Chapter 448: The Private Talk |
Wang Haoran thought long and hard before saying those words. Yun Churan’s current level of favorability was far too low—there was no chance she would obediently follow orders. And since he wanted to focus his attention on dealing with Qin Fan, he didn’t want to waste any time playing games with her.
But letting her return to her sect without any restrictions wasn’t an option either. If he allowed her to go back freely, she’d eventually become part of another powerful alliance through marriage, just like before.
Wang Haoran wasn’t willing to see that happen, but he also didn’t have the time to slowly reel her in. So, taking advantage of her misunderstanding, he made his move now.
The hidden technique he just used on Yun Churan was far beyond what even a grandmaster could achieve. Only someone with two hundred years of internal energy cultivation could pull it off.
Yun Churan might not be at the peak of strength yet, but being raised in a major sect meant she had the knowledge and awareness to understand how dangerous that technique truly was.
With that level of force hanging over her head, she wouldn’t dare act recklessly. Unless she was willing to drag her entire sect into the grave with her, she had no choice but to back down.
And judging by her constant concern for her sect’s reputation and future, that was never going to happen.
As long as he kept her in check for now, he’d have plenty of time to handle her properly after Qin Fan was dealt with.
When Yun Churan heard Wang Haoran’s demand, she froze for several seconds before finally snapping out of it and protesting with a glare.
In her mind, someone powerful enough to surpass even her father had to be incredibly old. He was probably at least eighty—maybe even past a hundred. No matter how much she cared about the interests of her sect, there was no way she was going to marry some wrinkled old man with white hair.
“Fine. I respect your decision,” Wang Haoran said with a smile, then turned toward the empty air and casually added, “Senior, I’ll leave it to you.”
As he spoke, he subtly manipulated the flow of internal energy around them.
Yun Churan immediately felt the invisible net binding her body begin to tighten. The pressure grew heavier by the second. If this kept going, she had no doubt that she would die here and now.
“Wait! We can talk! Just tell him to stop!” she panicked, her voice trembling.
“You’re not in any position to negotiate,” Wang Haoran replied calmly. “If you die, your sect will be joining you soon after.”
Yun Churan’s face went pale with terror.
She knew very well that someone with that kind of terrifying cultivation level could wipe out an entire sect without much effort.
“I… I’ll do it. I agree!” she shouted, her voice full of desperation. She had no desire to die, and dragging her sect into it was even more unthinkable.
“That’s all it took to break you?” Wang Haoran mocked, his tone full of disdain.
Yun Churan clenched her teeth, struggling to swallow her anger. If she had the strength, she’d beat this bastard until he begged for mercy. But all she could do was grit her teeth and say, “A smart woman knows when to retreat.”
Watching her try to save face, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but laugh.
Once her body was released from the invisible restraint, Yun Churan turned slowly in place, scanning the surroundings in every direction. She hoped to catch a glimpse of the expert who had subdued her so easily.
But all she saw were ordinary students, walking and chatting in the sunlight. Not a single elderly figure in sight.
She eventually gave up. A hidden master like that wouldn’t show himself unless he wanted to. It didn’t matter how hard she searched—if he didn’t want to be seen, he wouldn’t be.
Turning back to Wang Haoran, she frowned and asked, “Which hidden sect are you from? You must be the heir of some top-tier family, right?”
Wang Haoran glanced at her strangely. “Why? Are you planning to arrange a marriage between our sects and marry me instead?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Yun Churan snapped. “I may care about my sect’s interests, but I still have standards. At the very least, my future husband shouldn’t look like some weakling from the mundane world.”
Wang Haoran narrowed his eyes slightly. “I look weak to you?”
“If you weren’t, why would you need a bodyguard?” she fired back, smirking.
Wang Haoran blinked in surprise, then chuckled softly.
She wasn’t wrong. Someone with real strength wouldn’t need protection. Especially not in the secular world, where true threats were rare.
“Go on, get out of here,” he said lazily, waving her away.
Realizing she overstayed her welcome, Yun Churan didn’t argue. She had to return to her sect anyway—too much had happened here in Qingling, and it all needed to be reported as soon as possible.
—
That same afternoon, inside the Finance Department building, in Professor Liu Yue’s office…
“Professor Liu, it’s been quite a few days now.” Lin Mo stood at her desk, politely asking, “Can we finally schedule that lecture session for me?”
After that embarrassing incident on the basketball court, Lin Mo laid low for a while. Now that he had adjusted his mindset, he was ready to make a comeback and work toward raising his Approval Points. And teaching a class was easily the best way to do that.
“Hmm, let me check the schedule,” Liu Yue said calmly.
She had no objections to the request. After all, she promised him the opportunity before—only things had been delayed due to Wang Haoran’s interference.
“Class 113, second period this afternoon,” she said after glancing at the timetable. “You’ll be teaching them.”
Lin Mo’s eyes lit up with excitement. He nodded quickly and turned to leave, but after only a few steps, he stopped and turned back around.
“Professor Liu, that Wang Haoran guy is in Class 113. You remember what happened last time, right?”
“I remember,” Liu Yue nodded. “But it was just a small conflict. He’s already caused trouble once. I’ll be there to observe this time—he shouldn’t act up again.”
But Lin Mo wasn’t convinced. Last time, Liu Yue promised the same thing, but then she bailed mid-class to go chat with her boyfriend.
Not wanting to take any risks this time, Lin Mo pressed further. “I really think you should talk to him first, just in case. Otherwise, I’ll be teaching with one eye over my shoulder the entire time.”
“Alright,” Liu Yue agreed with a nod.
She had always been fond of Lin Mo. He was one of her best graduate students—diligent, disciplined, and eager to learn. She genuinely wanted to give him a chance to gain experience. If he performed well, he could be promoted to a full university lecturer, which would reflect positively on her as well.
With that in mind, she picked up her phone and made a call.
“Come to my office,” she said over the line, her tone carrying the authority she used when speaking to students.
After ending the call, she looked back at Lin Mo. “You should head out for now. I’ll talk to him one-on-one.”
Lin Mo wanted to stay and eavesdrop but knew it would be inappropriate. “Alright, I’ll get going then,” he said before leaving the office.
Not long after, the door swung open without warning.
Wang Haoran strolled in without knocking, sat down in the chair across from Liu Yue, and casually asked, “What’s up?”