Then, Ye Xian's eyes landed on Ye Shen again, noticing a subtle shift.
Across the table, Ye Shen's hand clenched tightly under the table, his knuckles turning white. His face remained composed, but a flicker of rage in his eyes gave him away.
'How… how is that trash Ye Xian still alive?!' Ye Shen seethed inside. 'I sent two men to kill him. Both of them have higher cultivation then him. He shouldn't be here! There's been no word from them—did they run off with the silver?!'
His eyes flickered between Ye Xian and Meng Pan, dark with jealousy and fear.
'And now… the worst possible outcome. That woman—my dream—is going to become his wife? Even if she's crippled below her waist , she still had her uses. I was going to use her to climb higher in life! But that bastard Ye Xian… how is he still alive?! Everything's falling apart!'
Ye Shen bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his fury.
'Go ahead and smile, Ye Xian. I swear, I'll wipe that smirk off your face soon enough. I'll kill you.'
His nails dug into his palm as hatred brewed like poison.
Meanwhile, Ye Xian, unaware of the full extent of Ye Shen's thoughts but noticing his clenched fists and burning eyes, let a small smirk rise to his lips.
'How amusing…'
Though Ye Shen thought he was hiding it well, Ye Xian could see his true feelings as clear as day.
As the meal went on, Ye Tian finally brought up the topic everyone had been waiting for. He set down his cup and looked at Ye Xian with a serious but affectionate gaze.
"Ye Xian, there is something important I need to tell you."
Ye Xian sighed inwardly. Here it comes.
Ye Tian turned to Ye xian and explained, "A few generations ago, the Meng and Ye clans were very close. They agreed that if one had a daughter and the other a son, the two would be married.
But fate always interfered. Sometimes one family only had sons, other times only daughters—so the chance never came. But now, the Meng patriarch has come to fulfill that old promise. Ye Xian has grown, and it's time. The wedding will take place one year from now, when Ye Xian turns eighteen."
The room went quiet.
Meng Pan smiled and nodded. "I was hoping you would agree. My Xueqing is a proud daughter of the Meng Clan. This marriage will not only honor the old agreement, but it will also strengthen the bond between our two families."
All eyes turned to Ye Xian. Meng Pan wasn't really asking for Ye Xian's agreement—he was subtly warning them. If the marriage went ahead, the Ye Clan would rise in status. But if it was rejected, it would mean a feud between the two clans—and the Ye Clan would surely regret it.
Ye Xian thought of Sheng Qianying. He had made plans for their future—after reaching a certain cultivation level, he'd leave with her to another city and start anew. His heart stayed calm as he responded.
"I think I'm still too young. This marriage is too soon for both of us."
Ye Tian broke into a cold sweat. Ye Feng choked on his food. Ye Shen sat there dumbfounded—he was desperate to marry Meng Xueqing, and here Ye Xian was, delaying the marriage with ease.
Ye Xian wanted to reject the proposal outright, but he couldn't do it directly—it would've been a huge insult to the Meng Clan, like slapping them in the face.
Instead, he carefully chose to delay the wedding. His goal was to buy time—maybe two or three years—until he became strong enough to leave with Sheng Qianying.
Meng Pan's smile was polite, but a brief flicker crossed his expression. He quickly composed himself, masking it with a calm demeanor as he asked, "What do you think, Patriarch Ye? Early marriages often bear sweet fruit. Don't you think?"
Meng Pan was clearly warning them. He glanced at Ye Tian and Ye Feng, who were already sweating and nodding nervously like a chicken pecking grain.
"Yes, yes, you're right patriarch Meng!" Ye Feng said, trying to recover.
"Young cultivators should marry early! That way, they can produce strong heirs while still young!"
Meng Pan's face grew serious. He stared at Ye Feng, wondering if he really couldn't think of a better words.
'This fool. Can't he come up with something more mature?' Meng Pan thought, annoyed.
Ye Xian looked at Ye Shen and Sheng Qinhua, both of whom had complicated expressions. Clearly, neither of them wanted him to end up marrying Meng Xueqing.
'Why the sudden rush now? Why didn't you arrange the marriage earlier—back when your daughter was soaring like a dragon? But now that she's crippled below the waist, you want to tie her to someone you think is weak and easy to control? Someone who'll blindly obey your every word?'
Ye Xian really wanted to say this to Meng Pan, but he restrained himself. He didn't know how Meng Pan would react in rage—especially when a single slap from the Meng Pan could easily kill someone as young and weak as him.
Ye Tian quickly tried to smooth things over. "Patriarch Meng, don't worry. Just let us know when you want the wedding to be held."
Meng Pan chuckled, then suddenly said, "Next month."
Everyone was stunned.
Ye ling'er eyes widened in shock. When Ye Xian had said he was too young to marry, she had felt a bit relieved—but now, her heart sank again.
When Ye Xian heard "next month," his expression stiffened slightly. He was just about to speak—to reject the proposal politely—when Ye Tian quickly interrupted him.
"Of course, Patriarch Meng! Next month it is. The wedding date is fixed. No one can break this engagement now, so please don't worry."
Ye Tian and Ye Feng were both watching Ye Xian intensely, silently warning him not to say a word. Their expressions practically screamed, Sit down and stay quiet!
Ye Feng and Ye Tian were clearly nervous, afraid Ye Xian might blurt something out and ruin the entire agreement.
Ye Xian was furious inside, but he forced himself to stay calm.
When Meng Pan heard Ye Tian and Ye Feng's agreement, he smiled and laughed heartily.
"Very good, very good! This is a joyous occasion. Ye Xian accept this small gift ."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a ring—it wasn't just any ring, but a spatial ring.
"This ring contains 20,000 ki stones," Meng Pan announced.
Everyone in the room was shocked.
20,000 ki stones?! That amount was equal to an entire month's worth of cultivation resources for the whole Ye Clan.
Ye Xian was especially surprised. Due to his stepmother Sheng Qinhua interference, he was only given about 300 ki stones each month. Now Meng Pan was handing over 20,000 like it was nothing!
"This is just a small gift," Meng Pan said with a wave of his hand, placing the ring in front of Ye Xian.
Ye Tian and Ye Feng's eyes lit up like stars when they saw the gift. They were clearly delighted.
Ye Tian quickly said, "Ye Xian, this is a generous gift from Patriarch Meng. Accept it with gratitude."
Ye Xian hesitated. He didn't want to take it. The ring felt like a chain—accepting it meant accepting the marriage, and he still didn't want to marry Meng Xueqing.