The palm was overbearing, to say the least. It travelled through space as it compressed the world before it, adding to its destructive power. Gales were created from the vacuum of its advance toward the immobile Yun Jingfei. The ground trembled slightly, fighting the pressure the Qi contained in the palm exerted on all its surroundings.

Yun Jingfei had no means to struggle against such a fierce attack. She would have never expected that her end would come so soon after she had found something to strive for once again. She also wondered how that woman could be so brazen to simply barge into their quiet life, intending to reap their lives.

Fortunately, her end had yet to come. As the palm sought to make contact with her body, another stood before her, taking the brunt of the impact in her stead. An explosion occurred when all the energy within flooded the world as the palm collapsed.

Clouds of dust from shattered floor tiles rose in the air, obscuring Yun Jingfei's sight. The thick, compressed wall of air dispersed instantly, creating massive winds threatening to topple all structures within their small courtyard. Some of the more feeble ones, which Qin Yun hadn't taken the time to fortify, collapsed, adding to the cacophony of sounds emerging from this collision.

Yun Jingfei fought the urge to close her eyes as the wind assaulted her, wishing to cut her skin into pieces. Fortunately, something before her seemed to have withstood most of it as if a boulder in a storm. She couldn’t see what it was, merely its outline, yet that proved enough to alleviate her doubts.

Once the dust cleared, Yun Jingfei saw the truth of her conjectures. Before her stood her husband, his back toward her, bravely facing this calamity. His clothes were torn, revealing deep and horrifying gashes all over his body. Blood flowed from the wounds, soaking what was left of what covered his flesh.

Despite his state, the man still stood firm, hands crossed before his face, protecting his vitals. He slightly glanced backwards, seeking knowledge of her well-being. Once he made sure she was unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief, which brought a sense of warmth to Yun Jingfei's mostly cold heart.

Yet, once she saw the state of his arms, she couldn't help but grow pale. His arms were ruined beyond belief. Through his mangled clothes and the blood covering them, she saw multiple instances of bones protruding from the flesh. Were he to be an ordinary man, Yun Jingfei held no doubts his arms would have been blown apart entirely, along with the rest of his body.

Seeing that her attack had been thwarted, Ma Mingzhu frowned but didn't launch another one as their demise wasn't her intention. This had only been the result of a single moment of fury. While she wished nothing more than to erase Qin Yun's existence, she knew she couldn't do so without cause, as he was still considered her husband's son. Even more so considering who his mother was.

As for Qin Yun's wife, the clan could spin the news of her demise whichever way they wished, and they didn't believe the Yun Clan would make a big deal out of it as long as they received what they were promised. This was why Ma Mingzhu hadn't reined in her blow. Still, she hadn't expected Qin Yun to take the fall for his wife, as they barely had time to get to know each other. She hadn't expected their relationship to be so deep already.

A moment later, once Qin Yun relaxed the slightest amount, his arms fell limply on both sides of his being, unable to rise anymore. He sought air desperately as large beads of sweat pooled on what remained of his skin. His body spasmed as it fought the urge to collapse where he stood, as he knew that once he did so, he wouldn't rise back up again.

His face was paler than it had ever been as a lump of blood flowed to his throat before being ejected through his mouth, staining the already red ground. He fell to one knee as he fought the darkness assaulting his mind.

Yun Jingfei rushed to his aid, helping him stand as she shot daggers at Ma Mingzhu with her eyes, even knowing she had no way of fighting back were Ma Mingzhu to wish them dead. The gap between them was much too large to overcome.

Finally, getting back his bearing as the winds died down within the courtyard, Qin Yun eyed the alluring woman before him. He held no animosity toward Ma Mingzhu, even after all she had put him through. Why would he? In fact, he respected her will to dirty her hands to reach her heart's desires. While he felt that seeking power as she did was futile, he didn’t deny that it made her shine.

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Qin Yun had always been attracted to women who remained steadfast in their convictions, even when their methods may be deemed vicious. Qin Yun was no saint himself and didn't care about righteousness. He could even ignore the abuse he received simply because this woman was no hypocrite. Her dislike for him had always been apparent for all to see, and she never made any attempt to hide it.

In fact, he much preferred this treatment over what his father offered. Sometimes, indifference was much worse than open hostilities. Still, he would never tell her that, as it would only further destroy whatever little relationship still left between them. Ma Mingzhu was much too prideful to accept his warped way of thinking.

“Leave before I change my mind,” Ma Mingzhu said coldly, not bothering to even look at Qin Yun’s wretched state. “The clan is done with you. Therefore, you are banished from the clan and repudiated by your family for your resistance to follow the clan's directives. Never enter these grounds again or face the consequences.”

“Is this the clan's intentions or yours?" Qin Yun asked with difficulty while still maintaining a slight smile.

“Does it matter?” she replied in a tone much colder than he had ever heard from her.

Indeed, it didn't. Their little altercation had caused multiple loud sounds to echo in their surroundings. Yet, none had come to check on their origins. It was blatantly apparent that the clan itself implicitly agreed with what she did.

Qin Yun knew the reasons why. He had nothing more to offer the clan, as he had already given them what they wished for. Furthermore, he had now become a liability. Were it anyone else, they could simply imprison them within the clan until all others had forgotten their existence. Yet, such a solution wouldn't work for Qin Yun.

It all stemmed from his mother's identity—or at least, the clan behind her. They simply couldn't have Qin Yun relay to them how he had been treated in the years she had been gone, lest she come to them for revenge.

Their plan was simple but also effective. Qin Yun couldn't help but applaud them for their cowardice. They would simply thrust that problem onto somebody else. Qin Yun held no doubt that someone would come to reap his life once he left the clan. Whether it was someone arranged by this woman or someone else, Qin Yun didn't know. It only mattered that he couldn't perish before he was seen leaving.

Still, Qin Yun thought nothing of it. He honestly had no lingering attachment to the clan he grew up in. The only thing still linking him to them would probably only be Qin Meihui, but that wouldn't stop him from leaving. Besides, he knew they couldn't stop him if he wished to return.

As for Ma Mingzhu, once again, Qin Yun didn’t despise her. If anything, he felt pity. She was only under the influence of the affliction known as love. While she may have done this willingly, it was clear who had instigated it all. Without her husband’s approval, how could she command the troops under him? It was only a shame that her devotion would remain unrewarded.

Qin Yun's father was much too cold for Qin Yun's taste. Despite being married three times, Qin Yun doubted that the man even knew what love was. Ma Mingzhu had tried desperately for years to make him look her way but with no success. If anything, not even the two children she had birthed him made him change his attitude. Everything was for him to one-up his older brother, but that's another story.

Still, Ma Mingzhu went along with his scheme, even playing the villain, knowing full well the consequences that might arise from it. If anything was to come of this, she would be the one to take the blame for it all. Qin Yun’s father wouldn’t hesitate to blame it all on his wife’s independent actions. Such was the folly of love. Qin Yun had always wondered what she saw in that piece of hardwood.

With the day's event clear in his mind, Qin Yun slowly rose to his feet, leaning on his wife's shoulder. He gave Ma Mingzhu one last long look, showing his gentlest smile, which only brought a shiver down both women's spine.

Yun Jingfei couldn't help but frown as she was utterly lost by this reaction to his banishment. While she knew he held no love for this place, this still seemed way out of place. She contemplated asking him for his reasons yet chose not to. This wasn't the time or place.

With no further words, the couple began their journey out of the clan. Yun Jingfei felt heartache leaving behind the courtyard she had grown accustomed to. Once again, she had lost something she cared for. At least she still had her life and her husband; they could restart a life anywhere else.

On the other hand, Qin Yun was at peace. He had long expected such a turn of events, only not so soon. He wondered what happened to expedite his departure. Still, it was mostly inconsequential and just curiosity on his part. He was fully intending to leave at some point.

The stares of ridicule and muffled laughter surrounding them as they travelled the main avenue of their clan toward the outside world made Yun Jingfei uncomfortable. While she had somehow grown used to it at this point, it still wasn’t enjoyable. She honestly couldn’t wait to get away from all this toxicity.

Qin Yun could spy Qin Meihui in the distance, looking at him with a shocked and painful expression. While he wished to explain how it came to this, doing so would only make her life harder. He didn't wish to shed light on the depth of their relationship for others to dissect. Only Qin Yun's wife could be privy to such information.

With mixed emotions, the couple finally left the clan before the gates closed behind them, forever locking them away from that place. As soon as they left the curious onlookers' gazes, Qin Yun rose to his full height as if his earlier display of weakness was but an illusion.

Soon enough, all his wounds, even those that seemed life-threatening, began healing at much too fast a pace to appear natural. Yun Jingfei could only watch this miraculous display with a frown. She couldn't help but slightly resent her husband for this.

While she had been in the dark regarding his intentions, nothing could be clearer now. He had been faking it all along! She felt the urge to punch him in his stupid smirk for making her worry about him. Still, she surprised herself that she cared as much as she did. She still couldn't believe she had become so deeply involved with a man so soon.

Still unsure how to feel about all this, Yun Jingfei remained silent, only glaring at Qin Yun, making her dissatisfaction known. Qin Yun only chuckled in response before taking her by the hand, tugging slightly as he stepped forward.

"Shall we?" he asked with a mischievous smile, prompting her to follow him. While she still had reservations about what had transpired, she was inclined to go with him.