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"Lady Yuyan, perhaps you don't know," Ruoning said politely, her eyes flicking to the boy standing behind the white-robed woman. "Yino and I grew up together. Back when he was seven, our families arranged a marriage contract. I'm sixteen now, and Yino is also of age. I came here to bring my fiancé home to fulfill our agreement!"

Hearing her dredge up old stories again, Yino instinctively opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Yuyan placed a hand on his wrist and spoke calmly.

"From what I know, the Liu family unilaterally annulled that marriage contract."

"WHAT?!" Ruoning's face froze. "How would you know that?"

"Since you know who I am, it's only natural I'd know who you are," Yuyan replied with a faint, sarcastic smile. Her icy and reserved demeanor softened just enough to reveal a trace of teasing amusement.

Ruoning stared at her, stunned. She had expected snide comments from someone like Jinyue, but Yuyan? A cool and high-ranking sword immortal? She couldn't believe this woman had the audacity to mock her in public.

What's worse, when Yuyan grabbed Yino's wrist earlier, their hands had almost intertwined. That seemed way too intimate!

After Jinyue and Yunjin, Ruoning had developed a complex about girls stealing her man. Those two weaklings somehow managed to charm Yino, and now this drop-dead gorgeous and powerful busty Yuyan showed up. Any advantage Ruoning thought she had was completely gone.

For once, she genuinely panicked.

"But this is a private matter between me and Yino!"

"Private or not, I suggest you mind your limits. If your flashy moves end up injuring my junior, it won't just stay there and watch," Yuyan said coldly, her brows furrowing in a mix of protectiveness and indulgence, as if she were one step away from declaring Yino belonged to her.

Ruoning was livid. She was the dignified daughter of the Liu family, a famous destiny-favored cultivator, and yet here in the Western Region, she couldn't catch a break! Even random fox dared flirt with her fiancé right under her nose.

"Fine, I won't touch him for now!" Ruoning snapped, then suddenly had a lightbulb moment.

She glanced at the entrance to the Azure Forest Secret Realm, her lips curling into a sly smile.

"Yino, you can hide behind women now, but once the secret realm opens and we're inside, let's see how far you can run!"

"?--?"

Yino didn't even have time to respond before Yuyan's expression visibly shifted.

She quickly realized the problem. The secret realm imposed a cultivation limit, meaning Yuyan wouldn't be able to enter. And everyone knew secret realms were lawless zones where strength ruled. If Ruoning decided to do anything to Yino in there, Yuyan would be powerless to stop her.

The thought made Yuyan tense up. She glanced at Yino, mentally calculating his chances against Ruoning.

To be honest... It didn't look good. The gap of half a stage in cultivation was no joke.

After all, this wasn't just any junior disciple—this was the little brother she'd taken under her wing, someone who played chess with her and kept her company when she was bored. If Ruoning dragged him back to Jiangnan to marry him, Yuyan might never get him back.

For the first time in years, Yuyan felt genuinely anxious.

The secret realm could wait until next year, but losing her precious junior disciple for a lifetime? That was unacceptable.

As Yuyan wrestled with her thoughts, a casual laugh broke her concentration.

"But what if we get into the secret realm and you lose? What happens if I end up capturing you instead?"

Yino smirked, completely unfazed, even looking a little excited.

"Hahahaha, Me? Losing to you?!" Ruoning burst out laughing.

If not for Jinyue's earlier warning and Yuyan's sudden intervention, she would've already knocked Yino out with the back of her sword!

After their brief clash, Ruoning had a rough idea of Yino's strength. He couldn't even see through her illusion-based sound field. In the secret realm, with her slipping in and out of illusions, capturing him would be as easy as an eagle catching a chick.

"Forget whether I can beat you. Just tell me, what'll you do if

you

lose?" Yino asked, ignoring her smug expression.

Ruoning crossed her arms with a face full of disdain. "Do whatever you want. The secret realm has no rules anyway."

"Alright," Yino said with a crooked grin. "If I lose, you can take me home to marry. But if

you

lose, then I'll take your purity on the spot."

The moment he said it, Ruoning's face turned bright red. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself and glared at him like he'd just declared himself a villain.

"You... you shameless ppperv--!"

The word

pervert

was on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped halfway, thinking it over.

Wait a second. He wasn't entirely wrong. If she won, she'd take him home and marry him anyway. The wedding night was inevitable, so what difference did it make?

While Ruoning stood there, red-faced and flustered, her embarrassment was short-lived. Yuyan, calm as ever, suddenly pressed down hard on Yino's shoulder, her grip like iron.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Yino yelped. "Senior Sister, I was just talking big to scare her!"

---

Meanwhile, deep within the Azure Forest Secret Realm, a strikingly beautiful young woman with green and white hair and a red and white dress strolled leisurely through the woods.

She casually reached out, summoning a blood-red vine that twisted into a hovering projection by her side. As she walked, her attention was drawn to a group of bickering figures in the image.

Ruan Liuli stopped, zooming in on the projection. Her gaze focused on the teal-haired girl and the black-haired boy at the center of the scene.

"The black-haired one... he must be Yino, the person Jinyue mentioned," she murmured, her long lashes fluttering.

She paused, lips curling into a faint smile. "Jinyue said he's a follower of the Full Moon Mother Goddess. If what she says is true, he was the one who sacrificed Chen Jianxin at the temple and silenced Gu Wanglan afterward."

Her eyes sparked with amusement. "If Yino took an innate Sword Dao Holy Physique that wasn't his, I suppose it's only fair to capture him for questioning."

Her gaze shifted to Ruoning. Stay updated through empire

"As for this so-called fiancée..."

Her smile turned cold, tinged with malice. "She'll make a nice gift for the Full Moon Sect's recruitment."

Turning to the blood-red flowers at her feet, she called out softly, "Children, go on. Prepare to welcome our guests properly as they enter the forest."

The miniature man-eating flowers nodded, giggling mischievously before vanishing into the ground.