After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Immediately afterward, he said in a chilling whisper, "Palace Master Zhao Yuanlong, Lin Fengmian is in Qingyang City."

With a flash of light, the message sped toward the Blazing Sun Sect.

"Zhao Yuanlong's hatred for Lin Fengmian is no less than mine," Zhou Shan said with a sinister smile.

"Now I'll see if Lin Fengmian will ever return from this inescapable net!"

……

Lin Fengmian stepped into the Yu family mansion.

Before they could even take a good look at the scenery in the courtyard, a delicate figure with a sobbing voice rushed over.

"Young master...you...you're finally back!"

Yu Chan'er raised her pretty face, which was streaked with tears. Her once lively eyes were now filled with helplessness and grievance. Her slender shoulders trembled slightly, making her look pitiful.

Her eyes were swollen and red, clearly from crying for a long time, and two clear tear tracks still clung to her fair cheeks.

Seeing the beauty like this, Lin Fengmian's heart softened. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her cheek, revealing his signature roguish smile: "Good girl, I will never go back on my word."

He was planning to help Yu Chan'er consolidate her cultivation and have a deep conversation with her in her boudoir, to spend some tender time together.

Unexpectedly, an urgent voice came from behind.

"Miss! Something terrible has happened!"

A maid rushed in, her face pale and her steps unsteady, nearly tripping over the threshold.

"Second Master...Second Master and several clan elders are causing a scene in the front hall! They...they say you've brought great trouble upon the family and demand you immediately go to the front hall to confess and submit to the law...otherwise, they'll remove you from your position as head of the family!"

"What?!"

Yu Chan'er's delicate body trembled, and her pretty face turned deathly pale. Lately, the atmosphere in the mansion had been strange, and her uncles and aunts from the collateral branches had become increasingly dismissive of her.

Even strangers would frequently visit the Yu family home and have secret talks with her second uncle all night long.

She had been feeling uneasy for some time, but she never expected them to be so blatant! Could it be... because she had offended the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion?

The maid was taken aback when she saw Lin Fengmian, then her eyes reddened further, and she whispered with a mixture of fear and resentment:

"You must be Young Master Lin... You've finally returned... You have no idea how much suffering Miss has endured, and now the family is in dire straits..."

Yu Chan'er quickly interrupted, her voice unusually stern: "Xiao Yun! Stop talking nonsense! This is my own choice, and has nothing to do with the young master!"

After speaking, she looked at Lin Fengmian nervously, afraid that he would be unhappy or feel guilty. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of caution, like a child who had done something wrong.

Lin Fengmian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He never imagined that Yu Chan'er would bear such immense pressure alone during his absence.

Furthermore, due to his own actions, his family fell into difficulties.

Lin Fengmian always believed that keeping a low profile and being as discreet as possible would allow him to live a carefree life. It seems that sometimes being too discreet isn't a good thing.

Even if they can avoid seeing it and being bothered, they can't do anything to them. But the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease, and those around them are about to suffer.

It's like the matter with the Xuanming Sect. After resolving the grievances here, we also have to go to the Xuanmo Sect.

You can't hide forever! You can't escape everything by hiding!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. Some things, in the end, must be settled personally.

"It's alright."

Lin Fengmian gently patted Yu Chan'er's cold hand. His voice was soft, but it carried a strange, reassuring strength: "Take me to the front hall."

Yu Chan'er looked up into his deep eyes. There was no panic there, only a calm and steady composure. It was as if as long as he was there, all storms could be calmed.

She composed herself, nodded firmly, and replied softly, "Yes, young master! I'll take you there right away!"

……

Qingyang City, the front hall of the Yu family.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.

"Yu Changhe! If you don't hand over your shameless daughter today and apologize to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion, our Yu family's century-old foundation will be ruined in your hands!"

"Master, please reconsider! If Miss Jia Ning hadn't been so reckless and insisted on becoming Lin Fengmian's concubine, how could she have incurred the wrath of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion?"

"Look at the Yu family now! Allies have been severed, business has declined, and the whole city is laughing at us!"

Seven or eight elders sat around, spitting as they spoke, their words sharp and venomous, aimed directly at the patriarch, Yu Changhe, who sat in the main seat.

Their faces were grim, their eyes filled with resentment and greed, as if Yu Chan'er was not a member of the Yu family, but a piece of merchandise that could be discarded at will.

Yu Changhe's face was ashen, his hands gripping the armrests of the seat so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His chest heaved violently, and his heart was ice-cold.

These people... these clan elders who were usually so respectful to him, now bared their fangs, wishing they could devour him and his daughter alive.

"Second Uncle." Yu Changhe took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and looked at a middle-aged man sitting on his left.

"Chan'er is your own niece, are you really going to be so heartless?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man—Yu Changhai, Yu Changhe's second younger brother—appeared with a feigned look of heartache on his face:

"Brother, it's not that I'm heartless, it's just that the situation is beyond my control! What kind of existence is the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion? It's a place that even the City Lord has to show respect to!"

"Our Yu family is merely a middling family in Qingyang City. How could we possibly contend with the Marquis's mansion?"

He paused, looked around, and said earnestly, "Brother, as long as we hand Chan'er over, the Marquis said he won't hold the Yu family accountable; in fact, he'll form an alliance with us! With the Marquis's mansion as our backer, the Yu family's status in Qingyang City will surely rise significantly!"

"Yes, yes!" another elder quickly echoed.

"Changhai is right! Sacrificing Chan'er for the prosperity of the entire family—it's a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it!"

"Master, don't let a small matter cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture!"

"Please, Master, consider the bigger picture!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, agreeing with the sentiment.

Looking at these familiar faces, Yu Changhe felt a chill in his heart.

These people, who usually eat and drink at the Yu family's expense, are now scrambling to push his daughter out to her death when trouble comes.

"You..." He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, filled with barely suppressed rage, "Are you even human?!"

"Big brother!" Yu Changhai's face darkened, and his tone became firm. "As the head of the family, you should put the interests of the family first!"

If you insist on protecting Chan'er, then don't blame me for...disregarding brotherly affection!

He stood up, looked around, and said in a deep voice, "Elders, I propose that Yu Changhe be removed from his position as patriarch! We should choose a more capable person to lead our Yu family out of this predicament!"