Zhang Ruyi, Lin Fei, and the maid Yun'er sat in an ancient carriage drawn by a unicorn beast, slowly departing from the Cloud Martial King's Palace.

The unicorn beast was not a real horse, but a type of savage beast with a single horn on its head. Its body reached over three meters in height, resembling a small elephant, and its speed was more than five times that of an ordinary warhorse. Some of the robust unicorn beasts could even travel three thousand miles in a day.

After an unknown distance, the unicorn beast carriage gradually came to a stop.

Zhang Ruyi stepped down from the carriage and looked at the magnificent golden gates not far away. He observed the golden plaque hanging above the gates, inscribed with two vigorous characters: "Lin Mansion!"

His heart stirred—wasn't his mother surnamed "Lin"?

Judging by the grandeur of the mansion, the Lin family was no ordinary household, but rather the epitome of a prestigious clan.

If his maternal family truly belonged to a prominent lineage, why did they not receive support from them? Instead, she suffered mistreatment from other princesses in the Duke's Mansion?

There must be hidden reasons.

Lin Fei also alighted from the carriage, gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar gates, and said, "Ruochen, you must have been eager to meet Ningshan! Now that you've also unlocked the Divine Martial Mark, I believe you will have much to discuss with Ningshan. You must persevere!"

Until now, Zhang Ruyi had no idea who Ningshan really was. Upon hearing Yun'er and Lin Fei's words, he couldn't shake off a strange feeling.

Guided by Lin Fei, Zhang Ruyi and Yun'er entered the Lin Mansion.

In theory, when a princess returned to her family, she should be warmly welcomed. However, the one who received Lin Fei and Zhang Ruyi at the gate was merely an elderly steward.

The steward led Lin Fei into the inner mansion, while Zhang Ruyi and Yun'er were left in the outer mansion, with only two maidservants to attend to them.

Zhang Ruyi felt that something was amiss but didn't know how to inquire. He could only remain silent.

"Prince Nine, aren't you going to see Ningshan? She should be in the martial arts arena now. The young members of the Lin family should all be training there," Yun'er asked.

Prompted by Yun'er and Lin Fei several times, Zhang Ruyi grew even more curious. Who exactly was this woman named Ningshan? Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to meet her.

"Very well! Let's go to the Lin family's martial arts arena," Zhang Ruyi nodded.

...

Inside the Lin family residence.

In an ancient, elegant hall, Lin Fengxian, the head of the Lin family, sat steadily in the grand seat. He appeared to be in his thirties, with neatly trimmed moustaches above his lips. Glancing at Lin Fei sitting across from him, he said, "Prince Nine is a descendant of the Duke's Mansion. Even if he has unlocked the Divine Martial Mark, he should be choosing martial techniques from the Duke's Mansion's collection. Why does Lady Fei come to our Lin family seeking martial techniques?"

Lin Fei bit her lip lightly and said, "I'm not seeking; I'm requesting Big Brother to bestow a set of martial techniques on him as a favor for the sake of his blood ties with you."

Bang! Lin Fengxian coldly snorted and slammed his palm on the table, saying, "You only know to come to me now? When I went to the Duke's Mansion three years ago to seek your help, why didn't you consider my request based on the blood ties between you and my son Chengyu? You knew very well that Chengyu is my legitimate son and a once-in-a-century genius of the Lin family. As long as you pleaded with the Duke, he could have been saved, but you didn’t…”

"Three years ago…" Lin Fei felt deeply wronged and couldn't help but shed tears, wanting to reveal the truth of what happened three years ago.

However, Lin Fengxian interrupted her and said, "Leave! The ties between the Lin family and you have long been severed. Don't come back in the future, Lady Fei."

Dong! Lin Fei knelt directly on the ground, crying incessantly, and sobbed, "Big Brother, are you really so heartless? I want to see Father."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Father has gone to the Demon Mountain. He won't return for three months, so you can't see him now," Lin Fengxian said indifferently. "And one more thing, Ningshan and the Seventh Prince are about to be engaged. Prince Nine should stay away from Ningshan in the future."

Lin Fei felt even more hopeless in her heart and said, "You know that Ruochen has always liked Ningshan. If he learns that Ningshan is engaged to the Seventh Prince, how heartbroken will he be? Besides, why the Seventh Prince?"

"The Seventh Prince unlocked the Divine Martial Mark at the age of three. His talent is extraordinary. With his current martial cultivation, no one in the younger generation of the Cloud Martial County can match him. Ningshan's union with the Seventh Prince will greatly benefit our Lin family's future," Lin Fengxian said. "Although Prince Nine and Ningshan are cousins and were close childhood playmates, Prince Nine's aptitude is mediocre. He only unlocked the Divine Martial Mark at the age of sixteen and will never achieve great accomplishments in this life. Reaching the later stage of the Yellow Realm should be his limit. He is no match for the Seventh Prince."

Lin Fei said, "Is Ningshan willing to be engaged to the Seventh Prince? Will she truly be happy with this union for the sake of the family's interests?"

Lin Fengxian stared at Lin Fei and said impassively, "You're wrong; this is Ningshan's own decision!"

...

In the Lin family's martial arts arena, which was as spacious as half a football field, young members of the Lin family dressed in blue martial attire were practicing various martial skills—some were practicing boxing, some were practicing swordsmanship, and some were practicing blade techniques.

They were the elite of the Lin family, each having unlocked the Divine Martial Mark, engrossed in their training. The elders of the Lin family were also offering guidance in the arena, creating an atmosphere of prosperity.

Zhang Ruyi nodded and thought to himself, "The Lin family can be considered a prominent clan in the Cloud Martial County."

Suddenly, Zhang Ruyi's gaze fell upon a slender girl, leaving him somewhat astonished.

The girl appeared to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, petite and exquisite, with willowy eyebrows, bright starry eyes, and snow-white skin as if carved from jade—a true beauty in the making.

She wielded a sword emitting a faint starlight, surrounded by a pale blue sword aura that moved with her, graceful and agile. Her swordsmanship was exquisitely refined to the extreme.

"Externalization of true energy, the sword follows the heart. Her martial cultivation has at least reached the middle stage of the Yellow Realm, much stronger than the Eighth Prince. She is only one step away from the advanced stage of the Yellow Realm," Zhang Ruyi thought to himself.

"Eh! Isn't that Prince Nine? He actually came to the Lin Mansion again?" A young member of the Lin family spotted Zhang Ruyi standing outside the martial arts arena and revealed a hint of mockery.

"He must be here to see Sister Ningshan again. It's a pity that Sister Ningshan can't be bothered to see him at all."

"I heard he also unlocked the Divine Martial Mark."

"Haha! Unlocking the Divine Martial Mark at sixteen, what can he achieve? If he weren't Sister Ningshan's cousin, he probably wouldn't even be allowed inside the Lin family's gate."

"I heard that Sister Ningshan is about to be engaged to the Seventh Prince. What an outstanding couple!"

"Hehe! Rumor has it that Prince Nine has always had a secret admiration for Sister Ningshan. Guess what his expression will be when he learns about Sister Ningshan's engagement to the Seventh Prince?"

All the young martial practitioners of the Lin family stopped their training, focusing their attention on Zhang Ruyi, gossiping and occasionally bursting into laughter.

Lin Ningshan also halted her sword practice, glanced at Zhang Ruyi standing outside the martial arts arena, and gently waved her slender arm. Her starlit sword accurately pierced the scabbard five meters away.

Walking up to Zhang Ruyi, Lin Ningshan looked at his frail figure and said, "Cousin, it's been a long time. I heard you also unlocked the Divine Martial Mark?"

When Lin Ningshan and Zhang Ruyi were very young, they used to be close playmates, almost like childhood sweethearts, but after Lin Ningshan unlocked the Divine Martial Mark, most of her time was devoted to cultivation, causing her to grow increasingly distant from Zhang Ruyi.

After the incident three years ago, she never visited the Cloud Martial King's Palace again. Although Zhang Ruyi was often sickly, he still frequently visited the Lin family to see her. Even if he could only catch a glimpse of her, he would feel quite happy.

However, their meetings became increasingly infrequent, and in the past six months, he hadn't seen her at all. She would always send a maid to dismiss Zhang Ruyi.

"She is my cousin after all."

This was Zhang Ruyi's first encounter with Lin Ningshan. He had no special feelings towards her, so he remained calm and humbly said, "Indeed, I have unlocked the Divine Martial Mark, but as the Queen Mother said, it's just an ungraded Divine Martial Mark and naturally cannot be compared to my cousin's Divine Martial Mark."

Lin Ningshan nodded, tilting her snow-white chin high and proud like a swan, and said, "You're already sixteen, able to unlock the Divine Martial Mark. It's also a blessing from heaven. You must strive to cultivate in the future. Although you may not become a martial powerhouse, you can at least strengthen your body and no longer spend most of your life bedridden. For you... at least becoming a normal person is possible."

Zhang Ruyi furrowed his brow slightly, nodded, and said, "In the future, I will definitely strive to cultivate and try to catch up to your level."

Lin Ningshan naturally knew that Zhang Ruyi liked her. Upon hearing his words, she thought that Zhang Ruyi was still unwilling to give up and wanted to continue pursuing her.

"Hey! Cousin, there's something else I want to tell you. I hope you won't be too saddened. Three months later, when the Duke returns, the Seventh Prince and I should be engaged," Lin Ningshan said.

"Interesting! Hehe!"

All the young martial practitioners of the Lin family burst into laughter, looking at Zhang Ruyi, wanting to see his reaction.

(End of the chapter)