Ouyang Yanan was terrified. Was she about to be used as a living sacrifice? No!
Panicking, she blurted out, "No, let me go! Who are you? I've never seen you before, and I have no grudge against you. Why are you trying to harm me?"
"Because you possess the Yin Body, and our Master requires your sacrifice to be reborn..."
"Yin Body? What Yin Body? I don't understand, I don't know anything!"
They were only a meter away from the sacrificial altar, and Ouyang Yanan's heart felt as though it might leap out of her chest. Suddenly, a figure with an indistinguishable face came flying toward her atop multicolored clouds, instantly pulling her into his embrace. It was a man, and a pair of profound eyes gazed straight into hers. Those eyes looked so familiar...
The crowing of a rooster at dawn woke Ouyang Yanan. She opened her eyes, bolted upright, and patted her chest. "Phew, it's still here, it's still here. Thank goodness it was just a dream. That scared the hell out of me! But how strange, why have I never had such a terrifying dream before? And who was that man...?"
Suddenly remembering something, Ouyang Yanan hurriedly pulled out her phone to check her account balance. The screen displayed a massive sum! "So that man last night wasn't a dream? Haha, I'm rich! Wait, where is the man?"
She scanned the room, only to find that the mysterious fellow from last night was already long gone. It seemed he had left! She looked down and saw her clothes completely intact; apparently, he was a gentleman who had kept his promise and left at the break of dawn. But why was there a sudden sense of loss in her heart? She hadn't even gotten a clear look at what he looked like!
"Jerk, don't let me run into you again!" Ouyang Yanan pouted, looking angry.
She raised her hand to check her watch—8:00 AM. Now that she had money, she would go to the vegetable market first, buy some nutritious fresh meat and vegetables to cook a good meal, and then tell her mom and dad about the money. Yes! That's what she'll do!
Today, Ouyang Yanan was wearing an off-the-shoulder yellow top, paired with slim-fitting light blue jeans and white casual shoes. Her straight, black hair was tied into a ponytail with a yellow crystal hair tie. Combined with her exquisite face, she exuded youthful vitality!
"Silly girl, are you awake?" Wan Feng's voice called out.
"Yeah! Mom, you didn't sleep well last night. Why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"
"Your dad will be back soon, so I'm making food for him. I don't want him to go hungry!"
"Oh, Mom, then I'll head out to buy some good food!"
"Aren't you going to work?"
"Mom, today is Saturday!"
"Oh, did you get paid?"
"Uh, not yet. Well, there's something I want to tell you, I'll tell you after Dad gets back!" Ouyang Yanan smiled mysteriously.
"Silly girl, keeping secrets now?"
"Hehe! Oh, Mom, you should let my older sister and younger brother know to come over for dinner later. I have a big announcement!" Ouyang Yanan said seriously.
Seeing her second daughter looking so solemn, Wan Feng thought for a moment and said, "Alright!"
"Then I'm off to buy the groceries!"
"Watch out on the road!"
"You got it!" Ouyang Yanan made a funny face at Wan Feng and scampered off!
"Silly girl!" Wan Feng shook her head with a helpless smile.
Arriving at the vegetable market, Ouyang Yanan bought a fresh pork leg to simmer in clear broth, a free-range chicken for a dry-pot dish, three pounds of large shrimp to stir-fry with spicy chili, four large pig kidneys for quick-frying, half an old pumpkin for a simple soup, a pound of peanuts to fry, a pound of luffa vine tips for a light stir-fry, and various spices like ginger and garlic. She hailed a taxi and headed home.
When she reached her doorstep, Ouyang Yanan checked her watch—exactly 9:00 AM. She still had time. Just as she was about to call for Wan Feng to open the door, she heard sounds of laughter and chatter coming from inside! Apart from her parents, sister, and brother, there seemed to be the voice of a guest, and it sounded very familiar.
"Mom! I'm back, open the door for me!"
"Yanan is back! I'll get the door!" Wan Feng's voice drifted from inside.
As the door swung open, Ouyang Yanan saw that the family's only dining table was piled high with gifts! The packaging looked very expensive, too. Puzzled, she asked, "Mom, Dad, what is all this...?"
"You silly girl, so when you told me to have your sister and brother come home, you meant you'd found a boyfriend?!" Wan Feng said with a beaming smile.
Ouyang Yanan: "???" Nani?
"You found a boyfriend and didn't even tell me? Why didn't you bring him home sooner for your old man to vet?" her father, Ouyang Fan, asked with feigned annoyance.
Ouyang Yanan: "......?"
"Not bad, little sis! You find such a handsome brother-in-law and you don't even give your big sister a heads-up?" Ouyang Can said, winking and linking her arm through Yanan's.
Ouyang Yanan: "......What?"
"Second Sis, your prospective brother-in-law looks pretty decent at first glance. We can get to know him better later, but I guarantee I'll help you vet him properly!" Ouyang Rui said with a deadpan expression.
Ouyang Yanan: "......"
"What are you all talking about? My arms are about to fall off, why didn't anyone help me carry these? This is ridiculous! I'm telling you—"
"Hard work," a magnetic voice interrupted before Yanan could finish. Behind Ouyang Fan stood a man around 21 years old with fair skin, dark sword-like eyebrows, profound eyes, a high-bridged nose, and chiseled lips. He was impossibly handsome. He stepped forward and relieved her of her heavy burdens right away.
From the moment she saw him, Ouyang Yanan lost the ability to react. Heavens! How could a man be this handsome? He was even more handsome than the stars on television! Who was he? Why did she have such a sense of déjà vu? Especially those profound eyes and that magnetic voice!
Watching Ye Lingtian carry the vegetables into the kitchen and begin washing them, Wan Feng and Ouyang Fan exchanged a smile filled with total satisfaction.
"My prospective brother-in-law seems alright," the younger brother said with a smile.
"Little sis, how did you meet him? Tell your big sister all about it," Ouyang Can asked, full of gossip.
Ouyang Yanan suddenly slapped her forehead and thought, *It's him?!* She muttered to herself, *The mysterious guy from last night? Why is he back again?*
"Little sis? What's wrong?"
Hearing Ouyang Can's question, Yanan covered up, "Um, I'll tell you another day. I'm going to go help him!" With that, she headed into the kitchen. *Hmph, what is this jerk up to? I need to figure this out!*
"Hey, how stingy!" Ouyang Can didn't mind and went back to admiring the little gifts her prospective brother-in-law had brought.
"This kid really throws money around," Ouyang Can whispered to the rest of the family.
Everyone nodded in agreement as they admired their respective gifts!
Their father was also the handsome type, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and regular, good-looking facial features. Otherwise, Wan Feng wouldn't have fallen in love with him in high school and let her studies slide!
The gift Ye Lingtian gave to Ouyang Fan was two bottles of Guojiao 1573, aged 60 years (costing 336,600 yuan per bottle), and a carton of Huanghelue - China Dream cigarettes (costing 10,000 yuan per carton). A modest family like Yanan's had never even heard of such things, so they had no idea of the price. They only knew from the packaging that they must be very expensive!
The gift for Wan Feng was a quail-egg-sized necklace crafted from deep green jade, which seemed to emit faint wisps of spiritual energy. Wan Feng was slightly plump with a round face and a yellowish complexion, yet nearing fifty, she didn't have many wrinkles. Her features showed that she must have been a beauty in her youth, and she possessed a strong career-woman aura. This jade necklace suited Wan Feng's temperament perfectly, and she was thoroughly pleased and fond of it! She just had no idea how much it was worth.
Little did Wan Feng know that this deep green jade was the king of tourmalines, and having been nourished by Ye Lingtian's spiritual energy, it was worth over a million yuan!
The sister's gift was an Angel's Tears white pearl jewelry set, worth 280,000 yuan. Ouyang Can bore an 80% resemblance to Lin Daiyu from *Dream of the Red Chamber*, the only difference being that Ouyang Can wasn't quite so frail. This jewelry set suited her wonderfully!
The younger brother, Ouyang Rui, was a fifteen-year-old boy who strongly resembled Ouyang Yanan. Give him a few years and he'd be quite the handsome young man himself! His gift was a Rolex watch—the undisputed overlord in the watchmaking world, featuring white gold inlay, pure hand-crafted engraving, and a solemn, practical, yet unassuming style. It was worth 398,000 yuan. Ouyang Rui was utterly captivated by it!
While things were harmonious over here, the atmosphere elsewhere was rather less friendly...
"Didn't you say last night that you'd leave at the break of dawn this morning? Why are you back?"
"That's right, I did fulfill my promise and leave at dawn."
"Then why are you..."
"Did I say I couldn't come back?"
"You... you scoundrel!"
Ye Lingtian thought: *Little girl, you want to play games with me? Heh heh!*
"Then why did you come back? I'm warning you, if you dare to hurt my family..." Yanan narrowed her eyes threateningly.
"Rest assured, I would never hurt them in this lifetime."
"Then what did you come back for?"
"Guess!"
"I'm being serious with you!"
Putting down the luffa vine tips in his hand, Ye Lingtian turned to face Yanan with a solemn expression. "Because of you."
Their eyes met. Just those three words, spoken from Ye Lingtian's sensual lips, made Yanan's heart skip a beat. She immediately put on an unnatural expression and said, "Who'd believe you!"
At that moment, Wan Feng walked into the kitchen. "You two go on out, I've got this!"
"Alright, Auntie! Just call me if you need help," Ye Lingtian replied obediently.
Yanan rolled her eyes. "Tch! Such a hypocrite, putting on an act," she muttered as she walked out to the living room.
Ye Lingtian rubbed his nose and thought to himself: *Are you kidding? That's my future mother-in-law. If I don't win her over, how am I supposed to marry you?* Then he trotted along after her like an eager puppy!
While Wan Feng cooked up a fragrant feast in the kitchen, an interrogation had already begun in the living room.
Father Ouyang Fan: "Xiao Tian, where are you from?"
Ye Lingtian: "Uncle, I'm from S County, H City!"
Ouyang Fan: "Then what brought you to Y County, Z City?"
Ye Lingtian: "Work requires it!"
Father Ouyang Fan: "I see! And who else do you have in your family?"
Ye Lingtian: "I haven't seen my parents since I can remember. I've lived with my three masters ever since I was little!"
Father Ouyang Fan fell silent for a moment before asking, "What about your marriage..."
Ye Lingtian: "I make my own decisions about that. I just need to let my three masters know when the time comes!"
Ouyang Can: "How many girlfriends have you had?"
Ouyang Fan, Ouyang Can, Ouyang Rui, and Ouyang Yanan all looked at Ye Lingtian simultaneously, while Wan Feng cocked her ear to listen. Clearly, this was a question everyone wanted to know the answer to, but found difficult to ask outright.
No parent liked the idea of their daughter being with a fickle playboy, no matter how wealthy he might be!
Ye Lingtian answered candidly, "Yanan is the first."
"Mm!" Everyone smiled and nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. Yanan felt a small surge of joy in her heart as well, for reasons she couldn't quite explain.
Since some things were awkward for the elders to ask, Ouyang Rui rolled his eyes and asked curiously, "Prospective brother-in-law, you said you have three masters—what do they do? And what do *you* do?"
Ye Lingtian fell silent for a moment before replying, "Have you ever heard of Cultivation?" He had ultimately decided to tell the truth; he didn't want to lie to Yanan and her family!