Seeing how anxious Wu Tao was about her, Xu Sheng felt immensely happy, her heart and body filled with warmth.
But the moment she thought of her impending marriage, Xu Sheng’s heart turned cold.
Wu Tao looked at Xu Sheng’s pale face, a pang of pain in his heart. Stabilizing his emotions, he asked softly, "Sheng'er, what exactly is going on? Who are you marrying? And why is this happening?"
Xu Sheng replied sadly, "Brother Tao, do you know the Song family?"
"The Song family, that large cultivation family from Qingzhou? Of course, I know them." Wu Tao was born and raised in Qingzhou.
He was quite aware of the major powers, prominent families, and most sects in Qingzhou.
"Could it be someone from the Song clan?"
Wu Tao immediately connected the dots and asked.
Xu Sheng nodded gently and said, "My grandfather mentioned him. He’s Song Le, the youngest son of Song Dao Yi, the current patriarch of the Song family."
Xu Sheng paused here, looked at Wu Tao, and continued, "When I first heard my grandfather say it, I absolutely refused.
"But my grandfather, who usually dotes on me, completely ignored me. He was very determined this time. He's usually easygoing, but once he decides on something, there's almost no room for change."
Upon hearing this, a thought suddenly welled up in Wu Tao's heart, and he blurted out without thinking, "Sheng'er, let's elope!"
"Heh heh..."
Hearing this, Xu Sheng stopped crying and smiled. Her smile was as beautiful as peach blossoms. She gently brushed a strand of hair from her ear and looked at Wu Tao seriously, saying, "In this life, Xu Sheng will marry no one but you. If they try to force me, they will only get a dead person."
Hearing Xu Sheng's words, what else could Wu Tao say? He could only comfort the heartbroken Xu Sheng.
After Xu Sheng left, Wu Tao sat in the pavilion, lost in thought for a long time.
With a sigh, he finally abandoned the idea of eloping with Xu Sheng.
As a proper man, he couldn't ask a woman to abandon her parents and elders to elope with him.
How irresponsible would that be?
A man should marry the woman he loves in a dignified manner, that is true responsibility to oneself and to the woman one loves.
"Kid, you're truly impressive. This woman must truly love you, otherwise, she wouldn't have said such resolute words..."
In his sea of consciousness, You Meng's voice appeared at an inappropriate time. However, Wu Tao did not refute it this time.
Because Wu Tao's heart was in turmoil. He was known among his friends as a cultivation fanatic.
He wanted to compete with the prodigies of the cultivation world, so he had always avoided romantic matters. But at this moment, he felt a pain like being flayed alive...
You Meng's words had hit the very thing Wu Tao had been avoiding.
"Kid, what's wrong? Have you gone silly?"
"Have you forgotten what you do best? Dead people don't propose marriage!"
You Meng's words completely awakened Wu Tao.
A fierce glint flashed in Wu Tao's eyes, and a bloodthirsty killing intent erupted from his body, overwhelming the surroundings.
The incredibly sharp killing intent made the surrounding air suddenly stagnate.
After the Sword Washing Pool experience, Wu Tao's killing intent had significantly weakened. Stimulated by this incident, his killing intent was even stronger than before.
"Yes, I've never heard of a dead person getting married."
"You Meng, thank you."
Wu Tao held his Chu Xi sword, gritted his teeth, and spoke word by word.
At the same moment Wu Tao harbored murderous thoughts, within the Song family's encampment.
Song Dao Yi, the current patriarch of the Song family and a cultivator at the late stage of Core Formation, was discussing something with his youngest son, Song Le.
In one more day, Song Le was scheduled to propose to the Xu family.
At this moment, they were also preoccupied with their own thoughts and plans.
"Father, do you think the granddaughter of the current head of the Xu family is beautiful?"
This young and frivolous voice belonged to Song Le.
Song Le was fiddling with a woman's sachet, sitting on a chair with a slovenly posture.
Song Dao Yi was helpless regarding the conduct of his precious son, who was born when he was three hundred years old.
This was because Song Le's personality was inherited from his own. As the saying goes, "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked."
It was just that the ambitious Song Dao Yi did not easily reveal this to outsiders, especially as he grew older and became the patriarch of the Song family.
...
Therefore, Song Dao Yi had to remind his young son in advance, to give him a heads-up.
Song Dao Yi coughed and said sternly, "Kid, when you go to meet the head of the Xu family, Xu Shizong, in a few days, remember to adopt a proper attitude, understand?"
Seeing his son’s perfunctory expression, conveying "I know, Dad, you're so naggy," Song Dao Yi sighed and said no more.
In fact, Song Le's own conditions were quite good. At just over thirty years old, he had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment cultivation, and his appearance was also very handsome.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have a reputation for being philandering and lecherous among the major cultivation families in Qingzhou.
It was just that Song Le's usual speech and conduct were too arrogant and overbearing, leaving a not-so-good impression on those who interacted with him.
...
Moreover, he was the youngest son of the patriarch of the large cultivation family, the Song family. When he traveled within Qingzhou's cultivation world, those with inferior cultivation were out of the question.
Even those with higher cultivation and combat power would give him some leeway out of respect for the Song family, knowing he was the young master of such a prominent clan.
Therefore, since Song Le's birth, his life had been exceptionally smooth, constantly living in an environment where everything was handed to him.
This had further aggravated his already arrogant personality, leading to a very poor reputation among the various cultivation families.
...
"As for the appearance of Xu Shizong's granddaughter, your father isn't too clear either."
"However, I must warn you first: regardless of her appearance, don't cause any trouble. Don't let these trivial matters delay our grand plan!"
Song Dao Yi's expression remained serious as he earnestly instructed again.
Seeing his father's completely serious demeanor, Song Le dared not continue his pretense. He casually tossed away the sachet a woman had given him.
Waving his hand, Song Le replied, "I know, I know. Isn't it all for that Immortal Yuan Jade Bottle that can increase the chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
"Actually, I'm not speaking ill of you, Father, but you're being too cautious. With our Song family's power, wouldn't it be easy to destroy the Xu family? Why go through so much trouble?"
Song Le asked, confused.
...
Seeing his son ask such a foolish question, Song Dao Yi's face darkened, and he reprimanded, "Idiot! The Xu family is a medium-sized cultivation family, with three Core Formation cultivators guarding them and protected by a great family formation. It's not that easy to deal with."
"Unless our family's Nascent Soul ancestor personally intervenes, it would be impossible to destroy the Xu family."
He paused and continued, "Hmph, but like our Song family, the Xu family is also affiliated with the Taiyi Immortal Sect, a giant tree. How can we easily make a move?"
"If it were that easy, why would I go through so much trouble to have you resort to a marriage scam?"
...
Scolded, Song Le scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Dad, do you think that Immortal Yuan Jade Bottle is really that effective? How can it increase the possibility of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
"Can a mere medium-sized cultivation family possess such a treasure?"
As he spoke, Song Le glanced at his father, showing a look of doubt.
Song Dao Yi pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "The Xu family, like our Song family, is a thousand-year-old lineage."
"In its prime, it had several Nascent Soul cultivators. All this prosperity stemmed from that Immortal Yuan Jade Bottle."
"Your father has thoroughly investigated these matters."
"Your most important task right now is to curb your temper and leave a good impression on Xu Shizong, the head of the Xu family, and the entire Xu family. Do you understand? If you dare to ruin my grand plan, I'll deal with you."
...
"Your son understands. Your son will strive to live up to Father's expectations." Song Le stood up and bowed to Song Dao Yi.
Song Dao Yi nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Good, that's how it should be. As long as you don't cause trouble these days and behave yourself, this marriage will be completed. Father guarantees you won't stay with the Xu family for too long. Once the treasure, the Immortal Yuan Jade Bottle, is in hand, you can do as you please, and I won't interfere anymore."
Song Le clasped his hands and immediately replied, "Father, you must keep your word."
Song Dao Yi chuckled and said, "My word is worth more than gold!"
The father and son looked at each other and smiled.
...
In the past month, Wu Tao, having mobilized all his connections, finally obtained Song Le's recent travel itinerary.
Hui River is the third largest river in Qingzhou.
The Hui River flows directly from the foot of Mount Wuji. The riverbed is wide, spanning over fifty li and extending for thousands of miles.
The Hui River flows smoothly and its course is straight, making it a veritable golden waterway.
And the most famous vessel on this golden waterway is called "Rulin Xianjing" (As if in Immortal Realm).
The ship "Rulin Xianjing" is extremely massive.
Its width is several kilometers, and its length is tens of kilometers, no smaller than an ordinary island.
Every night, this ship called "Rulin Xianjing" would travel back and forth along the Hui River, entertaining guests.
Each night, invited disciples from cultivation families, sects, and rogue cultivators would wait in pavilions along the riverbanks.
(New book being updated, please collect, recommend, and forward. Give more support, thank you friends. Your support is my motivation!)