After saying okay, the subordinates of Young Master Lin Youming were all struck dumb.
For a moment, no one reacted. It was as if the word itself had sucked the air out of the hall.
Several of them even wondered if they had misheard. Okay? That was it? No anger, no hesitation, no bargaining?
"Young Master—!" one of them finally shouted, stepping forward in panic. His voice cracked halfway, betraying years of loyalty mixed with raw fear. "You can't possibly mean that okay!"
Another hurried to his side, bowing so deeply his forehead almost touched the cold stone floor. "Please reconsider! This matter cannot be treated lightly. This is not some trivial injury you can heal with pills!"
The others quickly joined in, forming a tight half-circle around Lin Youming, as if their bodies alone could block him from making the worst mistake of his life. Their expressions were strained, brows knotted, eyes filled with alarm and disbelief.
"Young Master, listen to us just this once," one of the older retainers said, his voice heavy and urgent. "If you cripple your middle dantian, you will lose everything you have cultivated so far. Everything. Decades of effort, countless resources, all turned into nothing."
"Yes!" another added quickly. "Your spiritual energy will scatter. The qi you refined will no longer answer your call. Even if you try to cultivate again, it will not be the same path!"
They spoke over one another, words tumbling out in a chaotic rush, each afraid that if they stopped even for a breath, Lin Youming might act.
Lin Youming rolled his eyes.
The gesture was casual, almost lazy, but it struck them harder than any shout. He tilted his head slightly and looked at them as if they were making a fuss over spilled tea.
"Why can't I do it?" he asked, genuinely curious.
The question stunned them into silence for a brief second.
"Why… can't you?" the older retainer echoed, his lips trembling. "Young Master, do you even understand what the middle dantian means to an immortal cultivator?"
"It is the foundation of your path!" another said, voice rising. "Your lower dantian gathers qi, your upper dantian tempers spirit, but the middle dantian is what binds everything together. It is the bridge! The core!"
"If you destroy it," someone else said hoarsely, "even if you live, you will live as a crippled cultivator. No matter how many pills you swallow or how many techniques you attempt, your old cultivation will never return!"
"You would have to start from the very beginning," one of them said, almost pleading now. "From Qi Refinement. From scratch. And even then, the heavens may not allow you to walk the same road again!"
As they spoke, Lin Youming's expression finally moved. His brows drew together slightly, and his gaze unfocused, as if their words had finally pierced through his indifference.
Inside his chest, something tightened.
Start over?
All his cultivated energy… useless?
For a brief instant, shock flashed through his eyes.
But then, just as quickly, it vanished.
Inside his mind, another image surfaced, clear and impossible to ignore. A translucent screen. Gleaming words. A reward so absurd, so tempting, that it made his heart thrum faster just thinking about it.
There was no way he would be affected.
Outwardly, he might look like a cripple. A fallen young master who had destroyed his own future.
But with the system, nothing would change.
He would still cultivate. Still growing stronger. Still step on the heavens themselves if he wished.
His lips curled into a faint smile.
"Those rules," he said lightly, "are for normal cultivators."
The subordinates froze.
"They're not for me," Lin Youming continued, his eyes sharpening as he straightened his back. "I am the chosen young master of the heavens."
His voice rang clearly through the hall, carrying an arrogant certainty that made several of them shudder.
"So shut up," he added bluntly. "Stop barking about my mission. I already said it. I'm not letting my wives divorce me."
Before anyone could respond, a clear, ringing laugh cut through the tension.
"Hahahaha!"
Shangguan WanWan covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes bright with mockery. "You really made me laugh."
She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Lin Youming as if she were seeing him for the first time. "Ignorant. Truly ignorant."
Her laughter faded, replaced by a cold seriousness that made the air feel heavier.
"If you cripple your middle dantian," she said slowly, each word precise, "that is the end of your journey in immortal cultivation."
She lifted her chin slightly. "This is not a matter of opinion. This is not a rumor. It is the law of heaven."
She began to explain, her voice calm but merciless, as if delivering a verdict.
"The middle dantian governs circulation. It is where your qi stabilizes and transforms. Destroy it, and the harmony of your body collapses. Even if you gather qi again, it will scatter like sand through broken fingers."
"The heavens are fair in their cruelty," she continued. "They allow one path, not shortcuts. Once broken, it cannot be mended. This is why no sane cultivator would ever do such a thing."
As she spoke, the subordinates nodded vigorously, as if her words were a lifeline.
"That's right."
"Madam Shangguan speaks the truth."
"This is common knowledge among cultivators."
Lin Youming listened, hands behind his back, expression calm.
When she finished, he chuckled.
"Isn't immortal cultivation about going against the heavens?" he asked casually. "If everyone followed the rules, what would be the point?"
That single sentence drained the color from their faces.
They stared at him, some with disbelief, others with despair.
This time… the young master really seemed out of it.
Lin Youming laughed at their expressions. Of course they didn't understand. How could they? They didn't know what a system was. They didn't know what it meant to cheat destiny itself.
Shangguan WanWan's gaze hardened. "No wonder your subordinates dictate how you act. No wonder you let them decide how you treat us."
She shook her head. "There is something wrong in your head."
Lin Youming sneered. "You'll understand in the future."
He looked at all three women. "So? Deal? If I cripple my middle dantian, none of you will divorce me."
Silence fell.
Liu Mei Mei bit her lip, unable to speak.
Then Cai Cai Yun stepped forward.
"I won't divorce you anymore," she said softly. "Just… don't do this to yourself. Please don't cripple your cultivation, husband."
Lin Youming froze.
What?
She… cared?
The original owner's memories stirred uneasily inside him. Confusion flashed through his mind.
Why would she care this much?
Suddenly, the system appeared.
Mission Complete 1/3.
Cai Cai Yun: Divorce Cancelled.
The subordinates seized the chance immediately.
"Yes, yes! Listen to Madam!"
"She's right!"
"Please, Young Master!"
Lin Youming raised his hand, stopping them.
"In the past," he said slowly, "I treated them badly because I listened to all of you."
His gaze swept across the room. "From now on, I'll listen to my heart."
He paused, then added, "And sometimes my wife."
A system screen flickered into existence.
Devotion detected.
Affection: Middle.
Pampering Points +10.
Lin Youming smiled.
Hehehe. I really want to see how far this system can go.
"Then listen to me," Cai Cai Yun pleaded. "Don't destroy yourself for us."
"No," Lin Youming said gently, stopping her. "Wife, I know I should listen to you now. But I can't."
He looked at all three of them. "I made you suffer. This is how I repay it."
Spiritual qi surged.
He struck his chest.
The hall erupted in shock.
"WHAT—?!"
Even the wives were left speechless.
The system flashed once more before his eyes.
Mission Complete 2/3.
Shangguan WanWan: Divorce Cancelled.