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"Yes! I disagree!" The response came in unison again. As soon as the words left her mouth, Lijie shot a resentful glare at Xin Yi and turned her head away.
"Oh?" Xin Shengtian looked at the resentful Lijie and let out a meaningful "oh."
"Ahem, how about this? Let's each do our part," the woman suggested to Xin Shengtian. Seeing him nod, she turned back with a smile and walked towards Lijie. "Good daughter, let's go upstairs."
"Hmph!" Just before going upstairs, Lijie let out a heavy huff at Xin Yi again. Xin Yi could only smile bitterly in her heart; it seemed she had offended two women at once, both of whom were ruthless and cold-blooded. It looked like the days ahead would be troublesome.
Xin Shengtian watched Lijie and her mother disappear around the corner of the stairs before turning back to Xin Yi with his usual cold and authoritative tone. "Why do you disagree?"
"I..."
"Since you can't provide a reason, then don't ramble on. This matter is settled!" Seeing Xin Yi stammering and unable to speak, Xin Shengtian became somewhat angry and threw out this hard statement.
Xin Yi took a deep breath, finally raised her head to meet Xin Shengtian's gaze, and said firmly, "Putting aside whether I agree with this matter or not, don't you think my lifelong affairs should involve the people who ought to be present?"
"You... nonsense! Is it not enough that I am overseeing this matter for you?"
"You know who I'm referring to!" Xin Yi replied defiantly, looking up.
"You..." Xin Shengtian trembled with anger. No one in Xin Manor had ever dared to confront him like this. He was the emperor of Xin Manor, always having the final say. Now, with Xin Yi speaking to him this way, it was purely a challenge to his supreme authority.
"Fine, then I'll tell you: your parents will never be able to attend. Is that enough?" After managing to calm his anger, Xin Shengtian realized he should tell her some things gradually so that she could accept them more easily.
"Why?" Seeing Xin Shengtian's attitude soften a bit, Xin Yi felt nervous again and continued to press for answers.
"Sigh..." Xin Shengtian let out a breath. "Brother Three."
"Sir."
"Take me to the secret room, and you come along too." Xin Shengtian waved to Xin Yi.
The secret room that Xin Shengtian mentioned was a forbidden place for everyone in Xin Manor, except for Xin Shengtian and Brother Three. Since childhood, Xin Yi had been repeatedly warned not to enter, although he was very curious about what was inside. He vaguely felt it might have a significant connection to his parents, but he didn't dare to go in; Xin Shengtian's authority was unquestionable.
Following Xin Shengtian and Brother Three through several corridors, they arrived at the large room at the end of one corridor where the secret room was located. The closer they got, the faster Xin Yi's heart raced. Was the mystery that had troubled him for over twenty years about to be revealed? What kind of answer awaited him? Xin Yi felt uncertain and suddenly became afraid—afraid of knowing the truth, afraid that it would bring a bloody pain.
With a creak, the door opened, unveiling a long-buried history. Although it was called a secret room, it was actually a spirit hall. In the center on the offering table, incense smoke swirled around. Behind the incense burner were two spirit tablets: on the left was the "Spirit Tablet of Xin Feng," and on the right was "Xue Yu's Spirit Tablet." Despite having guessed countless times in his mind and anticipating the worst outcome, when Xin Yi saw the two spirit tablets, his heart still tightened. He knew that the names on those tablets belonged to his parents. For over twenty years, he had called out to them in his heart; parents who he once imagined could bring warmth to his home were now inscribed on those two cold wooden plaques. In an instant, all his fantasies turned cold, all his hopes shattered into pieces, drifting away like leaves in the wind. Two streams of hot tears fell from Xin Yi's face to the ground.
"Offer them some incense," Xin Shengtian said, his tone no longer cold and authoritative but filled with deep sorrow.
Brother Three had already respectfully handed Xin Yi a lit stick of incense. Trembling, Xin Yi took it with both hands and stepped forward two paces. He bowed once, twice, three times; with each bow, his tears soaked the ground. After placing the incense in the burner, Xin Yi stepped back two paces and knelt down with a thud, knocking his head three times against the ground.
After a while, Xin Yi finally stood up, took a few steps back, and turned to look at Xin Shengtian. At this moment, there was no expression left on Xin Yi's face. "I want to know what happened."
"Right now I can only tell you that they were harmed by someone. As for who harmed them, I cannot tell you yet."
"I have the right to know everything!"
"Yes, you have the right to know, but you are not yet capable of facing them. In other words, you are not qualified to know! Telling you would be of no benefit!"
"When do you think I will be qualified to know?"
"When I believe you won't throw your life away for nothing, I will tell you everything," Xin Shengtian paused and continued, "The marriage I arranged for you this time is also to enhance your strength. The Li Family's skills in hidden weapons and poison are the most refined. You have already seen Leng Qianqiu's hidden weapons; it was your luck that you could evade them, but her daughter's techniques surpass hers. So if you can secure this marriage, you will have a better chance in the future."
"No! I will handle my own matters; I don't want to rely on a woman!" Xin Yi said firmly. "Besides, I won't consider starting a family until my parents' great revenge is fulfilled!"
"Nonsense! With your current abilities, even if you train for another ten years, you won't be able to shake them at all. Your parents were more than twice as powerful as you are now, and yet..." At this point, Xin Shengtian turned away in sorrow.
"I will find a way myself. When I have that strength, I will come back to find you!" Xin Yi said resolutely before turning and striding away.
"Sigh, the Xin Family only produces stubborn ones," Xin Shengtian murmured as he watched Xin Yi's retreating figure. "Xiaofeng, Xiaoyu, did you see that? This is your son. Forgive me for being so harsh on him for the past twenty-six years, leading him down a bloody path in the martial world. However, you should be proud because he is so outstanding—not only the pride of our Xin Family but also of our entire nation."
In a room upstairs in the hall, Lijie and her mother were laughing and chatting. As soon as they entered the room, Leng Qianqiu teasingly looked at Lijie, causing Lijie's face to flush red as she turned away, pretending to be shy.
"Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Dear daughter, don't lie to me; you really haven't developed feelings for that boy from the Xin Family?"
"Mom, if you already understand, why do you still ask me on purpose?"
"I understand? What do I understand? Oh, I see! With that boy from the Xin Family acting like that, how could our good daughter possibly like him? That's easy; we can just go down and tell Old Immortal that we disagree with this marriage proposal. Then we can return to our Silent Screen Island. Who is my daughter? There are plenty of better candidates than him." As Leng Qianqiu spoke, she opened the door of the room.
"Mom, I'm not coming anymore; you're always teasing people!" Lijie exclaimed with a flushed face and stamped her foot.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Leng Qianqiu returned to the room and asked deliberately in confusion.
"Mom, if you keep this up, I'm not going to talk to you anymore!" Lijie pouted and playfully hit Leng Qianqiu's shoulder with her small hand.
"Hehe, that's my good daughter! To be honest, my son-in-law, tsk tsk, I'm not exaggerating. He has looks and Kung Fu, and he's the grandson of Old Immortal. If your mother were twenty years younger, who knows, I might even compete with you for him, hehe."
"Mom, don't be so frivolous! You just said he's your son-in-law; you can't have any ideas about him!"
"Oh? You're already drawing a line with your mom so quickly? Truly, a daughter grows up and no longer listens to her mother. After all, he's someone else's family. You haven't even done anything yet, and you're already turning your elbow outward. So is this settled then?"
"Mm." Lijie replied softly, her head already buried in her chest.
"Then let's go downstairs and see how Old Immortal is doing." Leng Qianqiu reached out to pull Lijie as they headed down the stairs.
"And one more thing, let him speak first when we go down." Lijie said to Leng Qianqiu.
"What? Are you afraid he won't want to? If that kid dares to say a single word against it, I'll make him taste my Heart-Corroding Powder and make him wish he were dead, hmph."
"You mustn't act recklessly; let's see how it goes. What if he disagrees? I... I..." At this point, Lijie couldn't continue; it seemed she had already faced rejection. She bit her lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hehe, stop overthinking. My daughter is an outstanding beauty; any man who doesn't want her isn't a man at all. Don't worry at all, my good daughter."
After lingering for a while longer, the mother and daughter finally made their way downstairs while chatting and laughing. As they reached the staircase, Lijie's gaze swept across the hall. Xin Shengtian and Brother Three had returned to their original spots, but Xin Yi was nowhere to be seen. Lijie's heart sank at the sight; an ominous premonition washed over her.
Leng Qianqiu clearly noticed the situation as well. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, she shouted at Xin Shengtian, "Old Immortal's! Where did that impolite grandson of yours go?"
"Ahem, well, Sister, let me explain this matter to you..." Xin Shengtian rarely smiled at Leng Qianqiu.
"Explain?" Leng Qianqiu's face immediately darkened. "Don't tell me your grandson disagrees with this marriage. You begged us to come here, and if this doesn't work out, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Sister, please don't get angry. Let me explain. This is all my fault for not considering things thoroughly. Xin Yi was very upset after learning about his parents' situation. He said he wouldn't dare to start a family until he avenged them, so..."
"I don't care about your family's issues. Just be straightforward—does he agree or not?"
"He hasn't agreed for now, but..."
"How dare you, Xin Shengtian! Do you think you can toy with us? Do you think we can be summoned and dismissed at will? Let me tell you, if you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, I will tear down your Xin Manor!" Leng Qianqiu's face was as cold as frost, her killing intent palpable.
"Sister, this is indeed my fault, and I apologize. Besides, I already told you that Xin Yi just hasn't agreed for the time being. As long as he avenges his parents, this matter is still possible."
"Xin Shengtian, how can you say such nonsense? Are you implying that if he never avenges his parents, my daughter will never marry?!"
"Of course, during this time, if your daughter finds a suitable match, you can follow your own wishes..."
"Nonsense! Xin Shengtian, you're going too far! Don't think that just because you're a general, you can humiliate us! Today, I will take you down first!" Before she finished speaking, a shadow darted toward Xin Shengtian. A small blue knife filled with a foul odor aimed straight for Xin Shengtian's throat.
"Hey!" Brother Three shouted from behind Xin Shengtian. The entire hall echoed with the sound. Brother Three swung his arm in what seemed like a simple motion, instantly neutralizing Leng Qianqiu's fierce attack and pushing her back three steps.
Xin Shengtian remained seated in his wheelchair without blinking an eye, but his authoritative voice rang out: "Leng Qianqiu, I have already admitted that this matter was my oversight and apologized to you. If you continue to be so aggressive, I am not someone to be trifled with!"
"Hahaha! Xin Shengtian! I knew you were a scoundrel who uses power to oppress others. Now that things have come to this point, even if it costs our lives, I will make sure your Xin Manor is in chaos!" As she spoke, Leng Qianqiu waved her right hand again, sending three flying knives straight toward Xin Shengtian's face. With only three steps between them and the knives coming in fast, Xin Shengtian couldn't evade due to his mobility issues; the knives were about to strike him.
Suddenly, Brother Three stepped forward and swung his left arm to knock Xin Shengtian's wheelchair aside. While Xin Shengtian avoided the attack of the flying knives, Brother Three found himself fully exposed to their trajectory.
Brother Three had already decided to sacrifice himself for Xin Shengtian. Seeing that he could not avoid it, he simply closed his eyes. Just as the three flying daggers simultaneously struck the fabric of Brother Three's abdomen, there were three crisp sounds of "ding ding ding." Although it was said to be three sounds, it should actually be counted as one, because the three impacts occurred at the same time. The three daggers grazed Brother Three's clothing and flew out, followed by a few "puff puff puff" sounds as six daggers embedded themselves into a nearby pillar.
The last dagger was thrown by Lijie. Seeing that Leng Qianqiu was attacking ruthlessly with the intent to kill, she had no choice but to intervene. With such skill in handling hidden weapons, it was likely that no one in the world could surpass her. Xin Shengtian couldn't help but nod secretly in approval.
"You little brat! What do you think you're doing?!" Leng Qianqiu exclaimed angrily as her plan was thwarted by her own daughter.
"Mom, let's go," Lijie pleaded, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes.
"Go? Can we just walk away like this? If we don't seek an explanation, how will our Li Family stand in the martial world in the future? How will you ever face anyone again?!"
"Mom, I'm begging you, let's go!" Tears streamed down Lijie's cheeks, evoking sympathy.
"No way! If you want to leave, then go! I won't let Xin Family off easily today!"
"Mom!" Lijie cried out and knelt down: "I'm kneeling for you, let's go! Let's go home!"
Seeing her daughter kneel before her, Leng Qianqiu was taken aback and then sighed: "You silly girl, what a tragedy!"
After helping Lijie to her feet, Leng Qianqiu turned back to Xin Shengtian: "Xin Shengtian, for my daughter's sake today, I'll remember this debt! But don't think that I'm easy to bully; be prepared, I might come back for you at any time!" With that, she took Lijie and walked out.
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