Long Yeyue's eyelids twitched violently. Although her relationship with Heaven Blessed Douluo and Chen Xinjie was a secret, anyone with status in the Douluo Continent was well aware of it.
It was just that no one dared to speak about it.
Offending both Shrek Academy and the War God Hall over such a trivial matter simply wasn't worth it.
Because no one dared to bring it up, the younger generation remained unaware of the situation.
But she never expected that Xia Yi would expose everything in public.
Long Yeyue's expression darkened to the extreme. At this point, if she were to counter by bringing up Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu's master-disciple relationship, Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu would surely fight her to the bitter end.
They would all go down together.
No!
Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu might not necessarily be ruined.
Although their relationship was taboo, they had always been open and aboveboard about it.
They never tried to hide anything.
No matter how the public criticized them, they had nothing to fear.
However, her complicated entanglement with Chen Xinjie had always been conducted in secrecy.
Just because Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu were immune to public opinion didn't mean she, Long Yeyue, was too.
At the very least, she didn't have the courage to announce her relationship with Chen Xinjie the way Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu did.
Long Yeyue was furious, even on the verge of losing control.
Just thinking about Leng Yaozhu's blissful expression earlier made her recall her own failed scheme.
She had once sworn with absolute confidence to Blazing Dragon Douluo and Zhenhua that she would succeed in driving a wedge between Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu.
Now, her face burned with shame.
Her so-called scheme to sow discord had only managed to bring a couple together.
Throughout history, she might be the only one to have achieved such a feat.
Seeing Long Yeyue's increasingly grim expression, Yun Ming could no longer sit still. He swiftly moved to stand before Yali, taking her hand as he spoke,
"Yali and I call the Light and Darkness Crown 'Sister Yue' just to make her feel younger. Don't overthink it."
Not giving Xia Yi any chance to respond, Yun Ming continued in a deep voice,
"His Excellency the Heavenly Phoenix is a revered figure who has made tremendous contributions to the Soul Master world. She is one of the few people I, Yun Ming, truly respect. Seeing her find happiness warms my heart, and from the bottom of my heart, I, along with Shrek Academy, sincerely wish her well. I believe all Soul Masters will offer their blessings as well. This is just a small token from Shrek Academy—please accept it as a gesture of goodwill. On behalf of the entire academy, Yali and I wish you and the Heavenly Phoenix Crown a lifetime of happiness, and I hope you cherish her."
As Yun Ming spoke, he shot Xia Yi a meaningful glance and handed him a storage ring.
"Thank you, Skycovering Douluo, and thank you, Shrek Academy, for your blessings. I will definitely take good care of Zhu'er." Xia Yi accepted the storage soul tool ring and patted his chest in reassurance.
He hadn't expected Shrek Academy to be so easily dealt with.
Yun Ming had explicitly stated that he was speaking on behalf of the entire academy.
Even Long Yeyue could no longer come forward to criticize Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu.
Otherwise, it would be a slap to Yun Ming's face.
Xia Yi understood Yun Ming's message—Shrek Academy would no longer take issue with Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu's relationship, and in return, Xia Yi was to stop bringing up Long Yeyue's affairs.
"Zhu'er…" Yun Ming's eyelid twitched violently—Xia Yi really dared to call her that.
He knew that once Shrek Academy led the way in giving their blessings, other organizations would soon follow suit.
His decision had essentially provided Xia Yi with immense support.
But there was no choice.
If Long Yeyue hadn't stirred up trouble, he could have remained silent and let public opinion play out naturally.
However, her interference had given Xia Yi leverage over Shrek Academy.
Long Yeyue's entanglement with Chen Xinjie was connected to Yun Ming's teacher, Heaven Blessed Douluo.
If she really fought Xia Yi to the bitter end, the biggest victim would undoubtedly be Heaven Blessed Douluo.
Rumors would surely spread, claiming that Long Yeyue had become involved with Chen Xinjie because Heaven Blessed Douluo was a eunuch.
Even Yun Ming himself might be implicated.
He couldn't allow his teacher, even after death, to be ridiculed for being cuckolded.
So be it—if supporting Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu was the price, then he would accept it.
Xia Yi was well aware of the significance of Yun Ming and Shrek Academy's stance.
Thus, he accepted the deal without hesitation.
Even though Leng Yaozhu didn't care about gossip and was prepared to endure it, Xia Yi, as a man, wanted to ensure that only blessings reached her ears.
Long Yeyue's intervention had played right into his hands.
She had essentially provided him with the perfect opportunity to gain experience and force Yun Ming's concession.
Long Yeyue was seething.
She had tried to undermine Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu, yet after just a brief exchange, Xia Yi had turned her into a weapon against Shrek Academy.
He had forced Yun Ming to take a public stance.
"Don't think I have no way to deal with you. I won't let you have the last laugh," she swore internally before disappearing from sight.
Watching Long Yeyue leave, Yali furrowed her brows slightly and turned to look at Xia Yi, who had remained composed from start to finish.
She understood now—he had been in control of the situation the entire time.
With a soft sigh, Yali sent a storage ring flying toward Xia Yi, smiling as she said,
"I've known Yaozhu for a long time. Seeing her find happiness makes me truly happy. This is a wedding gift from me personally—I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."
"Thank you, Sister Yali!" Xia Yi accepted the storage ring and cupped his fists in gratitude.
If Yun Ming's blessing was a transaction, then Yali's was genuine.
She had addressed Leng Yaozhu as "Sister Yaozhu."
Now that Xia Yi was her husband, he could only call Yali "Sister Yali."
Calling her "Little Sister Yali" would be inappropriate.
"Since you're calling me Sister Yali, let me act my age for once," Yali said, looking at Xia Yi seriously. "Honestly, I'm truly happy to see Yaozhu find happiness, and I genuinely wish you both well."
"I know." Xia Yi scratched his head, unsure why Yali was repeating herself.
With another sigh, Yali spoke solemnly, "Xia Yi, you have great talent in cultivation, and you're destined for greatness. But when it comes to relationships, you need to be careful. Because of how outstanding you are, as you grow older, more and more women will be drawn to you. I won't tell you to be strictly devoted, but you must not be fickle. Yaozhu had the courage to make your relationship public because she is committed to you for life. She's had a hard time—don't hurt her."
Yali had seen Xia Yi and Gu Yue together back at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Back then, Gu Yue had looked just as radiant as Leng Yaozhu did today.
She knew exactly what that meant.
But she chose not to mention it.
Gu Yue was Leng Yaozhu's student, and Xia Yi's relationship with her was no secret.
Leng Yaozhu surely knew as well.
If she didn't mind, Yali had no place to say anything.
She just hoped Xia Yi would be mindful in the future.
Her greatest concern was that Xia Yi would continue being reckless and break Leng Yaozhu's heart.
"Don't worry, I'm very loyal," Xia Yi said earnestly.
Rolling her eyes, Yali said, "I'm too lazy to argue with you. I'll go talk to Yaozhu and tell her to keep a close eye on you. You're a married man now—act with some dignity."
With that, she left, taking the heavily injured Tang Wulin with her.
Compared to the events surrounding Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu, the outcome of this duel was insignificant.
No one had expected Tang Wulin to win, so there was little to discuss.
Only Yuanen Yehui watched Xia Yi's departing figure with eyes shining.
Just two days ago, Tang Wulin had challenged her to a sparring match.
Even with her full strength, she couldn't break through his Golden Dragon Tyrant Body and had been defeated by her own rebounded attack.
She understood just how powerful that ability was.
Which made her all the more aware of how terrifying Xia Yi's punch had been.
Even if she activated all of her Titan Giant Ape soul skills, she would likely have ended up just like Tang Wulin—blown away by a single strike.
"Demonic Exorcism, First Form… I wonder if there's a Second or Third Form. If there are, just how terrifying would they be? Freak."
Even Yuanen Yehui could only describe Xia Yi with one word: freak.
(End of Chapter)