Patrol Prefecture.
Inside the main hall, Lin Chang'an and Zhang Qing sat facing each other, while Qi Feng and Li Han cautiously escorted the two Liu sisters inside.
"Brother Lin, the Liu sisters have been brought."
Elegantly holding a teacup as he drank tea with Zhang Qing, Lin Chang'an did not even lift his eyelids. He merely gave a slight nod to show that he knew, while Li Han and Qi Feng lowered their heads and respectfully withdrew to the side.
Liu Yanran's name sounded like that of a delicate young lady from a noble household, but she was actually dressed in a bamboo-green fitted outfit. Her brows resembled verdant peaks, and though her face was veiled with gauze, it still could not conceal that valiant, spirited bearing.
The other, Liu Feiyu, wore peach-pink robes. She looked around fifteen or sixteen, petite in stature and adorable in appearance, especially her bright, clear eyes brimming with liveliness.
"Brother Lin, Brother Zhang!"
Even with her veil, Liu Yanran could not hide the black thread-like markings on her pale neck. The wounds from the Black Thread Poison were clearly visible. Yet now, she had lost thirty percent of her former pride and gained a measure of composure.
"Junior Sister Liu." Zhang Qing grinned as though he knew nothing at all. He was plainly here to watch the show.
Seeing this, Liu Yanran took a deep breath. She knew that Lin Chang'an was the true principal today. Moreover, before coming here, Li Han and Qi Feng had told her, intimidated by her strength, that Shopkeeper Wang had visited. She had already guessed what was going on.
"Brother Lin, I still haven't finished the Bigu Pills you gave my little sister back then!" The once-proud Liu Yanran had now begun to accept reality, and a smile appeared on her face as she faced Lin Chang'an.
Lin Chang'an was taken aback upon hearing this. Looking at the veiled Liu Yanran before him, a glint flashed through his eyes. The white swan of old had lowered her head; she had finally faced reality.
"Brother Lin." Though still young, Liu Feiyu obediently nodded and offered a salute. Her sister had protected her well, but the recent events had likewise taught her to grow.
Looking at the two of them, Lin Chang'an immediately smiled. With an affable expression, he waved his hand and said, "Since you're already here, let's listen to some music together, Junior Sisters."
With that, Lin Chang'an was about to summon the singers. Liu Yanran took a deep breath. A tiger fallen onto the plains was bullied by dogs. When the Liu family had been in power, these people's gazes had all been full of respect. Now, she had been reduced to such humility.
"Brother Lin, don't joke."
Liu Yanran smiled faintly. Though her expression could not be seen, her calm voice carried a trace of stubborn defiance. After all, who would not feel resentment in her place?
Especially since three heavy bags of Spirit Stones sat on the table before Lin Chang'an, a sight filled with mockery in Liu Yanran's eyes.
"Oh, look at my memory." Lin Chang'an suddenly seemed to recall something and slapped his forehead. Annoyed, he said, "Shopkeeper Wang came by just now and mentioned an issue with that shop?"
This time, Lin Chang'an calmly examined Liu Yanran. If she had not been afflicted with the Black Thread Poison, the Liu family would not have abandoned her. They would not even have been unable to arrange either a live-in son-in-law or a marriage alliance for her, because the Black Thread Poison could... spread.
As for Liu Feiyu, though she was rather pretty, Lin Chang'an ignored her outright. Everyone in the entire Market knew just how worthless Liu Feiyu's aptitude was.
"That's my family's shop!"
The petite Liu Feiyu could not help but blurt out indignantly, but Liu Yanran immediately stopped her with a glare. Wasn't bringing that up now simply asking to be slapped in the face?
Of course, it was also possible that the two sisters were merely putting on a pitiful act.
Yet Lin Chang'an smiled. Before Liu Yanran could speak, he asked in surprise, "Your family's shop?"
"I..." Liu Feiyu stammered, her face flushed red. She was still young, but she knew that continuing would only bring humiliation upon herself.
Seeing Lin Chang'an tease the Liu sisters like this, Zhang Qing muttered to himself. That was enough. He had already taken their shop, and they had suffered enough misfortune. What if Liu Yanran was driven into a corner and leapt over the wall like a dog?
"Brother Lin, that shop was indeed passed down by my mother. It has merely been forcibly seized now. The strong prey upon the weak; that has always been the way of the Cultivation World."
Though Liu Yanran had endured harsh blows, she was also afflicted with the Black Thread Poison now. With a broken jar already shattered, she had nothing to fear. Her strength at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation was no weak matter.
But Lin Chang'an slowly rose to his feet. Looking at Liu Yanran, he shook his head. "Junior Sister Liu, you misunderstand what I mean."
However, Liu Yanran cast a mocking glance at the three heavy bags of Spirit Stones on the table. Lin Chang'an remained utterly frank, not even noticing the look Zhang Qing gave him.
"Junior Sister Liu, if someone wanted to seize your family's shop, the first thing you should know is why!"
As he spoke the final word, Lin Chang'an enunciated it syllable by syllable. Liu Yanran, standing in the main hall, gave a self-mocking smile and said hoarsely, "Why?"
In everyone's eyes, Lin Chang'an had accepted the Wang Family's Spirit Stones and had deliberately come to knock the Liu sisters down a peg. Even the young Liu Feiyu lowered her head, afraid that she would be unable to restrain her anger. Liu Yanran, however, remained calm.
Looking at the deathly emptiness in Liu Yanran's eyes, Lin Chang'an pointed at her with perfect righteousness. "Because your family's shop is valuable!"
"If you don't let them take your family's shop, then you're cutting off their family's path to wealth. How could they not deal with you?"
Being scolded with a finger pointed at her nose, Liu Yanran had once been a genius, after all. She clenched her teeth and raised her head, revealing a mocking smile.
"So it was my fault?"
Liu Yanran's hands were clenched tightly into fists. One could imagine how furious she was inside. Yet Lin Chang'an acted as though he had not understood her mocking words at all. He even slapped the table and said with perfect righteousness, "It was your fault!"
"Think about it. After taking your family's shop, he still had to come here and place a large sum of Spirit Stones in the open for me, so others would know that his business was honest and aboveboard, that he had not forcibly seized anything!"
"And from the shop's actual value, he could only get a small portion." As he said this, Lin Chang'an rubbed his fingers together, indicating that the Wang Family had not gained much advantage from taking the shop.
"And you? You knew the Wang Family had forcibly seized it, yet you said nothing. If you had sent this portion of Spirit Stones over beforehand and explained the matter, I would have done you a favor along the flow of the water. Your family's shop would still be yours. Then you wouldn't have needed swords and blades, right?"
Under Lin Chang'an's shameless reasoning, delivered with such righteous grandeur, Zhang Qing silently lowered his head and drank tea. Li Han and Qi Feng exchanged glances, seeming to feel that it made so much sense they could not refute it.
Liu Yanran had endured it when the shop was seized a few days ago, but this time, she was so angered that her face turned livid. She raised her head and stared straight at Lin Chang'an, saying mockingly, "I have to buy my own family's shop from Brother Lin once more. Yanran understands."
Seeing that Liu Yanran still had not gotten it, believing he wanted to fleece her again, Lin Chang'an angrily set down his teacup and stood. Pointing at her, he said irritably, "You still don't understand!"
Lin Chang'an looked at her as though he hated iron for not becoming steel. Laughing in exasperation, he pointed at himself and said with perfect righteousness, "I, too, was once a youth who sought immortality and longevity with all his heart, letting his passionate blood roam free. But later, I realized that a bellyful of passion was no match for listening to music and refining pills every day."
Lin Chang'an seemed to be speaking of his own past. Then he looked at Liu Yanran again, appreciation in his eyes.
"If you want to accomplish something, if you want to protect your little sister and survive here, come! Learn from me how to listen to music and live free."
Lin Chang'an slapped the table, making the three heavy bags of Spirit Stones sway. He wore the expression of someone doing this for her own good. Zhang Qing's gaze went blank at the sight. Good heavens! This could be done too?
Liu Yanran also seemed to see something now, and a trace of suspicion appeared in her eyes.
Those words! They seemed to carry something beneath the surface!
Sure enough, in the next moment, Lin Chang'an smiled with a determined expression. "Tonight, the two Junior Sisters Liu shall listen to music here. It has been a long time since this Prefecture was this lively."
Under that meaningful gaze, Zhang Qing at the side seemed to understand something.
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