"I never said I was going to steal the divine art. I only wanted to trade for it."
The woman in black said softly. Her gaze rested on the gray-robed elder, but unfortunately, he remained unmoved.
She took a deep breath, her tone softening. "Uncle Gu, come with me one last time. If it doesn't work, I'll accept my fate and go back to being a pawn in the Aristocratic Clans' games of exchanging favors. This time, I won't let you get into a conflict with anyone. If I fail, then it means this is simply my lot in life."
The gray-robed elder, whom she called Uncle Gu, sighed along with her. He said helplessly, "Miss, I used to have a name in the jianghu, too. Twenty years ago, who wouldn't have trembled in fear at the mention of my name, Gu Dubao? But the jianghu always has newcomers, and fame there is only fleeting. Aristocratic Clans can pass their legacy down through the generations. They don't rely on temporary fame, but on their deep foundations. Even if you learned a divine art and made your family see you differently, how much benefit could your martial arts really bring them?"
There was one thing he left unsaid: even someone as strong as him had to be a dog for her family.
The woman in black fell silent.
Her name was Chai Yunshang, and she came from the Chai Family of Jiangzhou. She knew her family's foundations well. It had been passed down for three hundred years, but after the founding of the new dynasty, the family had fallen into decline. The Chai Family had always wanted to establish itself in Central Heaven Continent, and to that end, it cultivated ties with all kinds of factions. The women of the Chai