Zhou Yu's stance on the seven arranged marriages he was involved in was that the primary concern should be the wishes of the brides themselves.
Regardless of how the women's families felt, or how the elders who signed the marriage contracts felt, wasn't it more important what the girls who put their names on the line thought?
After all, it wasn't anyone else in their families who was marrying Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu wasn't angry about Leng Xue's actions; in fact, he was pleased with the outcome.
Therefore, he hoped that woman could withstand the wrath of Old Master Leng and insist on calling off the engagement.
The Leng family of Di City—if he didn't have to go there in person to break the engagement, so much the better. This was Zhou Yu's most honest thought.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, Old Master Leng was a founding hero of the Dragon Kingdom. Zhou Yu going to break off the engagement would not only be an insult to the Old Master but also an insult to all the founding hero families.
Therefore, Leng Xue's attitude was crucial.
"Xiao Yu, you're too mischievous. You keep emphasizing you're just a small prison guard, playing the tiger while pretending to be a pig? Do you like this style?" Yun Yanlan asked curiously.
Others might not know Zhou Yu's background, but she certainly did.
The forces controlled by Zhou Yu's master were far more numerous than hers!
And these forces were not only domestic but also international.
"Sister Yanlan, I am just a small prison guard, aren't I?" Zhou Yu smiled.
He had never relied on his master's connections.
What Zhou Yu wanted was to forge his own path.
He had been in Yunhai for a long time, and the only person he had gotten close to was Fatty Qian.
Although Qian Fuhua's status as the richest man in Yunhai owed something to his past incarceration in the Arid Sea Prison, if one really thought about it, Qian Fuhua was not part of the master's network, but Zhou Yu's.
Zhou Yu considered Qian Fuhua a friend, and the other considered him a brother. Their relationship was pure.
Of course, Qian Fuhua habitually called him "Little Boss" because that's how everyone addressed him in the Arid Sea Prison.
"Yes, you're a little prison guard, and this sister is very fond of you, prison guard! So, prison guard younger brother, how about I come to your place tonight for a chat?" Yun Yanlan winked at Zhou Yu, her gaze suggestive.
Zhou Yu maintained a neutral expression, his gaze focused.
A chat?
You're probably talking about life ideals!
If the demoness really came over at night, there would be much to discuss.
However, over the years, Yun Yanlan had said many things but never acted on them.
Zhou Yu even suspected if she had some kind of illness that prevented her from getting too close to him.
After all, she hadn't been shy about touching him before.
"Sister Yanlan, you've been saying that for years. I've stayed at Yunlan Celestial Palace several times, but you never came over. Aren't you just putting on a brave front?" Zhou Yu teased.
This was a rare opportunity to fluster the demoness, and he couldn't let it pass.
"What? Little man, are you trying to test me?" Yun Yanlan asked, tilting her head.
It was difficult to guess her thoughts from her words, and Zhou Yu was no exception.
He couldn't figure her out.
So, Zhou Yu quickly said, "No, no, no! I was just speaking casually, Sister Yanlan, please don't take it seriously!"
Zhou Yu had indeed spoken out of playfulness and hadn't intended to test Yun Yanlan.
The demoness was not to be tested!
It would lead to trouble!
Seeing this.
Yun Yanlan's smile vanished, replaced by a look of melancholy.
Zhou Yu was actually correct.
Over the years, she could only vent verbally; going to have a heartfelt talk with Zhou Yu all night was impossible.
Even if she wanted to, Zhou Yu's master wouldn't agree.
Moreover, she couldn't do it.
"Alas, it's all my fault for being too hasty back then and agreeing to his master's agreement. Now, I can only chat with Xiao Yu via video call but can't go to him directly."
Whenever Yun Yanlan felt an uncontrollable urge to go to Zhou Yu, she would remember that agreement.
Because of this agreement, she couldn't appear before Zhou Yu every day.
She certainly couldn't do anything to him during their rare meetings.
Yun Yanlan possessed a natural Charm Physique. If she wanted to do something strange to Zhou Yu, he wouldn't be able to resist.
In this world, apart from men who had renounced love and had no eyes for women, no man could resist a natural Charm Physique!
But it was precisely because of her natural Charm Physique that Yun Yanlan had to maintain a distance from Zhou Yu.
"Your natural Charm Physique will become more terrifying with age. Around thirty, your charm will reach its peak. At that time, every glance and smile will captivate men, driving them mad. Xiao Yu has cultivated the Nine Yang Art. Your natural Charm Physique will affect him. When he reaches the fifth level, you will no longer be suitable to be by his side."
Yun Yanlan still remembered every word Zhou Yu's master had said to her back then.
Therefore.
To allow Zhou Yu to cultivate the Nine Yang Art to its fullest, she had to choose to temporarily distance herself from the man she longed for.
Of course, if Zhou Yu's cultivation broke through from the fifth level to the seventh, she could return.
And once she returned, Zhou Yu's master would no longer object.
Ten years ago, on that night, Yun Yanlan had secretly crept into Zhou Yu's room.
When discovered by Zhou Yu's master, she was reprimanded.
This was because Zhou Yu had just reached the fifth level of the Nine Yang Art at that time!
And at this stage, the Nine Yang Art possessed an irresistible attraction to a natural Charm Physique!
In his helplessness, Zhou Yu's master had made an agreement with Yun Yanlan, asking her to temporarily leave Zhou Yu.
Yun Yanlan knew she had to leave.
This was why Zhou Yu always found it strange that when Yun Yanlan was about to do something to him, she would stop at the critical moment.
Yun Yanlan dared not!
She dared not let Zhou Yu's cultivation efforts go to waste.
Loving someone meant considering their well-being thoroughly.
"Sister Yanlan?"
Seeing Yun Yanlan lost in thought and silent, Zhou Yu gently called out.
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing. I was just reminiscing about the happy times we had together in the Arid Sea Prison," Yun Yanlan explained.
She quickly regained her composure.
These matters could not be told to Zhou Yu for now.
Even if the little man misunderstood, she couldn't tell him.
For now, meeting Zhou Yu through video calls and satisfying her longing heart was enough.
"Sister Yanlan, you said..."
"Said what?"
"Nothing."
"Mmm."
Zhou Yu fell silent.
He had wanted to ask Yun Yanlan why she had changed and become different from before.
But the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back.
Because Zhou Yu didn't know what identity he should use to ask this question.
Were Yun Yanlan and he siblings?
Or perhaps, an elder and a junior?
He had even called her Aunt Yun for a period, but Yun Yanlan disliked that address, so he changed it.
Afterward.
Both Zhou Yu and Yun Yanlan, with their hearts burdened by unspoken matters, ended their video call after a few more words.
In the Prince of Xiang's Mansion in Jiangnan.
Yun Yanlan stared blankly at the large screen.
Then, she slowly lay down on the bed behind her.
Looking at the ceiling, Yun Yanlan pursed her red lips.
Her right hand moved slowly until it reached a certain spot.
"Little man, just talking to you for this short while makes my body feel strange. When will your Nine Yang Art reach the seventh level? Sister is eagerly awaiting."