Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 436 Threads of Desire, Unmoving Heart

A hush lingered.

An atmosphere heavy with scheming thoughts.

Suddenly-

A gentle tone shattered the quiet.

"Father Emperor!"

All whispers ceased at once.

Every head swiveled.

Yu Feiyan-or rather, Qin Lingxiao-advanced one pace. Her steps flowed elegantly.

No trace of fury or pain marked her face.

Just tenderness and empathy.

She dipped into a slight bow.

"Allow this daughter to converse with Young Master Bai," she murmured tenderly.

Her tone rang pleasant-mellow to melt defenses, steady to ease tensions.

Next, she raised her eyes.

And fixed them straight on Bai Zihan.

"Young Master Bai," she uttered, voice earnest, nearly affectionate, "this one had no aim to stir problems."

Her statement pulled focus like a magnet.

"Should your affections lie elsewhere," she went on, "how then could I impose myself upon your world?"

Several attendees nodded without thinking.

Such a sensible princess.

Such poise.

Such composure.

Qin Lingxiao offered a subtle smile.

"Yet-" she whispered gently.

That lone syllable sparked Bai Zihan's senses to alert.

"Yet emotions aren't offenses," Qin Lingxiao proceeded. "Nor is esteem."

She shifted her sight to Chu Ziyan.

"No wish to slight Miss Chu Ziyan," she expressed mildly. "Nor the Chu Clan."

Her phrasing was spotless.

Without flaw.

Still, a shiver crept along Bai Zihan's back.

(This woman... She's refusing to yield!)

"I simply desired to heed my heart for once."

She dropped her head.

"Should Young Master Bai truly reject it," she voiced softly, "then I shall not press."

A brief halt.

Then-

"Yet I trust," she appended quietly, "that this issue won't conclude in misconceptions... or enmity."

Her eyes rose anew.

"I never meant to wound anyone," she stated softly. "Nor to interfere with Young Master Bai's bond with Miss Chu."

Her sight dipped a touch, eyelashes quivering.

"Yet... emotions defy control."

The phrases rang straightforward.

Genuine!

A subtle wave stirred the chamber.

Certain individuals sighed within.

Others inclined their heads instinctively.

In truth, countless cultivators had succumbed to the very sentiment Yu Feiyan outlined.

Yu Feiyan raised her view once more, now locking onto Bai Zihan directly.

"No call for strife," she pursued mildly. "If my attendance brings unease, I stand ready to withdraw."

A momentary stop.

"Still..." she wavered, seeming to battle her inner self, "...might I exchange words with Young Master Bai briefly?"

Her inflection bordered on beseeching.

"Just a handful of sentences. Should I fail to release these sentiments afterward... then I

shall abandon them."

The chamber grew still.

A secluded talk.

An opportunity for amicable settlement.

To the spectators, it seemed fair.

Even thoughtful.

Chu Ziyan creased her brow faintly.

On impulse, unease prickled her-yet she couldn't pinpoint why.

Bai Zihan raised his sight.

His gaze clashed with Yu Feiyan's.

For a split second-

His reality wavered.

It crept in slyly. So slyly that others overlooked it.

As their stares connected, Bai Zihan sensed an unseen force encircling his awareness.

Not force.

Not murderous vibe.

Merely-

A pull of allure.

His pupils contracted faintly.

Then-

His face smoothed to neutrality.

Feeling ebbed from his gaze, revealing a serenity so icy it disturbed.

The grip on Chu Ziyan's arm... slackened.

And dropped.

Chu Ziyan noticed right away.

The cozy hold faded.

She twisted, alarmed-but Bai Zihan was already striding ahead.

No one deemed it odd.

After all, he merely consented to chat.

Merely brief exchanges.

However-

Alarms wailed in Bai Zihan's thoughts.

(Hazard!)

All his reflexes screamed alerts.

Yet his form advanced regardless.

At the same time-

Yu Feiyan's mouth arced subtly.

Within her psyche-

(Simple!)

Through Qin Lingxiao's lens, events progressed precisely as planned.

Though unforeseen elements arose-like Chu Ziyan, and Bai Zihan, who ought to have welcomed the arrangement gladly.

Ultimately, via her enticement method, she seized Bai Zihan's affection in a flash.

It posed no challenge, given the foe was merely a disabled one.

She scarcely employed a fraction of her utmost skill to sway a figure like him.

The instant their visions intertwined, she had infiltrated the gaps in his senses.

Zero pushback.

Seamless.

(So this is Bai Zihan?)

She pondered serenely.

(Unremarkable.)

She moved to approach him, face retaining its mildness, its innocence.

Yu Feiyan drew nearer.

One stride.

Then the next.

The gap linking her and Bai Zihan narrowed fluidly, organically-so organically that doubt never arose.

She halted a mere arm's span distant.

Then-

Her palm extended.

Delicate digits grazed Bai Zihan's cuff, then trailed to his palm, softly encircling it.

Toasty, yielding, and close.

A flawlessly timed action.

Soft intakes of breath echoed lightly across the chamber.

Yu Feiyan tilted her face upward to him, gaze limpid and kind, features bearing a hushed fragility.

"Brother Bai," she whispered, volume hushed to evoke seclusion, "shall we talk privately?"

"Just briefly?"

Her thumb grazed the rear of his hand-a natural, fond gesture.

"I sincerely want to settle this without inflicting sorrow on anyone."

She lingered.

This marked the instant.

The instant when males invariably assented and yielded to her.

From Qin Lingxiao's viewpoint, the result stood sealed.

Bai Zihan remained rooted.

For one breath-

Two.

His stare wandered, his demeanor remote, like notions drowned under tranquil depths.

Chu Ziyan's chest tightened.

Witnessing Bai Zihan's lack of response to Yu Feiyan's touch, unease began to grip her.

What if Bai Zihan succumbed to affection?

After all, Yu Feiyan was a royal who could elevate Bai Zihan's standing beyond hers.

Besides, her sweetness and purity drew many influential figures.

Might Bai Zihan prove no exception?

She edged half a pace nearer, mouth opening-

Then-

Bai Zihan drew a deep breath.

The haze fractured.

His digits stirred.

Gradually-with intent-he drew his hand free from Yu Feiyan's hold.

!!!

Yu Feiyan-no, Qin Lingxiao-felt instant astonishment.

This defied possibility.

Once ensnared by her charm, none ever sought escape.

Separation beyond an hour would drive them to frenzy.

Yu Feiyan's eyes flashed.

Bai Zihan elevated his sight.

This round, his gaze shone pure. Piercing and frosty.

"Princess," he declared steadily.

The lone term conveyed separation.

"It would not be fitting."

Yu Feiyan stiffened.

"Nor courteous."

His arm shifted-not her way-but returned to Chu Ziyan's vicinity.

He refrained from contact as yet, but his stance alone conveyed much.

"Whatever you wish to express," Bai Zihan stated directly, "speak it in this place."

Yu Feiyan's kind smile hardened for the slightest moment.

The jolt she endured was profound.

Deep in her mind, a keen fracture split her poise. (Denied? Unthinkable!)

She had already woven into his awareness.

A disabled soul could never defy one of her caliber.

He ought to have yielded without effort.

Yet-

He hadn't.

She regarded him anew-truly regarded.

Beneath her mild facade, her musings turned.

(Did I restrain myself excessively?)

To avoid rendering Bai Zihan a witless fool-and since he was merely disabled-she hadn't even exerted herself.

But now she speculated if that allowed Bai Zihan to escape her enticement.

Her smile reemerged-tender, empathetic, impeccable.

"As you prefer, Brother Bai," she replied mildly.

Yu Feiyan's smile held firm.

On the surface, she stayed kind and stately-fully the gracious princess who had encountered courteous denial.

Deep down-

A subtle annoyance sprouted.

(Insufficient?)

Her stare dwelt on Bai Zihan an extra beat.

This time, she avoided contact.

No need existed.

Qin Lingxiao released a faint breath.

It escaped notice.

But within that exhale- A shift occurred.

An unseen ripple emanated from her form, faint yet commanding-like a scent that pierced the spirit over the senses.

Her presence altered.

Not fierce or hostile.

Simply... captivating.

A lure that echoed craving, yearning, reverence-twisted subtly to haze judgment.

Multiple cultivators blinked.

Some gulped instinctively.

A youth from a lesser clan abruptly gripped his torso, stare expanding.

"Princess Yu Feiyan..." he breathed unaware. "She's... she's far too benevolent..."

"I know, right?" another tone hissed eagerly. "How might anyone spurn one such as her?"

"She's flawless..."

"She's compassionate, lovely, regal-what else could one desire?"

The mutterings swelled. Not crafty hisses.

Not tactical ones.

These stemmed from sentiment.

Two youthful cultivators-both males who had eyed each other hostilely instants prior over group disputes-abruptly wheeled simultaneously.

"I believe I've fallen in love," one stammered.

The other retorted on reflex, gaze flushing.

"You?! Don't jest-she's mine!" "What did you utter?!" Their presences surged.

Qi undulated.

A seat dragged gratingly over the ground.

"What are you up to?"

An elder snapped harshly, only to stumble midway as his focus returned to

Yu

Feiyan.

His tone gentled against his will.

"... Such elegance," he grumbled, brow furrowing as if puzzled by his phrase.

Numerous males of weak resolve had fallen under Qin Lingxiao's sway despite the distance.

Qin Lingxiao's sight darted back to Bai Zihan.

She permitted her presence to swell a tad further.

(Now. Claim you as mine!)

Her strength coiled about him like myriad unseen strands, gliding toward his faculties, his passions, his Core.

She anticipated.

She foresaw-

Craving.

Yielding.

But-

Nothing transpired.

Bai Zihan endured in place.

His features stayed unaltered.

His eyes held icy and aware!