Chapter 4: with translation of chapter title

At first, Lin Jianran still hadn't reacted.

Only after she realized the huge amount of information contained in those words did she jump up from the master's chair with a swish, her pretty face full of indignation as she demanded: "What did you say? He went to find Liu Liyan?"

"Exactly, and he even stayed at the Purple Yang Sect for a full hour; in the end, it was the Holy Maiden Liu herself who personally sent Su Chen out of the sect, and when they left…… the two…… the two……"

"How are the two of them? Why are you stammering?" The first thing that flashed in Lin Jianran's mind was Liu Liyan's peerless visage, and jealousy surged in her heart, a strong dissatisfaction beginning to rise.

She was so angry that her slightly full chest heaved up and down.

"When Su Chen left, he still held the Holy Maiden's hand and talked for a while; only after the Purple Yang Sect sent people to chase him away did he reluctantly leave."

Buzz——

This news was like a bolt from the blue, striking Lin Jianran dumb.

Holding hands?

Still reluctant?

How dare that lowly, despicable dog Su Chen be of two minds?

How dare he tug and pull with Liu Liyan?

She would not allow it!

Lin Jianran was thoroughly angered by Su Chen, or perhaps thinking of something, her lovely face turning somewhat ferocious: "I know now, you're trying to play a hard-to-get game with me, right?"

"A few days ago, the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect sent people over to propose marriage, their words hinting that I had accepted Su Chen's love token; those so-called love tokens were nothing, Su Chen forced me to take them, and even if I accepted his gifts, it doesn't mean I accept him! I'm not the kind of woman who likes to climb high branches! As a result, the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect turned hostile on the spot."

"So today he openly went to find Liu Liyan just to make me jealous and force me to agree to this marriage!"

"Tch!"

"Such tactics might work on others, but against me they're still too immature; yet Su Chen actually dares to use such disgusting means to provoke me—I'm really giving him face. I'll make him regret it; for today's matter, I, Miss, will not easily forgive him!"

"If he doesn't kneel and apologize for three days and three nights at the hall's door, there's absolutely no chance between us!"

Lin Jianran had never thought that Su Chen would stop loving her.

Because for these three years, Su Chen's unwavering obedience to her had given her great confidence and courage.

All of this was what Lin Jianran had tested out through countless means.

Liu Liyan is Su Chen's socially matched fiancée; whether in family background, cultivation, talent, or even appearance and ability, she surpasses him in every way.

At first, when Su Chen expressed his love to her, she felt anxious and uneasy; only after realizing that Su Chen would always stand behind her did she begin to grow increasingly unscrupulous.

So!

Lin Jianran was convinced that everything Su Chen did was to make her jealous, yield, and admit defeat.

Su Chen must surely be waiting for me to come to his door to question him; once I go, it will be he who gains the upper hand.

"Miss, what should we do now?"

"The Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect is the greatest sect of the Eastern Wasteland, holding countless resources; before we're sure whether Young Master Ye Xuan will rise, we Lin household cannot abandon this marriage!"

Lin Jianran looked at the steward with an arrogant, utterly certain expression, coquettishly saying: "I'm not refusing him; for a major matter like marriage, what's wrong with testing a man's sincerity a bit more? It makes me seem like a vile person who covets the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect's meager cultivation resources."

"Trying to force me to submit? Absolutely impossible!"

"You go first; in a few days Su Chen will surely be unable to restrain himself and come to my door begging for forgiveness, and then I'll give him a way out—what, are you still afraid you won't be able to handle him?!"

"Yes." The steward's eyes flashed with a hint of realization and understanding, then he withdrew from the hall.

I don't know why……

Looking at his young lady's arrogant, resolute appearance, a strange thought flickered in the steward's eyes.

Thinking;

This time, Su Chen probably isn't just playing around.

But rather…… possibly he has truly given up on the arrogant, pampered Lin Jianran.

At this moment, the happy Su Chen still doesn't know what's happening in the Lin household, let alone that Lin Jianran is foolishly waiting for him to come to her door begging for forgiveness.

He carried eight thousand and seventy-two points from the mall toward the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect; just thinking of the pills, cultivation arts, and ultimate Dao imperial weapons in the Myriad Worlds Mall made Su Chen unable to contain his excitement.

Too bad his future mother-in-law is too fierce; otherwise he could still hold Liu Liyan's hand into the night.

All night, those points couldn't even reach several ten-thousands.

By then, with the ultimate Dao imperial weapon in hand, what would there be to fear from the Son of Destiny, or from sect annihilation?

What need is there for the Thirty-Six Stratagems' 'retreat as the best plan'?

What need to hide one's name and flee like a homeless dog?

Just directly clash head-on with the Son of Destiny! Kill him, and I'll be the true protagonist of heaven's mandate!

"Mother."

"You, you say my younger brother really went to find Liyan? That set of flowing fairy robes was also sent to the Purple Yang Sect as a betrothal gift? He…… he really has let go of that woman Lin Jianran?"

Elder sister Su Lingxue stood dazed in the center of the hall, a mist of tears in her beautiful eyes, her smooth, delicate hands lightly covering her red lips, her eyes full of disbelief.

A plump, graceful middle-aged beautiful woman likewise wore a moved expression, nodding repeatedly with both relief and heartache: "Indeed, that's exactly what the rumors outside say."

"Lin Jianran truly isn't worth him pouring out his heart and soul for; no matter what Mother said before, he never took half of it to heart, dead set on winning Lin Jianran's favor—yet the esteemed young sect master of the Eastern Wasteland's top sect actually debased himself for a mere second-rate family's daughter, something Father never imagined would lose face."

"I hope this time my son has truly…… awakened……"

She just worried.

Su Chen is doing all this only because the last time Lin Jianran rejected his marriage proposal, so he's gone extreme, wanting to stimulate Lin Jianran with this method, intending to use a hard-to-get tactic to force her to submit.

By then, Lin Jianran will not only not submit, but even lower herself; instead, he will have to abandon all dignity and kneel to beg Lin Jianran's forgiveness.

"Mother, I'm back!"

The sudden voice shattered this deathly silent, oppressive atmosphere.

Su Chen entered with a smile, head held high and strides confident.

As soon as he lifted his head, he saw his mother and elder sister both wearing worried expressions as they looked at him: "Mother, Elder Sister, what's wrong with you two? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Younger brother…… I……" Su Lingxue wanted to say something, her expression wanting to speak but stopping.

Su Mu raised her eyes and swept over, interrupting: "Chen'er, Mother recently had the Pill Hall Elder refine a Breakthrough Pill; remember to go to the Pill Hall to collect it, and you must absolutely not let your cultivation fall behind."

This sentence.

It made Su Chen's heart feel as if a warm current slowly flowed through, his eyes a little sore, and he turned his head away.

Over these years he actually understood clearly, understood exactly how many resources the Profound Heaven Dao Sect had lost in the past three years, and even more clearly understood why his father had entered closed-door cultivation and not yet emerged; the disciples' monthly stipends had kept decreasing, and many sect disciples harbored resentment.

The cause of all this was their excessive indulgence of Su Chen; they would rather see the sect's reputation suffer than refuse him, obeying him and meeting all his needs.

Even if—

Even if he took millions of spirit stones to the Divine Weapon Pavilion to buy a Wide-sleeved Flowing Fairy Skirt and gave it to the pretentious Lin Jianran.

He understands all this, he doesn't want it to be this way, but in order to change things—himself being slain by the Child of Destiny, the Profound Heaven Dao Sect meeting its tragic ruin—he can only endure, placing his hope solely on successfully winning over Lin Jianran.

"Mother."

Su Chen curled the corner of his mouth into a smile, walked up to Mother Su, whose black hair was threaded with many silver strands, raised his hand then lowered it again: "From now on I will no longer disappoint your painstaking teachings."

"That bitch Lin Jianran is utterly unworthy to marry into my Profound Heaven Dao Sect!"

"The sect's heavy burden will henceforth be entrusted to me!"

Mother Su's pretty face froze for a moment, then her eye sockets grew moist.

Her eye sockets reddened, her voice choking as she uttered three 'good's in succession.

Su Chen knew his mother hadn't taken his words to heart; no one in the sect realized that the Profound Heaven Dao Sect's crisis was imminent, but it didn't matter—after waiting just three days, everything would change.

Su Chen's mood grew increasingly solemn.

Returning to his sleeping palace, Su Chen immediately murmured in his sea of consciousness: "Open the Myriad Heavens and Worlds Market."