In the back mountain of the Ye Family, a twelve-year-old boy sat alone on a slope. His body was thin and frail, and at this moment, he was dazing silently by himself.
“Is my talent really that poor? I’ve clearly worked harder than all of them, yet they’re already at the 3rd or even 4th stage Body Tempering Realm, while I’m still stuck at the 2nd stage Body Tempering Realm!” The boy clenched his fists, unwillingness burning in his heart.
“Xiao Tian! Xiao Tian!” A gentle female voice rang in Ye Tian’s ears, pulling him back to reality.
“Mother! I’m here!” Ye Tian waved toward the woman and ran to her.
“You child, why did you run out here again? What’s so fun about this place?” The woman held Ye Tian’s hand gently and scolded him softly.
Her tender concern warmed Ye Tian’s heart. He had never seen his father since birth, and it was his mother who had raised him alone. Because of this, he bore her surname. His mother was Ye Suxin, the eldest daughter of the Ye Family. Yet, since she had given birth to him before marriage, he was often looked down upon in the clan and had very few friends.
“Aunt! Brother Tian, something’s wrong!” A chubby boy came running, shouting for Ye Suxin and Ye Tian.
Both mother and son turned to look at the panting boy—Ye Wei.
Ye Wei was one year younger than Ye Tian, the youngest son of Ye Bao. He was already at the 3rd stage Body Tempering Realm and got along quite well with Ye Tian.
“Xiao Wei, what’s wrong? Did something happen at home?” Ye Suxin asked gently.
“No, no, Aunt. It’s the Qin Family’s patriarch! He came to our house to propose marriage on behalf of his father. Their old master wants to take you as a concubine…” Ye Wei panted heavily as he spoke.
“What? Xiao Wei, you’re not joking, are you?” Ye Suxin was shocked and asked quickly.
“I’m not! The First Elder and Second Elder have already agreed to marry you off. My father opposed it, and now he’s arguing with them. Aunt, you need to go see for yourself!” Ye Wei grabbed Ye Suxin’s hand and pulled her toward the Ye Family hall.
Ye Tian quickly followed.
When the three arrived outside the main hall, they could already hear the sounds of a heated quarrel.
“No matter what, I will never agree to my sister marrying that old dog Qin Xiao!”
“Then what do you suggest? Qin Xiao has broken through to the Innate Realm. Even if we joined forces, we wouldn’t be his match. If he turns against our Ye Family, who could stop him?”
“We’ll just leave Lingfeng City!”
“You make it sound so easy! Our family’s foundation has been here for centuries. If we leave Lingfeng City, what will our hundreds of clansmen eat? Drink? Shall they feed on the wind?”
“You…”
“Besides, the Qin Family said that if Suxin marries over, we’ll become one family. They’ll develop Lingfeng City with us, and we’ll gain more resources to train our younger generation!”
For a city to grow, resources were necessary, but so were powerful guardians. Only then would the city be safe and attract more people to settle down.
In the past, Lingfeng City had lacked both. But with Qin Xiao’s breakthrough, at least now there was a true powerhouse overseeing it. The Qin Family’s claim to develop Lingfeng City wasn’t empty talk—they had the ability to do it.
Ye Long’s head ached as he listened. As an elder brother, he didn’t want his sister to marry Qin Xiao. But as the patriarch, he had to consider the Ye Family’s survival. This made it difficult for him to decide.
“Patriarch, what do you think?” Ye Nanchang, the First Elder, shifted the question to him.
“Yes, Patriarch, what’s your stance? Do we agree or refuse?” The other clansmen all turned to Ye Long, waiting for his judgment.
“Let’s call Suxin over and ask her opinion first.” After a moment of silence, Ye Long finally spoke.
“No need to call me, Brother. I already heard everything…” At that moment, Ye Suxin entered with Ye Tian and Ye Wei.
“Suxin, you…” Ye Long hesitated, not knowing how to begin.
“Brother, don’t make it difficult. I’ll marry,” Ye Suxin said calmly, looking straight at him.
“What?” Everyone was stunned at her easy acceptance, but then joy quickly replaced their surprise.
“Miss, wise decision!”
“Miss, wise decision!”
“Mother, I don’t want you to marry! Don’t you want Xiao Tian anymore?” Ye Tian’s face turned pale as he tugged pitifully at Ye Suxin’s sleeve. He couldn’t understand why she would agree to such a thing.
“Xiao Tian, you don’t understand. I am your mother, but I am also the eldest daughter of the Ye Family. The clan raised me, and now it’s time for me to repay that debt. I cannot let the whole family abandon their home just because of me.” Ye Suxin caressed Ye Tian’s head tenderly as she spoke.
“I don’t care… Wuwu…” Ye Tian shook off her hand and ran out crying.
“Suxin…” Ye Long opened his mouth, wanting to speak.
“Brother, leave the rest to you. I’ll go check on Xiao Tian.” Before he could say anything, Ye Suxin stopped him and walked away.
…
Qin Family.
The news that the Ye Family had agreed to the marriage quickly reached them. Qin Long rushed excitedly into Qin Xiao’s courtyard.
“Father! The Ye Family agreed. Soon, you’ll have your beauty by your side.”
Qin Xiao looked at his overly excited second son and was speechless. To anyone who didn’t know better, it would seem like Qin Long himself was the one taking a concubine. Why was he so thrilled?
Truthfully, Qin Xiao was surprised too. After all, he had chosen the mother of a Child of Destiny. He had only tried with the mindset of giving it a shot. If it succeeded, it would be great. If it failed, that would have been expected.
But against all odds, it had worked, leaving even him astonished.
“Hmm, I understand. Go and have them prepare. Three days from now, bring her into the Qin Family,” Qin Xiao said.
“What? Three days? Father, isn’t that a bit too soon?” Qin Long asked cautiously, carefully watching his father’s expression.
“Too soon?” Qin Xiao frowned. In his opinion, even three days felt too slow. If it weren’t inappropriate, he would have wanted to bring her over that very night. The longer the delay, the greater the chance of mishaps. Only when the prey was in his hands could he rest easy.
“N-not too soon, not too soon! Father, I’ll have them prepare right away.” Qin Long straightened instantly, then hurried out in a rush, afraid that Qin Xiao might call him back.