Chapter 124: Delivering the Marriage Proposal, a Truly Astounding Feat

“Reached the fifth rank?”

The moment Sun Da finished speaking, Qiu Yan was so shocked that he nearly fell from his chair. His eyes filled with panic.

“Old Snake… are you saying he truly won’t be coming back?”

“I’m afraid his chances are slim.”

Sun Da trembled faintly. He knew they had made a serious mistake.

Though the master was a fourth-rank martial artist, there were not many fifth-rank experts under his command. Those men were all pillars of the family. Now that one had been lost for no reason, the master’s fury would soon descend upon him and the young master.

Boom!

As expected.

The door was blasted apart by a surge of force. A man in a dark green robe strode inside. He possessed an awe-inspiring presence without needing to show anger, with a thick black beard and a weathered face filled with murderous menace. He looked more like a ferocious demon than a man.

“Father… Father!”

Qiu Yan hurriedly rose from his chair. His face was pale with terror, his features twisted in panic.

“You came up with the idea?”

The magistrate of Tiger Prison County, Qiu Tieying, cast a chilling gaze upon Sun Da, who was kneeling on the floor.

“Yes… yes, it was this lowly one’s idea.”

Sun Da’s voice shook. Kneeling on the ground, his entire body quivered uncontrollably, and his face had gone deathly pale.

The atmosphere in the room was oppressive to the extreme.

“You worthless cur.”

Qiu Tieying slapped Sun Da across the face.

The terrifying force shattered Sun Da’s skull, sending blood and brains flying in every direction. His skull, still attached to scraps of flesh and hair, slammed into Qiu Yan’s body.

Blood gushed everywhere. Sun Da’s body collapsed heavily to the floor and fell silent, though it continued to twitch.

“Gulp…”

Staring at the gruesome scene before him, Qiu Yan secretly swallowed. His eyes were filled with panic, terrified that his father might give him the same treatment.

“Heh.”

“You have decent luck. You were born into the Qiu family, so you won’t have to die.”

“When you leave later, send the women in your chambers and your concubines to my room. Consider that your punishment for this matter.”

Qiu Tieying’s tone was icy.

“Yes, yes, yes. I’ll take care of it as soon as I return.”

Qiu Yan’s heart ached, but he was helpless.

“Old Snake is dead. I can’t let you off so easily. Go back and see your mother. I broke one of her legs. Let that serve as your warning.”

After saying this, Qiu Tieying turned and left. When he reached the doorway, he looked back, his voice laced with killing intent.

“If there is a next time, I will kill your mother.”

Watching his father’s retreating back, Qiu Yan trembled faintly, whether from rage or fear, he could not say.

Within the room, the sounds of smashing and breaking rang out one after another, accompanied by Qiu Yan’s incessant howling.

…

“Master, is this matter really going to end here?” a guard asked as Qiu Tieying stepped outside.

“That fellow from the Su family has only just entered the fifth rank, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, he has only just reached the fifth rank.”

“The sinister energy in Senior Shen’s tomb is almost completely dissipated. Once this matter is settled, we will deal with that ignorant brat.”

“Hmph. Does he think he can kill members of my Qiu family whenever he pleases?”

Qiu Tieying had spent many years in office, and the authority and viciousness he naturally possessed had only grown more imposing with time.

…

Within Yanggu County.

Zhao Wanying of the Zhao family was the first to receive the marriage proposal. He immediately summoned his daughter, Zhao Hongyan.

Although marriages were traditionally arranged by matchmakers and decided by parents, Zhao Hongyan had possessed a strong will since childhood. Whenever anything important arose in the family, they would usually listen to her opinion.

She was also his only daughter, and he had always doted on her.

“Father, I refuse.”

After reading the marriage proposal, Zhao Hongyan immediately rejected it.

“If he wishes to marry me as his wife, I will agree. But if he only wants me as a concubine, how can you expect your daughter to accept?”

“Daughter, look at the two lines at the bottom.”

Seeing his daughter’s resistance, Zhao Wanying placed the proposal before her once more and pointed to the final two lines.

I, Su Yang, shall reach the fourth rank within half a year. Otherwise, this marriage agreement is void.

The day I enter the fourth rank shall be the day I marry the Zhao family’s daughter.

“Within half a year?”

As she stared at those two lines, a strange radiance appeared in Zhao Hongyan’s eyes. Her slender, pale fingers trembled slightly around the document.

He had only just entered the fifth rank, yet he intended to reach the fourth rank within half a year?

If it had been anyone else, Zhao Hongyan would certainly have considered it arrogant. But when it came to Su Yang…

It truly seemed possible.

After all, it had taken Su Yang only a few short months to break through from the sixth rank to the fifth. She had also heard that he had entered the ninth rank only half a year ago.

In half a year, he had surged from the ninth rank all the way to the fifth.

She had genuinely underestimated him. Perhaps she had simply been blinded by anger because Su Yang wanted to take her as a concubine.

A man like that might even reach the first rank before the age of thirty.

Becoming his concubine did not seem so unacceptable.

Besides, if he could not reach the fourth rank within half a year…

Given Su Yang’s momentum, he would almost certainly achieve it.

After pondering for a long while, Zhao Hongyan bit her lip.

“Father, I agree.”

Zhao Hongyan had seen plenty of the world.

She had spent years in the Su residence and had even traveled throughout Jiangzhou, meeting many young martial artists of extraordinary talent. There were plenty who had reached the fifth rank in their twenties, but all of them had begun practicing martial arts from childhood to achieve such results.

She had never encountered anyone who had risen from the ninth rank to the fifth within half a year.

The world was vast.

But at least throughout all of Jiangzhou, there had never been anyone like that.

In the end, reason triumphed over impulse. Zhao Hongyan decided to marry Su Yang. In the future, she might even bring honor and protection to her maternal family.

At the very least, this small Yanggu County would probably never be able to contain Su Yang.

“Excellent, excellent. I’ll go give them our answer at once.”

Zhao Wanying was a fifth-rank martial artist. Though he had been a hundred times unwilling to let his daughter become someone’s concubine, he had only objected to her becoming the concubine of a man of equal standing.

If she were to become the concubine of a future prefect, or even a high-ranking frontier official, there would naturally be a hundred reasons to agree.

The Zhao Wanying who had once detested Su Yang so deeply that he had nearly killed him now felt nothing but affection for the young man.

What a promising son-in-law!

With the support of such an excellent son-in-law, he would certainly be able to rise even higher.

…

Within the county office.

Magistrate Ma also received the marriage proposal.

“Father, although that young man from the Su family possesses extraordinary martial talent, asking my sister to become his concubine is truly insulting, isn’t it?”

“It’s gone too far.”

“Whatever else may be said, Father, you are the head of an entire county, a lord over a hundred li!”

Magistrate Ma’s son said angrily, “Besides, my sister is extremely proud. If she learns that she is being asked to become someone’s concubine, she might smash her head against a pillar and kill herself.”

Smack!

The next moment, Magistrate Ma tossed the marriage proposal in front of his son.

“Read it carefully. What does it say?”

His son, Ma Ji, looked puzzled but picked up the document anyway. At first glance, it seemed no different from an ordinary marriage proposal.

That was, until he noticed the final two lines.

“Heh. Reaching the fourth rank within half a year? This boy is far too arrogant. Father, do you believe him?”

Ma Ji could not help mocking him.

“I do.”

Magistrate Ma, dressed in a dark green official robe, nodded solemnly.

Ma Ji’s ridicule abruptly stopped.

“Father… you believe him?”

“Do you know how long it took Su Yang to rise from the ninth rank to the fifth?”

“How long?”

Ma Ji had only recently arrived in Yanggu County and knew little about what had happened.

“Within half a year, he advanced from a ninth-rank martial artist to a fifth-rank martial artist. So tell me—if he has another half-year, can he advance from the fifth rank to the fourth?”

The moment Magistrate Ma finished speaking, Ma Ji drew in a sharp breath. His eyes widened.

“No… no way.”

“He advanced from the ninth rank to the fifth within half a year?”

“How did he manage that?”

Magistrate Ma carefully folded away the marriage proposal and continued.

“He is also a licentiate. He is only twenty this year. In the future, he may even pass the metropolitan examination and become a county magistrate right from the start.”

“Your father is already over forty, yet I am still only a county magistrate.”

“This…”

Only now did Ma Ji truly begin to regard this peer of his with awe. Great waves surged through his heart, and he was unable to calm himself for a long while.

That young man was simply too extraordinary.

If things truly developed as expected, Su Yang’s rise to prominence was almost certain. Forming a marriage alliance with him now and investing in his future might elevate the entire Ma family to heights it had never reached before.

“Father, this brother-in-law of mine is certainly impressive, but my sister is proud. What if she refuses to become his concubine?”

Ma Ji wore a worried expression.

“The last time you asked her to become a prefect’s concubine, she threatened to kill herself. Su Yang is still only a fifth-rank martial artist, after all.”

“Go ask your sister. I’ll give the Su family our answer.”

A rare smile appeared on Magistrate Ma’s stern face, and he walked toward the reception hall.

Ma Ji, meanwhile, was deeply unsettled. He went to his elder sister’s chambers and told Ma Qingci everything.

Tap, tap, tap!

The next moment, a graceful figure hurried out of the room. She lifted the curtain, her features as exquisite as those of a celestial maiden, and asked with a radiant smile:

“Is that really true?”

“It is.”

“Wonderful!”

“I never thought Master Su would truly take a liking to me.”

A trace of maidenly longing appeared on Ma Qingci’s face. Ma Ji stared at her in bewilderment.

“Sister, weren’t you unwilling to become anyone’s concubine? When Father wanted you to marry that prefect, you refused.”

“Hmph. Do you know how old that prefect was? And he looked like a toad.”

“How old is Master Su? And his appearance suits me perfectly. So what if I become his concubine? Your sister will certainly become Master Su’s beloved concubine.”

“Besides, Master Su is only twenty, yet he can already sit at the same table and dine with Father. In another ten years, he may be able to sit at the same table with that prefect. Ten years after that, the prefect may only be qualified to come and toast him.”

Ma Qingci spoke with complete confidence.

“This… all right.”

Ma Ji truly had not expected that his elder sister, who had always thought as highly of herself as the heavens, would one day be conquered by a man.

What Ma Ji did not realize, however, was that Ma Qingci had been conquered by Su Yang’s immortal-like face and his impressive potential.

But it was his appearance that mattered most.

…

“Chief, it seems we were worrying needlessly when we set out. Not only were we spared a beating, but we were even given quite a lot of silver.”

One of the martial masters accompanying Li Wild Ox to deliver the marriage proposals wore a delighted expression.

“Yes. I never imagined our master would be so impressive. He wants the daughters of wealthy families to become his concubines, and every one of them is rushing to agree, as if they are afraid of missing their chance.”

Li Wild Ox now admired his master from the bottom of his heart.

He was truly incredible. If only he could one day…

Forget it. He probably had no hope of that in this lifetime.

“Chief, the first two families were fine, but I feel something is wrong with the last one.”

“That’s right. The first two are unmarried young ladies, after all. But the daughter of the Lin family is already married, while our master insists on taking her as his concubine. This… this… surely we really will be beaten?”

The two Su family martial masters wore troubled expressions. That was precisely why the Lin family had been left for last.

“It’s fine. We’ll leave immediately after delivering it.”

Li Wild Ox was uneasy as well. Perhaps it would be best not to enter at all. He could hand the proposal to a servant and leave at once.

Before long, Li Wild Ox handed the marriage proposal to the Lin family steward and hurried away.

Lin Xuanshan was sitting in the courtyard with his disciple, Lin Lang, watching a performance of music and dance. His lecherous eyes roamed up and down the lead performer of the evening as he contemplated how he would spend the night.

At that moment, the steward hurried in.

“What is it?” asked Lin Lang, a fifth-rank martial artist.

Lin Xuanshan himself was only a sixth-rank martial artist. It was his son, Lin Lang, who had reached the fifth rank first and now supported the entire Lin family.

“Young Master, it is a marriage proposal from the Su residence,” the steward replied.

“Give it to my father.”

After Lin Lang spoke, Lin Xuanshan turned toward the steward.

“Judging by this, one of my daughters must have caught the eye of that rising star at yesterday’s banquet.”

“Fortunately, all the girls in my family are illegitimate daughters. Even if one of them becomes a concubine, it will not be a problem.”

With that, he opened the marriage proposal the steward had handed him.

The moment he saw the name written on it, Lin Xuanshan was completely stunned. He even rubbed his eyes forcefully before looking again, needing to make certain he had not read it incorrectly.

“Father, what is wrong?”

Seeing his father’s expression, Lin Lang stepped forward curiously.

“You… you take a look.”

Lin Xuanshan handed him the marriage proposal.

“What?”

“Lin Tingyu?”

“Eldest Sister?”

When Lin Lang saw the name written on the document, as well as the words identifying her as the eldest daughter born to a concubine of the Lin family, he was just as stunned as his father.

After a long while, the two men finally recovered.

“Father, what exactly does Su Yang mean? Eldest Sister is already married. Could this be a mistake?”

Lin Lang asked.

“It cannot be a mistake. If only the name had been wrong, that would be possible. But how could he also have mistaken her status? That would be far too great a coincidence.”

Lin Xuanshan turned to the steward.

“Where are the people from the Su residence?”

“They have left.”

“When?”

“Just now.”

“Go after them and ask whether the marriage proposal contains an error. We must not allow this to become a misunderstanding.”

“Yes!”

The steward hurried out with the proposal.

…

Lin Lang and Lin Xuanshan waited anxiously.

An alliance with the Su family would naturally be an excellent thing. The Lin family was new to Yanggu County and had yet to establish a firm foundation. If they could join forces with the Su family, their position in Yanggu County would become as solid as a rock.

But…

The idea that Su Yang wanted to marry Lin Tingyu had truly been beyond anything they could have imagined.

Before long, the steward caught up with Li Wild Ox and personally confirmed the matter. Su Yang truly did intend to marry Lin Tingyu, the eldest daughter born to a concubine.

Only then did he hurry back and report everything to his master and young master.

“What exactly is Su Yang plotting? Why would he want to marry the eldest daughter of the Lin family?”

Lin Lang was so shocked that his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

P.S. The next chapter will be posted at midnight, as usual.

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