…
"Has Qin Yuan lost his mind?"
"He actually hit Su Mengyao?"
The Su family members were stunned. Not just shocked—speechless.
"Qin Yuan, how could you raise your hand against Mengyao?"
"She's just a woman!"
"Are you even human?"
Even Lin Yun, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. He helped Su Mengyao up and looked at Qin Yuan like he'd just witnessed a crime against heaven.
With that self righteous prick tone of his, he straightened his back and practically shouted, "What kind of person attacks a woman in public? Have you no shame?"
Before Qin Yuan could say a word, disciples from the Holy Son's lineage stepped forward, voices sharp and cold.
"What kind of status do you think Su Mengyao has? Does she deserve an explanation from our Holy Son?"
"You dare interrupt her conversation with the Saint Son?"
A deacon elder from the Su family frowned and scolded harshly, "Another word out of line, and all of you can go face the wall at the edge of the cliff for a month!"
But instead of shutting them up, that only pissed them off.
"Su Fangshan, are you crazy?!" someone from the Holy Son's side yelled.
"Who the hell do you think you are, acting like you're some authority?"
"If not for the Holy Son, you'd still be wiping floors outside the outer gate."
"You've been barking all day—say another word and I'll stuff it back in your mouth."
Su Fangshan's face turned red. His beard trembled with rage, but his authority meant nothing here. Normally, these disciples would avoid even looking him in the eye—now they were openly mocking him.
He was furious. But what could he do?
…
"Qin Yuan, you better explain yourself to Mengyao," Lin Yun stepped forward again, raising his voice for everyone to hear. "Otherwise, I'll be forced to have a word with the higher-ups."
Su Mengyao, who was still holding her cheek, looked at Lin Yun with teary eyes, deeply moved.
This—this was her ideal man.
Someone who would stand up for her. Speak out when others wouldn't. Protect her.
Qin Yuan? He had status, sure. Power. A terrifying background. But could he give her this sense of security?
No.
What she didn't realize, though, was that in the original storyline, Qin Yuan had done things like this for her—countless times. Sacrifices, favors, protection. All in silence.
But she didn't care about that.
Lin Yun said a few good-sounding words, and she was ready to give him everything.
"An explanation?" Qin Yuan raised a brow. "Who the hell are you that I need to explain anything to?"
His voice was cold and so smissive.
Lin Yun stiffened. "As the Holy Son, you're supposed to lead by example. But you stand here, abusing your power, attacking a woman in public…"
"Qin Yuan, don't you feel ashamed?"
He turned toward Su Qing's half-dead body, pointing at him like he was delivering some kind of great injustice.
"And what about Su Qing? He's just an outer disciple. His background is weak, his cultivation isn't high. What could he have done to deserve a punishment as cruel as the Black Demon Cave?"
"You think just because he's beneath you, you get to trample him?"
"If that's how this sect works—then even if it costs me everything, I'll report you to the elders myself!"
His voice rang out through the courtyard, full of righteous fury.
He imagined himself standing tall in front of the elders, condemning Qin Yuan while the crowd applauded his courage. A hero in everyone's eyes.
"Lin Yun…" Su Mengyao's voice trembled slightly, touched.
She looked at him with stars in her eyes.
This. This was the man she'd bet everything on.
So warm. So righteous. So brave.
The Su family members, too, started shouting along with Lin Yun, their confidence rising.
"Qin Yuan, you have to answer for this!"
"We'll report this to the sect leaders!"
"You've gone too far!"
They all barked like they were the voice of justice, acting as if Qin Yuan was truly cornered.
But before Qin Yuan could even open his mouth, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
"Report him? Did I hear that right?"
"Lin Yun wants to report the Holy Son of the Sky Holy Land? What's he smoking?"
"That might be the dumbest thing I've heard all year."
"Does he think the Su family actually has weight here? If they all begged on their knees, they still wouldn't be able to shake even a single hair on Qin Yuan's head."
"You people must've forgotten—the Qin family is terrifying."
"If not for the Holy Son helping the Su family back then, you'd all be buried by now."
That last line landed like a hammer.
The people in the crowd weren't even hiding their contempt anymore. Lin Yun looked ridiculous. The Su family looked delusional.
Qin Yuan stood there quietly for a moment, hands behind his back.
He looked at Lin Yun and Su Mengyao… and felt nothing.
In the original timeline, this whole thing had played out the same way. Lin Yun stirred up trouble, the original Qin Yuan tried to play it smart, but ended up being tricked into escalating things.
That, of course, triggered the Yunmeng clan—a rival to the Qin family—to get involved.
They used the conflict as an excuse to pressure the Qin family, and suddenly Lin Yun got a new background boost and protective halo.
All because the original Qin Yuan was a damn idiot.
But this time? Qin Yuan was no longer that fool.
He wasn't going to play into anyone's script.
"Qin Yuan, are you just going to ignore sect law now?" Lin Yun stepped forward again, thinking Qin Yuan had gone quiet out of fear. "If you don't speak up, we'll take this all the way to the top."
Qin Yuan gave him a glance.
He hated people who talked too much. Especially the self-righteous ones who thought they were clever.
And he knew exactly what Lin Yun was trying to do—put him on the defensive, so that he could "heroically" stand up for Su Mengyao and steal her away.
This was straight out of the book.
Literally.
In the original timeline, Qin Yuan and Su Mengyao were engaged. The Su family back then was weak and clinging to survival. Qin Yuan happened to like Su Mengyao, so an engagement was arranged.
But that Qin Yuan cared.
This one didn't.
This one had no patience for self-important girls and fake heroes.
"You don't need to waste your breath," Qin Yuan said calmly. "You like Su Mengyao, right?"
Lin Yun blinked.
Qin Yuan looked at him—not angry, just cold and detached.
"Then take her."
His voice was steady. There wasn't even a ripple in his tone.
"I don't care. Starting today, the Qin family has nothing to do with the Su family."
"I'll go to your clan tomorrow and break the engagement myself."
Boom!
The crowd exploded.
Dozens of mouths dropped open. Even disciples who had been just watching now looked like they'd been struck by lightning.
Did he just say he was calling off the engagement?
Su Mengyao froze in place.
She felt like the ground beneath her had disappeared.
He—he actually said it.
He really said it.
Over… over something like this?
…