"Liana will be left to you from now on." Edwin's words hung in the air like thunder, freezing Ethan in place for a moment. He blinked, caught completely off-guard by the older man's bluntness.
"Ah?" Ethan stammered, quickly regaining his composure as he cupped his hands in polite respect, maintaining a defensive courtesy.
"Elder Edwin must have misunderstood. I have no such intentions towards Junior Sister Liana. I've always treated her as I would a younger sister," Ethan replied, steady and straightforward.
Edwin seemed faintly surprised, an eyebrow arching as he processed Ethan's reaction.
For his precious daughter, suitors lined up from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, many direct disciples and talented cultivators from every corner of the sect had approached him for her hand.
Yet here was Ethan, refusing the prospect almost absentmindedly.
"You mean… you don't like Liana?" Edwin asked, half-incredulous.
