An hour later, a Wind Chasing Leopard emerged from the City Lord’s Mansion, pulling a luxurious carriage.
The carriage was massive, easily capable of accommodating ten people.
Gongsun Xin sat on the back of the Wind Chasing Leopard, acting as the driver for Ye Xuan’s group. This clearly showed just how much he doted on his younger sister, Gongsun Yanran.
"Xuan’Er, have you thought this through? Are you really going to the Liu Family to propose a marriage?" Gongsun Yanran’s voice drifted from inside the carriage.
Ye Xuan nodded. "Yes, to propose."
The moment Ye Xuan finished speaking, Liu Ruoxi, whose hands and feet were bound, growled, "Ye Xuan, can’t you just let me go? I really don’t want to marry you."
Ye Xuan replied flatly, "I don’t care what you want."
"You! You!" Liu Ruoxi gnashed her teeth and then looked at Gongsun Yanran. "Ms. Yanran, I know about your past. When you ran away from your marriage in your youth, wasn’t it because you didn’t like Jin Buhuan? As a woman, you should be able to understand how I feel, right? Can you tell your son not to marry me? He and I are truly incompatible."
Gongsun Yanran frowned and replied, "As a woman, I understand your point of view. But I am sorry. As a mother, I do not believe my son is unworthy of you. If Xuan’Er truly wishes to marry you, I cannot change his mind. Just as I cannot change your reluctance to marry, or your belief that my son’s status as an illegitimate child makes him beneath you. Since neither of us can change anything, let the facts speak for themselves. And the fact is, you have no choice but to marry him."
Liu Ruoxi said furiously, "Selfish! You are all selfish!"
Gongsun Yanran chuckled lightly. "Who in this world isn’t selfish? Everyone considers things from their own perspective. That includes me, and it includes you."
Gongsun Yanran’s words were quite philosophical. In this world, everyone had their own perspective, and different perspectives bred different thoughts. There was no absolute right or wrong. Sometimes, what was right was also wrong, and what was wrong was also right.
For instance, when Gongsun Yanran ran away from her wedding, the Gongsun Family viewed it as a grave rebellion and a massive mistake. However, Gongsun Yanran felt she hadn’t done anything wrong at all, not even falling in love with Ye Yizhou and having children.
Was she wrong? Even now, she didn’t think so.
Then why, if she had done nothing wrong, did she almost cause the deaths of Ye Xuan and Ye Ling’Er in the end? If Ye Xuan hadn’t walked out of the Forbidden Area alive, she would have carried a thorn in her heart for the rest of her life.
So, was she truly faultless? Why did it feel as though she had made a mistake after all?
Moreover, from the perspective of the Gongsun Family, and even the Jin Family, her having an illegitimate child was completely wrong. It brought utter disgrace to the Jin Family. If Jin Buhuan hadn’t genuinely loved Gongsun Yanran, he wouldn’t have refrained from crossing the line. Anyone else in his shoes would likely have wanted to slaughter Ye Yizhou and his two children on the spot.
From Jin Buhuan’s perspective, having his fiancée marry and bear children with another man was the ultimate betrayal of being cuckolded.
"Is it wrong for me to think for myself? No, it isn’t! I just don’t want to marry him! I’d rather die than marry him!" Liu Ruoxi spoke up again, her stubborn nature fully on display.
"You aren’t wrong, but my son wanting to marry you isn’t wrong either. So, accept reality." As Gongsun Yanran spoke, she used her Spiritual Qi to seal Liu Ruoxi’s mouth.
Sitting to the side, Ye Xuan was deep in thought. He suddenly realized that human relationships were incredibly fascinating. Why did he suddenly feel that Liu Ruoxi wasn’t so abhorrent at this moment?
But then, he shook his head. Regardless of whether she was right or wrong, he only knew one thing: if he hadn’t returned in time, the Ye Family would have been reduced to ashes. It wasn’t wrong for her to not want to marry Ye Xuan. Her mistake was actually trying to kill Ye Xuan’s family. That was definitely not something that could be justified by a mere difference in perspective.
Afterward, Ye Xuan said nothing more. He closed his eyes and began to consolidate his cultivation base.
The Wind Chasing Leopard moved at an incredible speed. For this Level Six Beast, traveling five thousand miles a day was no problem at all.
Time passed.
Two days later, in the Liu Family’s reception hall.
The Direct Lineage of the Liu Family had gathered. Liu Yongzhi stood at the main entrance, gazing at the sky as if waiting for someone.
"Father, is Wenjin arriving today?" Liu Zhengyuan’s voice came from behind him.
"I received the letter yesterday. Gongsun Wenjin departed on a Snow Eagle, so he should be arriving today."
"But we still haven’t found Ruoxi! Father, do you think she ran away from the marriage, just like Gongsun Yanran did twenty-six years ago? That Gongsun Yanran really set a terrible example!"
"Don’t worry. She is with Gongsun Yanran and they are currently on their way here."
"Huh? Why is she with Gongsun Yanran?" Liu Zhengyuan was bewildered.
"I don’t know, but that’s what Gongsun Wenjin’s letter stated."
"Father, no wonder you weren’t anxious at all! If you knew, why didn’t you tell me? I spent the entire night searching for her." Liu Zhengyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Yongzhi, however, retorted angrily, "You couldn’t even keep an eye on your own daughter. Can’t I teach you a lesson?"
Just as Liu Yongzhi finished speaking, a flash of white light appeared on the horizon. As it drew closer, it revealed itself to be a massive Snow Eagle. The Snow Eagle was a Level Six Flying Beast. It inhabited extremely frigid regions and was incredibly difficult to capture. Gongsun Wenjin had gone to great lengths to acquire this particular one.
Once the Snow Eagle landed in the courtyard, Gongsun Xin, Ye Xuan, and their companions were also ushered inside.
"Gongsun, I’ve been waiting for a long time! Haha, come in, come in," Liu Yongzhi laughed, walking toward Gongsun Wenjin.
Liu Zhengyuan followed closely behind, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting to Gongsun Xin and the others. Then, he spotted Liu Ruoxi standing beside Gongsun Xin, with the latter’s hand firmly pressing down on her shoulder. Her face was full of reluctance. If Gongsun Xin hadn’t been restraining her, she would have fled long ago.
"Father... they..." Seeing Liu Zhengyuan, she was just about to voice her grievances.
Liu Zhengyuan coldly snorted. "How shameful! Get back here. I apologize for the trouble she has caused you all. Please, come in."
Liu Zhengyuan welcomed Ye Xuan and the group into the reception hall. Once everyone was seated, Gongsun Xin cut straight to the chase.
"Liu, we won’t beat around the bush for this visit. I am here to propose a marriage on behalf of my nephew, Ye Xuan. These are the betrothal gifts."
As soon as Gongsun Xin finished speaking, several chests materialized on the floor. He waved his large hand, and the chests sprang open, revealing all kinds of Exotic Treasures. These had all been prepared by his uncle, Gongsun Xin; Ye Xuan had been completely unaware.
This uncle of his wasn’t bad at all.
"This is South Sea Spirit Jade. Wearing it will nourish the body and gradually improve one’s constitution.
"This is an Arctic Immortal Vine. If planted in the courtyard, it will greatly enrich the Spiritual Qi in the surrounding area.
"This is Awakening Fragrance. Igniting it will calm the mind and bring clarity, aiding in cultivation."
Gongsun Xin went through the betrothal gifts one by one. Most of these items were rare oddities. There was nothing that could directly elevate one’s cultivation base. Such items were considered too vulgar. Furthermore, Chasing Moon City already had its own supply of low-level Spirit Medicines and Elixirs for boosting cultivation.
As for high-level items—such as the Unparalleled Spirit Medicines that even a City Lord would fight tooth and nail for—even if the Gongsun Family possessed them, they would never offer them as betrothal gifts to Chasing Moon City.
"Wenjin, since you have brought these betrothal gifts with such sincerity, I will immediately order a grand banquet. The entire city will celebrate this occasion, and we shall consider them officially engaged." Liu Yongzhi smiled and nodded. Since they had decided to marry off his granddaughter, they might as well do it joyfully.