Chapter 4
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As they were fighting, Chunma noticed a handful of individuals approaching the courtyard.
'I wasn't planning on meeting all my in-laws tonight, but with how loud we're being, I guess it's inevitable.'
He had to admit that Xuanyin was truly skilled. Her temperament was excellent, as well. Instead of being shaken by his strength, the pressure only sharpened her focus. Chun Ma could tell that she wasn't aware of anything outside their battle, due to her single-minded striving for victory.
'I understand why she's regarded so highly.'
The girl was cycling through the twenty-four-jade-sword technique, one movement at a time. It was a strange martial art, one that grew stronger the further its practitioner advanced through the stances. Countless motes of light gathered on her skin, evidencing her mastery of the twenty-four-jade-swords.
Chun Ma noticed her strikes getting stronger and faster by the second. Despite the growing intensity of her attacks, he didn't feel pressured. His physical strength alone was beyond the level of a sect master and more than enough to deal with her.
He didn't use his Ki. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. The heaven-and-earth energy used by human cultivators wasn't at all similar to his own demonic energy. If he used it, even those who'd never been in the presence of a yaoguai would notice something was wrong.
Finally, Xuanyin reached the final step. When she performed the twenty-fourth movement, countless silvery lights swirled around her fist. She sent it at Chunma's chest like a thunderbolt, flashing through the air. White afterimages were burned into the spectator's eyes from the intensity of her accumulated ki.
The Jong's clan's scion didn't block it. Instead, put his arms behind his back and tightened the muscles of his torso. When her fist impacted his chest, he felt something on the level of tennis ball hitting him. It didn't hurt at all.
However, the considerable force behind the attack couldn't be ignored. The granite tiles under his flat shoes cracked, sending shards of stone and grey dust into the air. He was completely knocked off his feet and was sent tumbling backwards.
Chunma did a couple of backflips in the air before landing nimbly, about five meters away. When he straightened and patted down his robe, the surroundings were quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
After a moment of stunned silence, a boy suddenly slipped out of the crowd, running towards Xuanyin.
"Are you okay, Sis?"
Chunma caught a glimpse of his face. Not only was he the same age as Xuanyin, but he also bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
The girl in question was quietly staring at her fist, like she couldn't understand why it was so useless. When her brother arrived next to her, she snapped out of her stupor and looked at him in annoyance.
"What do you want?"
Her tone was flat and clearly dismissive.
The boy's face drooped and he bit down on his lower lip.
"Since you got hit, I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."
Xuanyin realized that her ribs were throbbing dully. Her opponent had landed a few blows, but she'd been so absorbed in their fight that she didn't notice the pain until know. Tenderly, she touched her sides. Fortunately, she discovered her injuries amounted to nothing more than bruises.
While the siblings were talking amongst themselves, Lady Mu, Xuanyin's mother, made her way over to Chunma.
"Oh my, that was simply incredible!"
The attractive woman waved a pink fan, looking lost for words.
Chunma gave her a small bow. An awkward smile stretched across his face.
"Greetings, Lady Mu. I only intended to stop by to apologize, but things somehow escalated to this extent. I hope I haven't offended you or your family."
The woman smiled happily. She couldn't have looked less offended even if she tried.
"Such excellent manners. Oh, but you don't need to apologize. I'm familiar with that silly girl's ways. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she was the one that started it. Besides, as her future husband, disciplining her is one of young master Long's privileges."
Chunma had to swallow a cough when he heard her words.
"…well, since I have the opportunity, I'd like to apologize to you as well, lady Mu. I wasn't feeling well today, so I asked my father to postpone our meeting. It's entirely my fault."
The woman lightly shook her head at him.
"Please, young master Jong, there's no need to be so polite. Rather than that, why don't you join me and my husband for tea? We can continue our chat there, under the lamplight."
Chunma quickly glanced at the two figures standing behind her – a bodyguard and a maidservant, most likely. There rest of the Mu clan was still loitering just outside the residence, quietly whispering amongst themselves.
"I would be happy to do so."
After he'd given his agreement, he followed lady Mu to their accommodations.
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After their talk concluded, Chunma returned to the Jong pavilion. The conversation was uncomfortable, on account of the Mu patriarch, Mu Sima. It was clear he wasn't too happy about the prospective engagement for reasons unknown to the youth.
When the boy left, only the husband and wife remained, silently drinking tea next to a low table. From beginning to end, Xuanyin hadn't shown up to join them, using her superficial injuries as an excuse. The rest of the Mu clan hadn't appeared either. Their reception was extremely lackluster.
It was lady Mu that broke the silence.
"After meeting young master Jong, will you continue being stubborn?"
Her tone was aloof as she placidly sipped her beverage.
Mu Sima's expression was blank, but his wife knew him well. He was upset, and the rest of the clan alongside him. For them, Xuanyin's marriage was an unpleasant matter.
His throat moved up and down like he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained quiet.
Lady Mu sighed.
"If you have a better plan husband, then don't keep it to yourself."
Her statement drew a snort from Mu Sima, but after a moment, his shoulders sagged.
"Because of this, our Mu clan has become a laughingstock."
His attitude was like that of a sulking child.
Lady Mu's gaze turned cold.
"Do you have a better plan or not?
Her voice was a scalpel, slicing through all her husband's nonsense.
In an instant, Mu Sima's expression underwent many changes. Finally, it settled on angry. After slapping the table hard enough to leave a crack, he stood and left.
"Do what you want Xiaoyi, but don't expect me to be happy about it."
With that statement, he pushed aside the paper sliding door before disappearing into the hallway.
The look Mu Xiaoyi sent at his retreating back was unimpressed.
'He's always been stubborn to the point of stupidity. Sometimes the only way to advance is to retreat...'
The woman looked down at her tea, thinking her own thoughts.
There were two reasons for her husband's attitude. Firstly, the fact that she'd persuaded him to break off Xuanyin's engagement with Fang Yuan. His friendship with Fang Liu, Fang Yuan's father, was extraordinary. The two were even closer that of blood-related siblings.
For a straight-forward man like him, going back on the promise he made to his late friend was nothing short of betrayal. That, combined with the fact that he was unable to prevent the Yuan clan's catastrophe, was a source of terrible guilt for the man.
Secondly, the reason for Xuanyin's planned engagement to Jong Chunma displeased him greatly. The problem actually lay with Xuanyin herself—she was so talented that countless large clans were scrambling to marry her into their respective families!
However, because of her previous broken engagement, they weren't willing to propose themselves. Instead, they were pressuring the Mu clan behind the scenes, intending to force them to offer Xuanyin to them on a silver platter. Naturally, they'd only accept her after the Mu clan her showcased sufficient 'sincerity' — they were expecting a dowry to be paid!
The marriage arrangement with the Fang clan would've been mutually beneficial, but that wasn't the case with the other large families—they were simply looking to rob the Mu clan of their prodigal daughter while stealing their wealth at the same time!
While the Mu clan was undoubtedly a big shot in Floating Cloud City, they were only a group of small fries in The Great Tang. They didn't have the strength to go against the grain. If they didn't marry Xuanyin to one of the big clans, they wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
The reason why they'd settled for the Jong clan was because they took the initiative to propose on their own accord, despite the fact that they knew it would damage their reputation and offend numerous other families. However, Jong Hyun was the sect master of the Mount Hua Sect—the only existences that could pressure him were the other nine great sects, or the imperial family.
It was for this reason that Mu Xiaoyi insisted they marry Xuanyin to Jong Chunma, despite the fact that not much was known about him—the Jong clan's reputation was that powerful! Among Xuanyin's pursuers, only the Hyo clan could compare, the family in charge of the Wudang sect. Unfortunately for them, they were too high-and-mighty to propose on their own accord, so the Jong clan won out in the end.
Mu Xiaoyi sighed quietly. She had to admit the Jong clan's proposal was definitely strange. Even the smaller clans were unwilling to swallow their pride and do such a thing.
Until now, everyone in the Mu clan was certain that something was wrong with Jong Chunma. If not, why would the Jong clan try so desperately to secure his marriage? Now that it'd been revealed that wasn't the case, they didn't know what to think. Mu Xiaoyi was happy of course, but she was even more clueless about the reasoning behind the Jong clan's actions.
'In the end, even if something was indeed wrong with him, we wouldn't have a choice. Husband naturally knows this, but he's still unwilling to suffer a loss. It's understandable, Xuanyin is the apple of his eye, after all.'
If there was one thing Mu Sima hated almost as much as betrayal, it was being forced into a corner.
'It's a good thing young master Jong stopped by to apologize. Otherwise, Husband really might have done something irrational, given his temper.'
When she'd finished her tea, Xaoyi called over a maid to clean the room. She felt that she needed to go speak to her daughter.
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In a dimly-lit dojo, Mu Xuanyin was standing upright with her eyes closed. In her mind, she was reviewing her fight with Jong Chunma. She wasn't really injured — it was just an excuse to avoid having to deal with the young master of the Jong clan, as well as her mother and father.
Some distance away, a youth was sitting. Both his face and figure bore an uncanny resemblance to Xuanyin. However, where their shared features looked valiant and pretty on her, they looked a lot less appealing on him. His appearance was thin and frail, and he looked emasculated. The impression he gave off could be summed up in a single sentence — he was a nerd.
"Are you really going to marry that guy, Sis?"
He couldn't hold it in any longer. The idea of his twin sister, the person he respected even more than his own mother and father, being married off to some scoundrel drove him crazy!
Xuanyin didn't reply, but her upper lip twitched a little.
The boy started to rant.
"Bastards like him only see you as a trophy! Brother Fang isn't like him. Since we little, he…!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Xuanyin spoke up.
"Yuze, if you don't shut up, I'll personally throw you out!"
When he heard her icy tone, Mu Yuze promptly shut his mouth. However, his expression was unresigned.
For a time, silence stretched between them. It was only when he determined that his sister's temper had cooled that he spoke up again.
"…if you talk to Father, he'll definitely cancel your engagement."
This time, his voice was quiet and careful.
The girl opened her eyes and looked at him. Despite the fact that her expression remained unchanged, Mu Yuze knew his sister was mad. However, she didn't throw him out. Instead, she answered him.
"Your being foolish."
After saying her piece, she closed her eyes again, paying no attention to her brother's surprised face.
Mu Yuze looked like he couldn't believe what she'd just said. He chewed his thumb, thinking of a troubling possibility.
"I don't understand why you're suddenly talking like that. You were always the one struggling against the marriage, more than anyone! Don't tell me, just because that guy can throw a punch, you changed your mind?"
He was whispering to himself, but Xuanyin heard him loud and clear. It was only through sheer willpower that she resisted the urge to break his nose.
Her relationship with Mu Yuze was complicated. Even though they were twins, he wasn't nearly as gifted as her. On the contrary, he was the most untalented child out of the five Mu siblings. It was to the extent that some people gossiped that Mu Xuanyin had stolen all his aptitude while the two of them shared a womb. It was ridiculous and nobody really believed it, but the rumors were still incredibly unpleasant to hear and damaging to her reputation.
Suddenly, the door to the dojo opened and a woman walked in. It was Mu Xiaoyi.
"Yuze, can you give Xuanyin and I some privacy?"
She smiled gently at her son.
The boy didn't look happy at being kicked out, but he obliged her nonetheless. He dragged his feet over to the exit, but before he closed the door behind him, he gazed at Xuanyin over his shoulder.
"I just don't want you to be disrespected, Sis."
After he delivered that statement, he departed.
When the two of them were alone, Xiaoyi glanced at her daughter and sighed.
"Let's have a chat."
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