Chapter 61: Third Holy Son, Phoenix Plume, We Are Not Meant to Be!

“If there’s a next time, it won’t be as simple as just flying away!” Hu Yunying was well aware of her limits. If she killed Hu Tian now, the situation would become uncontrollable. Her grandfather would be troubled, too. After all, Hu Tian was a prodigy of the White Tiger clan. If she were to kill him over this, she would certainly become the target of public criticism.

Hu Tian had failed today, and it was unlikely he’d get another chance. Now that her grandfather was valued by the clan’s elders, her own status would rise as well. If Hu Tian wanted to deal with her again, he’d have to think carefully about the consequences.

She was neither indecisive nor afraid of stirring up trouble; she simply felt that whether she killed Hu Tian or spared him now didn’t matter much. She just didn’t want to waste any more time on him.

“I understand. Wherever you are in the future, I’ll leave immediately.” Hu Tian landed, clutching his backside with a pained expression—it hurt terribly. His rear had become a weakness, a lifelong embarrassment. The matter had been resolved, thankfully, though now it seemed nothing was settled. Hu Yunying didn’t say a word, and he didn’t dare approach her. He feared that one day, if Hu Yunying was in a good mood, she might tell others what had happened. Who would he turn to for justice then?

Thinking of this, Hu Tian felt bitter; he had truly lost everything. He shouldn’t have let his guard down and fallen into such a predicament. Not only had he failed to accomplish his goal, but he’d suffered a humiliating defeat—a complete loss. Glancing at Hu Yunqing, Hu Tian shrank back; even his grandfather feared this man. He certainly couldn’t afford to provoke him, nor did he harbor any thoughts of revenge.

After leaving those words behind, he didn’t linger in regret and quickly departed.

“Consider this as compensation for my grandson’s actions.” Hu Tianming looked at his grandson, sighed deeply, and handed a storage ring to Hu Yunqing. He had no choice—he was at a disadvantage, and the others had reason on their side—so he had to swallow his pride and bow his head. Unless he could reach Hu Yunqing’s level—the realm of the pseudo-emperor. But he knew he lacked that ability, nor did he dare to dream wildly. To reach the pseudo-emperor stage meant that, barring unforeseen circumstances, becoming a true emperor was the natural next step.

Before leaving, his gaze fell upon Ling Tian. The aura that had erupted from Ling Tian earlier was exceedingly strange.

Who exactly was this human youth? He’d just heard Hu Yunqing say the youth was an honored guest. But on what grounds? As he pondered, a trace of incredulity appeared in Hu Tianming’s eyes. Could it be that Hu Yunqing’s demonic aura had been expelled by this youth? Otherwise, how could the timing be so coincidental? With Hu Yunqing free of demonic aura, this youth appeared here—how odd!

He didn’t ask; he knew that even if he inquired, he’d learn nothing. With a heavy heart, he waved his sleeve and departed.

“Young friend, you’ve been busy for so long; you must be tired. Allow me to show you proper hospitality.” Hu Yunqing smiled kindly at Ling Tian, growing more satisfied with him by the minute. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—if Ling Tian were of the demon clan, he might have introduced his granddaughter to him without hesitation. But he was human! That made things complicated. Though he himself had already leaned toward the human clan, whether they would accept his granddaughter remained uncertain.

Noticing his granddaughter’s unusual gaze toward Ling Tian, he shook his head: Let the young people forge their own paths; too much interference might not be good.

As he finished speaking, Hu Yunqing swept away his oppressive aura, allowing the elders to rise. Since the patriarch had already shown sincerity, it would be inappropriate to keep pressing the issue.

“Thank you, Grand Elder!” Though the elders were frustrated, they had witnessed everything firsthand. With the patriarch treating Ling Tian so courteously, they had to show sincerity as well, or they might not be able to leave today.

“If you can stand, then hurry and disappear from my sight—you’re ruining my appetite!” Hu Yunqing said as he walked over to Ling Tian, draping an arm affectionately over his shoulder. He acted very warmly toward Ling Tian, while glaring fiercely at the elders.

The elders exchanged glances and promptly left. Why stay any longer? Were they waiting for his demonic aura to relapse and for him to kill them? That would be foolish. He had already broken through to the pseudo-emperor stage; if he weren’t fully healed, would the patriarch have kept him around?

Ling Tian tugged at the corner of his mouth, surprised at Hu Yunqing’s boldness. Still, he felt relieved—he’d not only completed the system’s task but seemed to have swayed the White Tiger clan toward humanity.

This was excellent!

“It seems someone doesn’t want us to enjoy a good meal,” Hu Yunqing sighed, his gaze distant and thoughtful. As a pseudo-emperor, his divine sense extended far beyond that of anyone present. He was always the first to sense any disturbance.

Soon, a tall, elegant man dressed in red and white appeared before the crowd.

“Why is it you?” Hu Yunying frowned slightly, unable to help herself.

The visitor was the Third Holy Son of the Phoenix clan.

“You are…” The Third Holy Son, Feng Yu, was about to declare that Hu Yunying was his fiancée and that he had come to visit her—what could be wrong with that? Yet before he could finish, the guardian hidden in the void stepped out, instantly arriving beside Hu Yunqing, his face filled with astonishment as he bowed slightly: “You—your demonic aura, it’s been expelled?”

Hu Yunqing made no effort to conceal his cultivation; anyone with a high enough level could see his realm at a glance. Feng Yu’s guardian immediately noticed this elder—he was a familiar figure in their dealings. But wasn’t he…?

Just as Feng Yu was about to speak, the guardian hurried out from the void. For heaven’s sake, the engagement wasn’t even finalized, and he was already making such declarations—wouldn’t that just offend everyone? If they upset Hu Yunqing, neither of them would be returning home.

At the same time, the guardian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Now that Hu Yunqing had reached this realm, the engagement was almost certainly off.

“As you can see, young people may be proud, but they must never be arrogant,” Hu Yunqing said calmly, glancing at Feng Yu.

His gaze fell upon Ling Tian. Ling Tian’s secrets were many, his origin extraordinary, yet he remained calm and composed, handling matters with skill and rare maturity.

Xiao Ling’er stared directly at Feng Yu, feeling a strange sense of kinship, as if their bloodlines were closely related.

So this was the Phoenix clan?

Feng Yu opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Hu Yunying: “After careful consideration, I think we truly are not suited for each other. Perhaps we should reconsider the engagement…”