C55 All of Them Were Shrewd Women!

"Yan Lu, what took you so long? Well, it's no surprise the Berserk Golden Rhino can't keep up with the Luan Bird—it can't fly, after all."

Van Ning, clad in opulent attire and grinning playfully, couldn't resist ribbing the Rhino upon its arrival.

Before the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, the majority of young women present, whether from the five major families or the various cities, found their gazes drifting towards him.

Van Ning, known throughout the Silvermoon Empire for his striking looks, stood among the elite, alongside Lee Yu, Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Lim Zhuyun, as one of the five new moons.

While Lee Yu was known for his aloof arrogance and Yan Lu for his brash ferocity, making them difficult to approach, Van Ning was the exception. His amiable nature, impeccable manners, and mastery of the arts, coupled with his extraordinary appearance, made him irresistibly charming to women.

"Lee Yu, I look forward to learning from you during the trials at the forbidden area."

Yan Lu steadied the Berserk Golden Rhino, paying no mind to Van Ning's jests, and instead focused on Lee Yu, who had dismounted the Luan Bird and was tenderly caressing its feathers.

Lee Yu turned slightly, offering Yan Lu a distant nod. He remained silent, true to his reserved nature—a trait everyone had come to expect.

"Lim Zhuyun, I ran into your fiancé on my way here," Yan Lu suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. "Quite the character, that one."

Lim Zhuyun stood poised and serene, her demeanor cool and tranquil, a stark contrast to the lively scene around her.

"Hmm," she responded nonchalantly.

"Character?" Van Ning's interest piqued, snapping his fan shut. "Do tell, what makes him so interesting?"

"Well, my Berserk Golden Rhino nearly collided with him," Yan Lu, aware of the tension with Yu Yuan and viewing him as a formidable rival, couldn't help but mock. "I must admit, I'm a bit impressed. He cleverly took cover behind City Lord Yuan, as if determined to let her face death first."

His remark drew chuckles from the crowd.

But the conversation ended there, as they all understood that Yuan Lianyao was more than capable of stopping the Berserk Golden Rhino, and they trusted Yan Lu's command over the beast to rein it in when it mattered most.

"He's a man after my own heart!" Van Ning exclaimed, slapping his thigh in approval. "If I were in his shoes, facing down a Berserk Golden Rhino, knowing I'm outmatched, I'd do the same—find the strongest person to take the hit for me."

"Yan Lu, what's his name?"

"From Darkmoon City, of the Yu Family—Yu Yuan."

"Yu Yuan, huh?" Van Ning's smile widened. "Regardless of his realm, I've got to befriend him! Clever and utterly shameless; we're sure to hit it off!"

The members of the five great families and visitors from the six cities all took notice.

Those familiar with Van Ning understood that behind his playful grin lay a mind both terrifyingly cunning and brilliantly wise, his methods ruthless and relentless.

To the uninitiated, he seemed approachable, nonchalant about everything.

"Van Ning, there's a certain resemblance between you and Yu Yuan," Su Yan interjected, her soft and serene demeanor making her comment all the more unexpected.

Even a member of the Lee family looked over in surprise from their Luan Bird.

"Really, Sister Lim?" Su Yan asked, turning to Lim Zhuyun with a smile.

Lim Zhuyun furrowed her brow, pondering for a moment before responding, "There's a likeness between Van Ning and him, yes. But at the same level, I doubt he could stand up to that guy."

She couldn't shake the memory of Yu Yuan's wild, frenzied behavior in the Yu family's great hall, the fear still fresh in her mind.

Yu Yuan had recklessly used the Lizard Blood Pill to poison them, consequences be damned. Had Yuan Lianyao not intervened, the Yu family would have suffered greatly, and she and her father wouldn't have made it out alive.

At that moment, she realized Yu Yuan couldn't care less about the Yu family's fate.

Later, when the Blood God Cult performed their secret arts in Darkmoon City, Ann Ziqing, the purple-clad maid, issued a stern warning to the Cold Yin Sect Elder using the cult's secret techniques.

After everything that had transpired, Lim Zhuyun harbored a profound wariness of Yu Yuan deep within.

She truly believed that if Van Ning were on par with Yu Yuan in terms of cultivation, he wouldn't stand a chance.

She was speaking nothing but the truth.

Yet, her words stirred up a tempest.

The guests from the five great families and the six cities were all in an uproar.

"How could Yu Yuan possibly stand a chance against Fan Li?"

"Even if they were on the same level, I bet Fan Li could take him down a notch with ease!"

"How can the Yu family even hold a candle to the Fan family? Aren't they aware that treasured armor and weapons can significantly boost one's fighting capabilities?"

"And what about intellect? Does he even come close to Fan Li's wisdom?"

"To think they're comparing such a minor figure to Fan Li! It's clear to me that Lim Zhuyun's reputation is all for show!"

"She's probably just bitter about her dimwitted fiancé and said that to doom him. Honestly, women can be so cruel!"

The crowd was either vocally outraged or quietly murmuring among themselves, all agreeing that Lim Zhuyun was out of her depth.

The young ladies who adored Fan Li were particularly incensed, nearly bursting at the seams to confront Lim Zhuyun directly.

Their family elders, however, kept a tight leash on them, forbidding any rash actions.

Lim Zhuyun, as one of the Lim family's five proud moons, was held in high esteem. The girls might have lost their heads, but the elders certainly hadn't—they wouldn't allow them to stir up trouble.

Yet, despite being held back, those girls had already marked Yu Yuan as an enemy in their hearts, all because of Lim Zhuyun's words.

Especially since Yan Lu had previously mentioned that Yu Yuan would hide behind a woman when faced with danger.

At this moment, the girls conveniently forgot that Fan Li, the object of their affection, had once said the same thing—that in such a predicament, he would do as Yu Yuan did.

A woman in love can often lose sight of reason.

This is all the more true for girls with little worldly experience.

"I never expected you to hold your fiancé in such high regard," Fan Li said, his smile radiant yet tinged with stiffness. "Are you telling me that all the rumors of the past decade are false? That your fiancé isn't a fool after all?"

Lim Zhuyun gave no response, simply closing her eyes.

Fan Li paused, momentarily taken aback, then turned to Su Yan.

"I can vouch for him; he's not foolish," Su Yan declared, her brow furrowing slightly as she glanced at Lim Zhuyun, wondering, "Is this genuine, or is there another motive?"

She was well aware that deep down, Fan Li of the Van family harbored feelings for Lim Zhuyun.

No matter how much Fan Li attempted to conceal her feelings, she was aware of them.

She had a hunch that Lim Zhuyun must have sensed it too.

Knowing full well what was in Fan Li's heart and the danger that this viper represented, she still claimed that Fan Li was no match for her betrothed at the same level of cultivation.

Given Fan Li's temperament, was it even conceivable that he would allow Yu Yuan to leave the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area alive?

As one of the Empire's Five New Moons, she was well aware of Lee Yu's true nature—his arrogance and aloofness. Yan Lu might appear rough and brutish, but beneath that exterior, he possessed a keen attention to detail. When it was necessary, Yan Lu could be exceptionally precise.

Van Ning, the darling of the empire's young women, hid a heart of stone behind his playful grin—a heart that was merciless and cruel.

He was akin to a venomous serpent lurking in the shadows, ever ready to strike and viciously attack its prey.

Yan Lu was well aware of this, which is why he paid no mind to Van Ning's jibes upon his arrival.

Yan Lu had no desire to tangle with this fearsome serpent.

Standing next to the Luan Bird, Lee Yu of the royal family, clad in simple cloth without any opulent adornments, resembled a destitute hermit.

Suddenly, Lee Yu tilted his head upward, gazing into the distance.

He was the first to detect the disturbance.

Shortly thereafter, the others began to hear footsteps and the roaring of the red lotus.

Many of them were of a higher realm than he.

A moment later.

Led by Yuan Lianyao, Yu Yuan and the youths of Darkmoon City successfully reached the entrance to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

"We were just waiting for you."

A general from the Lee family, who had been seated motionless for days, now slowly rose to his feet.

"Who is Yu Yuan?"

"Which one is that fellow?"

"I'm curious to see, what makes him worthy of being compared to my Brother Fan Li?"

"Yu Yuan, show yourself!"

The piercing voices of the young women echoed from the family ranks and the people from the six cities.

Their eyes wide with indignation, they seemed to regard Yu Yuan as their most hated foe at that moment.

Yu Yuan, utterly bewildered, looked from side to side and then at the girls, lamenting, "It seems that outside of Darkmoon City, all the women in the empire are nothing but shrews!"

He shook his head, his expression one of deep regret and profound heartache.

​