When Lin Xuanzhi was still on Broken Sword Peak, he was practically the de facto Young Peak Master. He was upright, seemed untouched by the dust of the mundane world, and was extremely reliable when handling matters. Du Qiying was afraid of Lin Xuanzhi catching wind of his wrongdoings, so he had to be sneaky about his affairs and also restrain himself, not daring to speak out. However, after Lin Xuanzhi left the sect, Du Qiying was gloriously promoted to Young Peak Master. In the past two years, he became more and more unbridled. Sometimes he didn’t even bother to cover up his wrongdoings and was even quite anxious to make it known to everyone. However, due to numerous people’s speculations of Du Qiying having a strong background, the majority would just keep their frustrations to themselves.

　　When Lin Yurou saw that Du Qiying was angry, she whispered, “Senior Martial Brother Du, I didn’t know that Lin Xuanzhi would even treat someone from his family like this. If I had known earlier, I would never have acted presumptuously and let you be implicated for no reason.”

　　Du Qiying gazed at Lin Yurou’s wronged face as he reached out and hooked his arm around her slender waist, slightly curling his lips, “Forget it, Lin Xuanzhi is a cunning and deceitful person. This isn’t the first time he hasn’t taken old affections into consideration. My att.i.tude earlier wasn’t good, so don’t take it to heart.”

　　Lin Yurou felt even more wronged and her eyes nearly reddened with unshed tears.

　　“Senior Martial Brother…”

　　Du Qiying smiled gently, took out a hair clasp from his storage bag, and placed it into Lin Yurou’s hair. “During this period of time, there have been too many worries. Xiaorou, don’t blame Senior Martial Brother. Otherwise, I will be sad.”

　　Lin Yurou blushed immediately, reaching out a hand to touch the hairpin, “There’s not even enough time for me to like Senior Martial Brother; why would I blame you?”

　　Du Qiying laughed and involuntarily held Lin Yurou tighter. “In a few days, when I come out from closed-door cultivation, I’ll take you down the mountain to buy a better hairpin.”

　　Lin Yurou had ever seen such a generous, gentle, and flattering male cultivator before. Her heart was beating fast, as she began to admire Du Qiying even more.

　　After returning to her room, Lin Yurou quickly activated the Voice Transmission Bell.

　　This Voice Transmission Bell was actually part of a batch that Lin Xuanzhi refined and placed into the Lin family shop as a reward for each Lin family pupil who entered Profound Sky Sect.

　　To use the Voice Transmission Bell, spiritual Qi was required to activate it and it also had an expiration date, so Lin Yurou didn’t dare to waste it. She made the long story short and told her mother how Lin Xuanzhi and Lin Yufan bullied her together in a few words.

　　After Lin Yurou’s mother heard this, she was furious and angrily approached Lin Yurou’s father with the Voice Transmission Bell.

　　Who would have thought that Lin Yurou’s father, Lin Ruhai, instead turned a blind eye after hearing this, “If Rou’er didn’t come to find me about this matter, I would have gone to find her instead. Rou’er is not young either. If the other party is indeed a good match, then it’ll naturally be a good thing. But I heard some time ago that Young Peak Master Du already has a fiancé. His private life is also a hideous mess, and he keeps a lot of lovers. He really isn’t a good person, and it’s better for Rou’er to keep her distance from him.”

　　Upon hearing this, Madam Lin gritted her teeth and hatred boiled inside of her, “Lin Yufan actually dared to tattle. Perhaps she was jealous of Rou’er becoming an inner-door disciple and winning the Young Peak Master’s favor, so she deliberately smeared Du Qiying’s reputation.”

　　Lin Ruhai frowned in displeasure, “As a mother, why do you target Fan’er so much? To tell you the truth, the Young Master personally told me these things. He told me to teach Rou’er well and also said that he had done his duty; if Rou’er still causes trouble due to this in the future, he won’t let the entire Lin family bear the blame for her.”

　　“Lin Ruhai, what are you saying!?” Madam Lin raised her voice angrily, “Does Lin Yufan regard me as her mother? He has never called me mother since he was young. Also that Lin Xuanzhi, he’s someone who can even lay his hands on his younger brother — how can you believe his words?”

　　Lin Ruhai’s face darkened and he snapped, “Where did you hear all this gossip? You dare to say it without proof? In the future, you are not allowed to speak a word of these rumors!”

　　Madam Lin was stunned. Then she buried her face in her hands and began to cry. “Lin Ruhai, you were not like this before. Is it because you see Lin Xuanzhi holding power in the Lin family now and taking a fancy to Lin Yufan, so Rou’er and I have become outsiders?”

　　Lin Ruhai gritted his teeth and spoke with a livid expression, “Don’t entertain foolish ideas all day long. However, Lin Xuanzhi’s current momentum cannot be stopped. If you are smart, don’t go against him. Think about it for yourself.”

　　After saying that, Lin Ruhai left with a swing of his sleeve.

　　Madam Lin cried for a long time, believing more and more that her guess was right.

　　Lin Ruhai also looked down upon Lin Xuanzhi before, but ever since Lin Xuanzhi became the Young Master, he had been sucking up to Lin Xuanzhi everywhere, and he also took the initiative to care about Lin Yufan, who was recommended directly to be an inner-door disciple by Lin Xuanzhi.

　　One should know that if this was before, it never would have happened.

　　A strong sense of crisis arose within Madam Lin’s heart. She wiped her eyes, thinking, It won’t do for this to continue.

　　She had no background herself and relied on scheming and currying favors with men to obtain her position. After she gave birth to Lin Yurou, for some reason, she couldn’t conceive a child anymore or give birth to a boy, so she was already in a precarious position. Fortunately, Lin Yufan was not a man either. Moreover, under her instigation, Lin Ruhai also wasn’t close to that daughter of his, who always had a cold expression. Therefore, Madam Lin could suppress Lin Yufan without any qualms and was not afraid of anyone competing with Lin Yurou.

　　Now, however, everything seemed to be changing.

　　Madam Lin took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her chest. The only thing she could think of was Madam Bai, her sister-in-law.

　　When Madam Lin thought of this, she composed herself, adjusted her somewhat scattered sideburns, and walked towards Madam Bai’s yard.

　　…….

　　Du Qiying entered a hidden secret chamber in the mountain. Once he entered, the stone door closed automatically behind him, blocking all the outdoor lights.

　　“You’re here.” A heavy voice resonated within the chamber.

　　Du Qiying walked a few steps forward as he followed the walls illuminated by the luminous pearls. He took a turn and came to an empty secret chamber.

　　“Sect Master.” Du Qiying greeted.