Chapter 348: Chapter 217: Yu Ruoshuang: We Can... Together...

Inside the study.

As Yu Ruoshuang and her two companions entered, multiple Shielding Array Restrictions activated, sealing the room off from the outside world.

"Distinguished guests, please, have a seat so we may talk."

Ling Qiyue spoke in an indifferent tone from the seat of honor. Xue Qingtan and Meng Feiyu remained impassive as well, showing no intention of rising to greet their guests.

The elegant and intellectual Yu Ruoshuang, whose calm demeanor was like still water, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before taking the guest seats with Yu Yalan and Yu Youqin.

It was a three-on-three arrangement. On Ling Qiyue’s side, all three were at Golden Core Peak Cultivation. Meanwhile, Yu Yalan was only at the Late stage Golden Core, and Yu Youqin was at the Early stage Golden Core.

Yu Ruoshuang, however, possessed a genuine Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, making her significantly stronger than even Luo Qingxuan. However, the life force within her was dim, indicating she didn’t have much time left, and she wasn’t known for her combat prowess anyway.

"...Patriarch’s Sister, this is the second time we’ve met, isn’t it?"

Yu Yalan said, her beautiful face lit with a captivating smile.

The last time she and Yu Youqin had visited, they hadn’t noticed anything amiss. In hindsight, however, the suspicious details were all too obvious.

"Mm, that’s right."

Ling Qiyue said with a nod, "May I ask the purpose of your visit today?"

"We’re here for Ling Changqing, of course."

Yu Youqin didn’t believe in beating around the bush and got straight to the point:

"Sister, you should have him come out and see us. Since he exchanged Tokens of Love with my sister and me, he needs to honor his promise!"

She was now almost certain that the mysterious, handsome youth in black from back then was none other than Ling Changqing, who had simply altered his appearance.

"..."

Ling Qiyue’s expression flickered. She hadn’t expected the Female Cultivators from the Yu Family to be so direct, immediately asserting that Ling Changqing was hidden here.

"The person you’re looking for is not in our family."

Xue Qingtan said coolly.

’Looks like this won’t be resolved peacefully today. It’s a shame... If I were already a Nascent Soul True Monarch, I could handle this trouble much better.’

’As things stand, finding a way out of this is nearly impossible.’

"There’s no need to be so quick with your denial, Patriarch’s Sister. We’ve come with no ill intent,"

Yu Ruoshuang said gently. "Otherwise, it wouldn’t be just the three of us visiting you today. It would be a massive army and a host of High Grade experts surrounding Changqing Continent."

"...At that point, it probably wouldn’t be just your Yu Family. I imagine every top power in Yuzhou would catch wind of it and come running, wouldn’t they?"

Meng Feiyu said, frowning.

An operation of that scale, especially over something so important, would be impossible to keep completely secret.

The end result would be Ling Changqing either being stolen away by them or disappearing without a trace. Changqing Continent would be razed to the ground, and not a single disciple of the Ling Family would survive.

This was clearly not an outcome Ling Qiyue and her companions were willing to accept.

Yu Ruoshuang continued in her gentle tone, "Just let us see Ling Changqing, and what you fear will never come to pass."

Yu Yalan added, "We came here without alerting the Yu Family leadership. This is just a private venture of our own.

As long as we can serve Ling Changqing alongside you, your Ling Family won’t have to worry about any other trouble."

The implication was clear: they were acting independently of the Yu Family. As long as they could become Ling Changqing’s Dao Companions, they couldn’t care less what happened to the Yu Family in the future.

Ling Qiyue shook her head. "I can’t possibly trust a promise like that. Besides, he might not be willing to accept, and it’s not our place to make that decision for him."

At this point, she was no longer denying her connection to Ling Changqing.

Their visitors had come prepared. If she continued to stubbornly deny everything, it would only force them into an open confrontation, which was clearly not a wise choice.

Yu Yalan nodded. "Then bring him out. Let us ask him to his face if his promise from all that time ago still stands.

If he insists on denying it, then we will have no choice but to give up."

’Heh, as if you’d actually give up!’

A flicker of mockery crossed Ling Qiyue’s eyes, but she said nothing of it. Instead, she announced:

"Please wait a moment. I will send word for him to come."

At these words, Yu Yalan and her sister breathed a sigh of relief. Even the usually calm and reserved Yu Ruoshuang was secretly thrilled.

After all, this was the legendary Child of Destiny, an anomaly in the River of Time. It was said that from the distant, immemorial Primordial Era to the present day, no one had ever witnessed such a special being with their own eyes.

And now, if his identity was truly what they believed it to be, they were about to become witnesses to history.

A few moments later, as the layers of the Array Restriction closed, Ling Changqing—having reverted to his true appearance—slowly walked in.

"So it really is you..."

Yu Yalan rose gracefully, her soul-stealing, beautiful eyes veiled with a faint mist.

After so many years, they once again beheld the handsome youth in purple robes. His eyes were as dark as lacquer, his bearing as regal as a dragon and graceful as a phoenix. Above his head, the phenomenal manifestation of his Luck and Fortune roiled without cease, condensing into an almost tangible aura of golden light and purple qi.

"So that’s how it is... It truly is... I understand now..."

A look of utter shock appeared on Yu Ruoshuang’s face as well. Her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes stared at him unblinkingly, drinking in his appearance from head to toe as if she could never see enough.

"...Sisters, I trust you’ve been well since we last met."

Seeing the radiant and breathtakingly beautiful Yu Yalan sisters, Ling Changqing sighed inwardly as he greeted them.

He had tried his utmost to avoid forming karmic entanglements back then. Unfortunately, due to his limited Cultivation at the time, a fateful coincidence had still led to him forming a bond with the Yu Yalan sisters.

Now, here they were at his door with the token, demanding their place by his side. It was a real headache.