I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 1038: Chapter 332: Breaking Off the Engagement Chapter 1038: Chapter 332: Breaking Off the Engagement “An eye for an eye, and blood for blood will only lead to greater conflict. Don’t forget that our clan is now carrying a huge secret. Once exposed, we would have no ground to be buried!”

The growth of our martial power, combined with the expansion of our territory, has made more and more of our people become arrogant. In the face of the alliance families, they act as if they are the only ones skilled in martial arts. While confidence is a good thing, only seeing the rapid increase in power without recognizing the risks behind such growth will inevitably lead to trouble one day.

The saying that ‘having an elder in the family is like having a treasure’ means that even if all our people are overly confident, the elders must remain absolutely calm, and when people are hot-headed, they need to promptly pour cold water over them!

The words of Tang Hongjun, the Second Elder, made Tang Zhenghao’s face flush with embarrassment and even caused the Chief of the Seven Cities, who had entertained thoughts of revenge, to immediately retract them. He suddenly remembered the Undying Battle Body, for which a stable cover method had not yet been found, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Observing everyone’s tense expressions, Second Elder Tang Hongjun continued, “Now that we know this Gouchen is a man sent by the Evil King Palace, we must be even more cautious. The most crucial point is to uncover the reason why the Evil King Palace has suddenly targeted our clan. We should have the Wind Media Department look into it. Do not engage in conflict with Gouchen until we clearly understand the reasons behind the Evil King Palace’s actions. Should he come to Longxi again to provoke us, we must prioritize defense, and inform the four Vajra Masters to handle it. That is the best course of action!”

After Gouchen escaped, the four Vajra Masters from the Esoteric Sect concluded that Gouchen was still not fully recovered from his injuries; hence, they stopped moving in a group. Instead, each chose to stay in a City of Dreams, with the purpose of being able to quickly take action should Gouchen reappear.

Theoretically, as long as Gouchen turned up in Longxi again, there would be a fifty percent chance he’d run into an Esoteric Sect Master. After all, a fake disciple of the Evil King Palace is tricky for the Tang Clan to apprehend and even more problematic to kill. Now that there are four Vajra Masters available to work for free, it would be a waste not to make good use of such strong labor.

After discussing how to deal with Gouchen with the Chief of the Seven Cities and several elders, the secret meeting was adjourned, leaving only Tang Sen, the Chief of Jiejiang City, behind.

In the vast North Mountain council hall, only Second Elder Tang Hongjun and Tang Sen remained. As the elder brother of Tang Hongtao, he had watched his nephew grow up. Beyond their formal clan relationships, they shared a kinship not experienced by outsiders. The post-meeting discussion held to discuss an important matter was also meant to involve Tang Sen, hence his being asked to stay.

“Is everything decided?”

“Yes, Uncle-Master,” responded Tang Sen, showing deep respect towards Tang Hongjun without any of the arrogance of a Chief, standing submissively as he did when he was a young student, nodding in agreement. “The engagement letter has been sent back to Yuanzhou and should reach Ying City soon.”

“Well, that’s good. Now that the two-month agreement has passed and Xu Qingyue is still missing, Xu Biao has sent an urgent message asking for a few more months of grace. Originally, the sect wanted to ask for your opinion on the matter, but since you and your wife have already made a decision, let’s just reject it.”

If it had been any other disciple of our clan marrying into the Xu Clan, no one would blink an eye at waiting a few more months, even a lifetime, but Tang Luo is special. This isn’t the first time he’s received preferential treatment from the sect. Even a grand event like marriage to a holy land pales in comparison to Tang Luo’s own significance; it’s a minor issue.

“Now that the marriage has been called off, our clan’s genius should have had enough of the outside world. When will he return home?” Tang Hongjun asked with concern. Although he did not name anyone, Tang Sen knew he was referring to that unfilial son.

To abandon an arranged marriage without a word, without any concern for rules or propriety, and without leaving a message at the sect—by now, not only is the sect searching for him in vain, but his closest kin have no news of Tang Luo’s whereabouts either.

This matter made Tang Sen angry. Upon hearing news of his eldest son’s escape from marriage, Xu Shuhui had locked herself in her room every day, growing thinner in just two months’ time, her pillow wet with tears every night. And the Chief, inept with words, was not good at consoling, only keeping company hopelessly. Now, hearing Tang Hongjun bring it up again, he grew frustrated and said tersely, “I too am in the dark at the moment.”

If the Sect Head, mad with love for his wife, knew where this ungrateful son was, he would surely drop everything to capture him and bring him back to kneel before his lady to apologize!

Tang Hongjun could tell at a glance that Tang Sen was still furious with Tang Luo, and he shook his head helplessly.

Like father, like son, they both were incredibly stubborn, unwilling to be manipulated by anyone, and yet blessed with extraordinary talents. It was truly a love-hate relationship for the family.

…

Longzhou, Chaochang
On her first day in the City of Dreams, Xu Qingyue breathed in a kind of air called freedom.

She saw countless women walking in the streets without avoiding men, some even boldly arguing with them in public, showing no less forcefulness.

Who says women are inferior to men? That sentiment was common in this city, and her heart, yearning to soar, could not be contained any longer!

She wanted to establish a business, hiring only female shopkeepers and female clerks, she aimed to become the number one businesswoman in the world!

Perhaps the heavens heard her ambitious dream because she soon encountered a kind soul who decided to help her after hearing about her aspirations!

The benefactor walked her through the streets, educating her on the necessary steps to establish a business in Chaochang and she realized the procedures were quite complicated. To open a shop, one needed to register with the City Lord’s Mansion and undergo a selection process.

For someone like her with no experience or family craft, opening a shop in Chaochang seemed virtually impossible.

Just as she began to falter, the kindhearted person seemed to sense her dilemma, “Miss, what do you think about this? I have a relative who is skilled in weaving. Our family has passed down the art of making Luo brocade for ten generations, but due to lack of capital, she can only take odd jobs, living a hard life. If you could hire her as a master weaver, it would speed up the selection process.”

Indeed, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Led by the kindhearted person, Xu Qingyue indeed met the woman skilled in weaving Luo brocade and was thoroughly impressed. The feeling was mutual, and they immediately agreed to apply together at the City Lord’s Mansion.

As a novice, Xu Qingyue placed great trust in the kind sister, handing over most of the cash she had exchanged to her to choose a location and buy property in the city.

After all, being from the Xu Clan, Xu Qingyue understood the importance of letting professionals handle their work, for too much scrutiny from the proprietors could be counterproductive.

Chaochang was enormous, and the sister had been gone for half a month. It was only when the servant from the tavern came to ask if Xu Qingyue would like to extend her stay that the carefree lady realized that she might have been scammed.