Chapter 45: What Reason Do I Still Have to Refuse?

She simply hadn't expected it.

Now, the letter of annulment was no longer needed because Ye Liufeng was already dead.

"I suppose you wouldn't want to go about presenting yourself as Ye Liufeng forever, would you?"

Although he had no idea what Sheng Lanzhi was up to, Ye Liu-yun met her gaze and said with nonchalant indifference, "Well, there's no need for my dear sister-in-law to trouble herself over that."

"Don't call me sister-in-law!"

It was abundantly clear that Sheng Lanzhi truly loathed Ye Liufeng.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ye Liu-yun remained unbothered and continued, "As a matter of fact, I've already taken care of the identity issue. In just a few days, everyone will know that Ye Liufeng is dead, and that I am actually his twin brother, Ye Liu-yun!"

Ye Liu-yun still had a great deal of confidence in how Yan Shuzhu handled things.

He had originally intended to confess the truth in a few days, never expecting such a scene to erupt today. Still, it didn't really have much of an impact.

"You really are quite something, aren't you?"

Seeing that Ye Liu-yun claimed to have already resolved the identity issue, Sheng Lanzhi did not question him. Instead, she let out a sigh of admiration, growing all the more convinced that the former Ye Liufeng had been nothing more than a good-for-nothing waste of space.

"Indeed I am!"

Seeing Sheng Lanzhi offer such praise, Ye Liu-yun smiled as well. "It's just a pity that you won't be able to use this matter to hold anything over me anymore!"

The ambition and refusal to live an ordinary life that lingered between Sheng Lanzhi's brows were something Ye Liu-yun could perceive at a single glance. She had likely intended to use the identity issue to manipulate him, but alas, he wasn't going to give her the chance.

"Heh!"

At this, Sheng Lanzhi merely offered a gentle, poised smile, showing no intention of refuting him.

Clearly, she had indeed harbored the thought of using the situation to threaten Ye Liu-yun. Yet, even when her intentions were laid bare, there was not the slightest trace of panic on her face, nor any attempt at deliberate concealment—she had simply spoken it straight out into the open.

"Although I have no idea how you actually managed to pull it off, without the identity of Ye Liufeng, you will inevitably face alienation and exclusion within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I can help you."

Sheng Lanzhi was keenly aware of one fact.

With her father gone, even though she held control over quite a few shops and commercial properties, she wasn't necessarily guaranteed to keep hold of them. That was why she wanted to rope Ye Liu-yun into an alliance.

However!

"What you say is indeed entirely possible, but—"

Under normal circumstances, exclusion would certainly be a possibility.

However...

"I imagine there are very few people who would dare to openly and flagrantly target an Innate Martial Artist!"

"???"

Target an Innate Martial Artist?

What was the meaning of this? After a brief moment of stupefaction, Sheng Lanzhi seemed to realize something, and the look she directed toward Ye Liu-yun turned nothing short of incredulous.

Sheng Lanzhi did not believe Ye Liu-yun would bluff about a matter of this magnitude, which was precisely why she was so profoundly astonished.

"How on earth did you pull that off?"

"Natural endowment, I suppose."

Shrugging, short of claiming it was natural talent, Ye Liu-yun could hardly tell her straight out that he was relying on a cheat system.

Sheng Lanzhi was temporarily left speechless.

If Ye Liu-yun truly was an Innate Martial Artist, then all the problems she had just mentioned ceased to be problems at all. This world was desperately realistic; when you were formidable, everyone around you became your friend.

Yet precisely because of this realization, the gaze Sheng Lanzhi cast upon Ye Liu-yun grew increasingly radiant.

He was already an Innate Martial Artist now—what would he achieve in the future?

"If there's nothing else, then I'll—"

Seeing that Sheng Lanzhi kept staring at him in silence, Ye Liu-yun thought nothing of it and immediately prepared to get up and head back.

At that moment, however, she spoke.

"I can remarry you."

"???"

Good grief! Even with Ye Liu-yun's formidable composure, upon hearing those words, he couldn't help but freeze in shock.

"Although I was wed to Ye Liufeng, we never once shared a bed. On that day, Ye Liufeng was the one who intended to kill you; back then, while I may not have cared for you, I never once wished for your demise."

To prevent any potential misunderstandings, Sheng Lanzhi felt it necessary to offer an explanation.

At the time, Sheng Lanzhi had merely told Ye Liufeng that if he were promoted to the rank of a Centurion while having a twin brother who did nothing but bully the weak and women, it would severely damage his reputation. Her original intention had been for Ye Liufeng to send Ye Liu-yun out of the imperial capital to live in a remote, quiet town, never to return.

Yet Ye Liufeng had sought a permanent solution to banish all future trouble, opting directly to have Ye Liu-yun killed.

Of course, while Sheng Lanzhi hadn't explicitly demanded that Ye Liufeng take such a step, she hadn't made any move to stop him at the time either. Sheng Lanzhi was an intensely pragmatic person.

"Listen to me finish first."

Noticing that Ye Liu-yun was about to speak, Sheng Lanzhi forestalled him.

"Even though my father is gone, back when he was still striving to retain his grip on power even after stepping down, he married off quite a few of my older and younger sisters."

Sheng Li had not been blessed with Sheng Lanzhi as his only daughter.

Much like how he had married Sheng Lanzhi off to the former Ye Liufeng, Sheng Li had disposed of his other daughters through marriage as well. Furthermore, Sheng Lanzhi had opportunities to leverage the connections and networks of these nominal brothers-in-law.

"Not only that, but the shops under my control are numerous. If you want them, I can hand them all over to you. I imagine you wouldn't relish having to deal with household matters every day after returning from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would you?"

"With me by your side, you can focus entirely on doing whatever you wish to do—whether it's martial arts cultivation or anything else. With the inner courtyard managed by me, you won't have to worry about a thing."

It had to be said, her proposal was truly tempting.

Ye Liu-yun genuinely detested troublesome matters, nor was he the sort to go around shouting that he had no room for women in his heart because his blade alone brought divinity.

Had he been that kind of person, he wouldn't have frequented establishments like the Jiaofang Division in the past.

Sheng Lanzhi understood the weight of bargaining chips, which was why she laid out everything she could offer in one breath.

There was a good reason people said strength was a truly wonderful thing. If he hadn't possessed the prowess of an Innate Martial Artist, he would likely have been chased out of the courtyard by now.

"I..."

No matter how one looked at it, Sheng Lanzhi was still his nominal sister-in-law. Even though Ye Liufeng was dead, for her to remarry him like this—wasn't that a bit difficult to justify in the eyes of others?

Sensing Ye Liu-yun's hesitation and contemplation, Sheng Lanzhi slowly produced a booklet and placed it before him.

"?"

First came bewilderment, but once he clearly read the characters inscribed on the cover, Ye Liu-yun understood what it meant.

*Phantom Ninefold Incarnation*

This was a martial arts manual. With Ye Liu-yun's eye for such things, a swift perusal was enough for him to ascertain that this was a remarkably brilliant movement technique.

In terms of quality, it reached the pinnacle tier, matching his previous *Azure Sun Vigor*.

Yet, when it came to cultivation, it lacked the harsh restrictions inherent to the *Azure Sun Vigor*.

"I know you have a fondness for martial arts. Given time, I can track down plenty more brilliant manuals for you!"

"..."

Ye Liu-yun was no longer lacking in innate talent traits; his current collection of purple-tier traits was already more than sufficient.

The only thing he lacked was martial arts manuals.

Quietly tucking the manual away without a ripple of emotion, Ye Liu-yun looked back at Sheng Lanzhi, a warm, affable smile blooming across his face.

"Since you've already put it that way, what possible reason do I have to refuse?"