"Are the descendants of the Sima family any different?" Xiu'er smiled charmingly, her composure absolute.

Sima Lin was undeniably beautiful, yet her sudden movement struck a note of suspicion. With a single hand, she tilted up Xiu'er's chin, murmuring, "Xiu'er, you truly are beautiful!"

"What are you trying to do?" Murong Lianxue frowned, her gaze fixed upon Sima Lin, brimming with killing intent.

"Haha, little girl, you are quite adorable too!"

Xiu'er swiftly seized Sima Lin's hand, pushing it away, and laughed, "You 'comrade,' aren't you afraid of making yours jealous?"

"Her? What would she be jealous of? No matter how beautiful she is, she can't match the delicate charm on Zhuge Xiu's face!" Sima Lin offered a faint smile, glancing at Yang Yi. Suddenly, she employed the same teasing gesture toward him, "However, Xiu'er, your husband certainly has some skill. Look at how tense he is for you; it makes me quite envious!"

Indeed, at the very moment Sima Lin made her provocative move toward Yang Yi, something seemed to shift. The previously calm and refined Xiu'er turned utterly cold, radiating a killing aura no less potent than before. Yang Yi, the subject of the sudden tension, hadn't even fully reacted before seeing the usually gentle and peaceful Xiu'er become fiercely hostile—as if one more step from Sima Lin would result in Xiu'er slaying her without hesitation.

"But it seems I don't need to intervene," Xiu'er suddenly retracted her imposing presence, speaking with an unsettling oddity.

No sooner had the words fallen than a masked figure materialized behind Sima Lin. With one hand, this newcomer clamped down on the hand Sima Lin had used to stroke Yang Yi's chin, their voice chillingly flat: "Have you played enough?"

"Oh, my dear, you've arrived!" Sima Lin turned her head slightly to regard the newcomer, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Who are you?" From the newcomer, Yang Yi confirmed this was also a woman. However, due to the mask, her features were completely obscured, leaving no clue as to her identity. Yet, from her presence, Yang Yi sensed an immeasurable danger—a threat far more perilous than the mere thought of a thousand slain foes.

"The killer of the Rinan family in Vietnam, the current number one on the Dragon List, Tian Yi!" Xiu'er stated, fixing her gaze on the newcomer.

"The people of the Zhuge family have surfaced too?"

It was true; the figure who had appeared was the legendary Tian Yi, top of the Dragon List, whose face few in the world had ever seen, including Ye Han, for whom she had previously served. Nevertheless, this woman harbored a suspicion of infidelity, given the ambiguous, indefinable connection she shared with Sima Lin. In summation, they could be classified as 'lesbian companions.'

"What, you've all shown yourselves, and I'm not permitted to appear?" Xiu'er countered with a light laugh.

Yang Yi studied Sima Lin and Tian Yi for a long moment, his eyes gleaming with an intensely strange light. "Ladies, perhaps we should sit down and discuss this calmly?"

The current world contained too many formidable women, which also meant countless unbelievable occurrences. Digging for answers wasn't inherently wrong, but it required the right context. Yang Yi felt no necessity to become entangled with these two; achieving his objective was paramount, and employing a few tactics to do so was acceptable.

"The son of Yang Lingfeng, impressive, you might give Ye Han a run for his money. However, you must not be allowed to leave the domain of the Zhuge family's women."

"What do you mean by that?" Murong Lianxue understood that Tian Yi’s words were clearly aimed at insulting Yang Yi—a roundabout form of verbal assault that seemed uniquely suited to women.

But Murong Lianxue didn't grasp the reason for the insult, whereas Yang Yi did. He silenced Murong Lianxue with a gesture, showing no offense himself. "Miss Tian Yi, your assessment is flawed. I do not rely solely on one woman; I rely on many women, and sometimes even men."

"Well said! Excellently said," Sima Lin suddenly applauded. "One who knows how to utilize countless people—that is the path of a sovereign. Little handsome man, I find myself increasingly fond of you."

"Hmph!" Tian Yi let out a cold snort upon hearing Sima Lin praise Yang Yi.

The latter, however, shook his head. "Miss Sima, you are also mistaken."

"Oh? I'm mistaken?" Sima Lin found this young man increasingly fascinating; he was the complete antithesis of Ye Han. She had to admit, she was genuinely anticipating what might unfold next.

"Indeed. What I speak of as reliance is not exploitation. It is trust. It follows the principle of 'use without suspicion, suspect without use,' which shares a similar meaning but differs fundamentally in essence!" Yang Yi offered a faint smile.

"Trust?" Sima Lin seemed to grasp something and smiled. "Truly an interesting young man!"

"Very well, ladies, please be seated. Haven't we yet discussed the purpose of our meeting today?"

"No, it is perfectly clear."

"Perfectly clear?" Yang Yi felt a flicker of confusion. Why would Tian Yi suddenly declare that?

"Since the women of the Zhuge family have appeared, it signifies that the Assassin World can no longer interfere in any underworld affairs, including matters concerning your Yang family. Since Linlin is the head of the Assassin World, I naturally will not meddle in your business with Ye Han. Therefore, your objective today has already been achieved."

"That’s right. Starting tomorrow, the world's three major Assassin Guilds, along with smaller local assassin organizations, including this Tian Yi of the Dragon List and myself, Sima Lin, will not be involved in your affairs. Conversely, you must not interfere in ours, or the result will still be irreconcilable hostility!" Sima Lin stated with sudden seriousness.

"This...!" Yang Yi felt a shock ripple through him. What exactly was happening?

If what these two were saying was true, hadn't Yang Yi just severed a portion of Ye Han’s influence? It meant that Tian Yi and Sima Lin would no longer intervene in the conflict between Yang Yi and Ye Han, nor would they involve themselves with the Tian Gui or Tian Long lineages. Undeniably, this implied that Yang Yi’s goal in coming here had been met?

Seeing Xiu'er nod, Yang Yi suddenly shook his head. Sima Lin chuckled, "Xiu'er, it seems your husband still has much to learn. You’ll have quite a few stories to tell him later."

"That's none of your concern!"

"Very well, we won't concern ourselves with you, and you don't need to concern yourselves with us. Then, we shall take our leave. We hope that what comes next from you will be a bit more stimulating." With that, Sima Lin looped an arm around Tian Yi’s waist and departed.

Murong Lianxue watched them, utterly bewildered. She even began to question if she was foolish or slow-witted, as she felt completely lost as to why these two had suddenly shifted to this resolution.

"Brother Yi, they...!" Seeing Yang Yi unresponsive, Murong Lianxue called out again, "Brother Yi!"

"The two of them are lovers, and the Sima family dominates the Assassin World. They are both choosing not to interfere in your affairs because of the relationship between my Zhuge family and your Yang family," Xiu'er explained to Murong Lianxue.

"Lovers? What is that?" Murong Lianxue had somewhat guessed, but she was hesitant to accept it.

Xiu'er pursed her lips and gave a light smile. "They cannot be judged by the standards of the mundane world. However, according to the concepts of modern society, they are 'comrades'!"

"They're... comrades?" Murong Lianxue nearly fainted.

"Whether they are comrades or not is irrelevant to me. What concerns me is why they so easily decided not to interfere in the matter between me and Ye Han. What is the reason for this?" Yang Yi frowned, asking Xiu'er.

"Husband, you..." Xiu'er desperately wanted to tell him everything at once, but the time was not yet right. Thus, she could only endure. "Husband, please forgive Xiu'er; I cannot tell you much right now. All I can say is that this is related to your origins!"

"Origins? Origins again? My father again? And that damned mastermind?" Yang Yi felt a surge of frustration. For the first time, he felt like a puppet being controlled, deeply uncomfortable with the sensation.

He had believed he held control over everything, yet the events of these past days had been completely unexpected. In essence, he felt his carefully laid game board was collapsing, only to be reborn from the ashes—a constant cycle he had experienced countless times, and which he was undergoing even now.

"Husband!" Seeing Yang Yi's face turn ashen and cold, Xiu'er felt as if a thorn had pierced her heart.

Though she had only been by Yang Yi's side for a few days, she didn't know why, but deep in her heart, she felt that his sorrow became her sorrow. Especially seeing him like this now, Xiu'er felt a turbulent wave inside her, almost unable to resist the urge to reveal everything.

"Enough, enough! I must see just how many unbelievable things are waiting for me down the line!" Yang Yi murmured, rising to his feet. "Let's go!"

"The son of Yang Lingfeng? The next Sect Master of the Tian Long lineage—it makes sense that Tian Yi wouldn't interfere in his affairs." Sima Lin looked out the window from her dim chamber, watching the figures of Yang Yi and his group depart.

"Consider this repaying a favor to Yang Lingfeng now. After all, he once saved my life, and the dead deserve respect," Tian Yi stated, closing her eyes. "However, he will not inherit the position of the Tian Long lineage Sect Master."

"Why not?" Sima Lin turned to Tian Yi, inquiring.

"Because someone else is more suited to succeed as Sect Master!"

A sharp glint flashed in Sima Lin's eyes. "Could it be her?"

"Ye Han holds South Africa, Tibet, the three major sects, and the Tian Gui lineage. Currently, the two of them are on equal footing. It could be said that their rivalry inherits the legacy of the past Purple Forbidden City battle!" Tian Yi spoke mysteriously.

"Heh heh, things are getting more and more interesting. I’m curious to see how the final outcome plays out," Sima Lin turned back to gaze into the distance, murmuring to herself. Beside her, Tian Yi remained silent, her eyes closed in contemplation, clearly just as eager to see the final result.