Hua Li, unable to get a response from Hua Zhen, couldn't help but glance into the courtyard and discovered that his proud backer had fallen. Finally, he struggled and screamed in terror.

"I...I won't get married! I won't get married! Put me down, please put me down! I want my grandfather!"

That's more like it! You dare to covet the female lead? You really don't know what death means.

Yin Ming glanced at Ling Yao discreetly. Although his expression remained calm and composed, you would be wrong to think that he didn't care at all.

You know what the calm before the storm is? You little brat, you should hurry up and thank him for saving your life. Consider this a small lesson for you. Luckily, you haven't made a big mistake yet, or you'd be crippled if not dead.

Yin Ming thought for a moment and destroyed the old man's dantian. He then destroyed the little brat's dantian as well, as punishment for their evil deeds. Buy one get one free, isn't that a great deal? No need to be too grateful to him.

This was done, of course, to prevent the grandfather and grandson from seeking revenge in the future. The male lead couldn't stay in Yaocheng forever; if such a troublemaker remained, the female lead's family would be in dire straits.

"You've ruined my cultivation, and the city lord's wife is beyond saving, hahaha..." the old man struggled, trying to derive a sense of pleasure from the tragedy of others.

"Excuse me, as far as I know, there are two solutions for evil energy entering the body. One is that only the one who tied the knot can untie it; whoever did it can take back the evil energy, which is you. The other one... you should know, right?" Yin Ming deliberately teased him, "Just a friendly reminder, the city lord's wife has already been cured."

Hua Zhen glared, dragged his body, which had been crippled by his dantian, and helped the frail Hua Li to his feet. With trembling fingers, he cursed and insulted Yin Ming and the other two.

Yin Ming chose to ignore this. If the curse were to come true, those who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals would be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Yin Ming didn't have the heart to kill them. Anyway, once their dantian was destroyed, they could no longer cultivate. These two clowns wouldn't amount to anything.

Furthermore, judging from this old man's behavior, he must have bullied people quite a bit by taking advantage of his cultivation level.

Now that he has lost all his cultivation, there are plenty of people who want to deal with him, so Yin Ming won't bother.

"You two young heroes have done me a great favor again. Please accept my bow!" Words could not express the city lord's gratitude. He lifted his robe and bent his knees to kneel down.

Yin Ming quickly stepped forward to stop him. This was the male lead's father-in-law; this was no good. "It's a small matter; there's no need to worry about it."

Yao Fu shook his head and insisted on bowing to Yin Ming and the other person: "How can this be considered a small matter?"

"Hua Zhen has actually broken through to the fifth realm. No wonder he is so confident. I was careless and reckless."

"If it weren't for you two young heroes, I, Yao, would surely be doomed today. I have decided to host a banquet tonight to repay your kindness, and I urge you both to grace me with your presence."

Actually, upon closer reflection, this incident is also part of the butterfly effect—according to the original plot, the two siblings would have had a hard time surviving against the Purple Thunder Beast, so they definitely wouldn't have been able to bring back the Ink Lotus.

Since there was no Mo Lian, the city lord would not have discovered the red resentment, and would not have known that Hua Zhen was behind it. Therefore, he would not have come to Hua Zhen's courtyard to confront him, leading to the current situation.

This matter is partly due to the actions of Yin Ming and the other person, so they also have a responsibility to resolve it. Therefore, Yao Fu really doesn't need to be too grateful.

However, he certainly couldn't say these things to Lord Yao. Yin Ming nodded in response, not caring much, helped Yao Fu up from her ninety-degree bent-over position, and then slowly yawned.

Are you alright? If he's alright, then he'll go back to sleep.

***

As evening fell, Butler Qin came to invite them. Yin Ming, dressed neatly, opened the door, and Ling Yao happened to come out of the next room as well. The two then went together to the banquet venue, the garden of the City Lord's Mansion.

Yin Ming originally thought the city lord would invite many people, but unexpectedly, only people from the city lord's mansion attended the banquet.

"This banquet is for my wife, and also to express my gratitude to the two young heroes for their help to my Yao family."

"Because I suppressed the matter of my wife's illness, it is not appropriate to invite the people of the city to participate now. Consider today a family banquet. Please make yourselves at home, young heroes."

The city lord sat in the main seat and raised his cup towards Yin Ming and Ling Yao. Yin Ming and Ling Yao stood up to return the toast and drank it all in one gulp.

Yin Ming smacked his lips. The wine had a delicate osmanthus fragrance and tasted quite good.

But... can Lingyao drink alcohol? Will he get drunk again like last time?

Yin Ming secretly glanced at the latter. Fortunately, he seemed quite normal this time. Perhaps the previous wine was too strong, making him easy to get drunk.

"You've all worked hard these past few days. I hope you all have a wonderful time tonight!" The city lord raised his glass to toast everyone present and announced the start of the banquet. Then, the dancers filed in.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, the atmosphere became lively and relaxed. Some chatted in small groups, others ate and drank heartily, and still others quietly enjoyed the performances.

Yin Ming belongs to the third type of person.

As he cracked sunflower seeds in one hand and watched the graceful figure dancing before him, he suddenly understood the joy of the ancients—it wasn't entirely without reason that emperors indulged in nightly revelry.

Yao Ling was originally seated opposite Yin Ming and Ling Yao, but she took advantage of the lively and chaotic scene to sit between Yin Ming and Ling Yao.

Yin Ming smiled slightly, but inwardly he was shouting, "I'm totally shipping them! What a loving couple! They don't miss any opportunity to be together!"

Lingyao did not reject Yaoling's closeness, and the two would whisper to each other and toast from time to time, chatting happily.

This is completely different from the male protagonist who was indifferent to a group of girls at the inn entrance that day. Yin Ming silently observed the interaction between the two out of the corner of his eye. It seems that this move is in the bag.

After a while, Yin Ming got bored. He wasn't a quiet person to begin with, and he would get bored if no one talked to him.

Unfortunately, the couple next to me are so inhumane; they won't give him a chance to join the group chat, sob sob.

Yin Ming glanced around and saw that everyone at the banquet was in pairs, while he was all alone. It was clear that human joys and sorrows were not shared.

Yin Ming was left bored and could only stare blankly at the dancer in front of him.

Yao Ling seemed to sense his mood and finally turned to him, saying, "Uncle, what are you thinking about so intently?"

Lingyao also turned her gaze over. Yinming curled his lips and said, "Why are you only asking now? Where were you before? Humph, get out of here, you two sour-smelling couple dogs."

Yin Ming gave a perfunctory reply, but inwardly he thought, "Alright, alright, you guys can continue flirting. Just leave me, the third wheel, alone."

The city lord, sitting in the main seat, seemed to have noticed Yao Ling's position. He beckoned and called his daughter over.

No one knows what the father and daughter said, but Yao Ling glanced shyly in Ling Yao's direction, then stomped her foot playfully, blushed slightly, and returned to her seat, never looking up at Ling Yao again.

At this moment, Steward Qin stepped forward and whispered something in the city lord's ear. The city lord looked in Yao Ling's direction, then in Ling Yao's direction, and nodded with a smile.

Yin Ming witnessed the whole scene. If he wasn't mistaken, Butler Qin was talking about Ling Yao and Yao Ling. "Just wait and see," he said, "he'll tell you soon enough."