"Presumptuous!" Xu Chu's eyes widened in fury as he glared at Jiang Qianning. A menacing aura radiated from him. The idea that someone would dare insult Orion in person was beyond intolerable, and Xu Chu was seething with anger.
Before Xu Chu could act, Jiang Shicheng, feigning anger, quickly intervened. "Be quiet, Qian Ning! Don't be rude to Nephew Lu Shi!"
"I apologize, Nephew Lu Shi. It was Qian Ning's mistake. I will make amends," Jiang Shicheng said with forced humility, hoping to appease Orion. He cast a worried glance at Jiang Qianning, hoping she would understand the gravity of the situation.
"Father! You?!" Jiang Qianning was shocked and dismayed to see her father groveling before Orion. She had always seen her father as a man of honor. Seeing him submit to someone she regarded as a scoundrel was unbearable.
"No!" Jiang Qianning cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Dad, don't do this! I won't let anything happen to you!"
Turning to Orion, she shouted, "Orion, you villain! How dare you insult my father! I will fight you!"
With that, Jiang Qianning rushed toward Orion with reckless determination, driven by the belief that killing him would resolve everything.
But Jiang Qianning, a mere Martial King, stood no chance against Xu Chu's formidable defense. Xu Chu's aura grew violent, his resolve unshaken.
"Humph! How brave! You truly don't know how to live or die!" Xu Chu sneered, drawing his sword.
He swung the blade toward Jiang Qianning's neck without hesitation, showing no mercy. In battle, leniency towards the enemy was cruelty towards oneself.
"No! Don't hurt Qian Ning!!!" Jiang Shicheng shouted in despair, trying to intervene, but he was powerless.
In an instant, a powerful force suppressed Jiang Shicheng, sealing his semi-holy power. Li Sandao had intervened.
"No!!!" Jiang Shicheng cried out in despair as he saw Xu Chu's blade descending towards his daughter.
But before the strike could land, a voice cut through the chaos. "Stop, Xu Chu!"
Orion, rubbing his temples with a headache, finally understood the full scope of the situation. Reflecting on the memories of his predecessor and the conversation, he clarified the relationships involved.
"Haha, a fiancée..." Orion mused, looking at Jiang Qianning with renewed interest. Her beauty was undeniable, even captivating to him. It was no wonder his predecessor had been infatuated with her.
But Orion had no intention of keeping someone who despised him. It would be unwise to keep an adversary close.
"Xu Chu, let's hold off on executing the Jiang family for now," Orion said with indifference.
Li Sandao, who had remained silent until now, spoke up cautiously. "My Lord, this Jiang family girl possesses a rare constitution—the Yuanyin Holy Body. Are you certain you want to kill her?"
Li Sandao hesitated, knowing interrupting Orion's orders was a grave disrespect, but he couldn't ignore the potential benefits of the Yuanyin Holy Body.
"Oh? Yuanyin Holy Body?" Orion inquired, intrigued.
Li Sandao explained, "My Lord, the Yuanyin Holy Body is a powerful physique. Supporting your cultivation with it could be incredibly beneficial. One session could be equivalent to a hundred days of rigorous training."
Orion's interest was piqued. A single session worth a hundred days of hard work was a significant advantage. Although he possessed a system and several semi-saint masters, he was still an ordinary person, feeling insecure about his lack of cultivation.
Reconsidering his approach to the Jiang family and Jiang Qianning, Orion pondered the situation.
"In that case..." Orion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He glanced at Jiang Qianning and then at Jiang Shicheng, who was clearly enduring a personal crisis.
"If I must, I'll delay my decision about the Jiang family," Orion decided.
"Xu Chu, hold off for now!"
Xu Chu was momentarily stunned. He was confused about whether to proceed with the kill or not. However, he respected Orion's command and sheathed his sword, standing by with his eyes fixed on the Jiang family, ready to act if necessary.
Orion approached Jiang Shicheng with a faint smile. "Uncle Jiang, I recall that our families were once engaged, correct?"
Jiang Shicheng, still in shock, looked up at Orion with a wry smile. "Nephew Lu Shi, the engagement was our Jiang family's fault. I insisted on canceling it, and it had nothing to do with Qian Ning!"
"If you have any grievances, direct them at me. Please let Qian Ning go!"
Jiang Shicheng assumed Orion harbored resentment over the broken engagement, a significant blow to his family's honor.
Orion smiled and helped Jiang Shicheng to his feet. "How could I blame you, Uncle Jiang? It's just an engagement. I still hope we can renew our relationship!"
Jiang Shicheng was taken aback. Did Orion genuinely have feelings for his daughter? The thought was disconcerting, yet it also provided a glimmer of hope for his own survival.
Reluctantly, Jiang Shicheng conceded. "If Nephew Lu Shi is willing, then..."
Despite his desire for revenge, he had no choice but to yield to Orion's demands.
Orion chuckled. "Very well, my father-in-law."
Jiang Shicheng's eyelids twitched at the title, struggling to maintain composure.
Li Sandao's intense gaze reminded him of the gravity of his situation.
"Of course," Jiang Shicheng forced a smile. "Nephew Lu Shi is only joking."
Orion smiled with satisfaction. "Xu Chu, take Uncle Jiang to rest."
For Jiang Qianning's sake, Orion decided to spare Jiang Shicheng, at least for now. After all, he was about to become his father-in-law.
As Xu Chu escorted Jiang Shicheng away, the latter clenched his fists so tightly that his nails drew blood. He silently vowed that one day, he would make Orion pay a hundredfold for this humiliation