"Mother, it really is..."
Before Su Yuexi could finish, Mei Xiaofang interrupted her again. "As for the credit, that's a once-in-a-thousand-years stroke of luck."
"Good things like that don't happen often. You certainly don't often get a general as good as Qiu Ye."
Mei Xiaofang was deeply grateful to Qiu Ye. If he hadn't shown up, there was no way they could have settled things today.
He was definitely a good man.
Sikong Jing felt compelled to correct her on that point.
Qiu Ye was no good man at all. Back when he served under Sikong Jing, any officer, high or low, who dared to bend the law for personal gain would be executed on the spot.
"Mother-in-law, actually, I was the one who wiped out the Beast Bandit Group. Qiu Ye stole the credit from me."
At that, even Su Zhenglong, who had been sitting there weakly, couldn't help lifting his head.
Mei Xiaofang exploded at once. "What nonsense are you spouting now? I'm starting to wonder if you were exiled for all your bragging."
"You're just a little nobody in the Bright Realm, and you wiped out the entire Beast Bandit Group by yourself?"
Sikong Jing opened his mouth, then fell silent again.
Even Su Yuexi couldn't help looking over at him. Her gaze was full of disbelief; she clearly thought he was boasting far too much.
"All right, I misspoke."
"Actually, I deserve at least half the credit, but Qiu Ye only gave me a few Gold Crystal Coins."
That was the only way Sikong Jing could put it now. No one believed him!
"That's more like it. Don't complain, either. It's already good of them to give a criminal a share of the credit." Mei Xiaofang still had doubts about whether he really deserved half the credit, but she couldn't bring herself to keep putting down her son-in-law.
After all, he truly seemed sincere toward Yuexi.
Su Zhenglong raised his eyelids and said, "That's right. You're too blunt. Don't argue with Qiu Ye over the credit."
Sikong Jing could only nod, no longer wanting to spoil this lovely banquet.
Suddenly, Su Yun's voice rang out from beyond the door again. "Su Yuexi, criminal, get out here!"
The family exchanged glances. What was Su Yun up to this time?
Su Yuexi was about to go out and ask, but Sikong Jing pressed down on her hand with a cold expression. "There's no need to pay attention to a mad dog barking. If she has something to say, she can come in and say it."
Sure enough, when Su Yun saw that the two of them weren't coming out, she hurried inside.
When she saw them celebrating over a table of fine food and wine, she became even more furious and shrieked, "Criminal, you're the one who made the Chu family's young master, Chu Bo, kneel in public, aren't you?"
Su Zhenglong and Mei Xiaofang exchanged confused looks. What had Chu Bo done now?
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Sikong Jing had never intended to deny it, and he wasn't surprised that Su Yun had come looking for him.
"You still have to ask if there's a problem?"
"Do you know I was about to marry Chu Bo? Now that you've stirred things up, it's all over!"
"Chu Rongxian, the head of the Chu Family, came to see me and slapped me hard across the face."
Su Yun was panting with rage, as if she were about to explode.
Sikong Jing merely shrugged and replied calmly, "That's a real shame. Chu Bo and you were quite a match."
One was a wastrel, the other a shrew who thought too highly of herself. They really were made for each other.
Su Yun glared daggers at Sikong Jing, then suddenly turned to Su Yuexi and continued, "You ugly freak, how can you have no shame? It's bad enough that you're ugly, but you even made Chu Bo say in public that you're the most beautiful woman under heaven."
Su Yuexi was stunned, utterly baffled.
"In my eyes, Yuexi is the most beautiful woman under heaven. Is there a problem?" Sikong Jing cut in again.
He suddenly stood up and said icily, "I'll warn you one last time. If you dare call Yuexi an ugly freak again, I'm afraid I really won't be able to stop myself from killing you right now. Get out. Now."
A dense killing intent surged toward Su Yun. She stumbled backward, retreating all the way to the hall's entrance.
"Fine, fine. Grandpa said that—"
"If the Chu Family comes to settle the score, he'll hand you over to them to deal with. Just you wait and see!"
With that, Su Yun stormed off in a fury.
This time, Su Xuefeng and Su Zhengtao hadn't come along to accuse them. For the moment, they really couldn't do anything to Su Zhenglong, and coming here would only mean taking more abuse.
As for Su Yun, she simply couldn't hold back any longer.
The hall settled back into silence. Meeting the puzzled looks of Su Zhenglong and his wife, Sikong Jing replied, "Chu Bo looked down on people. I just taught him a lesson."
He said it so casually.
But Mei Xiaofang's mouth twitched furiously. She asked, "And what about Yuexi being the most beautiful woman under heaven?"
Sikong Jing told them the truth.
Chu Bo had lost a bet, and he also mentioned the Green Jade Slate engraving. But Mei Xiaofang couldn't bear to hear any more. "You, you, you... What a reckless thing to do! Yuexi still has her dignity!"
Everyone knew Su Yuexi was the ugliest woman in all of Yun Province. Now Sikong Jing had forced Chu Bo to say that in public. The whole city would laugh at her.
Hadn't Yuexi suffered enough already?
"Yuexi is the most beautiful woman under heaven," Sikong Jing said solemnly.
Su Yuexi's heart trembled beside him. She bit her lip, feeling both sweetness and fear, but above all, she was at a loss.
Beauty and she were two parallel lines that could never cross.
But Sikong Jing's words left Mei Xiaofang speechless. If she contradicted him, it would hurt her daughter deeply.
After dinner, Sikong Jing left with Su Yuexi...
Only then did Mei Xiaofang rub her aching head and say, "Dear, I've got this criminal figured out. He's a fool who never thinks about the consequences. He may truly care for Yuexi, but he's still completely unreliable."
Su Zhenglong could only smile bitterly. More than anything, Sikong Jing was always getting into trouble.
"Let's take it one step at a time." Su Zhenglong sighed. He had no better solution now.
Meanwhile, outside Su Yuexi's room,
"Thank you, Sikong Jing," Su Yuexi said softly. That thank-you held so much: the risky trip to buy back the Jadeite Hairpin, the vindication she'd found today, and the fact that he hadn't abandoned her.
"You're my wife. From now on, call me Jing Gege," Sikong Jing said, taking her hand.
Her heart trembled. Su Yuexi opened her mouth, her face turning red all the way to her neck, and murmured as softly as a mosquito, "Jing Gege."
Sikong Jing smiled and was about to wave goodbye and return to his room.
Suddenly, Su Yuexi called softly after him again. "Jing Gege, I'm not the most beautiful woman under heaven. People really will laugh at me."
"If I say you are, then you are."
Sikong Jing didn't turn around. His voice rang out, firm and resolute, then gradually faded from Su Yuexi's sight.
Back in his room, a glint flashed in Sikong Jing's eyes. He murmured to himself, "When I reach the ninth stage of the Bright Realm, I'll make you the most breathtaking beauty under heaven."
He began cultivating. His true energy surged, and the beast-shaped dantian kept exhaling and inhaling, circulating through his entire body.
Day after day passed, and peace returned to Su Yuexi's family.
In the blink of an eye, it was the night before Su Xuefeng's birthday banquet. The Su Clan was bustling with preparations for the feast.
But Su Zhenglong's courtyard was cold and quiet. Mei Xiaofang sighed all day long. Su Shan would soon return, and Sikong Jing's life would be in grave danger. Tomorrow would be the hardest trial of all!
Late that night, Sikong Jing opened his eyes in his room. His low voice rang out. "The ninth stage of the Bright Realm!"
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