In a small courtyard within the Jiang Family’s Elders’ Hall.
This was the most heavily guarded location in all of Jiang Family Town. A full twenty cultivators had been assembled here. Ten of them were experts at the ninth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, while the remaining ten were all at the sixth level or higher.
Inside the room, three women were dressing Jiang Li. Although eleven-year-old Jiang Li had not fully matured, she was already a beauty in the making.
Her eyes, pure as a newborn’s, were exceptionally beautiful. Dressed today in a red wedding robe and adorned with gold and silver, she appeared all the more striking.
After half a month of confinement, Jiang Li had grown visibly thinner. Her expression was sorrowful, tears swirling in her eyes in a way that tugged at the heart.
The three women beside her coaxed her incessantly, instructing her on how to behave once the procession started, and what she must do upon arriving in Yunmeng City…
Jiang Li remained silent, sitting with her head bowed. The three women grew anxious. If Jiang Li refused to cooperate today and drew Han Shiqi’s wrath, Jiang Xiaotian would certainly not let them off.
“Jiang Li, stop pulling that dead face!”
One woman lost her temper. With one hand on her hip, she pointed at Jiang Li. “What’s so bad about marrying into the Han Family? You’ll eat well and drink well, and your brother will reap immense benefits. If you can please Lord Han, he might even recruit your brother directly into Yunmeng Pavilion. Then your brother will soar into the heavens and become a true expert.”
“Exactly!”
Another woman chimed in. “We women must all marry sooner or later. What does it matter who you marry? Look at me. I married your Uncle Gu and haven’t enjoyed a single day of fortune in my life. I work myself to the bone every day and can hardly afford a decent set of clothes. If my daughter were as pretty as you, and Lord Han took a liking to her, I would have been living in luxury long ago.”
The three women chattered incessantly, but Jiang Li still refused to speak, her face devoid of any smile.
After a long wait, when the three women had finally exhausted themselves with talking, she raised her head. “I want to see my brother. If I don’t see him, I won’t marry!”
On the night Jiang Han assaulted Jiang Family Town, he had roared Jiang Li’s name. Jiang Li had heard him.
She had been in a nearby woodshed, her hands and feet bound, her mouth gagged.
She had heard the screams of Jiang Long and the others, as well as the screams of the women who had been guarding her. She had even seen the raging fire consume the courtyard where she had previously been imprisoned.
She did not know exactly what had happened, but she guessed that Jiang Han was trying to save her. She was deeply worried about him, so she stubbornly insisted on seeing him one last time.
The three women exchanged glances. One hesitated for a moment before her expression darkened. “We’ll tell you the truth. Your brother has been tied up. The Third Elder was afraid he would cause trouble today.”
Another woman nodded. “Your brother caused a massive scene a few days ago, and the Third Elder was furious. If you don’t cooperate today, your brother will be flayed alive.”
“That’s right…”
The last woman spoke with absolute certainty. “The Third Elder said that if you don’t cooperate today, he will chop off your brother’s hands and feet and seal his body in an urn. Then, he’ll toss in a nest of flesh-eating ants and let them slowly gnaw away at him until he is eaten alive.”
“Ah? No, no!”
Jiang Li’s pretty face went ghastly pale with terror. She grabbed one of the women’s hands, tears falling silently as she sobbed. “Don’t hurt my brother, please don’t! I’ll listen to you, I’ll marry…”
“That’s more like it!” Get faster updates on g.com.
The three women revealed satisfied smiles. One of them offered a comforting word. “Don’t worry. As long as you obediently do as you’re told and marry Lord Han, your brother will become Lord Han’s brother-in-law. How would the Third Elder dare to touch him then? Isn’t that the truth?”
Jiang Li’s mind was simple, and she was easily deceived by these few words.
But the tears in her eyes still fell uncontrollably. She gazed out the window and murmured, “Brother, you must be well. You must stay safe.”
…
…
At noon, a grand banquet was held within the Jiang Family’s Elders’ Hall.
Jiang Xiaotian had sent people out to procure delicacies from the mountains and seas, as well as hundreds of jars of fine wine. The elders of various clans and the representatives of minor families all presented precious congratulatory gifts.
Jiang Li was brought out. Han Shiqi had previously only seen a portrait of her, but upon seeing Jiang Li in person—especially those black-and-white, pearl-like eyes—he grinned from ear to ear.
He had no other hobbies in this life. He was deeply fond of young girls and boys, particularly relishing the process of slowly molding and training them.
Indeed, his tastes extended beyond women; he favored men as well.
The handsome young man by his side, ostensibly his disciple, was actually his private plaything…
At this moment, when his disciple Han Renfeng saw Jiang Li, a flash of jealousy and hatred crossed his eyes.
He understood Han Shiqi best. Jiang Li’s large, watery eyes were simply too beautiful; they had completely stolen Han Shiqi’s soul. If they were not currently in Jiang Family Town, Han Shiqi likely would have dragged her straight into the bridal chamber.
The banquet proceeded with both host and guests enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Jiang Han did not appear. This made the smile on Jiang Xiaotian’s face grow noticeably wider. As long as Jiang Han did not show his face in Jiang Family Town, all was well. Even if the boy attempted an ambush on the road, it would no longer have anything to do with him. The heavy stone pressing on his heart had finally dropped.
“Is Jiang Han really not going to show up?”
“Sigh, we came for nothing today…”
“You can’t blame him. He’s only in the Purple Mansion Realm. There are far too many experts here today. Unless he’s a fool, he definitely wouldn’t come to throw his life away.”
“That makes sense. With his talent, if he lays low and cultivates for ten years, he will surely become a true expert. A gentleman can wait ten years for his revenge!”
Discussions buzzed throughout the many inns and taverns of Jiang Family Town, as well as in the forests outside.
The onlookers hiding in the woods were especially frustrated. Their stomachs were growling with hunger as they waited eagerly, yet Jiang Han never arrived. Naturally, they felt displeased.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Surrounded by a fawning crowd, Han Shiqi slowly boarded his carriage. Jiang Li was led to the second carriage. Jiang Xiaotian dispatched two middle-aged women with some martial skill to accompany her, ensuring she could neither escape nor commit suicide.
The martial artists of Yunmeng Pavilion all boarded their carriages. The procession pulled away from the Elders’ Hall and slowly made its way toward the south gate of Jiang Family Town.
Jiang Xiaotian, followed by the elders and representatives of the various clans, walked behind them, escorting the procession all the way to the town gate.
Many people from the inns and taverns trailed after them, their hearts beginning to pound with nervous anticipation.
Han Shiqi was about to leave with Jiang Li. If Jiang Han still did not appear now, then he truly wasn’t coming today.
The five carriages rolled out through the gates of Jiang Family Town. Supported by Han Renfeng, Han Shiqi stepped out of his carriage once more and waved in gratitude to Jiang Xiaotian and the clan elders who had come to see him off.
In the nearby woods, the villagers craned their necks, scanning their surroundings with eyes full of expectation.
“Brother, you must take care of yourself!”
Inside the second carriage, Jiang Li leaned against the window, her gaze fixed entirely on the direction of Jiang Family Town.
Her large eyes overflowed with longing and hope, desperate to catch a glimpse of Jiang Han’s figure, desperate to see him one last time.
But alas…
Nearly a hundred people stood outside the town gates, yet she did not see that familiar silhouette.
Her eyes gradually dimmed. Tears began to fall uncontrollably, washing two pale streaks through the rouge on her cheeks.
Whoa—
Suddenly, an uproar broke out in the distance, quickly rippling outward. The people in the nearby woods and at the town gates erupted like a boiling pot, instantly throwing the area into absolute clamor.
“It’s Jiang Han! Jiang Han is here!”
Jiang Li faintly caught the sound of that voice. Overjoyed, she pulled back the carriage curtain and peered into the distance.
When she saw a black-clad youth with a long saber strapped to his back, walking step by step down the main road from afar, the tears in her eyes burst forth like a shattered dam.
Under the gaze of hundreds of people, Jiang Han walked slowly forward, his saber resting on his back.
His back was straight, his strides firm, his gaze freezing cold, and his expression perfectly resolute. He was like a moth diving headlong into the flames.
No turning back!