Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Why did you come back so late? You are twenty minutes late." As soon as he reached the window, a loud voice came from inside, and the air in the darkness trembled slightly. With the sound, the lights in the room suddenly brightened.
"Brother Three, you're here." With a graceful leap, Xin Yi had already landed lightly inside the room.
"Did someone bring you back?"
"Yes, I ran into a classmate at Lusang Airport who was on the same flight and offered to give me a ride."
"Hahaha! Little Xin is starting to lie; that's quite rare!" Brother Three's hearty laughter shook the entire small building.
"Lying? I didn't! Brother Three, what do you mean?" Among the Xin Family, Xin Yi was closest to Brother Three. He appreciated Brother Three's straightforwardness and boldness; he was a true person of character compared to the taciturn Grandpa Authority, who seemed much more approachable. Therefore, Xin Yi often joked with Brother Three.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know. That girl looked reluctant to part ways; I bet she has her eyes on our little Xin! And in this godforsaken place of yours, who could possibly give you a ride? There must be something fishy going on. But you're grown up now; I suppose Grandpa wouldn't object to you starting a family. Why not bring her home tomorrow for Grandpa to meet?" Brother Three teased as he looked at Xin Yi.
"What are you talking about, Brother Three? It's not like you think. Forget it; what brings you here today?"
"I just told you, if you're really interested in that girl, bring her home tomorrow to meet Grandpa. Otherwise, there might not be another chance." Brother Three's tone turned serious.
"What do you mean?" Xin Yi felt a wave of panic. Whenever it came to matters concerning the Xin Family and Xin Shengtian, he felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness that had accompanied him for twenty-six years.
"Grandpa has found a marriage proposal for you and wants you to return to the manor tomorrow. I'm here specifically to inform you."
"A marriage proposal?!" Xin Yi never expected that Xin Shengtian would take such action. For the past ten years, he had thought that his exile had been tacitly accepted, but unexpectedly, he was suddenly presented with a marriage proposal.
"Yes, my mission for today is complete. You should rest well. Also, the payment for this task has already been transferred to your account. I'm leaving now." Brother Three patted Xin Yi's shoulder with his left hand and turned to go downstairs. Halfway down, his voice came back: "If you can bring a girl home, maybe things will take a turn for the better." This statement seemed directed at Xin Yi but also sounded like he was talking to himself.
Holding his head in despair, Xin Yi sat down. He had no idea what kind of situation would arise tomorrow, but regardless of what happened, he would not defy Xin Shengtian's wishes because he held the key to what he most wanted to know. All he could do was take it one step at a time.
On this rare beautiful day, as the first rays of dawn broke in the east, Xin Yi was already standing in an open area of the Farm. For someone with an irresistible fear of darkness, sunlight was the best relief.
At the entrance of Xin Manor in Longchuan City District, Xin Yi gazed at the tall walls and imposing gates. It had been ten years without any change; it felt like an ancient demon that remained indifferent while everything else in the world changed around it. The entire manor exuded an atmosphere of sternness and coldness, much like Xin Shengtian sitting in his wheelchair—making one feel compelled to keep their distance. Perhaps the entire manor was merely a shell for Xin Shengtian, Xin Yi thought. The thought of seeing Xin Shengtian after ten years sent a chill down his spine.
Regaining his composure, Xin Yi walked confidently toward the gate and grabbed a large door knocker to knock loudly. The sound echoed far away. After about a minute, he finally heard the sound of the latch being removed, followed by an elderly head peeking through the crack of the opened door.
"Uncle Fu, it's me," Xin Yi said loudly.
"Ah! Is it the young master returning? My apologies for taking so long to open the door and making you wait," Uncle Fu said, trembling as he hurriedly let Xin Yi inside.
"How many years has it been since the young master came back? What have you been busy with out there? You rarely come back to visit. If you don't return soon, we old folks won't get to see you again..." Uncle Fu continued to chatter.
Uncle Fu's words made Xin Yi feel a bit sad. After a hurried farewell, he walked straight toward the main building of the estate, which was Xin Shengtian's residence and where he usually handled affairs.
As soon as he pushed open the hall door, Xin Yi heard three sharp sounds of weapons slicing through the air. Three small blue flying daggers shot towards his forehead, throat, and left chest with lightning speed. Instinctively, Xin Yi performed a backflip; at the moment his body was airborne, the daggers whizzed past him. Before Xin Yi could land, a shadow darted forward like a ghost, aiming another dagger at his throat. Just when the blade was three inches away from him, Xin Yi suddenly struck out, grabbing for the wrist holding the dagger. However, the attacker had clearly anticipated this move and deftly evaded his grasp. The dagger then changed direction and lunged toward his left chest. But Xin Yi's grab was merely a feint; his true intention was to use his left hand to block downward, stopping the attacker's advance while simultaneously using the momentum to step back three feet away. All of this happened in the blink of an eye; had Xin Yi reacted even slightly slower, he would have already died three times.
"How is it, Sister? My grandson Xin Shengtian isn't a coward, is he?" Xin Shengtian's voice echoed from within the hall.
"Not bad; he's qualified to be my son-in-law. Hahaha! I didn't expect that even with you being an Old Immortal and all disabled, you could raise a grandson to this level. Not bad at all!" The voice of the person who had just attacked Xin Yi spoke up.
Only then did Xin Yi see clearly who had just attacked him—a woman in her thirties with an attractive face. However, her beauty was overshadowed by the murderous aura on her face, especially the cold light emanating from her beautiful phoenix eyes that made even someone like Xin Yi, who had killed countless people, feel a twinge of fear. This must be an elite among assassins, Xin Yi thought to himself while breaking into a cold sweat over what had just happened. If he hadn't managed to defend himself, she would have undoubtedly killed him without hesitation—what a ruthless woman!
"Good son-in-law, what are you staring at? I'm your Mother-in-law; the more I look at my son-in-law, the more interesting he becomes. Why are you staring at your Mother-in-law without blinking? My daughter is much prettier than her mother," the woman actually teased Xin Yi. He ignored her and stood still, remaining alert; who knew if this vicious woman would suddenly strike again?
"Xin Yi, come in!" Xin Shengtian's voice rang out again.
Xin Yi glanced at the woman and silently walked toward the hall.
"Hey! You've got quite a personality! Old Immortal, how did you raise your grandson? He has no manners at all; can't even call his Mother-in-law," she shouted at Xin Shengtian while walking alongside Xin Yi toward the hall. Xin Yi deliberately lagged behind a step so as not to walk side by side with her; if she made any sudden moves, he would have some distance to evade.
Xin Shengtian still sat majestically in his wheelchair. Xin Yi stole a glance before lowering his head respectfully and saying, "Grandfather, I’m back."
"Mm."
Then there was an unbearable silence; no one spoke. The air in the entire hall seemed to freeze at that moment—even the woman who had been chattering non-stop fell silent. Xin Yi felt his heart racing rapidly; he was slightly breathless but dared not breathe openly and could only lower his head to suppress his discomfort.
After a long while, it was still Xin Shengtian who broke the silence. He exhaled slowly before saying, "It's been ten years; you should have grown up."
At that moment, Xin Yi felt as if his heart might leap out of his chest. When he said he had grown up, did that mean it was time to tell him everything? He had waited over twenty years for this moment; if so, then all his efforts and endurance over these years would not have been in vain.
"It’s time for you to start a family." However, Xin Shengtian's next words mercilessly pushed Xin Yi down from the peak of hope; it seemed he still wasn't ready to tell him anything.
"Yes, yes! I think we should arrange their marriage right away to avoid any future complications... cough, cough, I mean, if my precious daughter happens to fancy someone else, your boy won't have this opportunity." The woman interjected again.
"When do you think is appropriate?" Xin Shengtian asked.
"When? I think there's no better time than today. How about today?"
"Today? Brother Three, can you check if today is an auspicious day?"
"Master, in my opinion..." Brother Three's words were interrupted by the woman again: "What auspicious day? We're just common folks; we don't need to follow such traditions."
"Well... since Sister has no objections, I won't fuss over those customs either. Today it is." The two discussed the marriage as if the actual parties involved didn't exist, especially the woman, who seemed eager to finalize everything as quickly as possible.
"How about this, Brother Three, you go make arrangements for them tonight..."
"No way!" Two loud voices echoed in the hall simultaneously. Xin Yi could no longer tolerate it; after all, this was his lifelong matter. The two had decided without consulting him at all, which made him feel extremely resentful. Moreover, he hadn't even met his intended partner yet; how could they agree to this?
The other person who exclaimed "no way" was Lijie, who had just come down from upstairs and was Xin Yi's intended partner, the daughter of the Vicious Woman. After both called out in unison, they looked at each other. Upon seeing Lijie, Xin Yi felt she was a spitting image of the Vicious Woman—equally beautiful features, equally stunning eyes that radiated coldness, and an unmistakable aura of menace. The only difference was that she was younger than the Vicious Woman. The cold killing intent mixed with youthful vigor created a mysterious presence around her, like a poppy flower shrouded in mist—both intimidating and alluring, making one want to approach her regardless of the consequences, even if it meant facing destruction. Perhaps this is what ancient people meant when they spoke of dying under a peony.
At that moment, Lijie looked at Xin Yi and felt a surge of emotions. She had clearly observed her mother’s test from upstairs; his skills were indeed top-notch. Her objection stemmed from two reasons: first, she hadn’t seen Xin Yi up close yet; if he turned out to be extremely unattractive, no matter how skilled he was in Kung Fu, she wouldn’t agree. Second, it was also due to a girl’s modesty; although she was a heroic figure in the martial world, what girl doesn’t have a sense of shame? That’s why she firmly declared "no way." She didn’t expect Xin Yi would also say "no," which made her particularly annoyed. However, when she saw the tall and slender man in the hall with a handsome face showing determination and deep loneliness in his eyes, she felt a twinge of regret. Such a man should be like an expansive ocean with countless stories to share; she wanted to experience those stories with him.
Xin Shengtian observed all of this and nodded subtly before asking again: "Do you really disagree?"
Comment 0 Comment Count