To his surprise, Qingya first offered Lin Caivi a sincere apology, then with a curious air said, "Chen Jie, by now I'm not afraid to tell you the truth—he's my boyfriend." Qin's heart sank instantly. Damn it, he'd been outplayed by this girl again. "Boyfriend... boyfriend?" Chen's rosy cheeks turned as pale as the bottom of a pot. "Yes, that's exactly why I've been avoiding you." The beautiful Inspector was quite straightforward—she hadn't realized that her expression was remarkably similar to that of her colleague when he played a prank. Qin Feng had expected this delicate, effeminate young man to be furious, but instead, he found him eyes glistening with tears, saying, "Yaya, why must it be this way? We've grown up together since childhood, and our family elders have always hoped we'd end up together." The beautiful woman frowned, her expression stiff. "Who says that growing up together means we must be together? After all, we've only been close since childhood. I can only consider you my good friend—how could I possibly marry you?" My goodness, with such a phrase as 'good friend,' Tao Xue will surely feel utterly embarrassed, Qin Shao thought, stroking his chin in quiet disbelief. Yet once again, he was left utterly disappointed. Tao Xue raised his voice eight degrees higher, saying, "Why can't good friends be together? I truly love you, and in my heart, I can't bear anyone else. I don't mind if you have a boyfriend—just as long as you're willing to set aside a small corner of your heart for me, I'll be content." "Ah, I'm so cold... Qin Shao couldn't help but chuckle. It seems your well-laid plans have come to nothing, Niu'er. Qingya felt her strategy of diverting the waters—though not quite as elegant as she'd hoped—was somewhat clumsy, mainly because this Peach Blossom Brother before her was so unusual. If it were anyone else, they'd have already begun dueling with Qin Feng. No, she'd have to keep adding more ingredients. With a serious tone, she said, "Chen Jie, I've never truly cared for you. Stop dreaming about it." "Why?" Chen Jie, the Peach Blossom Brother, glared fiercely, finally showing a touch of masculine presence. Qingya fixed her gaze on Qin Shao, her voice full of warmth and sincerity, saying, "Because all I've ever cared about is him. Do you know? I'm drawn to strong, masculine men—men who carry the vigor of a man, not someone as delicate and soft as you, who's more like a woman. In that respect, Qin Feng is far superior to you." Qin Shao couldn't help but straighten up proudly, thinking to himself: "Well, "The beauty cut off what she wanted to say, saying, 'Look at you! You claim your heart belongs only to me, yet I've been outbid by other men. You're completely indifferent—how can you still call yourself a man? I think you should stop calling yourself Chen Jie. From now on, just call yourself Chen Jie—Chen Sister, perhaps?' 'Haha, Chen Sister—that's a great name!' Qin Feng couldn't help but burst into laughter, not noticing the subtle glance from Lin Caivé. To add more flavor, Qingya turned her gaze to the Peach Brother with a look of disdain, a clear contrast to her earlier affectionate expression. The Peach Brother grew furious, his face flushing red and then green. Grasping his fists, he said, 'Since you prefer strong, decisive men, then I'll show you. Qin, the young man, dare to challenge me? I'll make Qingya realize from the ground up who the true strong one really is.' 'Oh! Challenge me!' He was startled, only now realizing that Lin Caivé had given a slight frown, while Qingya's expression was full of amusement. Well, he's finally been outwitted His mind began to spin rapidly. Qingya possessed peak strength at the Yuan Sheng level. Since this peach-blossom brother had grown up with her since childhood, her strength was surely not to be underestimated. Niu'er, are you trying to kill me? Just as he was about to open his mouth to ease the tension, Qingya stepped in first: "Little Feng, go ahead and fight him. Show some male courage—defeat a 'masc' like this, with your strength, you've more than enough. " The peach-blossom brother was furious, his face—normally so handsome—now twisted and distorted, his teeth nearly crushed. In his mind, Qin Daxiao had already been categorized as an enemy to be fought to the death. "Hey, I'm not even your father's killer, Chen姐—what's the big deal, looking at me like this?" Qin asked, rolling his eyes. "Qin, today we must settle this—watch out!" The peach-blossom brother launched his flying sword. Thud— The two swords collided, sending sparks flying. Qin Feng's sword clearly wasn't holding up well, with a clear crack forming on its surface. I had thought his ornately decorated flying sword was just a decorative piece, like a embroidered pillow—yet here he proves himself truly impressive. "Xiao Feng, what's going on? That sword was the one I gave you, our token of love and commitment!" Qingya exclaimed, her tone clearly displeased—words that only added fuel to the fire. "Why is that? Are your family members blind? They must insist on marrying you off to this effeminate man—even if you've been childhood friends, your happiness should still matter, shouldn't it?" Lin Meiren expressed her confusion. She scowled, adding, "Who could have thought the effeminate side comes from a renowned alchemy family? Their medicinal concoctions are even admired by Laojun himself. If I marry into that family, my clan will gain access to a large number of premium elixirs—enough to help countless individuals who otherwise wouldn't qualify for ascension fulfill their long-held dreams." Lin Caiwei finally understood—it was yet another political alliance, made at the expense of young women's personal happiness, for the sake of familial interests. As someone who had once been a victim of such a transaction, she naturally found herself siding with Qingya. The female inspector smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry. Even if you can't defeat him with your flying swords, Qin Feng still has the Hou Tian Hammer." "That's true, indeed," Lin Meiren said, finally at ease. But at this moment, Qin Shao was as helpless as a mute drinking honeysuckle tea—his bitter complaints could only be expressed in silence. After several clashes of his flying swords, he had been completely outmatched. Though Tao Xiang appeared rather effeminate, he was truly no less determined when it came to fighting. This was primarily due to the difference in rank—after all, Tao Xiang was a junior True Immortal. If he weren't just a decorative figure, he would have already secured victory over Qin Feng. "I thought you were quite impressive, Qin," Tao Xiang said, with a dismissive air, her fingers curled elegantly.