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[Warm my dear husband's bed...]

Just thinking about those words made Ruoning's heart itch uncomfortably. For ten years, every time she recalled that scene, she'd toss and turn all night, unable to sleep.

Even saying it in private would take all her courage, yet now Yino was insisting she announce it in front of a crowd!

"You..."

Yino smirked, shaking his head as if he were truly disappointed.

"A person without integrity is unworthy of trust."

"If you can't even honor a bet from ten years ago, why should I bother dueling you again?"

He stood there, acting as if he were taking the moral high ground, ruthlessly shaming her.

"You—!"

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Ruoning was furious, but she couldn't come up with a good response.

After thinking for a moment, she shot back, "If I admit defeat and say it now, would you agree to come back to Jiangnan and marry me?"

This little brat seemed to have gotten smarter, dodging the main issue and trying to haggle with me instead.

Yino froze for a second. Considering that his career in the Wuji Sect was currently on the rise, he averted his gaze and said shamelessly, "First, you need to fulfill the bet from ten years ago. Only then will you have the right to negotiate with me. After that, I'll consider whether or not to go back with you."

"Then how about a compromise?"

Ruoning wasn't ready to give up. She hurried to catch up with him. "If I say what you want, then you agree to duel me. And if you lose, you have to come back to Jiangnan and marry me!"

"Say it in front of everyone first. Then we'll talk," Yino replied, turning his head away.

"Yino! You just don't want to marry me, do you?"

Ruoning was no longer the gullible seven-year-old who could be easily coaxed by him. She could clearly see the resistance in Yino's expression.

She couldn't figure it out. What was so hard about getting married? It was just a wedding, walking through a few ceremonial steps, and spending the wedding night together. In her mind, the whole thing could be wrapped up in half a month.

But Yino was dodging her just like his father had.

She was the daughter of the prestigious Liu family—beautiful beyond compare, blessed with extraordinary talent, and childhood friends with Yino. Who in the world could possibly be a better match for him than her?

Was it those two nosy girls hiding behind the stone block, watching the drama unfold?

The thought made her furious, and she turned around to glare at the two young women.

"Uh...?"

Yunjin froze, her face blanked. As a small cultivator from a rural village still in the Foundation Establishment stage, she immediately started trembling under Ruoning's sharp glare.

Beside her, Jinyue raised an eyebrow. She could tell Ruoning's glare was filled with hostility, so she stuck out her tongue and made a mocking face in return.

That set Ruoning off.

"You fox demon! What are you so smug about?"

"Huh?"

Jinyue jerked in surprise. For a moment, she thought Ruoning had some kind of magical vision that let her see she was a foxdemon.

But she quickly realized Ruoning was just using "fox" as an insult.

"That's it! I'm done!"

"This crazy woman can call Yino, the heartless bastard, whatever she wants. But why am I, an innocent bystander, getting dragged into this?"

Jinyue's fighting spirit ignited at Ruoning's disdainful glare. She grabbed Yunjin's hand without warning and dragged her straight toward Yino.

Before Yunjin could even react, Jinyue had already reached Yino's side. She provocatively grabbed his hand right in front of Ruoning.

"You….!"

Ruoning assumed Jinyue was flaunting their handholding and immediately turned red with anger, ready to lash out.

But before she could say a word, Jinyue took it a step further. She raised Yino's hand and gently pressed her cheek against his palm, rubbing against it like a spoiled kitten.

"So what if I'm a fox? My benefactor loves pampering little foxes!"

Jinyue's voice was filled with smug satisfaction, her enchanting eyes brimming with playful defiance.

And she didn't stop there. She glanced at Yunjin and dragged her into the act.

"Yunjin, don't you agree?"

"Ah... uh..."

Yunjin blinked, her head tilting slightly as a single strand of hair stood upright. The innocent girl had never experienced this level of chaos before. She thought Jinyue's teasing earlier was bad enough, but now she realized that was nothing compared to how ruthless Jinyue could be when dealing with an outsider like Ruoning.

"Y-Yes, you're right..."

After a brief pause, Yunjin instinctively followed Jinyue's lead. She mimicked her actions, grabbing Yino's other hand and pressing her face against it.

For a moment, Ruoning stood there, dumbfounded by the blatant provocation.

She was completely at a loss. Growing up in the Grand Tutor's Mansion, she was always the one scolding others. No one her age had ever dared to openly challenge her, let alone fight her for a man!

At some point, Ruoning's gaze shifted back to Yino.

She bit her lip gently, her stunningly beautiful face still carrying a fierce, cold expression. But her puffed-up cheeks and furrowed brows made her look like she was sulking, almost as if she felt wronged and was hoping Yino would say something to defend her.

But just like ten years ago, during their duel, Yino completely ignored her. Instead, he did something even more outrageous.

He wrapped an arm around Jinyue's slender waist, pulling her close.

"?!"

This time, the first person to be shocked wasn't the now-fuming Ruoning. It was Jinyue, who suddenly found herself in Yino's grip.

Because that hand of his wasn't just resting on her waist—it was wandering dangerously low!

"0///0!"

Jinyue looked up at him, her previously smug expression turning bright red with embarrassment.

She tried to get an explanation from him, but just like how he had ignored Ruoning earlier, Yino didn't bother giving her an answer either. Instead, he casually gave her a playful slap on the butt.

Smack!

"

Eeyaaah

~!"

Jinyue's body trembled, and a soft, involuntary gasp escaped her lips.

To be fair, Yino hadn't slapped her butt that hard, but for Jinyue, the sensation of his palm and fingers on her sensitive curves made her hyper-aware of the contact. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. Originally, she'd only stepped in to provoke Ruoning, but she'd completely forgotten that the most shameless person in this situation was actually Yino!

"Yino, you…you…. you bastard!"