The Lin family’s main hall.
The members of the Lin family were engaged in heated discussion, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Liu Ruyan.
In their eyes, faced with Lin Langwu’s heavy, forceful attack, Liu Ruyan would be seriously injured even if she managed to survive.
Seeing that Liu Ruyan had no intention of dodging, the corners of Lin Langwu’s mouth curled into a smile, as though she had already been reduced to a cripple.
The next instant—
Bang!
A heavy, muffled crash rang out, sending a violent gust of air sweeping through the Lin family’s hall.
Liu Ruyan’s figure remained as upright as ever. She stood exactly where she had been, as steady as Mount Tai.
Meanwhile, Lin Langwu, a direct descendant of the Lin family, was sent flying backward and slammed heavily into the floor of the main hall.
Liu Ruyan calmly withdrew her palm, her face cold and indifferent, as though none of this had anything to do with her.
“How is this possible? Am I seeing things?”
Everyone in the hall was stunned by the sight. They stared at Liu Ruyan in disbelief.
She had defeated Lin Langwu, who was in the early Qi Condensation Stage, with a single move. It was simply too incredible.
Liu Ruyan took in everyone’s reactions, and a trace of smugness faintly surfaced in the depths of her eyes.
Even Lin Langtian, who had remained silent nearby, secretly nodded.
To accomplish this at her age, Liu Ruyan’s talent was indeed astonishing.
While everyone was still in shock, Ye Wushuang took a light sip of the hot tea on the table.
Lin Aotian, who was sitting beside her, heard the sound and looked at her nervously. “Miss Wushuang, this…”
“Family Head Lin, this tea truly is an exceptionally fine spirit tea,” Ye Wushuang said indifferently.
To the future empress, Liu Ruyan, challenging opponents above her cultivation level was nothing extraordinary. Never mind a mere cultivator in the early Qi Condensation Stage—even someone in the next realm, the True Essence Stage, might not be a match for Liu Ruyan.
“Miss Wushuang, please forgive my lapse,” Lin Aotian said with a slight bow, realizing that he had lost his composure.
“It’s nothing.” Ye Wushuang waved her hand, indicating that she did not mind.
Only then did Lin Aotian breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, his dissatisfaction with Liu Ruyan deepened.
“Ye Wushuang, if you’re a woman, then face me in an honorable duel. What’s the point of hiding behind a man?”
Liu Ruyan looked at Ye Wushuang with undisguised disgust.
She had long disliked spoiled young ladies like Ye Wushuang, who knew nothing except how to rely on their family’s influence.
“Miss Ye, this woman is cunning and treacherous. Would you like us to take action on your behalf and capture her?” Lin Aotian asked obsequiously.
“No need. I’ve always believed in winning people over through virtue,” Ye Wushuang rejected him without hesitation.
What a joke. Liu Ruyan had an immensely powerful master backing her from inside that ring. Never mind Ye Wushuang—even if everyone present joined forces, they might not be a match for her master. If they forcibly captured Liu Ruyan, they might instead provoke the existence behind her into taking action.
“Hahaha!”
Liu Ruyan seemed to have heard something hilarious. “You, Ye Wushuang, winning people over through virtue? Go to hell! Wasn’t this marriage alliance forced upon the Lin family by you?”
Ye Wushuang was completely unfazed. “Are you here to make a joke? If Lin Langtian doesn’t marry me, is he supposed to marry you? What are you, exactly?”
After a pause, Ye Wushuang continued, “Besides, are you really sure that Lin Langtian has you in his heart?”
Everyone present felt that Ye Wushuang had gone mad and was spouting complete nonsense.
Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Langtian and Liu Ruyan were a match made in heaven. They were both talented and attractive, while Ye Wushuang was nothing more than a spoiled young lady who caused trouble for no reason. The disciples of the Lin family knew perfectly well who was superior.
“She really is the Second Young Lady of the Ye family—she can turn black into white and white into black.”
“Shh! Do you want to die?”
“Actually, I think the Second Young Lady of the Ye family and Young Master Lin make quite a good match.”
“What do you know? Miss Liu and Young Master Lin grew up together. They love each other, and the Second Young Lady of the Ye family is nothing more than a willful girl who forced her way between them.”
“That said, Miss Liu’s background really is worlds apart from Miss Ye’s… So I’m siding with Miss Liu this time.”
Hearing the whispers around her, Ye Wushuang was speechless. Her predecessor’s reputation was truly awful—so awful that hardly anyone was willing to speak up for her.
“What a sharp tongue you have, Ye Wushuang. Is all you can do trade insults?” Liu Ruyan said.
“The reason Lin Langtian agreed to marry you was because he was pressured by the Famous Sword Manor, not because he wanted to. Is this the sort of underhanded deed your Ye family specializes in?”
With those words, she directed all the blame toward the Ye family.
The crowd erupted into another uproar, and many people turned their eyes toward Ye Wushuang once more.
Yet Ye Wushuang remained perfectly calm, as though Liu Ruyan’s words had not affected her in the slightest.
To be honest, Ye Wushuang really disliked the protagonists of Spirit Realm Continent.
They always insisted that their actions had to be justified by some grand principle, and they loved to place themselves on the moral high ground while condemning others.
Yet they often followed their own set of standards and logic, giving people the impression that they were contradicting themselves. It was a classic case of holding others to one standard while holding themselves to another.
Now Liu Ruyan had laid out the truth in the most blatant way possible, presenting herself as a righteous woman standing up to stop Ye Wushuang from doing evil and firmly placing herself on the moral high ground.
“Lin Langtian is right here. Do you dare let him answer for himself?” Liu Ruyan calmly swept her gaze across the crowd.
She had absolute confidence in her relationship with Lin Langtian. As for Ye Wushuang, she regarded her as nothing more than a clown.
Her Brother Lin Langtian had shared ten years of affection with her. How could an outsider possibly interfere?
Seeing Liu Ruyan press the matter further and further, Lin Aotian’s expression gradually darkened.
Now that things had reached this point, how could they convince everyone if they did not let Lin Langtian speak? How could the Lin family continue to hold its head high in Clear River City?
“Sigh.”
Just then, Ye Wushuang let out a faint sigh and slowly rose to her feet.
“Since you insist, I’m not an unreasonable person either.”
Ye Wushuang’s gaze swept across the entire hall before finally settling on Lin Langtian.
“Lin Langtian, I’ll give you one chance. In front of everyone here, tell me—do you like Liu Ruyan?”
Ye Wushuang had played a small trick with her question. She had directed it at Liu Ruyan rather than at herself.
After all, to the Demon Emperor, Lin Langtian, matters of love were nothing more than fleeting clouds.
At those words, a confident smile appeared on Liu Ruyan’s lips.
Lin Langtian looked at Ye Wushuang, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
In his previous life, he had been the Demon Emperor who ruled the Southern Region. No one had ever dared speak to him like this.
Unfortunately, he had only recently awakened his memories, and his cultivation was currently limited to the peak of the Qi Condensation Stage.
Otherwise, Ye Wushuang would already have been a cold corpse before him.
Lin Langtian had always held some affection for Liu Ruyan. Her stepping forward for his sake this time had stirred a faint ripple in his heart—a feeling he had never experienced in either of his two lives.
Just as Lin Langtian was about to speak, Ye Wushuang silently said in her heart, “Use the Preference-Conversion Talisman.”
Within the system’s storage space, the Preference-Conversion Talisman vanished into thin air.
“Ding! Orientation Conversion Talisman activated successfully. Target: Lin Langtian. Effect duration: one month.”
The system’s notification chime rang out.
“A-Tian, things have come to this, so there’s no need to hide anything anymore. Just tell the truth.”
Liu Ruyan gazed at Lin Langtian with deep affection. Memories of their sweet past came flooding back, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
