Chapter 652: A Change in the Marriage Alliance, a Change of Heart

Hong Qingzhu opened her mouth, ready to let out the torrent of grievances and resentment that had been building inside her.

But the words died on her lips. She swallowed them back, whipping her head around to face the wall. She presented the back of her head to Hong Shixian, making it clear she had no intention of speaking to him.

Seeing this, Hong Shixian didn’t get angry. Instead, he chuckled, his tone laced with a hint of playful indulgence. “Little girl, you don’t have to marry Yang Jing anymore.”

“What?”

Those few words struck Hong Qingzhu like a clap of thunder.

She froze, stunned, her eyes vacant as she sat on the bed. It was as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

A moment later, she finally processed it. Pushing her weak body upright, she sat up in bed. Her hair was a mess, but it couldn’t hide the delighted surprise in her eyes. She stared at Hong Shixian, her voice trembling slightly. “Father, what did you say? I don’t have to marry Yang Jing?”

She was filled with disbelief. ‘This feels like a dream.’

After all, her father’s attitude had been so resolute. The stern set of his brow had frightened her, and no matter how much she cried and protested, he had never once relented. ‘How could he suddenly change his mind?’

Seeing the delight in his daughter’s eyes, Hong Shixian chuckled and nodded. He reached out and patted the back of her hand. “Of course it’s true. I came here specifically to give you the good news. Now, will you finally eat and sleep properly?”

At his words, a brilliant smile blossomed on Hong Qingzhu’s face. A flush of excitement crept into her pale cheeks. She nodded enthusiastically, her voice bubbling with joy. “Father, I’ll eat properly, I promise! As long as you don’t make me marry someone I have no feelings for, I’ll do anything you ask!”

Hong Shixian smiled and nodded, his eyes full of fatherly indulgence.

After a moment of excitement, questions began to surface in Hong Qingzhu’s mind. She couldn’t help but ask, “Father, why the sudden change of heart? Didn’t you say the matter was settled and couldn’t be changed?”

Her father’s previous, unyielding attitude still left her with a lingering sense of dread. She truly couldn’t fathom the reason for such a reversal.

Hong Shixian paused to think for a moment before speaking slowly. “News came from the Xuanzhen Sect. In the competition between Yang Jing and Chu Yunhai… Yang Jing lost.”

“He lost?” Hong Qingzhu paused, her eyes filled with confusion. “What competition did he lose?”

She usually lived a carefree, whimsical life, her mind preoccupied with the four arts and other ladylike pastimes. She knew little about the conflicts among the major sects or the Martial Dao rankings in the Jianghu.

The only reason she knew Yang Jing’s name was that he had taken first place in the Fushan tournament. The young ladies from other prominent families often talked about him, and through them, she had learned of the young prodigy from the small region of Yuhe County.

Hong Shixian explained patiently, “The Xuanzhen Sect had to choose the disciple with the most potential between Yang Jing and Chu Yunhai. This person would be cultivated as the future core of the sect, designated as the ‘number one potential seed.'”

“Today, the Xuanzhen Sect completed their assessment. Chu Yunhai was victorious and has now become that number one potential seed.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “From now on, the Xuanzhen Sect will pour all of its most elite resources into Chu Yunhai. Naturally, Yang Jing will no longer receive the same preferential treatment or access to high-quality resources.”

“As a result, his future potential will be significantly diminished, making him no longer worthy of a marriage alliance with you.”

As Hong Qingzhu listened to her father, the smile on her face slowly faded. A strange, unpleasant feeling began to well up inside her.

‘In the end, my father still sees me as nothing more than a bargaining chip for a marriage alliance,’ she thought. ‘As long as the other party can bring the family enough benefits, he’s willing to trade me away at a moment’s notice.’

‘And the moment their value decreases, the alliance can be called off without a second thought.’

The realization made her deeply uncomfortable.

The old her would have thrown a tantrum on the spot, venting all her anger and frustration.

In her heart, she was her father’s daughter. No amount of potential gain should have been more important to him than she was.

But over the past few days, as she lay in bed on a hunger strike, she had done a lot of thinking. Her perspective had quietly begun to shift.

She had come to understand that the family’s hands were sometimes tied, and that her father’s calculations weren’t entirely without reason.

And so, although a fire of resentment still smoldered within her, she no longer acted on the impulse to scream and shout as she once would have. Instead, she had learned to bear it in silence.

On the other hand, hearing that Yang Jing had lost to Chu Yunhai, she felt an unexpected pang of regret for him.

She didn’t like Yang Jing; in fact, because of the sudden marriage alliance, she had even harbored a strange sense of aversion toward him.

But over the past few days, listening to those around her talk about Yang Jing, she had learned quite a bit about him.

She knew he had come from a small place like Yuhe County, with no powerful family background or endless supply of resources to support him. His journey to where he was today was both a legend in its own right and a testament to an effort that most people could scarcely imagine.

Now, hearing that he had been defeated in this crucial competition and had lost his best chance for advancement, she couldn’t help but feel a swirl of complicated emotions.

…

「Xuanzhen Sect, Fushan Island. The Training Room area on the mountainside of Lingxi Peak.」

The stone door of a B-Grade Training Room slowly swung open, and Yang Jing stepped inside.

The rich scent of the Exotic Beast Musk Aroma washed over him. It was a mellow yet sharp fragrance that traveled down his nasal passages and deep into his lungs.

The three dormant streams of Inner Qi within his body seemed to stir as if pulled by an unseen force. They instantly grew active, circulating faintly through his meridians and bringing with them a pleasant warmth.