"Chu Xuan, I am truly sorry. During the three years I spent guarding the border, I have already pledged my life to Young Master Wushuang."
"Therefore, we should break off our engagement after all. It is for the best."
"Of course, since I am the one making this request, considering our past relationship, I will compensate you properly. I only hope you will stop pestering me."
Dayuan State.
Langya Prince's Estate.
Lu Xueqing handed a betrothal document to Chu Xuan. Though she spoke words of apology, her expression made it seem as though she had the words "you are not worthy of me" written plainly across her face.
Chu Xuan was a transmigrator. Ever since he had crossed over eighteen years ago into this world where martial arts reigned supreme, he had assumed he would be like the protagonists in the web novels of his past life—awakening some kind of golden finger and sweeping across the entire world.
Yet the reality left Chu Xuan bitterly disappointed. Not only did he fail to awaken any golden finger, but he was born with a ruined martial vein, making him what people called a good-for-nothing incapable of cultivation.
Fortunately, the identity he had crossed over into was extraordinary: he was the youngest son of the Prince of Langya in Dayuan State. Even with a ruined martial vein from birth, he was deeply cherished by the Prince of Langya.
With such a noble background and pedigree, even if he could not practice martial arts, he could still make something of himself using the knowledge from his past life.
Yet ideas and reality always seemed to diverge at crucial moments.
In the year Chu Xuan turned thirteen, the hostile Xiliang Kingdom suddenly launched a massive invasion of Dayuan State. By the command of the sovereign, the Prince of Langya led a million-strong army to meet the enemy.
In a mere nine days, he drove the Xiliang Kingdom's forces into continuous retreat.
However, just as the Prince of Langya was on the verge of total victory, military intelligence was leaked. To cover the army's retreat, the Prince of Langya, along with his accompanying wife and nine sons, all gave their lives on the battlefield.
In the end, of the vast and prominent Langya Prince's Estate, only Chu Xuan was left as the sole surviving root.
They said the world was fickle, and those words were indeed true.
When the Langya Prince's Estate was flourishing, everyone came to fawn and curry favor.
Yet ever since that battle five years ago, despite the fact that the entire family of the Langya Prince's Estate had died with utter loyalty and achieved extraordinary merits, they still suffered all manner of suppression and ostracization.
And Chu Xuan, who was only thirteen at the time, had to shoulder all of it to prop up the entire Langya Prince's Estate.
What Chu Xuan never expected, however, was that even his own fiancée would choose to betray him. The moment she returned from the border, before she had even shed her armor, she came straight to him to call off the engagement—and her reason was stated so directly, without the slightest bit of concealment.
At that moment, Chu Xuan felt a bitter self-mockery, realizing he was nothing more than a joke. All those years of devotion had earned him was a magnificent cuckold's horns.
"Sorry? Compensation?"
"Lu Xueqing, you were originally the daughter of a criminal official. Back then, your father embezzled disaster relief grain, and His Majesty sentenced your entire clan to be executed and your household confiscated. It was I who used the exceptional merits of my Langya Prince's Estate to plead for your entire family before His Majesty, sparing all your lives."
"Afterward, ignoring the risk of being impeached by court officials, I recommended you to enter the military department as a female officer and paved the way for you step by step, which is how you achieved your current success."
"I have done so much for you, and you tell me you are sorry? How do you plan to compensate me?"
Chu Xuan clenched his teeth, every word ringing with force. The final sentence was practically roared out, completely disregarding his status as the Heir of Langya Prince.
After all, no matter who encountered such a thing, it would be impossible to remain calm and collected.
Yet Lu Xueqing showed not a shred of guilt as she said, "I admit that you did indeed do a lot for me. But all of that was of your own volition; I never asked you for anything. If you are going to use those things to carry out moral blackmail against me, I have nothing to say."
That's right, everything had been his own doing, and she, Lu Xueqing, had never actively asked him for a thing.
The problem, however, was that if she had no interest in him, she shouldn't have agreed to this engagement in the first place.
When he was giving, she should have refused decisively and made her feelings clear; that truly would have been for the best.
Yet not only did she accept everything, but after enjoying all the benefits, she came forward to declare that her heart belonged elsewhere. It was utterly sickening.
"Very well, Lu Xueqing, you listen to me carefully. Now it is I who am breaking off this engagement, because a woman as ungrateful and devoid of conscience as you is not worthy of marrying into my Langya Prince's Estate."
"However, back then I followed the proper rituals of the three letters and six betrothals and came to propose in person. Naturally, I must now go through the process once more and take back all of the betrothal gifts from my Langya Prince's Estate.Hearing this, Lu Xueqing froze for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I can return all the betrothal gifts to you, but I am now the Nation-Toppling Grand General appointed by His Majesty. How can I let you cause a disturbance at my General's Estate?"
Chu Xuan said coldly, "What, are you hiding a guilty conscience, afraid that the whole world will see your true face?"
"Insolent!"
Before the echo of Chu Xuan's voice had even faded, a figure rushed in from outside the estate and placed herself in front of Lu Xueqing.
"Chu Xuan, our General has guarded the border and struck awe into all three armies. She has even driven back the Northern Mang Huns so that they dare not violate our Dayuan border by so much as half a step, rendering monumental service to the state."
"Yet you are merely a good-for-nothing incapable of cultivation, relying entirely on the merits and protection of your father and brothers. What qualification do you have to point fingers at our General?"
Chu Xuan recognized the person who had arrived. It was Lin Rong, Lu Xueqing's deputy general, who used to be a street beggar.
Back then, because she had killed someone while fighting with other beggars for food, she ended up in prison, where she happened to be seen by the passing Chu Xuan.
Seeing that she had a measure of daring, Chu Xuan secretly spent money to rescue her and later arranged for her to serve as Lu Xueqing's subordinate.
Now she had also become a military commander in her own right, though he hadn't expected that she and Lu Xueqing truly were birds of a feather—both ungrateful and treacherous.
"A magnificent service to the state, striking awe into all three armies. And what a fine good-for-nothing."
"Lin Rong, don't forget who gave you this life of yours!"
Lin Rong said with utter disdain, "You did save my life, but over these past three years, I have followed the General guarding the border and slain countless enemies. Our General also reported my past matters to His Majesty long ago. Thanks to His Majesty's immense grace, I have atone for my past crimes through my service; I no longer owe any blood debts, nor do I owe you anything."
Pausing for a moment, Lin Rong continued, "Our General is benevolent and righteous, having agreed to compensate you and return the betrothal gifts. You had best not push your luck. Otherwise, with a declining Langya Prince's Estate like yours, what do you have to fight our General with? What do you have to fight Young Master Wushuang with?"
Hearing these words, Chu Xuan laughed—laughing recklessly and without restraint.
He truly was a good-for-nothing, but only until he turned thirteen.
Because five years ago, upon hearing the news that his parents and nine older brothers had died on the battlefield, the standard golden finger for transmigrators had finally arrived.
This golden finger was a plundering ability: as long as he killed someone, he could plunder their martial techniques.
Relying on this ability, the number of people Chu Xuan had killed over the past five years was not small. Furthermore, the moment he killed his first target and plundered their martial technique, his own inborn ruined martial vein had also been repaired.
In the fourteen grades of Martial Dao, Chu Xuan had already reached the peak ninth grade.
For someone of Chu Xuan's age, cultivation at the peak ninth grade could no longer be described as merely talented; it was definitely at the monstrous level.
On top of that, Chu Xuan had all along been secretly developing his own forces.
In other words, the decline of the Langya Prince's Estate was merely a surface phenomenon; in reality, it was not much weaker than it had been five years ago.
However, until he found out who had leaked the military intelligence back then, Chu Xuan would not be foolish enough to expose himself.
Even so, throughout these past three years, Chu Xuan had still closely monitored Lu Xueqing's situation at the border.
Whenever Lu Xueqing encountered danger, Chu Xuan would secretly send people to assist her, helping her turn peril into safety and repeatedly winning military merits.In a mere three years, she had been conferred by the sovereign as the Guo-Overturning Nation Grand General, holding a first-rank official post.
Now, facing such immense humiliation, if Chu Xuan were to endure this, he would have no face to meet his ancestors in the afterlife.
Yet just as Chu Xuan was about to make a move, he suddenly remembered that today was the memorial anniversary of his parents and nine older brothers.
Because he had been too angry just moments ago, he had almost forgotten about it.
His parents and nine older brothers had died in battle on this very day five years ago.
On such an important day, it was not suitable to see blood.
Therefore, Chu Xuan could only swallow his anger for now; after today had passed, he would come back to settle this score.
"Very well. Then keep your dog eyes wide open and watch what I use to fight you. Heiyun, show them out!"