Ling Huatao spoke as he took out an envelope from his person and placed it in front of Ye Luo.

Ye Luo, curious, picked up the envelope and opened it to find a check and two keys inside.

"Contained here is a villa worth five million and a sports car valued at three million, along with another check for ten million as a bit of compensation for you. What do you think? Of course, if this is unacceptable, we can always discuss further. As long as you agree to go to the old master and call off this engagement, you can put forward any condition you wish," Ling Huatao said.

After saying all this, Ling Huatao’s gaze turned toward Ye Luo, awaiting his final decision.

Looking at the check and keys in his hand, a smile formed at the corner of Ye Luo’s mouth.

"A total of eighteen million, Uncle Ling is really generous," he said.

"You’re welcome. If you have any other requests, feel free to mention them," Ling Huatao replied with a nonchalant smile.

Ye Luo shook his head, "I’m a simple man who just wants to find a wife to live out my days with, and it just so happens that Ling Qingya is the woman I’ve set my sights on. I’ve already determined she is my woman."

As he spoke, Ye Luo tore the check in his hand into shreds, at the same time clutching the two keys in his palm.

"Ye Luo, you..."

As Ye Luo tore up the check, Ling Huatao’s face changed color, and a flash of anger passed through his eyes.

"Since it was my grandfather and Elder Ling who decided on this marriage arrangement, you’ll need their approval to terminate it. Oh, and since my grandfather is now underground, I suppose you’ll have to take a trip down there to get his consent," Ye Luo said with a playful smile. He then spread his palm open, scattering bits of the destroyed check onto the tea table. Those two keys had turned into a pile of fragments. Ye Luo drained his tea cup and stood up, ready to leave.

"Ye Luo!"

Ling Huatao suddenly spoke out, his voice deep, "No matter what, you no longer have the Ye Family’s backing; you are nothing now. You and Qing Ya simply can’t be together. Furthermore, I have already arranged a suitable match for Qing Ya. Regardless of whether you were the Ye Family’s young master or now simply Ye Luo, you can’t hope to match him in status, so give up." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Ye Luo turned around, looked at Ling Huatao and a unique curve formed at the corner of his mouth, "Father-in-law, don’t waste your efforts. Even if the man you introduce to Ling Qingya were the President, she would not have a second option apart from becoming my woman in the end. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see."

Having said this, Ye Luo opened the door and walked out.

Bang!

Ling Huatao slammed his fist onto the tea table, causing the tea cup to rattle.

"Damn him, he really doesn’t know what’s good for him!" Ling Huatao hissed coldly, his eyes narrowing as they caught sight of the shattered keys, a hint of cold light flickering through.

Having left the tea house, Ye Luo strolled with his hands in his pockets, a hint of a lazy smile on his lips.

This old guy actually thinks he can get me to call off my engagement with Ling Qingya. He seriously underestimates me, Ye Luo.

Ye Luo thought to himself, his eyes gleaming.

All of a sudden, his gaze sharpened as he scanned the distance.

On a street, four figures walked by, standing out strikingly.

The reason they stood out was because these four individuals—whether it be their attire or appearance—were quite unique.

The two men had long hair tied up into buns and wore blue robes,

while the two women donned fiery red dresses with sashes tied around their waists and red ribbon adorning their hair, making them look like they had stepped straight out of antiquity.

As these four made their appearance, onlookers immediately turned their gazes upon them, each looking on with curiosity.

"No way, is this cosplay? It looks so real!"

"I think they might be filming; there could be hidden cameras around here."

...

The crowd speculated about the identities of the four, most assuming they were either role-playing or acting, or otherwise that they had escaped from a psychiatric hospital.

"Brother Yu, it seems like all these people are staring at us," one of the men said to another, glancing over at the surrounding crowd.

"Don’t concern yourself with it. We’ve come out here to find those two. They’ve vanished for over a decade, and our Sect finally located their whereabouts. We must apprehend them this time, no matter what," the older man said with an icy expression, while the two women beside him nodded.

One of the women spoke up, "That’s right. We must bring them back to the Sect to face punishment."

"Let’s move on," the older man said, and with that, the four quickened their pace and vanished from sight in mere seconds, leaving the onlookers to rub their eyes in disbelief, wondering if what they had just witnessed was real, or how else they could have suddenly disappeared.

Ye Luo, who witnessed all this, frowned slightly, a glint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The crowd might have thought these four were actors or cosplayers, but Ye Luo knew that they were no ordinary people—they were Martial Artists, all of whom were of the Innate Realm, equal or superior to Ye Luo. Clearly, they were not ordinary folk.

Their attire, as well as their formidable powers despite their youth, was enough evidence that they were not commoners.

"Could they be from the Hidden Sects?" he wondered.

A thought suddenly struck Ye Luo, and he speculated.

Previously on the mountain, his old master had told him that the world was not as simple as it appeared to people, especially in Huaxia. Apart from ordinary citizens, there were a vast number of powerful Martial Artists, and Huaxia had many hidden Sects and families, collectively known as Hidden Sects.

These Sects and families from the Hidden Sects all had a rich history; the youngest of them had hundreds of years of history, and some of the most powerful ones had existed for thousands of years.

This had led to the Hidden Sects being exceedingly powerful entities. They all adhered to the principle of remaining hidden, staying in secluded corners of the country, seldom appearing before the public.

When his old master told him about this, he warned Ye Luo to be cautious upon encountering anyone from the Hidden Sects, as they had countless experts and were a formidable force to be reckoned with.