Hearing that, Lin Hui's eyes lit up. He quickly chimed in, "Old Master Huang is absolutely right. Lin Shu, this is a huge opportunity for you! Hurry and thank Old Master Huang!"
But Lin Shu didn't even lift her eyelids. Her tone was cold as frost. "I'm not interested."
The smile on Huang Guinian's face froze slightly. He clearly hadn't expected to be rejected so bluntly. He raised a brow and said, "Oh? Why? Do you think my Huang family isn't good enough for you?"
"Whether it's a good match or not—that's up to one's own heart."
Lin Shu raised her eyes, calm and unwavering as they met his. "In your eyes, I'm full of flaws. You think it's a great act of generosity that someone from your Huang family would marry me, that it would be my honor. But in His Highness's eyes, he sees my strengths. He's never once looked down on me because he's brighter or stronger. Instead, he's always kept me close to his heart, treating me like family."
The faint smile on Huang Guinian's face slowly vanished, replaced by a shadowy expression.
He hadn't expected that a few simple words from Lin Shu would render him speechless and make his careful schemes look petty in front of everyone.
"Absurd!"
Lin Hui couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted, "You're completely hopeless! You've been completely brainwashed by Yang Cheng!"
"Lin Hui, shut up."
Yang Cheng's voice cut through the noise. It wasn't loud, but the weight behind it silenced the entire room.
Then he reached out and gently brushed Lin Shu's hair.
"Lin Shu, there's one thing you got wrong."
His tone carried a faint smile, but that single line made everyone's heart tremble slightly.
Lin Shu lifted her head a little, confusion flickering in her eyes.
Yang Cheng looked at her. His gaze was calm, yet sincere and warm. "You came to me when you were five years old. Back then, I had just turned one. In the years that followed—over ten years—you never once left my side. You watched over me, cared for me, protected me."
His tone was gentle but every word hit hard. "So, I don't treat you as family. You are my family."
Lin Shu lowered her head quickly, her eyes glistening red.
Over a decade together—so many memories blurred into habit—but now she realized, Yang Cheng had remembered them all.
The banquet hall fell completely silent.
Even those harboring hostility—Lu Canglan, Huang Guinian, He Rongping—couldn't help but fall quiet at the sight.
They'd lived their lives amidst schemes, alliances, and betrayals. Yet, this simple and genuine bond between master and servant—so pure and loyal—stirred something faint and unfamiliar in them.
"Enough."
Huang Yuan finally broke the silence, his voice thick with jealousy and irritation. "Still putting on an act even at death's door. Yang Cheng, don't think a few touching words will get you out of this."
Yang Cheng slowly lifted his gaze. The warmth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a chilling, glacial calm.
He swept his eyes across the hall—over Lu Canglan, Huang Guinian, He Rongping, and Meng Jue. His voice was even, but the power in it cracked through the air like thunder. "You don't need to bark like rabid dogs."
"If you want to fight, then come."
Yang Cheng clasped one hand behind his back. "I already said—all of today's trouble is mine alone to bear. But the choices you make now, you'll have to live with the consequences of standing as my enemies."
Huang Guinian slowly shook his head and folded his hands, giving a seemingly courteous bow to the crowd around him. His tone carried a hint of "helplessness."
"Everyone, you've all heard him. Today's matter isn't us bullying a younger generation. It's Yang Cheng himself who's too arrogant, too wild—utterly disrespecting the rules of the Southern Region. Such defiance will only bring disaster sooner or later."
His words sounded calm, almost reasonable—but underneath, they were perfectly calculated.
He was gathering the crowd's sentiment, positioning himself as the upholder of order in the Southern Region, while pushing Yang Cheng squarely against every power present.
Yang Cheng let out a low laugh, his eyes landing on Huang Guinian with open disdain. "Let me correct you," he said coldly. "You're not even qualified to use the words 'bullying the weak.' In my eyes, you people are nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs."
"Whoa!"
The entire hall erupted in uproar once again.
"He's gone mad!"
"Old Master Huang is a Yin God powerhouse! How dare he call him a mere chicken and dog?"
"Hmph, where does he get the courage to say that?"
Everyone was shaking their heads.
"Beyond saving," Huang Guinian scoffed, his tone dripping with contempt as his gaze toward Yang Cheng became that of a man looking at a corpse.
Lu Canglan also stepped forward, his voice carrying a touch of false pity. "Yang Cheng, you've really let your past victories blind you. Those so-called 'powerhouses' you killed in the Wasteland Realm—the strongest among them barely reached half a step into the Yin God Realm. They're nothing compared to a true Yin God."
Then his tone turned cold and sinister. "And your arrogance doesn't just doom you. The Great Zhou of the Wasteland Realm that stands behind you—might very well be wiped out because of your mouth."
Just then, the Lin family's gate guards called out again from outside.
"Old Master Chen Xuanshan of the Chen family, accompanied by Chen Juefeng, arrives to congratulate Old Master Lin on his birthday!"
The guests turned their eyes toward the entrance.
A white-haired elder in plain robes stepped slowly into the hall, his face calm and lean. Behind him followed a middle-aged man—Chen Juefeng.
"It's Senior Chen Xuanshan!" someone whispered in shock.
The Chen family was no weaker than the Lu or Huang clans—one of the true powers of the Southern Region.
What surprised everyone even more was that the moment Chen Xuanshan entered the hall, his gaze went directly to Yang Cheng. Then, before everyone's stunned eyes, he bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Chen Xuanshan greets His Highness Yang Cheng."
"What?"
The hall exploded in disbelief.
Chen Xuanshan—the same senior figure as Lin Xiaotian and Huang Guinian—actually bowed to a young man?
Lu Canglan's expression darkened immediately. His voice cracked through the air like a whip. "Chen Xuanshan, what's the meaning of this?"
Chen Xuanshan turned calmly toward him, his face unreadable. "The Chen family will stand with His Highness Yang Cheng today—through thick and thin."
He paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze across Lu Canglan, Huang Guinian, and the others. His voice was steady and firm. "Anyone who dares act against His Highness Yang Cheng… will be the enemy of my Chen family."
"—Hiss!"
The sound of people gasping spread through the hall.
No one had expected such a sudden reversal.
Huang Yuan's face twisted, ugly with disbelief. His voice dropped, heavy and cold. "Yang Cheng, so that's why you're so arrogant. Turns out the Chen family's been backing you all along."
The others, who had been waiting to watch Yang Cheng's downfall, suddenly looked as though they understood everything.
Seated at the head of the hall, Lin Xiaotian's expression grew complicated. He hadn't expected that Yang Cheng could draw someone like Chen Xuanshan to his side. Perhaps he had truly underestimated this youth from the Wasteland Realm.
But Chen Xuanshan only shook his head lightly. "You misunderstand," he said slowly. "The Chen family isn't His Highness's backing."
He smiled faintly. "Even without my Chen family, today's events wouldn't change anything for His Highness Yang Cheng. We're merely adding a touch of color to a picture that's already complete."
"What?"
"What does that mean?"
People were stunned, whispering among themselves.
Before anyone could ask further, a Lin family disciple rushed in, his voice breathless. "Old Master! The Second Elder of the Western Region's White Fish Society, Elder Yu Zhongxu, has arrived!"
Lin Xiaotian blinked, almost thinking he'd misheard. "Who did you say?"
"The Third Elder of the White Fish Society, Elder Yu Zhongxu!" the disciple repeated anxiously.
Boom!
Lin Xiaotian shot up to his feet.
And he wasn't the only one—everyone in the hall was thrown into chaos.
"The White Fish Society?!"
That name alone made the entire atmosphere change.
The White Fish Society of the Western Regions was one of the mightiest powers in the Horn Constellation Realm—far above families like the Lin, Lu, or Huang clans.
Its leader was a true Yang God expert, an existence that even the great sects treated with respect.
The Lin family had never dared invite such a force. So why… why would someone from the White Fish Society come here now?