Chapter 102 - 99: Forced Marriage by Visitation

Chapter 102: Chapter 99: Forced Marriage by VisitationThe efficiency of Spiritual Items Workshop didn’t disappoint Ye Xuan, as just a day and a half passed, and by the afternoon of the next day, Nie Tao had the required herbs sent over, with not a single item missing. As for the cost, Ye Xuan didn’t need to worry about that now; he had collected two to three million taels of gold at Black Annihilation Ridge, and had also extorted quite a fortune from Gu Yong, so he was not at all concerned about money. Once the herbs were prepared, Ye Xuan began to concoct the Spiritual Medicine needed to restore his strength. The progress was going even smoother than he had anticipated, and he wondered if he could possibly complete his recovery a day or two ahead of schedule. However, these serene days came to an abrupt end after four or five days when unexpected visitors came to call on Tang Residence. If it had been a trivial matter, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have bothered, but the visitors this time were from the Cao family, and they brought quite a spectacle. Now, with Tang Zhen seriously injured and the entire Tang family being run by the young girl, Tang Xiaoyan, he had to step up to the plate because she certainly couldn’t suppress the situation on her own. By the time he arrived at the front gate of the residence, a large group of Martial Artists had already gathered outside the gates of Tang Residence. These people all wore uniform attire, clearly from the same family – none other than the Cao family, which now had enough clout to dominate Green Sun County. At the entrance of Tang Residence, there was also a considerable assembly of Tang family martial artists, but in terms of momentum, they were significantly weaker. After all, with Tang Zhen severely injured and the family lacking a leader, their confidence was naturally low. If a conflict were to arise now, it would surely not end well for them. Leading the Cao family warriors was a feminine young man holding a folding fan, a faint smile eternally playing on his lips, seemingly in high spirits. "Is that you, Cao Jian? What are your intentions, bringing so many people to my Tang family? Are you trying to start a war?" Seeing the young man, Tang Xiaoyan’s pretty face darkened, and her beautiful eyes undisguisedly showed a hint of disgust. It seemed that Cao Jian caught a glimpse of the loathing exhibited by Tang Xiaoyan, and a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes, but it was well hidden. On the surface, he still wore a smile as warm as a spring breeze, as if he totally disregarded it, shaking his head while laughing, "Although our two families aren’t on the best of terms, that’s due to the conflicts caused by the older generation. Little Yan, I harbor no ill will towards you. I’ve come today to discuss a significant matter with you." "No need, I have nothing to discuss with you." Tang Xiaoyan knew what kind of person the other party was, definitely plotting some scheme, so she refused directly, lest she fall into Cao Jian’s trap. "Hehe, this concerns the lifelong affairs of both of us, how could we not discuss it? Since you don’t want to talk, I will take it as you have agreed." Cao Jian gave a sign to someone beside him and then a path opened up among the warriors, and a dozen large red boxes were carried out – Cao Jian had actually brought the bridal gifts with him. "Dream on! I will never agree to you." Tang Xiaoyan’s face chilled, her almond eyes rounded in anger, her voice cold as she spoke. She hadn’t expected Cao Jian to be so shameless, taking advantage of the fact that the Tang family had lost its leader and coming over to force a marriage. "Not agree?" The smile remained brilliant on Cao Jian’s face, as though he had anticipated Tang Xiaoyan’s refusal. He waved his hand towards the back, and the Cao family warriors started to stir, looking as if they were about to take action. "You will agree today whether you like it or not." His expression suddenly turned sinister, Cao Jian stared at Tang Xiaoyan’s delicate figure, finally revealing his true face – that look in his eyes was like seeing a helpless lamb, intense and greedy. "Insolence!" Just then, a slightly aged blue figure suddenly burst forth from the Tang family’s ranks. Ye Xuan’s gaze also shifted to the newcomer, seeing that it was one of the previously mentioned housekeepers of the Tang family. The elderly man in blue was, indeed, a Seventh Grade Martial Master. After all, the Tang family was a noble clan and even with Tang Zhen down, they still had people who could step forward. "You insolent child, a toad wishing to eat swan meat – do you think our miss is someone you can marry just because you want to? Today, I will teach you a lesson and then let your father, Cao Qiudao, come personally to the Tang Residence to collect you!" The elder in blue suddenly kicked the ground and burst forth, directly approaching Cao Jian’s position, trying to capture the king first and take him down. "Too reckless." Ye Xuan secretly shook his head, the old housekeeper was too anxious, and he feared the result would not be as desired. "Foolish old man." A cold smile surfaced on Cao Jian’s lips. Whoosh whoosh! As expected, just as the blue-clothed elder nearly reached five meters in front of Cao Jian, two powerful auras suddenly exploded from behind the latter, charging out almost instantly, both of them reaching the level of a Seventh Grade Martial Master! Bang! The moment the three clashed, the blue-clothed elder was sent flying backward, coughing up blood, with a weakened aura, obviously having sustained severe injuries. As a common Seventh Grade Martial Master, the blue-clothed elder couldn’t possibly withstand two opponents - he was obviously outmatched. "Old housekeeper!" Tang Xiaoyan and the others hurried to support the blue-clothed elder, looking at him as he continued to cough up blood, a look of anxiety blooming across their faces. Within the Tang Residence, this blue-clothed elder was second only to Tang Zhen in martial prowess. They hadn’t expected Cao Jian to be so cunning, to have two Seventh Grade Martial Masters conceal their aura in advance. As soon as the blue-clothed elder made his move, they launched a lightning-fast attack, incapacitating the blue-clothed elder and clearing the only obstacle. "Do you really take me for a fool? Since I am here to force a marriage, could it be that I did not anticipate someone would try to stop me? Is it not wise to bring a couple of skilled masters just in case?" Cao Jian curled his lips into a smile, completely relaxing. Now, none of the Tang family could pose a threat to him anymore. From this point forward, he could do whatever he wanted. "Little Yan, are you still unclear about my feelings for you? Don’t resist any longer. Once I marry you, my Cao family will naturally stop targeting your Tang family, because we will all be family..." A sinister triumphant smile spread across Cao Jian’s face. "Bastard!" Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaoyan and the others’ expressions changed, and a sense of dread also sank in their hearts. Indeed, the Cao family’s goal was to annex the Tang family. Undoubtedly, once Tang Xiaoyan was married to Cao Jian, such an annexation would become legitimate. "Take Lady Tang away." Cao Jian let out a cold laugh. Once he got her in bed, how he wished to handle Tang Xiaoyan was up to his preference. After he had his way with her, he would naturally become the Tang family’s son-in-law, and the Tang family would become a vassal of the Cao family. Who then could utter a word against it? The Cao family would surely dominate the whole Green Sun County. By then, even if Tang Zhen miraculously recovered, nothing would change the reality. "Yes!" The two Seventh Grade Martial Masters nodded and immediately lunged forward, their palms fiercely reaching out to grab Tang Xiaoyan. However, just as they were about to close in on Tang Xiaoyan, a lean figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his palms meeting the Seventh Grade Martial Masters’ palms in a violent clash. Boom! An explosive sound of an air burst resonated, making all three figures retreat. Yet, the lean young figure only took five steps back before forcefully stopping himself. Then, like a compressed bow launching, his legs sprung him forward. Like a phantom soaring through the air, he flew over the heads of the Cao family members and landed directly in front of Cao Jian. "You..." Cao Jian’s face changed dramatically, and just as he was about to speak, his neck was seized by Ye Xuan, leaving him unable to move. "How audacious!" The two Seventh Grade Martial Masters saw Ye Xuan inconceivably bypass them and subdue Cao Jian. Their faces turned pale as they quickly closed in. "Eh, I’d advise you not to come any closer. Take one more step, and I’ll break Young Master Cao’s neck." A smile appeared at the corner of Ye Xuan’s mouth. The drama was about to unfold once again. "You dare?" With Ye Xuan clasping his neck, Cao Jian’s face turned somewhat red, but he still managed to keep his voice steady. He couldn’t believe that Ye Xuan would actually dare to break his neck. "If I were you, I wouldn’t be asking such a stupid question at this time." Ye Xuan smiled, looking at Cao Jian before suddenly applying more pressure with his hand. Cao Jian immediately found it hard to breathe, quickly succumbing to suffocation, feeling extremely uncomfortable as if he were about to gasp his last breath. Just as he was on the verge of fainting, Ye Xuan suddenly released his grip, allowing Cao Jian to feel like he had just walked a round at the gate of hell, gasping in deep breaths of air and looking at Ye Xuan in horror. This man before him was definitely a madman! Cao Jian had genuinely felt a chill of murderous intent from Ye Xuan, and now he had no doubt that Ye Xuan dared to harm him. "A few days ago, there was a guy named Gu Yong who talked too much and ended up breaking his arm. Don’t make the same mistake as that old fool," Ye Xuan said with a smile. "What, you broke Master Gu Yong’s arm?" Cao Jian remembered, no wonder when he saw Gu Yong yesterday, the latter’s right hand was in a cast. He had asked about it, and Gu Yong casually told him it was an accident. He hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, but now he realized something was off. Gu Yong, a High Rank martial master in his own right, must have been incredibly careless to break his arm for no good reason. Gulp! Unable to help himself, Gu Yong swallowed his saliva. Who was Gu Yong? The Spirit Medicine Master from the Spiritual Items Workshop was a well-known figure in Green Sun County. Yet now, having had an arm broken by Ye Xuan and not making a peep about it, that was unscientific. Could it be that this young man had some significant backing? He didn’t know that Gu Yong had already sought out Ye Xuan, which turned out to be as good as not seeking him at all. He only hoped that he would not encounter Ye Xuan again. If that were the case, he would be grateful to heaven and earth and wouldn’t even think of causing Ye Xuan any trouble. "What do you want?" Cao Jian’s expression fluctuated uncertainly. He had thought he would be able to smoothly take Tang Xiaoyan away today, creating a fait accompli. However, Ye Xuan had suddenly appeared and subdued him without having revealed his true strength, turning the situation around and taking control. "Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you today." Ye Xuan let go of his hand. His intention hadn’t been to harm Cao Jian. His strength had not fully recovered yet, and it wasn’t wise to provoke a direct conflict here, which would lead to a confrontation between the two great families. If it came to blows, the Tang family would undoubtedly be the ones to suffer a crushing defeat. Having been released, Cao Jian let out a sigh of relief. But after the incident, he didn’t dare to be impudent in front of Ye Xuan anymore. Despite his young age, Ye Xuan was a truly ruthless character. "Go back and tell your father, the duel scheduled for ten days from now will proceed as planned. Someone will be there to fight him. Until then, don’t play these pointless little tricks." A gleam of intensity shone in Ye Xuan’s eyes as suddenly, his aura surged, resonating with the surrounding atmosphere and causing a humming sound. "On the platform, let’s decide the winner once and for all."