Chapter 146: Explain Yourself, Young Master and A Very Dangerous Question ( Bonus GT Chaptet I )

Yu Liang looked at the terrified faces of Lin Xuehan and Lin Xiaoxiao, whose trembling bodies were on the verge of collapse under the oppressive pressure. Seeing their resolve to die just to protect him and Mei Hua, a warm, genuine touch of emotion flickered in his eyes.

He raised his hand and said with a voice. "Alright, that’s enough. Stand down."

The moment the words left his mouth, the five terrifying Nascent Soul pressures vanished instantly, as if they had never existed in the first place. The sudden release of tension caused Lin Xuehan to gasp greedily for air, her knuckles white colour faded as she finally managed to ease her hand off her sword hilt.

Yu Liang turned slightly toward the five shadowy figures standing around them. "Yan Ruo, Chen Lu, Hei Lang... you guys are getting entirely too dramatic with your entries."

Lin Xuehan’s brain went completely blank. Her eyes widened, her icy demeanor vanishing into a look of absolute, unadulterated shock.

Yan Ruo? Chen Lu? And This bear-kin looking Hei Lang?!

These were Nascent Soul titans powerhouses who possessed enough strength to tilt anything in their favour. And yet, the way they stood there, bowing their heads slightly in respect toward Yu Liang, made it abundantly clear... they weren’t enemies.

And how’s he talking with them are they his personal guards?

’Who in the world is my Young Master?!’ Lin Xuehan thought, her world completely flipping upside down. Hiring a Core Formation disciple like her was already considered a luxury in the sect, but having five Nascent Soul experts standing behind him as subordinates defied every law of common sense in the cultivation world.

Before Lin Xuehan could recover her sanity, Hei Lang, the massive bear kin cultivator scratched his head with an enormous hand.

"Boss, you can’t blame us! We felt a sudden sharp sword intent locked onto Miss Mei Hua the second we walked out. Of course we had to step in!"

Chen Lu leaned against a nearby wooden pillar.

"Indeed, Young Master. This young sword lady was about to unsheath her blade directly in front of Miss Mei Hua. If she hadn’t been standing right beside you, her corpse would already be growing cold on the ground."

Lin Xuehan felt a cold sweat break out down her back once more. She finally understood why they had reacted so harshly. They had mistaken her instinctive reaction to Mei Hua’s sudden arrival as an attack.

If Yu Liang hadn’t been there, she probably wouldn’t have survived at all.

Yan Ruo, her usual stern face softening as she stepped closer to Mei Hua, looked at Yu Liang with a playful, narrow eyed gaze.

"More importantly, Young Master... you left for the sect for such a short time and somehow returned with two beautiful young girls. Don’t you think you owe Miss Mei Hua an explanation? As her supporters, we might have to seek some justice on her behalf."

Yu Liang’s expression froze.

For the first time since returning, the calm and composed Yu Liang was genuinely caught off guard. The faint smile on his face stiffened, the corners of his lips twitching awkwardly as his eyes slowly widened. ’Why are they doing this?’ His gaze swept across the people surrounding him, as though silently hoping someone would realize the danger of what they had just said and immediately shut up.

’Don’t they know who their Young Master is? More importantly, don’t they know what Mei Hua would think?’ His eyes instinctively flickered toward Mei Hua, then immediately darted away when he realized that doing so would only make him look even more suspicious.

’Wait... what if she actually misunderstood?’ A bead of cold sweat seemed to form in his mind before it even reached his forehead. He could already imagine the situation spiraling completely out of control. He had only brought two people back.

’Two! How had that somehow turned into him needing to explain himself to his own woman in front of an audience? And why are they calling themselves her supporters, aren’t they mine too?!’ His expression became increasingly strained as he looked at the smug faces around him.

These people clearly know what they are doing. But They had no idea they were dragging him toward his grave with every word. ’No, no, this isn’t what it looks like. I can explain. Obviously I can explain.’

He opened his mouth, ready to clear up the misunderstanding before these so called supporters could make things even worse. "Actually, about that—"

Mei Hua burst into a light, melodic laugh, leaning her head against Yu Liang’s shoulder while looking at his ever changing expressions with deep affection.

He breath a sigh of relief knowing she hadn’t misunderstood him.

Then watching the five bodygaurds teasing him so casually, a gentle smile appeared on Yu Liang’s face. He remembered when he first rescued them, they were completely broken, scarred, and carried the heavy, suffocating trauma of their enslavement. Seeing them now, chatting, laughing, and bantering like this, he knew the shadows of their past had healed far faster than he had ever dared to hope.

Yu Liang turned back to the two frozen girls behind him, introducing them. "Mei, everyone... this is Lin Xuehan. She’s a Core Disciple from the sect whom I hired as my official bodyguard."

Lin Xuehan quickly pulled herself together, stepping forward and bowing deeply toward the five Nascent Soul experts and Mei Hua. "Core Disciple Lin Xuehan pays respects to the Seniors and to Mistress Mei Hua."

"And this," Yu Liang continued, "is Lin Xiaoxiao. For now, let’s just say she is my most important guest. I’m keeping her specific role a surprise for later."

Lin Xiaoxiao nervously bowed, her voice barely a whisper. "L-Lin Xiaoxiao pays respects..."

Mei Hua immediately stepped forward, gently took Xiaoxiao’s hands in her own. Her warm, sweet smile instantly melted Xiaoxiao’s lingering fear. "Welcome to Heaven’s Table, Xiaoxiao. Don’t be afraid of these giant softies, they might look intimidating, but they’re just family."

Yu Liang looked up at the grand, six structure complex covering the street, hearing the sound of music, laughter, and cheering floating out from the central courtyard.

Independent cultivators, staff, beast kin, and even some mortals were all sharing tea and celebrating together in complete harmony.

"Come on," Yu Liang said. "Let’s go inside. It looks like the party is just getting started."