I, the lazy prince, am the darling of the ladies of destiny.

Yun Tiannan took in all these subtle interactions and sighed inwardly.

The ordeal his daughter caused today has left a lingering resentment in Lü Yang's heart.

Otherwise, given Lü Yang's notoriously cold and aloof nature, and his tendency to rarely smile at anyone, why would he, for the first time, nod and smile at a junior?

This seemingly minor "exception" carries a weight in the eyes of those familiar with Lü Yang's character that is no less significant than a formal promise from the Lü family!

This is completely different from the "future assistance" that Lü Yang had just promised Shen Wansan and the others, which was an exchange of interests. But the goodwill he showed towards Ye Qing'er at this moment was mixed with the recognition and affection of an elder for a younger generation.

Who doesn't know that Lü Yang and Lü Xuan are known in the Northern Region as "a father and son who don't seem like father and son"?

Lü Yang's almost harsh and distant approach to raising his only son, which led many people to speculate about his future.

The fact that he was able to speak less favorably about Lü Xuan's matter today because of Ye Qing'er, and even showed a smile to Ye Qing'er herself, is quite intriguing.

"Lu Yang! You so-called powerful forces, besides resorting to these insidious and vicious underhanded methods, can't you at least have a fair and square duel?!"

Seeing his friend Lin Yan surrounded by three parties and his own support in jeopardy, Xiao Dong had nowhere to vent his anger. He could only turn his anger towards Lü Yang again, shouting angrily that he was "despicable".

He was unaware that his offhand remark about "powerful forces" and "insidious tactics" had already encompassed the vast majority of forces present, and even the five Dao Ancestors who had come to lend their support, including Dan Chen, looked rather grim.

Aren't they considered a "powerful force"? And what they did today is described as "insidious" by Xiao Dong?

Lu Yang didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard Xiao Dong's shouts at all.

Why would a colossal elephant care about the chatter of ants at its feet?

He addressed all the guests, his voice regaining its composure: "Today's birthday banquet has been marred by numerous incidents, disturbing everyone's enjoyment. I, Lü, apologize for this."

"The banquet will proceed as scheduled. If any of you wish to stay, the Lü family would be most pleased. All the gifts will be returned in full, and each person will also receive a 'Ten Thousand Year Green Jade Marrow' as a token of our apologies."

Eternal Jadeite! That's a rare spiritual object that nourishes the soul and stabilizes the foundation of one's cultivation! The Lu family's generosity is astonishing once again.

"As for these gentlemen," Lu Yang's gaze swept over Dan Chen, Ya Fei, Lin Yan, and the others, "please follow the arrangements of my Lu family to the side hall to discuss the settlement of accounts."

"Rest assured, everyone. The Lü family has always acted fairly and will never let you suffer any losses."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan swayed and almost collapsed to the ground.

The three major families have joined forces to exert pressure... If Father knew what had happened today and how it had brought such a terrible disaster upon the family, he would probably skin him alive!

Although he came here today with the title of the young master of the Lin family, he did not actually receive formal authorization from the family.

More than anything, they were relying on their status and friendship with Xiao Dong to try and make a name for themselves and impress Ye Qing'er... Who would have thought they would run into such a tough nut to crack!

What chilled him to the bone was that the Yun and Ye families sided with the Lü family without hesitation!

And that bitch Ye Qing'er!

Lu Xuan clearly had no interest in her, yet she shamelessly threw herself at him and even used her family's power to deal with him!

Lin Yan cursed viciously in his heart, his jealousy and hatred almost burning away his reason.

Just then, a young steward dressed in the Lü family's standard spirit armor, with a cold and stern face, stepped forward, bowed to Xiao Dong, Lin Yan, Dan Chen, Ya Fei, and the others, and said in a cold and unyielding tone: "Everyone, the patriarch has ordered that you follow me."

Xiao Dong glanced at Lin Yan, whose face was ashen, and then at Dan Chen and Ya Fei, whose faces were grim. A great sense of humiliation welled up in his heart.

He gritted his teeth, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the group, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you all today! I will remember this forever!" After saying that, he was the first to follow the steward toward the side hall.

Although Lin Yan and the others were extremely unwilling, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow under the combined pressure of the Lü, Yun, and Ye families.

Shen Wansan, Li Zhi, and the other nine leaders of the emerging forces exchanged glances and followed without hesitation.

Strike while the iron is hot now; you can still squeeze out some real money. But if you wait until tomorrow, when these established powers realize what's happening, mobilize resources, and seek external assistance, it will be much harder to collect the debt.

They all understood the threat Lu Yang made in his sentence, "You won't have anywhere to get married even if you want to tomorrow."

The Lü family is probably really going to make a move!

The side hall door slowly closed, shutting out the strife and the sound of abacuses inside.

As Lü Xuan sensed the almost frozen tension in the arena and looked at his father Lü Yang's imposing figure, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Break off the engagement? Or simply survive?

In this unpredictable and dog-eat-dog world, without strength or trump cards, even surviving peacefully is a luxury.

Perhaps... it's time to rethink how I should be this "villainous prince".

.........

Day two!

The news of Xiao Dong publicly snatching the bride at the Lü family spread almost instantly from the Lü family to various local forces in the Northern Region.

Soon, it caused a huge uproar and stirred up a storm.

Countless cultivators were shocked and horrified.

Xiao Dong not only offended the Lü family.

Xiao Huo also has the support of seven major forces behind him.

They helped Xiao Dong pay ten times the compensation.

Although nothing seems to be happening now, many people know that these forces will suffer.

.........

The turmoil at the Lü family's birthday banquet spread like wildfire, instantly engulfing the Lin family.

When the news arrived, the inner hall of the Lin family was brightly lit, and several core elders were discussing clan affairs with the family head, Lin Zhan.

Upon hearing the trembling report from the family scout, the air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly, before erupting in a volcanic rage!

"You bastard! You fool! You ignorant brat!"

An elder with white hair and beard and the most fiery temper suddenly slammed his fist on the table, causing cracks to spread across the sandalwood council table!

His eyes blazed with fury, his beard and hair stood on end, and he pointed at the family head, Lin Zhan, his voice hoarse with rage:

"Lin Zhan! This is the fine son you raised!"

"For his so-called 'brotherly loyalty,' and for some unknown Xiao Dong, he dared to act so recklessly, dragging the entire Lin family into this abyss of no return!"

Another elder with a sinister face sneered repeatedly, his words laced with sarcasm: "Six major powers? Heh, what a grand display!"

"But no matter how powerful those six major forces are, can they withstand the combined strength of the Lü, Yun, and Ye families, built up over thousands of years?!"

"Can we withstand those nine vicious wolves that suddenly appeared, holding the lifeline of the Northern Region in their hands?!"

"Lin Yan's actions are tantamount to putting the Lin family on the hot seat!"

"Not only have we offended the Lü family, the leaders of the Northern Region, but we've also offended the Yun family and the Ye family! And those wolves in Medicine King Valley and Tianxia Yipin..."

"They've joined forces to collect the debt, and even with the Lin family's deep-rooted resources, they'll be severely weakened! What's even more terrifying is the future blockade and isolation!"

A more rational elder lamented, "The family's century-old foundation may be shaken by his momentary lapse of judgment!"

"Wait to die?"

An elder who was usually silent but controlled most of the Lin family's foreign trade had a livid face. He slowly stood up and looked at Lin Zhan with a cold gaze.

"Lin Zhan, if you want to die, no one will stop you, but don't drag me down with you."

"Lin Zhan, today I will withdraw from the Lin family's ancestral hall and resign from my position as elder."

"Your consent is not required for this matter; I am merely... informing you."

"I, Lin Xu, am resigning from the Hall of Worship today!"