Trouble Arrives

Upon hearing this, Yang Lingtian froze, stopped in his tracks, and suddenly remembered the system's mission.

"That's right, the system's mission is for me to win her heart." Yang Lingtian wore a contemplative expression.

"If I force things and leave a bad impression on her, won't it be even harder to win her heart later on?"

"Yiyue just came of age; she probably hasn't figured things out yet. Once she does, it won't be too late to consummate the marriage."

Then he grinned and said, "Just kidding! Alright, get some sleep. I'm heading back to my room."

With that, Yang Lingtian walked out, leaving Chen Yiyue standing there dumbfounded.

"He just left like that? Didn't even insist, just up and went."

"But deep down, did I want him to stay, or did I want him to go?"

Chen Yiyue's heart was tangled in conflict, and a faint, inexplicable sense of loss stirred within her.

The moment he stepped out the door, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

[Detected emotional fluctuation from Chen Yiyue toward Host. Progress made on the mission to win Chen Yiyue's heart.]

[Reward: one Protective Talisman and one Swift Wind Talisman. The Protective Talisman can withstand one attack from any Golden Core expert.]

[After using the Swift Wind Talisman, Host can freely control speed, up to the peak speed of the Golden Core Realm, effective for one hour.]

[Usage: Hold it in your hand and crush it.]

"Such incredible treasures! Now I've got two more trump cards to save my skin."

"With these, I won't fear most Golden Core Realm experts anymore. As long as I can block one strike, I can slip away."

"But I have to use them wisely—Golden Core experts have plenty of tricks up their sleeves."

"And I only have one Protective Talisman and one Swift Wind Talisman. Once they're gone, they're gone. Can't waste them."

Yang Lingtian was overjoyed inside, having already cast aside the displeasure over the wedding night. He cheerfully walked back to his room.

From a distant rooftop, Chen Zhengqing watched Yang Lingtian leave Chen Yiyue's room, shook his head, and let out a sigh.

"Sigh, looks like Lingtian still couldn't tame that girl."

"Take it slow. There's plenty of time. With time, feelings will grow, and she'll come to accept Lingtian."

Back in his own room, Yang Lingtian was instead relaxed and delighted.

Though Chen Yiyue was indeed beautiful and captivating, her constant stern face made staying there feel awkward and stifling.

Once back, Yang Lingtian immediately began cultivating.

The True Elixir Pavilion had already delivered a large number of spirit stones per their cooperation agreement, and tonight he planned to absorb them all.

Thanks to the Chaos Bead in his Dantian, the spirit stones that would take ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivators years to absorb were gone in minutes.

Of course, most of it was absorbed by the Chaos Bead, but the remaining fraction was enough to push him through to Qi Refining Level 9.

Meanwhile, Lei Daben had returned to Shenwu City and hurriedly sought out his father, Lei Gang, to tattle.

"Dad, you have to stand up for me!"

Seeing his son's injuries, Lei Gang immediately asked, "What happened? Tell me who hurt you."

"It was the Chen Family of Tianchen City. I went to offer them my congratulations in good faith, but they wounded me and forced me to kneel."

"What? Where does the Chen Family get the nerve? Decades ago, they were just a middling little clan."

Lei Gang roared in fury.

"It was only after Chen Zhengqing broke through to the Golden Core Realm that the Chen Family leaped to become a major clan in Tianchen City."

"And now they're arrogant enough to provoke our Lei Family?"

"That's right, Dad. I even dropped your name." Lei Daben embellished the tale.

"But they weren't afraid at all. They said the Lei Family was nothing and that they'd wipe us out of Shenwu City one day."

"Arrogant, utterly arrogant." Lei Gang clenched his fists, his anger growing fiercer by the moment.

As a long-established Golden Core expert with cultivation at Mid Golden Core, his Lei Family had always commanded respect. Such brazen talk felt like a grave insult.

He fixed his gaze on Lei Daben and said in a low voice, "Daben, are you sure they actually said that?"

Meeting his father's eyes, Lei Daben's heart tightened, and he quickly nodded in confirmation.

Though he was usually cocky, he held deep reverence for his father.

And Lei Gang doted on this son of his, especially since his talent was decent—he valued Lei Daben highly.

He didn't doubt Lei Daben's words.

"Fine, just fine, this Chen Family." Lei Gang let out a cold laugh, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Daring to provoke our Lei Family like this—if I don't teach them a lesson, they'll think we're easy to bully!"

"Daben, don't worry. I'll settle this for you."

Not long after, news that Lei Daben, son of the Lei Family in Shenwu City, had knelt to the Chen Family's live-in son-in-law began to slowly spread through the nearby cities.

Whether someone was deliberately spreading it was unclear.

After Chen Zhengqing learned of this, he too grew worried—these onlookers really had no sense of restraint when it came to stirring up trouble.

While this news spreading did bring him some face, it would also invite intense hostility from the Lei Family.

He understood that Lei Gang, the head of the Lei Family, was already at Mid Golden Core cultivation.

He himself was only Early Golden Core, though he had reached the peak of that stage.

But there was still a considerable gap between him and a true Mid Golden Core expert.

While he could escape from a Mid Golden Core expert with his own strength, the entire Chen Family could not.

He couldn't just look out for himself; he had to consider the whole family.

A few days later, a figure appeared above Chen Manor.

Then, a powerful pressure belonging to a Golden Core expert spread out, pressing down on everyone below.

"Which one of you is Yang Lingtian? Get the hell out here!" A loud, imposing voice echoed above Chen Manor.

Even people ten li away heard it and turned to look toward Chen Manor.

This person was Lei Gang.

Inside the secret chamber, Chen Zhengqing, who was cultivating, sensed this fierce aura. His expression turned grave—he knew this visitor came with ill intent.

"It's finally here," he sighed.

He then opened the chamber door, leaped out in a single bound, and locked eyes with Lei Gang.

"Daoist Lei, what important business do you have with my son-in-law?" Chen Zhengqing asked politely.

Lei Gang sneered. "You know damn well. Call Yang Lingtian out and have him kneel to my son, Lei Daben!"

"Lei Gang, what do you mean by this?" Chen Zhengqing's expression shifted.

"I mean exactly what I said. I want Yang Lingtian to kneel to my son in front of everyone!" Lei Gang pressed relentlessly.

"That's going too far. They had a bet beforehand!" Chen Zhengqing tried to reason with him.

Lei Gang remained utterly unreasonable. "I don't care about that. Making my son kneel to some worthless live-in son-in-law is a slap in my face."

"No matter what you say today, I will make Yang Lingtian kneel to my son, or I won't let this go."

The moment Lei Gang finished speaking, Chen Zhengqing's face grew even more stern.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes—he knew this was an unavoidable conflict.

But he couldn't let Yang Lingtian suffer such humiliation, nor could he let an arrogant man like Lei Gang have his way.

"Lei Gang, you should know full well that your son was simply outmatched. Yang Lingtian did nothing wrong."

"If you want Yang Lingtian to kneel to your son, then you'll have to step over my corpse first," Chen Zhengqing replied with bold defiance.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, as if the air between them had frozen solid.

The nearby onlookers drew in sharp breaths and began murmuring among themselves.

"That's Lei Gang, head of one of Shenwu City's three great families, the Lei Family. They say his cultivation has reached Mid Golden Core."

"The Chen Family is in big trouble now. The Chen Family head is only at Early Golden Core—if they really fight, he's no match for Lei Gang."

"It's all that live-in son-in-law Yang Lingtian's fault. He had no sense of tact and actually made Lei Daben kneel to him."

"Exactly. Yang Lingtian just keeps causing trouble for the Chen Family. Every time trouble comes, he hides and lets the Chen Family head handle it."

"With Lei Gang charging in like this, it looks like Yang Lingtian is definitely going to kneel this time."

At this moment, Yang Lingtian knew his trouble had arrived.

But he also knew that the other party was a Golden Core expert—one slap could crush him.

He truly was no match for such an existence.

Yet deep down, he felt no fear, only a determination to find a way out of this situation.

Above Chen Manor.

Lei Gang was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Chen Zhengqing to defend a live-in son-in-law so fiercely.

He burst into wild laughter. "Hahahaha, very good. Are you provoking me?"

Chen Zhengqing remained unflinching. "Hmph, I'll say it again. If you want my son-in-law to kneel, you'll have to get through me first."

The atmosphere grew tense, like drawn swords about to clash.

Chen Zhengqing stood tall and straight, like a mountain towering against the sky.

His gaze was firm and sharp, as if shimmering with starlight.

Lei Gang's aura, meanwhile, was like a thunderbolt in a storm—fierce and untamed.

Their auras collided in midair, like two great waves churning in the deep sea.

Lei Gang laughed without stopping, his laughter carrying endless coldness and mockery.

His expression began to darken, his eyes fixed on Chen Zhengqing. "Chen Zhengqing, you've got some nerve!"

"Fine, I'll grant your wish. I'll cripple you first, then drag that live-in son-in-law of yours over!"

Chen Zhengqing knew this battle was unavoidable. He left one sentence: "Then let's fight. Follow me outside the city!"

The moment his words fell, Chen Zhengqing's form stirred, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight into the sky.

Lei Gang sneered coldly. His figure flickered, turning into a gale as he chased after the direction Chen Zhengqing had flown.

He knew that Tianchen City did not allow Golden Core experts to fight within its walls—the destructive force was too great. They had to go outside the city.

Of course, if pushed to the brink, he would dare to fight within the city. At worst, he'd just pay the City Lord's Mansion some spirit stones to make amends.

Both men moved with lightning speed, like flashes across the sky, leaving only trails of afterimages behind.

Soon, they had flown out of Tianchen City and reached the outskirts.

Just as they were about to collide, Chen Zhengqing twisted his body, transforming into a whirlwind.

A Low-Grade Spirit Sword, gleaming with cold light, instantly appeared in his hand.

Then he swung the sword directly at Lei Gang. Sword Qi erupted into a massive wave, surging toward Lei Gang like a collapsing mountain.