Chapter 15: Was I Just Wall-Pinned?

Meanwhile, in another part of the Luo estate.
Inside a side chamber, candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of two figures across the wall.

“Father, I don’t understand. Why let Luo Jiutian stay?
His current identity is already awkward enough. Keeping him here will only bring disaster to the Luo family.”

Luo Chen paced back and forth in front of Luo Changqing, his voice full of dissatisfaction.
Though his face was still pale, the sharpness in his brows and eyes had already returned.
Thanks to the Luo family’s resources, his injuries had mostly healed.

“And besides…” Luo Chen turned around.
“Even if you do keep him, why would you, a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator, bow your head to a mere Foundation Establishment junior?
What qualifications does he have for that?”

The candle flame swayed behind him, his shadow on the wall trembling without pause.
Luo Changqing, who had been sitting at the desk with his eyes closed, slowly opened them at those words.

“If I had truly let him leave that day, then the Luo family would likely have gained a future enemy beyond imagination.”

“On what grounds?” Luo Chen reflexively retorted.
“Just because he defeated me? That day I was only careless—”

Luo Changqing raised a hand, cutting him off.
“Chen’er, listen to me first.”

Seeing the seriousness in his father’s expression, Luo Chen begrudgingly shut his mouth.

Luo Changqing’s gaze fell upon the wavering candle flame.
“That day in the martial arena, I probed Luo Jiutian multiple times with my divine sense.
Yet every time, the moment it touched him, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—no response at all.”

He paused, then looked at Luo Chen.
“Do you know what that means?”

Luo Chen frowned, lost in thought.
But Luo Changqing did not wait for him to answer.

“For my divine sense to fail so completely, there are only three possibilities.
First, Luo Jiutian’s cultivation far surpasses mine. But that we can rule out immediately.
If he truly had that level of strength, with the ruthlessness he showed that day, he would’ve already torn the Luo family apart.”

His expression grew heavy.
“So that leaves two options. Either someone is secretly shielding him, or he possesses a treasure that conceals him from divine sense.
Whichever it is, he is not someone we can easily provoke.”

Luo Chen looked unconvinced.
“Is it really that serious?
If you had just probed a bit deeper, couldn’t you have figured out which one it was?
If someone is behind him, and you haven’t harmed him, then at most an apology and compensation would end the matter.
But if it’s only because of some treasure… isn’t that simple? Just kill him, seize the treasure—seize that sword as well.
Who would dare speak against us? That day, everyone knew it was our family’s arena.
Who would step up for that bastard?”

At that, Luo Changqing sighed softly.

Luo Chen froze, then looked toward him nervously.
“Did I… say something wrong?”

Without answering, Luo Changqing stood, walked slowly to the window, and gazed out at the quiet courtyard.
Only after a long silence did he speak again.

“Chen’er, before you act, you must always ask yourself—what is the worst possible outcome?
If you fail to learn this, you will one day suffer greatly.”

Luo Chen lowered his eyes and did not argue.

“You’re right about one thing. That day was indeed our domain.
But have you considered—” Luo Changqing’s tone suddenly shifted,
“What if the person backing him had chosen to act right then and there?”

His voice sank, growing heavier.
“What if that person’s cultivation far exceeded mine?
What would have become of the Luo family then?”

Luo Chen stiffened as though struck by lightning, his whole body trembling.

Luo Changqing noted his reaction but said no more.
He simply turned back to the desk and sat down again.

“As for the treasure theory—” his voice grew cold,
“think about it. That day, countless people mocked him, both openly and subtly, yet he remained utterly unshaken.
A man of such temperament would never act recklessly.
He must have had his retreat well-prepared.
That is why he dared to reveal his trump cards openly in the arena—
perhaps even to test us deliberately.”

At those words, the candle flame suddenly flickered, as if disturbed by a hidden wind.
Light and shadow played across Luo Changqing’s face, obscuring his expression.

“In such a situation—tell me, is it better for the Luo family to gain an ally… or to gain an enemy?”

The room fell into silence.
Only after a long while did Luo Chen murmur, “I… understand.”

His words said one thing, but his expression still carried traces of resentment.
Of course Luo Changqing noticed, yet he didn’t expose it.
He only smiled faintly.

“Tomorrow’s secret realm expedition—each of the four great clans will send ten people.
As the Luo family’s young master, you will not just represent yourself.
You carry the family’s reputation.”

Then his smile vanished, his tone turning sharp.
“In the secret realm, no matter what happens, the Luo family must not fight amongst itself.
Our family’s interests always come first.”

When he said “family’s interests,” his tone was especially heavy.

Luo Chen’s heart stirred—he immediately caught the hidden meaning.
He nodded firmly.
“I understand, Father. Please rest assured.”

Clenching his fists, he muttered inwardly:
Just wait, Luo Jiutian.
Last time on the arena stage, you defeated me and stole the spotlight.
Even Father began to regard you differently.
But so what?
Winning once doesn’t mean winning forever.
This secret realm expedition is no stage for you alone.
It’s not a place where drawing a sword casually will awe the entire crowd.
I’ll make you stumble.
I’ll make you fall.
I’ll make you bow your head before everyone.
And then, Father… everyone… will see the truth—
That I, Luo Chen, am the one destined to lead!

The scene shifted back to Luo Jiutian’s courtyard.

Leaning casually against the wall, Luo Jiutian raised an eyebrow at the person before him.

Luo Yunlan stood directly in front of him, so close she had to brace her hands against the wall at his sides.
Because of their height difference, she had to rise slightly on tiptoe just to meet his gaze.
Even so, her eyes kept wavering, and the tips of her ears glowed faintly red.

Luo Jiutian stared at her stiff posture, utterly baffled.
Wait a second… is she wall-pinning me?

But the real problem was—
The one doing the wall-pinning was Luo Yunlan, yet the one blushing… was also Luo Yunlan.
The whole scene felt ridiculously absurd.

“What exactly are you doing?” Luo Jiutian couldn’t help asking.

Luo Yunlan’s lips moved slightly, as if weighing her words.
After a long pause, she whispered, “I just… wanted to try.”

“Try what?”

“Xiaotian, do you… like girls more like Su Wan’er?
The… proactive kind.”

She didn’t spell it out completely, but her meaning was obvious.

Luo Jiutian froze, then almost laughed aloud.
Instead of answering directly, he simply scooped her up and set her on a stone bench nearby.

Her shoulders tensed at his touch, but she didn’t resist.

He sat beside her, meeting her eyes with a gentle voice.
“Yunlan, did Wan’er say something to you?”

She pressed her lips together, hesitated, then nodded.

Luo Jiutian’s heart stirred. As I thought. She must have run into Su Wan’er leaving my place. The two of them probably exchanged barbed words again. And when Yunlan lost the war of words, she came up with this bizarre idea of wall-pinning me.

Luo Jiutian sighed inwardly.
Only two heroines, and already this much drama.
If more show up later, won’t it turn into an all-out brawl?
Forget it. Better to deal with what’s in front of me first.
At the very least, I need to cut off all routes to a bad end—
no “yandere knife” endings, no dark basement endings.

He looked at Yunlan, still lowering her head, and spoke patiently.
“Yunlan, you are you. She is she.
Everyone has a different temperament, a different way of doing things.
That doesn’t mean one is better than the other.”

Her head lifted slightly.

“You don’t need to compete. You don’t need to force yourself into someone else’s role just to please me.
That kind of life only makes you more exhausted, more unlike yourself.
And I—” he paused, “would much rather see you be yourself.
Because the way you are now… is already good enough.”

Those words seemed to loosen a knot in her heart.
The confusion in her eyes faded, and she visibly relaxed.

Seeing her calm down, Luo Jiutian nodded, ready to continue—only to suddenly freeze.

Yunlan leaned closer.
This time she wasn’t reserved at all.
Instead, she lowered her head and traced circles on his chest with her fingertip, her movements soft and intimate.

“Xiaotian,” her voice melted into a gentle murmur, “I’ve remembered everything you just said.”

He stiffened, instinctively wanting to back away—but couldn’t move.

An invisible pressure pressed down on him.
It was the kind of suffocating oppression one only felt before a cultivator vastly stronger than oneself.

Impossible… At this time, Yunlan should only be at Foundation Establishment perfection, right?
I didn’t even feel this much pressure from Luo Changqing, who’s at Nascent Soul!
If this isn’t an illusion, then… she’s at least Deity Transformation realm!

Before he could react further, Yunlan leaned closer still.
“From now on, I’ll listen to you alone. But… you mustn’t lie to me~”

Her tone was soft, almost playful.
Yet in Jiutian’s ears, it sent a chill straight down his spine.
Goosebumps crawled across his arms.

The next instant, she withdrew her hand and stepped back.
The pressure vanished completely.

In the blink of an eye, she was once again the gentle, demure Yunlan he knew—
as though everything just now had been a hallucination.

Cold sweat dampened Jiutian’s back.
What the hell was that…?
Could it be that after my death in the previous life, Yunlan’s grief twisted her mind somehow?
Do I… need to run? Otherwise, I’m doomed.
But then again… if she had truly wanted to act against me, I wouldn’t have been able to resist at all.
And I have no confidence I could escape from a Deity Transformation cultivator.
If I failed, I’d probably end up in some hidden dark basement no one could ever detect.

Yunlan blinked innocently at him.
“Xiaotian, what’s wrong?”

He snapped back to himself, quickly adjusting his expression.
“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head.

Before she could press further, he diverted the topic.
“By the way, tomorrow’s secret realm might hold the chance for you to break through to Core Formation.
You’re really not going?”

Her eyes met his, firm and steady.
“No need to worry. I have my own way of advancing.
And besides…” she paused, then added,
“I have something far more important to do.
Something that concerns our future.”

“Our… future?” Jiutian raised an eyebrow.

Her face flushed instantly.
“I meant proper business! Xiaotian, you’re making fun of me again.”

“Well, with you saying it like that, how can I not think otherwise?” Jiutian coughed lightly.
“I’d better write this down in my little notebook, so I can tease you about it later.”

“You—!” Yunlan faltered, flustered, then raised her hand as if to smack his head.

But Jiutian caught her wrist with a grin.
“Hey now, why so fierce? I’m the weak, helpless one here.
I’m the one who just got wall-pinned, remember?”

“…You’re still saying it!” Yunlan’s ears turned scarlet.
She gritted her teeth and reached out to pinch his cheek.

Jiutian didn’t dodge at all, leaning in instead with mock seriousness.
“Yunlan-jiejie, don’t be mad. I was wrong. Please punish me however you like.”

“You—shut up…”

The two of them went back and forth, playfully bickering in the courtyard.

Wind whispered beneath the eaves, shadows stretched across the stone steps.
Everything was so serene, so gentle— like a dream too fragile to last.