"Is it too hard to accept?"
Ye Xuan’s voice rang out again, as if he could see right through Liu Ruoxi’s heart.
"Do you find it unbelievable that someone like me—a weak ant from a remote, backward village—can defeat you, someone who was born with a silver spoon and backed by the best resources?
"But this is the reality! Liu Ruoxi, I just want to tell you that as long as one is willing to work hard, even someone with a humble background can swim against the current and eventually soar into the sky!
"Even if I, Ye Xuan, am just a puddle of mud, as long as I hold my head high, I can still look up at the starry sky.
"Even if I am just a stubborn rock, as long as I strive to stand at the highest peak, I can become the brightest star in the heavens! A hero’s worth is never measured by their origins.
"So, put away your arrogance. In front of me, your pride is completely worthless. I will crush it to dust!"
Ye Xuan’s voice was impassioned and resolute.
Although the Liu family members were born into privilege and couldn’t deeply grasp the essence of Ye Xuan’s words or empathize with him, they had to admit his speech was quite imposing.
Off to the side, Ye Ling’Er’s eyes were practically sparkling with stars. She looked at Ye Xuan with nothing but absolute worship. She was her brother’s ultimate die-hard fan! Her brother was simply too handsome and too domineering.
"Are you... humiliating me?"
Liu Ruoxi’s voice squeezed through gritted teeth.
Ordinary people would feel motivated upon hearing those words, as if injected with a shot of adrenaline. This was the ultimate counterattack of an underdog! However, to those born with natural superiority, such words only felt like a continued humiliation. This was exactly how Liu Ruoxi felt at this moment. She couldn’t comprehend the burning passion behind an underdog’s rise; she only knew that Ye Xuan’s words were a direct slap to her face.
Gritting her teeth, a sword suddenly materialized in Liu Ruoxi’s hand. Without any warning, she thrust the blade straight toward her own head. Rather than suffer this humiliation and be slapped in the face by Ye Xuan, she would rather die!
Liu Ruoxi’s actions shocked everyone present. Even Ye Xuan hadn’t expected this woman to attempt suicide. Did she truly prefer death over marrying him? That took a certain kind of nerve. Ye Xuan found himself appreciating her character a little bit.
Unfortunately, this bit of appreciation wouldn’t change his attitude toward her. Whenever he recalled how his clansmen had almost died because of her, he could hardly contain his fury! Liu Ruoxi had to be punished. He was going to utterly shatter her pride. Defeating her was only the first step.
"Ruoxi, stop this nonsense!"
Liu Yongzhi let out another low roar. He was standing right next to Liu Ruoxi and Ye Xuan; there was no way he would let her succeed in killing herself. After knocking the longsword from her hand with a single palm strike, he directly sealed her body with Spiritual Qi, rendering her completely immobile.
At this moment, Liu Ruoxi didn’t struggle. She simply lay on the ground. She stared blankly at the sky, blood continuously seeping from her neck and chest. She made no move to consume any Spirit Medicine to heal her injuries, seemingly content to just die like this.
"You foolish girl!"
Liu Yongzhi shook his head, pinched Liu Ruoxi’s mouth open, and forced her to swallow a Healing Pill. As soon as the Elixir entered her stomach, her wounds rapidly healed. Not even a single scar was left behind. The grade of this Healing Pill was definitely not low.
"Grandpa, why did you save me? Wouldn’t it be better if I just died?"
Liu Ruoxi wore an expression that was halfway between a smile and a cry.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Enough, let’s put your matter aside for now."
Liu Yongzhi glared at Liu Ruoxi, then turned his gaze toward Gongsun Wenjin.
"Wenjin, your Ye Xuan seemed intent on killing Ruoxi. You need to give me an explanation for this, don’t you?"
Gongsun Wenjin laughed aloud. "Brother Yongzhi, this was a martial arts spar. Weapons have no eyes, after all."
Liu Yongzhi’s face remained cold. "What does that have to do with weapons having no eyes? Ruoxi had clearly lost the ability to fight back, yet he still made a move. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have pierced right through her head!"
"Brother Yongzhi, you can’t put it like that. After all, didn’t Liu Ruoxi also aim to kill Ye Xuan earlier? They’re young people, after all. It’s completely normal for two youngsters to see red during a fight, isn’t it?"
"That might be true in principle, but Ye Xuan still went a bit too far. With a temper like his, how could I dare marry my granddaughter off to him?"
"Brother, what are you saying? Are you trying to go back on your word?"
Gongsun Wenjin furrowed his brows, unsure of what kind of act Liu Yongzhi was trying to pull. With Ye Xuan displaying such incredible talent, Liu Yongzhi should have been thrilled.
Liu Yongzhi spoke again, "Wenjin, I never said I was going back on my word. If we backed out now, the other cities would laugh their heads off. I merely feel that if Ruoxi truly marries Ye Xuan, you should keep an eye on things for me and ensure she isn’t harmed. A daughter of my Liu family can’t be bullied after marrying into your home, can she?"
"Naturally! Xuan’Er, tell City Lord Liu right now. If you marry Liu Ruoxi, will you let her be bullied?"
Ye Xuan replied with a cold expression, "Grandpa, I am a very selfish person. I will absolutely never allow anyone else to bully her—not even so much as harm a single hair on her head."
Ye Xuan spoke with absolute certainty, his voice sonorous and powerful. However, only he himself knew that he had deliberately left a loophole in his words. Others couldn’t bully her, but he certainly could. After all, he wasn’t "anyone else."
Gongsun Wenjin nodded and added, "Give me your guarantee."
But Ye Xuan shook his head. "A guarantee? What use is a guarantee?"
His response caused Liu Yongzhi to frown. "What, do you not even dare to make a guarantee?"
Ye Xuan chuckled and explained, "What I mean is, I can swear an oath on the totem of my Ye family. Swearing on a family totem is definitely far more effective than a simple guarantee, right?"
"Hahaha! Brother Yongzhi, look here. Are you at ease now? Ye Xuan is even willing to swear upon his family totem," Gongsun Wenjin interjected again.
Only after hearing these words did Liu Yongzhi’s expression finally ease up.
"That’s more like it."
With that said, Liu Yongzhi looked at the surrounding Liu family members who were watching the scene.
"Alright, everyone disperse. Have the servants prepare a banquet. In addition, notify all the taverns in the city that today marks the engagement between my Liu family and the Gongsun family. We will hold a grand feast for the entire city to celebrate! The City Lord’s Mansion will foot the bill for all expenses."
That night, both the Liu family and Chasing Moon City hosted magnificent banquets. Throughout the day, the news that the young miss of the Liu family, Liu Ruoxi, was marrying Ye Xuan of the Gongsun family spread through the entire city.
While some offered the couple their blessings, others were busy weeping.
"WAAAAH! Liu Ruoxi is the goddess of my heart! I’ve been working so hard to become stronger just hoping that one day I could marry her. Now, my dreams are shattered."
"This Ye Xuan and I share an irreconcilable enmity!"
"Huh? Seriously? You two have a grudge?"
"Yes! The hatred of having one’s wife stolen is absolutely irreconcilable!"
"Damn, you’re shameless! But keep your voice down. He’s the young master of the Gongsun family in Dapeng City—can you afford to provoke him? Besides, this is just fate. Some people are born uniquely blessed by the heavens. They don’t even have to lift a finger to marry the goddess of our dreams. Comparing yourself to others will just kill you from pure frustration."
The vast majority of Cultivators were incredibly envious of Ye Xuan. Little did they know that Ye Xuan’s origins were actually far humbler than theirs. Everything he possessed now was earned through his own relentless struggles. That even included his status as Gongsun Wenjin’s grandson.