Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

After Shen Qingchen confessed his feelings without any reservations, he found that there was no disgust in her eyes, which put his mind at ease.

Then she asked softly, "Then why did you hide your feelings from me before?"

Shen Qingchen looked at Ling Yan with deep eyes and replied in a low voice, "Because you are already someone else's wife, and of noble status. Someone of my lowly status is not worthy to covet you. I'm afraid you'll think I'm delusional and hate me if you find out."

Ling Yan chuckled softly upon hearing this and pressed further, "Oh? Lowly? How lowly?"

Shen Qingchen looked at her and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Ling Yan nodded and replied, "I want to."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchen took a deep breath and said, "Alright, then I will tell you."

After saying that, he began to speak in a completely emotionless voice: "I was born in an ordinary little village. I was quiet by nature and did not like to play with other children my age. I always kept to myself. When I was seven years old, there was a drought. People starved to death everywhere and the people were destitute. Less than one in ten villagers survived. My family also died in this natural disaster."

“I was lucky to survive, but I became an orphan and was placed in a family by the government. However, my adoptive parents did not want to raise me, but they had to obey the government’s orders. So I was often abused at a young age, beaten and scolded at the drop of a hat, not fed or clothed, and had to do a lot of work. I grew up like this until I was ten years old.”

He suddenly stopped talking at this point.

His expression suggested that he was somewhat reluctant to speak.

But she continued, "When I was ten years old, my outstanding appearance caught the eye of an official who liked to play with young boys. My adoptive parents wanted to sell me to him in order to curry favor with him. I couldn't bear it any longer, so I stole money from my family and eventually ran away."

“At that time, I was determined to become stronger because I felt that only when I became stronger could no one bully me anymore. So I started to seek out masters everywhere to learn skills, but I was repeatedly rejected because of my identity.”

"But I never gave up. With a stubborn spirit, I continued to seek a master. Finally, at the age of twelve, I became a disciple of a reclusive master. Seeing my sincerity and determination, the master decided to teach me the essence of swordsmanship."

"From then on, I rose at the crack of dawn every day to practice diligently. No matter the scorching heat or the fierce wind and rain, I never slackened. By the age of eighteen, my swordsmanship had become quite proficient, so I decided to go down the mountain and venture into the world."

"Back then, I was a novice in the martial arts world. I made a name for myself in a martial arts competition, but it also attracted a lot of jealousy and attempts to frame me. Once, I was poisoned by my opponent and became extremely weak. But I relied on my strong willpower to use a sword technique that no one had ever seen before and defeated my opponent in one fell swoop. It was from then on that I became famous in the martial arts world."

"Then, in the next two years, I challenged and defeated all the masters. Last year, I was invincible and became the number one swordsman in the world. Last year, my master also passed away. Since then, I have been wandering alone again. Just recently, I unexpectedly met you again when I passed through Jiangnan. Since then, my lonely heart has finally found a home."

Ling Yan listened quietly to Shen Qingchen's account, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

Then he asked softly, "Why do you say it's a reunion? Have we met before?"

Her voice carried a hint of confusion and curiosity.

Because she couldn't remember ever seeing him before.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchen gazed at Ling Yan, her eyes sparkling with tenderness.

Without any attempt to conceal anything, she answered softly, "Yes, we have met. That year, I was traveling around the world with my master and happened to pass through the capital. I saw you on the street."

Ling Yan became even more curious upon hearing this and pressed on, "When? What was I doing at the time?"

Shen Qingchen smiled slightly upon hearing this, a smile that held a hint of tenderness and doting as she said, "Eight years ago, you rescued a little girl who was about your age and bought her back. I had never seen such a powerful person at such a young age; she was not like a child at all. Therefore, I was deeply impressed by you. After that, I would think of you from time to time, thinking of going to the capital to find you and become friends with you, but I felt that my lowly status made me unworthy, so I secretly put it aside."

Lingyan understood after hearing what he said.

So it was the day she bought Yunmeng!

Seeing that she remembered, Shen Qingchen continued with a wry smile, "You see, even though they say I am the number one swordsman in the world, I am still a commoner, just an ordinary person. How could I dare to express my feelings for you with such a background?"

His tone carried a hint of helplessness and self-deprecation.

Lingyan naturally understood upon hearing this.

The ancients really valued one's birth very, very much.

However, she was not from ancient times, and class consciousness did not matter to her at all.

It's just that the ancients themselves cared a lot about it.

So she chuckled and shook her head in disapproval, saying, "Is status important? Is background important? A hero's origins are irrelevant. What does status mean to me? I always judge people by their character and personality, not by their status. If someone pleases me, I'll befriend them even if they're a beggar. If they don't, I'll keep my distance even if they're royalty."

Upon hearing Ling Yan's words, Shen Qingchen seemed to freeze in place.

An expression of disbelief first appeared on his face, then the expression slowly faded like ripples, replaced by deep emotion and感慨.

His deep gaze was fixed on Lingyan, as if he wanted to etch her resolute appearance into his heart.

After a long while, he slowly spoke: "Your words... were like a thunderclap in spring, exploding in my heart. I never thought that in this worldly chaos, there could be someone as insightful as you, someone who is not bound by worldly prejudices."

Then Shen Qingchen took a small step forward, getting closer to her.

His gaze never left her: "Your words make me feel ashamed. I used to feel inferior because of my identity, but now I realize that I was too narrow-minded."

A relieved smile appeared on his face, a smile as warm and clear as spring water breaking through the ice.

Shen Qingchen reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to touch her, but then restrained himself and withdrew his hand.

Lingyan smiled upon seeing this.

It's good that you've come to terms with it.

Then he asked sarcastically, "With your extraordinary appearance and legendary status in the martial arts world, you must have no shortage of beautiful women pursuing you, right?"

Shen Qingchen felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, but still honestly replied, "Yes, I have, but I have rejected them all because my heart is in the way of the sword and I have no interest in romantic relationships."

Lingyan nodded in understanding.

If he hadn't been single-mindedly pursuing the ultimate in swordsmanship, he wouldn't have achieved such success at such a young age.

She then asked, "So you always wear a mask to avoid trouble?"

Shen Qingchen nodded and replied, "Yes."

Lingyan continued, "So when did you start liking me? It wasn't when we were kids, was it?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchen immediately denied it, saying, "No, it wasn't when we were kids. You were so young back then, how could I possibly have those kinds of feelings for you? I just admired and was curious about you. I thought you were different from others, so I was impressed and wanted to befriend you. But you are the only person I've kept in my heart all these years. Until we met again in Jiangnan recently, I recognized you at first glance."

At this moment, his eyes were filled with starlight, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he looked at her and said, "Back then, you were dressed in black and sitting on the execution platform, overseeing the executions. You were cold and ruthless, decisive and ruthless. You were very, very attractive. I was captivated by you at that time. My heart was beating very fast. I wanted to keep looking at you like that. I couldn't take my eyes off you at all. So you oversaw the executions for thirteen days, and I watched you for thirteen days."

After understanding, Lingyan was speechless and also didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

How could anyone like her because she's so heartless and ruthless!