Yang Zhaobing spoke with some agitation, nodding as he said, "I never expected this... I never imagined such a surprise would come so suddenly, heh heh."
Su Ze responded, "Now that Yang Qingxuan has fully recovered, about what we discussed earlier..."
Yang Zhaobing furrowed his brow, seeming hesitant.
Su Ying's face changed dramatically, and she urgently exclaimed, "Absolutely not! I will never marry this fool!"
"What?"
Yang Qingxuan was stunned, looking at the others in the room. He rubbed his nose and thought: Could it be that the Duke of Jin came here to propose marriage?
Seeing Yang Qingxuan's confused expression, Su Ze explained, "Years ago, I owed Old Master a great favor. In return, I promised him three things. First, I would send various designated spiritual herbs every month to help you strengthen your body. Second, I would ensure you could enter Tiancong Academy. Third, I would arrange for Su Ying to marry you."
At the mention of the third point, his expression briefly froze.
Yang Qingxuan suddenly understood. No wonder he had been able to enter Tiancong Academy and had been soaking in medicinal baths every day. It was all thanks to Duke Su.
Yang Zhaobing added, "As for the third point, the original agreement was that if Qingxuan refused the marriage in the future, he could break the contract at any time. However, neither of you could break it unilaterally."
"What?"
Yang Qingxuan was even more baffled. He couldn't understand why Duke Su would agree to such harsh terms, especially considering the favor he owed his grandfather. But seeing Su Ze's fluctuating expression, it was clearly no mere joke.
Su Ze was both angry and amused inwardly, thinking: How noble my daughter is, how could a fool like Yang Qingxuan reject her? I don't know what Yang Zhaobing was thinking when he added that clause about breaking the contract.
He said, "I understand Old Master's intentions back then. He hoped that this marriage would protect Yang Qingxuan. But now that he has restored his soul and can cultivate properly, the reason for the engagement is no longer necessary, right?"
Yang Zhaobing chuckled softly, saying, "This matter depends on Qingxuan's own decision."
The three of them turned their eyes to Yang Qingxuan. Su Ying, full of shame and anger, said, "Fool, hurry up and break off the engagement! I will never marry you!"
Yang Qingxuan, a little overwhelmed, forced a laugh and said, "Haha, this is so confusing. Although you're beautiful, with such a fierce temper, I really can't bring myself to be interested."
"You... how dare you say I'm not good enough?"
Su Ying was furious. If it weren't for Su Ze's imposing presence, she might have lashed out at him again.
Su Ze spoke in a solemn tone, "Qingxuan, you've grown up now, and it's time you formed your own judgments and thoughts. A man should stand tall in this world and control his own destiny through his strength. Only then can he earn status and respect."
His words were somewhat veiled, implying that if one relied on connections, even marrying Su Ying wouldn't grant them true status or respect.
Yang Qingxuan couldn't fail to understand this, and with a sly smile, he cupped his hands and said, "What the Duke says is absolutely right. I too think this engagement is ridiculous, so let's cancel it as soon as possible."
He had no affection for this ridiculous engagement. After all, coming from a modern world, he valued mutual affection, not a marriage arranged by parents or matchmakers.
Besides, after fifteen years of foolishness, Su Ying was a noblewoman, while if their positions were reversed, he would certainly oppose such a marriage with all his might.
Su Ze was stunned for a moment, then he broke into a wide smile, saying, "Haha, good! Good!" He finally relaxed, never expecting things to go so smoothly during this visit.
He continued, "At last, I've cleared my mind. Old Master, the great favor you gave me back then is finally repaid, and the three promises are now fulfilled. This ten-year agreement has come to a perfect conclusion."
Although Yang Qingxuan was no longer foolish, his cultivation at the tenth level of the Qi Martial Realm was still not enough for Duke Su to take him seriously. Naturally, he thought Yang Qingxuan was unworthy of Su Ying and already had someone else in mind as a potential suitor for his daughter.
Yang Zhaobing spoke again, "Hold on! The engagement can be dissolved, but I hope the Duke can provide a Soul-Nourishing Pill. That would truly mark the end of this ten-year agreement."
Su Ze, hearing the "hold on," thought for a moment that Yang Zhaobing was about to backtrack, but after hearing the full request, he sighed in relief. He held Yang Zhaobing in high regard, and though the Soul-Nourishing Pill was quite valuable, it was a small price to pay in exchange for the dissolution of the engagement.
"I see that Qingxuan has been at the tenth level of Qi Martial Realm for quite some time. With the Soul-Nourishing Pill's help, he should be able to condense his martial soul and reach the Spiritual Martial Realm."
Su Ze smiled slightly and cupped his hands. "I will take my leave now. The Soul-Nourishing Pill will be delivered soon."
As Su Ze and his daughter left, Yang Qingxuan's mind was filled with countless questions. Now that he could finally ask his grandfather, he wasted no time.
"Grandpa..."
Yang Qingxuan called out, only to be interrupted by Yang Zhaobing raising his hand. "I know you have a lot of questions. Now that you've regained your mind, many things can be slowly revealed to you."
Yang Zhaobing's gaze turned to the door as he chuckled smugly. "Su Ze thinks he's gained an advantage by breaking the engagement, but in the future, they'll regret it deeply."
Yang Qingxuan was stunned. Could it be that my background is so extraordinary, even surpassing Duke Su's? He couldn't help but think back to the magnificent and imposing scene in the underground palace.
Yang Zhaobing continued with a proud tone, "Although that girl is beautiful, she's still not worthy of you. There's no need to feel sorry about it. Your true fiancée is someone else, and she's far superior to Su Ying in every way."
"What?!"
Yang Qingxuan was dumbfounded. "I have another fiancée?"
"Heh heh."
Yang Zhaobing grinned widely, revealing his yellowing teeth and making the deep wrinkles on his face crinkle with joy.
Years of repressed emotions suddenly released, and he looked incredibly pleased. "But let's not talk about those little matters right now. Your most important task is to improve your strength. I can't believe you've already reached the tenth level of Qi Martial Realm. I had no idea. And that palm strike you used earlier—it seems like your comprehension is quite high. You must have spent a lot of time perfecting it."
Yang Qingxuan made a bitter face. Fiancée? That's a small matter. He then said seriously, "Grandpa, now that I've regained my wits, it's time you told me some things, like our family's origins. They don't seem so simple."
Yang Zhaobing fell silent for a moment, his previous joy disappearing. After a long while, he sighed and said, "There are some things that are better for you not to know too early. Once you've condensed your martial soul, I will tell you some things."
Yang Qingxuan's heart stirred. "What is a martial soul?"
Yang Zhaobing replied, "Did you see that sleeve arrow on the girl earlier? A martial soul is a person's essence, energy, spirit, soul, and will all condensed into a physical form. When a martial soul is formed, a seal known as the Martial Soul Seal appears on the body."
"Martial Soul Seal?"
Yang Qingxuan's expression shifted slightly as he hurriedly opened his collar to reveal the mark on his left shoulder. "Grandpa, is this the Martial Soul Seal?"
"Ah!!"
Yang Zhaobing suddenly jumped up, his eyes wide open in shock as he stared at the mark as if he had seen something terrifying. His whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.