All the resentment in Qian Renxue's heart stemmed entirely from her yearning for Ye Xuan.
Even though she had rehearsed countless interrogations in her mind beforehand, when faced with Ye Xuan's sheepish smile in the end, she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word of blame.
In truth, the moment he actually appeared before her, more than half of her grievance had already melted away.
And when he humbled himself and offered a ingratiating smile, every last trace of resentment vanished completely.
Right now, the two of them were strolling through the back garden of the Crown Prince's Palace.
"Ye Xuan, you must promise me that this time, once you're back, you aren't just going to leave whenever you please and stay away for so terribly long!"
Ye Xuan stood at attention and saluted. "Ye Xuan swears it to Sister Xue!"
Qian Renxue gave a light huff.
"I hardly dare call myself your older sister anymore. Back when you were just a Spirit King, my rank was still a little higher than yours. But now you're already a Title Douluo while I'm still stuck at the seventy-odd-rank Spirit Saint stage. How can I possibly maintain any elder sister's dignity in front of you?"
Ye Xuan retorted inwardly, *"You didn't have any elder sister's dignity to begin with..."*
"What did you say?"
"An elder sister for a day, an elder sister for life! Never mind that I'm only a mere Title Douluo now—even if I become a god in the future, Sister Xue will always be my elder sister!"
"That's more like it."
Hesitating for a moment, Qian Renxue asked, "Ye Xuan, Grandfather's letter said that you will serve as my guardian until I achieve godhood. Is that true?"
Ye Xuan nodded. "Rest assured, Sister Xue. With me here, even if the deities of the God Realm descend to the mortal world, they won't be able to stop you from becoming a god."
Qian Renxue let out a soft huff. "You certainly don't lack for big talk."
She assumed Ye Xuan said this simply to express his absolute determination to protect her path to godhood, much like saying, *"If anyone wants to stop Sister Xue from becoming a god, they'll have to step over my dead body."*
However, what Qian Renxue didn't know was that Ye Xuan meant those words quite literally.
Even so, this in no way diminished her happiness.
After all, it meant that for a very long time to come, Ye Xuan would be staying right by her side...
Aside from her grandfather, Ye Xuan was Qian Renxue's only living family.
They had grown up together since childhood; in fact, when Ye Xuan was very little, Qian Renxue had practically played the role of a mother to him...
Ye Xuan still vividly remembered how she used to cradle him in her arms and tease him, leaving him with an expression of utter despair while all he got in return was having his cheeks pinched.
Even though he had long been capable of taking care of himself, he remained deeply grateful for Qian Renxue's enduring care.
***
By the afternoon, Qian Renxue had once again disguised herself as Xue Qinghe to attend various banquets.
Ye Xuan did not accompany her, merely dispatching Pufferfish Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo to protect her in secret.
Hailing a carriage, Ye Xuan set off for the headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The clan's headquarters was located in a bustling district of Tiandou City.
Before long, Ye Xuan arrived before the grand gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
He paid the fare and stepped down from the carriage.
Gazing at the towering crimson gates before him, a faint sense of desolation washed over him.
Back when he first transmigrated here, before he had even awakened his Spirit, he had lived right here in Tiandou City and occasionally visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Yet people and things had changed, and everything was gone with the past.
His parents were long gone, and his grandfather had passed away from illness.
In contrast, the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan were even taller and more magnificent than before.
The stone steps were also exceptionally steep, giving one an innate sense of being looked down upon.
Presumably, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had undergone a major expansion.
While the Ye Family had fallen into decline, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan grew increasingly prosperous with each passing day. Shaking these thoughts from his mind, Ye Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The disciples standing guard by the gates immediately blocked his path.
"This is the headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Unrelated personnel are not permitted to enter!"
Ye Xuan froze in surprise. He distinctly remembered sending a letter to Ning Fengzhi in advance, stating that he would arrive this afternoon to fulfill their past engagement. Could Ning Fengzhi have forgotten to inform the gate guards?
Wearing a gentle smile, Ye Xuan replied, "Little brothers, I am not an unrelated person. Did your sect master not inform you? I am here at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to fulfill the marriage pact established years ago."
He did not fly into a rage simply because of the disciples' poor attitude, nor did he feel that *since I am a Title Douluo, you ought to kowtow to my every whim.*
If they had received no prior notification, the guards' actions were entirely understandable.
It was merely a matter of a few words to clear the misunderstanding up.
One of the gate guards scoffed. "A marriage pact? What kind of marriage pact are you talking about?"
"Is it with our young master, or with Miss Ning Rongrong?"
"We two have been veteran disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for quite some time. If there were truly any such marriage pact, how come we've never even caught a whisper of it?"
Ye Xuan's heart sank, a trace of displeasure clouding his brow.
Because what this disciple said actually sounded somewhat reasonable.
Yet it was impossible for his grandfather to have lied to him! Besides, when he was young, he had indeed witnessed Ning Fengzhi visiting his home with his own eyes.
Cupping his fists slightly, Ye Xuan said, "I must ask the two of you to go inside and announce my arrival."
He produced the marriage document and handed it over to the two disciples.
Upon inspecting it, the pair were instantly at a loss.
The crux of the contradiction was that while they suspected this unheralded engagement must be a fake, the signature of Ning Fengzhi on the document appeared utterly authentic.
Ultimately, one of them handed the document back.
"Please wait a moment, sir. I will go inside and report this."
Ye Xuan gave a slight nod.
A short while later, the disciple emerged and said:
"Sir, please follow me."
Guided by the disciple, Ye Xuan entered the interior of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Yet for some reason, Ye Xuan couldn't shake a lingering sense of oddity.
Why was the disciple looking at him with such a strange expression?
Logically speaking, shouldn't they have become instantly deferential? Ah well, once inside, he would find out.
***
Meanwhile, inside a reception hall within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The Shrek Seven Devils were gathered together.
Judging by the expressions on their faces, they seemed to have just finished venting their righteous indignation over something, every single one of them looking utterly furious, as if someone owed them a fortune.
The little witch Ning Rongrong complained:
"That's how the whole thing goes. I just told you all about it—actually, my father had never mentioned it to me before either. But a few days ago, that Ye Xuan suddenly sent a letter to my father claiming that he had spent the past dozen years solely focused on cultivation, and now that he has achieved some minor success, he's come to fulfill our old marriage pact."
"It's utterly disgusting. My father said he previously thought the guy was already dead, which is why he never brought it up with me. Who would have thought he'd still be alive?"
"If you ask me, he might as well be dead!"
"I have no desire to be engaged to someone I don't even know!"
As Ning Rongrong spoke, disgust and aversion were plastered across her face, as if she had been entangled by some filthy, grimy thing that she couldn't shake off no matter how hard she tried.
Her gaze swept covertly toward Tang San and Oscar.
Oscar was seething with anger, while Tang San furrowed his brow in deep thought...
These two were both prime candidates on Ning Rongrong's ideal list of romantic prospects.
She wanted nothing to do with some stinking marriage pact.
An orphan from a minor affiliated branch family—what kind of future could he possibly have? Word has it he's even seven years older than her. How ridiculous...