Kneeling and Kowtowing

At this moment, Chu Youwei's legs seemed to have been nailed in place. She could neither take a step nor kneel, and her entire body felt stiff.

She was, after all, a woman. Even though she was nominally engaged to "Lin Liyun," she knew perfectly well that this marriage was merely an excuse to shake off Luo Tianfu. Even if it had been real, before she had even married into the family, kneeling in public to save someone would undoubtedly damage her reputation. For all she knew, she might even be saddled with all sorts of ugly slanders.

But then she thought of Lin Xiaowan's heart-rending pain at losing her brother, and of how, once this engagement was gone, she would have to endure all manner of Luo Tianfu's vile clutches again...

Chu Youwei could not help but waver.

Are you kneeling or not?! If you don't, I'll reveal the final spot that needs mending! By then, it'll be too late to kneel!

Ji Lanxin's cold, mocking warning rang through Chu Youwei's mind once more.

Under that pressure, Chu Youwei clenched her teeth in desperation and knelt before Ji Lanxin in full view of the crowd. Answering her demand, she began kowtowing against the incomparably hard ground. "Miss Ji, please slow the mending of the array."

Chu Youwei slammed her forehead heavily against the ground, knocking it until blood seeped from her brow.

Because Ji Lanxin had been mending the array, quite a few onlookers had already gathered nearby. The sight of Chu Youwei kowtowing in public immediately stirred countless discussions among the crowd.

"This young miss of the Chu Family really can throw away her dignity. She actually knelt before someone in public for a man. Has she gone mad from wanting a man?"

"I heard she was fooling around with Second Young Master Luo not long ago. Maybe she gave herself to him and doesn't want to miss out on that honest man from the Lin Family."

"But this young miss of the Ji Family is really something too. The girl has already kowtowed herself into this state, yet she remains completely unmoved."

"Could these two have some sort of grudge? Don't tell me they fought over a man?"

At first, hearing all the gossip and insults directed at Chu Youwei filled Ji Lanxin's heart with delight. But when she suddenly heard a few remarks involving herself, her face immediately darkened. Seeing that Chu Youwei's forehead was now red, bloody, and swollen, her once delicate and lovely features utterly ruined, she could no longer be bothered to keep making things difficult for her.

After enjoying the sight of Chu Youwei delivering another heavy kowtow, she finally spoke in an unhurried manner.

"We both came from Profound Gold City. What are you doing this for? You really mustn't do this."

Ji Lanxin looked at Chu Youwei with feigned innocence and purity, completely framing the kneeling and kowtowing as Chu Youwei's own shameless, voluntary act regardless of status, further cementing the impression that she had debased herself without dignity.

That scene only made even more people look down on Chu Youwei, and they spat curses at her one after another.

Chu Youwei's face turned ashen. In her heart, she despised Ji Lanxin's hypocritical face beyond measure, but she did not stop kowtowing. She knew that what Ji Lanxin wanted was precisely this sense of vanity from freely playing with her in the palm of her hand, this humiliation imposed upon her to flaunt Ji Lanxin's own nobility.

Lu Feng was still trapped within a Sword Stele. Though he sensed Chu Youwei's humiliation and dire circumstances, waves upon waves of sword intent kept blasting toward him, leaving him with no spare strength to interfere with what was happening outside.

Not far from where Lu Feng stood, a woman in a purple gown, voluptuous, seductive, and bewitching, had been staring at him intently for quite some time.

"Sis, are you interested in that man?"

The gaunt man beside her, barely in his twenties, asked curiously.

Hearing this, the alluring, graceful woman in purple, exuding the distinctive charm of a mature woman from head to toe, raised a hand and extended a slender jade-like finger. She lightly brushed her crimson lips with her fingertip, revealing a meaningful, seductive smile. "You know I like this sort of thing. The more a little couple claims their love is stronger than gold, willing to die for each other, the more I enjoy it. The more I like tearing them apart, watching them misunderstand each other, watching their feelings break down, watching them tear off all pretense and quarrel. This thing called love is the cheapest and least steadfast thing in the world."

As she spoke more heatedly, a trace of madness involuntarily surfaced in her eyes.

The man laughed. "But Sis, that guy looks barely over twenty. He even seems younger than me, while you're eight or nine years older than him. You can still bring yourself to make a move?"

The seductive, wicked woman shot him a displeased glare. "You men of the Limitless Sect are allowed to play with young girls and little sisters, so why can't your sister here have a taste of a little brother?"

"Of course, of course," the man flattered her repeatedly. "But Sis, don't play too wildly. Remember your identity. If you end up getting yourself dragged into it, that'll be a huge problem."

"Do you need to tell me that? Do I look like someone without restraint?" The woman rolled her eyes at him irritably, then said with some pride, "The men your sister has played with over the years are no fewer than the women you've ruined!"

The man gave a wicked smile. At the word "play," a flicker of lust rose in his eyes. His wolfish gaze casually swept toward the distant Chu Youwei, sizing up her graceful, curvaceous body from head to toe. He swallowed and said, "Since Sis wants to play with and split up this little lovebird pair, then this girl..."

The alluring woman's face darkened, and she said sternly, "Put away those crooked, wicked thoughts of yours. That woman is the prey of the Second Young Master of the Luo Family. Don't provoke someone you shouldn't."

A trace of apprehension appeared on the man's face. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw a furtive man sneaking toward Lu Feng, a cold blade gleaming in his hand. He changed his words instead. "Sis, it seems quite a few people have their eyes on your prey."

The woman's face sank. Spiritual energy surged around her as she charged at the man attempting the ambush without another word.

When the would-be attacker saw someone interfering, he considered it for a moment and chose not to strike. Instead, he turned back with a grim face and left the forest of steles.

Seeing his cowardly retreat, the alluring woman smiled with disdain and contempt, her seductive charm spilling forth.

Seeing that Lu Feng was still comprehending the sword intent within the stele, the woman exchanged a few simple words with her companion before choosing to remain alone at Lu Feng's side, secretly working out a plan to forcefully tear apart the lovebirds.

Meanwhile, Chu Youwei's forehead was already drenched in blood from her kowtowing.

Just as Ji Lanxin was pretending to be unable to bear it and was about to stop her, someone finally could not hold back and stepped forward.

"Isn't Miss Ji going too far by playing with someone like this?!"

Ji Lanxin's face darkened. Seeing that the speaker was merely a green youth, she could not even be bothered to respond. But when she noticed the distinctive attire of the Five Elements Sect and several somewhat familiar soul masters standing beside him, she recognized him as Jin Chengmu of the Golden Thunder Temple. She then replied with feigned helplessness and reluctance, "She's doing all this willingly. This young miss never forced her."

As she spoke, she deliberately warned Chu Youwei, who was kneeling on the ground. "Tell them, did I force you?"

"No." Chu Youwei replied bitterly, her voice carrying a hint of weakness.

"Fine," Ji Lanxin said with a smile of feigned good cheer. "For the sake of the Chu Family's young miss being so eager to save her man, let us pause for a moment."

Among the array masters mending the array afterward, most saw that Chu Youwei was nearly kowtowing herself to death and, out of compassion, agreed to the request for a pause. Only an elderly man remained displeased and grim-faced, cursing in dissatisfaction. "Pause for what?! There's only the final spot left. If we pause now, there's no telling what other mistakes might arise. We've all worked so hard for so long—how can we let you pause just because you say so?!"