“As for the engagement between the Liu family and the Ye family, how about we swap in someone else?” The Grand Elder clasped his hands toward Liu’s parents and said directly, “Shaohua is currently learning a few things from me right now, so she’s not really suited for a distant marriage.”
But saying “distant marriage” was really just an excuse.
The Liu family and the Ye family were on opposite sides of the city—one in the east, one in the west.
That could hardly be considered a far-off match. Everyone in the main hall knew it—the Grand Elder simply did not approve of this union.
This turn of events genuinely caught Mother Ye off guard. She stared blankly at the Grand Elder, then turned to look at Ye Shaohua, completely unprepared for how things were unfolding.
As for Ye Yuan, her face stiffened instantly.
“Has the Grand Elder lost his mind?” Ye Yuan’s mother had long wanted to see Mother Ye make a fool of herself. Mother Ye was the matriarch of the Ye family, and with Ye Shaohua’s previous water spiritual root, she had always carried herself with an air of superiority.
After being suppressed for so long, finally having a chance to gloat—wouldn’t Ye Yuan’s mother seize the opportunity to enjoy the show?
After all, that useless Liu family bastard was originally meant for Ye Yuan!
Another side-branch disciple standing beside Ye Yuan furrowed her brow at the Grand Elder’s words.
“Well, I suppose it’s because she’s a direct-line descendant—different from us common folk.” She said this with a smile, but her tone carried an unmistakable hint of disdain.
If Ye Shaohua were still the same prodigy she used to be—a single-attribute pure water spiritual root genius—that would be one thing.
But now, Ye Shaohua no longer had that talent. She couldn’t even cultivate immortality anymore, and was worse off than those disciples with mixed spiritual roots. Yet even those mixed-root disciples couldn’t escape being arranged by the family.
So why did Ye Shaohua get such special treatment?
“The Grand Elder has always favored Ye Xuan’s daughter. He’s getting old and muddled. Look at Ye Yuan and the rest of the family’s younger generation—every single one of them is stronger than Ye Shaohua now. Instead of taking them under his wing, he still insists on keeping her by his side?” The Second Elder, standing off to the side, also found the Grand Elder’s actions incomprehensible, his brow deeply furrowed.
“Enough, don’t say so much,” another person beside him warned in a low voice. “The Grand Elder has his reasons. Don’t let him hear you. In the end, he’s the one calling the shots—can you really object?”
Objecting, of course, was out of the question. After all, the Grand Elder was practically an ancestor-level figure in the Ye family.
People just felt a bit sour about it, that was all.
Even back when Ye Shaohua was still that genius, plenty of people were jealous of her.
Now that the wheel of fortune had turned and she’d become an ordinary person, those she’d once overshadowed finally had a chance to stand above her. When Xuan Yuanche broke off their engagement, quite a few people had rushed over just to humiliate her.
And now, even better—the former genius of the Ye family had sunk so low that she was being used as a bargaining chip for marriage.
There was no shortage of onlookers eager to watch the spectacle.
But who could have guessed that the marriage wouldn’t go through, and on top of that, the Grand Elder himself would step in to speak up for Ye Shaohua?!
How could that not drive these people absolutely crazy with jealousy?!
Especially Ye Yuan.
Ever since her rebirth, everything had gone smoothly for her—all according to her plans.
She hadn’t expected today to deviate from what she’d envisioned.
Especially when she caught sight of the ring on Ye Shaohua’s finger.
She recognized that ring. It was the same spatial ring the Grand Elder had given to Ye Shaohua in her previous life when she went to Xuan Yue Sect. Ye Yuan had later heard that it was the only spirit-level spatial ring in the entire cultivation world!
Its interior space held several hundred cubic meters!
She’d originally assumed that, in this life, with Ye Shaohua’s spiritual root destroyed, the Grand Elder would give that ring to her when she went to Xuan Yue Sect.
But no—the Grand Elder had given it to Ye Shaohua again!
Again!
On what grounds?
Ye Shaohua was nothing but a cripple now!
In her past life, Ye Shaohua had gotten engaged to Liu Yunchen with nothing to her name. This life, Ye Shaohua was even worse off, yet not only did the Grand Elder personally plead on her behalf, he also gave her such a priceless treasure?
Unable to hold back, Ye Yuan stepped forward. “Grand Elder, don’t you think this is unfair to the rest of the family?”
Others might not dare to speak up, but she, Ye Yuan, certainly did!
Having already lived one life over, Ye Yuan was convinced that this life was a sign of her coming success—she would climb even higher than Ye Shaohua had in her previous incarnation.
Her words clearly struck a chord with other members of the Ye family. Though they didn’t dare voice it as boldly as Ye Yuan, their eyes all conveyed much the same sentiment.
Hearing Ye Yuan’s objection, the Grand Elder glanced at her. “Unfair? What’s unfair about it?”
Ye Yuan pressed her lips together. “Why does everyone else have to go through with arranged marriages, while she gets special treatment?”
“I have my reasons,” the Grand Elder replied flatly. “The Ye family provides you with food, clothing, and even free cultivation opportunities, allowing you to live safely in this world. The families we choose for marriage alliances are also reliable. Of course, you’re free to reject the arrangement—you can even leave the Ye family altogether. But if you do, the family will no longer look after you. Whatever fortune or misfortune comes your way in the future, it will have nothing to do with us.”
In this cultivation world, ordinary people would fight tooth and nail just to find a family to shelter them.
After all, if you weren’t careful, a cultivator could strike you down at any moment. The outside world was far more chaotic than within the city walls.
Strictly speaking, the Grand Elder wasn’t wrong in the slightest.
The Ye family had indeed provided these people with protection.
But in Ye Yuan’s eyes, it was just favoritism. She clenched her fists, glaring resentfully at Ye Shaohua and the Grand Elder. “So that’s the justification for Ye Shaohua’s privileges? Fine then—I don’t want to be part of this Ye family anymore!”
She’d assumed the Grand Elder would try to keep her because of her talent.
To her surprise, the Grand Elder shot her a look of mild surprise, made no effort to stop her, and simply said coldly: “Suit yourself.”
Ye Yuan’s pride wouldn’t let her back down. She let out a cold laugh. “Fine! Don’t you regret this!” Did they really think she was still the same fool from her past life? She was long past being that naive, obedient Ye Yuan who followed the family’s every command!
With that, she turned to the other members of the family: “Anyone here willing to leave with me? I swear—if you follow me, Ye Yuan, you’ll all become strong figures in the cultivation world. You won’t be pushed around by these people, and you certainly won’t be married off to some ordinary mortal on a whim!”
