Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi had just reached the main entrance when he froze, mouth hanging open.

Tang Jing had led him to the main pavilion, but upon hearing voices from within, he decided not to enter. It was then that he overheard Yun Mengxi turning down Cang Lu’s marriage proposal.

He thought their voices sounded familiar, so he extended his divine consciousness into the pavilion, and what he saw left him stunned. He gulped, then patted his chest and gasped. “Oh my goodness!”

Tang Jing furrowed her brow slightly and asked innocently, “What is it? What’s the matter?”

Li Guanqi turned to her. She had an innocent, almost naive look in her eyes.

He was itching to find out what had happened, so he dragged Tang Jing to the window and pointed at the girl inside. “Do you know who that is?”

Her eyes flashed with disgust, then she sent a voice transmission. “Of course. That’s the Sixth Elder’s direct disciple, Yun Mengxi.”

Li Guanqi paused, then murmured, “Direct disciple?”

Tang Jing tilted her head. “Why do you ask? Do you know her?”

A mischievous smile crept over his face. “I do. I know her very well. Do you know who that man sitting there is?”“Yes, he’s the eldest young master of the Wu family, Wu Kun. Why are you asking?”

Li Guanqi wriggled his eyebrows and grinned. “And did you know that those two are… connected?”

Tang Jing frowned. “What? How could they be connected?”

She paused, then continued, “Wait! Don’t tell me… You mean that kind of connection?!”

Her eyes widened as she clutched at his arm in shock. Luckily, Li Guanqi had already sealed the area with an invisible spatial barrier, or the people inside would have overheard her.

Tang Jing turned red, as if she had stumbled onto a scandalous secret.

People were drawn to secrets. And nothing stirred excitement more than discovering someone else’s.

Li Guanqi only smiled, then pointed at another young man. “Do you know who he is?”

Tang Jing shook her head. After thinking it through, though, she asked carefully, “Yun Mengxi’s fiancé? But isn’t she turning down his proposal right now?”

Li Guanqi shook his head. “Not quite. That guy came here with Wu Kun. I think he’s one of his lackeys.”

Tang Jing clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening again. Li Guanqi did not explain what he had seen back at the inn. If he did, he would look like a pervert and would struggle to explain himself.

But Tang Jing was shocked enough on her own. She whispered, “She’s his fiancée, but she has relations with him, and he doesn’t know about him and her, but he knows that she’s his fiancée! Oh my goodness! This is incredible!”

She shook Li Guanqi’s arm like an overexcited child. He instinctively pulled away. “What are you rambling about? You’re confusing me. Still, you’re right. The ties between those three are… interesting.”

Then he smirked. “So? Is this little drama entertaining enough for you?”

Tang Jing replied, “Now I get why you were so shocked. This isn’t just drama—it’s a scandal.”

Her admiration for him deepened. To her, he was both funny and interesting, which was a dangerous combination for any budding young girl.

Inside the pavilion, Cang Lu slowly took out a marriage contract, his face clouded with sorrow. He wanted to return it to her, defeated.

Yun Mengxi’s complexion drained. She felt like she had already made her rejection clear, and now she suspected Cang Lu was trying to pressure her with the contract their families had arranged.

Is he trying to force me to marry him?! Hmph!

She surged forward, snatched the contract from his hands before he could react, and ripped the carefully preserved document to pieces in an instant.

Wu Kun watched it all unfold with a smug grin. He felt a strong sense of schadenfreude looking at the raging Yun Mengxi and the stunned Cang Lu, particularly because he knew that Cang Lu, the person who usually bought strength pills for him, was Yun Mengxi’s fiancé.

His pulse quickened, a thrill rushing through him. If not for the place they were in, he would have dragged her into bed right then and there.

The Wu family had taken Cang Lu in three years ago because of their fathers’ friendship. Wu Kun had never minded much; Cang Lu was quiet, liked to play the guqin, and was easy to order around.

All the better for him. His lover was also the fiancée of his obedient underling. The thought alone was intoxicating.

Chu Xingxian observed everything from the dais, his expression unreadable. To him, Yun Mengxi had done nothing wrong. Everyone had the freedom to choose. If she refused the marriage, so be it.

Sitting below Chu Xingxian was Ning Gang, Yun Mengxi’s master and the Sixth Elder of the Phoenix Lightning Sect.

His eyes lit up as his disciple personally tore the contract apart. To him, an average guy like Cang Lu was unworthy of her. Besides, he had been the one maneuvering behind the scenes so Wu Kun could gain an audience with Chu Xingxian.

The Wu family dealt in demonic beast materials. They were seeking the Phoenix Lightning Sect’s protection, which would naturally send their business soaring.

Chu Xingxian frowned slightly. He had no interest in dealing with squabbles among the younger generation. If not for the fact that he was waiting for Li Guanqi, he wouldn’t have been there.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi waited outside, hoping the matters inside would wrap up soon. To him, Cang Lu seemed like a better choice than Wu Kun, whose cultivation was unstable. Wu Kun was only in the early Golden Core Realm and had a shoddy core at that. He would likely remain stuck in the Golden Core Realm for life.

On the other hand, Cang Lu’s aura was stable, and he possessed an extremely high-quality golden core, giving him tremendous potential.

Yun Mengxi tossed the pieces of the marriage agreement into the air and glared at Cang Lu. “I already told you I won’t marry you. Do you really think a piece of paper can control me? The elders who arranged this are dead, so this contract is void! For old times’ sake, I’ll say this kindly—leave this mountain. Don’t hang around here groveling!”