’What in the world is this?’ Luo Ming exclaimed inwardly, unable to stop himself from staring at Wei Bing. ’Did it say... why am I alive in this timeline?’
Timeline?
Luo Ming’s thoughts spiralled instantly, trying to understand the implications of what he had just seen.
Wei Bing was literally wondering why he was still alive in this timeline. And it didn’t take him long at all to arrive at the one and only conclusion of what that could possibly mean.
’She is... a regressor?’ Luo Ming thought in hidden wonder. ’A regressor on my very first day in this world? How much of a coincidence is that?’
He didn’t want to be paranoid, but it was far too convenient. And the most convenient thing of all was her Innate Alignment.
She walked the Demonic Path...meaning his Soulblade, Affinity of the Damned, was actively working on her.
’And now she wants to destroy my engagement with her own sister? This is absolutely insane.’
Luo Ming finally managed to tear his gaze away from Wei Bing before she began to suspect something was wrong.
His mother was urging him to follow her and ignore Wei Ting. It was obvious that Meng Lin didn’t care about their status in the slightest.
And for good reason.
Even though she was an illegitimate child, she was still the daughter of the King of the Kingdom, and a beloved one at that. The Wei Family did not frighten her in the least.
And her being of royal blood meant, by extension, that Luo Ming was too.
However, the young man was thinking about something else entirely at that moment.
’Okay, Luo Ming, calm down and think about this clearly.’ He held his ground and turned his head toward Meng Lin.
"Mother, wait a moment." He said, puzzling everyone around him.
’I have a regressor in front of me.’ He continued internally. ’In simpler terms, she is someone who almost certainly has information that could be useful to me. Setting aside the danger of the situation, this is an opportunity to get close to someone with knowledge of the future.’
Luo Ming knew it was time to be practical and clear-headed. He was in a completely new world with people already trying to bring him down.
The worst part was that he didn’t know exactly who.
These guards were nothing but tools, the true mastermind was hidden behind them.
Knowing that, he would be a fool not to use every resource available to him to escape his current situation, grow stronger, and pursue his goal.
A family.
And that family started with protecting his mother, who was far too easy to provoke.
And right now, Luo Ming believed he had found a light in the darkness. All he needed to do was...
’...well, what exactly? Alright, Luo Ming, keep it simple: try to get to know her! No, forget that, become her best friend! She will trust me and share her knowledge with me in that case, won’t she?’
He just needed to be subtle.
’Subtlety is my strongest quality.’
That was a lie. But having made his decision, Luo Ming smiled at the two sisters.
"You know what? Let’s go together." Luo Ming said. "I was heading to the Hall of Elders to prove my innocence."
"Do you think—!"
"Let me finish, Wei Ting." He cut in sharply, making Wei Ting frown in instant dissatisfaction. "I am not doing any of this just to prove my innocence to you or preserve our engagement. In fact, before we get to that, let’s make it official here and now."
Hushed whispers immediately broke out around them.
"What is Second Young Master Luo Ming thinking? Did the incident make him lose his mind?"
"Breaking the engagement himself? Who does he think he is? The Wei Family will certainly not let this go!"
"Anyway, what is good about him except his face? He is only good to be used as a toy for Demonic Cultivators."
"You heaven-cursed fool! Are you looking to die? Second Madam is right here!"
The whispers didn’t stop, all of them questioning Luo Ming’s audacity.
Meng Lin looked at her son, realising how much he had changed. She could barely believe it.
Wei Bing raised a curious eyebrow at the situation. She felt strangely pleased, and in fact liked the decisiveness she was seeing from Luo Ming.
Wei Ting was flushed red with both anger and embarrassment. She looked nearly ready to explode. Clenching her fists, she parted her lips, but Luo Ming beat her to it.
"There is nothing more between you and I, Wei Ting." He said, his silver eyes unwavering, looking like smooth mirrors that reflected nothing but the world. "The engagement is void, and I will personally visit the Wei Family to explain why once my innocence has been proven. Now, if you wish, follow me and see for yourself whether I am guilty or not."
Without waiting for an answer, Luo Ming turned to his mother and nodded.
"Let’s go, mother."
Meng Lin nodded. In the distance, she began to notice the guards closing in, as if preparing to block their path.
She snorted coldly and called out.
"Sheng Ru."
"Yes, my lady?"
A cool female voice echoed, accompanied by the appearance of a woman stepping out from Meng Lin’s shadow, her body as if made of ink.
Luo Ming looked at her with obvious curiosity.
"If any of these fools come within a hundred meters of us, I want you to kill them all. I will deal with the consequences later."
"Understood, my Lady." Sheng Ru said, and turned her black, shadowy eyes on the guards, her face unseen amid the dripping ink-like Qi.
The guards stopped abruptly, their bodies shaking as Sheng Ru’s spiritual presence settled over them, choking them from within.
They were unable to move, their cultivation ranks far too weak against her.
Meng Lin and Luo Ming spared them no further glance and walked straight toward the Hall of Elders.
Behind them, Wei Bing nudged her little sister. "Let’s go, little sister." She said. "You came all this way, you can’t leave without seeing for yourself whether he is guilty or not."
Wei Ting gritted her teeth. "Did you hear what he just said, elder sister? He dared to break the engagement with me! He dared!"
Wei Ting stamped her foot on the ground, huffing and fuming, glaring at the back of Luo Ming with searing anger.
"Were you not going to end it anyway?" Wei Bing said with a subtle smile visible only to the maids, who wisely kept silent. "So it doesn’t matter, does it?"
"What do you mean it doesn’t matter? My reputation is on the line, elder sister! What will the Kingdom think of me? What about the Sect?"
"I think you should be more worried about what mother will say if he turns out to be innocent. And based on what I have heard about him, and his attitude just now, the odds of him being guilty are very low."
"It doesn’t matter." Wei Ting said stubbornly. "His reputation is already ruined. He was already known as a frail boy with only a pretty face. People have always said he would be better off as a toy for Demonic Cultivators. I have endured all those insults without saying a word. But I can no more! No more! I want to marry someone I choose! And why me and not you? Why—!"
Wei Ting fell abruptly silent, her blue eyes going wide. She slammed her right hand over her mouth, realising what she had just said.
She looked at her sister with sudden alarm, her face full of regret.
"I-I didn’t mean it! I am—!"
"It’s fine." Wei Bing said, smiling so faintly it would have taken divine vision to catch it. "But you know why I cannot marry anyone, sister. I would have taken your place if I could."
"...yes. I am sorry."
"It’s alright." She nodded, patting her head. "Let’s hurry, little sister. We need to see how this ends, don’t we?"
"...Yes."
The two sisters followed silently after Meng Lin and Luo Ming.
They walked past open courtyards and small training fields, then reached a large black door guarded by an elderly man hovering above the ground.
He was beardless, with long white hair left loose, his eyes closed on a deeply wrinkled face. He wore the black robe of the Luo Clan bearing their insignia — a black screeching Raven with crimson eyes.
Wei Bing and Wei Ting arrived to find Meng Lin arguing for entry.
Noticing them at last, Luo Ming smiled and pointed at the Wei siblings without shame.
"Now, Elder Luo Han, you can no longer deny us entry." He said. "Consider all the times I let you win at Go, and consider the Wei Clan daughters, who are also asking for the truth. Let us inside. It is their right to know. Will you deny them that?"
Elder Luo Han opened his black eyes and looked Luo Ming up and down. "Acting clever now, Luo Ming? What changed you?"
"Lies changed me, Elder." He answered. "Will you open the door? We wish to see the High Elders."
Elder Luo Han said nothing, only staring at them. Then suddenly his right ear twitched. He glanced briefly behind him at the door, then sighed and nodded.
"Your request has been granted."
The door opened with a loud creak.
"The High Elders are waiting for you inside, Luo Ming."
Meng Lin twisted her lips into a sneer. "About time. Now move aside, sack of bones."
—End of Chapter 6—