Ye Lingyuan's brow furrowed, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.
He wondered which blind fool it was, not coming earlier or later, but choosing this most intimate moment to be a shit-stirrer.
If it weren't for the overwhelming happiness of Zi Linling being right before him, his murderous intent would have poured out like a torrential flood.
To avoid affecting Zi Linling, he suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Lin'er, eat first. I'll be right back!"
Although Ye Lingyuan hid it well, Zi Linling still caught that trace of displeasure.
"Wait!"
Zi Linling called out to him, unhurriedly finishing the bowl of porridge and wiping the corner of her mouth. "Let's go together!"
As she spoke, a faint, lingering murderous aura also emanated from her.
Her happy time had been disrupted, and Zi Linling was even more furious than Ye Lingyuan.
She wanted to see who dared to provoke them at this moment.
Ye Lingyuan frowned and said, "Lin'er, why don't you rest? I'll handle it."
"No need! Since some people are blind, we either gouge out their eyes or make sure they never open them again!"
Zi Linling said, and then took the lead in walking out of the courtyard.
A faint smile tugged at Ye Lingyuan's lips; his previous anger seemed to subside a bit.
Outside the courtyard, Zi Yuling stood blocking the gate with several young men.
These young men were all her fellow disciples and were considered outstanding figures in the Great Flame Sect.
Among them was the foremost of the younger generation in the Great Flame Sect, the son of the Sect Master Yan Ba—Yan Long.
It turned out that Zi Yuling had suffered a great loss at the Phoenix Pavilion yesterday. Upon returning to their sect's temporary residence in Central City, she had complained with exaggeration.
Of course, she omitted the fact that she had offended the beautiful young proprietress of the Phoenix Pavilion and been injured by her. Instead, she shifted all the blame onto Zi Linling, twisting the narrative of her grievances with Zi Linling.
It was one thing for the female disciples of the Great Flame Sect. Being women themselves, they were already accustomed to Zi Yuling's scheming and tactics.
Therefore, they had shown mercy by not adding insult to injury regarding Zi Yuling's "plight."
However, most of the male disciples of the Great Flame Sect were Zi Yuling's admirers.
Thus, seeing her tearful appearance, they couldn't help but clench their fists.
Yan Long, in particular, already considered Zi Yuling his woman.
Now that his woman had been bullied, and by an enemy no less, how could he win her heart if he didn't help her save face?
Therefore, after finding out Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan's residence, he led Zi Yuling and the disciples of the Great Flame Sect there early in the morning to confront them.
Of course, it was mostly male disciples.
As for the female disciples, they were only there to provide backup out of respect for Yan Long.
And the one who had just attacked the barrier was Yan Long's sycophantic follower, the third-ranked inner disciple of the Great Flame Sect, Liu Binbin.
A quarter of an hour had passed since Liu Binbin attacked the barrier, yet no one had emerged from the courtyard, which made Yan Long's expression turn grim.
Although Liu Binbin's attack was somewhat crude, it was equivalent to telling the people inside the courtyard that someone had come to cause trouble.
Logically, regardless of whether the people inside were happy or unhappy, they should have come out to investigate.
But after a quarter of an hour, no one had appeared. This could only mean either the other party was not in the courtyard, or they simply didn't take them seriously and couldn't be bothered to respond.
Whichever it was, it made Yan Long, who had come with such a powerful presence, feel a sense of frustration.
And it was this frustration that caused his anger, which was initially only at three-tenths, to instantly surge to five-tenths.
He roared, "Liu Binbin, keep smashing the barrier until they come out!"
"Yes!"
Liu Binbin responded obsequiously, raised his fist imbued with the power of laws, and struck towards the courtyard's barrier.
But just as his fist was about to hit the barrier, it suddenly vanished.
Liu Binbin couldn't retract his strike and stumbled forward a few steps, directly kneeling on the ground. His forehead hit the ground heavily, making his eyes spin.
Liu Binbin rubbed his throbbing forehead and looked up to see an exceptionally beautiful woman standing before him.
Of course, the incredibly handsome Ye Lingyuan beside her was completely ignored.
Faced with such beauty, Liu Binbin was naturally mesmerized, even forgetting that he was still kneeling stiffly on the ground.
It turned out that the moment Liu Binbin stumbled and knelt, Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan had also arrived in front of him.
And due to the timing, it appeared as if Liu Binbin was bowing to them after seeing them.
Zi Linling smiled, "Oh, who are you? It's not a festival or holiday, yet you're giving such a big bow. How embarrassing!"
"Never mind, we accept this bow, but don't expect any red envelopes. Firstly, I haven't prepared any, and secondly, consider it compensation for smashing my courtyard's barrier!"
As Zi Linling spoke, everyone's gaze "swished" and fell upon her simultaneously.
It went without saying for the men; their dazed stares perfectly illustrated the meaning of lecherous individuals.
As for the women who had come to provide backup, their gazes shifted from amazement to envy, and from envy to jealousy.
And when they saw Ye Lingyuan standing beside Zi Linling, their eyes were filled with even more hostility.
"Hmph! You little brat, you've finally come out! Don't think you can hide forever!"
Zi Yuling's voice, filled with resentment, rang out, instantly jolting the mesmerized crowd awake, except for Yan Long.
Liu Binbin quickly got up from the ground and said with a solicitous smile, "Beauty, is there some misunderstanding between you and Junior Sister Zi?"
He was magnanimous, directly overlooking Zi Linling taking advantage of him and accepting his bow.
After all, beauties always had some privileges in front of men.
In Liu Binbin's opinion, it was his honor to "coincidentally" bow to a beauty.
But he didn't know that Ye Lingyuan, standing beside Zi Linling, was an incredibly jealous man.
He would even get jealous over imaginary slights, let alone someone so brazenly trying to poach his woman.
Therefore, as soon as Liu Binbin finished speaking, he was sent flying.
And the direction he flew was towards Yan Long, who was gazing at Zi Linling with a lecherous expression.
Yan Long had long forgotten about the matter of helping Zi Yuling save face.
His mind was solely occupied with how to make Zi Linling his woman. Therefore, even though Zi Yuling and Liu Binbin had spoken, he remained lost in his thoughts.
Just as Yan Long was imagining the scene of having a beauty in his arms, a dark shadow lunged towards him.
"Seeking death!"
Disturbed from his "sweet dream," Yan Long, without even looking, threw a punch at the approaching shadow.