"Did you hear? Du Yuejiao sent her little lover to Du Feng's room last night." At dawn the next day, the rumor spread like wildfire throughout the Du clan estate.
"No way… that girl is far too daring. She actually sent her lover to Du Feng's room?" Many of the young members of the Du clan exchanged shocked glances upon hearing the news.
Du Feng's temper was notoriously eccentric, and his cultivation ranked among the highest in the clan. Normally, most members would go out of their way to avoid him. Yet now, Du Yuejiao had seemingly thrust her lover straight into the lion's den—a move that appeared tantamount to courting death.
"She probably has some perverse streak from all that cultivation. This is her way of tormenting her lover," someone speculated. Heads nodded in agreement; the theory seemed plausible.
"No way… Du Yuejiao didn't seem that twisted before," another murmured in disbelief.
At that moment, Du Yuejiao emerged, radiant and composed. With the disruptive spiritual energy expelled from her body and the healing elixirs of the Du clan, her injuries had fully recovered. Never before had she appeared in such a state of vitality.
"Yuejiao, your cultivation?" Upon seeing her, astonishment flashed across the faces of the onlookers. Just days ago, her level had only been Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, yet now it had soared to Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.
Du Yuejiao had always been a rare prodigy of the Du clan, but years of enforced inactivity had eroded her reputation. Now, with her cultivation surging once more, she had reclaimed the title of the clan's foremost genius.
"Oh, just got lucky. My body healed itself, and my cultivation advanced naturally," Du Yuejiao said, excitement sparkling in her eyes. She felt profoundly vindicated in rescuing Lin Tian.
"Your body… really healed?" murmured the assembled crowd, exchanging puzzled glances. The clan had tried countless methods over the years, all in vain. Yet here she was, fully recovered. Could her lover have something to do with it?
"Where's Lin Tian?" Du Yuejiao glanced toward his room, a trace of worry in her eyes. The day was already well underway, yet neither Lin Tian nor Du Feng had emerged. Could something have gone wrong?
"Are you worried about your little lover?" a curious clan youth asked.
"I wish he were my lover… but with my position, I'm hardly worthy of him," Du Yuejiao admitted, a flush of shyness coloring her cheeks. Lin Tian's unwavering help had kindled feelings in her, yet she knew she could only admire him from afar; the thought of being together was beyond reach.
"Yuejiao, I heard a powerful wave of spiritual energy emanated from Du Feng's room last night. It seemed like he activated the third form of Storming Pear Blossoms," remarked a nearby young clan member.
"The third form of Storming Pear Blossoms?" Du Yuejiao froze. She knew well the destructive power of the technique; if Du Feng had unleashed it against Lin Tian, the consequences could have been dire.
Just as she moved to storm Du Feng's room, the door creaked open. Seeing Du Feng emerge alone, her face darkened further.
"Du Feng, I heard you attacked Lin Tian last night?" she demanded, voice sharp.
"What about it?" Du Feng's expression remained icy. Though he sensed that Du Yuejiao's cultivation now surpassed his by a small margin, he still regarded her with complete indifference.
"Do you realize he is a guest of the Du clan?" Du Yuejiao's tone was icy, anger flashing in her eyes.
"Oh," Du Feng replied flatly, showing no expression.
"How is Lin Tian now?" she pressed, anxious.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Lin Tian said casually, emerging from the room, though exhaustion shadowed his gaze.
"Could you maybe change that foul temper of yours and try smiling once in a while?" Lin Tian grumbled at Du Feng.
At these words, everyone in the Du clan, including Du Yuejiao, was left dumbfounded. No one had ever dared speak to Du Feng this way. All eyes turned to him, eager to witness his reaction.
Yet instead of lashing out, Du Feng's lips twitched before forming a painfully awkward smile, more pitiful than a cry.
The young members of the clan could hardly believe what they were seeing. The cold, unapproachable Du Feng, their clan's reputed ice-faced genius, had… smiled?
"Alright, enough. Stop smiling—it looks worse than crying," Lin Tian scowled, clearly annoyed.
Du Feng's expression shifted to one of quiet grievance. He had always been a man of few expressions; smiles were rarities, let alone unnecessary ones. And now, Lin Tian had chided him for just that.