169: I gave her courage.

The results of the battle at Tingyu Villa spread throughout every corner of the Tianxuan Domain with incredible speed, as if they had grown wings.

When the news reached the Lu Family Estate, Madam Tian, who had been constantly worried and unable to rest or eat, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Sitting in her luxurious boudoir, listening to the maid's report, the heart that had been hanging in her throat finally settled back into her chest.

"In one battle, he killed ten Spirit Transformation Realm experts, including top powerhouses like Life-Reaping Sword Immortal, and subdued Wind and Fire, those two notorious Great Perfection experts..."

Madam Tian muttered to herself, her beautiful eyes shining brightly.

Alliance Leader Han... his style was strong and overbearing, but his strength was truly formidable to an unbelievable extent.

With the power of just one person, he firmly stabilized the Lu Family, which had been tottering in the wind and rain and was on the verge of collapse—making it stand even firmer than before!

He is too formidable.

How could there be such a powerful man in this world?

Thinking that Celestial Venerable Han would soon return to the Lu Family after dealing with the external trivial matters, Madam Tian felt a faint, inexplicable sense of anticipation rise in her heart.

Her heart, which had been dormant for a long time, felt as if a stone had been thrown into it, causing ripples to spread.

Madam Tian was also a clever and perceptive woman.

She knew very well that although she currently held the title of "Mother of the Celestial Venerable's Adopted Son," she was ultimately an outsider.

To secure more benefits for herself and her son, she had to find a true patron.

And currently, it seemed that the only people who truly held influence in the entire Lu Family, besides the elusive Celestial Venerable Han, were Steward Ying Rushi, whom he had entrusted with great responsibility and made his full representative.

Steward Ying was Celestial Venerable Han's true confidante.

Therefore, she carefully dressed up, brought a set of jewelry she had treasured for many years, and proactively went to the side hall where Ying Rushi handled affairs.

It was a necklace strung with seven Deep Sea Mermaid Pearls. Each one was radiant and filled with Spiritual Qi, clearly a high-quality auxiliary Magic Treasure capable of calming the mind, stabilizing the Divine Soul, and accelerating Cultivation speed.

"Steward Ying has been working hard these past few days."

Madam Tian handed over the brocade box, her face showing a perfectly measured mix of familiarity and flattery. "This is a small trinket I obtained years ago. It's not worth much, but it has a slight benefit for restoring mental energy. I hope the Steward doesn't mind."

Ying Rushi raised her head, glanced at the valuable Mermaid Pearl necklace, and then looked at the attractive, graceful woman before her, whose eyes held a hint of deliberate flattery. She instantly understood.

She did not refuse, but merely smiled faintly and pushed the brocade box back.

"Informal reference to Ying Rushi accepts Madam Tian's kind intentions. But one should not accept rewards without merit. Please take back such a valuable gift, Madam."

Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a subtle sense of distance.

Seeing Madam Tian's slightly awkward expression, she sighed softly and decided to give her a few pointers.

"Madam."

Ying Rushi put down the pen in her hand and looked at her calmly.

"Perhaps these are not words I should speak, but for the sake of us both being women, I will say one extra thing."

"Do not compete, do not fight, and certainly do not think about things you shouldn't."

Her voice was soft, yet it was like a needle, accurately piercing the nascent fantasy in Madam Tian's heart.

"The Master might have stopped here briefly. But he is destined to be a peerless hero soaring above the Nine Heavens. His world is far vaster than what you or I can imagine."

"What we can and should do is stay in our proper place, handle our own affairs, and avoid causing him trouble."

"That is enough."

Madam Tian's face turned slightly pale.

She hadn't expected her small intentions to be seen through so clearly by the other party.

She felt somewhat embarrassed, but mostly grateful.

The other party was warning her, and also protecting her.

"Thank you, thank you, Steward Ying, for the warning. It was... it was me thinking too much."

Madam Tian left the brocade box, bowed sincerely to Ying Rushi, and then quietly withdrew.

Ying Rushi watched her slightly lonely retreating figure, a faint, cold smile curving her lips.

Thinking too much.

How could a person like the Master be someone you could covet?

Truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.

Immediately after, she felt a surge of emotion.

Once upon a time, she was just a minor City Lord of Fuyan City, worrying daily about how Fuyan City should develop.

Back then, let alone the mistress of a top Family in the Tianxuan Domain like Madam Tian, she probably didn't even have the qualifications to meet them.

Yet now she could sit here and advise the other party with an equal, or even slightly condescending, attitude.

And all of this was granted to her by the man on the throne.

Just then, footsteps sounded.

Lu Mingxuan (Hu Meier) swaggered in.

He happened to catch sight of Madam Tian's retreating figure, showing an unconcealed trace of disdain on his face, and chuckled at Ying Rushi.

"Steward Ying, is this woman thinking about things she shouldn't again?"

Ying Rushi frowned slightly, looking at him with confusion. "Isn't Madam Tian your mother? How can you speak of her like that?"

"Heh heh." Lu Mingxuan (Hu Meier) smiled mysteriously. "You could say yes, and you could say no. Forget it, if I told you, you definitely wouldn't understand."

His deliberately mysterious manner made Ying Rushi find him even more strange.

"Right, I came to see you about serious business." Lu Mingxuan changed the subject.

"I just received a report. The Clan Chiefs of the other Seven Great Families in the Tianxuan Domain have come together to pay a visit. They specifically requested to see the person who can make decisions for the Lu Family. I figure there's no one else but you."

"The Seven Great Families?"

Ying Rushi was puzzled. "These seven Families are all comparable in strength to the Lu Family before, and they've always been arrogant. When the Lu Family was in trouble, not only did they fail to help, but they also added insult to injury. Why would they suddenly visit together now?"

"Why else?" Lu Mingxuan (Hu Meier) sneered coldly, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.

"The Lu Family had many joint ventures with those seven Families. According to the contracts, they had to pay a large share of the profits to the Lu Family every year. But recently, seeing that the Lu Family was in trouble, they all tacitly reneged on those payments."

"Now, they are probably terrified after seeing the Master display his Divine Might and kill eleven Soul Transformation experts. Feeling guilty, they rushed over to mend relations and, incidentally, gauge our attitude!"

Ying Rushi frowned. "Are the contracts signed with the various Families still archived?"

"Yes, they are." Lu Mingxuan (Hu Meier) casually tossed out a jade slip containing the information. "They're all here. Take a look yourself."

Ying Rushi took the jade slip, immersed her Divine Thought into it, and carefully read through it.

A moment later, she looked up, a flash of understanding in her eyes.

She knew how to respond... In the main hall of the Lu Family, seven Clan Chiefs, who could cause an earthquake in the Tianxuan Domain just by stamping their feet, sat upright.

When they saw that the person walking out from the back hall was merely a woman of peerless beauty, but whose cultivation was only at the Golden Core Realm, a trace of contempt flashed in their eyes simultaneously.

However, they also knew that the woman before them represented the God of Slaughter, the heavenly desolation sword devil, so they maintained a polite demeanor on the surface.

"This must be Steward Ying of the Four Seas Immortal Alliance, I presume? I have long admired your reputation, and seeing you today, you truly possess unparalleled grace." The Patriarch of the Li Family was the first to rise, cupping his hands and smiling.

Ying Rushi was composed. She nodded slightly and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Clan Chiefs, thank you for honoring us with your presence. Please forgive us for not welcoming you sooner. May I ask the purpose of your visit today?"

The seven men exchanged glances, and the Patriarch of the Li Family spoke again.

He took a magnificent brocade box from his Storage Ring, placed it on the table, and pushed it forward.

"Steward Ying, I must admit we are ashamed. A while ago, we were preoccupied with mundane Family affairs and failed to offer timely assistance to the Lu Family during their troubles. We feel truly remorseful. Today, we came specifically to, first, express our apologies to the Lu Family and Celestial Venerable Han. Second, we wish to make some amends."

He opened the brocade box, revealing a radiant Ten Thousand Year Spirit Medicine inside.

"This is a small token of our sincerity, nothing much. As for those minor misunderstandings regarding the profit shares, we will immediately make up the payments upon our return. We hope Steward Ying can put in a good word for us before Celestial Venerable Han, so this matter can be put to rest. How does that sound?"

They tossed out a small benefit, hoping to casually erase their previous acts of betrayal and adding insult to injury.

Ying Rushi was far less easily fooled than they imagined.

She couldn't even be bothered to look at the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Medicine. The Master had plenty of such things; were they trying to fob her off with this?

She simply placed the jade slip recording the contracts onto the table.

"Clan Chiefs, since you brought up misunderstandings, why don't we have a good discussion about these contracts?"

Her voice remained calm, but it held a new sharpness.

"According to the terms in these contracts, when they were initially signed, your respective Families already took great advantage of my Lu Family. Now, you have breached the contract first, followed by acts of betrayal."

She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the seven Clan Chiefs whose expressions were gradually darkening.

"Therefore, I believe these old contracts no longer need to exist. We need to revise them."

"Impudent!"

The Patriarch of the Wang Family slammed the table, suddenly stood up, and an oppressive Aura belonging to a Spirit Transformation Realm expert unrestrainedly crushed down upon Ying Rushi!

"A mere Golden Core Realm ant! Who gave you the audacity to speak to us like this?"

"You ignorant creature! Do you think you can do whatever you want just because the heavenly desolation sword devil is standing behind you?"

"We came today to negotiate politely. Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

The fury of the seven Spirit Transformation Realm Clan Chiefs instantly erupted!

Seven powerful Auras, like seven great mountains, fiercely pressed down on Ying Rushi!

Faced with this pressure, which was enough to make any Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Soul collapse on the spot, Ying Rushi's face instantly turned pale.

Her body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and fine cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Although her will was firm, the huge disparity in cultivation still made her feel waves of terror and powerlessness.

Just when she was about to collapse.

A warm, powerful hand gently rested on her shoulder.

A force as vast as the sea, yet as gentle as jade, instantly enveloped her, effortlessly dissolving the seven powerful suppressive Auras into nothingness.

Ying Rushi suddenly turned her head and saw a familiar, reassuring face.

Han Qing had silently appeared behind her at some unknown time.

He looked at the seven glaring Clan Chiefs, a cold curve forming on his lips, and spoke lightly.

"I gave her the guts."

"Who has an objection?"