600: Chapter 600 Heading to Annul the Engagement

[The elegant hall fell silent for a moment.]

[Fang Ruoqing looked up, glanced at you, then lowered her head again, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.]

[You put down your chopsticks.]

"I won't accept her."

[Your refusal was crisp and direct, leaving no room for negotiation.]

[City Lord Fang Yue opened his mouth as if to say more, but meeting your eyes, he swallowed his words.]

[Fang Ruoqing lowered her head, her lips pursing slightly—she had already guessed this would be the answer.]

"This Junior was too presumptuous." City Lord Fang Yue picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

[Chu Yiyi kept her head down, shoveling rice into her mouth, pretending she was invisible.]

[After a few seconds of silence, City Lord Fang Yue spoke again, his voice even lower this time: "Then... does Senior have a Dao Companion?"]

"I do."

[City Lord Fang Yue was stunned and subconsciously looked at Chu Yiyi.]

[Chu Yiyi felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze and waved her hands frantically, "It's not me! It's not me!"]

[Her face turned red as she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth, nearly choking.]

[You didn't explain, simply taking a sip of wine.]

[City Lord Fang Yue withdrew his gaze and began to calculate in his mind—Senior has a Dao Companion, but it isn't Miss Chu.]

[Then who is Miss Chu? A friend? A subordinate? Or... he didn't dare think further.]

[He drank two more cups of wine.]

[City Lord Fang Yue's fingers rubbed the rim of his wine cup for a long time, as if he were making a difficult decision.]

[Finally, he spoke, his voice lower than before, so low that only those right next to him could hear.]

"Then... what about a concubine?"

[After saying it, even he felt it was disgraceful.]

[A city lord, the master of a city, begging to send his daughter away as a concubine—where would City Lord Fang Yue's dignity go if word got out?]

[But what choice did he have?]

[If his daughter stayed by Senior's side, even as a concubine, it would be better than marrying anyone else.]

[Fang Ruoqing's face instantly turned red, from her ears down to her neck. She kept her head low, her fingers gripping her clothes so tightly they creased.]

[You put down your chopsticks.]

"She is your daughter, not a commodity to be traded."

[Pausing for a moment, you added sternly, "To be someone's concubine, wouldn't that be a grievance to her?"]

[City Lord Fang Yue was stunned.]

[Fang Ruoqing kept her head down, her eyes suddenly turning red.]

[It wasn't just the grievance; there was also something indescribable stuck in her throat, something she couldn't swallow or spit out.]

[Chu Yiyi's hand, which was reaching for food, stopped mid-air. She looked at you, then at Fang Ruoqing, but said nothing.]

[The elegant hall became so quiet that only the sound of Qin Han chewing could be heard.]

[City Lord Fang Yue picked up his wine cup and drained it.]

"Senior is right." His voice was a bit hoarse. "I was thinking about it the wrong way."

[He poured another cup and drank it, his eyes sweeping over his daughter with a hidden, barely perceptible worry—he was afraid, afraid of Old Ancestor Yin Hanshan, afraid of the Heavenly Palace's retaliation.]

[Unknowingly, the banquet came to an end.]

[City Lord Fang Yue saw you and Chu Yiyi off, then returned to his study, closed the door, and paced back and forth.]

[After seven or eight laps, he suddenly stopped.]

"Something's not right."

[Fang Ruoqing brought in a cup of tea and placed it on the table. "Father, what's not right?"]

"That Senior." City Lord Fang Yue turned around, his eyes bright. "Think about it, why did he save you?"

[Fang Ruoqing was taken aback. "A sense of justice?"]

"A sense of justice?" City Lord Fang Yue chuckled. "My daughter, have you ever seen someone act out of justice and dare to offend the Heavenly Palace?"

[Fang Ruoqing fell silent.]

"Old Ancestor Yin Hanshan has already joined the Heavenly Palace, which means he is one of their people. Did Senior not know that? He knew. Yet he still killed Yin Wuji and destroyed Old Ancestor Yin Hanshan's Clone."

[City Lord Fang Yue grew more excited as he spoke, his voice rising a few octaves.]

"What was he after? Money? Fame? Power? With his strength, he lacks none of those."

[Fang Ruoqing bit her lip. "Father, what exactly are you trying to say?"]

[City Lord Fang Yue looked at her, his expression suddenly becoming very serious.]

"Daughter, that Senior... I'm afraid he has taken a liking to you."

[Fang Ruoqing's face flushed crimson.]

"Father! What are you saying?!"

"Listen to me." City Lord Fang Yue waved his hand. "He isn't the type of lecher who uses sweet words; he is a true gentleman. He saved you without asking for anything in return, refused to take you as a disciple, and didn't want you as a concubine—why? Because he feels that would be a grievance to you. He feels it would be improper."

[He paused and nodded seriously. "Furthermore, when you went to the Tianxing Tower to ask for his help, he stood up for you without a second thought. Isn't it obvious?"]

[Fang Ruoqing opened her mouth to argue, but images of those moments and your words flashed through her mind—'She is not a commodity to be traded,' 'a grievance to her.']

[Thinking of this, her face turned even redder.]

"Think about it, just think about it. Doesn't it make sense?" City Lord Fang Yue was full of joy.

"Father!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." City Lord Fang Yue turned around with a smile, walked a few steps, then stopped, his tone becoming serious. "Ruoqing, someone like Senior... if you miss out on him, you won't encounter another in this lifetime."

[Fang Ruoqing lowered her head and didn't speak.]

"If you trust your father, then tomorrow you will personally accompany me to Youzhou City to break off that engagement."

[Fang Ruoqing was silent for a long time.]

[Then, she looked up, her eyes red, but her gaze was steadier than before.]

"Father, I'll go with you."

[Early the next morning, City Lord Fang Yue set out with Fang Ruoqing.]

[Youzhou City was also on Tianlan Star, not too far from Tianlan Immortal City; they arrived in half an hour.]

[The Qin Family was considered prominent in Youzhou City, dealing in spirit mines and Artifact Refining, with trade relations involving dozens of immortal cities.]

[The eldest son of the Qin Family was named Qin Mu, in the Late Nascent Soul Stage and less than three hundred years old, a standout among his peers. He was handsome and spoke well—at least on the surface.]

[In the cultivation world, marriages between Family Cultivators were never just about two people—the higher the parents' cultivation, the better the quality of the offspring's Spiritual Root.]

[Especially for Cultivators after Soul Transformation.]

[For example, if both parties are in the Soul Transformation stage, their offspring will likely have a True Spiritual Root, and there's even a tiny chance of a Heavenly Spiritual Root appearing.]

[Such a child, whether for the Qin Family or the City Lord's Mansion, would be cultivated with every available resource.]

[Therefore, the two families agreed: once both of them achieved a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation, they would officially become Dao Companions.]

[Because of this agreement to "become Dao Companions after Soul Transformation," although Fang Ruoqing and Qin Mu were nominally an engaged couple, they had actually barely spoken a few words to each other.]

[In fact, such things are everywhere in the Immortal Domain.]

[Some wait until both parties reach the Nascent Soul stage, some wait for Soul Transformation, and some even wait until both reach Body Integration or even Mahayana.]

[This is also one of the reasons why many great cultivation families, and even Ancient Families and Primordial Families, endure for so long.]

[For instance, the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan is like this.]