"The disciples of other families either joined the army and disappeared without a trace, or suffered greatly under the oppression of the local rulers. But your Liu family, with the protection of Liu Xian, remained safe and sound during those turbulent times. Moreover, with Liu Xian's methods, you established yourselves in the Northeast and became one of the most famous immortal worshippers."
"What you're saying isn't exactly a secret. Anyone who knows even a little about our area knows it," Liu Qingmei said calmly.
“Immortal Liu will not be worshipped for no reason. You will naturally pay a price for worshipping him,” Ye Xingchen said. “He will absorb a portion of the lives of your clansmen to enhance his own cultivation. All five great immortal families are the same.”
“After he takes a portion of your life, your people will have a very short lifespan, ranging from forty or fifty years to thirty or forty years.”
"Nonsense! My great-grandfather is already a hundred years old this year." Liu Qingmei's expression changed drastically.
“Yes, your great-grandfather lived to a very old age, but your Liu family is dwindling in number. People of the same clan either die young or die prematurely. Only the direct line can barely live to sixty or seventy. Isn’t that a fact?” Ye Xingchen asked rhetorically.
“My second grandfather is over eighty years old this year, and he is still in good spirits.” Liu Qingmei said angrily, “My father and several of my uncles are already fifty years old. How dare you say that our clansmen are short-lived?”
"This leads to another matter. Your family has made a new agreement with Liu Sanqing." Ye Xingchen raised an eyebrow, staring at Liu Qingmei, not missing a single change in her expression.
Sure enough, a hint of emotion flickered across Liu Qingmei's otherwise aloof expression. Although it was only fleeting, Ye Xingchen caught it firmly in his eye.
It seems he was right; Liu Qingmei's family has reached a new agreement with that so-called Immortal Liu.
"There's no new agreement, so don't make wild guesses." Liu Qingmei composed herself, trying to calm her shocked emotions.
Ye Xingchen is terrifying. Although he doesn't know the exact situation of the Liu family, he can still guess it with a high degree of accuracy.
“If I’m not mistaken, this new agreement…” Ye Xingchen paused, then leaned closer to Liu Qingmei and breathed into her ear, “is about you…”
"You..." Liu Qingmei was already in a bad mood, and she didn't even know when Ye Xingchen approached her.
Moreover, Ye Xingchen's breath made her feel a heat near her ear, followed by a tingling sensation on half of her body. She quickly took a few steps back, her face flushed and her heart racing, feeling an intense tingling sensation on half of her body.
It must be said that Ye Xingchen is skilled at flirting with women. After all, he possesses the Joyful Union Technique. Judging from her reaction, Ye Xingchen understood the general idea.
"If you dare to be rude again, I, I will..." Liu Qingmei was both anxious and angry, and for a moment she couldn't find the right words.
“Miss Liu, you’re clearly a girl, only twenty-five or twenty-six this year, and not married yet, so why are you dressing up like a young married woman?” Ye Xingchen laughed.
“Ye Xingchen…” Liu Qingmei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She said coldly, “Let me give you a piece of advice: don’t play with fire. Not everyone is someone you can flirt with.”
“Yeah, not just anyone can be flirted with, especially you, whom Liu Sanqing considers his own possession.” Ye Xingchen raised an eyebrow: “If he finds out, won’t he come after me to my death?”
"What, what did you say?" Liu Qingmei's delicate body trembled, and her gaze towards Ye Xingchen completely changed.
Yes, the Liu family and Liu Sanqing reached a new agreement. Liu Sanqing would no longer draw upon the lifespan of his clansmen, but instead... become the son-in-law of the Liu family.
And the woman the Liu family was going to marry Liu Sanqing... was her, Liu Qingmei.
When she was six years old, a pilgrimage caught the eye of Liu Sanqing, so her great-grandfather and Liu Sanqing reached an agreement... When she was twenty-eight, the Liu family would marry her off in a grand ceremony.
In exchange for this, Liu Sanqing no longer draws upon the lifespan of his clansmen.
And she... is 26 years old this year, and in two more years she will marry a monster.
For the past twenty years, she has not dared to fall in love, or even speak to boys.
A very sunny boy once pursued her, but less than a week later, he died with blood flowing from all seven orifices, a gruesome death.
It was from that time that she became aloof and unapproachable.
From that time on, she began to dress like a married woman, because she knew that Liu Sanqing considered her his exclusive possession, and any man who got close to her would die.
This was her secret, known to very few even among her own clan.
Ye Xingchen had only known her for less than a day, so how could he know so much about her situation? Did he guess it? She didn't believe it.
Her gaze toward Ye Xingchen shifted from shock to wariness. She gripped a jade ruyi in her right hand, which possessed the magical power that Liu Sanqing had imbued with it.
"Who exactly are you?" She took a step back, distancing herself from Ye Xingchen.
She felt that Ye Xingchen was a person with ulterior motives, and that his approach to her must have been for a purpose.
"Don't overthink it. I didn't know you before, and I knew nothing about the Liu family." Seeing her reaction, Ye Xingchen couldn't help but laugh: "And I didn't mean anything by it, but are you really willing to marry a monster?"
"He's a snake, you know. It's so long, covered in slime, it's disgusting." Ye Xingchen gestured with her hands, describing it vividly: "Aren't you girls most afraid of snakes? Are you really going to marry a soft-bodied, cold-blooded creature?"
"You...you stop talking, shut up." Liu Qingmei trembled, her delicate face trembling. Ye Xingchen's description was too vivid, instantly conjuring up unpleasant images in her mind.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything, but isn't this a fact?" Ye Xingchen said with a smile, "I can help you, really."
"How can you help me?" A feeling of grievance suddenly welled up in Liu Qingmei's heart. She cried out, "I was chosen by that snake demon. I can't refuse because my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather all support me."
"After all, I alone can bring longevity to the entire clan, and I can also firmly bind Liu Xian to our Liu family. Tell me how you can help me?"
"That's easy," Ye Xingchen said with a smile. "It's just a snake. I have a way to make it a servant of your Liu family, and it will only obey you."
"I can put you in charge of the Liu family, and everything will be up to you. You don't need to dress like a young married woman anymore, and you don't need to worry about spending your future with a beast. Isn't that better?"
"Do you have that ability?" Liu Qingmei said coldly, not believing a single word Ye Xingchen said.
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