Yuan Ying's engagement was thus smoothly withdrawn, done with ease and comfort, and even the Mo family had no further comments to make.

After all, even the True Saint Tianjiu had not expressed any opposition, tacitly accepting the Yuan family's apologies and explanations. If others still wanted to oppose, wouldn't that be tantamount to slapping their own ancestor's face?

Moreover, this matter of the broken engagement was fundamentally due to their own junior's careless actions.

The fiancée hadn't even been formally settled, and yet other women were already causing discomfort for her, which inevitably reached Yuan Ying's ears. It was no wonder she would be so displeased.

If we are to discuss this further, it's important to note that the Yuan family is not inferior in background to the Mo family. Although the Yuan family currently does not have a True Saint among them, they have previously produced several True Saints and even had some members ascend to Immortality.

Thus, with the matter already settled, the Mo family could not openly voice their grievances against the Yuan family. Furthermore, several members of the Yuan family were currently honored guests at Yunxian Sect.

Mo Yan couldn't escape a scolding from the elders of the Mo family, while the True Saint Tianjiu didn't say a single word regarding this disciple.

It was unclear whether the True Saint considered this matter trivial or if he simply didn't care much for this direct disciple who shared his bloodline.

Mo Yan endured quietly until he returned to his residence, at which point he exploded in rage, smashing everything he could get his hands on, finally relieving some of the pent-up frustration he had been holding.

"Cousin, it's all San Niang's fault! If it weren't for San Niang's words, Immortal Yuan wouldn't have ruthlessly insisted on breaking the engagement with you."

Du San Niang cried, her face streaked with tears, looking heartbroken and guilty. "Cousin, you should send San Niang away. If you send San Niang away, perhaps Immortal Yuan will calm down, and if Immortal Yuan calms down, the Yuan family might reconsider the engagement. This way, the Mo family won't blame everything on you."

Mo Yan was currently seething with anger towards Yuan Ying and the Yuan family, but that didn't mean he wouldn't vent his frustration on San Niang.

Originally, in his plans, even if San Niang were good, she could only be his concubine in the future. She could enjoy his favor but could never be his legitimate partner.

After all, neither her qualifications nor her background could match his. Not to mention the Mo family, he himself would never take such a disadvantaged woman as a legal wife.

But he never expected that upon learning of San Niang's existence, Yuan Ying would directly call off the engagement, flaunting her complete disdain for him.

Mo Yan didn't want to take the blame upon himself. He hated the heavens, hated the earth, hated Yuan Ying, hated the Yuan family, and even hated the Mo family and his master who hadn't supported him. How could he possibly not blame the troublemaker, his cousin Du San Niang?

"Get out of my sight..."

He glared at the woman who dared to come and bother him, his anger flaring once again, raising his hand as if to slap Du San Niang.

But suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit Mo Yan, as if something flashed through his mind, and his raised hand naturally came to a stop.

"San Niang, please don't think like that. How could this be your fault?"

Mo Yan's previously furious emotions dissipated in an instant, as if he had become a different person, looking at Du San Niang with incredibly gentle eyes. "Don't worry, with me around, no one can do anything to you. Just stay by my side, and I'll take care of everything."

He reached out to pull Du San Niang to sit beside him, tenderly wiping away her tears. "It's just a broken engagement. Such a woman doesn't deserve to be my wife. San Niang, rest assured, whether it's that woman or the Yuan family, I will remember this debt, and one day I will make them pay!"

"Cousin, you are so good to me!"

Du San Niang was touched, shyly snuggling against Mo Yan. "San Niang will always stay by your side. Wherever you are, I will be there too."

Mo Yan seemed to have completely forgotten his initial feelings. All that remained was his hatred for those who had embarrassed him.

Especially Yuan Ying, and even Zhang Yiyi, who was standing beside Yuan Ying at that time, watching the drama unfold and enjoying the spectacle!

Naturally, Zhang Yiyi was unaware of all this.

After tonight, by tomorrow morning, Yuan Ying would be leaving with her uncle and the others from the Lishan Sect.

At this moment, there was still something they hadn't finished, and they were waiting for news.

An hour ago, Zhang Yiyi had asked a reliable miscellaneous disciple from her senior brother's courtyard to help her with something, and calculating the time, they should be back soon.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the person returned.

"I am incompetent and have not completed the task entrusted by the fairy. Please punish me."

Chen Hong's cultivation was above that of Zhang Yiyi, but their statuses were worlds apart.

She was merely a miscellaneous disciple in the master's cave, while Zhang Yiyi was the master's legitimate junior sister. Given her status, she naturally didn't dare to show any disrespect to Zhang Yiyi just because of her superior cultivation.

Moreover, her life had been saved by the master, and now being able to become a miscellaneous disciple of Yunxian Sect and having a place to stay was all thanks to the master's blessing. Therefore, she was more than willing to obey the master's orders.

The master doted on this only junior sister and had long told them that whatever Zhang Yiyi needed, they should comply without question.

Not to mention that she was generally easy to get along with, which made Chen Hong very willing to serve Zhang Yiyi.

Unfortunately, this was her first time doing something for someone else, and it didn't start off well, leaving Chen Hong feeling quite ashamed.

"Don't mention punishment. Just tell me what happened," Zhang Yiyi said, slightly confused as she exchanged a glance with Yuan Ying.

Evidently, the task they had given Chen Hong was not too difficult. It was simply to go to the Inner Five Peaks, quietly use a truth talisman on Du San Niang without anyone noticing, so that when Du San Niang met Mo Yan, she would spill the secrets she was hiding in her heart.

After all, neither she nor her senior sister wanted to take the blame for Du San Niang, even if they didn't care how bad the relationship between Du San Niang and Mo Yan became. They could not allow others to set them up for failure.

But it was indeed surprising that Chen Hong, who was already at the Golden Core stage, would fail at this task.

"Reporting to the fairy, that Du San Niang is very cautious, and it seems she possesses some sort of treasure for protection. Thus, I couldn't even get close to her, let alone secretly place a truth talisman on her."

Chen Hong recounted the situation honestly.

She had tried many times, but none had succeeded. That woman was exceedingly alert; even when she was in her own room, she never truly relaxed.

In such a state, she was far from what a Qi Refining stage female cultivator should be.

"Tsk tsk, that woman really has more tricks up her sleeve than a cow has hairs. No wonder Mo Yan has been humiliated by the broken engagement; she remains unaffected and continues to stay there," Yuan Ying remarked with a sigh.

"Fine, if it didn't work out, then it's her luck. After all, I'll be heading back tomorrow, and anything that happens with the Mo family will have nothing to do with me. Let them be."

Seeing that the main person was too lazy to fuss about it, Zhang Yiyi naturally didn't say anything more.

She only wanted to give Du San Niang a small lesson; since the plan had failed, there was no need to force it. After all, that pair of scoundrels would eventually end up in a love-hate relationship. There was no need for her to waste too much effort on such people.

"Reporting to Fairy, although the task was unsuccessful, I discovered that Du San Niang is quite strange," Chen Hong spoke up again, recalling the bizarre scene she had witnessed while sneaking in.

"Strange? In what way do you mean?"

Zhang Yiyi instinctively looked at Chen Hong, not overlooking her discovery.

Chen Hong recalled what she had seen and responded after gathering her thoughts, "When I secretly followed Du San Niang to Mo Yan's place, Mo Yan was throwing a huge tantrum inside, smashing everything he could get his hands on. Du San Niang went in, crying and trying to take the blame, asking Mo Yan to send her away to salvage her engagement with Fairy Yuan. At first, Mo Yan was only fueled by her words and got even angrier, yelling at Du San Niang to get lost and raising his hand as if he were about to hit her. But at that moment..."

At this point, Chen Hong paused, seeming to search for the most precise words to describe it: "Suddenly, after glancing at Du San Niang, Mo Yan completely changed, not only stopping his scolding but also forgetting his previous attitude entirely. He instead pulled Du San Niang closer, comforting and soothing her, showing an expression of deep affection and pity."

Later, she didn't dare to stay any longer and, once she successfully withdrew, hurried back to report to Zhang Yiyi.

After relaying everything she had seen and heard, Chen Hong noticed that Zhang Yiyi was genuinely unfazed about her failure to complete the task, so she respectfully excused herself.

"Um... can we trust what she said?"

Once only Zhang Yiyi and her senior sister remained in the room, Yuan Ying asked thoughtfully.

"Of course, we can trust her," Zhang Yiyi explained. "Chen Hong is my senior brother's person; her loyalty is unquestionable. Moreover, her cultivation technique is particularly adept at stealth. It's not just that Mo Yan is merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage; even if he were at the Golden Core stage, he wouldn't easily be able to uncover Chen Hong's movements."

That was why Zhang Yiyi had sent Chen Hong, who specialized in stealth, to handle the matter. She hadn't expected that a mere Du San Niang would possess a treasure that even Chen Hong was wary of approaching.

However, even though she failed to place the truth talisman on Du San Niang, she accidentally uncovered some other, more intriguing information.

"That being said, it seems that Du San Niang really does have some issues," Yuan Ying remarked, suddenly intrigued and instinctively asking, "Yiyi, do you think that woman has practiced some sort of seduction technique to bewitch people?"

Otherwise, it was hard to explain why such a top disciple of a major sect would be so utterly obedient to that woman.

Given Mo Yan's arrogant personality, he would usually blame others whenever something went wrong. How could Du San Niang completely escape responsibility?

But according to Chen Hong, Mo Yan indeed started off by unleashing his anger on Du San Niang. Yet after a sudden glance at her, his attitude changed completely, as if he had forgotten that he had even wanted to hit her.

And Du San Niang showed no surprise at the drastic shift in Mo Yan's demeanor, which only further indicated that this woman was indeed strange.

"..."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yiyi said, "We have all seen Du San Niang with our own eyes. Unless she has a hidden treasure that conceals her cultivation, she's really just a Qi Refining stage female cultivator. With her current level of cultivation, she absolutely doesn't have the ability to practice advanced seduction techniques or any similar magical arts."

"But the problem definitely lies with Du San Niang. Otherwise, how could Mo Yan completely overlook such a huge contrast in his emotions?"

Yuan Ying was also puzzled, "Didn't Chen Hong just say that Du San Niang must possess some special treasure, which is why even she didn't dare to get too close? Could it be the influence of that treasure?"

"It's hard to say exactly what it is, but it's evident that this woman really does have issues," Zhang Yiyi replied again. "If that's the case, Du San Niang's identity probably isn't that simple. Since she has the ability to sway Mo Yan without being detected, do you really think her ultimate goal is just to stay by a man's side and become a concubine in the future?"

Zhang Yiyi looked at Yuan Ying and suddenly felt that the implications of this situation were somewhat chilling.

Yuan Ying clearly realized this as well, and her expression became more serious: "Are you suggesting that Du San Niang might be a spy infiltrating the Yunxian Sect under the guise of her relationship with Mo Yan?"

If that's the case, then what the other party was plotting naturally wouldn't be some trivial matter of romance or youthful infatuation.

"I don't know. After all, these are just our speculations; there's no evidence at all. Let's wait and see. It might just be a coincidence, and we could be overthinking it."

Zhang Yiyi wasn't naive enough to take Chen Hong's observations and speculations as evidence. After all, Du San Niang had been in the Yunxian Sect for quite some time, and aside from causing trouble between Mo Yan and Yuan Ying regarding their engagement, she hadn't done anything else suspicious.

Even if she wanted to warn the sect about this woman, there was no solid ground to stand on. After all, the relationship between the cousins was genuine. Who would find Mo Yan's favoritism or protection of Du San Niang unusual?

A night passed without wind or rain. The next morning, Zhang Yiyi personally saw her senior sister off.

The two agreed to focus on their cultivation, striving to gain more strength to protect themselves when they eventually entered the Battle Hero Platform in the future.

However, before half a day had passed since the return trip of the Lishan Sect, Zhang Yiyi received some very bad news.

The Lishan Sect had been ambushed on the way back!

Not only that, but the primary target was actually Senior Sister Yuan Ying!

Because of this, Yuan Ying was severely injured.

And the Lishan Sect sent a flying message directly to the Yunxian Sect and the Mo family, demanding an explanation and justice. Otherwise, the matter could not be settled easily.