Aunt Zhang hurriedly explained: "This whole thing just happened so fast, you see. Amin's only requirement is a place to settle down, a home that can hold our future."
Amin looked around the room and spoke up again: "This place is too small. In the long run, it cannot accommodate our lives."
Yun He thought to himself that this matter needed to be handled with care; he could not let this seemingly troublesome marriage disrupt his elder brother's peace.
"Yun Qu, you have already reached the age of thirty. As a delivery cultivator, your status may be humble, but Amin does not mind your poverty—she values only your diligence. She is not tempted by the spirit-chariots and treasure-mansions that others desire, and she has even cast aside a hefty bride price, asking only for fifty thousand spirit stones as a token of sincerity. As for the residence, she is willing to share this small courtyard with you after marriage and have the other cultivators in the family find somewhere else to cultivate."
Yun Qu gently shook his head: "How can that be? I still need to cultivate alongside my younger brother and sister. This courtyard is not mine alone; it is a shared space belonging to all three of us siblings."
Aunt Zhang's expression darkened slightly: "Young man, that is no way to talk. At your age, without a proper place to cultivate, how can you hope to win someone's heart? Your brother and sister have already reached Qi Condensation Success, so wouldn't it be better for them to carve out their own dwelling caves? I advise you, do not let this opportunity slip through your fingers, for it may never come again."
Yun Qu still shook his head: "I wish to cultivate alongside my siblings."
Amin's face grew increasingly gloomy, and she could not help snapping back: "Aunt Zhang, what kind of match are you making here? Didn't I make it clear? There must be a proper place of cultivation of our own. To be crammed into this tiny courtyard, plain-looking and with nothing to my name—enough is enough!"
Every word Amin uttered struck Yun Qu's heart like a heavy hammer. He lowered his head even further, the sense of inferiority clinging to him like a shadow.
Yun Huan leaped up in indignation: "How can you talk to my older brother like that?"
"Isn't it the truth? Who within this vicinity doesn't know that your brother is a man of mediocre talent? I am willing to come to your home already giving you face; I am merely speaking the facts."
"Apologize," Yun He said in an icy tone.
Amin was startled: "Why should I apologize? Your entire family is as stubborn as mules and full of weird quirks."
With that, she turned to leave.
Yun He's burly figure blocked her path, his tone freezing: "Do you not realize your own level of cultivation? You look down on my older brother, yet my older brother wouldn't deign to give you the time of day anyway. But since you called him a man of mediocre talent, you must apologize, or don't even think about leaving this place."
"Who do you think you are, acting so overbearing! I will not apologize, and I'll say it again: your brother is of mediocre talent! Mediocre! Mediocre!"
Yun Qu's face turned paler still, his head sinking lower as the woman's words pierced him so deeply he did not dare to look up.
"Slap!" Without a moment's hesitation, Yun He brought his hand down lightly across the woman's cheek—though, of course, he controlled his strength so as not to cause injury.
"You hit me! You hit a woman—are you even a man?" Amin burst into tears.
Aunt Zhang hurriedly chimed in: "You young man, how can you be so hot-tempered? How can you resort to hitting people? Step aside, or we'll report this to the sect! And Yun Qu, Auntie arranged this match for you and didn't even get to drink a cup of tea—have you prepared that two-hundred spirit stone greeting gift yet?"
"I'll say it once more: apologize." Yun He raised his hand high, a threat in his voice: "Amin, if you do not apologize today, I will make sure you lose every shred of your dignity."
Feeling her cheek, Amin was ultimately overcome with fear and wept, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Only then did Yun He open the door, pushing Amin out and ushering the matchmaker out right behind her. "Do not ever come around matchmaking for my older brother again. In a few days, we are moving back to our grand mansion to cultivate. My older brother is a cultivator of a wealthy household—a match like yours is simply beneath him."
"What rich second-generation heir? Complete nonsense! He can brag right up to the edges of the heavens!" Seeing her path to wealth cut off and the young girl wronged into the bargain, Aunt Zhang flew into a rage and began to curse.
Yun He looked at her coldly and flicked his finger. Suddenly, Aunt Zhang found her throat blocked by some invisible force, unable to make a sound.
"Scram."
The heavy front door slammed shut, and the world instantly grew quiet.
Yun Huan sighed: "Your temper is even fiercer than mine. Aunt Zhang is notoriously sharp-tongued; she's bound to go around spreading gossip everywhere. My older brother's marriage prospects are going to be even harder now. He's already thirty—is he supposed to spend his whole life alone?"
"So this whole mess was your doing? You asked Aunt Zhang to find a match for Big Brother? Look at the trouble you've caused! The woman barely stepped through the door before she wanted to kick us siblings out so she could nest in our place. Even so, she's short, plain, just a servant girl who pours tea, and has such a fiery temper—is my big brother only fit for the likes of her?"
Yun Huan looked deeply wronged: "I've been gone for ten whole years, and Big Brother and I have depended on each other. I just wanted to find a place of belonging for him, was that wrong?"
Yun Qu hurriedly stepped in to mediate: "Stop arguing, stop fighting. I don't care about starting a family; what I care about is harmony among us siblings. Only when a family is harmonious can all things prosper."
Yun He sighed and said, "Give me seven days, and I guarantee I'll let you all live the good life. We'll return to the grand mansion, reclaim our past lifestyle with servants to wait on us, and Little Sister can focus on her Dao in peace. Big Brother won't be looked down upon anymore; he will truly become a dragon among men."
"Save it." Yun Huan had no patience for this; with two older brothers—one simple-and-honest, the other a braggart—why was her lot in life so bitter?
As it turned out, the head of Black Tiger Hall had disappeared inexplicably without leaving a single trace. Hall Master Xiao Lin had sent numerous men to investigate, yet they had failed to find any sign of Wei Zheng. Moreover, Wei Zheng's estate had been reduced to ruins overnight, leading Xiao Lin to believe the matter was far from simple.
He dispatched his trusted subordinate, a Yellow Heaven Realm deputy, to investigate. Finally, a clue emerged: a stranger had been seen on the road leading to Wei Zheng's estate.
Following this lead, he discovered the man was named Yun He. Furthermore, Wei Zheng had been acting under the orders of the young master of the Fang family, attempting to forcibly seize the daughter of a certain family—a family by the name of Yun. It seemed Wei Zheng's disappearance was inextricably linked to this young man named Yun He.
Having established himself in Ningcheng for decades and possessing a wealth of jianghu experience, Xiao Lin caught a whiff of danger. Yun He had just returned from out of town and yet dared to single-handedly oppose Black Tiger Hall; this fellow was undoubtedly extraordinary.
He instructed his deputy, Zuo Tian: "You go and probe Yun He's background first. If he has real capability, try to recruit him; if he cannot be recruited, eliminate him in secret."
Zuo Tian had a lean physique, gloomy eyes, and a ruthless way of doing things. Xiao Lin knew his methods well: he killed without leaving a trace, acting with absolute decisiveness. With Zuo Tian on the task, Xiao Lin could rest easy.