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Sam looked up at the high stone balcony.
He saw Xuanyuan Yufeng standing there in her purple dress.
Her hands were shaking tightly against the railing.
Her face was full of deep, raw pain.
She was staring down at her husband with a completely broken heart.
Then, Sam looked back at Ling Tianni.
The great Villa Master looked completely crushed.
He was staring at Chu Yuechan like a lost boy, totally ignoring the thousands of people around him.
And more importantly, he was completely ignoring his crying wife up above.
Sam easily connected the dots. He let out a quiet sigh.
He gently squeezed Jean's hand.
Jean looked at him and smiled.
Xia Qingyue and Chu Yueli stepped a little closer to him, feeling completely safe and relaxed in his presence.
Sam had a very large family.
He had multiple lovers in his life. But he never made any of them feel like a second choice.
He gave them all his full attention, his full respect, and his full love.
Because he treated them as true equals, they were always happy and content to stand by his side.
Ling Tianni was doing the exact opposite.
He had a loyal wife who managed his entire home, but he was destroying her heart to chase a woman who felt absolutely nothing for him.
"Villa Master Ling,"
Sam said, his voice easily breaking the awkward silence.
Ling Tianni finally blinked.
He forced his eyes away from Chu Yuechan and looked at Sam.
"Yes?"
Ling Tianni asked, his voice still a bit hoarse.
"You have a very beautiful home,"
Sam told him.
He pointed a finger straight up toward the royal balcony.
"And you have a wife who clearly cares about you very much. You should probably look up there, instead of looking over here."
Ling Tianni's body went totally stiff.
He slowly turned his head and looked up at the high balcony.
He saw Yufeng wiping her red eyes and turning away to hide in the dark shadows.
Jean let go of Sam's hand.
She looked up at the dark balcony, her green eyes completely filled with pity.
"She has been carrying that pain for way too long,"
Jean whispered to Sam.
Sam nodded silently, stepping back to let Jean handle it.
Jean gently pushed off the stone floor and floated straight up into the air.
The massive crowd gasped as she flew gracefully toward the royal balcony.
She landed softly right next to the heartbroken woman.
Xuanyuan Yufeng quickly wiped her wet face.
She tried to turn away and hide in the shadows.
"Go away,"
Yufeng choked out, her voice trembling.
"Do not look at me. I am the Lady of this Villa. I am perfectly fine."
Jean did not leave. She took a slow, gentle step closer.
"You are not fine,"
Jean said softly.
Her voice was incredibly warm and full of deep understanding.
"You don't have to pretend to be strong right now. I understand how much it has hurt you. Just imagine it is unbearable…"
Those simple, kind words completely broke the final lock on Yufeng's heart.
The proud lady of the Heavenly Sword Villa could not hold her pain inside for another second.
She dropped her hands, fell to her knees, and let out a loud, agonizing sob.
Years of jealousy, anger, and deep loneliness came pouring out all at once.
Down in the arena, thousands of fighters heard the loud cry.
They started to point and look up at the balcony.
Jean saw them looking. She immediately raised her hand.
*Whoosh.*
A massive, beautiful curtain of golden fire instantly burst into the air.
It quickly wrapped all the way around the royal balcony, creating a perfect, glowing wall.
The fire did not burn the wooden pillars or heat the air.
It simply acted as a blinding, solid shield.
In an instant, the entire arena was blocked out.
No one could see the Lady of the Villa in her pitiful, broken state.
Inside the quiet ring of fire, Jean knelt on the floor.
She gently wrapped her arms around Yufeng in a warm hug.
"Why does it hurt so much?"
Yufeng cried loudly into Jean's shoulder, her whole body shaking violently.
"I gave him everything! But his eyes are always looking at her!"
"I know,"
Jean whispered, gently rubbing the crying woman's back.
"It is deeply unfair. You deserve to be seen. You deserve a man who looks only at you."
Yufeng sobbed harder, her fingers gripping Jean's red hair.
"Let it all out,"
Jean told her comfortably.
"Cry as loud as you want to. Scream if you have to. No one is watching you anymore. You are completely safe behind these flames."
Down in the arena, the massive crowd was whispering in total confusion.
Ling Tianni stood frozen on the stone floor.
He looked up at the golden fire covering the balcony, and then he looked back at Chu Yuechan.
He actually hesitated.
Sam watched the Villa Master's face.
He could see the man still struggling to let go of his selfish dream.
*What a complete bastard,*
Sam thought to himself.
Finally, Ling Tianni let out a heavy sigh.
He turned around and slowly walked up the stone steps to find his wife.
He did not look like a caring husband.
He looked like a man walking reluctantly to a prison.
A few moments later, the bright golden curtain of fire slowly melted into thin air.
The high balcony was completely empty.
Jean and Xuanyuan Yufeng were gone.
Sam closed his eyes for a second.
He stretched his senses out across the massive mountain.
He easily found them.
They had moved deep into the inner, quiet rooms of the villa.
Yufeng's chaotic, painful aura was finally calm and stable.
Jean was taking good care of her.
"Senior Sam,"
A quiet voice spoke right beside him.
Sam turned his head.
Chu Yuechan was standing very close to him.
The usual icy blankness on her perfect face was gone.
She looked deeply troubled.
"Is this my fault?"
Chu Yuechan asked softly, looking down at the ground.
"Did I ruin her life? I never encouraged him. I never even looked at him. But my presence here still broke her heart. What should I do to fix this?"
Sam smiled warmly. He turned his body completely toward her.
"You do nothing,"
Sam answered.
"Because you did nothing wrong, Yuechan."
Chu Yuechan looked up at him, her beautiful eyes full of heavy doubt.
"But he ignored his own wife because of me,"
She argued quietly.
"That is his fault, not yours,"
Sam explained clearly.
"You cannot control the obsessions of foolish men. You are just living your own life."
Sam reached out his hand.
He placed it on top of her soft, dark hair and patted her head.
For the great Fairy of the Frozen Cloud Asgard, this was an incredibly intimate and bold action.
Any other man would have instantly lost his arm for trying it.
But Chu Yuechan did not freeze his hand.
She did not pull away or draw her sword.
She simply closed her eyes and let out a quiet, relaxed breath, completely accepting his comforting touch.
"You are just living your life, Yuechan,"
Sam told her.
"I understand,"
Chu Yuechan whispered, feeling the cold, uncomfortable knot in her chest completely melt away.
A loud, heavy gong echoed across the arena.
The tournament was finally ready to begin.
Up on the main viewing balcony, Xuanyuan Yufeng sat in her large wooden chair.
Her face was completely calm.
The heavy, dark sadness that used to cloud her eyes was totally gone.
Ling Tianni slowly sat down next to her.
He looked at her carefully.
"Yufeng,"
Ling Tianni said.
"Are you feeling better?"
Yufeng did not turn her head. She did not even look at him.
Instead, her eyes were fixed on the arena floor.
She was watching Jean, who had just returned to Sam's side.
Jean was smiling brightly.
Sam gently pulled a chair out for her so she could sit down.
Then, he lifted little Sue and placed her comfortably on his lap.
He poured a warm cup of tea for Xia Qingyue and joked lightly with Chu Yueli and Chu Yuechan.
Every woman around him looked completely relaxed and genuinely happy.
"Look at him,"
Yufeng said quietly.
Her voice was smooth and empty of any anger.
"He possesses enough power to crush everyone. Yet, he carries no arrogance at all."
Ling Tianni frowned, following her gaze down to the royal seating area.
"He is just putting on a show for the crowd,"
Ling Tianni muttered.
"No,"
Yufeng answered simply.
"He is just a good man. Look at how he treats his family. He is incredibly strong, but he pays attention to every single one of them. He makes sure they are all seen. He makes sure they all feel loved."
Ling Tianni shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Yufeng, please,"
He whispered.
"Let us just watch the matches. We can talk about this later."
"Jean opened my eyes today,"
Yufeng continued, still ignoring his plea.
"She asked me a very simple question."
"What did she ask?"
Ling Tianni asked nervously.
"She asked why I was pouring all my warm love into a frozen cup,"
Yufeng said, resting her chin on her hand.
"She asked me why I should spend my entire life crying over a bastard who will never love me back."
Ling Tianni's breath hitched. His face turned pale.
"I... I do care for you, Yufeng,"
He tried to argue.
"You care that I run your big house,"
Yufeng corrected him.
Her tone was not bitter anymore. It was just a cold, absolute fact.
"You care that I raised your strong sons. You care that my family brings you wealth. But you do not love me."
She finally turned her head and looked right into his eyes.
There were no tears left in her. Her gaze was completely clear.
"I am done bleeding for you, Tianni,"
Yufeng told him clearly.
"I am divorcing you,"
Yufeng said.
Her voice was perfectly steady. It did not shake at all.
Ling Tianni froze.
The loud cheers from the arena suddenly sounded very far away.
"What?"
He gasped, staring at her in pure disbelief.
"You cannot be serious, Yufeng. You are just angry. We are married. You are the Lady of this villa!"
"Not anymore,"
Yufeng answered, slowly turning her eyes back to the arena.
"I will sign the papers tonight. I am packing my things, and I am going back to my family's home."
Ling Tianni reached out to grab her arm, but she coldly pulled it away.
"You cannot do this,"
He whispered, panicking.
He looked around to make sure the nearby elders could not hear them.
"We can fix this. Just give it time."
"There is nothing left to fix,"
Yufeng said simply.
"I am done. And I am taking Ling Yun and Ling Jie with me."
Ling Tianni's eyes went completely wide.
His panic turned into sudden anger.
"Absolutely not!"
He hissed quietly.
"They are my sons! They are the future masters of the Heavenly Sword Villa. You cannot take my heirs away from me!"
Yufeng finally gave him a smile. It was not a happy smile. It was as cold as the winter wind.
"They are my sons,"
She reminded him sharply.
"And I will not let them grow up watching their father ignore his family to chase a ghost. They will come to my family's home. My father will teach them how a real man is supposed to act."
When she mentioned her father, a completely new kind of terror struck Ling Tianni like a lightning bolt.
The heavy fog in his mind finally cleared. He was not just losing a wife. He was about to lose everything.
"Wait... Yufeng, please think about this,"
Ling Tianni pleaded. His voice was actually shaking now.
"If you leave me... your family will cut off their support."
"Yes, they will,"
Yufeng agreed easily.
"But... but your family provides half of the wealth and resources for this entire sect!"
He panicked, sweat pouring down his face.
"Without your father's backing, the Heavenly Sword Villa will lose its absolute power! The other sects will try to crush us!"
Yufeng stood up from her grand wooden chair.
She smoothed out her purple dress, looking down at the man who had wasted her youth.
"My family gave you those resources because you were my husband,"
Yufeng told him, her voice perfectly cold and clear.
"Without me, you are just an old man with a sword."
Ling Tianni reached out a shaking hand, desperately trying to stop her.
"Please... don't do this to me,"
He begged.
"Enjoy your empty mountain, Villa Master,"
Yufeng said, stepping away from the throne she had sat on for years.
"I hope your beautiful memories of Fairy Chu can keep you warm when your sect falls apart."
Without looking back a single time, Xuanyuan Yufeng turned around and walked away from the balcony, leaving Ling Tianni completely alone with his ruined future.