Zhou Ling's Offer

Zhou Ling continued into the courtyard with a confident smirk on his face, showing a clear indifference for the hostile stares directed at him. Despite his not very intimidating appearance, his obvious haughtiness and sense of entitlement could not be disregarded.

"Zhou Yuan, it appears that you've honed your flute skills but neglected your cultivation. Such a waste of talent," Zhou Ling taunted, accompanied by three individuals at the 4th Rank of the Qi Refinement stage. It was evident that he had come with malicious intentions. 

Zhou Yuan calmly lowered his flute, his gaze empty yet tinged with irritation. "Zhou Ling, what brings you here?" he inquired, his tone polite but devoid of warmth. It was clear that he wanted Zhou Ling to depart as soon as possible. Zhou Jing'er, too, regarded them with a cold stare.

Zhou Ling's expression darkened slightly upon realizing that Zhou Yuan was treating him indifferently. As the First Elder's only grandson, his status within the Clan was undeniable. He sneered inwardly, "Do you believe you're still the same as before?"

"Zhou Yuan, the elders are angry with you because of the recent incident in the Capital." "They might even think about exiling you from the Clan," Zhou Ling said, a sneer on his lips. "Why don't I ask my grandfather to speak up on your behalf with the other Elders?" he said. All you have to do is give up that little maid that follows you around all the time. "What do you think?"

Zhou Ling and his three buddies broke out laughing, sneering at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan and Zhou Jing'er were both left speechless, as they had not expected Zhou Ling to be so unscrupulous and disgusting.

"Zhou Ling, you bastard! You always pretend to be a gentleman, but I knew you had ulterior motives. You actually want to take Qing'er away from Ah Yuan!" Zhou Jing'er's temper exploded, fully aware that Zhou Ling had been gradually poaching all the servants by Zhou Yuan's side, leaving only Qing'er.

This was the primary reason why Zhou Yuan's courtyard rarely had any other people. Initially, Zhou Jing'er had contemplated confronting Zhou Ling, but Zhou Yuan had dissuaded her, deeming it unworthy of their time. However, today, Zhou Ling crossed the line. If Qing'er were to truly go to him, her fate would be nothing short of miserable.

Zhou Jing'er unleashed her cultivation, which stood at the 9th Rank of the Qi Refinement stage. "Heh... Do you think you're the only powerful one here?" 

Zhou Ling also activated his cultivation, matching Zhou Jing'er's aura. Zhou Ling was slightly taken aback that Zhou Jing'er had reached the same level as him, considering her talent was supposedly inferior and she had left the Clan for two years.

Meanwhile, he had exploited his status to covertly monopolize the resources of weaker Clan members to support his cultivation. Otherwise, it would have taken him another two years to achieve his current stage. The other three lackeys also displayed their cultivation, creating a tense atmosphere.

In the past, Zhou Ling would never have dared to utter such words to Zhou Yuan. However, given his current circumstances and the anger of the Clan's elders regarding the incident in the Capital, Zhou Yuan's position within the Clan had completely deteriorated.

Whether or not he was the victim, it didn't matter. In their eyes, Zhou Yuan had tarnished the reputation of the Zhou Clan. All the elders were aware of his current predicament, and the only reason they had left him alone was due to his engagement with the Ling Clan. 

Now, even that was uncertain. They wanted to get rid of him, particularly the First Elder's faction, which sought to undermine Zhou Xuan's authority in the Clan and expand their own influence.

Zhou Ling intended to exploit this situation to blackmail Zhou Yuan into accepting his so-called protection and surrendering Qing'er on a silver platter. 

Fully aware of these pretty tricks, Zhou Yuan's dark eyes seemed to grow even darker, resembling an abyss that sought to obliterate everything before him. He stared directly into Zhou Ling's face and delivered his response.

"Zhou Ling, I will say this only once, so listen carefully," Zhou Yuan's voice remained steady, akin to the calm before a storm. 

With each passing moment, his tone grew colder. "If you leave now, I will pretend none of this ever happened. I will even allow you to go away unharmed."

These words caused the smug look on These words caused the smug look on Zhou Ling's face to twist with fury, his smug expression replaced by a mask of pure rage.