Chapter 3: Li Luo Wants to Break Off the Engagement

Four lion-horse beasts pulled the carriage, galloping steadily along the wide streets of Nanfeng City, while the forest-like buildings along the street flashed rapidly past.

The interior of the carriage was quite spacious, warm, and comfortable, with Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e sitting on opposite sides of a tea table.

The two did not have much to say; as soon as Li Luo boarded, he closed his eyes to rest, while Jiang Qing’e opened a book and began to read it attentively. A ray of sunlight filtered in through the gap in the carriage window, shining on her delicate, jade-like cheeks, making them appear even more translucent.

The silence lasted for a long time before Jiang Qing’e’s long, thick eyelashes suddenly fluttered. She raised her pretty face, her golden pupils fixed on Li Luo before her, and said, "It seems that what I said at the Nanfeng Academy all those years ago has brought you some trouble."

"I am very sorry."

Upon hearing this, Li Luo opened his eyes. He looked at the beautiful, delicate face before him, which carried an unmistakable sharpness and assertiveness, and smiled. "There isn't a shred of sincerity in that apology."

"If you were sincere, you would allow me to dissolve the engagement."

Jiang Qing’e flipped through the pages of her book casually and said, "Is this the legendary 'breaking off an engagement'? But in plays and stories, shouldn't it be me who initiates this? Aren't you getting the order backward?"

Faced with her sudden dry humor, Li Luo couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration.

Jiang Qing’e looked up, glanced at Li Luo, and said indifferently, "What? Are you afraid this engagement will bring you even more trouble?"

Li Luo was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm afraid of holding you back. You’re a girl, why carry an unnecessary engagement? You know as well as I do how this engagement came about. How many times have I been beaten by my mother because of it over the years?"

"My old man’s actions were absurd, and I actually agree with him getting beaten, but the point is, why do I have to get a beating every time my mother hits my father?!"

By the end, Li Luo’s expression was filled with resentment.

Recalling the scene of that elegant woman—who was usually very gentle toward him but would stand with her hands on her hips and her willow-leaf brows arched in anger, sending the two men in the house, one big and one small, into a chaotic frenzy—even Jiang Qing’e couldn't help but let her rosy lips curve slightly, though she quickly smoothed them back into a neutral expression.

"I'm not afraid," she said, shaking her head.

Li Luo said with a headache, "Then what will you do when you meet someone you like in the future? You’re just being reckless."

Jiang Qing’e smiled faintly. "I might not meet anyone. My standards are quite high, and since you and I already have an engagement, it’s impossible for me to have feelings for anyone else."

Li Luo stared at Jiang Qing’e, his voice suddenly filled with more anger. "Jiang Qing’e, what exactly are you thinking? I know my parents were very good to you and you are very grateful to them, but there is no need to express your gratitude this way. What do you take me for? A tool for you to express your gratitude?"

"You agreed to this engagement, but have I ever agreed to it?"

Li Luo’s sudden outburst startled Jiang Qing’e. Her pure golden pupils gazed at his face, and after a moment of silence, she lowered her head slightly and said, "I'm sorry. I truly didn't consider your feelings regarding this matter."

Seeing this, Li Luo said, "Since that’s the case, then this engagement..."

"However..."

Jiang Qing’e raised her pretty face and looked at Li Luo earnestly. "You should also know the rules in our household: if both parties have a disagreement, then we fight, and the winner has the right to decide."

This rule was set by Li Luo’s mother. For many years, it had applied to everything in the house, which was why every time she and Li Luo’s father had a disagreement, she would roll up her sleeves and drag him directly into the training room.

"So, if you have strong objections to the engagement, we can go to the training room after we get home and follow the rules," Jiang Qing’e said.

Li Luo’s expression stiffened instantly, his face shifting through various colors. Finally, he gritted his teeth and pointed at Jiang Qing’e, crying out in indignation, "Jiang Qing’e, don't go too far! I’m just a beginner at the Ten-Seal Stage, how the hell am I supposed to fight a Earth-Slaying General like you?!"

In human cultivation, after opening the Resonance Palace, one begins with the Ten-Seal Stage of Foundation Establishment. After the Ten-Seal Stage comes the Resonance Master Stage, but only after the Resonance Master Stage does true cultivation begin.

After the Resonance Master Stage, there are three major realms.

General-Bowing, Marquis-Sealing, and King-Naming.

Marquis-Sealing and King-Naming are too far off, and this General-Bowing is divided into two tiers: the upper is the Heaven-Gang General, and the lower is the Earth-Slaying General. And Jiang Qing’e is at the level of an Earth-Slaying General.

To reach the General-Bowing stage at this age, Jiang Qing’e’s cultivation talent is absolutely shocking to countless people. Some have even speculated that she will likely break the record for the youngest Marquis-Sealing expert in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Yet now, Jiang Qing’e, an Earth-Slaying General, actually wants to fight Li Luo, who is at the Ten-Seal Stage.

Li Luo is genuinely worried that if she fails to hold back her strength, she might just slap him to death.

Jiang Qing’e put away the book on the table and said with some regret, "It seems you don't agree to this method, then there’s nothing to be done."

Li Luo was trembling with anger. Can this world get any better? Is it really this hard for me to break off an engagement?

He leaned weakly against the carriage window, his gaze fixed on Jiang Qing’e’s smooth, delicate face, especially those golden pupils, which were so pure they were almost intoxicating.

He sighed, his voice dropping much lower. "Sister Qing’e, we have lived together for many years, but I understand that you don't actually have that kind of romantic feeling for me."

"Without feelings as a foundation, what is the point of this engagement?"

Jiang Qing’e was silent for a moment, then said, "Although I want to say that you’re only turning seventeen tomorrow, so why are you acting so mature..."

"But what you said does have some truth to it. However, I have no interest in anyone else, and as for you, at the very least, I don't find you repulsive."

Li Luo gave a bitter smile. "Sister Qing’e, that engagement is more about your gratitude toward my parents. I believe your feelings for them are far stronger than your feelings for me, but I really don't need this kind of gratitude."

Having said that, Li Luo lowered his head and said slowly, "I know it might not be realistic to ask you to withdraw the engagement, but..."

He raised his head and looked directly into Jiang Qing’e’s eyes. "I hope you can give yourself, and me, a chance."

Li Luo paused, then continued, "We can make a deal. Before I have enough ability, you help me control the Luolan Mansion. If, when I take over the Luolan Mansion, you have ensured it hasn't suffered much loss, then as a token of my gratitude, I will return the engagement to you. How about that?"

Jiang Qing’e did not speak, but her long, jade-like fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. The silence lasted for quite a while before she finally said softly, "Li Luo, do you really not like me?"

Li Luo paused, then took a deep breath and said, "Sister Qing’e, you might be underestimating your own attractiveness and excellence. For people of this age, your charm is universal. If I said I didn't like you, it would be truly insincere and hypocritical."

"However, I don't need this kind of engagement."

Jiang Qing’e’s willow-leaf brows lifted slightly, and her small hand suddenly slapped the tea table.

Bang!

Li Luo was startled and quickly shifted his bottom backward. "Let’s discuss this properly, no need to resort to violence."

Jiang Qing’e rolled her eyes at him and said indifferently, "Li Luo, I haven't seen you for a while, and your eloquence has improved. However, what you said makes some sense. I can treat this as a deal. When you are ready to take over the Luolan Mansion, I will hand it over to you completely intact. At that time, you will return the engagement to me."

Upon hearing this, Li Luo felt a sudden sense of relief, but at the same time, in the deepest part of his heart, an uncontrollable and inexplicable sense of loss appeared, which made him secretly curse himself—what a wretch.

"Your rhetoric today has made me look at you in a new light. It seems you are no longer just a child."

Li Luo was a bit angry. "A child? Where am I small?"

Jiang Qing’e ignored his comment and just stared at him with a half-smile. "However, Li Luo, I must remind you one last time: are you really planning to go through with this deal? Once this engagement is returned, I’m afraid you will truly have no hope for the rest of your life."

Li Luo narrowed his eyes. He pressed his arms against the tea table, straightened his body, and looked directly down at Jiang Qing’e, their faces only half a foot apart.

"Jiang Qing’e, I truly don't care for this engagement at all, because in the future, I want you to return the engagement to me yourself, not to my parents."

Jiang Qing’e’s golden pupils reflected Li Luo’s handsome face. The half-smile on her lips deepened. She naturally understood what Li Luo meant: the reason this engagement was being returned to her was because she currently had no romantic feelings for him, but in the future, when she returned the engagement to Li Luo, it would signify that she had fallen for him.

"Sit down," she said, her red lips parting slightly.

An inexplicable force appeared out of thin air, pressing Li Luo right back down onto the carriage floor with a heavy thud. The force made him wince.

And so, his previous momentum was instantly shattered.

Jiang Qing’e rested her chin on her hand and looked at Li Luo with a lazy expression. "Not much ability, but quite a big mouth. I’ve seen many geniuses over the years, but no one has dared to say such things to me."

"Li Luo, don't be overly ambitious; your goal is too unrealistic. But if you really want to try, I don't mind giving you a chance."

Her golden pupils shimmered with luster, mysterious and profound.

"I will wait for you at the Saint Xuanxing Academy. This is the first step. If you can't even achieve that, then just treat everything said today as the result of youthful rebellion and forget it."

Li Luo didn't say anything more this time. He just leaned against the carriage window, his eyes gradually closing, and said calmly, "Then just wait."

Jiang Qing’e watched the streets and buildings passing by outside the gap in the carriage window, sunlight scattering into her eyes. She then smiled in a way that was almost imperceptible.

Her eyes held a rare touch of gentleness.

The carriage sped along. After a long while, Li Luo suddenly opened his eyes and asked with some confusion, "This isn't the way home?"

Jiang Qing’e nodded slightly and said softly, "We’re going to the Long Baoxing to pick something up."

Her golden pupils turned toward Li Luo.

"Something your Master and Mistress left specifically for you before they left, saying you should only open it when you turn seventeen."

Upon hearing this, Li Luo’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

His parents left something for him?

(PS: Nalan Yanran: I heard you want to break off an engagement? Young man, you’ve narrowed your own path.

Haha, I don't even know when the last time I asked for votes was, but since it's a new book, I should shout out as usual. Everyone, please vote regardless of what kind of ticket it is.)

(End of chapter)