Marriage Arrangement!

"By the way, Mom!" Li Yingxue leaned closer, popped a grape into her mouth, and asked:

"Where did my brother go? It's been five days, and I haven't even seen a trace of him."

Yang Wanqing shook her head. "He only said he was going out for a while. He left with Xiao Bai, but he didn't say where he was going or what he was doing."

"Xiao Bai!" Li Yingxue instantly bristled, crushing the grape in her hand until juice splattered everywhere.

"It's that little vixen again! When she first arrived, she clung to my brother to learn bookkeeping. This time, she actually lured my brother away too!"

Seeing her daughter puffed up with anger, Yang Wanqing found it amusing and deliberately teased her. "Your brother is so outstanding. Who knows how many girls will surround him in the future? By then, I'm afraid you'll have more 'sisters-in-law' than you can count."

"S-sisters-in-law?" Li Yingxue froze.

Those two words were like thunder, exploding over and over in her mind.

Daughter-in-law... sister-in-law...

For no reason, an image appeared before her: a flock of beautiful women surrounding her brother, while she could only stand on the outskirts, having to wait in line just to call him "Brother."

I can only be his little sister... forever, just his little sister...

An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart—sour, stifling, and tinged with panic.

"I don't want any sisters-in-law!" she suddenly shouted, so loudly that she startled even herself.

Yang Wanqing was taken aback, then laughed. "Silly girl, your brother has to start a family someday."

"Th-then that won't do either!" Li Yingxue's face flushed red. Even she could not explain why she resisted it so fiercely.

"At least... at least he has to wait until I agree!"

With that, she fled back to her room and slammed the door shut.

Yang Wanqing stood in the courtyard, looking at her daughter's tightly closed door. As though she had recalled something, her smile gradually faded.

When Yang Wanqing found Li Yuntian, an unshakable worry rested between her brows, and her expression was unusually complicated.

She stood at the entrance to the study, hesitating to speak.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Li Yuntian set down the longsword he had been polishing. Seeing her expression, his heart could not help tightening.

I haven't done anything lately. Could it be that I got drunk a few days ago and said something wrong?

Or did she find my hidden stash of money and century-old wine?

"Do you remember the marriage arrangement we made back then?" Yang Wanqing hurried over, obvious urgency in her voice.

"Marriage arrangement?" Li Yuntian was stunned. Countless memories flashed through his mind, yet he could not grasp the matter she meant.

"What marriage arrangement?"

"Your brain only remembers cultivation and drinking. What else could you possibly remember?" Yang Wanqing was both annoyed and amused. She simply reached out and grabbed his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts, dear, let go!" Li Yuntian hurriedly begged for mercy. Yet he did not dare break free and could only tilt his head obediently.

Yang Wanqing released him and shot him an irritated glare.

"Didn't a Lin Family household save us when we were fleeing all those years ago?" she prompted.

"At the time, you wanted to repay their kindness, so you drunkenly grabbed them and said we should arrange a marriage between our families..."

His wife's words were like a key, instantly opening a dust-covered door deep within Li Yuntian's memories.

Back then, he had endured countless hardships before finally winning Yang Wanqing's heart.

But the Breaking Clan's patriarch believed that even though Yang Wanqing was not from the main line, she was still far beyond what Li Yuntian could ever hope to marry.

To break them apart, the patriarch had even resorted to force. Young and hot-blooded, Li Yuntian had simply taken Yang Wanqing and eloped with her overnight.

As for Yang Wanqing, because she was not born into the main line of the Breaking Clan and had never awakened the Soul-Breaking Spear, she had suffered cold looks since childhood. Her mother had died early, her father had been indifferent, and she held no attachment to the clan. Thus, she resolutely left with him.

However, their elopement enraged the Breaking Clan, and they were hunted down all the way.

During their most perilous encounter, Li Yuntian was severely injured. Yang Wanqing fought desperately to carve a path through the encirclement with him. In the end, both of them collapsed from exhaustion in the wilderness and were fortunately saved by a farming couple surnamed Lin. They hid and recovered in their crude thatched hut.

Grateful for their life-saving kindness, and emboldened by a few drinks, he had made a lofty promise—if their two families ever had children, they would unite them in marriage and remain friends forever.

The memories came flooding back, so clear they were frightening. Li Yuntian stood rooted to the spot, cold sweat faintly seeping down his back.

I'm doomed. Drinking really does cause trouble!

"You remember now?" Seeing his expression shift, Yang Wanqing knew her husband had finally recalled that old matter.

"Yeah..." Li Yuntian subconsciously scratched the back of his head, trying to hide his guilt behind his usual cheerfulness.

"Then... marry her off? We can't break our word."

"Marry, marry, all you know is marrying her off!" The moment Yang Wanqing heard that, her anger flared again. She grabbed his ear once more.

"You drank a few cups of liquor with them and drank away our daughter's future! Did you ever ask whether she was willing? Do you know there's already someone in her heart?"

"Ow... be gentler, dear!" Li Yuntian grimaced in pain, but he was in the wrong and did not dare argue. He could only say awkwardly:

"Th-then what do we do now? How about... we try a little harder and have another one?"

As he spoke, he tried to muddle through with his usual shameless grin, reaching out to wrap an arm around Yang Wanqing's waist.

"Get lost!" Yang Wanqing shoved him away, her cheeks flushed with anger.

"I'm telling you, this is a mess you caused back then, so you go explain it to our daughter yourself! If she doesn't forgive you, don't even think about entering the bedroom from now on. Sleep on the floor forever!"

After saying that, she shot Li Yuntian a fierce glare and turned to leave, her skirt sweeping out in a crisp arc.

The study door softly closed behind her. As though all strength had been drained from him, Li Yuntian slumped into his chair and stared at the ceiling with a long sigh.

He was not blind. He had long seen the way his daughter looked at Qingxuan.

Qingxuan possessed both exceptional talent and character. Li Yuntian had been more than happy to see the two get together.

But now... those drunken words from years ago had become a debt blocking his path.

"Ugh..." He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, wishing he could travel back in time and shake some sense into that self who had made promises so carelessly.

"Serves you right for drinking those few cups! And now... how am I supposed to bring this up to my daughter?"

Li Yuntian felt as though the road ahead was utterly bleak, and even his temples began to ache faintly.

Meanwhile, after leaving the study, Yang Wanqing did not return to her room. Instead, she crossed the covered corridor and headed toward her daughter's small courtyard.

Expect Li Yuntian to come up with a solution that would satisfy everyone?

She shook her head, a helpless smile crossing her lips. By the time he dawdled his way to an idea, Spirit Hall would probably have already unified the entire continent.

Still, so many years had passed, and no one from the Lin Family had come. Could they have forgotten about this marriage arrangement too?

Otherwise, with the Li Family's current reputation, that household would have come long ago!

But she still had to tell her daughter. She could not keep it from her, or it would be too late once they came in the future!

Ah, in the end, it's still this mother who has to shoulder everything!