Guan Dongliu managed a smile, clear beads of sweat tracing paths down his cheeks. "Please, sir, feel free to proceed. Uh, take care of your health." Jun Zhantian grunted, his face grim as he walked inside.

It was an undeniable, iron-clad fact that Guan Qinghan was a figurehead within the Jun family! Furthermore, the Jun family had repeatedly brought up the matter of breaking the engagement, but Guan Qinghan herself had always been unwilling. However, now that the Guan family was proposing the dissolution of the engagement—that was entirely different from the Jun family initiating it!

One of the objectives of the Guan family's visit to Tianxiang City was precisely to take Guan Qinghan back and simultaneously terminate the marriage contract. Both families were perfectly aware of this objective.

Yet, knowing it privately was one thing; the Guan family actively bringing it up was quite another matter.

Even if the Guan family hadn't mentioned it, for Qinghan's happiness, Old Master Jun and Third Master Jun were both willing to facilitate the matter. But for the Guan family to raise it in person was tantamount to delivering a crisp, elegant, resounding slap to the Jun family's face! This was, purely and simply, an issue of 'face'! But the Jun family could not afford to lose this face! What had begun as a mutually amicable situation instantly became irredeemable with that single sentence.

Jun Wuyi’s gaze flickered, and he spoke slowly, "I see." After a moment of thought, he added, "As for Qinghan's affairs, we will discuss them later. Right now, I only wish to know what the Second Young Master Guan intends to do today!"

Guan Dongliu was momentarily struck dumbfounded. As the head of his family, this was the first time in his life he had felt so utterly at a loss.

"Jun Moye, by deceiving Yue'er, you have sealed my death warrant, I, Guan Qingyue!" Guan Qingyue showed considerable backbone, sneering, "Do you, the Jun family, intend to use your power to keep me here? No wonder Yue'er called you despicable and shameless; she said she wanted revenge, and indeed, you are utterly detestable! Since you have luckily escaped and returned today, I must settle this score for Yue'er! If you are a real man, accept my challenge without delay!"

This brat had exposed everything and stood there looking self-righteous, brimming with indignation! Was this what they called an idiot?! Or perhaps, was this the newborn calf unafraid of the tiger?

In truth, it was hardly surprising. The Guan family was famous throughout the entire Eastern Region! As the Second Young Master of the Guan family, Guan Qingyue naturally carried himself like a local emperor. Even arriving in Tianxiang City, in his heart, he felt that the Jun family, being merely an official gentry lineage, possessed at most some influence, which couldn't compare to the flourishing Xuan Qi martial family that was his own—the Guan family. Not to mention, even the regional governors of the Eastern Region had always treated him with courtesy!

Therefore, in his youthful mind, he genuinely did not take the Jun family seriously, especially after seeing the three generations of the Jun family today: one old man nearing his coffin, one dissolute wastrel, and one cripple—what kind of people were these? A whole family of failures!

He had undoubtedly overlooked a crucial point: Xuan Qi families were indeed powerful, but they were only one element. As a martial family of the Jianghu, unless he reached the legendary level of power that made one look down upon the world, as in Fengxue Yincheng, he still had to submit to worldly constraints! Even if the Jun family possessed no singular master, they represented the pinnacle of military authority! They could mobilize the nation's armed forces!

And whether among the Super Families or in the secular world, Power was the true force that could govern all things! Superb martial arts could, at most, kill a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand people, but it could never rule a nation, a city, or even a single village! But power could! This was the greatest, and insurmountable, difference between the Guan family and the Jun family!

To put it bluntly, the prestige of the Guan family was indeed considerable, but it was not enough to command the respect of a regional governor. The only reason the governor showed the Guan family deference was because the eldest daughter of the Guan family was the eldest grandson's wife in the Jun family—and for no other reason!

..."Happily escaped back today?" Jun Wuyi softly repeated the phrase, then suddenly looked up sharply: "Second Young Master Guan, are you saying you were involved in this afternoon's assassination attempt? Or did you plan and orchestrate it?!" Jun Wuyi’s gaze became like a sharp arrow, and an overwhelming, turbulent killing intent suddenly surged around him!

The previous arguments could be seen as the squabbles of the younger generation; considering the in-law relationship, Jun Wuyi naturally shouldn't have pushed too far. But the implications revealed in every word Guan Qingyue spoke truly enraged Jun Wuyi! For the first time today, he felt the urge to kill! How could the might of the Blood-Robed General be resisted by a novice youth?

"I didn't!" Guan Qingyue suddenly felt a chilling cold permeate his entire body, but he cried out in shock, "Assassination? What assassination? It was just a simple lesson! How could it become a real attempt to kill him? At that time, I didn't know Jun Moye was so hateful. If they truly intended to kill him, why would I have told them? If this Young Master truly wanted to plot his death, could a mere wastrel like him escape?"

As soon as these words were uttered, Jun Wuyi, Guan Dongliu, Guan Rushan, Guan Qinghan, and Jun Moye all sighed in unison. The situation was painfully clear: this Second Young Master Guan was merely a tool to be used in the eyes of that Lady Yue'er. After utilizing him to achieve certain goals in the East, she left for Tianxiang. And now, she was using him again to obtain Jun Moye's whereabouts and set up an ambush! And Guan Qingyue, this chess piece, was clearly now a discarded one!

Among those present, only Guan Qingbo and Guan Qinghan, being young and inexperienced, reacted slowly. Were the others not sharp operators? Even though the events revealed by Guan Qingyue were only a fraction, everyone could connect the dots and understand the beginning and end of the matter!

Guan Dongliu let out a long sigh, a hint of despair showing in his eyes. His second son had insulted the Jun family's only heir while in the Jun residence, and even threatened his life! That alone might have been manageable, perhaps smoothed over; but to have participated in the attempt to assassinate the Jun family's sole heir before that—

Guan Dongliu could easily imagine what fate awaited his son. He only felt sorrow; in just two days in Tianxiang City, his son had managed to commit one astounding, world-shattering, ghost-moving deed after another! And the most unbelievable thing was that every single one of these deeds was linked to Jun Moye, involving life and death!

"You idiot, you were used by that slut..." Guan Dongliu said weakly, "Qingyue, oh Qingyue, where has your usual sharpness gone? You actually stepped right into such a trap! We are in Tianxiang City now." He no longer even had the energy to scold his son.

"Used? Of course, I know!" Guan Qingyue's face twisted in pain, "When she was still in the East, she used me, and not just once. I knew it every time! But do you people know, I was happy to be used by her! I was willing to be used by her! I was truly happy!"

"I was truly happy!" Guan Qingyue almost roared, his once delicate and handsome features becoming terrifyingly savage and distorted, "Being used by her means I still had some value in her eyes. If she couldn't even be bothered to use me, then what value did I have? Just being a mere dandy, a second-generation wastrel?"

"I was willing to be used by her!" The young man's stubborn voice echoed through the hall, and instantly, the hall fell into profound silence, without a single dissenting sound. Two streams of tears finally burst from Guan Qingyue's eyes.

Jun Moye sighed. In his past life and this one, he had always been a man without sentiment. As the ultimate assassin, one must discard the heart and sever affections to truly be unburdened—the world and everyone in it was killable! Yet, as a martial artist striving for the pinnacle of the Dao, the Trial of Emotion (Qing Guan) was a barrier that must be crossed!

And the only barrier Jun Moye had never crossed was precisely the Trial of Emotion! Not that he couldn't, but that he dared not! Dared not—this was the single act that the world-renowned Evil Monarch Jun dared not attempt! The Trial of Emotion!

Since antiquity, the Trial of Emotion has been hard to conquer! How many peerless heroes and peerless beauties have fallen upon this trial? The word 'Qing' (Emotion/Love) has circulated through the ages, but how many have truly seen through it? One must first possess emotion, must invest oneself, before the trial can be overcome. But once immersed, most people burn their bodies, minds, and souls without regret! Tell me, what is this thing called 'Qing'? It compels one to pledge life and death for another!

At this moment, everyone present keenly felt the depth and pain of Guan Qingyue's devotion—it was a despair born of helplessness, a desolation born of powerlessness, a bewilderment born of having no future! Among them, Guan Qinghan felt it most intensely. In this world, if there were a man who would dedicate himself so unreservedly for her...

Mo Xin, "You have let me down..."

Jun Wuyi, having experienced a decade of unrequited love, naturally understood this hopeless emotion better and couldn't help but sigh, his killing intent greatly diminishing as a result.

For the first time, Jun Moye's expression showed respect! Although Guan Qingyue had caused him some harm, the depth of his devotion was worthy of admiration. Even though his affection was doomed to be fruitless. Because, no matter what, in Jun Moye's heart, Yue'er was not some irreplaceable goddess, but a woman who must be killed! Even if she were later willing to accept Guan Qingyue's feelings, Jun Moye would absolutely not allow such a woman to live on this earth! Sympathy was one thing, respect was another. It didn't mean that because one was deeply emotional, they should be allowed to act recklessly. If one's own safety was threatened, even if one's love was higher than the heavens and deeper than the sea, so what! Thus, Guan Qingyue was fated to be a tragedy! And this tragedy was now unavoidable!

Jun Moye exchanged a look with Jun Wuyi, who started in surprise, then understood, letting his eyes drift downward. If it were mere sympathy, Third Master Jun, who had a similar experience, truly sympathized with this lovesick man. But once this lovesick man threatened the safety of the Jun family members, it became an entirely different matter!

"I see now. The truth of the matter is laid bare; Second Brother Guan is truly a man devoted to love. I admire you, I truly do! The previous tension was an overreaction, perhaps just some minor jesting among young people. Why did you elders get involved?" Jun Moye displayed a rare magnanimity.

Towards anyone who poured their entire being into the Trial of Emotion, regardless of how pedantic or foolish their nature might be, Jun Moye felt a degree of admiration. Because he himself dared not enter that fray. Of course, even if he were a devoted lover, no matter how much Jun Moye admired him, when it came time to kill, the Great Killer Jun would not hold back in the slightest.