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"But your father already agreed."

"Well... then I'm here to reinstate the contract!"

"…"

He Chensheng wondered if he was hearing things.

What charm did that brat have to make Ruoning still obsessed with him after ten years, even insisting on marrying him?

But while He Chensheng was still reeling from the surprise, sitting opposite, Yino's aunt suddenly interrupted:

"You must be joking! Marriage isn't a game! We tore up the contract years ago, and now you want to sign it again? Do you think the He family is a marketplace for breeding dogs?" Xinyao was clearly upset.

Before anyone knew it, her face had turned as red as Ruoning's, and they were glaring at each other, looking very much like old rivals.

"Shut up! Can't you keep your old mouth shut?" Ruoning snapped back, turning to face Xinyao, clearly offended by the insult.

She crossed her arms, puffing out her chest to show off the growth she'd had over the past ten years, and squinted her eyes with a cold sneer:

"Yino's father is here, not some aunt who can butt in whenever she wants!"

"Old woman? I've been with Yino for sixteen years, so what if I'm old?" Xinyao didn't seem to mind the 'old woman' comment, instead, she snorted with pride.

As a young spirit, she was far from old, and only truly aged and shriveled women would get angry at being called old.

"And who told you he's his father-"

Xinyao almost blurted out the rest, but she quickly glanced at He Chensheng on the stage, bit her lip, and shut up, returning to her seat.

"Fine! I won't argue with you. You deal with his dad if you want to proceed with the marriage."

Xinyao snorted, closing her eyes with a look of confidence.

At the same time, Ruoning felt a sudden tension, as if sensing something in the other woman's composure.

She quickly turned to He Chensheng, her expression softening from hostility to the charming neighbor girl she used to be.

"Uncle, you always favored me when I was a child... Surely you wouldn't mind me becoming your daughter-in-law now, right?"

Ruoning spoke earnestly, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

But as she finished, the atmosphere in the He family hall fell into an awkward silence. Thinking of Yino's unusual bloodline, He Chensheng sighed and shook his head gently:

"Let's forget it."

"Why?"

Ruoning was shocked.

Before coming to the He family, she had spent countless nights plotting how to manipulate Yino.

Who could have thought she'd trip over the very premise of the marriage contract?

"That doesn't make sense! I, Liu Ruoning, am a perfect match for the He family! I've got the looks and the talent, and I'm skilled in everything from music to painting and even cultivation. In Jiangnan, people are lining up from the east to the west just to court me..."

"And Yino? He's just a useless waste! I heard he hasn't made any progress, he's even turned into some kind of playboy in Luo City!"

"Uncle, aside from me, which other noble family would even consider marrying their daughter to Yino?"

"Would me becoming your daughter-in-law really bring shame to the He family?"

The more Ruoning spoke, the angrier she got, forgetting all about her noble upbringing and speaking her mind.

In her mind, it was a fact! She thought she was doing the He family a favor by agreeing to marry Yino, yet here they were, seemingly looking down on her!

"True, Ruoning is young and talented, why does she have to be tied to my son..."

He Chensheng, as the head of the family, should have been authoritative, but now he was speechless in the face of Ruoning's direct questioning.

The answer was simple: Yino's

real mom

from the Western Region didn't allow him to marry a human woman.

He Chensheng was just an adoptive father; he didn't have the right to decide.

"But... I just like Yino!"

Before long, Ruoning's eyes were red with tears.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense again.

He Chensheng thought of a way to shift the focus:

"Perhaps when Yino comes back, I'll have him talk to Ruoning face to face? If he agrees, then we won't have any objections."

"Really?"

Ruoning's eyes widened in hope, as if she'd just found the perfect solution.

But quickly, she sensed something off in He Chensheng's uncertain words:

"What do you mean when he comes back? Has he gone drinking at the Phoenix Pavilion again? I'll wait for him at the He family!"

"No, he's at the Wuji Sect right now."

"Wuji Sect???"

Ruoning's face fell just as quickly as it had brightened, looking as if she'd just been told the sky was falling again.

And then, she turned to look at Xinyao, who was sitting there, smiling without saying a word:

"Why are you looking at me? I never said he was at the Grand Tutor's mansion!"

"I'll go to the Wuji Sect and bring him back!"

Ruoning was getting heated, clenching her fists to leave.

Xinyao's face showed a hint of unease, but she still managed a knowing smirk:

"Forget it. Going to the Wuji Sect would just be a waste of time."

"Huh?" Ruoning stopped in her tracks, looking at Xinyao with suspicion.

Xinyao snorted at her clueless expression:

"You don't really think Yino is still the cultivation waste from your childhood, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that just days ago, Yino achieved a third-tier merit at the Wuji Sect. Right now, even the sect leader and the head of the Immortal Alliance branch are publicly honoring him!"

"Third-tier merit?"

Ruoning's eyes widened, as if she'd just heard an astronomical figure.

She had been diligent in her cultivation in Jiangnan for over ten years, and her highest achievement was winning first place at the Xuan Competition, receiving a symbolic third-tier merit from the Immortal Alliance branch.

From what the elders told her, such merit was usually reserved for those who had made significant contributions in fighting against evil cults!

"How could Yino earn such a merit by fighting against evil cult members?"

Ruoning stood with her hands on her hips, her imagination failing to grasp how such a feat could be attributed to Yino.

Xinyao didn't bother to explain, just sat there with a smile, her lips tightly shut.

And just when the room was silent, a clear, cheerful laugh came from outside:

"Old friend, our Yino has been making waves at the Wuji Sect recently!"

Ruoning turned to see the Wuji Sect leader's gaze meeting hers.