55: Chapter 55: No Comparison, No Harm

Standing firmly in the center of the council hall, she didn't even look at the pile of gift boxes tied with red silk ribbons.

"I will not marry." Wang Qingyan's voice was not loud, but it was as clear as a sword's ring, "My marriage shall be decided by myself, and I will not trouble the Ning Family to worry about it."

She turned slightly, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword, and her gaze swept across Great Elder Ning Shengkui and the group of Ning Family Disciples behind him carrying the gift boxes. The corners of her mouth curved into an extremely faint arc, with not a shred of amusement in it.

"Please ask the Grand Elder to go back and convey to Family Head Ning that the spine of a Wang Family woman and the knees of a Ning Family woman are not the same thing."

Great Elder Ning Shengkui's expression sank completely.

Just as he was about to speak, a gentle female voice drifted in from outside the hall.

"Young Miss Wang truly has good backbone."

Ning Liandie gracefully stepped into the council hall, the Baihua Sect Disciple's robes shimmering with a faint luster.

Wearing a dignified and proper smile, she walked over to stand beside Great Elder Ning Shengkui. First, she gracefully bowed to Wang Yaozu with impeccable etiquette, and only then did she turn to Wang Qingyan.

"A few days ago, Liandie met Young Miss Qingyan by chance at Qingyun Market. She is indeed ethereal and refined, stirring one's pity."

"With Young Miss Qingyan's appearance and demeanor, it would be far too regrettable if she merely stayed in the Wang Family as a manager."

"While the Disciples of the Ning Family may not be exceptionally outstanding, they are certainly worthy of Young Miss Qingyan. Today's marriage proposal is a sincere gesture from the Ning Family, so why must Young Miss Qingyan keep people at a distance?"

Her words were spoken so gently and pleasingly, every sentence praising Wang Qingyan, yet the faint pity in her tone was like a benefactor looking at an ignorant, stubborn girl.

Wang Qingyan looked at her coldly. "Young Miss Ning, I do not know you, nor do I need your kindness."

Ning Liandie's smile hitched slightly before she immediately resumed that gentle expression.

She no longer spoke to Wang Qingyan, turning instead to Wang Yaozu. Her tone remained soft, though with an added layer of thin sharpness.

"Family Head Wang, Liandie has presumptuously visited today also to share in your esteemed estate's worries. Young Miss Qingyan is no longer young; if she continues to stay in the Wang Family and delays her lifelong matters, wouldn't that be a pity?"

"The Ning Family sincerely seeks this marriage. Aside from the betrothal gifts, Liandie can also recommend Young Miss Qingyan to the Sect in the capacity of a Baihua Sect Disciple. The Baihua Sect is always thirsting for talents, especially female cultivators with superior Aptitude."

She paused, tilting her head slightly as her gaze fell back onto Wang Qingyan. Her smile remained gentle, but her words were like a venomous snake.

"Young Miss Qingyan, men should marry when they grow up and women should find husbands. In this world, some things cannot be forced by one's own stubbornness. Planning for oneself early is the sensible path, don't you agree?"

Wang Qingyan's hand pressed onto her sword hilt. "Young Miss Ning, I appreciate your good intentions, but I, Wang Qingyan, stand straight and walk upright. I have never needed to borrow someone else's shoulders to prop up my own waist."

"I am indeed no longer young, but if I am to marry in this lifetime, it must be because I want to, not because anyone is forcing me. Are you trying to use the Baihua Sect to pressure me? Young Miss Ning, you overestimate your own weight far too much."

The smile on Ning Liandie's face finally couldn't be maintained; Wang Qingyan was making it clear that she looked down on her.

She gave Wang Qingyan a deep look, the malice in her eyes flashing away instantly before she forced it back beneath that gentle mask of hers.

She said nothing more, merely giving Wang Yaozu a slight bow before turning and walking out of the council hall.

With a livid expression and a heavy wave of his sleeve, Great Elder Ning Shengkui led the Ning Family Disciples and sneaked out crestfallen.

As those few gift boxes tied with red silk were being carried away, a Ning Family Disciple accidentally tripped, causing a gift box to crash to the ground. The Spirit Stones inside rolled all over the floor with a clatter, looking utterly wretched.

Wang Yaozu sat in the main seat, watching this scene with indifference. Instead, he fell into deep thought: Why on earth was the Ning Family suddenly trying to propose a marriage for Qingyan?

"Well said, Qingyan. Uncle supports your decision."

Just as Great Elder Ning Shengkui ordered people to pick up the Spirit Stones scattered on the ground, a clear and resonant crane cry suddenly came from outside the mountain gates.

The crane's cry was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the grand protective array of Lotus Pier and straight into the council hall.

Wang Yaozu's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. A Level 2 Spirit Beast?

Two streaks of light descended from the clouds, landing on the stone platform in front of the mountain gates.

The person in the lead was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing the Elder dharma robes of the Baihua Sect. The hem of his robe was embroidered with a blooming golden peony, and his aura was as deep as an abyss. Merely standing there with his hands behind his back caused everyone present to hold their breath momentarily.

Following behind him was a young man in a moon-white robe holding a gold-inlaid folding fan—none other than Hua Shaoyang, who had flirted with Wang Qingyan at Qingyun Market that day.

Ning Liandie's expression changed drastically the moment she recognized the newcomer's face.

She instinctively clenched her cuffs, her knuckles turning white. Why would Hua Shaoyang come here?

Normally, he couldn't even be bothered to step a foot outside the mountain gates of the Baihua Sect. Last time, it was also because she had teased him that she found an opportunity to bring him back to the Ning Family once. Why did he suddenly appear at Lotus Pier today?

Wasn't he always the type to grow tired of women after a brief period of novelty?

Could it be that day at Qingyun Market, he had truly taken a fancy to Wang Qingyan?

Each thought was like a needle, stabbing into the softest part of her heart. She had humbled herself in the Baihua Sect for a full six years, climbing step by step from the outer Sect to the inner Sect, and in the end, she didn't hesitate to abandon her inner Sect Dao Companion Zhou Zheng, who was infatuated with her, just to climb up to Hua Shaoyang's high branch.

She had discarded everything just to exchange for a single proper glance from Hua Shaoyang.

Yet Wang Qingyan—that ice-cold woman—had merely stood by the street and glared at him, and he had chased her all the way here.

She bit her lower lip, forcefully suppressing the malice in her eyes, and replaced it with a bewitchingly charming smile as she gracefully greeted them.

Her waist twisted at just the right angle, and her voice was so soft it seemed able to drip honey: "Senior Brother Hua, why have you come—"

Her words stopped halfway.

Before that cry of "Senior Brother Hua" had even fallen, her body had already pressed against him. Her hand naturally rested on Hua Shaoyang's arm, her soft chest pressing against the side of his arm, as intimate as if they had done it countless times.

Hua Shaoyang lowered his head to look at her, a flash of undisguised disgust crossing his gaze.

He raised his hand and brushed her arm away from his body. The action wasn't rough, but it was as crisp and decisive as brushing away some dirt clinging to the hem of his robe.

"Stay away from me." His voice was not loud, but just loud enough for everyone present to hear.

Ning Liandie froze in place, the bewitching smile on her face not yet having time to be retracted before it was shattered to pieces by these words.

Her hand still maintained the posture of resting on Hua Shaoyang's arm, her fingertips trembling slightly, and her face turning alternating shades of blue and white.

Hua Shaoyang didn't even bother to look at her again, turning straight toward Wang Qingyan. The trace of impatience in his eyes transformed into a pool of spring-breeze-like gentle smiles the moment they touched Wang Qingyan's face.

"Young Miss Wang, we meet again." He gently closed his folding fan, his tone as gentle as chatting with an old friend not seen in years, "That day at Qingyun Market, my words were abrupt and offended you. Today, I bring gifts to visit and make a special trip to apologize to the Young Miss."

"Apologize?"

"Bringing a Foundation Establishment Immortal Master and a Level 2 Spirit Beast just to come and apologize?"