Chapter 68: Siblings

“Little sister, Brother Nameless.”

Seeing Ling Yuyan and Gu Ming step down from the Fire-wheeled Carriage, Ling Yunfeng walked forward to meet them. A servant followed closely behind him. After greeting the two, Ling Yunfeng turned to Gu Ming and said, “Brother Nameless, Father has been waiting for you in the study for a long time. Please go with this servant.”

The servant behind Ling Yunfeng stepped forward at the right moment, keeping his head bowed. “Master Nameless, please follow me.”

Just as the servant was about to lead Gu Ming away, Ling Yuyan’s dark brows furrowed. She stopped them, asking, “Wait a moment. Father wants to meet Nameless alone?”

“Yes,” Ling Yunfeng nodded.

“He didn’t say anything about a private meeting before,” Ling Yuyan said, her voice tinged with displeasure. “Didn’t he ask me to bring Nameless home for a meal? It was supposed to be a meeting so they could get to know each other.”

“Father said that before the meal, he wanted to meet Brother Nameless privately.” Seeing Ling Yuyan’s frown deepen, Ling Yunfeng explained further, “Don’t overthink it. Father just wants to learn more about Brother Nameless.”

“I don’t agree.”

Ling Yuyan shook her head, her stance firm.

She knew her father well; he was full of schemes. Letting him and Nameless talk alone in the study was a recipe for disaster. ‘Who knows what kind of underhanded methods he’ll use,’ she thought.

Moreover, if Grandfather hadn’t intervened back then, she would have died at her father’s hands. Over the years, her father had treated her poorly, constantly praising Ling Yunfeng in front of her while belittling her through subtle hints. He would say things like, “The future of Lingyun Pavilion rests on your shoulders, Yunfeng,” or, “As expected of my son, you’ve done quite well.”

Ling Yuyan wasn’t jealous of Ling Yunfeng, nor did she desperately crave her father’s approval. She simply found her father’s behavior revolting.

He could have easily praised Ling Yunfeng in private, yet he insisted on calling both siblings together just to praise the brother alone.

Furthermore, there were missions she and Ling Yunfeng had completed together where she had done the bulk of the work. Yet, her biological father would consistently ignore her contributions and only commend Ling Yunfeng.

Thus, she did not like her father.

If it weren’t for the sake of maintaining the appearance of a father-daughter relationship in the eyes of others, she wouldn’t even call him “Father.”

In truth, Ling Yuyan understood perfectly why her father favored Ling Yunfeng. Aside from traditional sexist views, it was because Ling Yunfeng was simple, obedient, and easy to control. He wasn’t rebellious like her, and he didn’t constantly oppose him.

Even so, Ling Yuyan had never broken off her relationship with Ling Yunfeng. The primary reason was that Ling Yunfeng genuinely treated her well and truly looked out for her.

That was why she chose to turn a blind eye to her foolish older brother’s actions.

“Little sister, stop making a scene. This is your lifelong happiness we’re talking about. It’s only natural for Father to want to meet him first,” Ling Yunfeng advised earnestly.

“He’s that kindhearted? If he were that kind, he wouldn’t have tried to force me to marry Gu Ziye,” Ling Yuyan mocked. “Doesn’t he know what kind of character Gu Ziye has? You call that being good to me?”

“Father was also forced by circumstances. Lingyun Pavilion’s current situation isn’t great. An alliance through marriage with Hundred Flowers Valley was meant to reverse our decline,” Ling Yunfeng explained.

“So my happiness can be sacrificed?” Ling Yuyan sneered.

“Father considered other powers, but at that time, the only one who met the criteria was indeed Hundred Flowers Valley.” Ling Yunfeng paused, saying with difficulty, “Father has his own struggles…”

“Struggles?”

Ling Yuyan let out a cold laugh. She grabbed Gu Ming’s hand, intending to leave, but found that Gu Ming remained unmoved. She looked at him in confusion. “Hmm?”

“It’s fine. There’s no harm in meeting him,” Gu Ming said with a smile.

Gu Ming actually wanted to meet this cold-blooded father who had once attempted to kill his own daughter.

Besides, he believed they couldn’t simply retreat now. If they backed down, their momentum would suffer. The Pavilion Master might even think they were afraid of him, making it easier for him to manipulate them later.

Ling Yuyan hesitated, weighing the options in her mind.

“We have to face it eventually,” Gu Ming encouraged her.

Ling Yuyan bit her red lip and finally nodded. However, she still tossed out a harsh warning: “Don’t forget our agreement. If you dare break it, I won’t let you off the hook.”

“Don’t worry,” Gu Ming chuckled, thinking that this girl was actually somewhat innocent.

After saying that, Gu Ming followed the servant and left.

After watching Gu Ming depart, Ling Yuyan intended to return to her room to rest, but Ling Yunfeng called out to her:

“Yuyan, come with me for a moment.”

“Where to?”

“The Martial Arts Field.”

Ling Yuyan knit her brows slightly and asked, “Why?”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve sparred. Let’s practice,” Ling Yunfeng replied.

—

Martial Arts Field.

One hour later…

Ling Yunfeng had been beaten black and blue. He winced in pain, constantly sucking in sharp breaths. “Yuyan, don’t aim specifically for my face! I can’t even show myself in public now. *Hiss*… Ow, ow, ow! And you really didn’t hold back at all.”

“Hmph.” Ling Yuyan gave a light snort and patted her hands. After giving Ling Yunfeng a sound thrashing, her mood had improved significantly.

Compared to Ling Yunfeng’s wretched state, Ling Yuyan was perfectly fine, save for a few dirty spots on the hem of her clothes and a light sweat.

Seeing that Ling Yuyan’s anger had dissipated, Ling Yunfeng felt much more at ease. He rolled over and lay on the cool floor, his body spread out like the character for ‘big.’

Ling Yunfeng stared at the ceiling of the Martial Arts Field and suddenly said seriously, “Yuyan, leave Nameless. He isn’t right for you.”

Ling Yuyan arched an eyebrow, her tone sharp. “What did Father say to you this time?”

“Brother Nameless has good skills and his manner of speaking isn’t bad, but his character is lacking.” Ling Yunfeng paused before continuing, “Yuyan, he’s approaching you with ulterior motives. We investigated him privately. He broke one of Gu Ziye’s hands and is afraid of retaliation from Hundred Flowers Valley. That’s why he’s using every possible means to get close to you.”

Ling Yuyan replied dismissively, “So what? I don’t care.”

Hearing this, Ling Yunfeng sighed. “Tonight, he will leave you.”

“What do you mean?” Ling Yuyan glared at Ling Yunfeng.

“Father will adopt him as a foster son. Then, Father will personally host a banquet for the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley and Gu Ziye to help mediate the conflict. In exchange, he must leave you,” Ling Yunfeng said in a heavy voice.

Ling Yuyan’s expression turned grim. “Brother, you and Father actually teamed up to trap me!”

“I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to spar! It was all to stall me! And here I was, actually trusting you!”

Ling Yuyan was truly furious. She needed to find Gu Ming immediately to stop her father’s plot to dismantle their arrangement.

She had only taken a single step when she heard Ling Yunfeng shout, “Little sister, if he were sincere toward you, I wouldn’t have any objections. But he is using you. As your big brother, I cannot agree to this.”

“Brother.”

Ling Yuyan’s heart turned completely cold. Even now, Ling Yunfeng hadn’t woken up. He was still immersed in the lies their father had woven, still trying to screw her over under the guise of “it’s for your own good.”

She would not forgive this foolish brother again.

She turned her body slightly, her gaze toward Ling Yunfeng filled with icy coldness.

“This is the last time I will call you that. From now on, we go our separate ways. You take your Yangguan Path, and I will take my single-log bridge… We are no longer siblings.”