Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 212 - 202: Engagement Break Off Scandal Arises, Difficult Times at Year’s End
"Sheng, this arranged marriage is just ridiculous. We can simply ignore it. I’ve never even met Lin Bu Jing. It was all my grandfather’s nonsensical idea. Don’t worry about it," Tang Bai Wei gently said, holding onto Le Congsheng’s large hand.
"That’s not acceptable. How can we just ignore it? Your parents already exchanged the marriage letters," Le Congsheng said earnestly, looking into Tang Baiwei’s eyes. "I must marry you in style, with a grand procession!"
Feeling the determination of the man she loved, Tang Baiwei was moved and hugged Le Congsheng’s arm, nestling close to him.
It was already night, and the Hundred Joy Restaurant they had opened was nearly closed, with only eight large, red lanterns shining brightly.
Ever since Hong Yuan gave him some pointers, Le Congsheng had cleaned up the back kitchen of the Hundred Joy Restaurant, and business had started to thrive, becoming busier by the day.
It was because of this success that Le Congsheng had mustered the courage to go to the Tang Family to formally ask for Tang Baiwei’s hand in marriage, only to discover that she had been betrothed by the older generation before she was even born.
Sheng’s personality is too direct and unyielding. If we don’t find someone influential to back us up, I’m afraid annulling the engagement might lead to unforeseen problems and create an awkward situation, Tang Baiwei thought, clutching Le Congsheng’s hand tightly as she pondered who to ask for support.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she remembered the extraordinarily composed and resourceful Hong Yuan. With Hong to back us up, annulling this engagement should be simple.
She organized her thoughts and said cautiously, "Sheng, I think we can invite Hong to support us."
At her words, Le Congsheng’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the uneasy Tang Baiwei.
After a moment’s thought, Le Congsheng understood what his beloved was worried about.
He fell silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Red Feather Mansion, Maple Leaf City.
Maple Leaf City was home to three major families: the Xiao Family, the Long Family, and the Lin Family.
In recent years, the Lin Family’s reputation had suffered, primarily because the Family Head, Lin Zhan’s youngest son, Lin Bu Jing, had fallen from a martial arts Heavenly Talent to a waste.
Lin Bu Jing was once highly regarded by an Elder of the Phoenix Creek Sect, who had intended to make an exception and accept him into the Sect.
However, Lin Bu Jing’s painstakingly cultivated Sea of True Essence vanished overnight. Even the quality of his Aperture degraded over time, becoming progressively worse.
His title as a Heavenly Talent was swiftly replaced by the label of ’waste.’
The cold moonlight spilled onto the earth, shining into the window of a small courtyard.
Reflected on the window was the somewhat bleak silhouette of a figure sitting on a bed.
Lin Bu Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, forming specific hand seals.
With each breath, the surrounding Energy Stones transformed into Essence Qi, which then seeped into his body in wisps, nourishing his bones and limbs.
As he cultivated, a strange dark glow radiated from the white Jade Pendant on his chest.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, the strange dark glow quickly dissipated.
This time, I should have returned to the first-tier high level, Lin Bu Jing refocused his mind, inspecting his Aperture.
However, instead of the deep green True Essence indicative of the first-tier high level, he found the light green True Essence of the first-tier low level.
In other words, his diligent practice had not only failed to help him break through from the first-tier mid level to the high level, but he had actually regressed from the mid level to the low level.
So all his relentless, day-and-night efforts were completely in vain!?
"Damn it! This is the True Essence I’ve worked so hard to cultivate!" Lin Bu Jing’s face contorted with anger, his voice sharp. "It’s been almost five years! I... damn it all!"
He clenched his fists tightly, yet he didn’t know who to vent his pent-up rage on.
Opening the window, Lin Bu Jing stared dejectedly at the bright moon in the sky.
The moon was radiant, and the sky was full of stars.
Everything was beautiful—except for him, the waste.
After a brief pause, Lin Bu Jing took a deep breath and resumed his cultivation.
I refuse to believe it! I refuse to believe that I, Lin Bu Jing, am this unlucky!
As Lin Bu Jing closed his eyes, the white Jade Pendant in his embrace radiated a faint yellow light, gradually improving his constitution.
WHOOSH...
Hong Yuan soaked in the waters of the Greenstone Pool, silently polishing his Myriad Silence Origin Body and advancing his cultivation.
His Original Body possessed only an average constitution, incomparable to the Ten Extreme Bodies like the Great Power True Martial Body or the Heavenly River Sword Body.
A Third-Stage Martial Artist undergoes preliminary Body Refinement, enabling their body to take on the characteristics of their elemental True Essence.
For a Fourth-Stage Martial Artist, their constitution solidifies. With sufficient True Essence, they can utilize powerful killing techniques.
Compared to his Sword Tao and Power Tao incarnations, his Original Body progressed with utmost solidity at each step—slowly, but safely.
Body Refinement for Third and Fourth-Stage Martial Artists often leads to accidents, sometimes fatal. It’s completely worth it for me to proceed more slowly, advancing meticulously, Hong Yuan cultivated with this conviction.
In the pool, Hong Yuan stood at the bottom, holding his breath and concentrating. He adopted a stance and began practicing his fist forms.
The water around him felt as heavy and tranquil as a silent waterfall.
Hong Yuan’s movements were smooth; his posture upright and his steps steady. He was firm without being stiff, supple without being weak. Each inhalation and exhalation carried a unique rhythm.
When he moved, he was as graceful as a phoenix spreading its wings—agile and free.
When still, he was like a solitary, silent iceberg in the deep sea.
Within the spacious training room, only his Original Body was cultivating.
The Power Tao incarnation, meanwhile, was perusing various Array Tao and Talisman Tao texts, searching for a method to combine the Four Images Sub-Divine Powers into a true Divine Power.
Two hours later, while Hong Yuan’s Original Body was still cultivating, the Power Tao incarnation closed the books and rose to leave.
Le Congsheng had arrived!
Sure enough, when Hong Yuan reached the courtyard gate, Le Congsheng was walking down Greenstone Street, bathed in the morning sun.
"Yuan, good morning!" Le Congsheng waved, carrying a breakfast food box from the Hundred Joy Restaurant on his shoulder.
Hong Yuan nodded with a smile. "Good morning."
Opening the wooden gate, Hong Yuan welcomed Le Congsheng into the main hall.
The two chatted over morning tea.
After some pleasantries, Le Congsheng, unable to contain his impatience any longer, revealed the purpose of his visit.
"Yuan, Bai Wei has a marriage engagement. It was arranged by those old fogeys before she was even born. I want to take her to annul the engagement, and I was hoping you’d come to back us up," Le Congsheng said earnestly.
Hong Yuan’s eyebrows rose slightly as he probed, "What do Elder Niu and Gao Gou say about this?"
Elder Niu was Le Congsheng’s master, while Gao Gou was his direct senior martial brother.
For those two not to step in, and for me, Hong Yuan, to do so... that seems a bit unconventional,
"Ever since Bo Qing achieved sainthood through combat, both my master and senior brother have gone to the Green Sun Battlefield in Nanyang, seeking a breakthrough to the Martial Saint realm. They won’t be back for four or five years."
Le Congsheng sounded somewhat helpless. "It’s not that I didn’t consider going to the Lin Family in Maple Leaf City with the Tang Family elders. The problem is, the most senior of those old fogeys in the Tang Family values his reputation excessively and told me to handle it myself."
Valuing reputation over family members’ feelings... This reminded Hong Yuan of those stubborn family heads from his past life.
Indeed, prearranged marriages were a feudal superstition.
What is this now? I have to get involved in annulling a marriage too? Do they really take me for the Trustee Heavenly Master, the Owner of All-Things House? Hong Yuan grumbled internally.
After pondering for a moment, Hong Yuan eventually nodded in agreement to support Le Congsheng.
One reason was that it would be his fifth-stage mid-level Power Tao incarnation going; his Original Body would remain safely within the Sect.
Another reason was that, to outsiders, he and Le Congsheng were close, trusted friends, and his reliable nature made people depend on him.
Moreover, Hong Yuan had benefited considerably from this reputation, allowing him to avoid many trivial matters.
The final reason was that he was getting older, and it was about time for him to marry and start a family.
With the year’s end approaching, using this matter as an excuse to go out would allow him to evade the incessant marriage-urging from his master and senior martial brothers.
Being pushed to marry is truly annoying!
Of course, the most important factor was that Hong Yuan had used the Life Lamp Worm to divine the Luck Tao for this trip.
Barring any accidents, he stood to gain some treasures beneficial for his Original Body’s cultivation.
His Original Body’s strength was, indeed, somewhat lacking.
