Jinting Mountain, Demon Heaven Pavilion.

"Master, the Ci Family from Anyang City seeks an audience."

"The Ci Family?"

"They are Little Yuan'er's kin."

The surname "Ci" indeed originates from "This," both are of the same family.

The scene from five years ago when Little Yuan'er was taken as a disciple in Anyang City flashed in Lu Zhou's mind.

Lu Zhou nodded slightly and said, "Let them in."

"Yes."

Before long.

Three villains brought the Ci Family members into the Demon Heaven Pavilion.

Upon hearing the news, Little Yuan'er rushed back immediately.

The three members of the Ci Family never expected to enter the Demon Heaven Pavilion so smoothly. The smoother it went, the more uneasy they felt.

When they saw the elderly Lu Zhou, they trembled even more, not daring to overstep.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master!" The steward of the Ci Family knelt on the ground, followed by the other two.

Lu Zhou's gaze swept over the three.

He said indifferently, "I once set a rule that anyone who joins the Demon Heaven Pavilion must sever ties with their family and friends. Little Yuan'er, do you remember?"

Upon hearing this, Little Yuan'er quickly replied, "Disciple remembers, I will send them away immediately."

The steward of the Ci Family turned to Little Yuan'er, his face covered in sweat, and said, "Miss, it's me... Ci An!"

"Ci An?"

Little Yuan'er looked at the middle-aged man in front of her with some confusion. She had left home at the age of ten, and after five years, her memory had become a bit blurred.

Ci An immediately burst into tears, saying, "Miss, I finally see you! The Ci Family is in trouble, the master and madam are in trouble!"

Tears and snot flowed.

After all, Little Yuan'er had only been away from home for five years. During these years, she often thought of her parents, feeling deeply concerned. The old devil treated her with great affection and did not lead her astray.

Duanmu Sheng, Ming Shiyin, and Zhao Yue, however, were somewhat disdainful.

A grown man crying like this, how disgraceful.

Duanmu Sheng said sternly, "How dare you!"

Ci An stopped crying, feeling uneasy and lowered his head in fear.

"This is the Demon Heaven Pavilion, not a place for your tears," Zhao Yue said with a smile. "Little junior sister... if it weren't for the fact that this person is your kin, I would have sewn his mouth shut with a golden needle."

Ci An: "..."

Little Yuan'er knelt on the ground and said, "Master."

Lu Zhou's expression was calm, showing no emotion.

The fourth disciple, Ming Shiyin, rolled his eyes and cupped his hands, saying, "Master, rules are made by people. Little junior sister's family is like family to us senior brothers and sisters. If we don't help family in need, we are worse than beasts."

"Zhao Yue agrees," Zhao Yue added.

"Fourth junior brother is right, I think so too," Duanmu Sheng said.

Seeing her senior brothers and sisters speaking up for her, Little Yuan'er was surprised.

Lu Zhou nodded slightly and said, "There is some truth to that."

His gaze swept over the three villains.

Their loyalty each increased by 5 points, almost reaching 70%.

"However, the Demon Heaven Pavilion does not meddle in every matter," Lu Zhou's gaze fell on Ci An.

"Exactly, Master is unparalleled in power, but if it's trivial matters, forget it," Ming Shiyin said.

Zhao Yue rolled her eyes repeatedly.

The fourth junior brother's so-called analytical skills were nothing but opportunism, his flattery louder than most!

Little Yuan'er signaled to Ci An with her eyes.

Ci An quickly said, "The Ci Family has always been law-abiding in Anyang City, doing ordinary business. For years, we've lived in peace, with over a thousand people depending on this for a living. A month ago, the Ci Family's caravan passed through the valley and was robbed by bandits. The Ci Family didn't want trouble, so we gave them a fortune to settle it... But unexpectedly, these bandits became greedy, rushed to Anyang City overnight, robbed the Ci Mansion, and took over a hundred people hostage!"

Hearing this, Little Yuan'er frowned slightly.

The matter could be big or small.

Zhao Yue sneered, "Just a group of bandits, why not seek help from the local authorities?"

"The master thought the same, but as soon as the authorities heard it was the valley bandits, they drove him away, not daring to intervene!"

"Are these bandits really that formidable?" Zhao Yue was skeptical.

Ci An nervously said, "It's said that these bandits are backed by cultivators..."

"No wonder."

The situation was now clear.

Everyone's gaze focused on Lu Zhou.

According to his past habits, the Demon Heaven Pavilion would never intervene in such matters.

But times have changed.

Moreover, this involved the little junior sister, whom the master cherished dearly...

So.

Before the master could speak, Ming Shiyin jumped out, righteously saying, "Master, let me handle this... These bandits have kidnapped little junior sister's family, how outrageous. I will ensure this matter is resolved properly."

Duanmu Sheng: "..."

Zhao Yue: "..."

The fourth junior brother, truly shameless.

Ci An was overjoyed, as if dreaming, this was going much smoother than expected.

Lu Zhou was also contemplating.

With his current strength, meddling in cultivator affairs would be asking for trouble. If the disciples handled it, he would gain Merit Points, a win-win situation.

"Master, please allow me to redeem myself. I have sinned greatly in the past, and now that little junior sister's family is in danger, how can I, as her senior brother, sit idly by? Master has placed me under house arrest, but given the circumstances, I hope for your permission," Ming Shiyin spoke earnestly, displaying the demeanor of a righteous person, leaving Duanmu Sheng and Zhao Yue astonished.

When did the fourth junior brother's acting skills become so good?

Lu Zhou looked at Ming Shiyin and said indifferently, "This matter should have been handled by Little Yuan'er herself. However, Yuan'er is still young and lacks discretion. Since you, as her senior brother, are willing, you may handle it."

"I will not fail you!" Ming Shiyin rejoiced!

"I'll give you three days..."

"Ah? Th-three days... Master, isn't three days a bit too short..." Ming Shiyin seemed to be bargaining.

Zhao Yue laughed and said, "Senior brother, you're a Divine Court Realm expert, if it were me, two days would be enough. When did you become so lacking in confidence?"

"Uh..."

Born of the same root, why so eager to destroy each other, is this appropriate?

"Go handle it," Lu Zhou waved his hand.

"At your command."

The reason for the three-day limit was to prevent these disciples from being too free, causing trouble if it took too long.

Lu Zhou thought to himself.

At the same time, he opened the System Panel.

Sure enough, the Quest Panel now had a new task listed, the first line clearly displayed: Rescue Ci Family, Executor: Ming Shiyin, Countdown 2 days 23 hours...

Little Yuan'er bowed and said, "Thank you, Master."

Ci An and the other two knelt and said, "Thank you, Pavilion Master..."

[Ding, received three people's devout pilgrimage, reward 30 Merit Points] (Note: Active, intentional, planned pilgrimage events do not count for Merit)

"Little Yuan'er, see them down the mountain."

"Yes." Little Yuan'er hesitated to speak.

Lu Zhou noticed her expression and said, "Your fourth senior brother may be enamored with the outside world, but he is always serious and thoughtful in his actions. With his temperament, he will solve the problem in less than a day, no need to worry."

"Disciple understands."

Duanmu Sheng and Zhao Yue were both taken aback.

The master clearly knew the fourth junior brother would play around for a few more days.

Everything was under his control!

"Fifth disciple."

"Disciple is here."

"I give you two days to investigate the Celestial Sword Sect, especially their chief disciple Zhou Jifeng."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yue was delighted and said, "Disciple will obey and complete the task!"

Search "pawread dot com" for the original.

Since they intended to subvert, naturally, they had to keep an eye on things.