Xiong Yujiao took Gāo Yán's hand, sat down beside her on the edge of the bed, and asked with a beaming smile, "What momentous event could possibly have prompted you to go to such great lengths to find me?" Her tone was full of curiosity.
Gāo Yán cut straight to the point: "Lin Bao, who works under Long Aotian, is dead. Have you heard about this?"
Although Xiong Yujiao shared a close relationship with Long Aotian, Gāo Yán knew all too well how helpless she felt in that situation, which was why the two women always referred to Long Aotian by his given name in private.
Xiong Yujiao nodded gently. "A mere nobody. Why, does this matter have something to do with you?"
Gāo Yán handed over Lěng Yè's file and explained, "He is the one who caused Lin Bao's death. Now Lín Hǔ wants to avenge his younger brother, and I am hoping to enlist Sister Jiāo's help to save him."
Xiong Yujiao glanced over the file, the corners of her lips curling into an amused smile. "As Long Aotian's prospective daughter-in-law, if you want to protect someone, why not just go straight to Long Aotian and tell him? Coming to me means that your relationship with this Lěng Yè is hardly ordinary."
She probed playfully, "Is he your secret lover?"
Blushing, Gāo Yán lowered her head and hurriedly denied it. "No, Sister Jiāo. Never mind who he is—if you save him, I will do whatever you say from now on, all right?"
Feigning anger, Xiong Yujiao let out a soft huff. "And here I thought there were no secrets between us. Now you're asking me for a favor yet refusing to reveal his identity. It seems I don't mean all that much to you after all..."
Hearing this, Gāo Yán quickly blurted out the truth: "He is the very same fiancé I mentioned to you before..."
Xiong Yujiao's lips curved upward as if everything were entirely within her grasp. "I see. Still, your fiancé doesn't seem like much. How on earth did your grandfather ever take a fancy to a man like that for your engagement?"
Gāo Yán wanted to defend Lěng Yè, but ultimately she held her tongue. "I can't really explain it either, but he has helped me, and my grandfather approved of him. I don't want anything to happen to him, which is why I came to you."
Xiong Yujiao nodded thoughtfully. "So that's how it is."
Anxious, Gāo Yán asked, "Sister Jiāo, will you help me?"
Smiling, Xiong Yujiao reached out and lifted Gāo Yán's chin. "Since you've pleaded with me like this, if I refused to help, wouldn't I be far too cold-hearted?"
Joy lit up Gāo Yán's face. "Then let me thank Sister Jiāo in advance."
Yet Xiong Yujiao attached a condition: "However, if I step in this time, you must personally help me finish the tattoo on my back."
Gāo Yán's expression darkened as if she had recalled something unpleasant, and she looked at Xiong Yujiao with a complicated gaze. "Sister Jiāo, this..."
Gently, Xiong Yujiao stopped her. "You only need to answer whether you are willing or not."
After hesitating for a long while, Gāo Yán finally nodded.
Early the next morning, fearing that Lín Hǔ might track him down directly, Lěng Yè decided to head out and take refuge to avoid implicating Wang Yujie.
He chose a spot beneath a willow tree in a secluded park to sit down, intending both to wait for Lín Hǔ to appear and to attempt a breakthrough to the Second Layer of Qi Refining before Lín Hǔ arrived.
Just as he was concentrating fully on his cultivation, a sudden, intense wave of danger washed over him.
Instinctively, he leaped aside to dodge, and the park bench he had been sitting on a moment before was instantly blasted to smithereens.
Turning around, he saw a tall, rugged man with a fierce expression and bulging muscles glaring at him with wide, angry eyes. It was Lin Bao's older brother, Lín Hǔ.
Gritting his teeth, Lín Hǔ demanded angrily, "You killed my younger brother, and yet you have the nerve to sit here relaxing? Who gave you the guts?"
On his guard, Lěng Yè replied, "Let's be reasonable, Big Brother. He was the one who made the move first; I was merely acting in self-defense. Besides, I have no idea what happened after he left. How can you be so certain I killed him?"
Consumed by fury, Lín Hǔ snapped, "Sophistry! Today I am taking your life to avenge my brother!"
Before his voice had even faded, he lunged at Lěng Yè with the terrifying momentum of a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, moving at an astonishing speed.
With a single punch, the sheer force rattled the leaves on the nearby trees. Lěng Yè threw everything he had into blocking the blow, retreating several steps before barely managing to steady himself.
The power of the Fifth Stage of Internal Energy was truly not to be underestimated!
Clenching his trembling fist and fixing a resolute gaze on Lín Hǔ, Lěng Yè gritted his teeth and said, "You're nothing special yourself. If you want to kill me, you're not qualified!"
Lín Hǔ let out a cold snort and launched another attack. "Let's see how long you can keep that stiff upper lip!"
While the two were locked in a fierce battle, a car pulled up nearby. Inside sat Xiong Yujiao, dressed in a suit and wearing dark sunglasses. In the driver's seat was a thin, tacithetic man whose aura was enough to command respect.
Watching the fight unfold, Xiong Yujiao murmured to herself, "If he's struggling this much just to deal with a Lín Hǔ, how could a fellow like this ever be worthy of Gāo Yán? It seems Elder Gao's judgment can be flawed after all."
She was in no immediate rush to intervene; she wanted to see what Lěng Yè's limits really were.
Lín Hǔ's attacks were ferocious. Lěng Yè was barely holding on thanks to the purity of his Spiritual Power, but a momentary lapse in concentration left him vulnerable, and Lín Hǔ kicked him squarely in the abdomen.
With a heavy thud, Lěng Yè crashed into the willow tree, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Lín Hǔ grabbed him by the hair and demanded, "Still running your mouth? Do you know what fear is now?"
Lěng Yè clenched his teeth tightly. "You... aren't good enough!"
With a single punch, Lín Hǔ knocked him to the ground. "Say that again!"
Enduring the agonizing pain, Lěng Yè shouted, "You aren't good enough!"
Lín Hǔ raised his foot to stomp on him, but at that exact moment, the unconscious Lěng Yè suddenly snapped back to awareness. His presence surged dramatically, instantly surpassing his previous state.
Taking advantage of Lín Hǔ's momentary lapse in focus, Lěng Yè gathered all his Spiritual Power into his four fingers and thrust them straight at Lín Hǔ's throat.
Inside the car, Xiong Yujiao gave an order to her driver, Duan Lang: "Go help him. Lín Hǔ is one of Long Aotian's men—no need to hold back."
Duan Lang acknowledged the command and opened the door to step out, only to see that Lěng Yè had already successfully counterattacked a step ahead of him.
Xiong Yujiao sighed inwardly: "Clearly outmatched, yet he still insists on pushing through. This fellow is stubbornly terrifying. If not for Gāo Yán, I would never have anything to do with someone like this."
Yet all of this seemed to be quietly altering the trajectory of Lěng Yè's destiny.