After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

The night outside Blackrock Valley had not yet faded, and the evening breeze carried a faint martial arts pressure, spreading all the way to the gate of the Shen family villa.

Lin Ping held Shen Aoxue's soft little hand tightly the whole time, his steps were calm and composed. He did not exude any sharp aura. He had shed the cold and murderous aura on the stage, leaving only a gentle and calm demeanor. He looked no different from an ordinary person.

Holding his hand firmly in hers, Shen Aoxue felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Her cheeks were still flushed with a lingering blush as she obediently leaned against him and stepped into the villa area where the Shen family lived.

But as soon as the two reached the entrance of the Shen family villa, they were immediately stopped in their tracks by the scene before them.

The once spacious courtyard entrance was now completely packed with people.

Dozens of well-dressed men, women, and children, carrying various gift boxes and rare treasures, crowded in front of the Shen family's gate, craning their necks to peek into the courtyard. The noise and commotion were completely disregarded, and each of them wore an eager yet obsequious expression.

Among the crowd, the heads of the Wang family in the west of the city and the Luo family in the north of the city, the two second-rate martial arts families in Jiangcheng, were at the forefront, followed by their respective family elders and direct descendants. The rest were the leaders of some minor forces and families in Jiangcheng, totaling forty or fifty people.

None of them went to Black Rock Valley to watch the battle, but they received the earth-shattering news that Lin Ping had swept through the Mountain King and reached the pinnacle of martial arts in Jiangcheng. Without saying a word, they immediately prepared generous gifts and flocked to the Shen family, wanting to be the first to curry favor with this newly promoted peerless expert of Jiangcheng.

Seeing Lin Ping and Shen Aoxue walking side by side, everyone's eyes swept over, but they only glanced at Lin Ping indifferently, completely ignoring this ordinary-looking young man with a calm demeanor.

Everyone's gaze went straight past Lin Ping, staring intently at what was behind him, looking back and forth with expectant expressions. They didn't recognize that the unremarkable man in front of them was Lin Ping, whom they had gone to great lengths to curry favor with.

"Miss Shen is back. Where is Mr. Lin? And where is that peerless expert who swept through the Mountain King?"

"Make way! We've come specifically to pay our respects to Mr. Lin and congratulate him on his great victory. No unauthorized personnel allowed in the way!"

"How dare a mere brat get so close to Miss Shen? He'd better step aside right now!"

The crowd whispered their rebukes, their eyes sweeping over Lin Ping with disdain. They waved for Lin Ping to make way, their gazes fixed on the alley entrance, waiting for Lin Ping to appear.

Standing on the outermost edge of the crowd, Li Wenliang spotted Lin Ping at a glance and was instantly terrified, his hair standing on end and his face changing drastically.

He had witnessed Lin Ping's terrifying strength firsthand at the Ma family banquet, and even saw Lin Ping crush everyone in the Ma family with a flick of his finger. Now, seeing everyone so blind and disrespectful to Lin Ping, his heart jumped into his throat.

Without a word, Li Wenliang scrambled through the crowd, bowing low and rushing to Lin Ping with a face full of respect and fear. He reached out to take Lin Ping's coat, his tone extremely obsequious: "Mr. Lin, you've had a long day. Let me take your coat for you. Please come inside!"

This scene instantly silenced the previously noisy entrance.

The heads of the Wang and Luo families froze, staring at Li Wenliang in astonishment and bewilderment.

The next second, everyone's pupils contracted sharply as they stared in shock at the young man they had ignored.

Is he Lin Ping?

That peerless expert who defeated the Mountain-Suppressing King with a single palm strike and repelled all the martial arts masters with a single word?

Everyone's faces turned deathly pale instantly. Their previous contempt and arrogance froze on their faces, and a huge wave of shock and fear surged in their hearts. They wished they could slap themselves.

No one expected that the top expert who was so powerful in Jiangcheng would be so low-key, showing no brilliance whatsoever, causing them to misjudge him on the spot and make a huge fool of themselves.

Lin Ping raised an eyebrow slightly, turned aside to avoid Li Wenliang's hand, his tone indifferent and emotionless, not even sparing the other party a glance.

He turned to look at Shen Aoxue, whose face was gentle and kind, and his voice suddenly softened, all coldness gone, becoming extremely tender: "These people have been gathering in front of the Shen family's gate for years. When the Shen family was in trouble and targeted by the Mountain-Suppressing King, did they offer the Shen family any help whatsoever?"

Shen Aoxue raised her eyes and looked at the group of people from various factions with their obsequious smiles. Her eyes were cold and her tone was calm but straightforward: "In the past, the Shen family was weak and suffered from the exclusion of various factions. The King of Zhenshan repeatedly put pressure on them, and they avoided them like the plague. It was already a blessing that they did not kick us when we were down or take the opportunity to seize the Shen family's property. They never offered us any help."

In short, it directly points out the opportunistic and sycophantic nature of this group of people.

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale and then red, extremely embarrassed. They didn't know whether to pick up the gifts in their hands or put them down, so they could only smile and try to please them.

"Mr. Lin, Ms. Shen, we were blind to your greatness in the past, please forgive our past mistakes!"

"We have prepared generous gifts to congratulate you, sir. From now on, our Wang family is willing to follow you to the death and look to Mr. Lin's lead without hesitation!"

"Our Luo family of the North City is willing to offer all our assets and resources in loyalty to you, sir, only asking that you grant us the opportunity to follow you!"

The heads of the Wang and Luo families exchanged a glance, then lowered their posture, bowing and scraping, desperately trying to extend goodwill and hoping to bring themselves under Lin Ping's command, using his influence to advance further in Jiangcheng.

Lin Ping coldly swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only filled with endless aloofness. His tone was clear and resolute as he directly refused, "No need. The Shen family has no shortage of your kindness, and I, Lin, have no need for any followers. Please leave."

Without any mercy, he bluntly and decisively rejected everyone's attempts to curry favor and win him over.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Luo and Wang family heads, who had been eager to curry favor, darkened completely.

They were, after all, a well-known martial arts family in Jiangcheng. They humbled themselves and came to show goodwill, only to be humiliated in public by a young man, driven away in front of everyone, and utterly humiliated.

Years of arrogance instantly clouded their judgment, causing them to completely forget Lin Ping's terrifying strength. They became enraged and shouted angrily.

"Lin Ping, don't be so arrogant! You only defeated the Mountain-Suppressing King, do you really think you're the supreme ruler of Jiangcheng?"

"Are you getting too big for your britches? The fact that the Luo and Wang families are willing to follow you is already a favor to you, so don't be ungrateful!"

"You're all alone. No matter how strong you are, you can't fight against all the forces around you. Do you really think you can dominate Jiangcheng? Without the support of families like ours, you won't be able to move an inch in Jiangcheng!"

The head of the Luo family spoke sternly, his tone carrying a strong threat. The head of the Wang family also stood to the side, his face gloomy and hostile. The family members behind him stepped forward one after another, assuming a confrontational stance, trying to force Lin Ping to back down.

In their view, even if Lin Ping was powerful, he was ultimately weak and alone, and dared not truly offend the two great families of Jiangcheng.

The words had barely left her lips when Shen Aoxue's face turned cold. She stepped forward, shielding Lin Ping, and coldly rebuked, "Patriarch Luo, Patriarch Wang, cease your nonsense!"