The Whole Story

Hearing Xu Yuanbai's name, Shi Lan nodded in surprise. "We've had some dealings. Do you know him?"

"Did you have a conflict with him at Yunsheng Restaurant the day before yesterday? I heard you even had someone beat him so badly he was seriously injured. Could you tell me what happened?"

Since when had Xu Yuanbai become so capable? He'd actually gotten Lu Yueqing this invested in him. Shi Lan was wondering about it when she suddenly noticed that Lu Yueqing was less than three feet away. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted over to her.

The close distance made Shi Lan uneasy. For some reason, she felt as though Lu Yueqing had changed—she no longer seemed as easy to get along with as she had a moment ago.

"Xu Yuanbai spoke out of turn and showed disrespect to the Eldest Young Master, so I taught him a lesson. If Miss Lu is interested, you can ask me about it." A clear, resonant voice came from behind Lu Yueqing.

The smile vanished from Lu Yueqing's face. She turned toward the young man in black who had spoken, a trace of undisguised shock in her eyes.

He had entered within ten paces of her without making a sound. If he hadn't spoken up of his own accord, she still wouldn't have noticed him.

At the Xiantian Realm, ten paces was practically within arm's reach. If he had launched a surprise attack just now, he could have gravely wounded her—or even killed her outright.

His strength, combined with the fact that he didn't look much older than her, spoke volumes about his extraordinary talent.

"May I ask who you are?" A hint of caution flashed in Lu Yueqing's eyes.

"I am Shi Feng, currently the Eldest Young Master's guard." Shi Feng clasped his hands in greeting, then went to stand beside Shi Lan.

"A guard?" Lu Yueqing found the idea absurd. Were the people at Shi Mansion really so numerous and talented that someone like him could be merely a guard? And he was protecting someone with a naturally crippled constitution, no less.

With Shi Feng beside her, Shi Lan's unease eased somewhat. After taking a moment to gather herself, she spoke slowly. "Miss Lu, someone as exceptional as you deserves better than an ordinary person like me. Why don't we call off this engagement? What do you think?"

Shi Lan had no choice. As the legitimate eldest son of the Shi Clan, she was a fake through and through. How could she truly marry and have children? Especially with a woman like Lu Yueqing, whose family background and talents were both top-notch?

Better to cut the knot cleanly now than get tangled up in it later.

At her words, Lu Yueqing turned her gaze back to Shi Lan. "May I ask one last question?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"There's a rumor that you prefer men. Is it true?" Lu Yueqing glanced at Shi Feng, her meaning clear.

"???"

Shi Lan froze. When she understood, she shook her head like a rattle. "A rumor! It's absolutely a rumor!"

Even though she was a woman now, that couldn't possibly change her sexual orientation. Not unless her entire worldview was torn down and rebuilt from scratch.

"Then there's no problem." A smile returned to Lu Yueqing's face. "For now, I don't want to call off the engagement."

"Why?" Shi Lan couldn't understand. From any angle, she couldn't see why Lu Yueqing would be happy with this engagement.

"Although our engagement wasn't arranged by a matchmaker, it was decreed by our parents. A parent's decree can't be casually disobeyed; it's not something I can cancel just because I say so. Besides, I don't know enough about you yet. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to decide so hastily whether to honor the engagement."

"But..."

Before Shi Lan could finish, Lu Yueqing spoke again:

"We've only just met today. If I cancel the engagement, people will surely think I'm chasing profit and looking down on your naturally crippled constitution—that the Lu Clan unilaterally broke the engagement. It would damage my reputation."

Shi Lan sighed helplessly. "Then what do you want, Miss Lu?"

"We can discuss the engagement later. I'd like to get to know you better before making a decision. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

"Of course not. But someone like you, Miss Lu, would be marrying someone with a naturally crippled constitution like mine. Wouldn't you feel wronged?"

In the Lingyang Realm, strength mattered most. With Lu Yueqing's talent, how could she willingly marry someone with a crippled constitution?

"I don't need my future husband to be powerful or exceptionally talented. Compared to those things, I care more about his character." Lu Yueqing's voice was no longer gentle; it was crisp and firm.

Those words came straight from Lu Yueqing's heart. She didn't care about talent or strength, because her own talent was already exceptional, and she would grow powerful in time.

She didn't want to be like ordinary women, seeking a strong man's protection and living like a canary in a cage. She wanted to walk the path of martial arts hand in hand with her future husband.

Lu Yueqing had never worried about Shi Lan's naturally crippled constitution. The Lingyang Realm was vast, and elixirs capable of bringing the dead back to life or reversing yin and yang were hardly unheard of. Surely, there were medicines that could change one's aptitude.

Even if she couldn't find one now, there would always be a chance in the future.

Besides such elixirs, she had also heard of heaven-defying methods that could replace one's blood and marrow and reshape one's fate.

Once all these external factors were set aside, character was the only measure Lu Yueqing used to judge her future husband.

Since yesterday, Lu Yueqing had been asking around about Shi Lan's past. Naturally, all she'd heard was one-sided negativity.

According to the townsfolk, Shi Lan was a dissolute young master who committed every evil under the sun—utterly depraved and beyond contempt.

But whenever she asked them to describe Shi Lan's specific misdeeds, they all fell silent, offering only, "I heard it from so-and-so."

So Lu Yueqing had made a special trip to see Xu Yuanbai. After all, that was probably the only "misdeed" for which there was solid evidence and plenty of witnesses.

But by the time she reached the Xu Clan, the place was empty. They had left Tenglong City.

All these unusual signs had made Lu Yueqing curious about what kind of person Shi Lan really was.

From the moment they met today, Lu Yueqing had become certain that Shi Lan wasn't a bad person—not nearly as loathsome as the rumors claimed.

The Lu Clan was large, and its members were complicated. Naturally, a few dissolute young masters had cropped up among them, and Lu Yueqing had met such people before.

Those young masters always acted meek and respectful in front of her, but she could still see the viciousness and restlessness lurking in their eyes.

Shi Lan gave her no such impression. She seemed gentle, even harmless, and there wasn't a trace of anything that made Lu Yueqing uncomfortable.

As far as first impressions went, Shi Lan had passed.

During the string of questions that followed, Lu Yueqing had been applying a kind of invisible pressure, trying to draw out Shi Lan's most genuine reactions.

The result had satisfied her quite well.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes! ε-(｀;). Sorry I haven't been able to reply in the review section. The author's been a little busy lately, but I definitely won't miss my two updates a day, hehe. Rolling around and begging for more recommendation votes!