"Indeed?"
Hearing Zhou Feng's concise and certain reply, Li Qiulan's brow lifted slightly, and a faint trace of surprise flickered through her eyes.
She had expected him to hesitate, probe, or bargain, but Zhou Feng had been so clean and decisive.
Yet she did not settle the marriage on that basis. She maintained her usual calm rationality, utterly devoid of the tender entanglements of ordinary romance. Her attitude was businesslike, open, and straightforward.
"Since you agree, I will make all the drawbacks of marrying me clear to you in advance, lest you fail to bear them later and stir up needless trouble."
Li Qiulan spoke evenly and methodically, slowly laying out the two most practical obstacles.
"First, I have countless admirers in Nine Void Mountain, including talented cultivators from every major Aristocratic Clan and sect. If you marry me, you will shatter all their hopes. You will inevitably face their targeting, exclusion, and even covert harassment."
"These people possess deep foundations, abundant resources, and tangled networks. Encirclement and suppression will come one after another. If you cannot withstand that pressure or fend off the attacks from all sides, this marriage will not last. In the end, it will only be annulled."
"Second, I come from a sect, and my master's lineage has extremely strict rules. My marriage is not something I can decide entirely on my own. You will need to pass my master's test and accept the scrutiny and assessment of my sect."
"The assessment is harsh. It tests temperament, foundation, potential, character, and breadth of vision. If even one of these falls short and you fail to earn my master's approval, this marriage will likewise fall through at once."
She laid out every hidden danger, pressure, and threshold one by one. She concealed nothing, made no empty promises,