1495 There's Still Hope

'Yuan has a lover? This is huge news—probably the biggest one in this entire interview!' Yan Xiaoxiao cried inwardly, and she couldn't help but feel pity for the countless maidens who had fallen in love with Yuan.

"H-how long have you been together for?" Yan Xiaoxiao continued to inquire.

"Probably about a year now?" Meixiu said with a pondering expression.

"You guys can continue. I'll be in the training ground with the others." Yuan said before leaving them alone.

After Yuan left, Yan Xiaoxiao asked, "In your eyes, what do you believe is Yuan's biggest charm? And when did you start liking him?"

"I don't know when I started liking him, but I've probably liked him since our childhood. He has many charms, but his biggest charm is definitely his dependability. I can always depend on his words, and it's a great feeling always to have someone to rely on."

In the training grounds, Yuan sparred with the others.

Meanwhile, the world outside of the Dragon Spiral Mountain was in an uproar after all Faction Wars had been paused and delayed for an entire month.

When the organizers, the Cultivators' Association, were questioned for a reason, their response during a live interview sent immense shockwaves throughout the entire world.

"The Great Battlefield is undergoing reconstruction, and all arenas will receive an upgrade, which will allow the players to fight each other with their full strength without needing to worry about accidentally killing their opponents!"

When the Chairman of the Cultivators' Association made this announcement, they were bombarded with questions on how such a feat was even possible.

"We have a powerful Array Master on our side who has the ability to create formations to achieve this feat."

"Who is this Array Master?!" One reporter asked.

"Unfortunately, we are not allowed to disclose his identity, as requested by the Array Master himself."

"How reliable are these formations?" Another reporter asked.

"Very reliable. I, along with several of my colleagues, experienced firsthand its effects, and we can guarantee its effectiveness." Chairman Lee responded.

"If you're not convinced by this, the Demon Sealing Faction and the Fiery Garden of Hell have agreed to become the first ones to test the formation."

"W-wait! Does that mean the Fiery Garden of Hell has accepted Player Yuan's direct challenge?!"

"Indeed. The Fiery Garden of Hell was the one to send the challenge request, and the Demon Sealing Faction accepted it. The terms of the Faction War will be the same as the Demon Sealing Faction's Faction War against the Fiery Locust Swarm."

During this interview, the world also learned of the Demon Sealing Faction's second Faction War, which was several times more shocking than their match against the Fiery Locust Swarm, as the Fiery Garden of Hell had over half a million players.

Thousands of articles on their upcoming Faction War filled the internet.

[Fiery Garden of Hell accepts Player Yuan's challenge!]

[Player Yuan bites more than he can chew!]

[From ranked 86 to ranked 5th! Will Player Yuan challenge rank 1 for their third Faction War?!]

While the rest of the world talked about the upcoming changes to the future of Faction Wars, Yan Xiaoxiao interviewed Chu Liuxiang after Meixiu.

"How long have you known Yuan?" Yan Xiaoxiao asked.

"I've known Yuan even before he was adopted by the Yu Family. We came from the same orphanage, after all."

"Wow, what was Yuan like during his childhood?" Yan Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered with excitement at this unexpected information.

"Pretty much how you'd expect a child to behave, but he was already talented with instruments back then. He taught me how to play the harmonica, too."

"How would you describe your relationship with Yuan nowadays?"

"We're partners." Chu Liuxiang responded without hesitation.

"H-huh?" Yan Xiaoxiao's eyes widened.

"By partner, do you mean—"

"We're lovers." Chu Liuxiang interrupted.

"..."

"Huh? Wait… but I thought…" Yan Xiaoxiao immediately became confused by this revelation.

Yan Xiaoxiao wasn't sure if she should mention Meixiu. What if Yuan and Chu Liuxiang were in some kind of secret relationship? What if he was cheating on Meixiu? These stories are very common, after all.

Seeing Yan Xiaoxiao's hesitation, Chu Liuxiang chuckled, "Are you worried about Meixiu?"

"Eh?"

"Don't worry, we're both his lovers."

"So she knows?"

"Yes."

"And you're both okay with sharing him?"

"Of course."

"I-is that so…" Yan Xiaoxiao could feel her heart racing for some reason.

"Why are you surprised? It's not a new thing. My father also has several wives."

Yan Xiaoxiao cleared her throat and said, "Now that you mention it, I guess it isn't that surprising for someone like Yuan to have several lovers."

'There's still hope for the others!' she cried inwardly.

Yu Ning also had similar thoughts when she learned that Yuan had two dao companions.

Yan Xiaoxiao ended her interview with Chu Liuxiang an hour later. Although there was still plenty of time, she decided to end the interview for that day since only Yuan was left to be interviewed, and she wanted to spend an entire day with him.

When noon arrived, Yuan, Chu Liuxiang, and Wang Xiuying made their way to the Chu Family's residence as scheduled. This time, they just flew directly to their residence, saving time.

"Sebastian, why is the house so empty? Where's everyone?" Chu Liuxiang asked as they walked through the empty hallways.

"The other mistresses and your siblings are all doing their own things outside."

"When father is this sick?" Chu Liuxiang frowned.

"It's precisely because he's sick that they have to leave. After all, with the Master bedridden, they are the only ones who can continue the family businesses." Sebastian explained.

"That makes sense. I shouldn't have made any assumptions. Sorry."

"It's fine. I understand completely where you're coming from."

They entered Chu Shijian's room shortly after.

"You look much better today." Wang Xiuying said to Chu Shijian after seeing his appearance.

"It's all thanks to you." Chu Shijian laughed heartily.

"Anyway, I have a question. How is that poison typically applied?" he suddenly stopped laughing and asked with a serious expression.