NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60: Getting Favorable
Chapter 60: Getting Favorable
As Xu Lian dismounted from his horse and was about to assist Pei Zhaoxi out of the bridal sedan to enter the mansion, a fast horse suddenly raced toward them. The young rider nearly fell in front of them, stumbling as he jumped off his horse. It was none other than the young master of the Fang family, Fang Shaoze.
Fang Shaoze’s eyes were bloodshot and burning with anger. He fixed his gaze tightly on Pei Zhaoxi, who was covered with a red veil, and lunged forward in a frenzy, shouting, “Zhao Xi, how could you marry someone else!”
Xu Lian silently extended his arm and pushed him away.
“Get out of my way!” Fang Shaoze roared and threw a punch at Xu Lian’s face.
Xu Lian simply raised his hand and caught the punch.
Fang Shaoze struggled with all his might but could not break free; his fist felt as if it was clamped by a vice. He resorted to kicking Xu Lian with his feet.
Xu Lian raised his foot, lightly colliding with his kick.
“Bang!” Fang Shaoze stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. He roared as he got up and charged at Xu Lian once again.
Once more, he was repelled.
He attacked again…
After repeating this several times, Fang Shaoze realized that Xu Lian was a martial artist and that he could not defeat him. He collapsed in defeat and shouted, “Zhao Xi!”
Pei Zhaoxi slowly lifted the red veil, her gaze calm as she looked at him. “Brother Fang, are you done making a scene?”
Fang Shaoze quickly replied, “My father called you a bitch and wanted to break off the engagement. That was just in the heat of the moment; don’t take it seriously. I will definitely convince him to take back those words.”
Pei Zhaoxi replied indifferently, “Your father was right. I am a bitch and don’t deserve you. You don’t have to be obsessed with me.”
Xu Lian stood beside Pei Zhaoxi, watching silently, feeling that it was better to clarify the situation now to avoid future entanglements.
“It’s not like that!” Fang Shaoze shouted anxiously. “In my heart, you are the best woman, Zhao Xi. Don’t marry anyone else. Come back home with me. I will come and marry you in a few days!”
Pei Zhaoxi replied, “Even if we are still engaged, I will never marry you. Don’t you understand that by now?”
Fang Shaoze froze. “You don’t like me anymore?”
Pei Zhaoxi slowly explained, “In the past, neither of us understood anything. I foolishly thought that the boy guarding the garden was my future husband, and you also thought that the garden was yours. But Xu Lian showed me that it’s the man who dares to enter the garden and pick the flowers who is truly mine. Do you understand now?”
Fang Shaoze was young, but not naive. He gasped in disbelief, “What…? What are you saying? Are you saying that you’ve already been with him?”
“That’s right, Xu Lian is already my husband!” Pei Zhaoxi said plainly, not bothering to explain further. She lowered the red veil again and turned to enter the mansion.
Xu Lian glanced at Fang Shaoze without saying anything. He helped the red-veil-clad Pei Zhaoxi into the house.
Xu Lian had once shot an arrow at Pei Zhaoxi in anger when she had attempted to harm him. Ironically, this act had led to their eventual bond. Over time, Pei Zhaoxi had developed a soft spot for him, and he had grown fond of her fiery nature. What he hadn’t expected was that Pei Zhaoxi had once been engaged to Fang Shaoze.
If he were to say that he felt guilty towards Fang Shaoze, it would be true to some extent, but he didn’t feel that it was a grave matter. In such a world, guilt was a sign of weakness, and talking about right and wrong was childish.
Ordinary people worked tirelessly every day, struggling to earn a living and feed their families. If they were injured or sick, they were thrown out of their homes. Women endured grueling work, sacrificed their blood to feed the Night Patrol, and suffered from ill health and short life spans. The true culprits were the Yi Sect, the Ghost Soul Sect, the three major families, and the strange and harsh environment in which they lived.
Who owed anything to the ordinary people?
And who had ever apologized to the ordinary people?
Because Fang Shaoze was the legitimate son of the Fang family, he didn’t need to feel guilty or discuss right and wrong. It wasn’t necessary.
“Close the gates,” Xu Lian ordered. “The master and mistress need to rest.”
The old steward, who had accompanied the dowry, gave Fang Shaoze a cold glance as he stood motionless. He waved his hand, signaling the gatekeeper to close the large doors.
The heavy gates creaked as they slowly closed.
Watching the last glimpse of Xu Lian and Pei Zhaoxi through the narrow crack in the door, Fang Shaoze seemed drained of all his strength. He collapsed to the ground, his mind lost, murmuring, “Zhao Xi…”
The head of the Fang family arrived, holding a torch and rushing forward with a group of people. Upon seeing the scene, he spat on the ground and cursed, “Dogs and bitches,” before having Fang Shaoze dragged onto a carriage to leave.
Inside the mansion, the old steward efficiently arranged accommodations for the nurses, maids, servants, and other attendants. Although the mansion had three courtyards, the number of accompanying servants was too large, forcing everyone to squeeze in.
Such was the benefit of being from a wealthy family – everything was handled by the old steward, and Xu Lian’s only concern now was to cultivate his relationship with Pei Zhaoxi.
He immediately wrapped his arm around Pei Zhaoxi’s waist, lifting her effortlessly in his arms and walked swiftly toward the main house.
Although they had been together three times before, the circumstances had been unstable and their encounters had been rushed. Now that Pei Zhaoxi had married him, the environment was calm and stable, allowing them to take their time and relax, a completely different feeling.
[Name: Xu Lian]
[Stage: Marrow Refining]
[Techniques: Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Vol. 1)]
[Items: None]
[Notes: Add 1 Condensation Pill to advance to Bright Strength stage.]
[Pei Zhaoxi’s favorability toward you is 50/100.]
The next morning, Xu Lian woke up and finally saw Pei Zhaoxi’s favorability towards him.
“It seems that only when the favorability reaches 50/100 does it show,” Xu Lian thought to himself.
He was also curious. “I wonder what her favorability toward me was like before. It only went up to 50/100 today.”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t see her previous favorability score, but he could guess that it had been quite low in the beginning – perhaps even negative at some point. Reaching 50/100 so quickly was a good sign.
“You can’t rush favorability. It’s something that builds over time. I should focus on getting the Condensation Pill for my next advancement.”
After breakfast, Xu Lian rode his horse back to his “old home” – the place where Wang Cuiyun, Li Xiya, and Yang Chan’er lived, which he referred to as his “initial household”.
“Master, you’re back!” Wang Cuiyun greeted him with a broad smile, looking especially pleased. “We heard the commotion yesterday and knew that you had married the young lady from the Pei family. This is truly impressive! Even the legitimate daughter of the Pei family is now your wife.”
Xu Lian chose to ignore her excitement and turned to Li Xiya, feeling a bit apologetic. “Sister Xiya, I hastily opened a household for Miss Pei yesterday without informing you in advance.”
Li Xiya shook her head gently. “There’s no need to mention it. You are the head of the household. You make your own decisions.”
Xu Lian knew that she probably felt a little uncomfortable, so he gently put his arm around her and told her some amusing stories. When he saw her smile, he felt relieved.
Yang Chan’er asked curiously, “So, will we be living separately from Miss Pei in the future?”
Wang Cuiyun shot an exasperated look at her. “Of course we’ll live separately, you silly girl! Think about it-what kind of status does Miss Pei have? If we lived with her, could we hold our heads up high? Living separately means that we can live comfortably. The master gets the benefits of the Pei family, and we get to live well. That’s true wisdom!”
Yang Chan’er looked at Xu Lian with admiration. “Master is so amazing.”
Li Xiya tapped Yang Chan’er lightly, signaling her not to call Xu Lian that way.