A Sudden Engagement

"Brother Jiang Yuan?"

Jiang Yuan looked curiously at the group before him. It seemed they had been waiting for him in the mission hall all along?

"And you are?" Seeing the smiles on their faces and their friendly attitude, Jiang Yuan did not put on a cold expression.

"My father is Zhang Qushan. I am Zhang Maoxi." The leader was a scholar-like man, also at the Late Qi and Blood Stage. Seeing that Jiang Yuan seemed not to recognize him, he cupped his hands and introduced himself.

Zhang Qushan? One of the three chief escorts?

So he was a second-generation heir like himself. Jiang Yuan searched through his memories and found that the original owner of this body had not had much contact with him, nor had the man ever come looking for trouble.

This man had a completely different temperament from the original Jiang Yuan. He had gathered a considerable force among the disciples of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Calling it a force was perhaps inaccurate—he simply liked forming cliques and enjoyed the feeling of being the leader.

This group was known as the Zhang Party, and they were quite famous among the Qi and Blood disciples of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Zhang Maoxi was not some spoiled young master either. He merely enjoyed being the boss, and Zhang Qushan had not paid much attention when he learned of it.

And now they had come looking for him? What did they want?

"Brother Zhang." Jiang Yuan returned the salute and asked, "What is it?"

"Hahaha, I recently heard something rather interesting. I wonder whether Brother Jiang knows about it..."

"Get to the point. I have things to do," Jiang Yuan said calmly.

He cut off everything Zhang Maoxi had been about to say.

Zhang Maoxi's expression stiffened, but he did not flare up. He continued, "I heard that Brother Jiang has an engagement with Sister Wan."

"An engagement? I don't," Jiang Yuan said, startled.

"Oh? You don't? Then could Brother Jiang go to Lord Beichuan and cancel the engagement? Since Brother Jiang and Sister Wan have no connection at all..."

"Sister Wan? Beichuan Wan?" Jiang Yuan recalled such a person. When they had been children, he and Beichuan Wan had gotten along quite well. But later, Beichuan Qingtian seemed to have had something to deal with and left the escort agency, taking Beichuan Wan with him. Their childhood-sweetheart relationship had ended there.

When had she returned? Hmm... she had returned quite some time ago. It was simply that the original owner's temperament had made him unwilling to acknowledge her again. By now, they were practically strangers.

But an engagement?

Interesting. Was the next part going to be one of those broken-engagement plots? Jiang Yuan found it amusing. A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered the porcelain-doll-like girl from his memories.

He wondered what she looked like now.

Seeing the smile curve across Jiang Yuan's lips, Zhang Maoxi had no idea what he was thinking. Still, he said, "Brother Jiang, to be honest, I have feelings for Sister Wan. I hope Brother Jiang can be magnanimous..."

Zhang Maoxi showed none of the behavior of those spoiled young masters from the trashy novels of Jiang Yuan's past life, who would fight the protagonist to the death over a beauty. Instead, he spoke with courtesy and goodwill.

But that made sense. Jiang Yuan's status was comparable to Zhang Maoxi's, and he had recently displayed considerable talent. Naturally, Zhang Maoxi would not easily make an enemy of him.

Some matters could still be settled if people spoke things through properly.

Jiang Yuan waved a hand. Women would only affect the speed at which he drew his blade. Since Zhang Maoxi was asking so politely, he did not mind doing him a favor that cost him nothing.

"Fine."

Zhang Maoxi was delighted and continued, "Is Brother Jiang here to submit a mission at the mission hall? Is Brother Jiang short on merit points? I have some on hand. If Brother Jiang still needs more..."

Jiang Yuan nodded without saying anything. By rights, his merits were just enough to exchange for an entire Dragon's Roar Spear Technique.

"Submitting, Grade A Number Thirteen." Jiang Yuan slapped the token in his hand onto the counter.

"Alright, your merits." This time, there was no jade pendant like those in cultivation novels recording information. Instead, there were several coin-shaped objects.

These things were merit points.

Grade A Number Thirteen was a mission with a certain degree of danger. Jiang Yuan had completed it and returned unscathed, which meant he had some skill.

News of the exchange match between the Zhenyuan Escort Agency and the Fengxing Family had also spread. Jiang Yuan truly was no longer the Jiang Yuan of before.

The former Jiang Yuan could not exactly be called useless, but he had been mediocre. He had only reached the Mid Qi and Blood Stage at sixteen, despite the excellent conditions available at the martial academy.

And now, Zhang Maoxi estimated that he might not be Jiang Yuan's match.

But so what?

Zhang Maoxi had always believed that individual strength could not compare to the strength of a group. With connections in hand came power. Jiang Yuan might be formidable, but he had always been solitary and had few friends. In that regard, he was inferior to Zhang Maoxi.

Still, now that Jiang Yuan had burst into prominence, Zhang Maoxi could begin forging a friendship with him.

Zhang Maoxi had just opened his mouth to speak.

When a sharp female shout came from the entrance.

"Zhang! Stop right there!"

"Huh?" Zhang Maoxi turned around in confusion.

Jiang Yuan looked over as well.

A slender young girl stood in the doorway, her delicate brows slightly raised as she glared at Zhang Maoxi in anger.

Her black hair, piled like clouds and heaped snow, was arranged in flowing-cloud buns, adorned with a delicate jade hairpin. She wore an ice-blue cross-collared, chest-high ruqun dress.

The faint scholarly clarity between her elegant brows was particularly eye-catching.

Even Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up at the sight.

He had never seen such an adorable girl in his past life.

But who was this person?

Hm?

Beichuan Wan?

As Jiang Yuan wondered, Beichuan Wan walked up to him.

Jiang Yuan's tall, upright figure was reflected in Beichuan Wan's beautiful eyes.

The original owner had been withdrawn, his entire presence seeming somewhat bleak and dim.

But Jiang Yuan now brimmed with the vigor of the rising sun, carrying a faint, subtle pressure as well.

Jiang Yuan himself had always been exceptionally handsome. With the transformation brought by the Acquired Savage Physique, he instead gave off a weighty sense of security—tall and jade-like, yet without losing his poise.

At the same time, there was a cold severity about him, the look in his eyes as steady as the sea.

He was completely different from what Beichuan Wan had imagined.

After returning, Beichuan Wan had actually gone to secretly look at Jiang Yuan. But Jiang Yuan had been withdrawn, and though Beichuan Wan had tried several times to approach him, nothing had come of it.

But now...

A few ripples stirred in Beichuan Wan's heart, and she recalled the days of their childhood.

The tough edge in her voice vanished, and she instead asked softly, "Jiang... Jiang Yuan?"

Jiang Yuan looked at the girl, who stood only half a head shorter than him, and said tentatively, "Beichuan Wan?"

A girl truly changed eighteen times as she grew. Beichuan Wan was utterly unlike the porcelain doll in his memories.

Zhang Maoxi's expression stiffened at the sight, and he suddenly clenched his teeth.

"Brother Xi?" Zhang Maoxi's companion glanced at him, then at Jiang Yuan and Beichuan Wan, whose eyes were locked on each other, and was about to interfere.

Yet Zhang Maoxi raised a hand to stop him.

For some reason, Jiang Yuan's tone left Beichuan Wan slightly disappointed. Then she froze. What was wrong with her?

"Zhang Maoxi! How many times have I told you? My own affairs don't need you meddling in them!" Beichuan Wan forced the thoughts in her heart away, raised her delicate brows, and suddenly turned to snap at Zhang Maoxi.

"Wan'er..." A trace of ingratiating flattery appeared on Zhang Maoxi's face, clashing severely with his usual image, though those around him had long grown accustomed to it.

"Call me Beichuan Wan! And besides, I don't know where you got your information, but I've told you countless times already: my affairs are none of your concern. You're not my nanny!"

"Jiang Yuan! I challenge you. If you lose, then the marriage agreement will be canceled!"