Especially after Ye Qingyun learned that
Liu Ruyan had actually been stripped of her Spiritual Root
by that beast Qin Anlan,
and had had her Skyflame Phoenix Blood extracted.
Her cultivation had even been crippled, reducing her to a cripple.
Ye Qingyun was filled with grief and indignation, so furious that his lungs nearly exploded.
He only felt that Qin Anlan had pressed his dignity to the ground and rubbed it back and forth.
For a man, there were two great hatreds that were impossible to erase.
The hatred of a murdered father.
The hatred of having one's wife stolen.
What he and Qin Anlan shared was precisely the irreconcilable hatred of a stolen wife.
"Ruyan, I hope you can hold on. No matter how much hardship and suffering you endure, you must stay alive."
"So what if the Liu Family is gone? So what if both your parents are dead?"
"Your Senior Brother Ye will never abandon you. I will also become your final support."
Ye Qingyun knew very well that if he did not save Liu Ruyan, Qin Anlan would certainly torture her until she wished she were dead.
But with his current strength, even if he gave it his all, it would be like a cup of water against a cartload of firewood.
Nor could he confront Qin Anlan head-on for Liu Ruyan's sake, or oppose the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate that stood like Mount Tai.
He understood even more clearly that besides Liu Ruyan, there was someone else at this very moment who surely needed his comfort.
That person was none other than Liu Ruyan's elder sister, Liu Ruxue.
Upon learning that her parents had been killed, her Lineage destroyed, and her younger sister had fallen into Qin Anlan's hands to suffer a fate worse than death, Liu Ruxue would surely fall into utter despair as well.
He had to seize the opportunity, win Liu Ruxue's heart, and embrace the beauty in his arms.
With that thought, Ye Qingyun no longer hesitated and headed for Liu Ruxue's palace.
Heavenly Firmament Academy, the dean's palace.
"What? Esteemed Dean, First Prince, what did you say?"
"Not only can you not help my Liu Family avenge our blood feud, you even want me to become Qin Anlan's maidservant."
"Why? Why is this happening?"
Liu Ruxue let out a hysterical roar.
Just moments ago, she had come to see the Esteemed Dean and the First Prince with complete confidence.
She had hoped that the two of them could uphold justice for her and avenge the Liu Family's blood feud.
Yet she had learned from the Esteemed Dean that
not only would Heavenly Firmament Academy stay out of the Liu Family's affairs and refuse to intervene,
they even intended to give her, Liu Ruxue, to Qin Anlan.
Liu Ruxue could not understand why such a reversal of right and wrong, such confusion of black and white, had happened.
After all, the people standing before her were no ordinary individuals.
One was the dean of Heavenly Firmament Academy, the current Left Prime Minister, the man who commanded all civil and military officials.
The other was the First Prince of the Heavenly Flame Empire, of incomparably noble status.
Why would they fear a mere Qin Anlan?
They were even willing to sacrifice her, Liu Ruxue, just to calm Qin Anlan's wrath.
An elderly man with snow-white hair and a refined air sat in the seat of honor.
The old man was the dean of Heavenly Firmament Academy, as well as the head of the current court officials, Lord Left Prime Minister.
When the Left Prime Minister saw Liu Ruxue's hysterical screaming, his expression remained unruffled. He merely shook his head and said,
"The conflict between the Liu Family and the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate is already clear to this old man."
"Forgive my bluntness, but the Liu Family's disaster was entirely brought upon yourselves."
"Heavenly Firmament Academy is one of the four great academies of the Heavenly Flame Empire. It serves the entire Heavenly Flame Empire, and this old man will not harm the academy for personal gain."
"As for granting you to the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo as a maidservant, that was not this old man's doing. It was the Empress's Imperial Decree, and this old man could only comply."
The Empress's Imperial Decree?
The Left Prime Minister's words left Liu Ruxue completely stunned.
The Empress was protecting Qin Anlan too?
Not only was she protecting Qin Anlan, she even wanted to grant her to her enemy as a maidservant.
Was this not sprinkling salt upon Liu Ruxue's wounds, making her pain even more unbearable?
She opened her mouth, as though her delicate lips wanted to say something.
In the end, she could only turn her gaze toward the First Prince, her face full of pleading.
"First Prince, I beg you, please help me."
"As long as you are willing to help me avenge my blood feud, I, Liu Ruxue, am willing to serve the First Prince for the rest of my life. I would be your servant or your maid without hesitation."
"I... I..."
Xuanyuan Xiong Ba opened his mouth, wanting to agree.
But when he saw the trace of resolute determination in the Left Prime Minister's eyes,
he could not help shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help you with this matter."
"Haha..."
"So all you great figures fear Qin Anlan's tyrannical power."
"To curry favor with Qin Anlan, you do not hesitate to sacrifice a weak woman like me."
Liu Ruxue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and let out a mad laugh.
"Since you are unwilling to help me, I, Liu Ruxue, have no need for you either."
"Just wait. Sooner or later, I will make all of you regret this."
After leaving behind those harsh words, Liu Ruxue staggered away.
Xuanyuan Xiong Ba watched helplessly as Liu Ruxue's back disappeared from his sight.
His heart was filled with a bitterness beyond words.
Liu Ruxue was the only woman who had ever moved Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's heart.
Yet he could only watch helplessly as she suffered and as the Liu Family was destroyed by Qin Anlan.
Not only could he not help Liu Ruxue, he even had to watch her fall into Qin Anlan's clutches.
"First Prince, please remember one thing."
"You still bear a burden of a thousand jin and must shoulder heavy responsibilities. Never let a woman obstruct your steps."
Noticing the desolation in Xuanyuan Xiong Ba's eyes, the Left Prime Minister kindly offered a reminder.
"Thank you for your instruction, Master. This disciple will remember it well."
Xuanyuan Xiong Ba respectfully bowed to the Left Prime Minister, and determination returned to his eyes.
He still had grand ambitions left unfulfilled.
He would never allow a mere woman to corrode his resolve.
Much less would he provoke a powerful enemy because of a woman.
Elsewhere.
Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.
After returning from the Empress's bedchamber, Qin Anlan entered the Secret Chamber once more to cultivate.
Of course, Qin Anlan was not some cultivation maniac.
While cultivating, he naturally had to come out and enjoy life as well.
That enjoyment was nothing else.
It was going to have a deep exchange with Liu Ruyan, to relax its entire body.
At first, Liu Ruyan resisted relentlessly.
She looked as though she would rather die than live, determined to fight Qin Anlan to the death.
Although Qin Anlan had never handled pork in his previous life,
as a veteran shut-in, he had already watched hundreds upon thousands of films.
He had long understood certain matters perfectly and only lacked an opportunity to put them into practice.
All his theoretical knowledge was put to use on Liu Ruyan.
As the saying went, affection grew with time.
Over time, he had already conquered Liu Ruyan completely.
Not only physically, but Liu Ruyan's heart had also been crushed bit by bit by Qin Anlan.
Every so often, Qin Anlan would visit Liu Ruyan and torment her until she was half dead.
The guards stationed outside the bedchamber looked at Qin Anlan with boundless reverence in their eyes.
Their Young Lord's prowess was unprecedented through the ages, rarely seen in this world.
A real man!
The Young Lord was the true real man.
Though they had not witnessed the famous scenes within the bedchamber, and did not even dare to peek,
whenever Qin Anlan entered, whether deliberately or because he had overlooked it,
he did not set up a soundproofing array inside.
As a result, the guards outside could hear every sound within clearly.
At first came a torrent of curses, condemning Qin Anlan's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Before long, it became pleading for mercy on bended knees.
Until at last, there was no sound at all.
She had probably fainted to death.
Only then did Qin Anlan leave the bedchamber, thoroughly pleased with himself.
If it had only happened once or twice, no one would have been surprised.
After all, sometimes extraordinary performances were possible.
But if you performed extraordinarily every single time, that meant you truly possessed such ability.
It also made the many guards secretly raise their thumbs in praise of their Young Lord.
Before you continue