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The old man, Jun Zhan Tian, let out a sharp breath. His expression was dark, his eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes glinted with a cold, stormy light.
"This old man is drunk," He said curtly, his voice low and icy. "I must excuse myself."
Without waiting for formalities or responses, he rose from his seat. His steps were steady, but the temperature in the room dropped several degrees with each pace he took. His rage and dissatisfaction were obvious, but he was restraining itāfor now.
Guan Dong Liu, who had dealt with Jun Zhan Tian for decades, could sense the fury hidden beneath his words. His back tensed as cold sweat beaded on his temples.
"Of courseā¦ please, take care of your health," He managed to say with a stiff smile, though his lips barely moved and his tone faltered.
Jun Zhan Tian didn't spare him another glance. He simply nodded stiffly and then, with a final glance at Jun Mo Xieāhis eyes full of curiosity, and a hint of warningāhe turned and walked out of the hall.
His last words echoed in the heavy silence.
"I want a detailed explanation tomorrow."
Jun Mo Xie stood silently for a second, his expression unreadable. Then, with a deep sigh, he nodded. "Yes, Grandfather."
With the patriarch's exit, the oppressive weight in the hall didn't lighten; if anything, it grew heavier.
Jun Mo Xie turned to Chu Yue'er and gave her a slight nod.
"Take Qing Yue out," He said gently. "Explain everything to himā¦ slowly. He won't believe anyone else's words now. Only you can clear his heart."
Chu Yue'er nodded silently, her eyes misty with conflict and responsibility. She turned to Guan Qing Yue, who had been sitting in a daze, crushed under the weight of realization and heartbreak. Though gloomy, lost, and humiliated, he still rose and followed her like a puppet whose strings were now in someone else's hands.
Their figures disappeared down the corridor.
Guan Dong Liu watched his son walk away with sorrow etched deep into his face. He sighed heavily, as if years of burden pressed down on his spine. He turned to his elder son, Guan Qing Bo, and said tiredly, "You should return to your room."
"Yes, Father," Guan Qing Bo replied, bowing his head slightly. But as he turned and walked away, Jun Mo Xie's sharp eyes caught the slight curve on the corner of his lipsāan ambiguous, subtle smile.
That one expression spoke volumes. And Jun Mo Xie's own eyes narrowed slightly.
"Brother Guan," Jun Wu Yi finally spoke, his voice calm but laced with suppressed pain and steel. His eyes, usually warm and kind, now carried a cold edge that startled everyone present.
"I won't say anything about what just happened between the younger generation of our families," He said flatly. "Let's consider itā¦ a bad dream."
Guan Dong Liu was taken aback. His eyes widened slightly, then he quickly bowed. "Brother Junā¦ thank you. Thank you for your understanding."
He truly sounded grateful, but Jun Wu Yi remained unmoved.
Jun Wu Yi, seated in his wheelchair, gently ran his fingers along the fabric of the blanket covering his legs. His movement was slow, deliberateā¦ almost ominous.
"Let's indeed leave the earlier matter in the past," He continued. "But, Brother Guanāwhen it comes to Qing Han, I hope you will not speak in half-truths. I demand the truth about the engagement. Why was it withdrawn?"
Guan Dong Liu opened his mouth to answer, but Jun Wu Yi raised a hand to stop him.
"You and I both know how joyous both our families were when this engagement was first arranged," Jun Wu Yi said slowly, his voice suddenly growing heavier. "It was seen as a union decreed by the heavens themselves! The Jun and Guan familiesābound together by love and trust."
"But then, fate struck." His voice cracked faintly as he said the next words. "Mo You diedā¦ My son. My only son."
The room went still again, the pain in his voice clawing at the hearts of those who heard it.
"We agreed to withdraw the engagement. For her sake, not ours. Because we wished for Qing Han to have a better futureā¦ a future free of grief, bound to someone who could make her smile again."
"But Qing Han refused," He added. "She wished to honor the bond. We respected her decision, and the engagement remained, unofficial but not dissolved."
His hand clenched into a fist beneath the blanket.
"That agreement was temporary. We were waitingā¦ waiting for the right moment, the right match to come forward. But your sudden appearance here in Tian Xiang Cityā¦ demanding to take her awayā¦ it feelsā¦ wrong."
Jun Wu Yi's expression turned stern.
"Brother Guan. What happened?"
He leaned forward slightly, his voice growing darker and colder.
"If we are still friends, tell me the truth."
The finality in his words struck like a thunderclap. The mood in the room chilled.
Guan Dong Liu stared at Jun Wu Yi, stunned and hesitant. The older man's mouth twitched several times as he opened it to speakā¦ but nothing came.
He finally sighed and slumped, his shoulders collapsing with defeat.
"Brother Junā¦" He began in a hoarse whisper. "In truthā¦ I cannot reveal the entire matter. But I do want you to knowāthis decisionā¦ this actionā¦ it's not against the Jun Family. And I'm eternally grateful for your understanding."
"Grateful?" Jun Wu Yi's cold gaze pierced straight through him. "Then what are you afraid of? If the Jun and Guan families stand together, is there anyone in this world who dares touch our daughter?"
He slammed his palm down on the armrest.
"Who dares?!"
Guan Dong Liu shook his head and looked toward his daughter. "Thisā¦ is the girl's own doingā¦"
"What?!" Guan Qing Han suddenly shot up, eyes wide with shock and anger. "Father! How could youāhow could you say something so disgraceful to your own daughter?!"
Her voice trembled, thick with rage and humiliation.
'You're saying I invited this misfortune? That I brought it upon myself? That Iā¦ seduced someone into all this mess?!'
Tears welled in her eyes. She clenched her fists and bit her lower lip, fury rising like a tide.
Don't pin the disgrace of my brothers' foolishness on me!
Guan Dong Liu flinched but persisted. "Do you remember half a year ago? When you left to visit Mo You's cenotaphā¦ to pay your respects?"
Guan Qing Han blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
"Thereā¦ you met a green-cloaked youth, didn't you?"
Her breath caught.
A face surfaced in her mindāthe image of a strangely charismatic young man, bold and unpredictable, who had insisted on accompanying her through the entire journey.
His actions had been strange, erraticā¦ and the words he left her with before disappearing were unforgettable.
'I don't care who you are. I don't care about your identity or your status. One day, you will be my woman! Hahahaā¦'
The wild laughter echoed once again in her ears. Her face went pale, then flushed red with embarrassment and disgust.
"That man was a scoundrel!" She hissed.
"Whether scoundrel or not," Her father said gravely, "his nameā¦ is Li."
Guan Dong Liu's eyes darkened.
"Li Teng Yun. The only son of Li Jue Tian."
A deathly stillness swept through the room.
Even the crackling of the fire in the brazier seemed to freeze.
"Li Jue Tianā¦" Jun Wu Yi muttered under his breath, his face turning grim.
Supreme Master Li Jue Tian, the lord of Tian Nan Xue Hun Manor. A man who stood as one of the Eight Great Masters. Recognized by many as the second most powerful individual under the heavensāif not for Yun Bei Chen's mythical Xuan beast companion, he might have claimed the top spot outright.
"And his sonā¦" Guan Dong Liu continued bitterly. "He inquired into Qing Han's identity the moment they parted. Then sent a messageāan ultimatum, rather."
He exhaled, his face pale.
"He saidā¦ if we didn't send her to him, then he would annihilate the Guan Familyā¦ and the Jun Family with it."
---- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ----
Spoilers for the next five chapters!
Chapter 106: Ambiguous Flirting
Chapter 107: Strong Backers
Chapter 108: A Player
Chapter 109: Oath of Beasts
Chapter 110: Li You Ran
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
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