Previously, Ye Xuan had searched the Forbidden Area for ten consecutive days, practically turning the entire place upside down. He finally found a few stalks of the Spirit Medicine he needed: three Smiling Flowers, five stalks of Starry Night Grass, and even one stalk of a Spirit Medicine capable of increasing the cultivation of an expert in the Demon Spirit Realm—Centipede Grass.
This was an essential ingredient for refining the Demon Spirit Pill. Although he couldn’t use it right now, it would raise his cultivation by at least one level once he entered the Demon Spirit Realm.
After finding the medicinal herbs, Ye Xuan originally intended to perform Alchemy to boost his cultivation. However, considering he had been in the Forbidden Area for so long, his sister and mother would be worried. Therefore, his first priority was asking Blood Princess how to get out.
Blood Princess’s intellect was far too low, making her somewhat unreliable. She pointed out three wrong locations before finally helping Ye Xuan successfully leave the Forbidden Area.
Right now, upon seeing Ye Xuan, Gongsun Xin, Gongsun Wenjin, and Gongsun Yanran were all utterly dumbfounded. None of them had expected Ye Xuan to come out alive.
After a brief moment of shock, Gongsun Yanran cried out in alarm. "Xuan’Er..."
As her voice faded, she had already rushed to Ye Xuan’s side. She carefully touched his face, seemingly afraid that the boy before her was merely a dream.
"It’s really you, Xuan’Er. You... you came out of the Forbidden Area?!"
Gongsun Yanran’s voice shifted pitch due to her sheer astonishment.
Ye Xuan smiled. "Mother, I’m out. I made you worry."
"Brother, I knew you would come out!" Ye Ling’Er also threw herself at Ye Xuan from the side. "Brother, how did you know we were here?"
"I went back to the courtyard and didn’t see you guys. A servant mentioned you came to the main courtyard. I couldn’t wait, so I came over to take a look." Ye Xuan rubbed Ye Ling’Er’s head as he explained. Then, he frowned. "Why are your eyes a bit red? Did someone bully you? Oh, right, what did you mean by marriage just now?"
As Ye Xuan’s words fell, Gongsun Xin stepped up beside him, giving his shoulders and arms an examining squeeze. He exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! You actually came out of the Forbidden Area alive, and you’re still lucid!"
If Gongsun Xin hadn’t seen Ye Xuan enter the Forbidden Area with his own eyes, he would have assumed the boy never went in at all.
"Wenjin, who is this? How could he be so impolite and devoid of manners?" Liu Yongzhi asked.
Gongsun Wenjin’s eyes looked a bit odd. "This is Ye Xuan, Yanran’s eldest son."
"He’s Ye Xuan? But didn’t he enter the Gongsun Family’s Forbidden Area?" Liu Yongzhi immediately frowned.
The Gongsun Family’s Forbidden Area was no secret. Many cities knew of it, and even the Main City had once dispatched a powerful Array Master over. The Array Master had wanted to alter the Forbidden Area’s restrictions so that experts could also enter. Everyone wanted to know exactly what lay within.
Unfortunately, even the formidable Array Master could do nothing about the restrictions. No experts could enter. Over time, people simply stopped paying attention to it.
Hearing this, Gongsun Wenjin didn’t reply. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Ye Xuan. He wondered if this kid had encountered some fortuitous event inside to emerge completely unscathed. Just what was hidden in the Forbidden Area? Gongsun Wenjin badly wanted to interrogate Ye Xuan, but the current setting was obviously inappropriate.
"Brother, it’s my marriage. They want to marry me off to that person as a concubine..." Ye Ling’Er’s sorrowful voice rang out as she pointed at Liu Xiangyu.
"What? Make you a concubine? What exactly is going on?" Ye Xuan’s gaze instantly turned icy.
"Ye Xuan, our Dapeng City and Chasing Moon City established a marriage contract a long time ago..." Gongsun Xin’s voice drifted over. He then gave Ye Xuan a brief explanation of the situation.
"I understand. But Uncle Xin, let me just ask: does this marriage contract have to be fulfilled?"
Gongsun Xin shook his head. "It cannot be broken."
"Alright then." Ye Xuan shrugged, then cast a glance at Liu Xiangyu. "He’s your fiancé? You’re to be his concubine? A married man is unworthy of you. Your marriage is hereby annulled."
Your marriage is hereby annulled.
Ye Xuan’s voice echoed continuously through the hall, lingering in the air. His declaration completely stunned both Gongsun Wenjin and Liu Yongzhi.
After a brief moment of shock, Liu Yongzhi scoffed angrily. "Brat, you talk big! As if you have the right to speak here!"
A terrifying aura flared out, seemingly intending to show Ye Xuan his place.
Yet, Ye Xuan stood his ground, steady as a mountain. He held his head high and his chest out, his gaze unflinching—even though his body was trembling slightly.
"Hmm?" Liu Yongzhi had only exerted a tiny fraction of his oppressive aura. He hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to remain standing. He immediately ramped up the pressure.
Gongsun Xin instantly stepped in front of Ye Xuan, sweeping away the crushing pressure bearing down on him.
"Liu, Ye Xuan is merely a junior. There’s no need for you to lift a finger; I’ll teach him a lesson later," Gongsun Xin said. "Ye Xuan, tell us, why did you say such a thing?"
Ye Xuan explained, "It’s simple. You originally agreed to marry off my mother’s firstborn child, which is me. My sister’s marriage contract is naturally invalid."
The crowd paused at Ye Xuan’s words.
He had a point!
Initially, they had assumed Ye Xuan was dead for sure, which was why this marriage had fallen on Ye Ling’Er’s shoulders. Now, Ye Xuan was back.
"Although I don’t have much interest in women, if the marriage contract must be fulfilled, I’ll be the one to do it," Ye Xuan spoke up again, turning to look at Liu Zhengyuan. "You must be my future father-in-law. Then, may I ask, is your eldest daughter married yet? It’s fine if she is. As long as her husband doesn’t mind, I don’t mind either. I’m a very open-minded guy. It’s not like I’m going to touch her anyway."
Ye Xuan’s words flabbergasted everyone in the room. What he said was far too uninhibited, too casual.
"You! You!" Liu Yongzhi and Liu Zhengyuan were so enraged that they didn’t even know how to retort.
At this moment, Gongsun Yanran chimed in. "Zheng Yuan, I know you have two daughters, and both are quite compatible in age with my Xuan’Er. I’ve even heard that your eldest daughter, Liu Yan, possesses city-toppling beauty. Sadly, she is already engaged to someone else. How about this? You cancel that engagement and marry her to my Xuan’Er. After all, our marriage contract came first. Alternatively, I won’t force you into a difficult spot. You can marry your second daughter, Liu Ruoxi, to Xuan’Er instead."
"Gongsun Yanran, in your dreams!"
"In my dreams? Weren’t you the ones who initially said that a City Lord’s words are as binding as law? Liu, you wouldn’t go back on your word now, would you?" Gongsun Yanran looked toward Liu Yongzhi.
Liu Yongzhi’s face was livid. Only after a long while did he say, "Correct. A City Lord’s words carry enormous weight. Since your eldest son has returned, this marriage should rightly fall on him. However, this matter is sudden. We must return to discuss it thoroughly and plan accordingly. Xiangyu, Zheng Yuan, let’s go."