Jin Lia was completely stunned, remaining motionless upon the ground without moving a muscle.
'What exactly is going on right now?'
Was Lian Wuchen seriously asking her to sleep with him?
And what was his reason for making such an outrageous request?
He wanted them to become closer and develop a relationship resembling his relationship with Lian Canming?
The entire situation was so absurd that Jin Lia almost suspected herself of hallucinating.
If she was supposed to fill Lian Canming's place in his life, then why would sleeping with him accomplish that?
Wouldn't it make considerably more sense for her to become his sworn sister?
After all, Lian Canming had been his sworn brother before his unfortunate death.
Or perhaps.....
perhaps she had completely misunderstood what kind of relationship those two men actually possessed?
Maybe their relationship had always been considerably deeper than that of ordinary sworn... brothers?
A terrifying possibility suddenly appeared inside Jin Lia's increasingly confused mind.
'Could Young Lord Wuchen and Lian Canming have actually...'
Jin Lia's expression became increasingly complicated as her imagination continued running wild.
She felt as though her brain might genuinely explode from the sheer number of possibilities.
'Is this why Young Lord Wuchen always favored Lian Canming so much?'
'Is this also why Young Lord Wuchen never accepted any marriage proposal?'
Slowly, Jin Lia's mind began constructing an increasingly outrageous conclusion.
No wonder all those extraordinary women had repeatedly failed to capture his attention.
As someone who came from the Northern Region, Jin Lia had heard countless stories about Lian Wuchen.
She had heard how he repeatedly rejected marriage proposals from prestigious families.
Some of those women possessed appearances and backgrounds that could make even Jin Lia feel inferior.
Yet Lian Wuchen had rejected every single one of them without hesitation.
'But then why is he asking me now?'
'Could he possibly... like both men and women?'
Jin Lia immediately shook her head internally.
'No, that doesn't make sense either.'
'If that were true, then why would he have rejected all those women?'
Perhaps something had changed after Lian Canming's death.
Perhaps the loss of his beloved sworn brother had finally broken something inside him.
Perhaps he had become desperate to find someone who could fill the enormous emptiness left behind.
Jin Lia's imagination continued developing theories faster than she could stop them.
By this point, the scholar within her had already begun constructing an entire thesis.
The thesis had started with a simple observation about two extremely close sworn brothers.
Now, however, it had somehow evolved into a comprehensive theory about Lian Wuchen and Lian Canming secretly being lovers.
If Jin Lia had possessed paper and ink at that moment, she might have written an entire academic treatise.
Unfortunately, the person standing before her had absolutely no idea what was happening inside her head.
Lian Wuchen merely stared at the strangely frozen woman in front of him.
He watched her eyes gradually become unfocused while her cheeks increasingly turned red.
'Is she malfunctioning?'
'Could her brain have overheated from the shock?'
Lian Wuchen genuinely could not understand why she had suddenly stopped responding.
From his perspective, he had merely offered her a relatively light punishment.
He could have demanded her death after everything that had happened.
Instead, he had proposed something considerably less severe.
Yes, his demand might sound somewhat absurd when considered carefully.
However, wasn't it still considerably better than losing her life?
Lian Wuchen honestly believed that using her body to preserve her soul was not necessarily the worst possible bargain.
After all, she would remain alive and retain her cultivation.
Furthermore, she would gain protection from the powerful Lian Family.
As far as he was concerned, the arrangement was simply an unusual and maybe immoral transaction.
'Wait.'
An absurd thought suddenly crossed Lian Wuchen's mind.
The thought was so ridiculous that even he struggled to take it seriously.
'Could she actually think that Canming and I had some kind of physical relationship?'
The possibility seemed incredibly far-fetched.
Who in their right mind would genuinely arrive at such an absurd conclusion?
Yet the longer Lian Wuchen looked at Jin Lia's increasingly crimson face, the less ridiculous that possibility became.
Her expression seemed to suggest that she had indeed misunderstood his words.
He suddenly remembered the exact wording he had used earlier.
He had told her that sleeping with him would allow them to become as close as he and Canming had been.
When he considered those words from another person's perspective, the misunderstanding suddenly became painfully obvious.
'Oh no.'
'Maybe she really misunderstood.'
Lian Wuchen's normally indifferent expression finally developed the slightest trace of embarrassment.
He coughed quietly before deciding to immediately clarify the situation.
"Canming and I were simply sworn brothers."
"Please do not misunderstand anything if that was what you were thinking."
His words finally broke through the strange world Jin Lia had constructed inside her mind.
She immediately looked toward the handsome young man standing before her.
For the first time, she noticed something she had completely overlooked.
The man who normally appeared indifferent and cold actually seemed slightly embarrassed.
Jin Lia's lips parted unconsciously as she repeated his words.
"Misunderstand?"
Lian Wuchen immediately realized that she might have been about to ask another dangerous question.
He quickly coughed twice and looked away.
"Cough, cough, never mind if you did not misunderstand anything."
The awkward silence that followed somehow became even more uncomfortable.
Jin Lia lowered her head again while trying desperately to calm her chaotic thoughts.
After several breaths, she finally raised her gaze toward Lian Wuchen again.
There was no longer confusion within her eyes.
Instead, there was an unmistakable determination that Lian Wuchen had rarely seen before.
"I accept if that is what you genuinely wish, Young Lord."
Her voice was surprisingly steady despite everything that had happened.
Lian Wuchen looked at her quietly after hearing that answer.
This was probably the most determined expression Jin Lia had ever shown him.
She had clearly thought about the consequences carefully before making her decision.
In Jin Lia's mind, Lian Wuchen was no longer merely the terrifying Young Lord of the Lian Family.
He was a broken and lonely man who had suddenly lost the person closest to him.
Lian Canming had been his sworn brother, trusted companion, and perhaps the only person capable of understanding him completely.
In her opinion, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he was his everything.
And now that person had died because of the complicated circumstances surrounding Jin Lia and her family.
Therefore, Jin Lia felt that she carried a considerable responsibility for his current loneliness.
If she could not bring Lian Canming back, then perhaps she could at least prevent Lian Wuchen from remaining alone.
She would support the Young Lord through the difficult path ahead.
She would become someone he could trust and rely upon.
She would gradually fill the enormous emotional gap left behind by Lian Canming.
Of course, Jin Lia's reasoning was not entirely selfless.
Lian Wuchen possessed unmatched talent throughout their generation.
His position within the Lian Family was equally extraordinary and practically untouchable.
Furthermore, his handsome appearance certainly made her decision considerably easier.
Compared with Lu Yan and Lian Canming, Lian Wuchen seemed superior in almost every conceivable aspect.
In Jin Lia's current emotional state, those advantages naturally influenced her judgment considerably.
Yet they were still not the greatest reason behind her determination.
The most important reason was surprisingly simple.
Jin Lia genuinely believed that she might be capable of healing his broken heart.
Perhaps she could become the person who helped him recover from his loneliness.
Perhaps, someday, she could make him smile again.
That belief gave Jin Lia more courage than anything else could have provided.
Lian Wuchen continued looking at her for several moments.
He still possessed some doubts about her strangely determined expression.
However, he ultimately decided not to investigate the matter any further.
Whatever strange misunderstanding existed inside her mind could be dealt with later.
For now, her answer was sufficient.
"Very well."
A faint smile finally appeared upon Lian Wuchen's otherwise calm face.
At that exact moment, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly sounded within his mind.
[Ding! The host has successfully made the Fairy of Destiny, Jin Lia, completely loyal.]
[The original relationship between Jin Lia and the Son of Destiny, Lu Yan, has been partially severed.]
[The host has successfully altered another important Destiny trajectory.]
[Plunder Points will now be awarded according to the degree of luck plundered.]
Lian Wuchen's eyes immediately narrowed after hearing the system notification.
Lian Wuchen's smile gradually became deeper.