To explain why Fu Yuge’s favorability toward Rong Nianxin plummeted? The reasons are quite similar to those of Huangfu Yichen and the others.
Fu Yuge is generous and values loyalty highly when it comes to his trusted subordinates. Rong Nianxin’s act of using her subordinates as shields to save her own life is precisely the kind of behavior Fu Yuge despises the most.
Being able to inspire subordinates to willingly sacrifice their lives for you is a testament to one’s capability and charisma. Failing to achieve that and still forcing subordinates to die in your place is nothing but incompetence. As the second young master of the Liuyun Merchant Guild, Fu Yuge has his own pride. Naturally, he has no fondness for such incompetent individuals.
Currently, Fu Yuge’s slight favorability toward Rong Nianxin stems purely from her beauty—she is a stunning woman—but it hasn’t reached the point of being madly in love or losing himself over her. Without the tempering of trials and time, such superficial fondness is inherently fragile.
Now, faced with a scheming woman suspected of ties to the Outer Demons—whom he dislikes—and his beloved younger brother, Fu Yuge’s choice is obvious.
While the two brothers discussed serious matters, Rong Nianxin, who had used her cultivation to eavesdrop, remained oblivious to their awareness. Despite her unique techniques preventing Fu Yuming and Fu Yuge from detecting her, the experienced pair had taken precautions, ensuring she wouldn’t catch on. In the end, they successfully deceived her.
The next day, seeing Fu Yuge’s usual gentlemanly, elegant, and attentive demeanor—his eyes filled with lust and admiration for her beauty—Rong Nianxin completely relaxed and flashed a radiant smile.
The group continued their journey to the imperial capital in high spirits. Along the way, Fu Yuge, Fu Yuming, Fu Yuanjing, and Ying Qiyun’s favorability toward Rong Nianxin steadily declined.
Overconfident in her belief that she had successfully ensnared Fu Yuge as her devoted follower, Rong Nianxin shifted her focus to Fu Yuming.
Fu Yuge was charming, dashing, and cheerful, while Fu Yuming embodied a different kind of beauty—aloof, elegant, and refined. Having sworn off love and determined to revel in the pleasures of the world, Rong Nianxin naturally refused to let either of these exceptional brothers slip away.
In her view, only incompetent women would settle for choosing one outstanding man when they could have both. After all, she believed herself to be an extraordinary woman—someone like her deserved nothing less than the best of both worlds.
Blinded by her inexplicable overconfidence, Rong Nianxin made up her mind. Since (she assumed) Fu Yuge was already hopelessly in love with her, obedient to her every whim, and their bond unbreakable, she decided to focus her efforts on seducing Fu Yuming, temporarily setting Fu Yuge aside.
She didn’t think Fu Yuge would notice her slight indifference. However, unbeknownst to her, a flicker of disgust flashed in Fu Yuge’s eyes.
*Fu Yuge: Hmph. The cabbage I painstakingly raised—did you really think a low-quality pig like you could trample it? How dare a fickle woman like you set her sights on my outstanding younger brother?!*
Naturally, Fu Yuming, the object of her unwanted attention, was equally displeased. As for Fu Yuanjing, who harbored feelings for Fu Yuming, his anger was even more intense.
Though Fu Yuanjing believed himself unworthy of the elegant and noble third young master and had no intention of confessing or disrupting the status quo, that didn’t mean he would stand idly by while someone like Rong Nianxin coveted his beloved—especially when she looked at Fu Yuming with that *”You should be honored by my attention, how dare you refuse me?”* expression.
If not for his fear of disrupting Fu Yuming’s plans or revealing his own “filthy” desires, Fu Yuanjing wouldn’t have held back.
Ying Qiyun, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief, silently praising his foresight in disguising himself as an ordinary middle-aged man before the trip.
*Ying Qiyun: I truly am brilliant!*
In her past life, Rong Nianxin had been a top-tier assassin with high intelligence and emotional quotient. Though reborn into this unfamiliar world, she had initially struggled with adaptation, but without external interference, she would have quickly acclimated, leveraging the Rong family’s influence to carve out her own path.
But fate had other plans.
The sudden appearance and pressure from the Outer Demons forced Rong Nianxin off a cliff, leading her to a mysterious cave where she obtained an inheritance, transforming from an ordinary person into a cultivator of considerable strength. However, the eerie techniques she acquired came with… minor side effects.
Thus, Rong Nianxin became the narcissistic, overconfident, and delusional fool she was now.
Perhaps this was the so-called *”gain and loss”*—or, more aptly, *”reaping what she sowed.”*
As the group’s mood worsened along the journey, they finally arrived at the imperial capital. Unable to bear it any longer, Fu Yuanjing immediately excused Fu Yuming under the pretense of *”business matters requiring the third young master’s attention.”* Fu Yuming, equally eager to escape Rong Nianxin, complied without protest.
Watching them leave, Rong Nianxin gritted her teeth in fury. Having once endured being ignored, despised, and looked down upon, she craved nothing more than climbing to the top, where everyone would revere her. Being treated with contempt—especially by Fu Yuming and Fu Yuanjing—was her greatest trigger.
Taking a deep breath, she muttered, *”If not for your status, looks, and abilities, do you think I’d tolerate this?”*
She was willing to be patient with high-value targets, but even her patience had limits. If they pushed her too far, she wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate mercilessly. After all, she’d already given them plenty of chances, hadn’t she?
But her frustrations didn’t end there. Not only did Fu Yuming leave, but Fu Yuge also excused himself, citing a meeting with his *”female acquaintance”* in the capital. To Rong Nianxin, who already considered Fu Yuge her possession, this was like pouring oil on the fire of her rage.
Only Ying Qiyun, disguised as a lowly attendant, remained. Bowing respectfully, he said, *”Miss Rong, the second young master instructed me to accompany you on a tour of the capital. Please, this way.”*
Rong Nianxin shot him a disdainful look. *”Hmph, no need. If I wish to tour the capital, I’ll do so myself. I don’t require the assistance of a servant.”* Having a mere attendant as her guide? Rong Nianxin found the idea humiliating. With a haughty flick of her sleeve, she strode off.
Ying Qiyun smirked inwardly, his expression betraying nothing.
Watching her leave, he finally turned and headed to his own residence. Both the Tianji Pavilion and the Shadow Kill Tower had their headquarters in the imperial capital—of course Ying Qiyun would have his own property here.
Meanwhile, Yin Jiu, who had been covertly investigating, uncovered new findings.
The investigation traced back to when Yin Jiu had the Shadow Kill Tower collaborate with the imperial family to scrutinize the Rong family. Initially, they assumed the Rong family’s near-total annihilation (save for Rong Nianxin) couldn’t have been their doing. But while they weren’t entirely wrong, they weren’t entirely right either.
Given the Outer Demons’ deep infiltration into the Xuantian Continent, the investigation required immense effort. Fortunately, with the imperial family overseeing civilians and both righteous and demonic factions cooperating under Yan Ruizhe and Jin Yu’s arrangements, the combined forces of the Shadow Kill Tower and Tianji Pavilion finally unearthed every detail of the Rong family’s past—no matter how insignificant.
This deep dive not only exposed many of the Rong family’s dark secrets but also revealed something crucial: the problematic individual was none other than Rong Nianxin’s mother’s second husband—the man Rong Erya married after Rong Nianxin’s biological father was expelled from the family.
Rong Erya, the spoiled youngest daughter of the Rong family, grew up arrogant and unrestrained, flaunting her promiscuity like a female rogue. She even went as far as forcibly taking men she fancied.
Yet she saw nothing wrong with her behavior. To her, admiring beauty was human nature—her open pursuit of handsome men was simply honesty and bravery, deserving praise rather than criticism.
To maintain her freedom even after marriage, she took in two husbands: Rong Nianxin’s biological father (who later perished alongside Tang Qi’s parents) and Wen Han—a frail, scholarly man with a gentle demeanor.
Wen Han, originally an orphaned teacher at a rural academy, was well-liked for his kindness, sincerity, and knowledge.
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