For the first time, the gentle, refined mask on Hu Yanqing’s face shattered. He surged to his feet, his voice booming through the hall.

“Utter nonsense! The Creation Immortal Pill is the ultimate secret of Penglai Immortal Island—a guardian treasure of their lineage! How could a junior like you possibly possess it?”

He had exposed the pill’s legendary origins in a single sentence, but Zhang Xian didn’t even bat an eyelid. He leaned back leisurely, a mocking tilt to his lips.

“My friend from the Central Continent, are you joking, or do you truly believe you are omniscient? I am not familiar with Penglai Immortal Island. This pill has a different origin entirely.”

“Impossible! Take it out and let me see it!” Hu Yanqing demanded.

“My apologies, but this pill is far too precious. I fear its radiance might attract the attention of thieves. I will naturally present it to Pavilion Master Yun in private; there is no need for a ‘distinguished’ guest like you to appraise it.”

Hu Yanzhi looked at his elder cousin, then back at Yun Wanqing. He saw her round, clear almond eyes fixed solely on Zhang Xian, intense waves of emotion churning violently in their depths.

He felt as if he were about to vomit blood and shouted to Yun Wanqing, “Miss Yun, do not listen to him! He is a fraud! Only the [Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin] can save your daughter!”

“I believe him.”

Yun Wanqing’s voice was soft, yet it resonated throughout the hall like a divine bell. She reined in her emotions and spoke with cold finality.

“Regarding the proposal for my daughter’s marriage—consider it canceled. The Cloud Raiment Pavilion has made its choice. There is no need to discuss this further and disturb the Emperor’s banquet!”

As her words fell, a deathly silence gripped the hall.

Hu Yanzhi’s face went from a furious red to an ashen, ghostly white. The words “marriage canceled” echoed in his brain until his vision swam. He watched in agony as Yun Wanqing’s gaze moved past him without lingering for even a single second.

He had been cast aside like trash.

A feeling of unprecedented, humiliating shame flooded his body. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, shooting Zhang Xian a look filled with pure, concentrated venom.

The festive atmosphere was dead. Yun Wanqing rose gracefully and bowed toward Xia Xuanyin.

“Your Majesty, Zhang Xian and I have… private matters to discuss. May we borrow a study?”

“Granted!” A playful glint flashed in Xia Xuanyin’s eyes.

The Emperor of the Southern Region was more than happy to see the Baoqing Workshop humiliated; the smirk at the corner of his mouth was almost impossible to suppress.

“The West Warm Pavilion happens to be vacant.”

Yun Wanqing turned slightly, her silk skirt swirling like a cloud. Her gaze toward Zhang Xian held a hint of inquiry. “Shall we?”

“How could I refuse an invitation from a beauty?”

Zhang Xian stood and politely cupped his hands toward the remaining guests. “Everyone, please, continue the feast. I shall excuse myself for a moment.”

As a maidservant led them out, Yun He suddenly spoke up, his voice urgent. “Qingqing, what about… these spirit stones?”

The old Pavilion Master stared longingly at the mountain of treasure chests, his Adam’s apple bobbing incessantly as he looked at the high-grade wealth.

Yun Wanqing paused. She glanced at the dazzling stones, a meaningful smile curling her lips.

“Father, please keep them safe for me for now.”

“Oh! Oh! Right! Of course!” Yun He nodded hurriedly, then coughed several times to hide his sheer excitement at the windfall.

Hu Yanzhi could no longer contain himself. She had accepted the stones! Did that not mean she had accepted the proposal? And now they were going for a private meeting in the Emperor’s study?

“What am I? A joke?!”

He violently overturned his table, stumbling out of the hall in a blind rage, abandoning all pretense of etiquette.

The hall immediately erupted into a cacophony of whispers. No one expected this settled alliance to be snatched away by an unknown youth. By tomorrow, Hu Yanzhi would be the laughingstock of the entire Southern Region.

“Interesting.” Hu Yanqing took a small sip of wine and stood up. “Today’s events were… unforeseen. I shall take my leave as well.”

He turned to the two Spirit Ruins Sword Sect elders who had been watching the drama.

“Elders, I have matters to discuss with your esteemed sect. Perhaps we could speak elsewhere?”

The elders were taken aback, but the other party was a Nascent Soul expert from the Guiyuan Sect; they could not refuse. “Fellow Daoist Hu, after you!”

Within moments, half the guests had departed. Xia Xuanyin turned to Wang Ya with a beaming smile.

“True Person Wang Ya, your Yunmiao Sect conceals its depths well. To produce such resources—even the Baoqing Workshop was suppressed.”

Wang Ya sat in a daze, his heart a mess of complex emotions. “It was… indeed unexpected.”

Strangely, he felt the death of his last shred of hope had caused his “Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra” to break through to a new level.

Inside the West Warm Pavilion, the gentle scent of eaglewood filled the air.

A maidservant at the peak of Foundation Establishment served them tea and fruits, her eyes darting between Zhang Xian and Yun Wanqing with unrestrained curiosity.

Finally, she leaned in, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.

“Please, enjoy yourselves. His Majesty has ensured the formations here are absolute; no one can spy on you. Stay as long as you wish.”

She paused, her voice dropping lower. “The… bedroom in the back is also tidy and ready for use.”

She bowed quickly and scurried away, leaving the two of them in total silence.

Yun Wanqing sat elegantly at the tea table, her gaze settling on Zhang Xian. “Zhang Xian, how much longer do you intend to wear that mask?”

“As far as I know, Nangong Yao is your enemy. Now that she has fled and her fate is unknown, is there still a need to hide your true face?”

Zhang Xian was taken aback; he hadn’t expected her to lead with that. A faint smile touched his lips. “As expected of Pavilion Master Yun. Nothing escapes you.”

He brushed his fingers over his face. The disguise rippled like water and faded, revealing his true features—handsome, sharp, and upright.

“I joined the Yunmiao Sect partly to settle the score with her,” Zhang Xian admitted. “But she seemed to be an old acquaintance of yours. You won’t hold it against me, will you?”

Yun Wanqing studied his real face frankly. A flicker of appreciation passed through her eyes before she shook her head.

“She was merely a nodding acquaintance introduced by my late husband. Her life or death means nothing to me.”

The tension eased. Zhang Xian took a sip of tea. “Surely you didn’t call me here just to see my face?”

Yun Wanqing didn’t answer immediately. She looked down at the tea, watching her own reflection, before raising her eyes to lock onto his.

She scrutinized him with a gaze that felt like both an appraisal of a precious treasure and a deeply complex confession.

“I simply needed to see clearly,” she said softly, her voice carrying an ethereal, detached calmness. “I needed to know what the man I am to marry actually looks like.”

[Ding! Current Destiny Points: 59.] [Ding! Current Favorability: 58.]

Zhang Xian’s heart skipped a beat. Even as a seasoned “driver” who had seen countless beauties, the sight of the Southern Region’s number one beauty saying such words made his Dao heart waver.

He looked into her eyes and smiled.

“Pavilion Master Yun, forgive my bluntness, but I don’t sense any intention in your heart to actually accept those betrothal gifts.”

The corners of her lips curved into a breathtaking arc. “Oh? You can tell?”

Of course I can, Zhang Xian thought. The system didn’t give me a ‘success’ prompt for the spirit stones.

“It seems I guessed correctly. You have no intention of forming a marriage alliance?”

The smile faded slightly. After a moment, she smoothed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“In truth,” she said candidly, “I never once intended to marry Hu Yanzhi.”