A Single Hand Can Turn the Tide

Wei Zhengyang.

An Outer Sect Disciple of the Green River Sword Mansion, a direct-line descendant of the Wei Clan, one of the top great clans of Cloud River County City.

This status alone was enough to make the entire Wen Family feel awe and fear.

"So it's Junior Brother Wei."

Su Yi nodded slightly.

During the three years he had cultivated at the Green River Sword Mansion, Wei Zhengyang had always regarded him as a rival.

But throughout those three years, no matter how hard Wei Zhengyang worked, Su Yi had always kept him firmly pressed down by a head.

In other words, for those three years, Wei Zhengyang had always lived in his shadow!

At this moment, Wei Zhengyang's gaze swept over Su Yi without the slightest restraint. A moment later, he suddenly let out a long sigh and said with emotion:

"Who would have thought that the dignified Outer Disciple Sword Leader of Green River Sword Mansion would, in the blink of an eye, fall into the dust of the mortal world—not only losing all his cultivation, but even becoming a live-in son-in-law? How tragic, how lamentable!"

His voice spread through the great hall, echoing without end.

Everyone's expressions turned strange.

Su Yi said with a half-smile, "It seems Junior Brother Wei has forgotten the lessons of the past. How about I help you remember?"

A single sentence seemed to jab Wei Zhengyang's sore spot, bringing back some unbearable memories. His expression gradually darkened.

"Su Yi, you are not to be rude to Young Master Wei!"

Patriarch Wen Changjing suddenly rose to his feet and shouted sternly, his icy gaze carrying a threat.

Although Su Yi had long known that the entire Wen Family looked down on him, he was still somewhat surprised.

The dignified patriarch of the Wen Family!

Yet under everyone's eyes, he was helping an outsider threaten his own son-in-law?

Looking again at the other important figures of the Wen Family, their expressions all carried faint disdain and coldness. No one felt there was anything improper about Wen Changjing's words.

Clearly, in their hearts, this son-in-law of theirs was nothing more than a decoration, someone they could knead and pinch as they pleased.

"If so, that's fine too."

At this moment, Su Yi's expression became even calmer. Only, in his heart, he had completely drawn a clear line between himself and the Wen Family.

"Su Yi, I didn't make a special trip from Cloud River County just to come laugh at you!"

Wei Zhengyang spoke coldly. He had taken in the attitude of everyone in the Wen Family toward Su Yi, and the confidence in his heart grew even more unbridled.

"Oh, then what was it for?" Su Yi said.

The corners of Wei Zhengyang's lips lifted slightly. His gaze locked on Su Yi like a hawk's, and he extended two fingers, saying each word deliberately:

"I came here for only two matters."

"First, tomorrow, I will go with Lingzhao to cultivate at Heavenly Origin Academy. Don't worry. I will take good care of Miss Lingzhao and guarantee she won't suffer the slightest grievance!"

"Second, remember your status. You are nothing but a live-in son-in-law who has lost all his cultivation. You are simply unworthy of being with Lingzhao!"

"In the future, when I come to the Wen Family again, I will definitely help Lingzhao dissolve the marriage contract. And you, Su Yi... will be swept out the door!"

"When that time comes, if you can't find food to eat, you can stay by my side as a slave. I don't mind spending money to keep a piece of trash!"

His words rang like metal, each one landing with weight.

Wei Zhengyang looked around with the gaze of an eagle and the bearing of a wolf, disdainful and confident, showing his arrogance in full.

The great hall was silent, so quiet that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.

Everyone's expressions were strange.

No matter what, Su Yi and Wen Lingzhao were husband and wife in the end.

Yet Wei Zhengyang had said such words in front of all the important figures of the Wen Family. This was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation to Su Yi!

However, the meaning within Wei Zhengyang's words also made Patriarch Wen Changjing and those important figures feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Yet no one dared say anything.

The Wei Clan was a top great clan capable of influencing all nineteen cities of Cloud River County!

And Wei Zhengyang was the legitimate son of the Wei Clan's current patriarch. The nobility of his status was far beyond anything their Wen Family dared to offend.

Instead, Qin Qing's eyes lit up. She carefully sized Wei Zhengyang up, then compared him with Su Yi, and the more she did, the more upset she felt.

If her daughter had married this Young Master Wei... which blind fool in the Wen Family would still dare look down on her?

What surprised everyone was—

Even after suffering such a great humiliation, Su Yi's expression was still unruffled, without a single ripple. That calm, indifferent bearing made everyone somewhat astonished.

This fellow...

Was he not angry at all?

Wei Zhengyang frowned. He had come to flaunt his might, and had even used the method of "stealing his wife" to humiliate Su Yi.

But who could have imagined that Su Yi seemed completely unmoved by this trick? It left Wei Zhengyang feeling stifled, like he had punched cotton and found nowhere to exert his strength.

Su Yi took everyone's expressions in at a glance, remaining as calm as ever, like a god in the heavens looking down upon some tiny farce in a corner of the mortal world.

A handful of fleas. Ridiculous and laughable!

He's already fallen to such a state, so how can he still have this detached, worldly-transcending frame of mind...?

No one noticed that Wen Lingzhao, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, as chilly as ice and snow, had a faint, almost imperceptible trace of doubt and surprise deep in her starry eyes.

Just then, Su Yi swept his gaze over everyone in the hall and spoke calmly. "No matter what, so long as the marriage contract remains, I am still Wen Lingzhao's husband and the Wen Family's son-in-law."

"And now, an outsider is standing here in the Wen Family's Clan Hall, openly and brazenly saying that from now on, he'll take my place in caring for my wife."

"Everyone, if this gets out, how will the world look upon the Wen Family?"

"And how will they look upon... Wen Lingzhao?"

His words were calm and unhurried.

Yet they were like a sudden peal of thunder, exploding through the hall!

The faces of Wen Changjing and the other important figures all changed, and they could no longer sit still.

They didn't care about Su Yi's feelings, but they had no choice but to care about the Wen Family's reputation and face!

Only then did Qin Qing and Wen Changtai jolt awake as if from a dream. They grew anxious at once, their expressions ugly. If this matter spread, the ones most humiliated would definitely be them, her parents.

At this moment, even a shadow appeared on Wen Lingzhao's icy, stunningly beautiful face, and anger surfaced in her clear eyes.

Wei Zhengyang's heart lurched, and he inwardly cried out that things were bad.

He had never expected that a few words from Su Yi would cause the Wen Family's attitude to change so abruptly. If he didn't explain himself now, this misunderstanding would become huge!

However, Su Yi simply didn't give him the chance to speak and said calmly:

"Junior Brother Wei, if your Wei Family learned that you'd sworn so solemnly to steal another man's wife, how would they look upon you?"

"By then, I'm afraid the whole of Cloud River County City would know that the legitimate son of the dignified Wei Family's clan head turns out to enjoy forcibly taking another man's wife."

Su Yi looked at Wei Zhengyang, even carrying a trace of pity in his eyes. "Once such an evil reputation is set in stone, you're destined to be unable to wash it clean for the rest of your life."

"In that case, even if you are the legitimate son of the Wei Family's clan head, your position in the Wei Family will certainly suffer a severe impact. The consequences of that... can you bear them?"

At this point, he patted Wei Zhengyang on the shoulder. "I'll stop here. Think it over carefully."

The great hall was deathly silent, stifling and heavy.

Su Yi's voice still echoed word by word in everyone's hearts like thunder, making their faces turn alternately green and white.

Looking at Wei Zhengyang again, his cheeks first flushed red, then turned deathly pale. Blue veins bulged and throbbed across his forehead, and his body trembled with fury, while violent rage, shame, and anger surged in his eyes.

"You..."

He was so furious his hair seemed about to stand on end, and he wished he could punch Su Yi to death.

Wen Lingzhao suddenly rose and looked coldly at Wei Zhengyang with her starry eyes. "Senior Brother Wei, are you finished?"

Her peerlessly beautiful face was cold and sharp as ice and snow, and her voice carried undisguised anger.

"Martial Sister Lingzhao, don't misunderstand. I swear to the heavens, that absolutely wasn't what I meant!"

Wei Zhengyang, who had been engulfed by rage, was like someone doused with a basin of cold water. He completely panicked.

He hurriedly explained to Wen Lingzhao, "I was thinking that once the two of us are cultivating at Heavenly Origin Academy, we could look out for each other. After all, we became acquainted back at Clear River Sword Mansion, so we can be considered... friends. Between friends, how could there be any reason not to help one another?"

"I'm tired. I'll go rest first."

Wen Lingzhao's pretty face was as cold as ice as she left the hall directly.

Only, as she passed by Su Yi, a faint, almost imperceptible strange look flashed through her starry eyes.

Even after suffering such humiliation, he can still remain perfectly composed. What's more, in the space of casual conversation and laughter, he threw tonight's situation into chaos. This fellow... doesn't seem as utterly worthless as I imagined...

Immediately afterward, she shook her head inwardly.

In the end, she and he were strangers walking different paths after all.

Su Yi was Su Yi.

She was she.

Though they had the name of husband and wife, in this life, it would be best if they never met again!

Wei Zhengyang stood there in a daze, his expression incomparably ugly.

He was worried that Wen Lingzhao had completely misunderstood him, and he was like an ant on a hot pan, his mind thrown into chaos.

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, watching all of this coldly to the end.

He didn't care how Wen Lingzhao viewed him.

But if, while they still had the name of husband and wife, Wen Lingzhao got together with Wei Zhengyang, that would undoubtedly be placing a green hat on Su Yi's head.

If such a reputation were set in stone, it would absolutely be a stain for life.

No matter how detached Su Yi's state of mind was, he could not tolerate such a thing happening.

That was why he had spoken up earlier and completely overturned the entire situation!

In the future, I'll have to find an opportunity to get rid of that bastard Wei Zhengyang, who harbors wicked intentions toward Wen Lingzhao. Better than being cuckolded without even noticing...

With that thought, Su Yi lost all interest in watching the spectacle.

"Everyone, take your time chatting. I'm tired as well, so I'll be taking my leave."

After tossing out those airy words, Su Yi turned and left.

"Su Yi, you stop right there!"

Wei Zhengyang was full of anger and shouted harshly.

"Junior Brother Wei, honest advice grates on the ear but benefits the deed. I advise you to conduct yourself properly. Otherwise, a fatal disaster will surely come from your mouth."

Without even turning his head, Su Yi waved a hand. His steps were leisurely, and his figure soon vanished into the night outside the great hall.

Inside the great hall, under the glow of candlelight, everyone's expression was ugly in its own way.

Outside the great hall, the moon shone over the night sky, and the evening wind was brisk—just like Su Yi's mood, relaxed and composed.

It was only a minor farce; with one hand, he could overturn wind and rain!