Oh no, I've developed feelings for her through all the torment.

Su Qinghan fled at top speed, and as Lin Yuan expected, it wasn't long before her escape light began to waver, and her speed greatly decreased.

Lin Yuan's figure flickered like a ghost, silently appearing in front of her, standing with his hands behind his back, blocking her path.

"You... don't come any closer!"

Su Qinghan's face was as pale as paper. She forcefully activated a top-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword to hover in front of her, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"You lured those Demonic Worms, nearly taking my life. How can we just let this debt go?"

After some time apart, Su Qinghan's Cultivation had improved significantly, already reaching Qi Refining Perfection, and was just a step away from Foundation Establishment.

"Then... then what do you want?" Su Qinghan bit her lower lip tightly, her voice weak, her eyes filled with wariness and fear.

"I see no one around, just desolate mountains and wilderness. How about you, Fairy, keep me company and have some fun? We can consider it repayment." Lin Yuan's tone was playful, but his eyes were icy and piercing, devoid of any warmth.

"Pah! Shameless scoundrel, lecher! I'll fight you to the death!"

Su Qinghan seemed to have suffered an immense insult. A morbid flush appeared on her already pale face. She let out a sharp, delicate cry, and decisively pointed a finger.

The hovering Flying Sword let out a mournful howl, its tip flashing with cold light, tearing through the air, and thrusting directly at Lin Yuan's face.

The attack seemed fierce, but it carried an underlying weakness, appearing strong on the outside but hollow within.

Lin Yuan curled his lips into a cold smile, and flipped his palm.

The frost sword instantly appeared in his palm. The chilling aura from the sword body instantly spread, causing the surrounding temperature to drop by several degrees.

"Clang!"

A crisp, metallic clang echoed through the forest.

The two Flying Swords collided violently in mid-air, sparking a long trail of dazzling fire.

The moment she saw the frost sword, Su Qinghan froze completely, as if struck by a bolt of Heavenly God lightning from the Nine Heavens.

The Flying Sword she controlled also faltered, its spiritual light dimming, and its offensive instantly vanished into nothingness.

"This Flying Sword... how... how is this Flying Sword in your hands?!"

She shrieked, her voice filled with unbelievable shock and terror.

Seeing her nervous, wary, and highly alert expression, as if facing a formidable enemy, Lin Yuan's heart stirred.

An absurd yet highly plausible thought flashed through Lin Yuan's mind, and he immediately understood something.

"Oh, you mean this sword."

Lin Yuan casually weighed the frost sword in his hand, speaking in an understated tone.

"When I entered the valley, I conveniently killed an old fool who didn't know his place. This was among the burial items I found on him."

Upon hearing this, Su Qinghan's delicate body trembled violently, as if she had heard the most terrifying news.

"He... he's dead!"

Her eyes instantly widened, her pupils filled with shock, panic, and an inexplicable sorrow. Her eyes quickly reddened at a visible pace, and the next moment, glistening tears uncontrollably appeared.

A string of question marks arose in Lin Yuan's mind.

What's wrong with this woman? Her reaction is too strange.

He clearly recalled that when he was captured by that vixen Xue Linglong and forced to marry this woman.

Later, Su Qinghan turned on him, trying to kill him, but was instead subdued and captured by him. Afterwards, he tied her to a chair for interrogation... A strange psychological term, without warning, emerged from the depths of Lin Yuan's mind.

Stockholm Syndrome.

"Holy crap, no way..."

"This woman... could it be that after I taught her a lesson last time, she developed some inappropriate feelings for me?!"

Lin Yuan's heart was in turmoil.

He carefully recalled that when they parted, Su Qinghan clearly had a chance to deliver a killing blow to him, but in the end, she only gave him a deep look with an extremely complex expression and chose to turn and leave.

At the time, he only thought she was afraid, but now, it probably wasn't that simple.

"No... who was that old man to you?"

Lin Yuan suppressed the surprise in his heart and asked with interest, testing her.

"None of your business! Die!"

Su Qinghan was like a tigress completely enraged. She let out a mournful shriek, and recklessly controlled her Flying Sword to attack Lin Yuan frantically.

Her swordplay was completely chaotic, every strike a life-for-life move, completely disregarding her own defense, as if she wanted to destroy both the person in front of her and herself.

For a moment, if Lin Yuan had merely competed with her in Flying Sword combat, he would have been forced to retreat repeatedly by her desperate madness.

However, Lin Yuan's eyes remained as clear as water.

Su Qinghan had already suffered internal injuries from using a secret technique, and now she was emotionally agitated. Her spiritual power consumption was like a floodgate opening, and she wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.

After only a dozen moves, her sword momentum already showed signs of decline, full of flaws.

Lin Yuan seized the opportunity, his eyes flashing with brilliance, and suddenly raised his palm.

Several low-grade Talismans shot out from his sleeve, spontaneously igniting in mid-air.

Ice Needle Talisman! Wind Blade Talisman!

Hundreds of thousands of fine ice needles and pale green wind blades instantly activated, forming an impenetrable barrage that pressed down on Su Qinghan.

Su Qinghan was greatly alarmed, completely unprepared for this move from her opponent.

She was caught off guard and could only hastily recall her Flying Sword, setting up a rushed sword curtain in front of her to defend.

The dense clanging sounds of impact were incessant.

Now!

Lin Yuan seized the momentary flaw in her defense, his figure swaying, and he pressed forward like a ghost, so fast that only an afterimage remained.

The blade of the frost sword, cold and precise, rested against her fair, slender neck.

The chilling aura emanating from the sword instantly caused a layer of fine goosebumps to appear on her skin.

Su Qinghan's aura suddenly deflated, as if all her strength had been drained. She completely wilted, and the Flying Sword in her hand fell powerlessly to the ground with a "clatter."

Lin Yuan acted accordingly, reaching out and clamping her vital point like an iron pincer, completely subduing her.

"Let me go!"

Su Qinghan struggled violently, but with her spiritual power sealed, her strength was no different from that of an ordinary mortal woman.

"My mother is nearby, she'll be here soon, and then she'll tear you to pieces!" She threatened sternly, her face solemn.

"I can let you go."

Lin Yuan ignored her threat, instead growing more curious about her previous abnormal behavior.

"But the way you were acting just now was quite interesting. What exactly is your relationship with that old man?"

Su Qinghan suddenly turned her head away, not looking at him, but her eyes were filled with uncontrollable tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"An enemy!"

She squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, her voice hoarse and thick with a sob.

"First time I've seen someone so sad over an enemy's death," Lin Yuan said lightly, like a knife piercing her heart.

Su Qinghan glared at him fiercely, her eyes full of anger and sorrow.

"What do you know! You know nothing! Let me go quickly!"

Lin Yuan grinned, revealing his white teeth, his tone filled with undisguised malice.

"That old man... he wouldn't happen to be your lover, would he!"