In a corner, Heavenly Hatred True Lord and Changqingzi stood with their heads bowed, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
For the past two days, the women in the courtyard had been like powder kegs ready to explode at the slightest spark.
Even Yun Sheng, who sat resting with her eyes closed in a bamboo chair, radiated fierce sword qi that warned everyone to keep their distance.
Creak-
The carved wooden door to the master bedroom swung open.
Dressed in simple casual clothes, Chen Lin stepped out with his hands in his pockets.
The deathly silence in the courtyard instantly shattered.
"Brother Chen!"
Qin Chuxia hurtled toward him like a cannonball and crashed into his arms, clutching his waist as tears spilled down her face.
Song Qiuya's rigid back instantly relaxed, and she let out a long breath.
Li Xiaoyue, Zhang Ruoxi, and Qin Churan hurried over too, their eyes reddened.
"Why are you crying?" Chen Lin patted Qin Chuxia's back and wiped the tears from her face. "I just went into seclusion for a little while."
"You disappeared for three days without even telling us! We thought you'd suffered a cultivation deviation!" Qin Churan glared at him, biting her lip, but she couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.
Chen Lin smiled and was about to reassure them.
In the bamboo chair.
Yun Sheng's eyes snapped open, and she sprang to her feet.
She stared fixedly at Chen Lin, her cool eyes now filled with undisguised shock and disbelief.
"Your... your aura..." Yun Sheng's voice trembled, a rare occurrence.
She was at early nascent soul, and her divine sense was exceptionally keen. The moment Chen Lin appeared, his abyss-like pressure sent an instinctive tremor of fear through her heart.
"Late core formation?!" Yun Sheng blurted out.
The words