He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

Qiu Yue, being more composed, smiled sheepishly upon hearing this, and said with her head slightly lowered, "It's because Miss is so radiant that we dare not look directly at her."

Dongxue quickly chimed in, "That's right, Miss. We've been taking good care of the courtyard and have been looking forward to your return."

After not seeing each other for several years, things felt a bit unfamiliar. Leng Huan didn't say anything more and looked around the spotless, luxurious room. In fact, Madam Leng really doted on the original owner. All the furnishings were as standard as Leng Feng's, and some were even more exquisite than Leng Feng's.

Sitting on the bed he had once lain on, Leng Huan was lost in thought.

—I thought I would never be able to return to Beijun or the Leng family in my lifetime, but I never expected to come back today.

Fortunately, there were no more messy arranged marriages. Leng Huan relaxed and lay down on the bed, then exclaimed, "I want to take a bath!"

"Yes, it will be ready soon!" The maids responded and began preparing the hot spring.

I don't know about the other courtyards, but in her courtyard there was a small hot spring pool with a magic array set up. Once activated, it was very warm and the temperature was just right.

When Leng Huan entered, the water was already steaming, and a layer of flower petals floated in the pool, smelling very fragrant. This time, someone was there to serve her bath. She took off her clothes, her shoulders and back half-naked. Before her light purple robe could fall to the ground, it was already taken away by two other maids to tidy it up, to be specially cleaned and scented later.

"Leave only the autumn moon and winter snow; everyone else, leave."

It wouldn't be appropriate to be naked in front of others, Leng Huan said as she untied the waistband of her skirt. The skirt loosened and fell to the ground, revealing a pair of fair and delicate feet stepping out of the hem of the skirt and into the hot spring.

Dongxue deftly picked up the layers of clothes, carefully folded them, and placed them in a large tray. Meanwhile, Qiuyue knelt skillfully behind Leng Huan and took off her headdress, placing it on the tray.

With a flick of the hairpin, the hair knot came undone, and the black hair scattered like clouds, falling into the water. Leng Huan leaned against the smooth jade pool, letting the water wash over his chest. His snow-white skin and bare back were pressed against the white jade pool, making it hard to tell whether the person was whiter or the jade was more lustrous.

Wow, life as a nobleman must be so great!

Qiuyue: "Miss must be tired. She's been here for most of the day and hasn't even been back to her room. Let me give you a massage to help you relax."

Leng Huan was very satisfied and joked with her, "Good, haven't you become rusty in the past few years?"

"No, I wouldn't dare to slack off."

Leng Huan turned around and lay down on the soft cushion by the pool, letting Qiu Yue massage his shoulders and back. Hmm, the pressure was just right, and it was indeed very comfortable. He couldn't help but close his eyes and try to doze off.

After a round of massage, Leng Huan felt her chest was sore from lying down for so long. Just as she was about to turn over, she saw Dong Xue finish tidying up her things and come over with shampoo to wash her hair. She said, "Miss, do you know that Young Master Wen is getting engaged to Miss Fu?"

Leng Huan suddenly opened his eyes: "Ah, who's engaged to whom?"

"Young Master Wen! And Fu Yuqing, a young lady from a collateral branch of the Fu family."

There are no girls in the direct line of the Fu family in this generation. Fu Yuqing is Fu Xun's cousin. Her father and Fu Xun's father are brothers from the same father.

As for Young Master Wen, Leng Huan raised an eyebrow. There was no one else but Wen Ziqi who could be addressed by Dong Xue in that way.

Leng Huan looked at Dong Xue, then suddenly reached out and patted her on the shoulder: "Good girl, Wen Ziqi and I have never had anything to do with each other. I'm not familiar with him at all. You don't need to mention him to me again..."

At this point, ignoring the surprised looks on the two maids' faces, she paused and asked, "Have you remembered it?"

After they nodded, Leng Huan smiled and said, "Very good. You know I'm being groomed as the heir of the Leng family, and I'll be focusing on cultivation and shouldering heavy responsibilities in the future. Therefore, my maids can't be weak and helpless."

"I've made up my mind. You'll start cultivating too, even though you're only at the Qi Refining stage, a little late. But if you lack talent, you can make up for it with hard work! Otherwise, you two will be left behind by me..."

Qiuyue Dongxue quickly agreed: "Yes, Miss, we will definitely do our best!" Originally, they would have followed their master into marriage as part of the dowry and struggled to survive in other mansions. It would be better to cultivate on their own and go further.

"You're teachable," Leng Huan said, taking a sip of the spirit fruit tea. "Then do you know when the Wen family and the Fu family got engaged?"

Dongxue, being rather gossipy, thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be the day after tomorrow."

Leng Huan's heart stirred slightly. The Fu family had a daughter named Fu Yuqing, who was Long Aotian's close older sister.

This person was a tragic cannon fodder, and she was also one of the triggers that led to the massacre of the Fu family by Fu Xun.

Speaking of Fu Xun, he lost his mother at a young age and was suppressed by the main branch of the family. Others dared not associate with him and even took advantage of his misfortune. Fu Yuqing was the only one who had a good relationship with him since childhood.

Later, Fu Xun's foundation was destroyed, and only Fu Yuqing in the entire Fu family knew the truth. She stood up and said a few words for him, but was blacklisted by Fu Xiao. Fu Yuqing was also suppressed to the point of being invisible. When the Fu family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Wen family, they naturally chose the outstanding-looking Fu Yuqing.

She tried to escape before her engagement, but was closely watched by the Fu family. She wasn't as lucky as Leng Huan and was caught and brought back. She was severely whipped thirty times and seriously injured. A year later, she married into the Wen family and died.

Fu Xun later investigated the truth and discovered that she had died along with her unborn child. In a fit of rage... well, so the Wen family, which had little presence, was also wiped out!

When Wang Chen finished speaking, Leng Huan marveled at how Fu Xun had single-handedly destroyed the three great families of Beijun.

It now appears that the Leng family is one of the hidden clans.

She took a breath: "I understand, it has nothing to do with me." She then planned to go and help out.

In the original book, Fu Xun felt guilty because Fu Yuqing was implicated by him. He felt powerless even though he had become a powerful cultivator. Leng Huan wondered if this was one of the reasons for his world-weariness.

Having finished soaking, Leng Huan simply stood up: "Get out of the bath."

Dongxue quickly brought a blanket, and Qiuyue helped Leng Huan carefully walk up. Leng Huan put on the blanket to dry her body, used her spiritual power to dry her hair, and was helped to put on the robe of the Leng family's holy maiden.

It was a light blue robe embroidered with golden phoenix patterns and snowflakes. The dark blue skirt was covered with tiny golden snowflakes and sparkling snow crystals. The skirt looked heavy, but it felt very light when worn. Leng Huan couldn't resist picking at the snow-like crystals... They were very firmly attached and couldn't be pried off.

I heard this stuff is very expensive, it's a high-grade refining material, and her whole dress is covered in it, she's really rich!

The Grand Elder said that when the ancestors cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage, they would automatically awaken the power of ice and snow. Leng Huan looked at the phoenix feather on his sleeve and clicked his tongue. Legend has it that the Kunlun Snow Clan has the bloodline of the ancient Ice Phoenix, so they can automatically learn the Nascent Soul Ice Technique by using Xuan Power.

That's a bit of a stretch. Leng Huan thinks it's because his cultivation level is high, he can transform water magic into ice magic, and with the addition of profound energy... it's quite powerful!

While Qiuyue was doing her hair and makeup, Leng Huan was already plotting in his mind whether he could steal... or rescue Fu Yuqing.

We must prevent her from being captured and taken back. We're setting off for White Spring Bay in the Sand Sea in five days, which will be a good opportunity to take her with us. Once we leave the secret realm, we'll send her to the Misty Immortal Sect.

...

The Fu family, a side branch of the family.

A somewhat sarcastic voice came from the inner chamber: "Second Miss, please don't make things difficult for us. You will have to abide by these rules from now on."

Fu Yuqing, dressed in a moon-white disciple's robe, had her gentle expression completely replaced by anger. She glanced at the two governesses in front of her and sneered, "Fu Xiao sent you? Is he eager to unleash his power?"

"Miss is joking. You are to be engaged to the Wen family the day after tomorrow. Madam sees that you are usually flamboyant and is afraid that you will make a mistake tomorrow."

"Yes, Miss, you should learn more so that you can stand on your own two feet after you get married." Another old nanny smiled and played the good cop.

Fu Yuqing's expression grew even colder. This was because she saw that Fu Yuqing's talent was mediocre and her cultivation was too low, and yet Fu Yuqing was using the rules of ordinary people to lecture her. This was far too insulting!

Even if she's just an ordinary person, she's still a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining. Fu Xiao really wants to break ties with her.

Not understanding why he would make a move on her so soon after returning, Fu Yuqing took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you two, but I don't need to learn any rules. Please leave."

"Hmph! If the young lady won't accept our offer of wine, don't blame us for being impolite!" The red-faced old woman was tall and strong, and slapped her fan-like hands together: "Guards!"

Fu Yuqing's expression changed. Recently, a Foundation Establishment stage deacon, before she could react, placed a hand on her body and sealed her meridians!

No matter how unwilling she was, Fu Yuqing was just an unappreciated woman raised in the inner chambers, lacking experience. Once she was controlled, her legs went weak and she fell to the ground. The spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment stage surged wildly through her meridians, making her feel as if she was being pricked by needles. Soon, she broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.

The burly old nanny pressed a heavy hand on her shoulder and asked with ill intent, "Does the second young lady understand?"

Fu Yuqing was pale and dizzy. Hearing the voice coming from a distance, she gritted her teeth and said with difficulty, "I... I know I was wrong."

Then another kind-faced old woman said with a smile, "Alright, Miss understands now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Fu Yuqing felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she collapsed to the ground, covered in sweat. But she still managed to prop herself up on her knees and kneel properly on the ground, listening to the old nanny's admonitions, which were all about the three obediences and four virtues...

Fu Yuqing clenched her fists silently.

……