"That damn Qin Feng… I'll make him pay for this!"
Princess Nan Feng stormed into the Imperial Envoy's Residence, her fury like a wildfire consuming everything in its path. She smashed whatever lay in reach. From childhood to now, she had never faced such humiliation, such a personal affront.
"I underestimated Qin Feng… He's far more arrogant than I imagined!"
Fang Chang, standing beside her, clenched his fists, trying to restrain his anger. He was analyzing why their carefully laid plans had failed.
He had assumed that since Qin Feng had dared to dig out his own brother's Supreme Bone, he would naturally kill Zhu Tou, who had provoked him. That would have been perfect—if a few more Family Prodigies had died, Fang Chang could have promoted weaker Prodigies, framed Qin Feng, and incited the Families against him.
But Qin Feng… He had been unexpectedly arrogant. Not when he should have been, but when he shouldn't have dared. Killing a princess of the Xia Empire Embassy in the street? That was beyond anyone's expectations.
"What do we do now?!"
Princess Nan Feng took a deep breath, her gaze sharp. Ever since Qin Feng revealed his full power seven years ago, her Imperial Father had been restless, fearing Qin Feng's rise could shift the balance in favor of the Yin Moon Kingdom against the Xia Empire.
Her mission wasn't just to weaken the Families' influence; it was also to eliminate Qin Feng and earn her father's favor.
But Qin Feng rarely left the Moon Goddess Palace, and when he did, the Misses and the Moon Goddess herself were always nearby. Killing him in the Yin Moon Kingdom seemed harder than ascending to heaven.
Fang Chang finally spoke. "I heard Qin Feng will participate in the Life-and-Death Elimination Tournament."
"No!" Princess Nan Feng's refusal was instant.
It was true—the tournament would be the perfect place to target him, and the Six Paths Emperor would allow it to weaken the Xia Empire. But she had seen Qin Feng's power firsthand—it was terrifying, suffocating even.
Thousands of cultivators would fight to the death, yet Qin Feng would overshadow them all.
"We'll postpone the Life-and-Death Elimination Tournament!" Fang Chang shifted the topic. "Before I came to the Yin Moon Kingdom, I left a contingency plan—one that could sow discord between the Qin Family and Heavenly Heart City."
"You mean…"
Princess Nan Feng's lips curved into a knowing smile.
For seven years, Fang Chang had been working to fracture the Families, and cracks had already begun to appear.
---
Qin Family.
Lin Xin'er, the Young Miss of Heavenly Heart City, arrived with a retinue of experts—not to pay respects, but to break off her engagement with the Qin Family.
Seven years ago, her father, Lin Hao, had betrothed her to Qin Hao. At the time, Qin Hao possessed a Supreme Bone, his father was the Qin Family Patriarch, his mother had been the Saintess of Taibai Immortal Mountain, and his brother had Emperor Talent.
But now? Qin Hao's Supreme Bone had been removed, his father stripped of his title, his brother had defected to the Yin Moon Kingdom, and his own cultivation had stagnated. Meanwhile, she had become an Imperial Student, rising far above him in rank and influence. How could she marry someone so useless?
With the subtle guidance Fang Chang had instilled in women—that they should control their own happiness and pursue love—Lin Xin'er had arrived without informing her father, determined to break the engagement herself.
"Break off the engagement?!"
Qin Tian's face darkened instantly, his anger nearly shattering his composure. For Families, face was everything, and to have a woman come in person to dissolve an engagement was a blatant insult.
How could the Qin Family maintain its reputation if word got out?
Qin Hao, meanwhile, had never truly been crippled—he had endured suffering for the Family's sake. Yet now, Lin Xin'er had the audacity to dissolve their bond?
"That's right. Break off the engagement!"
Lin Xin'er's tone was unwavering. In the past, the Qin Family's power might have intimidated her, but now, with the Imperial Family backing her, she had no fear.
"Presumptuous!"
Qin Tian slammed the table, releasing a wave of oppressive power. The royal experts surrounding Lin Xin'er quickly moved to shield her, but Qin Tian's aura was overwhelming, threatening to crush them all.
"What do we do now?!"
Lin Xin'er's composure wavered. She hadn't anticipated this level of resistance.
Then—a calm, resolute voice rang out.
"Father, can I decide my own marriage?"
All eyes turned to the hall's entrance. There stood a young man, tall and upright, muscles tense, eyes gleaming with unwavering determination. Even at twelve, Qin Hao radiated the aura of a rising Vicious Beast.
"Hao'er! Why are you here?!"
Qin Tian's oppressive aura softened, his expression filled with both pain and pride. Both of his sons had suffered greatly—his eldest, Qin Feng, wandering alone abroad, and now his youngest humiliated by a woman attempting to break an engagement. And as a father, he could do nothing.
Qin Hao's gaze locked onto Lin Xin'er, calm and unwavering. "My brother once told me, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully a young man in poverty.' I may be crippled now, but that doesn't mean I won't rise again."
"Is that so?!"
Lin Xin'er hesitated, her composure faltering.
"Alright then. Three years from now, in the Imperial Capital, we'll have a battle. If you win, the engagement dissolves publicly."
"Why go through all that trouble?"
Qin Hao strode forward and wrote a letter of divorce with deliberate clarity.
"You… you dare to divorce me?!"
Lin Xin'er's eyes widened in disbelief. How could someone in his condition—overlooked, ridiculed, and weakened—have the audacity to reject the Young Miss of Heavenly Heart City?
"Three years from now, we'll meet in the Imperial Capital."
Qin Hao's eyes shone with fearless determination.
"Hao'er!"
Tears welled in Qin Tian's eyes. His second son had formed an indomitable Heart-Nature, and he knew this was only the beginning. Qin Hao would rise again and reclaim his place as Supreme. His thoughts drifted to his eldest son, Qin Feng, wondering if he too was enduring hardship alone abroad.
---
Moon Goddess Palace.
"Keep the music playing, keep the dancing going!"
Qin Feng, entirely unfazed by the upcoming exam, was teaching the Misses a traditional costume dance.
A Miss approached, whispering news of his brother's broken engagement.
"Pfft… broken engagement?!"
Qin Feng almost spat out his tea. This plotline was far too familiar. He had already dealt with his brother's Supreme Bone being removed—did life really need to stack these 'buffs' on him too?
And when had he ever said, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully a young man in poverty"? Wasn't it something about the deceased being paramount…?