Chapter 30: A Vicious Woman Forces Marriage with a Contract
Everything was calm and peaceful.
In round after round of competition, Xu Zangyu successfully entered the top ten.
The new sword he replaced was just a random one from a bunch of things his master had given him. Although it was of a higher grade than the previous one, he was very unfamiliar with it, and anyone with eyes could see that the previous sword was not suitable for him.
For Xu Zangyu, the perfect weapon is not about its grade but its compatibility with its master. The best weapon is one where the sword and the heart are in harmony.
But everything depends on fate, and Xu Zangyu couldn't force it; perhaps it was just that their time hadn't come yet.
Xu Zangyu was already very satisfied to have made it into the top ten, compared to being eliminated in the previous rounds.
As he sheathed his sword, the ends of his hair swayed with his steps. His smile was restrained, but it couldn't hide the spirit in his eyes. He extended his hand and said, "Thank you for the concession, senior brother."
Xu Zangyu never expected to run into his senior brother who had defeated him in previous years. In just one year, the situation reversed, and the one lying on the ground was the one who had defeated him before.
The pain from the fractured ribs made him wince. Staring at the person before him, the senior brother remained dazed for a long time. Seeing his pale face, Xu Cangyu apologized, "I was too harsh just now. Are you alright, senior brother?"
The tone wasn't sarcastic, but who would be so cautious after winning?
He was thinking about how he had defeated Xu Zangyu, and didn't pay any attention to Xu Zangyu's expression. He was more focused on the cheers and applause from the audience.
And what about Xu Zangyu?
He remained as still as gently rippling water from beginning to end; the clamor of cheers could not stir him, and he was unmoved by external things. His defeat was not unjust.
The hand was about to be pulled back when he grabbed it, using the leverage to stand up again.
"It's my fault for being useless. I thought that if I consistently made it into the top ten, I could stay there forever."
His gaze was more determined than before. "Little did he know that glory is the easiest thing to fade away, but the heart that pursues it will not."
"Thank you for your guidance, Junior Brother. If it weren't for today, I'm afraid I would still be complacent."
There was a moment of silence in the audience, then a piercing sound broke in.
"You know you're getting cocky, why don't you get down here? Are you going to stand here holding hands and let everyone laugh at you?"
No one could speak so directly and sarcastically except Chaolu Peak Chu Shu. The person on the stage blushed and withdrew his hand that he had been holding, quickly leaving the stage looking somewhat embarrassed.
Xu Zangyu noticed Chu Shu staring at him with a strange smile, which made him feel inexplicably uneasy. He quickly looked away and slipped off the stage.
On the high platform, Sect Leader Chu Yang remained silent in deep thought. His impression of Xu Cangyu was mostly from when he first entered the sect: thin and weak, timid and silent, yet with a fierceness hidden in his eyes that no child had, like an untamed wild wolf.
Such a person did not meet the Tianyi Sect's criteria for selecting disciples, and was later assigned to the Third Elder's sect and then largely ignored.
Now, he has to admit that Xu Zangyu has outstanding qualities that have gone unnoticed.
"This child has great potential."
Hearing this, Xue Wenxiang couldn't help but smile: "Of course."
He spoke too quickly, even with a hint of pride he himself didn't realize. After the words were out of his mouth, he quickly tried to salvage the situation when he saw everyone looking at him, saying, "Of course, Sect Leader Chu's judgment is excellent."
The Third Elder breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought my disciple had become a disciple of the Dark Fragrance Pavilion."
Xue Wenxiang raised his chin: "My Anxiang Pavilion is not without experts. If he... were to personally become a disciple of my Anxiang Pavilion, this young master might consider it."
The Third Elder laughed so loudly that it was hard to ignore him: "It's good to be young, you love to dream and you always have some adorable ideas."
Xue Wenxiang clenched her fists tighter and tighter, her face cold and silent. "That old man, he's getting on in years, but he still has such a sharp tongue."
The real competition begins after only a short rest.
Chu Shu and Xiao Mingxin were naturally in the top ten, as were the martial arts fanatic Liu Yidao. None of the winners from the other peaks were easy to deal with.
Xu Zangyu only hoped that he wouldn't run into someone too strong, and that he wouldn't be unlucky enough to run into Chu Shu, who looked like he really would beat him to death.
On the stage, a flying flower slip fell, revealing Xu Zangyu's name. As everyone held their breath and watched, the slip drifted down and landed in the hand of another person dressed in bright red.
My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.
Xu Zangyu floated onto the stage like a ghost, watching his slender, fair fingers rub against the name on the flying flower slip, his beautiful face smiling: "What a coincidence, my good junior brother."
Before the fight even started, Xu Zangyu felt pain all over his body, and wherever Chu Shu looked, that place would trigger a non-existent pain.
The flying flower token was tucked into his sleeve, revealing the sharp edge of a beautiful gilded fan. In the blink of an eye, it grazed his chest, and Xu Cangyu parried it with the sword in his hand, his tiger's mouth tingling from the impact.
A gold button was in Chu Shu's hand without Xu Zangyu noticing.
"Junior brother has made a lot of progress. No wonder he's getting bolder and bolder, even daring to tease me now."
"No"
Chu Shu pressed her fingertips to her lips: "Don't get distracted. If you can't catch my moves, you'll be in big trouble."
The most feared opponent on the trial stage is Chu Shu. He never cares about the other party's feelings; it's already considered merciful if he doesn't beat them unconscious on the spot.
Despite her beauty, she was nicknamed the "venomous viper." At this moment, Xu Cangyu felt as if a scarlet venomous tongue would emerge from those harsh lips as he stared at her.
He had to be on his guard, but in reality, he was completely powerless against a Nascent Soul cultivator, and even dodging was a struggle.
Chu Shu's moves were fierce, but she didn't use any real force. She teased him like a mouse, picking off one gold button after another from his body.
The black gauze covering the outer layer of her clothes came loose and was ripped off by Chu Shu.
However, his clothes were not damaged at all. Instead, they revealed even more exquisite and intricate embroidery, indistinguishable from Chu Shu's, as if they were made by the same person.
Removing the black veil, Chu Shu revealed a satisfied expression: "It really fits Junior Brother's size perfectly."
The two red robes looked exactly like wedding gowns. A layer of cold sweat crept onto Xu Zangyu's forehead, and his entire body tensed.
"These clothes were sent by you."
Chu Shu smiled mischievously: "Besides you, who else could fit the clothes perfectly? I measured them myself, inch by inch."
There was simply no way to continue the competition.
Although their conversation did not leak to others, everyone clearly sensed something was amiss.
To the junior disciples who had been beaten to the point of near death by Chu Shu, the current Chu Shu was terrifyingly gentle, so terrifyingly abnormal that it sent chills down their spines.
It's like the seemingly calm composure of a madman before he breaks down.
Xu Zangyu sheathed his sword: "I admit defeat."
He didn't feel ashamed; he just wanted to get down as quickly as possible.
She only took one step before her feet were bound by the black veil.
"If only you could admit your mistakes so quickly."
The sect leader frowned, wondering what Chu Shu was rambling on about. His eyelids twitched wildly, and he had a bad feeling.
"Chu Shu, why aren't you letting him go? He's already admitted defeat. As his senior, are you still going to be so aggressive?"
Chu Shu lowered her eyes: "If I don't pressure him, he won't even know where he went wrong?"
"What happened?"
The sect leader looked at Xu Zangyu, whose eyes darted away, unable to speak.
Everyone looked on with amusement, except for Xue Wenxiang, who was inexplicably irritated and stared at Xu Zangyu's clothes as if she wanted to peel them off.
After waiting a long time without Xu Zangyu speaking, Chu Shu's smile became even more sarcastic. She then wrapped his hands in black gauze and made him kneel on the ground.
"Chu Shu, any conflicts between fellow disciples can be discussed after the competition. Why make a laughing stock of yourselves here?"
Xiao Mingxin was about to rush forward, but Chu Shu stopped him with a look.
"It's better to have more people so that everyone can witness it."
Chen Zhiguang, who was about to speak up for her, was also stunned. How could his third senior brother have the ability to bully senior sister Chu? It shouldn't be like this!
Besides, it doesn't look like he's lecturing someone.
Chen Zhiguang finally shut up because he saw that Chu Shu had actually knelt down as well.
He presented a piece of paper: "I ask all of you to be here today as witnesses."
Xu Cangyu blurted out a pathetic sentence: "I was wrong, Chu Shu, let's stop making trouble."
Chu Shu couldn't stand him like this and yelled, "What are you afraid of? It's not like it's anything shameful."
Xu Zangyu was utterly heartbroken and dared not look at the unfolded scroll. But everyone present was sharp-eyed and sharp-eared; even from a distance, they could clearly see the two words "marriage certificate" prominently displayed on the scroll.
The handwriting was crooked and uneven, and the signature was Xu Zangyu's name.
Not to mention the deep, scarlet handprints left by his fingertips, a testament to the depth of his affection.
The sect leader's vision went black, and he nearly fainted. He slammed his fist on the ground and stood up, exclaiming, "What is this thing?!"
Chu Shu said, word by word, "This is our marriage certificate. Please grant our approval, Sect Leader, so that we may hold our marriage ceremony at this auspicious time today."
"Ridiculous, Chu Shu, do you even remember who you are?"
Chu Shu's eyes were firm, showing no sign of backing down: "I've always known, and he knew too."
The sect leader was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.
Someone nearby retorted, "What kind of Daoist couple is this where you tie someone up and force them to agree? Is your Tianyi Sect just a bunch of bandits forcing people to do things against their will?"
Upon hearing this, the disciples of Chaolu Peak were unconvinced.
“We didn’t force him to write the marriage certificate. He’s clearly a prodigal son who took advantage of us and now wants to go back on his word. There’s no such thing as an easy life.”
Xiao Ming thought to himself, "My junior brother is not the type to casually play with other people's feelings. He is still young and cannot distinguish between true and false feelings."
The sect leader knew that Chu Shu's personality couldn't be confronted head-on, so he could only follow Xiao Mingxin's advice and say, "Fate in this world cannot be forced. Why don't you two discuss it and come to me for approval if you really don't regret it?"
"I only know that keeping promises is the foundation of being a good person. How can people be convinced if you break your promises at will?"
The sect leader angrily flung his sleeves and said, "One thing at a time, isn't this just nonsense?"
He looked at Xu Zangyu: "What do you have to say?"
Xu Zangyu: "What the sect leader says is absolutely right. I... also feel that this matter needs to be considered carefully. If Senior Sister harbors any resentment towards me, I will personally apologize. As for this marriage agreement..."
"Or what? Forget it?" Chu Shu's eyes were ruthless, and she almost gritted her teeth as she squeezed out each word. "No one can play with my feelings, Chu Shu, or they will have to pay with their lives."
A gilded fan was pressed against his throat: "Are you going back on your word, or are you going to die?"
At this moment, Chu Shu seemed to have completely torn off her previous relatively mild mask, revealing her sharp and mean nature, forcing Xu Zangyu to stand on the edge of a cliff and make a choice.
No room for compromise, only results matter.
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