Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling looked at the confused Liu Erlong with even stranger expressions.
The more they looked, the more they felt something was wrong.
How could a woman love a man even though that man had clearly played with her life? It made no sense.
Unable to bear their stares, Liu Erlong turned to Wu Lan.
"What are you talking about? Who played with my life?"
Since Wu Lan said it, the three girls completely believed his words. To them, it was already certain that Liu Erlong had been tricked by Yu Xiaogang.
But hearing her own words, Xiao Wu and Zhuqing felt a chill. Even Liu Erlong herself did not know she had been played.
How deeply had that scumbag cheated her?
They looked at Liu Erlong with pity.
Feeling the sudden change in their eyes, Liu Erlong grew even more uncomfortable. She could not even speak properly.
"Brother, how did Yu Xiaogang play with her life?" they asked curiously.
Hearing that this was about Yu Xiaogang betraying her, Liu Erlong's pupils shrunk. She shouted angrily,
"Impossible… impossible! My gong would never betray me!"
Wu Lan's voice was calm.
"Since you believe that your Yu Xiaogang never betrayed you, then tell your story with him."
"You don't know how amazing my gong is. He created many miracles in his past!" Seeing Wu Lan's indifferent expression, Liu Erlong grew angry. How could he dare look down on her gong?
No woman would allow her beloved's dignity to be trampled.
Her face firm, she began to tell her side of the story.
It began when she traveled the continent for experience. There, she met her gong. His face was etched with loneliness and sadness, yet he still carried pride and determination to move forward.
After spending time with him, he revealed his past, how he had been mocked and abandoned by Bibi Dong, that witch who had thrown him away for his weak power.
Her heart broke for him. She admired him for his determination and intelligence. Even with such a weak spirit power, even knowing he could never rise as others did, he never gave up. He studied, he wrote, he challenged the world with his mind when his strength failed him.
"I admired that," she said, her voice soft. "More than that… I fell for it."
With his knowledge, he had helped many, even us. He created an unparalleled fusion technique capable of rivaling a Title Douluo in combat power. He also did many things that benefited common people, like the 10 Core Competence Theory he released publicly.
Later, with my persistence, he finally accepted my love. We traveled happily through the continent with Boss Fu.
Eventually, we decided to marry. But on the day of our marriage, when happiness was within reach, my father appeared.
I thought he had come to bless us. Instead, his words shattered everything. He revealed that Yu Xiaogang and I were cousins. In that moment, our love became impossible.
My gong could not bear the pain and ran away.
But now, he has finally come back to me. I will do anything to regain my happiness with him.
Her story was full of love, admiration for Yu Xiaogang, and hatred toward Bibi Dong and the world that had looked down on her gong.
By the time she finished, her eyes were red. She wiped away her tears and said,
"Now you know how amazing my gong is."
She looked at Wu Lan, expecting admiration in his eyes. But all she saw was a strange expression.
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's so-called achievements from Liu Erlong, Wu Lan wanted to vomit. This bastard was so shameless, flaunting Spirit Hall's knowledge as if it were his own.
Seeing Liu Erlong's hopeful gaze, he was speechless. He didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling.
"You've heard her story. Now tell me, how did she get cheated?"
They glanced at each other, understanding that Wu Lan was testing their intelligence.
Xiao wu was very eager to get her brother's praise. Her small rabbit brian spun with rapidly.
Liu Erlong's story gave them complex feelings: weird when a trash became lover, sad when her lover turned into a cousin, and then anger when Yu Xiaogang ran away after learning of their blood relation.
Zhuqing, the sharpest among them, analyzed the story carefully and came to a conclusion.
"He left Senior Liu Erlong behind to face the world's pressure and ran away like a coward for twenty years."
She could relate. Mubai had left her behind to enjoy himself while she suffered alone. For Liu Erlong to bear that loneliness for two decades… it was unbearable.
She looked at Wu Lan, waiting for his praise, but Wu Lan only turned to Liu Erlong, observing her reaction.
Sure enough, someone blinded by love would not care, even if she was the one left suffering.
Liu Erlong shook her head at Zhuqing's words. Even though it was painful to be alone for twenty years, waiting for her gong, she never blamed him. On the contrary, she only felt sad that he had suffered because of her.
"My gong has suffered so much in his life. I never blamed him for leaving that day."
Wu Lan was speechless. That scumbag had both Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong wrapped around his little finger.
Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling exchanged glances. Something was clearly wrong with Liu Erlong's brain.
Wu Lan sighed.
"You told me Yu Xiaogang is the most intelligent man in the world." He looked at Liu Erlong as he asked.
"Yes! My gong is the most intelligent," she answered without hesitation, her face full of pride.
Wu Lan then looked at Ye Lingling.
"Lingling, you've lived in the capital for so long. If you saw a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, could you tell which clan it belongs to?"
Lingling blinked, confused at the sudden question, but answered, "They belong to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"And what about the Clear Sky Hammer?" Wu Lan continued.
"The Clear Sky Clan."
At those words, both Liu Erlong and Zhuqing's pupils shrank. Wu Lan saw their reaction but continued calmly.
"Then tell me, is it possible to awaken martial spirits unique to certain clans without belonging to that clan?"
Lingling thought for a while, then shook her head. "If someone awakens a unique martial spirit belonging to a clan, it means they definitely carry that clan's bloodline, even if it's thin. So the clan tries to bring them back if they have good talent."
wu lan asked while looking at Liu Erlong
"what about dragon martial spirit."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong's face turned pale. Her lips trembled as she muttered in horror,
"Did he know…?"