"Miss Qin Luoshui of the Qin family is engaged to the eldest young master Bai Tianyi of the Bai family?"
"Wasn't it with Master Zhang?"
Even though Old Master Qin said it himself, most people present still found it hard to believe. After all, everyone in Yanjing knew that Qin Luoshui was Zhang Fan's woman.
Given Zhang Fan's current achievements, the Qin family, even as one of the four major families in Yanjing, should have been extremely pleased with this marriage.
But then, Qin Luoshui brought Zhang Fan to congratulate Qin Tuyi on his birthday. In front of Zhang Fan and the many families in Yanjing, Qin Tuyi announced that Qin Luoshui was about to get engaged to Bai Tianyi. Wasn't that slapping Zhang Fan in the face?
...
Qin Luoshui sat beside Zhang Fan, picking out some pastries she liked to offer him. Upon hearing the news her grandfather suddenly announced, her jade-like hand holding the crystal plate trembled. The plate slipped from her grasp.
Zhang Fan leaned casually on a rattan chair. With a gentle wave, as if he could retrieve something from afar, the crystal plate that was about to fall to the ground flew up as if it had wings and slowly landed on the glass coffee table.
"Grandpa..." Qin Luoshui looked at Old Master Qin, who was standing at the villa entrance, her eyes filled with confusion.
Qin Luoshui had never even met the so-called young master Bai Tianyi of the Bai family from the southwest. Yet, her grandfather had directly agreed to this engagement and announced it publicly at his birthday banquet without even asking for her opinion or thoughts.
Qin Luoshui stood up, ready to confront her grandfather, but Zhang Fan gently held her hand and shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, you will only ever be my woman, Zhang Fan. No one can stop that!" Zhang Fan's dark eyes were incredibly deep. He spoke softly, but his words carried unparalleled certainty and determination.
Qin Luoshui now had an almost blind faith in Zhang Fan. Hearing his words, her initially unsettled heart gradually calmed down.
In the past, if her family had treated her as a tool for exchange and arranged an unwanted marriage, she might have been utterly powerless against her powerful family.
But now, she didn't think so.
Things were different now. She herself was a peak innate grandmaster. If the family dared to force her, she would dare to resist, and she had the strength to do so.
Moreover, with Zhang Fan, who surpassed the martial arts world in China, standing behind her, she felt incredibly at ease.
Thinking of this, her heart grew calmer, and she dismissed it all as a joke.
"Where is Master Zhang..."
Everyone shifted their gaze to Zhang Fan. They had expected the young and impetuous Zhang Fan to be furious upon hearing the news, perhaps even causing a scene at the banquet.
But reality proved they were thinking too much. At this moment, Zhang Fan was reclining on a rattan chair, with an arm around Qin Luoshui's slender waist, holding a pastry in his other hand, and leisurely savoring it.
Qin Luoshui, the one being betrothed, also appeared surprisingly calm. Leaning in Zhang Fan's embrace, like a little bird nestling, she made countless women present envious.
Although Zhang Fan wasn't exceptionally handsome, his chiseled features, combined with his transcendent and unique aura, were quite attractive.
Of course, the most captivating aspect of him was his unparalleled strength.
Ever since Zhang Fan's identity was revealed and the families in Yanjing learned of his status in the Chinese martial arts world, the news had spread.
If anyone could marry Zhang Fan, even if her family was just a third-rate family in Yanjing, they would instantly become the fifth major family in Yanjing.
This was Zhang Fan's current charisma.
After all, even powerful organizations like the Hongmen and Qingbang held absolute reverence for Zhang Fan.
"Master Zhang is indeed worthy of his reputation. This composure alone is something ordinary young people cannot possess."
"However, Master Zhang is likely to lose face today. The Qin family and the Bai family from the southwest, these two families joining forces, are probably too much even for Master Zhang to force his way through?" a patriarch from a second-tier Yanjing family muttered, shaking his head and 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 to ask anyone's permission to marry Qin Luoshui?" said a young master from Yanjing who had some understanding of Zhang Fan's actions.
"Qin Tuyi is truly senile. He's letting such a golden opportunity to get close to a powerful figure slip away, pushing Master Zhang away and arranging a marriage with that so-called Bai family from the southwest." The burly Qi Xiangyu was also in the crowd. His main purpose for coming this time was to apologize to Zhang Fan, hoping to completely resolve Zhang Fan's displeasure with their Qi family.
After all, due to the incident with Qi Jun, their Qi family had taken many actions against Zhang Fan. Although their Qi family had ultimately suffered, they had offended this Master Zhang.
"Although Qin Tuyi has lived for many years, he has spent his entire life in official circles and had almost no opportunity to interact with the martial arts world. No matter how people praise it, he won't believe that an individual's power can contend with the state apparatus."
"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. Hearing Qi Xiangyu's words, he couldn't help but sigh.
This person was Qi Xiangyu's father, Qi Kangming. He was also the father of Qi Jun, who had his true qi crippled by Zhang Fan and was rendered a cripple.
He had once hated Zhang Fan to the bone. However, after learning of Zhang Fan's identity, his hatred gradually subsided and turned into dread.
Although he was a soldier, and even a general, he was very clear about some matters in the Chinese martial arts world.
Only those who understood could comprehend how terrifying this seemingly harmless young man was.
He even suspected that if Zhang Fan decided to annihilate their Qi family, the country might not even hold Zhang Fan accountable.
What completely made him give up the idea of opposing Zhang Fan was that this Master Zhang was too young. In his early twenties, he already suppressed the entire Chinese martial arts world. It was hard to imagine what heights he would reach in ten or twenty years!
It was not impossible for him to cultivate into a true immortal and ascend to the heavens.
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 wouldn't dare to be too reckless. After all, this was a society governed by laws. No matter how strong your martial arts were, you couldn't withstand the attack of nuclear weapons.
Therefore, many people believed that Master Zhang, who was so glorious yesterday, might stumble at the Qin family today.
...