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Bang, bang!

The sound of a door being loudly knocked roused Chen Yu in his daze of sleepiness.

"Hurry up and open the door, Elder Brother Yu! Something good has happened! The bounty from the Castellan has arrived…"

The clear voice of a young lady resembling silver bells could be heard.

Chen Yu didn't need to open his eyes to know that it was his Younger Cousin Chen Ying'er.

'Something good? Has the bounty arrived?'

Chen Yu flipped around and got up in an instant. All of the sleepiness left his face as he was somewhat looking forward to it in his heart.

The bounty for beheading "Honghu's Three Fiends" wasn't small at all.

He then opened the door.

There was a slightly teasing smile on Chen Ying'er's face as she sized Chen Yu, who was currently washing his face and rising his mouth hastily.

"You. What are you doing?"

Chen Yu had a hint of vigilance. Could it be that this woman wanted to scheme against him somehow?

He knew that Chen Ying'er was extremely tempted by that half treasured weapon in the bounty.

"Hehe! I'm here to tell Elder Brother Yu of a great and happy occasion..." Chen Ying'er said in a mysterious manner.

"Great and happy occasion? Has the Castellan's bounty arrived?"

Chen Yu finished washing his face and rinsing his mouth before he straightened his clothes out.

"The bounty is originally yours!" Chen Ying'er said unhappily. "The great and happy occasion is naturally a major even in your life!"

A major event in one's life? What was going on?!

Chen Yu's stared at her as he suddenly had a kind of bad premonition.

"My Father and the rest helped agree to a marriage on your behalf! The other party is Castellan Chu Fengyun's other daughter. Isn't this considered to be a great and happy occasion? Shouldn't you transfer that half treasured weapon to me under your state of ecstasy...?"

Chen Ying'er small face reddened as she got more excited the more she spoke.

Marriage?! Chu Fengyun's daughter?

It was as though Chen Yu had been struck by lightning as he almost swayed on the spot.

He had some kind of instinctual rejection toward marriage, and when she brought up Chu Fengyun's daughter, he ineffably thought of the Great Fiend's daughter.

"Hey! What is this reaction from you? I've seen Chu Fengyun's true daughter before. She has the countenance of a flower and a face like the moon. She's nothing like the Great Fiend's daughter..."

Chen Ying'er was resisting a smile with great difficulty on her face as she revealed her teasing nature.

Chen Yu didn't have that pleasant of an expression.

He was a person who was established in a sect and yearned for the peak of the path of martial arts in heart and soul.

How could the Clan Head make decisions on his own regarding a great matter like marriage?

Chen Ying'er, who stood to the side, appeared to be watching a good drama and wished for the world to be in chaos.

After a long time.

"We'll discuss one matter at a time. Irrespective of what is being said, we'll receive the bounty first and talk about it later," Chen Yu said through restraint.

Chen Ying'er almost choked.

At this moment, Chen Yu already had a plan in his mind.

He would first take the profits he ought to take before talking about the rest. As for that marriage, it didn't matter if he had to talk things over or shed all pretense of cordiality when the time came.

Not long after that, Chen Yu and Chen Ying'er walked into a large parlor.

Castellan Chu Fengyun, Clan Head Chen Tianwei, Father and Mother Chen, as well as a few Clan Elders, were seated in the parlor.

"Yu'er, you finally came."

Clan Head Chen Tianwei wore a smile on his face as there was a great change in his attitude toward Chen Yu.

Chen Yu faintly saw that this kind of great change was not only because of the military success he achieved in killing the Great Fiend, but it was even more so because there was another layer of reasoning behind it.

"Young hero Chen, this is the bounty Chu had brought over as per the agreement."

Chu Fengyun smiled amiably.

Even if he didn't have a favorable impression of these two people, Chen Yu still paid them his simple respects.

"Young hero Chen, this is the bounty you ought to receive."

Chu Fengyun didn't make any more conventional greetings. He retrieved a long wooden box and handed it to Chen Yu.

Chen Yu's eyes shone slightly as he took the long wooden box that was offered.

He opened the wooden box and the first thing that was revealed was a dagger with exquisite workmanship.

Simple and unadorned bronze grains appeared on the hilt of the dagger. The body of the dagger that was a third of a meter long was glossy like a mirror, yet muddy as if it was made by the heavens while a hint of biting cold light surfaced on the edge of the blade.

"This is that half treasured weapon?"

Chen Yu had a curious expression as he picked up the dagger.

All of a sudden, a clear and melodious cry of the wind wound around the blade of the dagger.

Chen Yu had an ineffable feeling of agility when he held this dagger. That was definitely not a feeling a secular weapon wielded by ordinary soldiers could bring about.

"This dagger is called the Wind Song Dagger. Its quality is close to that of a treasured weapon and it is also a famous ultimate dagger in the secular world. The sharpness of this dagger is comparable to a genuine treasured weapon and it isn't difficult for it to cut metal like cutting mud. As for its other properties, young hero will know about it when you go back and test it out for yourself," Chu Fengyun said with a smile on his face.

Evidently, he was very confident in the quality of this dagger.

"Cutting metal like it's mud, huh? Hehe, let me test it out..."

It was unknown when Chen Ying'er grabbed a thick broadsword of superior quality and hacked it toward Chen Yu.

Chen Yu smiled and retaliated with the Wind Song Dagger.

Ding, ka!

The Wind Song Dagger directly cut the heavy back part of the broadsword in half.

"Ah, no! That's my Treasured Mighty Tiger Sword—"

Clan Head Chen Tianwei exclaimed as he couldn't help but cry out with a look of pain on his face.

As it turned out, Chen Ying'er conveniently grabbed a large cutlass which was actually the Treasured Mighty Tiger Sword that followed the Clan Head for many years.

This sword was a rare premium sword in the secular world.

But it was actually sliced across the middle by the incomparably sharp Wind Song Dagger.

What a sharp dagger!

Chen Ying'er's eyes were filled with fondness as she held her hand out and played with the Wind Song Dagger.

"Not bad."

Chen Yu looked quite satisfied. On the degree of sharpness alone, the Wind Song Dagger was not inferior to Le Feng's damaged treasured sword in any aspect.

Apart from the Wind Song Dagger, there were two additional objects in the long box.

They were a deed and a gold ticket respectively.

The deed represented a fertile land in the suburbs of Xiangyang City, and was equivalent to the domain of a small village.

The gold ticket was for ten thousand gold pieces.

The eyes of the few Clan Elders present shone when these two objects appeared as their temptations were aroused in endless amounts.

Even Clan Head Chen Tianwei appeared to be slightly tempted as well.

"I'm paying these ten thousand gold pieces on behalf of the dynasty in advance," Chu Fengyun explained.

Chen Yu was satisfied in his heart. He put the deed and gold ticket away before he put the Wind Song Dagger, that Chen Ying'er was reluctant to part with, away.

He finished presenting the bounty.

Chu Fengyun didn't stay any longer, leaving in advance.

...

"Yu'er, I wonder how you intend to take care of that piece of land?" Clan Head Chen Tianwei probed.

He was extremely tempted by this deed because he could expand his territory and strengthen the power of the clan.

"I intend to use that ten thousand gold pieces and the deed to build a manor for me to live in in the future. Uncle, Ying'er, you guys can come and play in my manor in the future."

Chen Yu didn't conceal how he was going to use it.

When he heard this, the Clan Head and a few higher-ups revealed their disappointment and dissatisfaction on their faces.

But now, Chen Yu was established in a sect and had impressive strength on top of that, so it wasn't good for them to force him.

"I heard from Ying'er that Uncle agreed to a marriage on my behalf. I wonder whether this matter is true?"

Chen Yu changed the topic under discussion with a slightly annoyed tone.

The atmosphere in the great parlor sank.

Clan Head Chen Tianwei looked a little embarrassed.

Firstly, it was due to Chen Yu's unpleasant tone and secondly, he certainly hadn't obtained the other party's agreement in this marriage.

"Yu'er! This marriage was permitted through your Mother. Don't blame your Uncle wrongly."

Mother Chen Liuwen suddenly interjected.

Mother?

Chen Yu couldn't help but stall in his speech.

Based on the rules of the secular world, what was known as "match made by one's parents' order and on the matchmaker's word" meant that parents could normally make a decision in their children's marriage.

"Yu'er, I've seen the portrait of Castellan Chu's daughter. She definitely has the countenance of a flower and the face of the moon. She is well-matched to you."

Mother Chen Liuwen consoled in a gentle voice.

Whoosh!

When she said that, she took out a picture scroll and slowly unfolded it.

"Hmm? This is..."

Chen Yu stared at it and saw an elegant and supple, yet graceful and subdued young lady on the picture scroll. She had long, shapely eyebrows that entered her temples and eyes that resembled stars, as well as a beautiful smile. That kind of pure beauty in the rough and coarse ink painting made one feel a rush of excitement.

This woman's looks weren't inferior to that of Mu Xueqing's in the slightest merely by looking at her portrait alone. She also had a flirtatious expression that made her a pretty daughter in a prestigious family.

"Hehe. Elder Brother Yu has seen her portrait, and should be changing your mind, right? That Chu Wanyu is also a disciple of my Water Moon Faction, if you didn't know," Chen Ying'er curled her lips and said with slight disdain.

"Cough."

Chen Yu couldn't deny that this woman really moved a person's heart a little solely through a portrait of her.

"Yu'er."

Chen Tianwei saw that he was tempted, so he stroked his palm with a smile. "You've seen this woman's looks. She and Castellan Chu come from a limited number of large and influential clans in the state of Chu. Once you and she are united through marriage, there will be great benefits to my Chen Clan."

Uniting large and influential clans through marriage?

Chen Yu finally understood. Everything was an appeal in the clan's benefit.

"My child, that daughter of Chu is only a year older than you are and is based in the Water Moon Faction. She has a Half Soul Physique like you do, but she is now at the mid-Connective Meridian stage under the assistance of her clan in terms of resources. Regardless of her background, appearance, and innate skill, she is well-matched with you and more to spare," Mother Chen said with a smile.

Evidently, she was extremely pleased with this marriage.

Chen Yu was secretly shocked in his heart. Why did that Chu Fengyun fancy him and was willing to marry his daughter off to him?

One had to say that even though Chen Yu didn't have a good feeling about Chu Fengyun, in terms of how far-reaching his arrangements were in terms of resourcefulness and scheming alone. Even the Great Fiend, whose treachery was multifarious, repeatedly suffered losses in his hands.

"Even if that's the case, Yu'er can't recklessly agree to this marriage."

Chen Yu shook his head.

After he established himself in the sect world, his scope of the world greatly opened up and he yearned for the peak of the martial arts road with his heart and soul.

In the past, he practically wasted the optimal opportunity to devote himself to cultivation because of Mu Xueqing.

He wouldn't make the same mistake.

Even if a woman he had never met before was as beautiful as an immortal being, Chen Yu couldn't rashly fix his life with hers forever!

What?!

You won't agree?

The Clan Elders present, including Chen Tianwei, wore rigid expressions as there was a repressed atmosphere once more.

Clan Head Chu Tianwei, in particular, had a somewhat displeased expression.

To be able to ally with an influential clan like the Chu Clan through marriage was a great matter that the Chu Clan sought, but failed to get.

But this Chen Yu from the younger generation could actually still reject it?

He actually rejected it?

How could such a beautiful unmarried daughter of a noble house, who was similarly in the sect world as well, not be a perfect match made in heaven?

"You can't make a tiny sacrifice for the clan? Besides, that Chu Wanyu is absolutely a fit with you..."

Chen Tianwei took a deep breath. There was a hint of severity on his face.

"No."

The young man replied in simple words, which caused Chen Tianwei to choke until his face was red through and through.

"You…well, well, well! You have completely disregarded the clan's present conditions now that you think you've grown strong wings."

Chen Tianwei laughed rather than getting angry.

At this moment, the few Clan Elders present, including Father and Mother Chen, looked a little disappointed and regretful at Chen Yu.

"My heart is solely focused on the path of martial arts. I currently want to attack the inner sect, so I don't have the leisure of caring about matters of marriage between children," Chen Yu said indifferently.

Once he finished talking, he turned around and left the great parlor.

"Pooh! You're still delusional about becoming an inner sect disciple with your aptitude?"

"This boy seriously doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

A few Clan Elders had unpleasant expressions since they were extremely displeased with Chen Yu's behavior.

But when these words fell on Father and Mother Chen's ears, they became somewhat uncomfortable.

"On what basis can my Yu'er not enter the inner sect? Didn't you also say that he is already established in the outer sect now in the discussion you previously had?" Mother Chen Liuwen said indignantly.

"Humph! If he can become an inner sect disciple, this old man is willing to bring a bramble to you and ask for punishment," a white-bearded Clan Elder said in disdain.

The few Clan Elders present sneered. Without the help of the clan's resources, it was as difficult as ascending to the sky for him to upgrade himself a step further.