"Qin family's eldest daughter, Qin Luoshui, is engaged to Bai Tianyi, the eldest young master of the Bai family?"
"Wasn't it Master Zhang?"
Even though Old Master Qin announced it himself, most people present still found it hard to believe. After all, everyone in Yan Capital knew that Qin Luoshui was Zhang Fan's woman.
Given Zhang Fan's current achievements, even if the Qin family was one of the four great families in Yan Capital, they should have been extremely pleased with such a marriage.
But in the next moment, Qin Luoshui brought Zhang Fan to wish Qin Tuyi a happy birthday, and Qin Tuyi, in front of Zhang Fan and the many families of Yan Capital, announced that Qin Luoshui was about to be engaged to Bai Tianyi. Wasn't that slapping Zhang Fan in the face?
...
Qin Luoshui sat beside Zhang Fan, picking out some pastries she particularly liked for him to try. When she heard her grandfather's sudden announcement, the delicate jade hand holding the crystal plate trembled, and the plate slipped from her grasp.
Zhang Fan leaned casually on the rattan chair and beckoned. As if plucking something from afar, the crystal plate, about to fall to the ground, seemed to grow wings and flew up, slowly landing on the glass coffee table.
"Grandfather..." Qin Luoshui looked at Old Master Qin standing at the villa entrance, her eyes full of confusion.
As for the so-called young master of the Bai family from the southwest, Bai Tianyi, Qin Luoshui had never even met him. Her grandfather had directly agreed to this marriage and even announced it publicly at his birthday banquet without consulting her opinion or thoughts.
Qin Luoshui stood up, intending to go up and question her grandfather, but Zhang Fan held her hand, gently shook his head, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, you can only be my woman, Zhang Fan, in this lifetime. No one can stop that!" Zhang Fan's dark eyes were unfathomably deep. He spoke softly, but his words carried an unparalleled firmness and determination.
Qin Luoshui now had an almost blind trust in Zhang Fan. After hearing his words, her initially restless heart slowly calmed down.
In the past, if her family treated her as a tool for bargaining and arranged an undesirable marriage for her, facing the vast family, she might have been truly powerless to resist.
But now, she no longer thought so.
Because things were different now. She herself was a peak Xiantian grandmaster. If the family dared to force her, she would dare to resist, and she had the strength to resist.
Moreover, with Zhang Fan, who stood supreme in the Chinese martial arts world, behind her, she felt even more at ease.
Thinking of this, her heart became even calmer, treating the whole affair as a joke.
"Where is Master Zhang..."
Everyone's gaze shifted to Zhang Fan. They expected the impetuous Zhang Fan to fly into a rage upon hearing the news, perhaps even causing a scene at the banquet...
But the reality proved they were overthinking. At this moment, Zhang Fan was leaning against the rattan chair, one arm around Qin Luoshui's slender waist, the other holding a pastry, enjoying it leisurely.
And Qin Luoshui, the one being married off, was surprisingly calm, leaning in Zhang Fan's embrace like a little bird, earning envious glances from many women present.
Although Zhang Fan wasn't exceptionally handsome, his chiseled features, combined with his transcendent and unique aura, were quite attractive.
Of course, what was most captivating about him was his unrivaled strength.
Since Zhang Fan's identity was revealed and the many families of Yan Capital learned of his status in the Chinese martial arts world, the news had spread far and wide.
If anyone could marry Zhang Fan, even if her family was just a third-rate family in Yan Capital, they would instantly become the fifth great family of Yan Capital.
This was Zhang Fan's charm today.
After all, even formidable forces like the Hongmen and Qingbang showed absolute reverence towards Zhang Fan.
"Master Zhang indeed lives up to his reputation. This composure alone is something ordinary young people cannot possess."
"However, Master Zhang might lose face today. The Qin family and the Bai family of the southwest, these two families united, perhaps even Master Zhang cannot force them?" a patriarch of a second-rate Yan Capital family murmured, analyzing.
"Heh, perhaps in Master Zhang's eyes, the Qin family's decision is just a joke. With Master Zhang's strength, does he need anyone's permission to marry Qin Luoshui?" another young master from Yan Capital, who had some understanding of Zhang Fan's conduct, remarked.
"Qin Tuyi is truly senile. He's letting such a golden opportunity to curry favor slip away, pushing Master Zhang away and marrying into the southwest Bai family." The burly Qi Xiangyu was also in the crowd. His main purpose for coming today was to apologize to Zhang Fan, hoping to completely resolve Zhang Fan's displeasure towards their Qi family.
After all, due to Qi Jun's matter, their Qi family had made many moves against Zhang Fan. Although their Qi family had ultimately suffered, they had still offended this Master Zhang.
"Although Qin Tuyi has lived a long life, he has spent his entire life in officialdom and has had almost no opportunity to interact with the martial arts. Even if people praise it to the skies, he won't believe that one can contend against the state apparatus with personal power."
"No matter how powerful Zhang Fan is, in his eyes, he is probably just a brute who only knows how to use force. How can he compare to the Bai family that suppresses the southwestern provinces?"
Standing beside Qi Xiangyu was a middle-aged man of similar build. He sighed upon hearing Qi Xiangyu's words.
This person was Qi Xiangyu's father, Qi Kangming, and the Qi Jun, whose cultivation was crippled by Zhang Fan and rendered a cripple, was also his son.
He once hated Zhang Fan to the bone, but after learning of Zhang Fan's identity, his hatred gradually subsided, replaced by fear.
Although he was a soldier, and even a general, he was quite aware of some matters within the Chinese martial arts world.
Only those who were aware truly understood how terrifying this seemingly harmless young man was.
He even suspected that if Zhang Fan decided to destroy their Qi family, the country might not even hold Zhang Fan accountable.
What completely dispelled his thoughts of opposing Zhang Fan was that this Master Zhang was simply too young. At just over twenty years old, he already suppressed the entire Chinese martial arts world. It was hard to imagine what height he would reach in ten years... or twenty years?
Perhaps even becoming a true immortal and ascending to heaven in broad daylight was not impossible.
However, those like Qi Kangming, who had such thoughts and insights, were ultimately a minority.
Most people feared Zhang Fan's power and dared not provoke him, but they also felt that Zhang Fan would not dare to be too reckless. After all, this was a society governed by law. No matter how strong one's martial arts were, one could not withstand the attack of nuclear weapons.
Therefore, many people felt that Master Zhang, who was in the limelight yesterday, might stumble at the Qin family.
...