Chapter 212: Chapter 181: Divorce Trend? _1

Xu Mu chose to reject the olive branch thrown by Shang Lian.

“I’m sorry! I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer!”

Xu Mu laughed and shook his head.

The daughter that Shang Lian mentioned certainly wouldn’t be Shang YaoYao. Although Xu Mu has shown impressive talent, he has not yet reached the point where he is worthy to marry Shang YaoYao.

In simple terms, it is acceptable for a woman to lack talent, but absolutely unacceptable for a man. If a woman is highly talented, then a man must be even more so.

Considering Shang YaoYao’s talent, marrying her would require more than just talent, it would also require a good background.

In other words, they must be a good match in terms of social status.

But Xu Mu was obviously not there yet, one could even say he fell drastically short.

“Won’t you reconsider? I’ve offered these indulgent terms for YaoYao’s sake!”

Shang Lian’s brow furrowed, displaying a hint of displeasure.

Although Xu Mu had defeated Bai Yingwu and advanced to the top ten of the competition, his flawed soul was still an uneraseable fatal defect. No one knew whether Xu Mu’s talent would persist after his Foundation Establishment.

“Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Shang, but I have my own plans! However

“However what?”

Shang Lian’s brow furrowed deeper.

“However, if you’re willing to marry YaoYao to me, I might reconsider!”

Xu Mu grinned at the dumbfounded Shang YaoYao.

Shang Lian’s face immediately darkened.

This kid wasn’t as well-meaning as he seemed!

“What nonsense are you talking about? My younger sisters are all very good!”

Shang YaoYao blushed slightly, slightly annoyed, which made Shang Lian’s face even more unpleasant.

If these two continued to hang out together, problems would inevitably arise.

When he had initially agreed to let Shang YaoYao join the Lonely Sword Peak, it had been out of fear that someone might take her away. He hadn’t expected this kind of thing to nearly happen.

“YaoYao is already engaged to the son of the Cao Family. You can give up any ideas. If you’re not willing, then forget it! It is us, the Shang Family, who can’t match up to you!”

Shang Lian said with anger on his face.

Shang YaoYao’s complexion turned slightly pale, but she did not refute, it appeared that Shang Lian was not merely shooting off his mouth regarding the engagement.

Xu Mu’s eyes flickered momentarily, he wasn’t aware of the engagement.

If he had known, he definitely wouldn’t have made such a teasing remark.

“I was just joking, Uncle Shang, please don’t misunderstand. I have something to attend to, I’ll take my leave!”

Xu Mu, feeling slightly embarrassed, turned and left.

He didn’t want to get involved in troublesome matters. Since there was an engagement, it was better to avoid too much interaction.

Should he cajole Shang YaoYao into breaking off her engagement?

What if that Cao family’s son recites the saying, “Thirty years in the east river, thirty years in the west river, do not bully the youth for being poor”, what then?

He certainly didn’t want to play the villain.

As for Shang YaoYao’s previous assistance, the earnings from this competition were more than enough to repay her.

“Junior Brother!”

Shang YaoYao wanted to catch up, but was held back by Shang Lian.

“This kid harbors ulterior motives. You should interact less with him in the future. If people from Cao family find out, it won’t be good!” Shang Lian warned.

If Xu Mu had ordinary talent, that would be fine, the Cao family wouldn’t be suspicious. But now that Xu Mu had shown considerable talent and clearly had romantic intentions towards Shang YaoYao, it was necessary to be alert. In case the kids didn’t understand and messed around, it wouldn’t only be a slap in the face for the Shang family, but also for the Cao family.

The Cao family, being the foremost of the five major families, was far stronger than the Shang family. If they offended the Cao family, the Shang family might not die, but they would definitely suffer a significant blow.

“Dad, what are you thinking about? We have nothing going on!”

Shang YaoYao wanted to explain, but was cut off by Shang Lian.

“Better if there’s nothing. Now you’ve reached the Foundation Establishment stage, there’s no need to return to Lonely Sword Peak in the future. Haven’t you always wanted to learn about formations? I’ll use the family connections to arrange you to study the formations under Master Shi in the Formation Palace! Once the Cao family’s son reaches the Golden Pill stage and takes over as head of the family, the two of you can get married!” Shang Lian said indisputably.

“But I—”

“No more buts, it’s decided!”

“I understand!”

Shang YaoYao had no choice but to give in.

All that she has comes from her family. Without her family, she is nothing. The marriage alliance with the Cao Family is the decision of the entire family and she can’t refuse it.

If there’s anyone to blame, it’s only because her talents were too exceptional!

“Junior brother, what did you guys talk about? Isn’t junior sister coming back with us?”

Luo Qingchen asked, puzzled when he saw Xu Mu came back alone.

“Nothing much! Sister Shang has something to do and she asked us to go back first!”

Xu Mu didn’t mention meeting Shang Lian.

“Oh! Alright then!”

The two didn’t ask further. Shang YaoYao rarely returned to Lonely Sword Peak. If it wasn’t for Xu Mu, they might not even see her twice a year.

Shortly after they returned, Xu Mu felt some movement in his storage bag. Opening it, he discovered that someone had sent him a message.

He took out the jade simple which contained the message, injected his spiritual power, and Shang YaoYao’s voice rang out.

“Junior brother, I’m sorry! My father didn’t mean anything else!”

“I should be the one saying sorry! I was only joking, I hope sister doesn’t take it to heart!”

Xu Mu recorded the sound and sent it through the jade simple.

The Sect’s Great Array hasn’t been activated yet, so sending a message over a short distance was quite easy.

Very quickly, Shang YaoYao responded.

“It’s okay! Also, I might not be able to see you recently. If there’s anything, we’ll communicate through the jade simple, remember, as late as possible! Also, try your best to hide your real strength in tomorrow’s competition!”

“I understand!”

“Let me remind you one last time, call me Miss! Or else, I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson when we meet next time!”

Xu Mu pretended not to hear the last message.

Trying to intimidate him across several dozens of miles, how naive!

“Miss, I understand!”

With the passing of time, the sixth round of the competition arrived quickly.

This time, Xu Mu’s opponent was Qi Yue.

“Senior brother Xu, I didn’t expect us to face each other!”

Qi Yue said with a smile as he walked onto the stage.

“I didn’t expect that either.”

Xu Mu responded with a smile.

“Senior brother Xu, don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“Same here!”

After exchanging a few words, the match officially began.

The atmosphere wasn’t tense. Qi Yue exhibited his sword skill and Xu Mu also countered with his own. They exchanged blows for hundreds of rounds until Qi Yue voluntarily withdrew his flying sword, conceded defeat with a respectful bow.

“I knew Senior Brother Xu was extraordinary!”

Qi Yue wasn’t upset about losing, instead, he laughed heartily and praised Xu Mu.

“Junior brother Qi, you’re too polite. I’m actually waiting for you to achieve the Dao and give me a hand!”

“Hahahaha! Sure thing! But first, senior brother, you have to advance to Mahayana and elevate me to Nascent Soul!”

The two once again started joking around, just like when they first entered the sect.

Once they got off the stage, none of the disciples from Luo Jian Peak dared to underestimate Xu Mu. After Qi Yue introduced each of them, they all politely called him Senior Brother Xu, including the female disciple from Luo Jian Peak who was previously defeated by Xu Mu.

Xu Mu responded politely to each of them, creating a lively atmosphere.

Qi Yue was well connected, and soon, disciples from other peaks joined them, increasing the camaraderie.

After defeating Qi Yue, Xu Mu had advanced to the top four. No matter what happened in the future, at this moment, he was the center of attention.

Those disciples who used to look down upon him, now started to approach him.

In just a few days, the once solitary figure had turned into a sensation.

This is talent, this is power!

When everybody left, not long after Xu Mu and the others returned to Lonely Sword Peak, several powerful forces came to visit, including the leading clan of the Five Major Families, the Cao Family.