally smooth?" Lin Qian gently rubbed his teacup, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Zhang Zidong nodded and explained, "I went with the others to confront the Black-Blade Fish Clan and the Eightfold Hall, expecting some conflict or argument. But as soon as we arrived, they immediately admitted their mistake and apologized."
"They apologized immediately?" Lin Qian was a bit surprised. The Black-Blade Fish Clan had forcefully taken their things, which didn't seem like the behavior of a clan that would be so easily swayed by an apology.
"When we first arrived, the Eightfold Hall looked ready for a fight, but the Black-Blade Fish Clan stopped them," Zhang Zidong continued with a strange expression. "Then, the Black-Blade Fish Clan just apologized and compensated us with a billion top-grade soul crystals!"
Lin Qian raised an eyebrow. Considering that the other side had only injured some of their people without taking lives, a billion top-grade soul crystals was no small amount. Their attitude was indeed strange.
"And that's not even the most surprising part. The Black-Blade Fish Clan's leader directly handed over that one-armed clan member who had injured our people and let my grandfather execute him to appease our anger."
"They offered soul crystals and handed over the perpetrator for us to kill. What more could we do but return?"
After Zhang Zidong finished speaking, Lin Qian and Ye Xin exchanged glances, both looking astonished.
"What is the Black-Blade Fish Clan up to?" Lin Qian furrowed his brow, feeling that something was off.
Ye Xin's eyes lit up as she suddenly spoke, "Brother Zhang, did they return the items they took?"
Zhang Zidong hesitated briefly before shaking his head. "They were so sincere in their apology, offering soul crystals and the culprit, and the things they took were just some worthless stones. We didn't think it was right to ask for them back."
"What if the Black-Blade Fish Clan's sincere apology, with the crystals and the culprit, was just to prevent us from asking for those worthless stones back and to avoid further trouble?" Ye Xin continued.
As her words sank in, realization dawned on everyone.
"Sister-in-law is right. That explains the Black-Blade Fish Clan's strange attitude," Li Yunfeng agreed, slapping the table.
"If we had asked for the items back, they might have turned hostile," Lin Qian mused, his eyes showing understanding.
Zhang Qi quickly suggested, "Should we tell everyone to go demand the return of the items?"
"No!" Zhang Wenxuan smacked Zhang Qi on the back and shook her head. "By now, everyone knows we've accepted the Black-Blade Fish Clan's apology. If we go back and demand the items, it will only invite criticism."
Lin Qian remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "Let's set this matter aside for now. The Southern Assembly doesn't start for another month, so we should focus on stabilizing our cultivation and preparing ourselves."
Originally, the Southern Assembly was supposed to start sooner, but changes in the portal leading to the small world delayed its stabilization. It would take another month before it was fully secure.
"This Southern Assembly may not be as simple as we thought," Zhang Zidong said with a frown. "The Black-Blade Fish Clan is on par with our Eight-Armed Sea Clan, and the geniuses they've brought this time might have reached the Heart Realm of the Life and Death Stage."
"I haven't seen the Eightfold Hall's geniuses yet, so I'm not sure about their strength."
"I thought with Lin Qian's help, we'd surpass the Black-Blade Fish Clan, but it seems their strength is still formidable."
His face showed a hint of frustration as he spoke.
"Focus on solidifying your realm and preparing yourselves. We're entering a small world with unknown dangers, and no one knows what might happen," Lin Qian advised as he pulled out a golden token, threaded with a gold string.
He distributed the tokens to the four of them and explained, "In case we end up separated inside, this will help me locate you."
Seeing the golden token in their hands, Ye Xin asked, "What about Zhang Zhan and Zhang Ziqi? Shouldn't we give them one as well?"
"They turned down my invitation to join forces, insisting that only those who face challenges alone are true warriors," Lin Qian replied with a wry smile. "But there's a saying: 'There's strength in numbers.'"
"Whatever happens to them isn't my concern. I only need to look out for you," Lin Qian said, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "If possible, I want to claim this small world as our own."
Ye Xin could see the gleam in Lin Qian's eyes—a desire for conquest and expansion.