"What's there to be afraid of? I've seen every part of you."
Xiao Ye teased, but seeing the murderous look on Lin Chuyue's face, he slowly covered his eyes.
Peeking through the gaps between his fingers, he gazed shamelessly at the stunning sight before him.
Her alluring bust was constrained by a lacy bra, her white blouse tucked into a tight pencil skirt that hugged her slender waist and shapely hips.
The skirt barely covered her long, gorgeous legs as her cute, rounded toes slipped into a pair of stilettos.
In an instant, Lin Chuyue transformed from her earlier mortification into a powerful career woman with a commanding aura!
Xiao Ye rubbed his fingers together, a sudden impulse rising within him.
'I want to pounce on her, rip away that cold, aloof facade, and make her cry and beg for mercy, just like last night!'
Clearing his throat, his gaze fell upon the messy bedsheets.
A few scattered plum blossoms stained the sheets, a startling, crimson red.
'This little thing, putting on such a tough act... she had no experience at all!'
Xiao Ye's mood brightened considerably. He stated directly, "Since you were able to break the restriction on me, you must be from one of the four Jiangcheng families that was pledged a Golden Saber. That only leaves the final surname: Lin!"
"I will honor the marriage contract and take you as my wife. To show my sincerity, I can call off the contracts with the other three families."
"Now, tell me what kind of trouble you're in. I'll take care of it for you!"
'That's what a real man does—shoulders his woman's burdens!'
'He didn't know how she'd managed to offend a Gu Master, but what could he do? She was his fated woman!'
Lin Chuyue had just finished dressing when Xiao Ye's words made her pretty face turn deathly pale with rage.
'Despicable!'
'I was set up and lost my innocence, and now I have to listen to this guy spout a bunch of nonsense?!'
"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to help me?"
"Last night was consensual. Our business is concluded, and you are never to mention it again!"
"If word of this gets out, I swear, even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will hunt you down and kill you with my own two hands!"
"And another thing, if you value your life, don't you dare set foot in Jiangcheng!"
After spitting out these threats, Lin Chuyue forced her nearly collapsing body to move, stumbling out and slamming the door behind her.
"Don't set foot in Jiangcheng? Heh, as it happens, Jiangcheng is the one place I absolutely have to go!"
Xiao Ye chuckled and pulled nine marriage contracts from the Daoist robe lying nearby.
He recalled the instructions his old Daoist master had given him before he left the mountain.
"Kid, your death calamity is approaching. Go down the mountain and collect on the sabers."
"Back then, your fate was stolen by another, leaving you for dead on the roadside. A restriction was even placed upon you, rendering you unable to function as a man."
"Your master traveled across most of the Dragon Country to finally find nine women whose destinies are compatible with yours. I then pledged nine Golden Sabers to their families."
"Each Golden Saber represents a marriage contract. The energy within can help their family become prominent in their region."
"Eighteen years have passed in a flash. It's time for them to repay the debt."
"One of them is your fated lucky star. She can help you break the restriction, find your true blood relatives, and avert your fated death!"
With that, the old Daoist tossed Xiao Ye a Golden Saber pendant and the nine marriage contracts, then kicked him off the mountain.
'Xiao Ye hadn't given a single thought to finding his blood relatives; he just wanted to see which of his nine fiancées was the prettiest.'
After leaving the mountain, he headed straight for Jiangcheng!
Who knew that before he even arrived, he'd run into the lucky star who could break his restriction.
Remembering that waist, as soft and pliable as water, left him wanting more.
'This is my fated connection; I can't let her get away!'
Slowly putting away the marriage contracts, Xiao Ye noticed two buttons on the messy sheets.
They had sparkling, rhinestone faces and were a delicate pink.
They looked like decorative buttons from lingerie, probably torn off by him accidentally last night.
Xiao Ye picked up the two buttons and slipped them into his pocket.
'I'll return them to their owner when I see that little tigress again!'
Stretching lazily, Xiao Ye ambled off the cruise ship.
In front of a car stood two pot-bellied, middle-aged men in expensive clothes.
Several bodyguards stood behind them; they were clearly successful men.
The two of them were frowning, scrutinizing the passengers disembarking from the ship.
"Brother Bai, it's been eighteen years. Are we really going to honor that old marriage contract? I feel like we'd just be pushing our daughters into a pit of fire!"
"We were probably swindled, right? We all made our fortunes, but who's to say it was because of that Golden Saber!"
"In any case, I'm not marrying my daughter to some punk I've never even laid eyes on!"
"No matter what you think, my Ye Family is breaking this contract!"
The speaker was Ye Zude.
He controlled Jiangcheng's pharmaceutical industry and was a major figure.
Standing beside him was Bai Shoucheng, from another of Jiangcheng's top families.
He sighed and shook his head. "You're right. And with my daughter's personality, I don't dare make this decision for her."
"It's been eighteen years. That old Daoist is probably nothing but dust by now. Did you notice? Only our two families showed up for today's meeting. The Han Family and the Lin Family are nowhere to be seen."
"Brother Bai, you haven't heard?"
Ye Zude glanced around and lowered his voice. "That old coot Han Buqun went to Master Ding to have his fortune told. The verdict? The Han Family is facing a bloody disaster."
"To avert it, he has to marry that Lin Chuyue girl into his family. He's even claiming she has the 'phoenix destiny'—that she can not only ward off disaster but also help the Han Family rise to a new level."
"For the past few days, the Lin Family has been beaten down so badly they don't dare show their faces, terrified Lin Chuyue will be snatched away and married off to Han Buqun's good-for-nothing grandson."
"Is that so? Hmph! That old dog Han Buqun is getting more senile with age, believing in all that superstitious nonsense."
Bai Shoucheng sneered. "Let them tear each other apart. If they both end up crippled, we can just swoop in and reap the rewards."
"It's this late and the old Daoist's disciple is a no-show. The contract is void!"
"And it's not our fault for breaking our promise!"
Ye Zude and Bai Shoucheng shared a look of mutual understanding and turned to leave.
Eighteen years ago, they, along with Han Family Patriarch Han Buqun and Lin Family Patriarch Lin Aoshan, were just destitute, ordinary men.
Then, a wandering old Daoist came to each of their homes, offering to bestow great fortune upon them.
With a Golden Saber as a token, a marriage contract was written: in eighteen years, their daughters would be wed to the pint-sized little disciple trailing the old Daoist.
As if bewitched, they all agreed to the old Daoist's terms.
Afterward, their fortunes did indeed soar, and they became some of the wealthiest men in Jiangcheng.
In a flash, eighteen years went by.
Accustomed to a life of luxury, none of them were willing to marry their precious darlings to some dirt-poor Daoist punk!
Xiao Ye stood right beside them, a cold sneer on his face as he listened.
'So they want to break the contract. Fine. But to dress it up in such high-and-mighty language...'
'Those blind fools. They have no idea a single divination from my master is priceless!'
'Countless princesses from the Royal Family and daughters of magnates were fighting over the chance to marry me!'
'And now, I'm being looked down upon by these two old geezers!'
"Heh. Breaking your word and voiding a contract... you'd better watch out for disaster coming to your door."
Xiao Ye walked straight up to Ye Zude and Bai Shoucheng. "I see the space between your eyebrows has darkened. You will soon be plagued by misfortune."
"Bullshit! Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?"
Ye Zude's rage flared. "Men! Grab this blind son of a bitch and cut out his tongue!"
At his command, several bodyguards immediately surrounded Xiao Ye, their killing intent palpable.
"Wait!"
Bai Shoucheng abruptly stopped them, his eyes locked on the Golden Saber pendant around Xiao Ye's neck. "Could it be... you're the one here to fulfill the pact?"