Chapter 23: Purity
Seeing his daughter's face flush red, on the verge of throwing a tantrum, Cai Bo's patience wore thin. He had just about enough of this disrespect.
"Enough! Just sign the damn scroll!" he roared, slamming the armrest of his chair. The Qi around him distorted, making the air tense and heavy with pressure.
The maidservants in the main hall struggled to stay on their feet, the oppressive Qi filling the room weighing them down.
It felt as though the very air around them had become too heavy to breathe. So, they held their breath.
The Feng family elders remained unfazed, showing no reaction to the Patriarch of the Cai family's outburst.
Instead, their attention shifted to the Second Young Master, eager to witness his response. As they glanced over, they were in disbelief at what they saw.
Feng Shen's expression turned cold as ice, his small smile vanishing.
"You dare?" He muttered, yet his voice boomed throughout the main hall.
In an instant, the entire room was flooded with Feng Shen's overwhelming killing intent, effortlessly overpowering the distorted Qi emanating from the Patriarch of the Cai family.
Nobody in the room was spared, as suddenly everyone began to sweat a little. Although the killing intent was "weak" toward them, it still sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
Cai Xiu, however, found herself pushed out of her chair and forced onto the floor, face-first, as her tea spilled on her.
She couldn't move at all; it felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on her back, making it hard to breathe.
'What's happening? This is impossible!' Cai Xiu thought in disbelief.
Despite not being a genius, she was exceptionally talented, with numerous resources backing her.
As a cultivator in the Initial Stage of the Foundation Realm, Cai Xiu was considered one of the bright futures in the younger generation, making her current predicament all the more shocking.
After all, nobody in the younger generation, besides the geniuses, could force her face onto the floor like this.
It was a humiliation Cai Xiu couldn't fathom, especially coming from someone she had dismissed as beneath her.
She struggled to move, but it felt as if the ground itself held her down. When she attempted to speak, no sound escaped her lips.
'Curse this bastard!' Cai Xiu screamed inside her head.
Despite his daughter on the floor, Cai Bo remained still, his gaze locked on the Second Young Master of the Feng family.
For some reason, he felt locked in place, as if the killing intent held him captive.
A cold sensation crept against his neck, an unsettling feeling that made Cai Bo acutely aware that he was just fearing death, not that this killing intent could overpower him.
Gritting his teeth, he unleashed more of his Qi, pushing against the oppressive presence which worked. After all, he was in the Middle Stage of the Martial Realm.
Despite being considered a low level for his age, Cai Bo was more focused on alchemy than on cultivation.
Seeing this, Feng Shen stopped releasing his killing intent and began laughing, covering his face with his hand as he kicked his feet up and down in amusement.
"Heh… Heh-heh… Hahaha!"
Feng Shen was enjoying the situation. Though, he also aimed to demonstrate to the elders that he was not to be trifled with, especially if they were considering backing his older brother.
He also wanted to humiliate the First Young Lady of the Cai family; seeing her mortified expression was too pleasing for him.
Hell, Feng Shen even felt his body squirming with pleasure, relishing the sensation of dominance over her.
The Feng elders, who had previously been speculative, now exchanged knowing glances and silently communicated their unified decision, nodding in agreement to support Second Younger Master wholeheartedly.
Immediately, coming back to his senses, Cai Bo knelt beside his daughter, helping her up. "My little girl, are you okay? Daddy is here! Don't worry!"
"Daddy! Kill him! I WANT HIM DEAD!" Cai Xiu panted, pointing her finger at her fiancé. Her hatred for him had intensified, something she had thought was impossible.
Cai Bo wanted to listen to his daughter, but he knew he couldn't get past the Patriarch of the Feng family. He was in a higher cultivation realm than him.
So, he whispered into his daughter's ear, "Sweetie, calm down… calm down… We can bankrupt the Feng family later, but for right now, we must get them to sign the scroll."
Hearing this, Cai Xiu cooled off a little, realizing that the Cai family wasn't the best in combat. It was wiser to play the snake instead of the tiger.
"I understand…" she whispered back, taking a deep breath to steady herself. So badly did she want to escape this promise of marriage, a burden that had been on her mind for years.
Giving a small sigh, Cai Bo looked at the Patriarch of the Feng family. "Now that your second son is here, will you sign the scroll?" He picked up the scroll from the floor, where he had dropped it earlier.
Feng Yuanyun glanced at his second son, seeking his approval to proceed.
Sensing all the eyes on him and calming himself while wiping away tears of laughter, Feng Shen shook his head as he glanced at his father:
"If I may be so bold, could I at least have a private conversation with the First Young Lady of the Cai family before the scroll is signed?"
"I don't see the issue—" Feng Yuanyun was going to push for this, but a voice interrupted him.
"Absolutely not! This bastard doesn't deserve to be alone with me!" Cai Xiu yelled, clenching her hands at her sides.
"My daughter is right. And you should know that no male is allowed to be with her alone!" Cai Bo interjected, his voice firm.
Ever since his daughter was born, no males outside his Cai family had been permitted to be alone with his daughter, as protecting her purity was of utmost importance.
Cai Bo firmly believed that a woman's virginity was crucial, not just for herself, but for her family.
It served as a catalyst for faster cultivation and was a key factor in securing a prosperous marriage, which in turn would benefit the entire family.
'No way in hell am I letting this bastard be alone with my daughter!'