Chapter 66: Scene 8: Marriage Contract

Chu Xinglan said sarcastically: "What you mean by contribution is to arrange a marriage with a certain woman, and then use her family's influence to stand firm on the cliff?"

"I don't want to do this kind of thing, and I don't want to do it either."

"Relying on others to accomplish something is not a long-term solution. It is far less secure than being strong on your own."

Although Chu Xinglan was only twelve years old at that time, he was full of youthful spirit, the rebelliousness and arrogance that only belonged to a genius.

Holding a long sword, he easily resolved the pressure from Yuanyingqi, and at the same time stepped on his father's face.

Chu Yao had to step back half a step to avoid his sharp attack.

The man's face was gloomy and his expression could not be seen.

Although his cultivation was built up with elixirs and various natural treasures, he actually cultivated the Yuanying, but he was actually at a disadvantage under this sword...

Although Chu Yao knew how talented and stunning Chu Xinglan was, he was still shocked at this moment.

He stared at the elegant young man in front of him with his pupils trembling. He thought, if he was given more time to grow, even Chu Fengnian, the most accomplished man in the Chu family, might not be even one-tenth as good as him.

Chu Yao was in deep thought.

The Chu family was in turmoil, with three Spirit Transformation cultivators having been defeated one after another, two Void Refinement cultivators having not yet passed their heavenly tribulation and their realms having fallen. The only remaining elder in the Fusion Stage was still in seclusion, and it would be impossible for him to come out into the world for at least ten or eight years. However, a skinny camel was still bigger than a horse, so he could hold on for a while longer.

Besides, Chu Xinglan was obviously unwilling... If he insisted on having him get engaged to a girl from a noble family in order to maintain the family's status, it would probably damage the last bit of affection between them as father and son.

Chu Yao had a plan in mind.

He relaxed his expression and was about to say a few tactful words to ease the somewhat awkward atmosphere between the two of them, but he heard his son, who had been independent-minded since childhood, speak slowly.

"Father, you just want me to have a fiancée. I'll choose one of these women and I'll satisfy you."

Chu Yao was surprised to hear his son's compromising words, and he had a feeling that it was not a good thing.

"You really think so?"

Chu Xinglan nodded expressionlessly. He pointed his finger at a pretty girl wearing a green skirt and double buns, and said in a firm tone.

"I choose her."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Ruan Chao turned his head and looked at him.

Ruan Chao was very perceptive, or maybe someone who cheats always keeps an eye on all directions and hears all sides, and he quickly noticed the eyes being focused on him.

There were still some pastry crumbs at the corners of his mouth, and his cheeks were bulging, like a little squirrel hiding food, showing that he was eating happily and joyfully. When he saw Chu Xinglan pointing at him, he was a little puzzled, not knowing what he wanted to do.

Well...it's not just Chu Xinglan, there's also a fierce adult who seems difficult to get along with by his side.

Ruan Chao quietly put the plate of pastries back on the table, wiped the corner of his mouth, and tried to act as if nothing had happened.

But Chu Xinglan still pointed at him, and the adults beside him also turned unfriendly, as if a seasoning bottle had been overturned, dark and ugly.

Ruan Chao looked confused and pointed at himself.

"…Me?"

…

A hasty marriage was thus arranged.

Almost everyone thought that Chu Xinglan was dissatisfied with Chu Yao's arrangement and was acting on impulse, and no one took his words seriously.

Until the head of the Ruan family heard the news and came to the door.

He burst into tears, wiped his tears and cried while hugging Ruan Chao, acting like a grieving old father who had lost his daughter unexpectedly.

Ruan Chao watched his performance with an indifferent expression.

He originally didn't want to go back to the underworld with his cheap father. He clearly remembered how his father had threatened him and wanted to sell him out. What he did was no different from those who kidnapped him.

He was determined to stay by Chu Xinglan's side and go wherever Chu Xinglan went.

However, Chu Xinglan is already twelve years old, and will soon join the Guiyuan Sect to practice cultivation.

He had a weak constitution and poor qualifications, and was not even qualified to be an outer disciple in Guiyuan Sect, so there was no way he could go with him.

Chu Xinglan also couldn't bear to part with him.

"You can stay at the Chu family and wait for me."

The Nguyen Dynasty was unwilling.

He didn't know any of the people in the Chu family except Chu Xinglan.

The young masters and young ladies of the Chu family looked at him with condescending eyes, revealing obvious disdain and contempt.

Father Chu's eyes were also filled with obvious calculations and scrutiny.

Chu Xinglan probably also realized that the Chu family was not a good place for Ruan Chao.

Without his protection, the Nguyen Dynasty would most likely suffer here.

It would be better to let Nguyen Chao return to the underworld, and bring him back when he is fully grown and strong enough to protect him.

The two of them matched their horoscopes and made a marriage contract at the Sansheng Stone, becoming an engaged couple recognized by the Heavenly Dao.

Ruan Chao was completely confused and had no idea what a marriage contract meant. He just did whatever Chu Xinglan asked him to do. He did his handprints when Chu Xinglan asked him to do so and released his spiritual power when Chu Xinglan asked him to do so. It was not until a faint red rope appeared between their wrists that he realized something was wrong.

However, it was too late.

Chu Xinglan gave him a large number of magical instruments and treasures for self-defense, and protected him very well. Even if a Yuanying period cultivator wanted to attack him, he would not gain any benefit.

The head of the Ruan family is not stupid. He knows that Ruan Chao has attached himself to the young master of the Chu family, and he no longer dares to treat him as a commodity. In the future, he will definitely flatter him and obey him, and do whatever he wants.

Chu Xinglan: "I will write to you every month and give you gifts."

"If someone bullies you or treats you badly, you can write to me and I will stand up for you."

Nguyen Chao did not answer.

He just asked Chu Xinglan with red eyes when he could be picked up.

Chu Xinglan wiped his tears and made a solemn promise.

"I'll come pick you up when I'm eighteen."

"And then... we will never be apart again."

…

As he recalled the events of the past long ago, Nguyen Chao's heart couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Those monks who were shouting at them to kill couldn't even withstand a single move from Chu Xinglan.

All sounds fell silent at this moment, even the chirping of insects disappeared.

It was very similar to the day when he first met Chu Xinglan.

Chu Xinglan would always come to his side and protect him when he was most afraid and helpless, like a hero descending from the sky.

Ruan Chao whispered: "We...will never be separated again."

His voice was so quiet that it almost blended into the night breeze.

But Chu Xinglan still heard it.

The boy hummed softly.

Carrying him out of the forest.

Behind them was a scarlet flame.

A small patch of woods and weeds were also burned clean.

………

The next day, they left Lingyuan City.

Chu Xinglan no longer concealed his aura. The pressure from a Yuanying-stage cultivator was enough to carry him anywhere in the lower realm. Even though the guards at the gate were certain that Ruan Chao was the woman in the painting and was being hunted by the Chen family and the Xiuxian family, they did not dare to stop him.

I could only watch them walk out of Lingyuan City.

Nguyen Chao took advantage of the power of the other side and turned around and made a face at the guards.

He still remembered that when he wanted to sneak out of the city a few days ago, it was this person who colluded with the Chen family. He held his portrait in one hand and a delicate mirror in the other, comparing every woman who passed by. As a result, he dared not leave the city and could only hide in the mountains.

When the guard saw his grimace, his expression immediately turned as ugly as if he had eaten a fly, and he glared at him fiercely with gritted teeth.

The guard's cultivation had reached the foundation-building stage, and he held a little power in his hands. He was usually the object of everyone's flattery. He had never been treated like this before. If Chu Xinglan had not been there, he would have rushed forward and taught this ignorant girl a lesson.

Ruan Chao was still pretending to be weak and his legs were sore. He lay on Chu Xinglan's back and refused to get up and take a step.

When he saw the guard's face suddenly turn ugly, he immediately leaned over to Chu Xinglan's ear and complained to him in a wronged manner.

"Brother, he glared at me!"

Chu Xinglan stopped and turned to look at the guard standing by the city gate.

"Him?"

Ruan Chao nodded: "Yes, it's him."

"He's so fierce and scary." Ruan Chao seemed to be frightened by him and said cautiously, "I don't know what I did to offend him to make him so angry."

The clinking sound, like the sound of jade stones colliding, was the sound of the fragment being unsheathed.

The young man's expression was as cold as frost and snow, his light golden pupils were calm without a trace of unnecessary emotion. Only when the girl on his back spoke softly to him, would the ice and snow in his eyes melt a little.

As he watched the young man approach him step by step, the shadow of death seemed to loom over his head...

The guard's face turned pale and his legs began to tremble.

He fell to his knees with a thud, and began to apologize and beg for mercy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My eyes are naturally different from those of ordinary people. They bulge out like a lump... I guess that's why the girl misunderstood me."

"The lady is so beautiful, as dazzling as the blazing sun. I cannot wait to worship her, so how dare I harbor any ill will towards her..."

The guard was very flexible and in just a few breaths, he said a lot of words praising the Nguyen Dynasty.

Whether it is sincere or insincere, hearing others flatter you can indeed make people feel much more comfortable.

The Nguyen Dynasty was very vengeful. He would remember any bad treatment others gave him. Sooner or later, he would find an opportunity to take revenge.

The guard was not the mastermind of this incident, but at most an accomplice. Nguyen Chao had no habit of killing people and hated the smell of blood, so he just wanted to scare him.

He supported his chin with one hand, and waited until the guard ran out of words and his tone became stammering, then he held down Chu Xinglan's sword and said in a good mood: "Forget it, brother, since he has already realized his mistake and apologized to me, let's just forgive him reluctantly."

Chu Xinglan nodded: "I'll do as you say."

The two finally left.

The guard was crawling on the ground, already breaking out in a cold sweat.

He gritted his teeth and spoke in a voice as low as a mosquito, for fear of being heard by the two people who were walking far away.

"…He really is relying on the power of others."

…

The next town is far away from Lingyuan City.

Chu Xinglan took out a spirit boat from his storage ring.

This spiritual boat mainly relies on the spiritual power of the cultivator to move, and can also change its size and speed by itself.

As soon as Ruan Chao went up, he curiously touched and looked left and right. Everything attracted his attention and made him very interested.

He squatted down and saw that the hull was inlaid with top-grade spirit stones. While spitting at Chu Xinglan's extravagant lifestyle, he tried to knock it off sincerely to see if he could.

...and it was actually deducted.

The colorful spiritual stones are distributed regularly, making the boat look very dazzling.

There was a small piece missing from the hull, which was like a flaw in a perfect jade and was very conspicuous.

Ruan Chao was stunned and subconsciously wanted to stick the spirit stone in his hand back.

Chu Xinglan: "Do you like these spirit stones?"

Who doesn't like Lingshi?

It can replenish spiritual energy and can also be used as currency. You can buy whatever you want.

This question is like asking him whether he likes money. There must be someone in this world who doesn't like money, right?

Before Ruan Chao could answer, Chu Xinglan handed him a storage ring.

"This is the spiritual vein I gave you before, and it contains the spiritual stones produced in three years."

The three-year spiritual stone production of the spiritual vein...

You don’t even need to look to know what a staggering number this is!

Ruan Chao's hands were shaking: "...Give them all to me?"

Chu Xinglan glanced at him, and her ears turned red silently again: "This is a betrothal gift... naturally it's for you."

Nguyen Dynasty treasured it and wore it on his hand.

After thinking about it, I felt unsafe, so I took it off and hid it in my arms.

The arms don’t seem very safe...if you’re not careful, you’ll fall out.

Ruan Chao hesitated for a long time, but finally returned the storage ring to Chu Xinglan.

The boy's expression was blank for a moment, and he pursed his lips and asked, "Don't you want it?"

Ruan Chao glanced at him and said, "What are you thinking? I just want you to keep it for me."

"You have to be careful. Don't lose it." He threw the bag to Chu Xinglan without any psychological burden, and said righteously, "If you lose it, you have to compensate me."

Chu Xinglan nodded and promised: "I will keep it well."

Ruan Chao thought about it and said, "Forget it, it doesn't matter if it's lost."

Anyway, his spiritual veins are still there, Chu Xinglan is also there, he will never be short of money.

The spirit boat is very fast.

In just one afternoon, we passed through two towns.

They flew so high that the buildings below looked like ants.

Ruan Chao looked down curiously.

He was sixteen years old, and except for the trip to the upper realm with his cheap father six years ago, he had never left the territory of Lingyuan City in all these years, so everything he saw was new to him.

The barrier covered the spiritual boat, so even if Ruan Chao clung to the hull and looked down, he would not fall off.

But Chu Xinglan still stood by him to protect him.

"At this rate, we can reach Jingzhou Sea in ten days."

Ruan Chao was a little confused: "Why did it take so long? But didn't it only take you three days to come from the upper world to the lower world to find me?"

Chu Xinglan: "To be exact, it's three days and three nights."

"The speed of the spirit boat has also been increased to the extreme, for fear that if it is a little slower, it will be too late."

The young man smiled, his warm eyes were like melted ice and snow, clean and clear.

"…Luckily I managed to catch up in the end."

Ruan Chao felt heat rising from his face.

His eyes flickered as he looked away, staring intently at the small missing corner of the spirit stone on the hull. It looked really out of place there, and he wondered whether he should find some glue to stick the spirit stone back on.

Chu Xinglan was still talking to himself.

He said how difficult and arduous his journey had been, and that he had relied on his last bit of rationality to control the spirit boat and sail towards Lingyuan City. He said that after hearing the news about the Ruan family's accident, he had been in an unstable state of mind and was just about to develop a demon in his heart...

"Chao Chao, you don't know how scared I am." The boy's tone was rarely tinged with a hint of uneasiness and panic. It was only at this moment that he revealed his fear.

"I'm afraid I'll be there too late and only see your..."

Chu Xinglan did not utter the last two words, as if if he said them, the worries and fears of the past few days would become reality.

Nguyen Chao sighed.

He grabbed Chu Xinglan's hand, placed it on the side of his face, and spoke in a long, gentle voice.

"Look, I'm here, fine, intact, and alive and well."

"This is all thanks to my brother." Ruan Chao rubbed Chu Xinglan's palm, feeling the thin silk of the boy's palm scratching the delicate skin on his cheek. "It was my brother who saved me from the bad guys in time and protected me from getting hurt."