Chapter30: Shangguan Qingya

“Early summer.”

It was a normal day.

Several days had passed since the Shangguan family went to the Ding Clan to annul the marriage.

They did not leave immediately.

It was a rare occasion to visit Qingquan City, and since Shangguan Qiu held a special status as both a Golden Core expert and the Second Elder Master of the Shangguan family, it would have been improper not to meet with local officials, gentry, and old friends.

Thus, after finishing the banquet at the Ding house, Shangguan Qiu visited the City Lord and met with local merchants to discuss cooperation.

As the eldest young lady of the Shangguan family, Shangguan Qingya accompanied him on these visits.

“So, it is because Miss Shangguan is afraid of men that her fate with the Young Master of the Ding Clan was cut short, rather than the Shangguan family being overbearing and looking down on them?” the old woman in the City Lord’s Mansion asked.

“Yes, yes, exactly,” Shangguan Qiu said jovially during the banquet.

Sitting beside him, Shangguan Qingya was not nearly as jovial.

‘I am not afraid of men at all!’

She knew that by using such a reason for the annulment, her reputation would take a turn for the worse.

Strange rumors would surely emerge in Qingquan City—claims that she was a lesbian or that she had been traumatized by a man—which would then be carried back to Liyang City by merchant caravans.

She would have to hear those rumors about herself at least twice.

Unfortunately, she had no choice but to endure it, drinking her frustrations away while watching her elders boast.

After several days of being asked the same question about the annulment at every banquet, Shangguan Qingya felt as if she were becoming depressed.

Finally, the day arrived to conclude their business in Qingquan City.

The Shangguan family’s party packed their belongings and prepared to leave.

Shangguan Qingya gazed at the Ding Clan’s courtyard and their deeded fields both inside and outside the city.

Her expression was complicated, and her heart was a swirl of mixed emotions.

***

One month prior, Shangguan Qingya was in Liyang City.

She had been diligently practicing her sect’s sword arts in her own courtyard.

Suddenly, a streak of white light like a shooting star flashed across the sky and landed before the Patriarch’s four-sided courtyard.

It was the brightest white light she had ever seen, and she was curious about who had come to her home.

But it was merely curiosity.

The family’s affairs were managed by her parents and uncles; it was not yet time for a young girl like her to interfere.

However, a maidservant came to summon her.

Then, she witnessed an unforgettable scene.

A lady dressed in exquisite clothing sat in the Patriarch’s courtyard, while the other elders of the Shangguan family stood by, waiting for her commands.

Even her grandfather, the old Patriarch of the Shangguan family—the thin, long-bearded Shangguan Zheng—stood beside the woman.

The woman sitting in the courtyard had a cup of untouched tea by her side.

Her eyes, as bright as the reflection on a lake, shimmered with a cold light.

Although she appeared to be in her twenties with a mature and dignified figure, her outward appearance certainly did not reflect her true age.

“Are you Ding Nan’s fiancée, Shangguan Qingya?”

“May I ask who the senior is?”

“Ji Lanruo, of the Xishan Sect.”

‘A Tribulation Transcendence expert!’ Shangguan Qingya was startled.

Next, she watched her father and grandfather argue over the marriage contract.

Her father disapproved of the alliance with the Ding Clan because they were weak, and the once-genius Ding Nan had become a waste.

Her grandfather, however, supported the marriage out of past sentiment.

Her grandfather’s voice lacked confidence.

He was already old and physically frail as he approached the end of his lifespan, but Shangguan Qingya felt it was mainly the presence of the beautiful woman that stripped him of his resolve.

“Immortal, we have not contacted the Ding family for a long time,” her round-faced father, Shangguan Xi, said with a bow.

“How long had it been?”

Long enough for the people of Liyang City to have forgotten the matter entirely, assuming the Shangguan family had severed ties with the Ding family long ago.

The heavily bearded Shangguan Zheng remained silent in frustration.

Ever since his lifespan had begun to dwindle, leaving him unable to oversee family matters, the people in the house had stopped listening to him.

“The marriage post? Have you taken it back yet?”

Ji Lanruo asked.

“That… not yet.”

“Then you should go and take the marriage post back.”

And so, Shangguan Qiu brought Shangguan Qingya to Qingquan City.

From Shangguan Qiu, Shangguan Qingya learned that many years ago, the old master of the Ding family and her grandfather had been brothers-in-arms who would die for each other.

When Shangguan Qingya was born, the two of them had made the marriage contract very formal.

Thus, many people in Liyang City had once known about the engagement.

Later, the old master of the Ding family returned to his hometown to manage the family estate.

Shangguan Qingya had experienced the subsequent events personally.

When Ding Nan was doing well, people said she was fortunate.

When Ding Nan was doing poorly, people said she was a curse to her future husband.

This made her loathe the marriage.

She had also wanted to annul it.

Therefore, rather than the annulment itself, Shangguan Qingya was more curious about why Ji Lanruo would take an interest in Ding Nan in Qingquan City.

Qingquan City was obscure; according to her father, there was only one Golden Core expert in the entire city.

Such a backward place saw almost no merchant caravans; it was little more than the countryside.

Was it possible for a noble lady to take an interest in a country bumpkin?

She believed such a thing was impossible and was utterly perplexed, gradually becoming curious about Ding Nan.

Just as they were about to reach Qingquan City, a thunderous roar erupted in the sky.

A figure crashed down like a bolt of green lightning.

The ground cracked, and the mountains shook.

As the dust cleared, a girl dressed in ordinary cloth—looking like a maidservant—stood there with a smile.

“Shangguan Qingya, you bitch, where are you?”

Another Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert!

The terrifying pressure felt physical, weighing down on everyone like a mountain and making it hard to breathe.

The girl’s jet-black, shining eyes and her mirthless smile made Shangguan Qingya tremble with fear.

The moment their eyes met, the maidservant flickered to a stop right in front of her.

The shock caused Shangguan Qingya to fall, and the intense pressure of the astral winds carved deep red gashes into her skin and clothes.

Blood instantly soaked through Shangguan Qingya’s clothes, and in an instant, she was covered in red.

The pain was bone-deep.

Tears fell from her eyes, but she was unable to cry out.

A Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert’s mere movement was more than she could withstand.

A gray shadow fell over Shangguan Qingya’s bloodless face.

“Are you here to annul the marriage?”

Shangguan Qingya could not speak; she could only nod.

“Then that is wonderful.”

The maidservant smiled and pressed her palms together.

As soon as she spoke, the maidservant vanished.

Lying in a pool of blood, Shangguan Qingya finally breathed a sigh of relief before fainting from blood loss.

Since then, Luo Yao had become a shadow over her heart.

***

‘It is all over,’ Shangguan Qingya murmured to herself.

She was even more curious about Ding Nan now—how had he managed to win the hearts of two Tribulation Transcendence powerhouses?

She had met Ding Nan personally, and aside from his face, she saw nothing extraordinary about him.

But these were matters she could no longer investigate or touch. She did not want to be beaten to death by Luo Yao.

The crack of a whip sounded.

The carriage of the convoy began to move slowly.

Shangguan Qingya sat inside, watching the scenery through the window.

The city markets were quickly replaced by natural landscapes.

She gradually began to feel bored.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped.

“May I ask what business you have, Miss?”

Her second uncle’s voice came from the front of the convoy.

“I wish to inquire about something. Is Miss Shangguan Qingya present?”

A voice as clear as a warbler’s asked.

Shangguan Qingya stepped out of the carriage.

She saw a freckled young girl dressed in green with her hair tied in a ponytail blocking the convoy’s path.

Her strength was not great, only at the Foundation Building Stage.

‘A mere Foundation Building Stage practitioner dares to block my family’s merchant convoy?’ she thought.

“I ask that Shangguan Qiu and Shangguan Qingya tell me how you came to have a marriage contract with Young Master Ding Nan.”

“Why is it Ding Nan again?”

Shangguan Qingya said, her heart filled with annoyance.

“Why do you ask?” Shangguan Qiu asked warily.

Unexpectedly, the other party sighed and said, “My master is Lin Xihe. I am following her orders to find someone for Grandmaster Jade Frost.”

“Lin Xihe? The disciple of Fairy Jade Frost?”

A Soul Transformation Stage expert.

“Grandmaster Jade Frost? Fairy Jade Frost?”

Another Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert?

Suddenly, Shangguan Qingya’s head spun.

‘The third one! This is already the third one!’