"Huangfu Yan, let me reiterate, Chen Xiao and I are innocent. Why should I break off my engagement with you? You know the reason yourself," Chu Qingluan said in a clear voice.
"Are you still trying to play dumb with me? At this late hour, you two alone, a man and a woman, flirting here, and you still deny it? Do I have to catch you in the act to believe it?"
It was unclear if Huangfu Yan had some sort of obsession with being cuckolded. Nothing had happened, yet his imagination ran wild with vivid details.
Chu Qingluan was momentarily speechless.
Huangfu Yan was completely unreasonable, only believing what he imagined. No matter how much she explained, it would be useless.
Just as she was about to reprimand Huangfu Yan, Chen Xiao suddenly leaped from the flying sword, landed on the bird's back, and put his arm around Chu Qingluan's waist.
In an instant, Chu Qingluan's entire side went numb, her slender waist stiff as a board.
"So what if we are involved? What can you do about it?"
Chen Xiao pulled Chu Qingluan into his embrace, looking provocatively at Huangfu Yan.
He couldn't just be wrongly accused like this. You say I'm involved with your fiancée?
Fine, then I'll make it official for you to see!
After a moment of stiffness, Chu Qingluan did not break free from Chen Xiao's embrace. Instead, she leaned even closer against him.
Huangfu Yan's mind was in an uproar, like an erupting volcano. His anger was beyond words.
"You adulterous couple, I will kill you!"
Huangfu Yan lost control again, veins bulging, his entire face turning a dark, greenish-black.
Chen Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. This person had such powerful resentment, and it didn't seem like resentment that a living person should possess.
At the same time, a chorus of wails and howls echoed from the surroundings.
Chu Qingluan trembled, pressing herself tightly against Chen Xiao. Her arms involuntarily wrapped around him, as if clinging to a lifeline.
This scene further stimulated Huangfu Yan. His expression became even more ferocious, and he was on the verge of completely losing control.
However, at that moment, a roar suddenly came from afar.
"Huangfu Yan, stop right there!"
Following the sound, they saw a ball of fire rapidly approaching.
Upon closer inspection, the ball of fire was not actual fire, but a phoenix. Its golden-yellow feathers seemed to burn like flames in the night.
Riding the phoenix was Chu He.
Upon hearing Huangfu Yan's words, "I will kill you," he quickly accelerated his approach.
Seeing Chu He, Huangfu Yan immediately calmed down, and the greenish-black color on his face slowly receded, returning to normal.
"Huangfu Yan, what do you think you're doing! My Zhushen Hall is not a place for you to run wild!"
The phoenix arrived in an instant, and Chu He shouted angrily.
"Uncle Chu, you've finally arrived! Look at these two adulterers, your daughter is cuckolding me!"
Huangfu Yan pointed at Chen Xiao and Chu Qingluan, feeling that he held the moral high ground, and thus was full of confidence.
Chu He followed Huangfu Yan's gaze and was stunned, because Chu Qingluan was still clinging tightly to Chen Xiao, looking incredibly intimate.
Chu Qingluan only then reacted, quickly pushing Chen Xiao away and explaining with a blush, "Father, it's not what you think..."
Facts spoke louder than words, and this explanation was somewhat weak.
Chen Xiao simply said, "Hall Master Chu, I was merely protecting your daughter, nothing more. Please don't overthink it."
Chu He felt a little awkward. He didn't object to his daughter being with Chen Xiao... However, wasn't this developing a bit too quickly?
These young people nowadays...
Just as he was lamenting the openness of today's youth, Huangfu Yan's incessant voice reached his ears again.
"Uncle Chu, you've seen the facts. Are you going to act, or should I do it myself!"
"Act? Act on what?"
Chu He was slightly taken aback.
"Your daughter is unchaste, and you still want to keep her? In the old days, she would be paraded through the streets and subjected to the pig cage!"
Huangfu Yan said sternly.
"Pig cage? Yan'er, what ancient history are you talking about? Children don't listen to their mothers. Since this has happened, the engagement is off. Why must you be so persistent?"
Chu He, the old fox, had been looking for a reason to break off the engagement ever since he learned that Huangfu Yan was cultivating the ghost path.
Now, it was much easier, saving him a lot of trouble.
Moreover, the most important thing was that if his daughter truly ended up with Chen Xiao, he would wholeheartedly approve!
"You... Chu He, are you declaring war on my Lingxiao Hall by doing this?"
Huangfu Yan gritted his teeth, glaring hatefully at Chu He. He no longer even called him Uncle Chu.
Chu He snorted coldly and said proudly, "Huangfu Yan, as far as I know, your father is still alive, isn't he? When did it become your turn to rule Lingxiao Hall?"
Huangfu Yan clenched his fists, his expression fluctuating. He was contemplating the consequences if he were to fall out with Chu He now.
After much thought, he felt that falling out with Chu He now would not be a wise decision, but he couldn't let this matter go just like that!
"Uncle Chu, you are right, it is not my turn to rule Lingxiao Hall. However, my father will certainly uphold justice for me. I will return to Lingxiao Hall today to report this matter to my father. You can await my father's wrath! Farewell!"
With that, he stamped his foot on the white-feathered golden eagle and flew away.
Watching the white-feathered golden eagle fly further and further away, Chu Qingluan couldn't help but ask, "Father, are we just going to let him go?"
"What else can we do if we don't let him go? Are we going to lock him up? That would put us in the wrong, and Lingxiao Hall would have even more reason to wage war against us."
Chu He said helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Father. It's all my fault... If I had just endured a little longer, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..."
Chu Qingluan said apologetically.
"Never mind, this is not your fault. You don't need to blame yourself."
Chu He said calmly.
"I apologize, Hall Master Chu. I didn't expect my little prank to cause you so much trouble. Don't worry, if Lingxiao Hall comes to trouble Zhushen Hall, I, Chen Xiao, will not stand idly by."
Chen Xiao said with conviction.
"Mr. Chen, this matter is not entirely your fault. Our Zhushen Hall, or rather, the entire ancient martial arts sect, will sooner or later have a great battle with Lingxiao Hall. It has only been slightly advanced."
Chu He said dismissively.
"Hall Master Chu, why is that? As far as I know, your hall and Lingxiao Hall have always had close interactions."
Chen Xiao was puzzled.
Then, Chu Qingluan explained that Huangfu Yan was cultivating the ghost path.
After hearing Chu Qingluan's explanation, Chen Xiao suddenly realized, "So that's why Huangfu Yan had such great resentment."
At this moment, Chu He changed the subject and suddenly said, "Mr. Chen, do you happen to have some free time? I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately..."