…
The law enforcement elder didn't hesitate. With a firm tone and steady steps, he took Su Qing away on the spot. Even if Su Mengyao had wanted to stop him, it was already too late.
The whole scene left the crowd in stunned silence.
The Su family members looked on, dumbfounded.
"Qin Yuan… you…!"
Su Mengyao stared at his retreating back, her chest heaving, her eyes burning with disbelief and rage. Her voice cracked as if she might cough up blood right then and there.
She nearly blurted out an insult, but a hand pulled her back—Yu Ying, her closest friend.
"Mengyao, don't," Yu Ying said quickly. "Everyone's watching."
"Yingying, do you even understand what Qin Yuan just said to me?" Su Mengyao hissed, still trembling. "He said I'm a brainless bitch!What the hell is wrong with him?!"
"He's changed. This isn't the Qin Yuan I knew…"
Yu Ying gently patted her arm. "Calm down. Breathe."
"Think about this from a different angle, okay?" she continued, her voice soft and careful. "Maybe he's not serious. Maybe it's just… playing hard to get."
"Playing… what?" Su Mengyao blinked.
"Playing hard to get," Yu Ying repeated, nodding. "His whole outburst—it might be deliberate. He still likes you, clearly. Didn't he say he'd come to the Su family to cancel the engagement tomorrow?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It means he's waiting," Yu Ying explained with a knowing smile. "If he really wanted to cut ties completely, he could've humiliated you right here, right now. But he didn't. He was cold, sure, but he didn't touch you. That's restraint. Emotional chess."
"He's trying to provoke you. Make you feel like he doesn't care—so you chase after him instead."
Su Mengyao's expression shifted as the gears turned in her head.
"So I just have to hold back for now… let him come to me?"
"Exactly." Yu Ying grinned. "Reverse the pressure. He'll panic first."
"I get it now," Su Mengyao said slowly. "Qin Yuan's acting clever all of a sudden. No way that came from his own brain. Someone around him must've told him to do this."
She scoffed and tossed her hair back, still fuming, but starting to feel in control again.
…
Nearby, Lin Yun overheard their conversation, and his smile froze. His eyes darkened with fury.
"So that's his plan, huh? Playing the long game…"
His fists clenched.
"No matter. Su Mengyao is mine. I won't let him take her back."
His voice was low and cold, barely above a whisper.
"In the sect competition in half a month, I'll beat you fair and square, Qin Yuan. I'll crush you right in front of her."
He exhaled, smiling again—smug, confident, completely unaware of what he was dealing with.
…
Back in the Holy Son Hall, Qin Yuan lounged on a chair, resting lazily with his hands behind his head.
And then, the system spoke.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for changing the original plot. Lin Yun's Luck -3000. Host gains 3000 Villain Points and: Blood Ganoderma x1.]
[Ding! Host has perfectly disrupted the original storyline. Bonus rewards: Holy Spirit Gathering Pill x1, Earth-grade Blood Dragon Sword (Top-tier).]
"Perfectly disrupted, huh?" Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow and stretched.
In front of him, three glowing treasures quietly materialized.
All of them radiated a powerful aura.
His gaze fell on the Blood Ganoderma. A rare treasure—it strengthened blood and qi and could break bottlenecks at critical moments. Extremely valuable.
Next was the Holy Spirit Gathering Pill. No ordinary elixir—this was a sacred-grade pill, impossibly rare, and nearly impossible to refine without deep mastery of alchemy. The kind of treasure that would drive saints into a frenzy.
And finally, the sword.
The Blood Dragon Sword.
Earth-grade, sure—but not just any earth-grade weapon. This blade carried the aura of dragon blood. That meant it had once killed a dragon.
In this world, dragons were akin to gods. Even the weakest of them rivaled saints in power.
For a blade to have slain one… its worth was beyond question.
Compared to the flashy gift the previous Qin Yuan once tried to offer Su Mengyao, this sword wasn't even in the same league. It was so much better.
Qin Yuan grinned.
"Now this is what I call a nice reward."
…
The Sky Holy Land spanned a vast, sacred realm, nestled high in the clouds over the northern part of Tianzhou. The Su family, however, was located far to the south in the remote province of Qingzhou.
Even flying nonstop for months wouldn't get you there.
That's why most disciples returning home opted for the beast sedan chairs—palace-like carriages drawn by powerful monsters.
But today…
"What do you mean I can't take the beast sedan chair? I'm an inner disciple!" Su Mengyao's voice rang out, sharp with disbelief.
She stood in front of the beast stable, locked in a heated argument with an old man guarding the place. Nearby disciples turned to watch the commotion.
"You are qualified," the old man replied coolly, gesturing to the empty station behind him. "But you're late. They're all gone."
There were only twenty beast carriages available, and they were claimed quickly every day. If you weren't there early, tough luck.
Unless, of course, you had the money to hire a mount from the monster stable—though that cost a pile of spirit stones.
Su Mengyao glanced behind the old man and spotted two grand, majestic beast carriages still parked in place, each drawn by a rare, fierce-looking monster.
"What about those two? I ride one of them all the time. Why can't I ride it now? Are you messing with me, old man?"
"Do you even know who I am?"
Snickers broke out from the disciples nearby.
The old man looked at her like she was a fool.
Those two carriages?
They belonged to the Holy Sons.
Only the chosen heirs of the Sky Holy Land were allowed to ride them.
Su Mingyao was indeed aloud to ride them whenever she pleased. With Qin Yuan's as her backing the old man guarding the sedan beasts chairs was usually polite and always respectful to her.
But now…
…