In Yuan Muyu’s heart, there had always been an obsession to defeat her elder sister—or rather, a rivalry fueled by the Daoist dispute, an obsession that influenced the story of her entire life.

This included running away from home, her first encounter with Lu Xingzhou, establishing her power, and that power being oriented towards combat and slaughter—all stemmed from this. Yanluo Dian embodied her significance, not power, but ultimately something related to this Daoist dispute.

Even her suppression of Lu Xingzhou could be traced back to this reason. She used to even think that Ye Tinglan was leveraging her similar appearance to seduce Lu Xingzhou, and that her sole purpose was to strike at her. Of course, she knew now that wasn’t the case. But the more it wasn’t the case, the more Yuan Muyu couldn’t understand. She truly couldn’t understand why Ye Tinglan would be like this. It shouldn’t be.

Regardless, she decided to return a bit of the anger she felt from being teased with “sister and brother-in-law” before. Perhaps the only benefit of this “helping with the marriage proposal” with a heart as if dead was that she could get ahead of her sister?

Ye Tinglan glared at her sister for a long time, annoyed, but then suddenly smiled, “From now on, please guide me, my dear sister-in-law.”

Yuan Muyu replied, “…If I don’t agree, you can’t get married. You’re calling me ‘sister-in-law’ too early.”

“It’s useless, Furao. We are not officials of their imperial court; we are merely an immortal sect beyond the mundane world, without so many elaborate formalities. Your marriage proposal only needs to satisfy the Pei and Sheng families; Ye Zhuoyu doesn’t need it, just as Shen Tang doesn’t. As the Sect Master of Tianyao Sect, if I, Ye Tinglan, approve the union of my disciple Ye Zhuoyu and Lu Xingzhou, that will suffice.”

Yuan Muyu finally lost all semblance of dignity and exploded in anger, “Ye Tinglan!”

“You say you’re angry again, but there’s no real upheaval. Why bother?” Ye Tinglan sighed, looking at her with a maternal gaze, “You’ve been a powerful figure out in the world for so many years, why are you still acting like a child?”

Yuan Muyu took several deep breaths and sneered, “For sect marriages, there’s a simple ceremony within the sect. After all, it’s a major life event, not something to be hidden. Who will you have Ye Zhuoyu marry then? Or will you personally participate?”

Ye Tinglan finally fell silent.

“So, in reality, it’s something that can’t be seen by others, isn’t it?” Yuan Muyu sat down opposite her, “For this unseemly relationship, the immortal world doesn’t matter anymore?”

Ye Tinglan remained silent.

Yuan Muyu said, “Since you can even abandon the Great Dao, why can’t you abandon your pride?”

Ye Tinglan finally replied, “Perhaps because I am your elder sister.”

Yuan Muyu asked, “?”

“There are some things in our bones that are very similar; we have the same awkwardness,” Ye Tinglan said calmly. “I will be bound by some things, and so will you, although the things that bind us may not be the same… But I am trying to break free step by step, whether ultimately successful or not, at least I have thought about it, tried it. What about you?”

This time, it was Yuan Muyu’s turn to be silent.

Ye Tinglan, however, changed the subject, “Do you know who the old man I spoke with today was?”

Yuan Muyu said, “Within the known scope, there wouldn’t be such a newly emerged powerhouse… either from unknown places beyond the far seas, or it could only be a visitor from the ancient realm. It must be a visitor from the ancient realm, right?”

“Yes,” Ye Tinglan said, “I exchanged some information with him. Most of it I won’t tell you, after all, you and I are not on the same path now… but there is one piece you must know.”

“What?”

“He believes that the heavenly tribulation has been tampered with. I presume you understand the significance of that statement.”

Yuan Muyu stared at her with sharp eyes, her murderous aura surging into the sky.

The ethereal and divine Guanxingtai, usually serene, was suddenly filled with an ominous wind, and the entire environment seemed to darken, like the King of the Underworld emerging from his abyss. The distant Daoists shivered, their hearts pounding.

It was said that the King of Hell had only broken through to the super-grade a little over a year ago… When he came in earlier, his steps looked unsteady, as if he was injured… How could he be so strong?

No one could perceive that this one’s foundation and their Saint Master’s were the same cultivation method, Tianyao Xuanyue. A genius like Yuan Muyu could even reverse the nature of her fundamental cultivation method.

Ye Tinglan sighed inwardly. She never doubted that her sister’s genius in cultivation surpassed her own. “Control your temper. You’ve had a slight mishap in your cultivation, so your mood shouldn’t fluctuate too much. Hmm… thankfully, you used a very appropriate elixir, otherwise, your qi and blood would have been in disarray just now.”

Yuan Muyu said coldly, “If there is any relevant information, tell me in time.”

“I will.”

The sisters looked at each other, speechless, with not much to say. Some sensitive words, if spoken, might lead to an argument.

After a long while, Yuan Muyu stood up, somewhat fatigued. “Since Ye Zhuoyu doesn’t need me to propose, I will take my leave.”

Ye Tinglan silently watched her sister’s somewhat stumbling descent down the steps. As she walked halfway, Ye Tinglan suddenly asked, “Do you… have any regrets?”

Yuan Muyu paused slightly, did not answer the question, and continued to leave. She didn’t know which point her sister was asking about… whether it was about leaving home until now, or about Lu Xingzhou. The former had no regrets to this day, the latter…

She slowly walked out of the observation post, looking at the setting sun in the west, remaining motionless for a long time.

A’nuo, who had been acting like an invisible person watching the show, finally tugged at her clothes. “Sister Yu, let’s go back for dinner.”

Back at Lu Mansion, the lights were bright, and the aroma of food wafted from the dining hall, where preparations for dinner were already underway. Sheng Yuanyao’s chirping voice could be heard, “Husband, you have to save me! Old Sheng is going to beat me to death…”

“What did you do to anger him again?”

“Your sister told on us, saying we were kissing in the alchemy academy.”

“Ah, we’re getting married soon, who cares so much about that.”

“No, how can the dignified King of Hell gossip like that… uh…” Sheng Yuanyao’s words were cut short as she swallowed the rest, seeing Yuan Muyu standing silently at the hall entrance, still wearing her mask, looking rather unsettling.

A’nuo slipped in, “Sister Yao, won’t your father send someone to catch you?”

“The engagement invitations have been exchanged, what’s wrong with having a meal at my fiancé’s house?” Sheng Yuanyao retorted confidently, “Even my mother didn’t say anything today.”

Not only did Madam Sheng not say anything, but she also helped block Old Sheng, telling her to run quickly, and preferably use the excuse of Old Sheng trying to hit her to hide at Lu Mansion and not return. Old Sheng was still not as skilled in household struggles as his wife.

What was the point of saving face at this time? Soon, four sisters would be vying for favor. If she didn’t deepen her relationship now, when would she? It would be smartest to get things done before others did, wouldn’t it? Madam Sheng had thought that Pei Chuyun, with her strict family upbringing, couldn’t possibly get ahead in such matters, and Shen Tang was far away, and that Zhuoyu girl was still nowhere to be found. Her daughter’s current initiative gave her a huge advantage!

No one could have imagined that the one presumed to have the strictest family upbringing was the earliest to partake, completely disinclined to bother with such trivial matters… It was meaningless!

Yuan Muyu finally strolled into the hall, casually sat at a guest seat at the lower end, next to A’nuo. “If I hadn’t gossiped, how would you have such a good excuse to run out and find a man?”

Sheng Yuanyao was stunned for a moment, and Lu Xingzhou glanced sideways. How did this “fish” become so smart? He hadn’t noticed it before…

A’nuo secretly thought, “You should have noticed it before. Sister Yu was so clever when she was acting like a little demoness; at that time, Situ Yue was strictly guarded.” All that was in the past…

Yuan Muyu looked at the food on the table, remained silent for a while, and then slowly said, “You all eat.” After speaking, she got up and returned directly to her guest room.

Sheng Yuanyao whispered, “Is the King of Hell always so temperamental?”

“Does that match your imagination?”

“Yeah, pretty much. But I didn’t expect the King of Hell to actually agree to help with something like a marriage proposal. Aren’t such trivial domestic matters boring to someone like her?”

Lu Xingzhou turned to look out of the hall, then whispered, “I’m surprised too.”

“So why isn’t she eating?”

“It’s inconvenient with the mask on.”

“Then she can take it off, I’m not an outsider.”

Lu Xingzhou didn’t answer for a moment. A’nuo poked her rice bowl and grumbled, “I think it’s precisely because you’re not an outsider.”

Sheng Yuanyao’s eyes widened, not knowing what the child was talking about. Never mind, if she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t think about it. Anyway, the King of Hell would be leaving soon, and they wouldn’t see each other much. Sheng Yuanyao quickly dismissed the thought, smiling, “Hey, Old Sheng asked me to get advice from you earlier, I completely forgot.”

“About what?”

“It’s about the Ranking of Heroes; nobody reads it anymore. He asked if you had any ideas to revive it.” Sheng Yuanyao briefly recounted what the editor-in-chief had told her.

Lu Xingzhou listened silently, then shook his head. “It’s meaningless. The situation is too deeply entrenched to reverse. If the Zhenmo Division isn’t absolutely reliant on this for revenue, my suggestion would be to stop external publications and only create an internal one. This internal publication would collect battle intelligence from all sides for self-analysis and reference. In fact, the common folk might even trust the credibility of such an internal publication more, and they might even deliberately try to uncover the rankings you’ve internally assigned.”

“It’s not really for revenue generation anymore…” Sheng Yuanyao sighed. “Even you can’t do anything about it, huh…”

“Because this matter is essentially a change in the entire cultural trend of Daqian. People’s desire to hide their strength has surpassed the propaganda effect, and this is something that the Zhenmo Division cannot reverse.” Lu Xingzhou smiled, “What, you’re reluctant to let it go?”

“Yes, after all, I was once an editor-in-chief, so I have some attachment to it. And it was quite fun to openly spy on other people’s information through this publication.”

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, “If it’s absolutely necessary, I’ll try to think of something again. It might take a while to come up with anything, though.”

Sheng Yuanyao said joyfully, “As long as you’re willing to put your mind to it, there will definitely be a way.”

“You trust me that much?”

“Of course, how can I not trust my own husband’s ability?”

A’nuo’s face was squeezed into a ball. She couldn’t believe Sister Yao was so… direct after getting engaged. Did she want to see what she was like when she was still stubbornly calling him a brother? Now, A’nuo only regretted not having recorded it.

Lu Xingzhou was saying, “I have the ability, but I’m lacking some incentives, and my mind is stuck.”

Sheng Yuanyao asked, “What kind of incentive do you want?”

Lu Xingzhou pointed to his cheek, “This.”

Sheng Yuanyao glanced left and right furtively. The servants had long since withdrawn, and that scary King of Hell sister wasn’t there. Only A’nuo and a pig were eagerly watching the show. She quickly leaned in and pecked his cheek with her fragrant lips. “Then that’s an incentive.”

Lu Xingzhou scooped her into his arms, making her sit on his lap. “That little bit isn’t enough…”

“Hey, hey, hey?” Sheng Yuanyao pushed against his chest, a little flustered. “A’nuo is still here.”

A’nuo hung her head, hugging her pig, and was about to leave. But then she saw Lu Xingzhou pick up Sheng Yuanyao and swiftly exit from the back. “Then we’ll go back to the room and chat slowly.”

A’nuo didn’t have to leave… but suddenly she felt it might have been better if she had left. At least in the dining room, those two being affectionate wouldn’t lead to anything, but back in the room, it was hard to say…

Sister Yu is here today! Master, are you trying to kill her?