Wen Jueyuan’s heart quivered.
The private dining room was unusually silent. It seemed they didn’t quite believe it.?Wen Jueyuan came here with such ferocity…. Just to call Su Yi back home?
If that’s all it was, why not send a servant to notify him? Why come with so many guards and cause such a disturbance?
Yuan Luoxi seemed to have sensed that something was amiss too. She couldn’t help but ask, “What is your family head summoning Young Lord Su for?”
“This…” Wen Jueyuan found himself at a loss for words.
“Enough,” said Su Yi flatly. “Go back and report to your father. Say I’ll be there in a little while.”
But Wen Jueyuan just glanced at Yuan Luoxi. It was obvious that he didn’t care what Su Yi said; he only cared about her opinion!
Fu Shan, Huang Yunchong, and the others inwardly shook their heads.?This Wen Jueyuan’s powers of discernment are truly lacking! Hasn’t he realized the implications of Su Yi sitting in the seat of honor?
Yuan Luoxi pondered for a moment, then said coldly, “In Mother Ghost Ridge, Young Lord Su and Guo Bing did us an enormous favor. This banquet was arranged specifically to thank them. If your Wen Family has any objections, you’re welcome to come looking for me.”
She waved him away. “Go on. Leave.”
Wen Jueyuan reacted as if he’d been granted an imperial pardon. He led his people and hurried away.
After this little interlude, Su Yi was in no mood to eat anymore, so shortly after, he rose and bade the others farewell.?Yuan Luoxi, Fu Shan, Huang Yunchong, and the others hurriedly rose to see him off.
Only Zhang Yuanxing was inwardly displeased.?If you want to leave, just leave! Do you really need everyone to see you out the door?
But when he saw everyone else follow Su Yi out of the private room, he could only sigh to himself and follow them. No matter what, he had to consider his bearing.
Outside the Immortal Gathering House.
“Young Lord Su, we’ll be leaving Guangling City today. Should you ever visit the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, please give us the chance to show off our hospitality,” said Yuan Luoxi seriously.
“In the prefectural capital, our Yuan Family has a certain degree of influence. If you ever need us, we won’t refuse,” said Cheng Wuyong, cupping his fist solemnly.
“Let’s leave it up to fate.” Su Yi waved, gripped his bamboo staff, and walked into the distance.
It was only after he disappeared from view that Yuan Luoxi looked away. “Uncle Yong, how about we gather our things and head out too?”
“Alright.” Cheng Wuyong nodded.
Zhang Yuanxing said hurriedly, “Luoxi, I’m planning to return to the prefectural capital today too. This’ll work out perfectly! We can keep each other company on our way back.”
“No need.” Without Su Yi around, Yuan Luoxi instantly recovered her proud, cold, spoiled-little-princess attitude. She turned and walked off.
Zhang Yuanxing was just about to follow her when she whipped around and aimed a kick directly at his crotch.
He shrunk back in terror, dodging just in time. His forehead broke into cold sweats.
If a kick like that hit its mark…. Just the thought made him cringe.
“Do you have?any?idea how hard it was putting up with you for that long? You’d better not follow me around anymore!” Yuan Luoxi snorted and stormed off.
Zhang Yuanxing’s expression flitted back and forth, a mixture of shame and rage.
Fu Shan, Nie Beihu, and the others were nearby, but although their expressions went a little strange, they didn’t dare laugh for fear of setting Zhang Yuanxing off.
Uncle Xiong walked up to him and sighed. “Young Master, you ought to understand how unruly Yuan Luoxi is now, right? If you ask me, you’d be better off avoiding her. When that girl takes action, she doesn’t know when to stop.”
“I just don’t get it. Why did her attitude change so quickly? Back at the banquet, she wasn’t that way at all,” sulked Zhang Yuanxing.
“Su Yi isn’t around anymore, so she felt no more need to hide anything.” How shrewd and experienced was Uncle Xiong? He’d long since picked up numerous clues. Although he couldn’t deduce the whole picture, that didn’t stop him from making this judgment.
“Because of Su Yi?” Zhang Yuanxing’s expression darkened. He thought back to how Yuan Luoxi had behaved back at the Immortal Gathering House, recalling everything in detail.
And indeed, he discovered that her behavior changed when Su Yi was around. She was respectful, with a hint of admiration in the mix. Even her behavior became modest and reserved.
But when she faced him, she was blunt and put no thought into her words. It was all just perfunctory….
Realizing this, Zhang Yuanxing’s fists clenched, and an irrepressible wave of jealousy and fury coursed through his heart.
“Uncle Xiong,” he said stiffly, as if he’d made up his mind. “Arrange another meeting with Su Yi tonight. I want the truth!”
Uncle Xiong fell silent, then nodded.?His heart was full of doubt. He, too, wanted answers from Su Yi.
For example, what exactly had happened in Mother Ghost Ridge to make Yuan Luoxi and Cheng Wuyong treat Su Yi with such respect?
……
On his way back to the Wen Family, Su Yi couldn’t suppress his anticipation.
Lingxue, that girl. She’s been gone for over half a month. It’s been so long! This place is really missing something without her around.
Mm, when I see her, I’ll have to check up on how her cultivation is going.
And before I leave Guangling City, I’ll have to give her some spiritual medicines and spirit stones. That way, she won’t have to worry about her cultivation for a while.
Also, her monthly spending money is only a few hundred taels of silver. I’ll have to leave her some silver notes, too.
Oh, and I should prepare some defensive treasures for her. That way, if she runs into danger, she can protect herself even if I’m not around.
And I’ll have to trouble Fu Shan to keep an eye on her in my absence…
Similar thoughts raced through Su Yi’s head, and he was back at the Wen Family estate before he knew it. He went straight toward Wen Changtai and Qin Qing’s residence.
“Sir, you’re back?” When they saw Su Yi return, the two servant girls cleaning the courtyard were startled, and they hurriedly called out to him in greeting.
Who in the Wen Family didn’t know about Su Yi taking first place in the Dragon’s Gate Banquet??This news had resulted in a stark difference in how the servants treated Su Yi.
“Is Lingxue home?” asked Su Yi.
Before the servant could respond, Qin Qing’s shrewish voice rang out from within the atrium. “You’re finally back, you moocher?” ．
Even as she spoke, Qin Qing stormed outside. She’d been gone for a while, but she seemed like an entirely different person. She looked radiant with happiness and full of spirit, while her make-up was unusually exquisite, making her look even more beautiful than usual. Her every moment was stylish and showy.
She looked Su Yi up and down, then snorted, “Don’t think you can walk around with your head held high just because you took first place in the Dragon’s Gate Banquet. That’s nothing compared to Lingzhao’s current status and reputation!”
Su Yi smiled, not the least bit concerned.
His mother-in-law was always like this. Fiery, unreasonable, and foul-mouthed, but not a bad person at heart.
In the year following his marriage into the Wen Family, despite Qin Qing’s deep resentment over this arrangement and despite her utter disdain for her “crippled” live-in son-in-law, she’d never really been cruel to him
This was why Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to get even with her.
“Come with me.” When she saw that Su Yi behaved just as he had before—when she saw that he wasn’t talking back—Qin Qing inwardly sighed in relief, and her expression mellowed somewhat.
She’d only returned home last night. It was then that she heard of Su Yi’s shocking performance at the Dragon’s Gate Banquet for the first time. At the time, she’d been overcome with shock. This revelation delighted her, but it worried her too.
She was happy to learn that Su Yi wasn’t a good-for-nothing after all, but she was worried that after this stellar performance, Su Yi might not respect his in-laws anymore.
Looking at him now, it seemed as if he hadn’t changed much. Just like before, he didn’t seem to mind her mockery or chastisements in the least.
They entered the atrium, where Wen Changtai was drinking tea. When he saw Su Yi, he smiled and got to his feet. “So, you’ve risen to prominence too! That’s great.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
This father-in-law of his was intriguing; he was honest and unexceptional, with no grand ambitions. Many other members of the Wen Family looked down on him.
But in Su Yi’s eyes, Wen Changtai had a strong point too: his kindness.
He’d never been cold or harsh, not even to his live-in son-in-law.
It seemed Wen Lingxue had inherited her pure-hearted kindness from her father.
“Su Yi, in any event, as parents, we’re happy to see you recover your cultivation.” Qin Qing sat down, then paused to organize her thoughts. “In the past, your father-in-law and I might have treated you poorly. Going forward, we’ll do our best to remedy that, but you’d best understand this now: with Lingzhao’s personality, it’s simply not possible for her to accept you. I just hope this won’t lead to resentment.”
Su Yi keenly picked up on the change in Qin Qing’s attitude.
He said offhandedly, “You’re overthinking this. I’ve never cared whether or not Wen Lingzhao accepted me.”
Qin Qing sighed, “Now that I think about it, you and Lingzhao are both victims of this arranged marriage. I’ve wanted to dissolve this marriage contract for a long time, but the matriarch refused to let me. No matter how great my resentment, there’s nothing I can do.”
“I understand,” said Su Yi flatly.
“Also, there’s something I need to tell you straight,” murmured Qin Qing. “During our visit to Heaven’s Origin Academy, Lingzhao said she’d consider every possible option to annul this marriage. But don’t misunderstand; she doesn’t hate you, but rather the marriage itself. To her, you’re ultimately just a stranger.”
Against Qin Qing’s expectations, Su Yi didn’t get angry. He only laughed, “She wants to dissolve our marriage? I’m looking forward to it.”
This response actually made Qin Qing a bit uncomfortable.?Does this kid think that just because he took first place in the Dragon’s Gate Banquet, he’s hot stuff? Is he that eager to draw a line between himself and our family?
Also, Lingzhao isn’t just gorgeous; she’s even a Grandmaster’s disciple! Over in Heaven’s Origin Academy, countless talented youths are pursuing her. Is she that unappealing to you?
After calming herself, she continued, “Su Yi, I’ve already said everything I need to say. Soon, the family head will summon you directly. I’m afraid he won’t be happy, either. You’d best mentally prepare yourself.”
Why would Su Yi concern himself with something like that? He just asked directly, “Where’s Lingxue?”
Qin Qing was dazed.?He’s really got the energy to spare thinking of my other daughter even at a time like this?
Wen Changtai’s warm voice chimed in, “Lingxue remained at Blueriver Sword Manor to continue her cultivation. Lingzhao said she plans to arrange for her sister to enter Heaven’s Origin Academy in the near future, so Lingxue won’t return to Guangling City any time soon.”
Su Yi suddenly fell silent. All that expectation, all for nothing. His brow furrowed.
“Lingzhao is doing this for her sister’s sake,” said Qin Qing. “Back then, she was helpless as the family forced her into marriage against her will. How could she possibly let the same fate befall her little sister? If Lingxue remains in Guangling City, what will she do if the matriarch arranges a marriage for her next?”
When Su Yi heard this, he understood. Wen Lingxue hadn’t remained behind of her own volition; her sister had made these arrangements for her.