18 Chapter 18
Although Shangguan Huaijin's story sounded very complicated at first glance, Ning Shu, who was familiar with all kinds of popular Internet memes on Earth, could summarize her life experience in one sentence, which was -
Shangguan Huaijin is the eldest lady in the novel about broken engagements who breaks off the engagement for the sake of her own death.
As mentioned before, in this cruel world of cultivation, all the fine clothes and unrestrained indulgence are reserved for those talented disciples of immortal cultivation. As a clan lady with mediocre talent and whose parents died young, Shangguan Huaijin still fulfills a very traditional obligation in the big family, which is to marry a guy of equal social status when she reaches the age, and then exchange some benefits and resources for the family.
Such an engagement naturally would not take the wishes of the betrothed party into consideration. When Shangguan Huaijin was only seven or eight years old, she was betrothed by the elders of the clan to a young man from another family who was also an unsuccessful aristocratic family. She had no complaints about this. After all, they were guys she had never met, so it didn't make much difference who she married.
If things could continue to develop so smoothly, then Shangguan Huaijin's life would be like this. She would get married blindly, take care of her husband and children. Although her life was like a stagnant pool of water, at least she would have enough food and clothing.
But who would have known that while she was still counting the days to her wedding in the yard, news suddenly came from outside that her unlucky fiancé, whom she had never even met, had encountered some problem during his cultivation. Not only was his cultivation destroyed, but even his spiritual roots were completely dried up, and he had become a useless person.
How could a discarded child, already abandoned by the family, undertake the task of an arranged marriage? So the family elders broke off the engagement and quickly found another son from a prominent family to use as an opportunity for marriage. Shangguan Huaijin, waiting to be married, accepted the news with apathy. The days passed like flowing water, and nothing changed from before.
"Then, the guy whose engagement was broken off turned the tide? Did he have some kind of adventure that caused his cultivation to soar?" Ning Shu had already guessed what would happen next after hearing this.
"Just as you expected, that useless fellow, unable to think straight, jumped off a cliff and committed suicide. He accidentally stumbled into an ancient secret realm, where he not only reshaped his spiritual roots but also cultivated a Five Spirit Saint Body. His cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, and he has become a child of destiny with unlimited potential."
At this point, Shangguan Huaijin's tone turned cold, and the smile on his face was extremely sarcastic:
"Oh, everyone knows that I am a woman who can't even decide my own marriage, but they still firmly believe that I can break off the engagement on my own.
So I became known as a short-sighted, servile, mean-spirited woman. They cursed and despised me, using the most vicious and vulgar language to attack someone they had never even met. My second fiancé also broke off the engagement without hesitation. The Shangguan family then betrothed me to a tyrannical scumbag, and everyone was eagerly awaiting my retribution.
In the end, the powerful elders shook hands and made peace, the talented young man who survived the disaster found a new and good match, passers-by talked about the legendary story with relish, but the ungrateful young lady was nailed to the pillar of shame forever and could not turn over.
"I don't want to be so miserable as to marry a tyrannical bastard and be tortured to death." Shangguan Huaijin lowered her head and grasped the hem of her skirt tightly above her knees, squeezing so hard that her shoulders trembled slightly.
"But I have nowhere to go. The Shangguan family's influence is spread across all major sects. That man who has already achieved the Five Spirits Saint Body will sooner or later become famous throughout the world, and I have to bear such a dirty and ugly reputation..." At this point, she clenched her teeth. It was not known whether it was extreme hatred or some other strong emotion, but the words that came out seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth:
"Even if I could join a reputable and respectable sect now before the news gets out, who would be able to take care of me if the truth comes out in the future?"
So after much thought, if one wants to practice with peace of mind, joining the equally notorious Hehuan Sect is the best way.
Both Ning Shu and the other disciples who heard this story fell into silence. The huge study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Only the woman's soft sobs could be heard faintly, and she tried to swallow them back as if she was afraid of being discovered.
…
"I heard that the secret method of the Hehuan Sect can be practiced without spiritual roots." After a while, Shangguan Huaijin, who had finally calmed down, stated her purpose. She raised her head, and her red eyes were clearly filled with reluctance:
"I want to become stronger! I want to be stronger than everyone in the Shangguan family one day, stronger than that man who soared to the sky! Only then will people in this world care about what I say... I want to clear myself of the injustice!"
It's more than just an injustice. Miss Shangguan, you are being blamed! Ning Shu covered his forehead and sighed deeply.
Because the elders of the Shangguan family were unwilling to offend an enemy with unlimited potential for no reason, they pushed the neglected Miss Shangguan forward to appease the humiliation that the young man had suffered in the past.
Except for Shangguan Huaijin, the popular disciples sitting here were all women who had struggled at the bottom of society. They originally thought that compared with the suffering they had endured, the so-called "family oppression" suffered by a pampered young lady like Shangguan Huaijin was not worth mentioning at all. However, they did not expect that being a young lady from a wealthy family was not easy either. If this terrible thing had happened to them, they might have hanged themselves.
"This... But, Miss Shangguan, it's a bit difficult to deal with your past... If the rumor gets here, how can you perform on stage again..." The disciple sitting on Shangguan Huaijin's left is the third most popular disciple. Because she was once a popular pillar of the opera troupe, she was only known by the stage name "Xiao Lihua" to the outside world.
She had performed on stage countless times, and unlike Liu Pianpian, who came from a brothel and only served dignitaries, the people who listened to her singing came from all walks of life, so she knew best that if she wanted to perform well on stage, she must not offend too many people.
What good is it to sing well or look stunning? If too many people dislike you and gather to boo and jeer, your stage will be deserted after a few incidents.
Most of the audience are here for entertainment and they don't have the time to settle a lawsuit.
From what the Young Sect Master said, if no one watched the performance, there would be no way to cultivate immortality. Wouldn't that mean Miss Shangguan would never be able to clear her name? Xiao Lihua was so anxious that she would have slammed the table if she hadn't considered the occasion.
Xiao Lihua: I have been singing opera for more than ten years, but I have never seen such a frustrating script!
The other disciples also became a little anxious after hearing this. Liu Pianpian hesitated for a moment and suggested, "How about we avoid this problem first and perform more on stage to attract more people's love before the news gets through?"
"What's the point? It's just a flash in the pan." Shangguan Huaijin sighed softly, his face showing a dejected look. "Compared to the cultivation speed of the Five Spirit Body, it's nothing."
Then everyone fell silent again, and the room fell into a desperate depression.
After a long while, Ning Shu finally spoke to break the silence. She propped her chin up with the pen and swung it back and forth, her frown slowly relaxing:
"I don't think the situation is completely hopeless. After all, the negative information surrounding Shangguan Huaijin is completely fabricated! With good public relations, we can take this opportunity to throw the dirty water back and solve this problem once and for all!"
"Throw the dirty water back? Is that really possible?" Shangguan Huaijin stood up in excitement, and her movement was so big that she knocked over the chair behind her. However, she had no time to care about it and repeatedly emphasized to Ning Shu in a lost-temper manner:
"It's no use! No one believes me! I've tried to explain it to others countless times, but it's no use! No one listens to me seriously! I've already been convicted!"
"Because people are more inclined to believe exciting gossip than boring, mundane truths. So when a rumor with a brilliant twist spreads among the crowd first, those preconceived ideas and opinions will become deeply ingrained in people's minds."
Compared to the excited Shangguan Huaijin, Ning Shu seemed much calmer. As she spoke, she lowered her head and wrote something on a piece of paper. Her tone was calm, as if she had seen through the world. "That's why there's a saying that goes, 'It takes only one mouth to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to refute it.'"
"So what should we do?" Shangguan Huaijin asked impatiently, "Is there any way to eliminate that influence?"
"When you become famous, many people will come to help you clarify the matter, but now is not the time." Ning Shu lowered his head and wrote furiously, explaining slowly:
"Now, what we have to do is find a way to take advantage of this preconceived notion and spread the story around the city that never sleeps in a way that is more favorable to us."
"A version that's more beneficial to us?" Shangguan Huaijin seemed to understand Ning Shu's meaning. "You mean, with the help of this magazine? Can this really be done?"
You have to know that they have only performed in public once and their popularity is very limited, and the number of followers who will actively care about Shangguan Huaijin's news may not exceed one hundred.
"As long as the story is attractive enough," Ning Shu slowly wrote down the last stroke, then picked up the manuscript and handed it to the other party. "Rumors spread much faster than a star's fame. As long as you handle it properly, you can even use this report to attract more popularity and attention."
Just like some modern celebrities who are surrounded by scandals, they don’t have any well-known works, but everyone talks about their love and breakups with gusto. In a sense, they are quite successful.
Can I really wash away the injustice I suffered just by writing a manuscript? With a faint hope, Shangguan Huaijin took the manuscript with trembling hands and read it carefully.
The manuscript begins with just a few concise paragraphs:
Three months before my wedding, the fiancé whom I had broken off the engagement with came back with the cultivation level of the Golden Core Stage and the Five Spirits Holy Body.
I walked out the door calmly, letting the ridicule and abuse from the people around me drown me out. He looked at me struggling in the mud with contempt, with a vengeful pleasure in his eyes.
"I never thought you'd end up like this? You really deserve it!"
They thought I would kneel down and kowtow to repent, but they didn't expect that I would degenerate into depravity and turn around to join the even more notorious Hehuan Sect.
【Author’s words】
Ning Shu: A male-oriented cool story vs a female-oriented sadistic story. When the two groups collide, the scene will definitely be very exciting [dog head]
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