"I don’t care what your status is, but since Senior Sister Xizhao said for you to go, then you’ve got to go," Yan Peng said coldly, showing no leniency towards her.
"Xizhao, Xizhao, all you know is Xizhao. She’s just an adopted daughter of the royal family, yet I am a proper direct lineage of Great Yan, your real sister!" Yan Fei screamed hysterically.
Smack!
A slap interrupted Yan Fei’s madness, startling the Princess Consort Qi.
After a long pause, Yan Fei looked at Yan Peng, incredulously.
"You... you dare hit me?"
"I hit you!"
Yan Peng looked coldly at his insufferably foolish sister, wondering why she had turned out like this after being so adorable as a child.
"Let me tell you, next time you mention Senior Sister Xizhao, you’d better watch your mouth. If I hear another word, it won’t be just a slap."
Yan Fei held her face, eyes full of resentment, yet she dared not provoke Yan Peng further.
Because she knew her brother meant what he said.
"Go, and go now."
Reluctantly, Yan Fei was forced into the carriage by Yan Peng and set off toward Guangde Square.
By the time they reached Xiaojing Alley, in front of the Shang Family’s door, the sun was setting in the west.
Yan Peng got off the carriage and knocked on the courtyard door himself.
Inside the courtyard, Zhao Ya was talking to Shang Luoluo when they heard the knock.
Shang Luoluo turned her head, frowning, "It’s probably my father’s drinking buddies again, coming to drag him out for drinks. I don’t know what they drink every day."
Clearly, Shang Luoluo had a big problem with Shang Jingchuan going out for drinks daily.
Zhao Ya didn’t know how to persuade her.
The knocking continued.
Shang Luoluo, unable to take it any longer, stormed over and flung open the courtyard door in anger.
"What are you knocking for? My father is not... "
Mid-sentence, she stopped in her tracks.
Because standing at the door was not one of Shang Jingchuan’s drinking buddies, but a richly-dressed young man.
"You are...?"
Shang Luoluo didn’t recognize Yan Peng, but Yan Peng recognized Shang Luoluo.
Upon seeing her, Yan Peng smiled slightly, "You must be Miss Shang. Let me introduce myself, I am Yan Peng, son of Prince Qi."
Upon hearing the words, Prince Qi,
Shang Luoluo’s expression immediately tensed up.
"Yan Fei is my sister. Earlier, she was young and naïve and did many things to bully you. I sincerely apologize for that."
"Today, under the orders of Senior Sister Xizhao, I’ve specially brought my sister Yan Fei to apologize to you."
Saying this, Yan Peng turned to shout at the carriage, "Aren’t you getting off yet?"
Sometime later, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Yan Fei awkwardly descended.
Upon seeing Shang Luoluo, her expression became even more unnatural.
"What are you standing there for? Come over and apologize," Yan Peng shouted.
With no choice, Yan Fei hesitantly stepped to the door and expressionlessly said to Shang Luoluo,
"I’m sorry."
Though she was apologizing, the hatred in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
After speaking, she turned and left.
Seeing this, Yan Peng could only say, somewhat helplessly, "Miss Shang, I apologize. My sister’s just like this, please don’t take it to heart. I’ll make her come back and apologize again."
"There’s no need. What’s done is done. I don’t want to talk about it anymore," Shang Luoluo said, standing at the door with a cold expression.
Yan Peng secretly sighed in relief.
This was really the best outcome.
No matter how harsh he was with Yan Fei, she was still his sister.
He didn’t want things to get too ugly.
Now, at least an apology had been made to Shang Luoluo, and he could explain it to Senior Sister Xizhao without much fuss. Why be so serious?
Thinking of this, he nodded, ready to turn and leave.
Just then, a cold laugh came from the courtyard.
"Such arrogance, even while apologizing. It seems the lesson you learned before wasn’t enough."
With these words, Zhao Ya stepped to the door.
Seeing him, Yan Peng’s face was tinged with caution.
To him, Senior Sister Yan Xizhao was truly a Celestial Beauty, unmatched among her peers.
Yet, this young man before him could take one of Senior Sister’s strikes without disadvantage, showing his immense strength.
Not only that, he was adept at poison, something that naturally made Yan Peng even more cautious.
Zhao Ya, however, paid him no mind, simply gazing at Yan Fei in front of the carriage and saying calmly, "Do you believe that if you take another step, I’ll make you stay bedridden for the rest of your life?"
These words had an immediate effect.
Yan Fei stopped immediately in her tracks.
"Turn around."
Yan Fei turned around, trembling, her eyes full of fear.
After those days that were worse than death, she truly feared Zhao Ya’s methods.
And this fear had penetrated deep into her bones, leaving her full of malice.
"Do you know how to apologize?"
"No... I don’t know."
"If you don’t know, I’ll teach you. Kneel down now!" Zhao Ya barked sharply.
With a thud, Yan Fei kneeled on the ground.
"Say ’I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it again in the future.’
"I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it again in the future."
At the end, Yan Fei burst into tears.
Because she felt her dignity had been completely trampled on, and it was done right in front of the person she was most jealous of, Shang Luoluo.
Yan Peng’s expression showed a hint of anger.
Although he also had plenty of opinions about his sister’s actions, if anyone else tried to discipline her, he naturally couldn’t accept it.
"Isn’t it enough? My sister is already like this, what more do you want her to do?" Yan Peng asked coldly.
But Zhao Ya just glanced at him coldly.
That one look made Yan Peng feel cold all over, an inexplicable chill rising in his heart.
So strong!
Who said he was just a half-step Fifth Realm?
This kind of pressure, Yan Peng had only experienced from Senior Sister Yan Xizhao.
Which meant he was at least a Fifth Realm Martial Artist!
The aura from Zhao Ya made Yan Peng feel an illusion, involuntarily taking a few steps back.
At the same time, Zhao Ya withdrew his gaze, looking towards Shang Luoluo at the side.
"Do you think this is enough?"
Shang Luoluo’s face was pale, "Let them go, I don’t want to see them anymore."
Only then did Zhao Ya nod, "Did you hear that? Go!"
Yan Peng gave Zhao Ya a deep look, then pulled up the limp Yan Fei on the ground, turned, and left.
Zhao Ya was indifferent to this.
In his eyes, all this talk of Prince Qi was nonsense.
Only strength is the foundation of everything.
At least now Zhao Ya already qualified to look down arrogantly on high-ranking nobles.
When they returned to the courtyard, Shang Luoluo still seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Zhao Ya did not ask, just quietly stayed by her side.
Until sunset, when the city lights came on, Shang Luoluo finally regained her composure, then gazed at the night sky and spoke softly.
"Thank you."
"You’re being too polite again."
"This isn’t about being polite, I’m thanking you for helping me out of the shadow from before."
At this, Shang Luoluo turned to look at Zhao Ya, her eyes shining like diamonds.
"Do you know why Yan Fei kept giving me a hard time?"
"Why?"
"Because when I was in the Yan Capital City, I was only ten years old and got to know Yan Fei. In the beginning, we were good friends, but as we grew older, I became more and more beautiful, and our relationship deteriorated."
"Ultimately, it was because a boy she liked ignored her but was very attentive to me that we fell out. From then on, she started crazily slandering me, calling me a slut who would sleep with anyone."
Zhao Ya remained silent.
This kind of thing sounds absurd but is not at all surprising.
After all, jealousy can really drive a person crazy sometimes.
"In the beginning, I also wanted to resist, but she had wealth and power, how could I fight against her? Especially when she later threatened my father’s official position, I could only endure again and again."
"To tell you the truth, I’m still often haunted by nightmares of those days," Shang Luoluo said, smiling through tears.
"But today... all of that ended when she kneeled to me. I believe I will never fear her again, nor will I be haunted by that period."
"Congratulations!" Zhao Ya said, smiling.
This congratulations was truly heartfelt.
Shang Luoluo smiled gently, "It’s all thanks to you, I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden cannon blast echoed from the night sky in the distance.
"What’s happening?" Shang Luoluo was startled.
In Great Yan, this kind of cannon sound, similar to a firecracker, has only one purpose — to announce a death.
Zhao Ya raised his head to look in the direction of the cannon sound.
"It’s the Yun Family!"
"Yun Yuan’s father has finally died!"