"Don't bother."
Shangguan WanWan's voice cut through the thick tension like a blade sliding from its sheath. It was calm, almost lazy, yet it carried enough weight that everyone instinctively quieted down.
She stepped forward, her sleeves swaying lightly, and looked at Liu Mei Mei with an expression that was neither kind nor cruel, only distant. And her eyes landed back to Lin Youming.
"There's no need to press her further," she said. "What's already happened cannot be undone."
For a fleeting moment, something unreadable flickered in her eyes.
"You've proven one thing, at least," she continued. "You may be foolish. Absurdly so. But it's obvious you did not mean us harm."
Her lips curved into a faint, ironic smile. "If there is fault to be assigned, it belongs to the subordinates who fled just now. They were the ones who pushed matters this far."
She turned fully toward Liu Mei Mei now, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"And as for you," Shangguan WanWan said evenly, "there is no urgency anymore. This foolish young master has already crippled himself. His cultivation path is broken. His value to the Lin Family will soon vanish."
She tilted her head, voice dropping into something colder.
"He will be demoted. Abandoned. Stripped of influence. Even if you don't divorce him today, you can leave him tomorrow. Or the day after. No one will stop you."
The words were blunt. Cruel, even.
Liu Mei Mei's fingers tightened around her sleeves. Her eyes flickered with hesitation, fear, calculation, and something softer buried beneath it all. She looked at Lin Youming, then away, then back again.
Time seemed to stretch.
She's not stupid. She knew his position as the chosen young master. The way other young masters looked at him with envy. She's sure there was silent hostility in the Lin Family. The many enemies he had made without realizing it. And now, with his cultivation ruined, all of that hatred would finally have a target that could no longer fight back.
Her lips parted.
"…Alright," she said quietly.
The word fell softly, but it landed with finality.
From Lin Youming's perspective, the world seemed to brighten.
A familiar sound echoed in his mind.
Ding!
[ Upgraded Mission Complete 3/3. ]
[ Liu Mei Mei: Divorce Cancelled. ]
[ Congratulations on completing the task. ]
[ Please wait for your rewards… ]
Lin Youming's heart leapt. Finally! Finally! He didn't need to find a way to cure his crippled upper dantian. Since he had crippled his middle dantian himself to complete the upgraded mission, the system would designate him as a crippled cultivator.
With this, even if he appeared to be a cripple on the outside, he could still cultivate normally because of the system.
He wanted to jump! He wanted to scream! But he forced himself to remain composed; inside, he was grinning like an idiot.
Done.
Finally done.
Yes! Goddamn it! Yes! I completed it without effort.
Before he could savor the moment any further, a sharp sob rang out.
"No… no, this can't happen!"
Cai Cai Yun suddenly rushed forward, tears streaming down her face. Her chest heaved as emotion burst out of her like a dam collapsing.
"I won't accept this!" she cried, turning toward Shangguan WanWan with eyes burning red. "I won't!"
She pointed accusingly. "You're the one who pushed him! You're the one who made him cripple his own middle dantian! It's all your fault! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"
Shangguan WanWan frowned slightly.
Lin Youming couldn't help but stare at her.
Cai Cai Yun didn't stop.
"Our husband has offended so many people!" she shouted, voice breaking. "Inside the Lin Family! Outside the Lin Family! Because of his position, because of his subordinates acting like mad dogs, because of all those years when no one dared to touch him!"
She clenched her fists. "Now those people finally have a chance! You think they'll let him go just because he's useless?!"
Lin Youming froze.
Our husband?
He stared at her, genuinely stunned.
This girl…
Does this girl care this much?
Had the original owner really done something to earn this kind of loyalty? Or was she just… like this?
Cai Cai Yun turned back to Shangguan WanWan, tears falling freely now. "Do something!" she begged. "You must do something! It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You must take responsibility!"
Lin Youming felt his chest tighten.
It seems he needed to pay attention to her in the future.
Shangguan WanWan was silent for a moment.
Then she sighed.
"Of course I won't let him suffer," she said.
Cai Cai Yun spun toward her. "Our husband," she corrected fiercely.
Shangguan WanWan's brows twitched, but she didn't argue. Instead, she said calmly, "Lin Youming's position as the chosen young master was important to me as well."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward him. "I simply didn't expect him to actually go through with it."
Inside,
She closed her eyes for a heartbeat. "But don't worry. I will protect him."
Cai Cai Yun laughed bitterly. "Protect him? How?"
She gestured wildly around the empty hall. "Look around! The servants are gone! The subordinates ran away to save themselves!"
Her voice rose, shaking with anger and fear.
"They'll crawl to other young masters! They'll spread the news that our husband crippled his own middle dantian!"
She took a step closer. "Do you know what that means?! It means he'll be hunted! Mocked! Trampled on!"
Her shoulders trembled. "How are you going to stop that? How are you going to make sure that he's going to be fine!?"
Lin Youming stood there, stunned.
Why… why is she this protective?
Shangguan WanWan's patience snapped.
Her eyes flashed.
In the next instant, a terrifying pressure erupted from her body.
Boom.
The air itself seemed to shudder as an invisible shockwave blasted outward. Curtains snapped violently. Loose objects were flung across the hall. The ground beneath their feet vibrated, fine cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
A vast, overwhelming spiritual Qi surged forth, dense and oppressive, flooding every corner of the space.
It was ancient.
Cold.
Terrifying.
Cai Cai Yun and Liu Mei Mei staggered back, their faces draining of all color as the pressure pressed down on their souls. Even Lin Youming felt his breath catch, instinct screaming at him to retreat.
Shangguan WanWan stood at the center of it all, her hair lifting as if caught in an unseen wind. Her eyes glowed faintly, deep and unfathomable.
She looked at them, expression icy. "I'll protect him by this," she said. Her voice was low, steady, absolute.
Silence followed.
A silence filled with awe, fear, and something dangerously close to reverence.
Lin Youming swallowed.
…So that's the goddess power.
He stared at her, heart pounding.
She is really the goddess from far above the realm of cultivators…