Lu Ran was completely stunned, staring at the person in front of him in disbelief. His fingers trembled as he covered his mouth.

He had never been beaten like this before, from childhood to adulthood.

Not to mention that the person in front of him is his father!

His father, who loved him the most.

How could he possibly...?

"father?"

Lu Ran called out to Lu Tianya, but Lu Tianya's gaze was not gentle as before, only filled with anger.

That fool! He knew he couldn't keep secrets, which is why he didn't tell him about the ancestor's serious illness.

But little did anyone expect that he would cause such a huge disaster!

"Apologize! Apologize to this young lady!"

For a moment, not only Lu Ran, but everyone present was stunned.

Just who is this white firefly?

The head of the Lu family didn't even stand on his son's side, but instead stood on Bai Ying's side!

Lu Ran looked at his father with an expression of utter disbelief, as if he couldn't believe it even if he were to die.

To him, Bai Ying was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, even though she had a high level of cultivation and could be considered a prodigy.

But what kind of geniuses hasn't the Lu family seen in this Northern Yuan Prefecture?

When had he ever seen his father so protective of such a young man?

Lu Tianya continued, "You scoundrel! How dare you offend Miss Bai?"

As he spoke, he grabbed Lu Ran by the collar and forced him down in front of Bai Ying. "Quickly, apologize to Miss Bai!"

Lu Ran's face turned bright red, and his eyes were full of fierceness. He was not convinced by Bai Ying at all.

He pointed at Bai Ying and shouted at Lu Tianya, "Father! You don't know yet, do you? She's been cursed with a demonic spell and won't live much longer."

This is what Lin Yuan told Lu Ran telepathically when they were dealing with Bai Ying. Lin Yuan instructed him to further deplete Bai Ying's spiritual power.

At this moment, Lu Ran disregarded everything and spoke out to Lu Tianya.

"She's not worth your effort to win her over; she's a dying woman!"

It would have been better if Lu Ran hadn't said those words; after they were spoken, Lu Tianya's eyes were filled with an rage that looked like he wanted to devour Lu Ran.

What an idiot! How could you say something like that, which is so hurtful, in public?

"You bastard!" Fearing that Bai Ying would take her anger out on the entire Lu family because of Lu Ran, Lu Tianya suddenly kicked his son in the inside of his knee.

The kick was incredibly powerful. Caught off guard, Lu Ran felt a sharp pain in his knee and involuntarily lurched forward, kneeling down directly in front of Bai Ying with a thud.

Lu Tianya's face was so dark it seemed like it could drip water. He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Apologize!"

The voice was deep and authoritative, like a muffled rumble of thunder rolling through the air. Although it was just those two short words, Lu Ran knew in his heart that his father was truly enraged this time. His legs trembled slightly from the pain, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but at this moment he dared not disobey in the slightest. He could only obediently kneel on the ground, raise his head, and say to Bai Ying, "Miss Bai, I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"

However, although Lu Ran said sorry, his eyes were filled with venom, full of resentment.

He was already thinking about how to kill Bai Ying while his father was away.

Anyway, she was under the spell of the Heart Demon. As soon as the spell was activated, he would immediately end her life.

Bai Ying looked at Lu Ran's eyes and laughed with a hint of mockery.

Are you plotting how to kill me?

Bai Ying's words sent a chill down Lu Tianya's spine.

He glanced at his son, his heart filled with fury.

His son is arrogant and petty. He had already warned him like that, yet he still dared to look at Bai Ying with such eyes.

"Smack!"

He slammed his fist on Lu Ran's arm, breaking his own son's arm in front of everyone.

"ah!"

Lu Ran immediately let out a scream of extreme pain, the sound echoing in the silent space like that of a wounded wild beast.

Veins bulged on his forehead, large beads of sweat rolled down his face, and his complexion turned deathly pale. His once intact arm was now bent in an extremely bizarre position, the bone seemingly piercing through the flesh, and blood gushed from the wound, staining his clothes red, dripping onto the ground in a horrifying sight.

“Miss Bai, this is my fault for failing to raise my son properly. I apologize to you on behalf of Lu Ran. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against him.”

"I have plenty of sons; if this one disobeys, I'll just cripple him! Just don't spoil Miss Bai's mood."

Lu Tianya's ruthlessness and decisiveness terrified everyone.

They couldn't help but look at Bai Ying, wondering who she was and why Lu Tianya had crippled his own son's arm for her sake.

Upon hearing his father's words, which were as cold and sharp as a blade, and realizing that he was about to be abandoned, Lu Ran felt a surge of anger rush to his head. His vision went black, and in his panic, he fell straight backward and fainted completely.

Lu Tianya didn't even glance at him, and said directly to Bai Ying, "Miss Bai, please come in. We've been waiting for you for quite some time."

Bai Ying frowned slightly as she followed Lu Tianya inside.

Inside the Lu family's main residence, the condition of Lu Boyuan, the family's patriarch, was extremely poor, and he could die at any moment.

Lu Tianya said to Bai Ying, "Miss Bai, please cure my ancestor's illness. As long as you can cure my ancestor, you can ask for whatever you want."

Bai Ying did not rush to treat Lu Boyuan, but said, "I need twenty bottles of Dragon Marrow Liquid, ten Dragon Roar Grass stalks, and twenty Blue Moon Grass stalks."

Bai Ying had no connection with the Lu family, so since they needed her help to treat the illness, they naturally had to provide payment.

The reward Bai Ying offered was materials she desperately needed to remove her inner demon curse. Although precious, they were nothing compared to the life of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Lu family members were clearly surprised that Bai Ying actually made a request, and their faces instantly turned ugly.

Although Bai Ying mentioned a small quantity of herbs, they were extremely difficult to obtain. The Lu family members frowned deeply.

They've only managed to accumulate thirty bottles of Dragon Marrow Liquid over the years, yet Bai Ying is asking for twenty. That's truly outrageous.

I heard before that she treated several Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but she didn't ask for anything! Now she's asking for so much at their house!

Lu Tianya clenched his fingers tightly and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fine!"