Seeing that the upgraded system mission was almost complete and that only Liu Mei Mei remained undecided, Lin Youming felt an unmistakable surge of satisfaction rise from deep in his chest.
It was not joy in the usual sense. It was closer to relief mixed with anticipation, like standing at the edge of a cliff knowing there was solid ground waiting on the other side. His pulse steadied. His breathing slowed. Everything was going exactly where it needed to go.
But the others did not share his calm.
The moment the dust settled, the subordinates finally found their voices again.
Their eyes kept drifting toward his chest, lingering there as if expecting to see blood pouring out or some hidden wound tearing itself open.
Their faces were pale, their lips dry, and their hands trembled without them realizing it.
"Young… Young Master…" one of them said hesitantly, his voice thin and unsteady. "You… you really…"
He swallowed hard.
"Did you really cripple your own middle dantian?"
Even as he asked, his eyes widened, as if he hoped Lin Youming would laugh and tell him it was all a joke. That it was some illusion, some trick, anything other than the truth staring them in the face.
Another subordinate stepped forward, his breathing ragged. "We saw it. We all saw it happen. But… but there's no way, right? Young Master, please tell us we're mistaken."
"Yes!" someone else chimed in, almost desperately. "Maybe it was just a surface injury? Maybe you stopped at the last moment? There must be some mistake!"
Their words poured out faster and faster, tangled with fear and disbelief.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"Even if it was for the madams, this is too much!"
"Young Master, this isn't like breaking an arm or cutting a meridian. This is your future!"
Lin Youming listened quietly, then nodded once.
"Of course," he said. "I crippled it."
The hall fell into a dead silence.
They stared at him.
Not just the subordinates, but everyone present. Servants who had been standing at the edges froze mid-step. Liu Mei Mei's eyes widened until the whites showed. Cai Cai Yun covered her mouth, her fingers shaking. Even Shangguan WanWan, who prided herself on seeing through mortal foolishness, found herself staring at him as if he had suddenly turned into something inhuman.
They looked at him for a long time.
Too long.
Long enough that Lin Youming finally frowned and tilted his head. "What's wrong?"
His voice echoed lightly in the hall.
"I still have wives. I still have money," he continued, completely at ease. "I'm still the chosen young master of the Lin Family. So what if I'm crippled?"
He shrugged. "Besides, my father was the strongest talent the Lin Family ever produced. That's not going to change just because my middle dantian is gone."
The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions around him shifted again.
Fear crept in.
Not fear for him.
Fear of him.
Shangguan WanWan's lips parted slightly, her pupils tightening as she looked at him. The faint contempt she usually carried was gone, replaced by something sharper and colder. Liu Mei Mei's face drained of color, her brows trembling as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.
Cai Cai Yun's eyes filled with panic, her chest rising and falling too fast.
They looked at him as if he had just declared himself insane.
Then the subordinates broke.
One of them grabbed his own head, fingers digging into his hair. "Is this real?" he shouted hoarsely. "Did this really just happen?!"
Another staggered back, nearly tripping over a chair. "Oh heavens, what is wrong with our young master? What is wrong with him?!"
"Crippled… crippled!" someone else muttered repeatedly, his voice cracking. "Our young master crippled himself!"
A servant collapsed to his knees. "This must be a nightmare. Please let this be a nightmare."
They began talking over one another, voices rising into a chaotic storm.
"Is this some kind of madness?"
"How are we supposed to report this?"
"What will the family elders say?"
"What about Madam?!"
The word hung in the air like a blade.
At the mention of her, several of them went completely pale.
"Oh no… oh no, no, no…" one whispered. "If Madam finds out…"
Another spun around wildly.
"We're finished! We're all finished!"
"Hide! We need to hide!"
"Run! If she hears even a rumor—"
Panic erupted.
Subordinates scrambled in every direction, knocking over stools and nearly colliding with servants. Some ran toward the doors, others ducked behind pillars as if that could somehow save them. No one had time to curse fate or complain. They all knew one thing.
If the madam found out, they would be implicated.
And Shangguan WanWan knew exactly why they were so afraid.
She stood there, frozen, her mind reeling. In the upper realm, even the most arrogant geniuses would never do something this foolish. Never. Cultivation was life. Power was existence itself.
To destroy one's own path was unthinkable.
She stared at Lin Youming again, disbelief clawing at her chest.
Why did he really do it?
Was this mortal madness?
Or had she underestimated just how foolish mortals could be when faced with cultivation?
Her gaze hardened.
"You are foolish," she said coldly.
The words cut through the chaos.
Lin Youming looked at her, unbothered.
"You think that because your father was talented," Shangguan WanWan continued, her voice steady but merciless, "that you can afford to throw cultivation away. You think being his heir makes you untouchable."
She let out a sharp laugh. "You are wrong."
She stepped closer, eyes burning. "Cultivation is everything. It decides your status, your authority, your worth. Without it, you are nothing but a decorated shell."
"Your position is envied because of your potential," she went on, each word striking harder than the last. "Because people believe you will rise. Because they believe you will one day stand above them."
She shook her head slowly. "Now? You will be pushed down. Stripped of privileges. Reduced to the lowest level of the Lin Family hierarchy. Your title will become empty."
Her voice lowered. "All of it will be useless."
One of Lin Youming's subordinates nodded frantically. "Madam Shangguan is right," he said, voice trembling. "Young Master… you were chosen as heir because your mother was loved by your father. Because he dotes on you."
His face twisted in fear. "If she finds out what you've done… she'll hate you."
The moment those words landed, the remaining subordinates went pale.
"Hate…" someone whispered.
That was enough.
They completely lost it.
"We need to leave!"
"Now!"
"Everyone, scatter!"
They rushed out in a frenzy, feet pounding against the floor, cloaks fluttering wildly. Doors slammed open and shut as they fled, terror driving every step.
Lin Youming watched them go with mild interest.
To him, they didn't matter.
The mission mattered.
He turned his gaze toward Liu Mei Mei.
She stiffened under his stare.
"Well," he said calmly, hands behind his back. "Liu Mei Mei."
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"My new wife."
Her heart jumped painfully in her chest.
"Are you still going to divorce me?"