Complete silence filled the entire venue as Yin Long's gaze pierced through the various elders that had spoken out. With so many people present there had been hundreds of different guesses running around as to what might happen, but not a single person had thought that things would turn in this direction. In one swift move, the respectable but frivolous Young Master had shocked everyone present and proceeded to throw five different elders into a precarious situation. The white-haired elder was the one physically closest to Yin Long and thus had to bear the full force of his sharp gaze, quickly moving to ease what appeared to be Yin Long's anger.

"Please don't be angry, Young Master. I can assure you that we meant nothing bad by it, we simply saw the situation and moved to do what we felt was best for the clan. Give us a chance to pro...!"

A silver light cut through the air and passed through the white-haired elder's neck, his head slumping forward and falling to the ground with a dull thud that echoed throughout the deathly silent hall. Yin Long still stood within his seating area, but a normal sword had appeared within his grasp, a few drops of blood dripping down the blade. The headless body of the elder gushed forth a few streams of blood that stained Yin Long's face as well as the surroundings, the body collapsing to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Yin Long's gaze remained cold and piercing, lingering on the dead body for a short second.

"What's best for the clan is to have elders who won't jump on every opportunity to deface their own leader, elders like that will just tear the clan apart."

Yin Long's words were directed not just at the four remaining elders that had spoken out, but to everyone else in the venue. His words and actions were a message, proof of what happened to those who would dare go against the clan leader. And no one dared to say anything against him, he might not be able to cultivate, but his sneak attack was still able to slay someone at the 7th Mortal Door in a single slash.

Lan Yun stood in her corner of the room and overlooked the entire scene, a knowing smile on her face. Just this display of power was enough to shock everyone present, even Lang Huo and Tang Fen, only she knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg, only she was privileged enough to know the true sharpness of the blade that was Yin Long.

Yin Long swept the four remaining elders with a cold glance before pulling out a cloth from his interspatial ring, wiping clean his blade and then stuffing it into the ring. He then turned his gaze onto Lang Huo, who was already starting to collect her thoughts after the shock, and gave her a polite bow.

"Matriarch, I have dealt with one of the treacherous elders, but I shall adhere to your judgment on the remaining four."

They were currently in public so Yin Long couldn't just freely kill the elders who were clearly out to depose his sister, he had to listen to the orders of the clan leader. But killing one to show his strength and then obeying his sister afterward was also a good way to get people to believe more in his sister. After all, it would be seen that she could make even someone as swift and merciless as Yin Long obey her orders.

Lang Huo had already started to wrap her entire head around the situation and cast a deep glance at Yin Long. She didn't know just how much of it he had a hand in, but she was extremely clear on the fact that this entire thing had definitely been planned by Yin Long. He had taken advantage of what should be a huge blow to her position to instead weed out people who were against her and would take any chance to undermine her, he even made them step forth of their own volition. And instead of dealing with them on his own to show off, he gave them to her and placed all the power in her hands. She moved her gaze away from him after a short second, her gaze growing cold as it landed on the four elders.

"Guards, take them away! Bring them to the dungeon, find out if they know of anyone else is hiding and then execute them. If they cooperate, a quick beheading. If they don't, drown them!"

Cold and merciless yet dignified, such were the orders of Lang Huo. Several soldiers immediately obeyed her order and arrested the four elders, bringing out metal chains covered in runes to seal in the Qi of the four elders. The elders knew that it was lost, obeying meant death and trying to flee also meant death. In that case, they could only do what they could to ensure a quick and painless death, obediently following the soldiers.

With the four elders being taken away, Yin Long sat back down in his seat and crossed his legs. He calmly wiped away the blood on his face, his every action drawing the attention of the onlookers, no one even daring to hazard a guess at what he would do next. He finished wiping away the blood and turned his gaze towards Lang Huo and Tang Fen, flashing the two of them a soft smile as he spoke.

"I may not have a proper position within the clan, but when my father passed he handed to me the duty of being the man of the house. And with that duty, it becomes my job to oversee something he didn't manage to, the marriage of my sisters. Lang Huo, you'll turn 20 in two weeks, on the 5th of the triangular moons. It might be sudden, but what do you think about holding your wedding on that day? You no longer need to hide your relationship so you might as well make it as public as possible, allow the Lang clan to see their future mistress."

Yin Long's soft smile created a stark contrast to his previously chilly expression dyed red with blood, producing an uncomfortable and uneasy dissonance in the minds of the onlookers. Lang Huo and Tang Fen locked eyes, neither of them had honestly ever expected that they would get the chance to hold an actual wedding. There was no way that they would waste the chance now that it was placed right there, Lang Huo sweeping her free hand out in a gesture while speaking in a loud voice that reached everyone in the hall.

"Very well! Let it be known that in two weeks' time, on the 5th of the triangular moons, we will celebrate the birthday of my brother and me in the morning, and in the evening we will celebrate my wedding to Tang Fen!"

Lang Huo was halfway tempted to announce the wedding of Yin Long and Lan Yun at the same time, holding a grand dual wedding to awe the city as a sort of thanks to Yin Long. But looking at how he had completely caught her off guard here and showed a side she hadn't seen before, she felt it best to play it safe and remain silent. After all, she wasn't actually sure of what sort of relationship he had with Lan Yun, she only knew what she had seen and what the rumors stated. And if there was one thing Yin Long had proven here then it was that he was more than met the eye.

With the announcement of the wedding, the show came to an end and the venue started to clear out. The news of the wedding was definitely going to spread at a rapid pace, but so too would the tale of the white-haired elder's death and the fate of the four other elders, all at the hands of the frivolous Yin Long.

Lang Ru embraced her sister and Tang Fen tightly and congratulated them on their happiness before giving Yin Long a deep look and embracing him in a hug, thanking him for thinking about the family. She then left to prepare things for the wedding, looking at Yin Long's back with a complicated expression for a second before glancing at the distant Lan Yun, the light of determination flashing through her eyes as she left the building.

Lang Huo looked deeply at Yin Long now that he stood right in front of her, she almost felt like she was seeing her brother for the first time. She didn't feel relieved or happy at being shown this side of him, all she felt was guilt. She was his sister, they had been together since birth and she was one of only two family members he had left after their parents passed. And despite all this, she had been unable to see the side that he had kept hidden, she suddenly felt that she had gone all these years without ever properly looking at her brother, at the things he carried on his shoulders.

But Yin Long simply shook his head in response to her examining gaze, making it quite clear that he didn't want her asking about it. He placed his gaze on Tang Fen, who looked at him with complicated emotions flitting through her eyes, gesturing with his chin for her to follow him.

"I know you have to start preparing for the wedding, but would you mind coming with me for a bit?"

Tang Fen nodded her head, Lang Huo seeing the two of them off before she headed for the dungeon with a cold expression. Yin Long and Tang Fen walked side by side as they made their way through the city and towards the Lang clan estate. Yin Long had nothing to say yet and Tang Fen was organizing her thoughts and words so their journey was made entirely in silence.

The swiftly arrived at the Lang clan estate, Yin Long heading for a gnarly and bent tree that stretched nearly 100 meters into the sky, a few unripe pears hidden within the crown of the tree. Tang Fen easily recognized the tree, it was this tree that Yin Long had climbed to fetch a pear for her when they first met. Tang Fen's gaze moved up the tree and landed on the small pears, a smile forming on her lips.

"You know what I thought when I looked at you within the courtroom? I thought that you really are like the sun. You spread both comforting warmth and scorching fire, you seem to exist so far above others that even your smallest actions draw everyone's attention, and you can be blinding to look at, people simply can't see you clearly and can only avert their eyes. Even back then as a child, you so easily climbed this massive tree and plucked a fruit. Meanwhile, Sister Huo and I could only look at you from below and marvel at the sheer ease at which you ascended the tree. You are the sun, majestic and grand, there are definitely countless people out there who'll end up loving you just from being with you for a short moment, maybe they'll even fall just from seeing you once. But I'm sorry, I can never be one of those people."

Tang Fen lowered her gaze as she talked, looking directly at Yin Long, whose gaze was raised towards the crown of the tree. He lowered moved his pupils slightly when Tang Fen finished speaking, glancing at her from the corner of his eye while responding with a soft smile.

"I didn't bring you here because I wanted to confess my love or tell you that I was abandoning my emotions for you. I won't deny that I once had feelings for you when I was a child, not even old enough to properly understand what I was feeling. But I abandoned those feelings over 10 years ago, all that remains of them are a few scattered and dying embers. All those years ago, pleasing you was only part of the reason I climbed the tree to pick a pear, the main reason was simply that Little Huo asked me. It is also for her that I abandoned my fledgling emotions for you. I am her older brother, it is my duty to make sure that she lives a life happier than any other, especially now that mother and father aren't around."

Yin Long had abandoned any romantic emotions he had towards Tang Fen back when he was seven years old and it was declared that Lang Huo would be the future clan leader. It wasn't due to what the contract stated, it was simply due to the fact that he had seen what Lang Huo felt for Tang Fen. Yin Long lowered his head slightly, fully placing his gaze on Tang Fen as he continued to talk.

"I don't act for the clan, and I don't act for myself. Practically everything I do, I do for Little Huo, Big Ru, and for you, my last remaining family. I brought you here simply to tell you that I am leaving part of my sister's happiness within your hands, please take good care of her."