Grudges

Inside the tranquil water pavilion, the air was filled with a faint scent of tea, yet it couldn't mask a subtle, intangible tension.

"Thirty-two years ago, the Xifeng Rift was breached,"

Liang Qiushi shifted into a more relaxed posture, her legs crossed elegantly. Her fingertips tapped almost imperceptibly on the smooth tea table as she spoke slowly, "The Martial Immortals on duty then were Kirill Orlov of the Arctic Alliance, Zhang Heming of the northwestern Zhang Family, and..."

She paused for a moment. "My son Jin Zhi's great-grandfather, the then head of the Gu Family, 'Crimson Crown' Gu Xunzhang."

Holy crap, Martial Immortals?! This lady's family has a Martial Immortal! No wonder Liang Yuchuan respects her so much...

Li Wei was shocked. She was already getting involved with people at the very peak of China's martial arts world?

But she didn't have time to dwell on it; Liang Qiushi's story continued.

"Everything was fine initially, but then one day, the three Martial Immortals suddenly charged into the depths of the rift without a word, leaving no instructions behind."

As she spoke, a look of incomprehensible confusion appeared in Liang Qiushi's eyes.

"They were gone for a full seven days. It wasn't until the dawn of the eighth day that the Arctic Alliance suddenly notified our country, saying... their Martial Immortal, Orlov, had fallen!"

"What?" Li Wei was startled again. "How did the Arctic Alliance know?"

"The explanation is quite complicated. Have you read web novels?" Liang Qiushi asked.

Li Wei nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I have."

"Just think of it like... a Soul Lamp being extinguished."

The analogy was simple and direct, and Li Wei understood immediately.

Liang Qiushi continued, "On the morning of the eighth day, while the two countries were still in emergency communication, the passage was suddenly attacked by Abyssal Monsters. Morale was low, and with no Martial Immortal present, the defending forces collapsed in less than three hours."

"The events that followed were reported in the news. We, the Arctic Alliance, and the White Eagle Federation hurled dozens of nuclear bombs at the rift entrance, barely holding them off for a day until reinforcements arrived."

"What about the other two Martial Immortals? Did they die inside?" Li Wei asked curiously.

Liang Qiushi sighed, "If they had both died, it wouldn't be this troublesome."

"Huh?" Li Wei didn't understand.

Liang Qiushi recalled, "More than ten days later, the Zhang Family's Martial Immortal fell, but Jin Zhi's great-grandfather escaped, becoming the sole surviving Martial Immortal..."

Hearing this, Li Wei began to form a suspicion.

Two out of three Martial Immortals died, and the one who survived was bound to attract resentment...

Moreover, the three of them had been negligent in their duties.

Those who died were one thing; their accounts were settled with their deaths. But as for the survivor...

Even if he was a Martial Immortal, he'd likely have to provide an explanation. Otherwise, this matter wouldn't be easily resolved.

"Then..." Li Wei tried to ask, "What did Martial Immortal Gu say?"

Liang Qiushi's expression dimmed slightly. "When he was rescued, he was too severely injured and remained unconscious until now. No one knows what exactly happened inside the rift back then..."

Great, now it's impossible to clarify.

He's the only one left out of three; he must be hated to death...

As expected, Liang Qiushi's next words confirmed Li Wei's suspicion.

"From then on, everyone started blaming the Gu Family. The Zhang Family was particularly insistent that our Gu Family's Martial Immortal caused the death of their Zhang Family's Martial Immortal."

Li Wei blinked. "Is the Zhang Family shifting blame? Playing the victim? Seeking sympathy? Diverting attention?"

Liang Qiushi gave a bitter, light laugh. "You're quite a clever young lady."

If you didn't call me "young lady" when you praise me, I might actually be happy... Li Wei's mouth twitched.

Liang Qiushi sighed, her tone tinged with melancholy. "My father-in-law, to stabilize the Gu Family's situation, abandoned his accumulated efforts and hastily ascended to Grandmaster."

"Five years ago, during a major battle at the North Sea Rift, he was severely injured, nearly losing his cultivation. He's still recuperating at home."

"Coincidentally, in that same year, Zhang Heming's eldest son, Zhang Luye, successfully achieved the Martial Immortal status..."

Oh, this... Li Wei's mouth twitched.

Liang Qiushi smoothed her breathing and continued, "Since then, the Zhang Family stopped just talking and started suppressing us openly and covertly. If our Gu Family's Martial Immortal were not still alive, the current superficial peace would likely not hold..."

Li Wei: "..."

Liang Qiushi's gaze drifted to the lotus pond outside the window, but her eyes were unfocused.

"Jin Zhi has already graduated and, according to the 'Mobilization Regulations,' must go to the Western Frontier. It was only through the engagement and his grandfather's influence that the departure was postponed until September..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened. This solemnity evoked a sense of pity in Li Wei as well.

Wait, what's the difference between my current mindset and someone living in a basement, eating instant noodles, yet feeling sorry for a CEO with a stomach ache?

She shivered and quickly collected her thoughts.

Liang Qiushi seemed lost in memory, lamenting:

"My husband and I don't have much talent in martial arts. We've relied on resources to reach our current level, and I doubt I'll ever become a Master in this lifetime."

"The direct lineage of the Gu Family has two injured and two weak members. A Martial Immortal family that has been passed down for a hundred years actually doesn't even have a single Master to hold up the fort..."

Truly tragic. Li Wei sighed.

Now she understood. No wonder someone of Liang Qiushi's status had to resort to finding someone for "substitute service."

Losing two generations of top experts, and the new generation unable to step up, the Gu Family was truly unlucky.

However, Li Wei still couldn't understand. If it was just "substitute service," why did she have to pretend to be Jiang Xue?

"Um... Aunt Liang," Li Wei felt it was better to clarify, "Couldn't I just 'marry' your son directly? Why go through the trouble of making me impersonate someone else?"

Liang Qiushi smiled wryly. "It's not that simple. This 'substitute service' business, while everyone knows about it, is still a gray area. It can be done, but not spoken of."

"Moreover, my Gu Family's situation is different from others. For those small, insignificant families, finding someone for substitute service is easy as long as both parties agree, and no one pays attention."

"But now, the Zhang Family is watching us with wide eyes, looking for trouble! Think about it, if Jin Zhi were to marry just anyone, wouldn't the Zhang Family seize the opportunity to expose everything?"

"Under the spotlight of public opinion, how could I possibly let you go to the Western Frontier for Jin Zhi?"

Li Wei clicked her tongue, unable to help but exclaim, "Your son really knows how to attract hate... that's solid. Is the Zhang Family determined to kill him?"

Liang Qiushi sighed helplessly:

"My son, he's just too stubborn. I told him to keep a low profile since he was young, but he insisted on saying things like 'Martial Arts must be contested' and 'press forward without hesitation.' Heh, he was the top scorer in the college entrance exam, and the champion of the national Martial Arts University Freshman Competition. If the Zhang Family doesn't target him, who will?"

[Auntie, your tone... are you sure you're not just humblebragging?]

Still, the champion of the Martial Arts University Freshman Competition?

It seemed vaguely familiar...

Suddenly, she remembered that when the original host was in junior high, the school had organized students to watch the competition live. The nickname "Gu Shen" had become popular throughout the campus.

Back then, the original host's parents were still alive, and the young girl seemed to have been a fan of his...

[No wonder this name sounds familiar.]

"Awesome!" Li Wei gave a thumbs-up.

"Li Wei, I asked you here because you bear a resemblance to Jin Zhi's fiancée, Jiang Xue, about fifty to sixty percent..." Liang Qiushi's voice was like a murmur. "...making you impersonate Jiang Xue is precisely because only she, the legitimate fiancée with a childhood engagement, is suitable to marry Jin Zhi at this critical juncture."

"And in the Imperial Capital's Shi Family, everyone knows that the Eldest Miss Jiang is madly in love with Jin Zhi. Only with someone like Jiang Xue, with that kind of persona, if there were an 'accident' in the future, she, as his wife, would be able to proactively request to serve in his stead, making it seem reasonable and silencing public opinion, leaving the Zhang Family with no fault to find."

"You..." Liang Qiushi turned her head, her gaze falling on Li Wei's face, and asked in a deep voice, "Can you handle this?"

"Gulp~" Li Wei swallowed, her scalp tingling a little. "This is a bit too much..."

"So?"

"I need more money..."

"Pfft—!"