"Shut up."
Xu Letian snapped, "Maybe others have the right to say that, but you, Lu Lingyi, don't. Don't forget—Yang Cheng offended Hu Chen just now because he was standing up for you."
"I…"
Lu Lingyi froze, her face flushing red, then turning pale.
"First," Yang Cheng said calmly, "I wasn't standing up for her. Second, don't think too much about it. Just keep enjoying yourselves."
Dongfang Sheng and Zeng Niu were speechless.
Xu Letian grew anxious. "Yang Cheng, you're underestimating Young Master Meng and his people. Even I can't afford to offend them. If it were possible, I wouldn't want you to bow your head either—but now, there's no choice. When he comes, I'll try to smooth things over. You should at least act humble."
Yang Cheng replied evenly, "Forget about your Young Master Meng. Even if his lecturer brother shows up, it's still fine."
Ma Ruoruo and Wei Jia instinctively moved away from Yang Cheng. This man was far too reckless—getting close to someone like him was bound to bring trouble.
"Hahaha, when Hu Chen told me what happened earlier, I thought he was exaggerating," a cold, mocking voice rang out. "Turns out, he didn't exaggerate at all. In fact, he even held back."
A pale, delicate-looking young man approached, his tone dripping with arrogance. It was none other than Young Master Meng himself.
Xu Letian tensed. "Young Master Meng."
"No need to be so polite."
Young Master Meng waved his hand lazily.
Behind him followed Hu Chen and a group of other privileged young men from the Horn Constellation Realm, all dressed in fine robes and radiating smugness.
"Brother Meng," Lu Lingyi said bitterly. It seemed that today, she really wouldn't be able to escape trouble.
"Boy," Young Master Meng said coldly, pointing at Yang Cheng, "I'm standing right in front of you now. Go ahead, repeat what you just said—"
But before he could finish, his eyes went wide.
"Y–you…" he stammered, his jaw trembling.
Xu Letian immediately jumped in, forcing a smile. "Young Master Meng, please don't lower yourself to our level. Yang Cheng didn't mean any offense. Quickly, Yang Cheng, tell Young Master Meng you didn't mean what you said."
But Young Master Meng's expression was strange—his lips quivered, his teeth chattering as he pointed a shaking finger.
"Y–you… you…"
Yang Cheng looked at him calmly. "You know me?"
Everyone was confused. None of them understood what was going on.
Then, to their utter shock, Young Master Meng's face turned ashen as he stammered, "I–I had the honor of attending one of your lectures with my brother."
Hu Chen and the others stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.
Lecture?
What lecture? None of them understood what he meant.
"M–Young Master Meng… what are you talking about?" Xu Letian asked cautiously, swallowing hard.
"What Young Master Meng?" the young man said hastily. "There's no 'Young Master Meng' here. My name's Meng Song. Please, Yang… just call me Xiao Song."
He almost blurted out "Master Yang," but seeing how the others seemed completely unaware of Yang Cheng's true identity, he realized this must be intentional.
So the big shot wants to keep a low profile, he thought nervously. If I expose him, I'm dead.
He quickly decided to play along, trembling slightly as he smiled awkwardly.
Lu Lingyi's heart skipped a beat. The way Meng Song behaved—could it be that Yang Cheng had some powerful background?
Yan Qingzhi, Ma Ruoruo, and Wei Jia all stared blankly, their minds completely blank, unable to process what was happening.
Yang Cheng's voice broke the stunned silence. "Alright. Everyone's out here to have fun. Stop making a scene. Take your people and get lost. And next time, when someone under you causes trouble, make sure you handle it properly."
"Yes!"
Meng Song straightened immediately, nodding like a servant, then turned and left with Hu Chen and the others in tow.
As they reached the edge of sight, Xu Letian and the rest clearly saw Meng Song suddenly slap Hu Chen across the face, then kick him to the ground.
Wei Jia's eyes widened. "Yang Cheng, are you from some ancient clan or something? Otherwise, why would Meng Song be so terrified of you?"
Xu Letian couldn't hold back either. "Man, people really can't be judged by appearances. Turns out the most impressive one among us is you."
Everyone's gazes fell on Yang Cheng, eyes full of disbelief and curiosity.
Yang Cheng just smiled faintly. "That's why I told you earlier—relax and have fun. There's nothing to worry about."
"Hahaha, you're absolutely right!"
Xu Letian burst out laughing, the tension finally breaking.
Lu Lingyi lowered her eyes, her thoughts a tangled mess.
There truly was a powerful family named Yang in the Horn Constellation Realm—but even they couldn't compare to the lineage behind that one.
After that encounter, Ma Ruoruo and Wei Jia suddenly became extremely warm toward Yang Cheng, their attitude a complete reversal from before.
Even Yan Qingzhi's manner toward him changed drastically. From time to time, she would secretly glance at Yang Cheng from behind Xu Letian, her eyes carrying a soft, lingering charm.
For some reason, Lu Lingyi felt a flicker of discomfort in her chest as she watched.
That sour feeling grew until she couldn't stand seeing anyone else happy.
She suddenly said coldly, "Yang Cheng, I remember you once said Tang Xingyu was one of the people closest to you. That wasn't just talk, was it?"
The others froze, all turning to look at Yang Cheng at once.
Ma Ruoruo and Wei Jia both stiffened, their breathing slightly uneven.
Even with all their confidence, neither of them believed they could compare with Tang Xingyu.
Yang Cheng's expression stayed calm. "Of course it's true."
Lu Lingyi felt her heart twist with a sudden pang of jealousy, though she kept her tone light and teasing. "Then you'd better be careful. Last year, when Tang Xingyu was in the Horn Constellation Realm, she caught the attention of countless noble heirs from major powers. Quite a few top geniuses even pursued her and treated her like a goddess."
"Damn."
Xu Letian let out a low whistle. "Yang Cheng, you're seriously something. You actually managed to win over Tang Xingyu! No wonder you don't look at other women."
The moment he said that, the atmosphere shifted.
Every woman present, including those who'd been smiling moments before, suddenly wore awkward or unnatural expressions.
Even Lu Lingyi, who'd brought up the topic in the first place, fell silent.
Yan Qingzhi spoke with a hint of bitterness, "Yang Cheng, Lu Lingyi's right—you really should be careful. I heard something else too. They say the Crown Prince of the Evergreen Tower, Ouyang Yi, has his eyes on Tang Xingyu."
"Whoa."
Dongfang Sheng sucked in a sharp breath.
"That's bad news. The Evergreen Tower is the biggest alchemy business in the Horn Constellation Realm, and Ouyang Yi's an alchemy prodigy himself. He's a tough one to deal with."
Xu Letian sighed heavily. "Yang Cheng… ah, forget it."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood.
In their eyes, unless Tang Xingyu and Yang Cheng shared an unshakable, deathless bond, even her good character wouldn't stop someone like Ouyang Yi from trying to steal her away.
Yang Cheng said lightly, "Ouyang Yi? He's nothing."
He knew very well—Ouyang Yi wasn't the real threat.
In the future, an even greater figure would set their sights on Tang Xingyu.
But even then, Tang Xingyu would show no interest.
Five hundred years later, she would still remain alone.
The others thought Yang Cheng was just being arrogant, so they chose not to argue.
"My bad," Xu Letian said quickly, breaking the tension. "Forget all that—let's just keep playing."
Everyone tried to return to their games, but the earlier excitement was gone.
Half an hour later, the gathering dispersed.
Three days passed in a flash.
That day, the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy was unusually lively.
It was the day of the new disciples' initiation ceremony—marking the official entry of a new generation into the academy.
Among them were quite a few prodigies from the Wasteland Realm.
One after another, these dazzling talents took the stage, each performing their best Dao art.
Yang Cheng even spotted several familiar faces among them—Lu Yun, Leng Qianyu, Kongxing, Yu Mengqi, and Yu Ruoxi.
Among them, Lu Yun stepped onto the platform as the representative of the Zither Institute's new disciples, earning thunderous applause from the crowd.