Outrageous Marriage Contract

At the summit of Morning Sun Peak, Cloud Viewing Pavilion.

Chen Xian took the teacup Shangguan Hongyue handed him, lifted the lid to reveal amber-colored tea, and a faint floral and fruity fragrance wafted to his nose, prompting him to praise, "Good tea."

Though he didn't understand tea, his nose could tell good from bad. Moreover, after this tea went down his throat, a warm, nourishing energy coursed through the meridians of his entire body, easing his aged frame considerably.

"Not bad, right? I specially bought it for you, Elder..." Shangguan Hongyue smiled as she looked at Chen Xian, but before she could finish, she saw him "ptui~" spit the half-swallowed tea back into the cup.

"What are you doing!"

"This old man suddenly remembered he doesn't actually like drinking tea that much." Chen Xian wiped his mouth, set the cup on the table, and eyed Hongyue warily.

This girl's sudden kindness reeked of ulterior motives!

The young girl fixed him with a resentful stare. "You old geezer, I finally show you some respect for once."

"You little brat, just tell me straight what you want me to do." Chen Xian ignored her look, his gaze drifting to a barren mountain under construction in the distance—he'd noticed the activity there a few days ago.

The sect seemed to be opening up another peak, though he didn't know what for.

"Come down the mountain with me and help me solve a problem." Shangguan Hongyue said bluntly.

Chen Xian turned his face back, pointed at himself, then at Shangguan Hongyue. "Huh? This old man? Solve a problem for you?"

"You don't actually think that someone you can't beat, these old bones of mine could handle, do you?"

He had some cultivation now, but Shangguan Hongyue was already at Dao Master second realm.

"I'm not asking you to fight! Do you really think I'd send you to your death?" Shangguan Hongyue pouted, her resentment almost tangible.

Chen Xian thought back carefully—aside from her lack of verbal respect, this girl had never actually set him up.

"Then what can I do for you down the mountain?" He was a bit curious.

"Well..." Shangguan Hongyue hemmed and hawed, her expression conflicted, as if this matter was hard to bring up.

But after hesitating for a few breaths, she still came clean: "I want you to help me break off an engagement!"

Chen Xian leaned back, his beard and hair bristling. "What!? You want to annul a marriage too?"

"Huh? Someone else is annulling one?" Shangguan Hongyue's mouth fell slightly open, her gossipy curiosity piqued.

Chen Xian couldn't help muttering, "Old Man Moon's been having a rough season lately, huh?"

"Hey, you old geezer, are you listening to me?" Ignored by Chen Xian, Shangguan Hongyue put her hands on her hips, her delicate nose wrinkling in annoyance.

"Nothing. First, tell this old man what's the deal with your engagement." Lin Xiaoyan's situation was still unknown, and Chen Xian didn't want to gossip behind his back.

If the misunderstanding between them had already been resolved and Lin Xiaoyan had reconciled with his fiancée, then he'd be spreading rumors.

"It shouldn't be too big a deal, actually. I'll explain as I take you down the mountain." Seeing that Old Man Chen wouldn't spill, Shangguan Hongyue was curious but didn't press.

Her gaze flicked to the teapot on the table, and she pouted, "This Hundred Spirit Flower Fruit Tea cost me a full hundred Contribution Points. It has life-extending properties. Too bad you don't like tea, so I'll just put it away."

She raised her hand to stow the teapot and cup into her Mustard Seed Bag.

"Don't! This old man loves tea, loves it to death!" Chen Xian hugged the teapot tight.

Anything that could extend his lifespan was a treasure to him! He didn't even have the heart to throw away the half-cup he'd spat back, downing it in one gulp.

"Pfft, hehehe..." Shangguan Hongyue suddenly burst out laughing, the sound short and crisp, like a cheerful little hen.

Chen Xian, slumped over the table, looked up in confusion. "What scheme are you cooking up now?"

Shangguan Hongyue's expression turned serious, she pressed her pink lips together to stifle a laugh. "Nothing!"

"Alright, let's head down the mountain." Chen Xian stood up, holding the teapot in one hand and the cup in the other, already treating them as his own.

He poured himself another cup, savoring it slowly: "Good tea! Truly good tea!"

Shangguan Hongyue couldn't help but laugh, rolling her eyes at him: "You old fool, if you help me solve my trouble, I'll buy you some, alright?"

Chen Xian shook his head: "No need, just tell me where to buy it, and I'll get it myself—I've got plenty of money now!"

Shangguan Hongyue looked utterly unconvinced, taking it as empty boasting.

The flying sword rose into the air, and she expertly pulled Chen Xian onto it, speeding out of the pavilion.

Chen Xian's gaze shifted again to the distant peak where pavilions and towers were being built. The mountain wasn't very tall, even shorter than the Nine Peaks of the Sword Sect, its summit slanted and flat, as if someone had sheared it off.

"Say, what's going on over there? Is the sect expanding?"

"That's the site of Sword Suppression Peak. It's been abandoned all this time. I don't know why they've started rebuilding it recently."

"Maybe the war with the Blood Demon Sect is getting fiercer, and the sect needs to recruit more disciples?"

Shangguan Hongyue looked equally puzzled, offering only a relatively reasonable guess.

"Could be." Chen Xian nodded. "The two warships we sent out haven't returned yet. What's the situation at the front?"

"Not really sure. I'm just an ordinary Inner Sect disciple, not like Senior Brother Lin, a peak master's personal disciple—I can't get news from the front."

"But I guess the sect is worried about the safety of the commoners, so things are moving slowly?"

Shangguan Hongyue tapped her chin lightly, speculating.

"True." Chen Xian agreed with her analysis.

"Enough of that. What's the deal with your engagement? Can't you break it off yourself?"

Chen Xian changed the subject.

He knew Shangguan Hongyue's personality well. Though she was simple-hearted, she had always been independent and strong-willed.

Logically, she shouldn't be bound by a mundane marriage contract.

When the reason for the engagement came up, Chen Xian saw the girl's expression darken, and even the flying sword slowed a notch.

"A few years ago, I joined the Sword Sect, and my parents followed me to Ask-Dao City."

"Back then, I had no ability to support the family. After they settled in the city, they made a living as servants for a wealthy household."

"Somehow, the head of that household found out I was cultivating at the Sword Sect and proposed a marriage to my parents."

"They thought the family was well-off, so they agreed to the engagement for me. The head even had a sect steward in charge of mundane affairs in the city certify it, making it binding."

Shangguan Hongyue explained slowly.

Though she didn't go into detail, Chen Xian had lived a long life and seen all sorts of strange things.

It was like a bizarre news story he'd read before crossing over.

A girl from a poor, remote village became a top scholar. While she studied and developed elsewhere, she returned home on break to find her parents had already arranged a marriage for her—without her consent.

It sounded absurd, but it really happened.

It all came down to a gap in understanding.

Shangguan Hongyue was probably in that situation now. Her parents didn't grasp the status of cultivators, thinking they'd found her a good match, and agreed without her approval.

Chen Xian hesitated, then said: "Little Yue, if it's just your family matter, This Old Man finds it hard to interfere."

"Just help me find the sect steward to nullify the certification. I'll talk to my father and mother myself."

Shangguan Hongyue stood at the sword's tip, staring blankly at the bustling city below, lost in thought.