In a sense, that was the favor Shang Yan wanted to return on behalf of the Old Medical Sage. Now, however, watching the man in front of him stumble over his words, looking for all the world as if he were lying outright, Shang Yan’s brows furrowed in displeasure. As Dragon Lord, every word and every move Shang Yan made represented the stance of the entire Dragon Group. If Jiang Yifeng truly hadn’t done anything wrong—if he only wished to heal Xuan Yuan Chen and use that as a way to reconcile with the Xuan Yuan family—then Shang Yan would welcome Jiang Yifeng. But if Jiang Yifeng intended to use this opportunity to play petty tricks, or worse, to act under the banner of the Dragon Group to harm members of the Xuanyuan family, then Shang Yan would never allow Jiang Yifeng! If such a thing really happened, it would be tantamount to declaring war between the Dragon Group and the Star Group… As the leader of one of the two organizations on equal footing, Shang Yan knew better than anyone what that would mean. The debt of gratitude owed to the Old Medical Sage was not nearly enough for him to take such a colossal risk. Still, at this moment, the situation wasn’t clear. So Shang Yan chose not to speak, silently watching instead. Meanwhile, in the adjoining room, Lin Tian couldn’t hold it in any longer. Listening to Jiang Yifeng spout nonsense with such solemnity, he burst out laughing. Since there was no one else in the room with him, he didn’t bother restraining himself. He chuckled and muttered under his breath, his tone full of mockery: 【This Jiang Yifeng is really cornered… he even dragged out the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth! Even if this world has transcendent powers, it still wouldn’t have something that absurd!】 【Metal, wood, water, fire, earth… plus yin and yang, plus heaven, earth, and man… isn’t this just straight out of a fantasy novel’s spiritual veins?】 【Don’t tell me Jiang Yifeng’s actually a webnovel addict?!】 Lin Tian lounged lazily on his chair like an audience member watching a comedy play—if only he had some peanuts, melon seeds, or popcorn, the scene would have been perfect. Yet behind his relaxed appearance, his mind was working quickly, circling around another troubling thought. 【How on earth does Xuan Yuan Qingya know so much about Jiang Yifeng…? Whether it’s the “Sacred Nineteen Hands” or the ‘Heartfire Reversal, Three Meridian Poison’… these were absolute secrets in the original story!】 【There’s no way Jiang Yifeng’s master would have passed those things on to someone else… Hiss, wait—could it be that the wandering hermit Xuan Yuan Qingya met before was actually Jiang Yifeng’s master?】 【If that’s the case, then maybe that old man isn’t even dead… According to the original novel, Jiang Yifeng’s master passed away when Jiang Yifeng was fourteen. After that, he was cared for on the mountain by his senior sister until he descended at twenty-three. Counting now, the Old Medical Sage should have been dead for nine years.】 【When did Xuan Yuan Qingya say she met that wandering hermit? …Seems like she never mentioned the exact time. But if she could recall such details so vividly, it must’ve been a recent encounter. Which means… Jiang Yifeng’s master might really still be alive?!】 【Damn… as expected of the Child of Destiny! Even this kind of plot twist can happen… If it were just Jiang Yifeng leveraging his master’s reputation, at most he’d gain some connections and courtesy. But if the Old Medical Sage himself were to intervene, that would truly stir up a storm of world-shaking proportions!】 【From the original text, the Old Medical Sage’s reputation wasn’t just unmatched in Huaxia—his name carried enormous weight even beyond Huaxia borders…】 Lin Tian let out a faint sigh in his heart, his determination growing firmer—he absolutely could not afford to provoke Jiang Yifeng. It wasn’t cowardice. It was clarity. The reality was simple: no matter how embarrassing, ridiculous, or cornered Jiang Yifeng might look right now, the man was still the Child of Destiny. He was someone for whom this world itself would bend the timeline to protect. On top of that, Jiang Yifeng might still have a master who wasn’t dead, a senior sister who had barely even appeared in the original novel, and a mess of hidden relationships and trump cards… Any one of those cards, tossed onto the table, would be more than Lin Tian could possibly withstand. After those thoughts spun around in his mind, Lin Tian leaned back and continued watching with relish. Being separated by a wall , safe from everyone else’s eyes yet able to clearly see everything that was happening—Lin Tian genuinely loved it. No danger, and front-row access to the unfolding plot. What could be better? While Lin Tian watched with keen interest, in the next room, Xuan Yuan Qingya suddenly caught the sound of his inner voice. Her eyes flickered slightly, a trace of awkwardness rising in her heart. The truth was, all that nonsense she’d said about meeting some “wandering hermit” was pure fabrication. Who would’ve thought that Lin Tian would go and fill in the missing logic for her on his own? But that strange phrase he’d used—“in the original text”… What on earth did that mean? Even now, Xuan Yuan Qingya couldn’t make sense of it. But that didn’t matter too much—what mattered now was to completely expose Jiang Yifeng for what he really was! Xuan Yuan Qingya fixed her icy gaze on the man going by “Qi Yun,” a mocking smile tugging at her lips. “Mr. Qi Yun, are you still going to keep pretending at this point?” “Do you really think your disguise is flawless?” Her words made cold sweat break out all over Jiang Yifeng’s back. He simply couldn’t understand. How on earth had Xuan Yuan Qingya seen through him? Why did she know so much about things that were supposed to be tightly kept secrets? Vaguely, his mind flashed back to that mysterious giant hand… Who the hell is it? Who’s working against me from the shadows?! Jiang Yifeng’s heart turned to ice, his thoughts laced with venom. But no matter how many possibilities spun in his head, he still couldn’t pin down a single suspect. The only reason he wasn’t already in mortal danger was that Lin Tian had kept himself hidden well enough—always making sure never to draw Jiang Yifeng’s notice whenever he moved. Otherwise, if Jiang Yifeng so much as suspected him, the consequences could truly have been dire. Now that things had reached this point, Jiang Yifeng had no intention of pretending any longer. His expression smoothed back into calm indifference, his panic vanishing. He quietly met Xuan Yuan Qingya’s eyes, and then suddenly spoke in a low, steady tone. “Xuan Yuan Qingya, how did you see through me?” Xuan Yuan Qingya gave a cold snort, her proud expression laced with undisguised contempt. “A flashy but useless disguise, paired with a fabricated diagnosis and a treatment laced with ulterior motives… Jiang Yifeng, did you really think yourself flawless?” “I simply hadn’t expected you to be so bold. After using such vile tricks against me this morning, you actually dared to walk into the Xuan Yuan family’s castle this afternoon!” “You…” Xuan Yuan Qingya paused, her tone plunging into a chill as deep as the Nine Hells. “You really think nothing of my Xuan Yuan family, don’t you?” As her words fell, the expressions of everyone present shifted instantly. Of them all, the ones with the ugliest faces were naturally Jiang Yifeng and Shang Yan. The former, needless to say, had just been mercilessly stripped bare by Xuan Yuan Qingya. At this moment, Jiang Yifeng felt as if he had suffered a kind of social death. All those words and gestures just now—had he succeeded in treating Xuan Yuan Chen, they could have been spun into “proof” of his deep devotion. But being exposed here and now? That made him nothing more than a complete and utter clown! As for the latter, Shang Yan suddenly found himself in a very troublesome position… Staring at Jiang Yifeng’s back, a herd of ten thousand wild beasts rampaged through his mind. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 This Dragon Lord, well into his sixties, wanted to ask just one thing—Didn’t you swear your disguise was unmatched beneath the heavens? How the hell did you trip over your own feet the moment we walked into the Xuan Yuan castle?!