The private room was heavy with gloom. In Langya, the Lin Family was the undisputed ruler.
Who would dare offend the Lin Family?
And yet there were two people right in front of them who had even called Lin Xiangliu, a powerful expert, by his full name!
In Langya, Lin Xiangliu was not merely the strongest. He was a legend, a myth.
He was the object of every cultivator's admiration, and the one they dreamed of surpassing.
When Chen Changan and Xuan Wudao spoke of Lin Xiangliu, they were as calm as still water, their tones unruffled.
Nothing about their behavior suggested they were putting on an act.
Lin Ruoheng's brows were knitted tight. Were these two deceiving him, or did they truly know the Lin Family's ancestor?
"Hmph. If you really knew my family's ancestor, you'd know he's been in seclusion for many years."
"How could he meet just anyone who asked?"
Lin Ruoheng gave a cold snort. He decided to test them a little further rather than make a hasty decision.
"He's in seclusion?"
"I really didn't know. After all... it's been a thousand years since I last saw him, and this is my first time in Langya." Chen Changan said mildly.
A thousand years since they last met?
Could this man have known the ancestor a thousand years ago?
But a thousand years ago, Lin Xiangliu had only been a young man.
"I've never met him, either. I've only heard of him."
"I've lived all these years. I wouldn't bother asking after some junior." Xuan Wudao said disdainfully.
What the hell?
This one was even bolder, calling Lin Xiangliu a junior to his face?
Lin Ruoheng could barely take it. Had he really offended two great figures today?
"Please forgive me, seniors. I failed to recognize Mount Tai."
"I was just..." Lin Ruoheng stumbled over his words, at a loss for what to say.
"Forget it. We won't hold it against a junior like you."
"The young lady has already made herself perfectly clear. It's impossible."
"Why keep pestering her?"
"Let her go, and let yourself go, too." Xuan Wudao said impatiently.
"This..."
Clearly, Lin Ruoheng was a lovesick fool. He seemed unable to forget Gu Xian'er.
Who knew what Gu Xian'er had done to make Lin Ruoheng so persistent?
But clearly, Gu Xian'er had no ill intentions. Otherwise, she could have pretended to rely on Lin Ruoheng, waited for an opportunity, and avenged the Gu Family.
Chen Changan just couldn't tell whether Gu Xian'er had never thought of that, disdained doing such a thing, or had some other reason.
Seeing Lin Ruoheng still hesitate, Chen Changan said mildly, "White hair cannot be traded for snow; having met at all is already the best of fortunes."
"Lin Ruoheng, not every love will bear fruit. Perhaps in this life, simply meeting some people is already a rare blessing."
"Don't speak of regret, don't ask what lies ahead. Let each of you be well, and leave each other in peace."
Chen Changan's words sent Lin Ruoheng into deep thought. Gu Xian'er's expression shifted as well, as though she had been moved.
Only Xuan Wudao curled his lip disdainfully.
His gaze toward Chen Changan held some envy, but even more contempt.
"Look at you, acting all profound."
"Pah!"
"You don't even know how to talk like a normal person anymore."
"Da Huang, ignore him. You and I will enjoy ourselves. Let him keep showing off."
Xuan Wudao immediately lost interest in watching the drama. He'd rather get back to having fun.
Meanwhile, Da Huang lay in a young woman's arms, grinning happily, eyes narrowed to slits as he rolled around in her embrace.
Chen Changan couldn't bear to look at the pair of them.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I... will remember it."
"Then I won't disturb you any longer. This junior will take his leave."
"All right. Oh, if Lin Xiangliu comes out of seclusion, tell him to come find me. I have something to ask him."
"This... I'll be sure to pass your message to my elders and ask them to relay it."
Clearly, although Lin Ruoheng belonged to the Lin Family, he wasn't qualified to meet an ancestor like Lin Xiangliu directly.
After Lin Ruoheng left, Gu Xian'er looked at Chen Changan and said gratefully, "Thank you for stepping in to help me, senior."
"It was nothing."
"I'm just... fond of a good story."
"Come on, tell me what happened between you two."
Chen Changan was a good person in every way, except that he loved gossip. Stories he hadn't heard before especially piqued his curiosity.
"This... What would you like to know, senior?" Gu Xian'er asked awkwardly.
"Lots of things. Why did the Lin Family destroy the Gu Family? And if they did, why is Lin Ruoheng, a member of the Lin Family, so devoted to you?"
"You're from the Gu Family. Why not use Lin Ruoheng's position to get revenge?"
"Hmm... why don't you just tell me the whole story?"
Hearing this, Gu Xian'er gave a wry smile. Wasn't he just asking her to explain everything from beginning to end?
"Then... let's go somewhere quieter."
There were other young women from Huan Hua Tower here. Gu Xian'er knew she couldn't stay there much longer, but there were still things they were better off not knowing.
"Sure."
Chen Changan nodded. He had originally meant to ask Xuan Wudao and Da Huang, but seeing the pair of them enjoying themselves so freely, he felt like an idiot for even considering it.
Gu Xian'er led Chen Changan to her room.
A faint fragrance wafted through Gu Xian'er's room. It wasn't overpowering or cloying; instead, it had a calming effect.
The room was decorated very simply. Everything about it seemed out of place in a brothel like this.
Perhaps that was one of the privileges reserved for the courtesan.
"Please, benefactor, have a seat."
"Don't call me your benefactor. I only said a few words."
"Besides, Lin Xiangliu of the Lin Family and I go way back. I wouldn't help you take action against the Lin Family just because you asked." Chen Changan walked over and sat down, speaking with a faint smile.
"You misunderstand, benefactor. Xian'er had no such intention."
"Good."
At Chen Changan's words, Gu Xian'er's expression remained calm. She went over and sat across from him.
"Actually, Lin Ruoheng is just a young master from a collateral branch of the Lin Family."
"And my Gu Family isn't any great clan in Langya, either."
"This all began a year ago..."
As Gu Xian'er told her story, Chen Changan gradually understood what had happened.
Hmm... It was nothing more than a junior of the Gu Family letting something slip, and a member of the Lin Family overhearing.
The branch clan Lin Ruoheng belonged to was the one that had wiped out the Gu Family.
As it happened, Lin Ruoheng and Gu Xian'er had known each other before all this. Lin Ruoheng had secretly fallen for her.
At first, Gu Xian'er couldn't say she liked Lin Ruoheng, but she did have a favorable impression of him.
When the Gu Family was wiped out, Lin Ruoheng had pleaded desperately to save Gu Xian'er's life. But his father feared the two might grow close in the future.
So he ordered that Gu Xian'er never leave Langya again, and spend the rest of her life in a brothel.
That was also meant to stamp out Lin Ruoheng's foolish hopes once and for all. After all, even if he was only from a collateral branch, how could a young master of the Lin Family marry a woman from a brothel?
But unexpectedly, Lin Ruoheng was a lovesick fool, too. He kept pestering Gu Xian'er without end.
"So, Lin Ruoheng really is a lovesick man." Chen Changan said mildly.
"You jest, benefactor. Lin Ruoheng may only be in his early twenties, but there's never been a shortage of women around him."
"His so-called devotion is nothing but unrequited love and wounded pride!"
If Lin Ruoheng had truly been a faithful, devoted man, Gu Xian'er might have hesitated. But Lin Ruoheng had picked up some of the habits of a spoiled young master.
With his status, he could have any girl he fancied. Gu Xian'er was the one exception.
Perhaps that was what stirred the young master's competitiveness and possessiveness.
"Did you never consider using Lin Ruoheng's position to avenge the Gu Family?"
Gu Xian'er had said so much, but never once mentioned revenge or showed any hatred. That made Chen Changan deeply curious.
"I did, but I couldn't do it."
"First, I can't use someone's feelings to achieve my own ends."
"Second, even if I were willing to do that, it wouldn't work."
"Third, while I'm alive, the Gu Family still has descendants. If I die, the Gu Family... will truly cease to exist."
Gu Xian'er was clearheaded. Hatred hadn't robbed her of her reason.
She wanted revenge, but she wouldn't do something she had no confidence in.
"Benefactor, I won't ask you to do anything for me."
"But I... want to take you as my master. Would you accept me?"
Before you continue