As Xue Ruoqing and the others returned, the quiet cave instantly became lively. Yang Xiyan pulled the blanket over herself and asked cheerfully, “You’re back? So, did you find Xiao Tian?”
The maid, Yiyi, noticed the blood on her bed and shrieked, “Miss, what happened? Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury.”
“…” Liu Ying saw that her so-called friends had all returned, so she no longer felt as concerned as before. She stretched lazily, preparing to leave.
“You pervert!” Suddenly, Xue Ruoqing drew a longsword and pointed it at Liu Ying, her face twisted with fury. “You think you can just walk away after taking advantage? Not a chance!”
It wasn’t just Xue Ruoqing—even the bodyguards reacted the same way. Only Zi Ye and Anjiya looked panicked, trying to stop the escalating confrontation.
Liu Ying calmly watched them, a faint smile on her lips.
Seeing the tension, Yang Xiyan grew frantic and shouted anxiously, “What are you all doing? Stop this right now!”
“Yanyan, don’t be afraid. We’ll capture this scoundrel and send her to the Magic Court to make her answer for what she did to you,” Xue Ruoqing said, her face flushed as she thrust her sword toward Liu Ying.
With a clang, Zi Ye stepped in front of Liu Ying and cried out urgently, “Lady Ruoqing, what are you doing? Drawing your sword out of nowhere?”
“What am I doing? She took advantage of Yanyan while she was dazed and slept with her! And you’re asking me what I’m doing? No matter what, we can’t let her escape—there’s no way to explain this otherwise!”
“Exactly! It’s practically no different from rape!”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire cave erupted. Those who understood glared in fury, while those who didn’t exchanged bewildered looks. Regardless, the way everyone looked at Liu Ying had undeniably changed.
The warm midday breeze carried the faint scent of flowers, creating a refreshing atmosphere.
Yet, the entire group paled, covering their noses and mouths. Only Liu Ying took a deep breath of the fragrant air and chuckled softly. “How did you all find out? It’s true—I did push Miss Xiyan down. But how did you know?”
“Huh?”
Her words exploded like a magic bomb by the river, leaving everyone’s minds blank and ringing.
Aside from rage, Xue Ruoqing and An Leiya also wore traces of panic. Meanwhile, the classmates and bodyguards who understood the situation widened their eyes in fury.
So, it was true—she had actually taken down the goddess they all admired. And where was Tuoba Yichen? Where had he run off to? They weren’t about to take the blame for this, but more than anything, they were furious that Yang Xiyan had been violated by this woman.
Zi Ye and Anjiya’s expressions were the most interesting—they covered their mouths with their hands, staring at Liu Ying in shock. What happened? Did Xia Qiu really with Miss Xiyan?
“Huh?” The most bewildered reaction undoubtedly came from Yang Xiyan herself. She had no idea what was going on. Why were An Leiya and the others so angry? And why was Xia Qiu claiming to have “pushed her down”? It was all so strange and awkward.
As for the maid Zhen Meiyi, she froze for a moment before her eyes reddened. Clutching Yang Xiyan’s delicate hand, she choked out, “Miss, did that scoundrel hurt you?”
Liu Ying slightly curled the corners of her lips, then suddenly darted away, shouting loudly as she ran outside, “Who would’ve thought a lucky accident could turn out so well? Could this girl actually have a divine physique? My strength has actually improved.”
After saying this, Liu Ying quickly fled, leaving some bodyguards chasing after her in vain. In the blink of an eye, she had already disappeared, leaving Xue Ruoqing and the others stomping their feet in frustration.
Instead of returning, Liu Ying ran to a high cliff, secretly observing the unfolding events.
Yang Xiyan was far too naive, completely unaware of what had just transpired. Under normal circumstances, she might have just brushed it off and gone back as if nothing had happened. But since Yang Xiyan had no idea what the outcome would be upon her return, Liu Ying decided to go all out.
She had long known that Xue Ruoqing and the others would be returning soon, so she took advantage of Yang Xiyan’s leg injury to stage a scene—rubbing the bedsheet suggestively and feigning an ambiguous posture, deliberately making sure the group would see it.
Assuming the presence of love-inducing herbs, they had expected to return and find Tuoba Yichen and Yang Xiyan in a compromising position. Instead, they saw Liu Ying and Yang Xiyan in an intimate situation, with even bloodstains on the bedsheet—how could they not jump to conclusions?
More importantly, Liu Ying had just spotted traces of Tuoba Yichen nearby and guessed that his injuries had partially healed. He would soon come looking for Yang Xiyan, and she could simply watch the drama unfold from the sidelines.
After this incident, Yang Xiyan would surely realize the conspiracy at play.
Truth be told, Liu Ying wasn’t entirely sure whether stopping this scheme was truly in Yang Xiyan’s best interest. If Yang Xiyan was hopelessly in love with Tuoba Yichen, wouldn’t Liu Ying just end up making her resentful? If that were the case, there’d be no point in staying any longer.
So she stayed nearby, watching.
Sure enough, her actions had set everyone off. Xue Ruoqing immediately ordered, “Find her—alive or dead! The rest of you, release a wind field to spread the floral scent.”
Though some didn’t fully understand, they were equally furious after hearing Liu Ying’s provoking words.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiyan sat obediently on the bed, following Liu Ying’s advice to keep her injured leg still. But the looks everyone gave her were filled with pity and concern.
She had no idea what had really happened or why Liu Ying had said those strange things. Yet, a faint feeling inside told her that they were hiding something from her.
Should she just play along and pretend Liu Ying had pushed her down? No—even if she tried to clarify now, would they even believe her?
Well, with her disheveled clothes, flushed face, and the blood on the bedsheet, she really did look like a girl who had just been violated…
As everyone comforted her and busied themselves hunting down the “scoundrel,” Tuoba Yichen finally arrived. It turned out that after being severely injured the night before, he had fallen unconscious. Upon waking, he realized he had made a grave mistake and had no idea what had become of the demon he had summoned.
Relief washed over him when he confirmed the demon was unharmed, but his expression quickly darkened again. If he had been unconscious, did that mean Chen Tianjing had defeated his summoned demon? And his fiancée… had she been defiled by Chen Tianjing?
Though he disliked his fiancée’s princess-like tendencies, she was still his betrothed, and they had a good relationship. The thought of her being violated by such a man pained him deeply, so he rushed over as soon as he recovered.
After unleashing his full power the previous night, he had descended into madness, losing almost all consciousness afterward.
At this moment, the entire canyon was in chaos. The appearance of Tuoba Yichen immediately drew everyone’s attention. Xue Ruoqing and An Leiya ran straight up to him, shouting, “Tuoba Yichen!”
“It’s you two? Where’s Yanyan? How is she?”
Amid the roaring sound of the waterfall, the two girls and one man stood at the edge of the lake, their expressions grim.
Seeing their faces, Tuoba Yichen’s heart sank. “Don’t tell me…”
Xue Ruoqing was furious. She grabbed him by the collar and yelled, “Where the hell have you been? Yanyan adored you—how could you leave her to face that alone? Where were your guardians? Where did they run off to?!”
Gone was her usual calm and elegance. Her eyes were red with anger and guilt. It was her fault, all her fault. If only she had handled things better, Yang Xiyan would never have suffered such humiliation.
Damn it!
Tuoba Yichen was weak at the moment, but being manhandled like this, his temper flared as well. He snapped coldly, “You’re blaming me? You pulled this stunt without even consulting us! I had no idea what was happening before I got here—how is it my fault that Chen Tianjing interfered?”
He was genuinely furious. He was innocent, wasn’t he? He had been trying to find a high-level mage to cure his illness. Even if Chen Tianjing hadn’t shown up, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything! These people had no idea there was a traitor in their midst, yet they went ahead with their plan—and now they were blaming him?
Poor Yanyan, such a sweet girl.
Tuoba Yichen’s retort stunned the two of them. They exchanged glances before urgently asking, “Chen Tianjing? What do you mean?”
“What do I mean?” Tuoba Yichen was momentarily taken aback, then quickly raised a hand. “Wait, wait.” They clearly had different information—they couldn’t afford to talk past each other.
Both sides took a moment to reorganize their thoughts and exchange details. Then, silence fell over them.
The sky gradually darkened, and the air grew chilly. The three of them sat on the grass by the river, still piecing together the truth.
“I never expected Chen Tianjing to be a traitor,” Xue Ruoqing said through gritted teeth. “He played his part so well—he followed our plan, only to turn it against us. He tricked us into falling off the cliff and then tried to take your place with Yanyan. How despicable!”
Tuoba Yichen mused, “So, while Chen Tianjing and I were locked in battle, that girl barged in and ended up pushing Yanyan instead, right?”
“Right. Her name is Xia Qiu. She stayed with us for a few days. I always thought the way she looked at Yanyan was strange, but I never imagined she had such intentions.”
“Don’t say that. I think it was an accident. After all, Yanyan has that bewitching charm—anyone would look at her strangely,” An Leiya said with a complicated expression. “Regardless, we failed, and that woman took advantage.”
“She definitely took advantage. I remember Yanyan’s first time was supposed to be important—she’s a descendant of the Goddess of Beauty. It could enhance a mage’s magical power,” Tuoba Yichen said, his emotions mixed.
A few years ago, he had genuinely liked Yang Xiyan. She had seemed cold and untouchable, like a noble snow lotus atop a distant mountain. Winning her over had filled him with satisfaction.
But as time passed, he realized something was off. Yang Xiyan wasn’t the aloof type—she was just a young girl. Pretty, yes, but not the kind of person he truly wanted.
Moreover, her mindset was too outdated—no kissing before marriage was possible, and even holding hands was extremely difficult. The key issue was that she was overly delicate, with a strong princess complex… He found it increasingly unbearable. Plus, he had met a boy he liked and had grown less attentive to her.
His father believed Yang Xiyan was a descendant of the divine race. Though her bloodline was diluted, it was still superior to theirs. He thought that combining their bloodlines might produce even better offspring, perhaps even enhancing their strength the first time. Thus, he forced him into this arranged marriage.
He didn’t dare refuse outright, so he secretly continued his relationship with his current boyfriend while distancing himself from the spoiled, princess-like young lady. At the same time, he sought ways to become independent and leave.
But then, unexpectedly, he lost his sexual ability. Already deeply frustrated, he now had to deal with this mess—all because of an arranged marriage fiancée, he had been harmed. Last night, his rage had driven him to the brink of insanity.
Now that he had calmed down, he finally realized one thing: he couldn’t delay any longer. Otherwise, he would not only harm Yang Xiyan but also himself. He laid out his thoughts plainly to the two of them.
If they refused, he would simply run away. He no longer wanted anything to do with his family’s endless troubles. Otherwise, not only would he suffer, but even the person he loved might not be spared.
Hearing Tuoba Yichen’s words, both of them widened their eyes in shock. Xue Ruoqing couldn’t hold back: “No way! Yanyanjust suffered such a tragic event. As her fiancé, instead of comforting her, you want to break up with her now? What kind of logic is that?”
“Is it my fault she suffered this tragedy? It’s all because of your self-righteous meddling! If I stay with her, I might only bring her more harm!”
“What harm? Don’t think I don’t understand men like you—it’s just your virgin complex. Now that Yanyanhas lost her ‘first time,’ you look down on her, don’t you?” Xue Ruoqing sneered. “Don’t think the family doesn’t know about your little lover. They just haven’t said anything. Everyone has long accepted that you’ll marry Yanyanbut keep a lover on the side. That’s why this plan was made in the first place.”
“You—you’re beyond saving!” Tuoba Yichen was so furious his nose twisted. He had never thought that way, but breaking up now would indeed make him seem guilty of it.
The three of them hurled accusations at each other without restraint, their argument growing increasingly heated. Nearby students who weren’t involved in the conspiracy watched in shock. To them, all of this was incomprehensible.
Did families like this still exist in modern society?
The sky gradually darkened, the weather shifting quickly. As time passed, a light drizzle began to fall, and the canyon grew colder. Only the bonfire outside the cave provided warmth.
Zi Ye and the others silently watched Yang Xiyan by the fire, unsure how to comfort her. Being violated was bad enough, but it had been arranged by her own family—and by a stranger, no less. Anyone would struggle to accept it. Even the usually lively little maid was uncharacteristically quiet.
Yang Xiyan looked up toward the flower garden. “Over there… is that where the so-called ‘love grass’ grows?” Surprisingly, she had gone there multiple times today to sketch, and nothing had happened.
Could it be… that Xia Qiu had known all along?
Yang Xiyan slowly stood up and walked over to the three of them, feeling the cold drizzle on her skin. “Stop arguing. Dinner’s ready.”
The three froze, exchanged glances, and then averted their eyes.
Everyone gathered around the bonfire, eating roasted meat, but it was eerily quiet—no one spoke a word. Yang Xiyan chewed slowly and deliberately before speaking softly, “I wasn’t affected. Whether you believe me or not.”
“Yanyan…” Xue Ruoqing hesitated, her words trailing off. The blood on the sheets—was she still lying to herself at this point?
“Even if I was affected, it has nothing to do with anyone else. It was your own scheme,” Yang Xiyan said coolly. “And as for you, Yichen, if you want to break up, then let’s break up. After we return, please formally submit the request to annul the engagement.”
“Xiyan…” Tuoba Yichen’s heart skipped a beat. Her expression was calm, as if nothing had happened. He clenched his teeth and said, “I—I won’t annul it.”
“Are you pitying me?”
“I—”
Yang Xiyan tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes fixed on him, her pale fingers lightly gripping her dress.
Tuoba Yichen couldn’t bear to meet her gaze and quickly looked down at his feet, fists clenched tightly.
“Alright, everyone, let’s disperse. Get some rest. I’m not as fragile as you all seem to think, so there’s no need to look at me with those strange expressions. As for Chen Tianjing, issue a warrant for his arrest once we return.” Yang Xiyan’s words carried authority, and no one dared to disobey. The crowd gradually dispersed.
As people drifted away, Yang Xiyan lifted her head and silently gazed at the sky.
Had she been protected by that girl?