Chapter 50: Retraction of Engagement and the Three-Year Agreement

Ning Changjiu didn't know why things had turned out this way.

Zhao Xiang'er was equally puzzled. According to her plan, she would present the marriage contract, reveal his master's lineage, and force him to admit it. She only wanted to get a glimpse of her fiancé and then discreetly return the contract. But Ning Changjiu, inexplicably, played dumb in front of so many people.

In a fit of anger, she declared her intention to annul the engagement, hoping to provoke him.

To her surprise, the young man remained calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

His composure infuriated her even more, but in such a public setting, she couldn't show her anger, so she feigned calmness.

Ning Changjiu, of course, was also caught off guard by her words. From his perspective, this entire situation was nothing but a misunderstanding. What did her annulment have to do with him?

At most, he could agree to it, which would hopefully force his elusive junior brother, who had been hiding in the shadows, to finally show himself.

As Zhao Xiang'er stared at him, a hidden fire burned in her eyes: "You still won't admit it?"

"Very well then," she thought. "Since you are the whetstone my mother chose, I'll see if you are truly worthy..."

When Ning Changjiu heard the challenge, his heart skipped a beat. Was this a case of collateral damage from a fire?

Zhao Xiang'er saw that he was still hesitant to respond and thought, "In front of so many people, does this young Daoist lack even this much courage?"

Ning Changjiu gave her an innocent look, thinking, "For my junior sister, and by extension, for your State of Zhao, I was severely injured and haven't fully recovered. Isn't challenging me now like taking advantage of my weakness? No... I shouldn't accept a challenge at any time. Life is precious, time is priceless, and spiritual energy is hard-earned. How could I waste it like this?"

Zhao Xiang'er's chest rose and fell slightly. The dark dragon robe, which enveloped her petite figure, stirred on its own without any wind, swaying gently. The dragon and phoenix scales and feathers embroidered on it seemed to flutter, as if about to take flight from the fabric.

Even though her face remained calm, everyone present could sense her anger.

Ning Changjiu helplessly watched the furious young woman before him, feeling increasingly innocent.

Ning Xiaoling looked up, her small mouth agape, her cute, innocent face staring blankly at the brother and sister who were locked in a gaze. She knew they were engaged in some communication she couldn't understand. "Hmm... she really is the girl I picked out for my senior brother," she thought. "They truly have a connection."

Lu Jiajia's expression was equally complex. From the shock of the marriage contract's appearance to her current state of utter confusion, she wanted to say something to break the awkward silence, but her lips parted only to close again, and she ultimately held back her words.

"Are you afraid to fight?" Zhao Xiang'er finally spoke.

Ning Changjiu replied, "I am not."

Zhao Xiang'er raised an eyebrow. "That's not bad then."

Ning Changjiu said, "I concede."

Zhao Xiang'er angrily retorted, "Are you toying with me?"

Ning Changjiu explained, "In my current physical condition, how could I possibly be a match for Your Highness?"

Zhao Xiang'er was genuinely getting angry now. She said earnestly, "Of course, I won't take advantage of you. Once your injuries have healed, we can meet for a battle on the peak of Nine Spirits Platform, on the night of the full moon. How about that?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "I haven't even begun cultivation."

Zhao Xiang'er's brows furrowed. She knew he wasn't lying; she had repeatedly examined his body the day before. He hadn't yet entered the Profound realm.

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "Then what do you propose?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Your Highness doesn't want to get married, and neither do I. If this marriage contract truly belongs to me, then annulling it would be fine. But what if Your Highness is mistaken? I have no reason to help someone else annul their engagement. Besides, once today is over, everything will be fine. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhao Xiang'er took a deep breath, her delicate nose twitching slightly, and her thin lips curved into a wry, angry smile. "To be honest," she said, "I don't care about this marriage contract anymore. I just want to beat you up."

Ning Changjiu was speechless.

He had no idea what had happened in such a short time.

The junior disciple—who, according to his deduction, should have appeared, or, with a very small probability, the junior sister—still hadn't shown up.

He could clearly sense their presence...

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes, thinking, "Since it's come to this, I might as well force you to reveal yourself." He then asked, "Did Your Highness say you don't care about this marriage contract?"

Zhao Xiang'er nodded.

"Very well," Ning Changjiu said. "Then *I* wish to annul the engagement!"

Zhao Xiang'er's delicate eyebrows shot up. "What did you say?"

Ning Changjiu explained, "When I was very young, I did indeed receive a marriage contract, but I don't have it with me now. One day, when I return and retrieve it, I will present it back to Your Highness. Your Highness just said that all this is too coincidental, and I... I wholeheartedly agree. I've often wondered what my future wife would be like. Seeing Your Highness now fills me with joy, but our paths diverge, so it's a regrettable end."

Zhao Xiang'er stared at him blankly. Though usually sharp-tongued, her thoughts were now utterly blocked by his incoherent rambling, which seemed to pour out of him without any reason.

"You... what did you say?" Zhao Xiang'er asked, half-believing and half-doubting. "You're saying you also have a marriage contract?"

Ning Changjiu affirmed, "I certainly wouldn't deceive Your Highness."

Zhao Xiang'er's fingers in her sleeve tightened slightly, gripping a corner of the marriage contract. Frowning, she asked, "Is there anything special... about your marriage contract?"

Ning Changjiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "There are two seals on the contract."

Zhao Xiang'er's lips trembled slightly, and sparks seemed to flicker in her漆-black pupils. She immediately asked, "What's engraved on them?"

Ning Changjiu blurted out, "One of them is engraved with..."

His words caught in his throat. He suddenly couldn't recall the pattern on the seal.

"What is it? Can you remember?" Zhao Xiang'er pressed.

Ning Changjiu squeezed his eyes shut, his eyelashes trembling, his face contorted in pain. Suddenly, a single syllable burst from his lips: "Bu."

Ning Xiaoling, who had been anxiously watching from the side, instantly looked disappointed. "Why can't he remember?" she thought.

Zhao Xiang'er, however, had a completely different expression.

The first character engraved on one of the seals was indeed "Bu."

Zhao Xiang'er sighed, assuming his memory had been erased for some reason. Her hand, which had been clutching the marriage contract tightly, relaxed slightly. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and the dark dragon robe, which had been stirring without wind, gradually settled.

"It really is you?" Zhao Xiang'er exhaled softly, her eyes slightly closed.

Ning Changjiu's headache gradually receded. He looked at Zhao Xiang'er's calm face and suddenly had a strange feeling that he might have been mistaken about something again.

Zhao Xiang'er opened her eyes again. Her expression was no longer bewildered but clear and luminous, like the most flawless jade. "You... want to annul the engagement?"

Ning Changjiu knew she had completely misunderstood. He had only intended to use this tactic to force his hidden sect sibling in the palace to reveal themselves, and he didn't truly want to hurt the young girl's feelings in front of so many people.

After all, despite finding her excessive arrogance somewhat annoying, he quite admired Zhao Xiang'er.

Facing Zhao Xiang'er's direct question, he hesitated.

Zhao Xiang'er didn't actually wait for an answer. She continued, "Very well, I'll give you this opportunity. You haven't entered the Profound realm yet, but you are, after all, someone my mother chose. I refuse to believe you will remain ordinary forever. I expect you to become very strong, ideally stronger than I can imagine. So, I will give you time. I'll give you this marriage contract. Five years from now, bring it to me. If you can defeat me, then whether you annul the engagement publicly and humiliate me, or demand that I marry you using this contract, I will not refuse. If you don't wish to come, you can tear it up at any time, and we'll consider this agreement null and void. All choices are yours."

As she spoke, she raised her hand. With a slight bend of her elbow, the silken sleeve slid back like ink, revealing a slender wrist and delicate, jade-like hand, both astonishingly fair and soft.

The vermilion marriage contract was gently held in her hand, like the wing of a butterfly.

Ning Changjiu looked at the marriage contract. It was like a quiet flame, burning steadily without arrogance or impatience. It was also like the young woman's thin, beautiful crimson lips, as if it wanted to say something, yet ultimately remained silent, conveying everything without words.

Ning Changjiu asked, "If I tear it up now, will this agreement also end?"

Zhao Xiang'er nodded. "Yes. If you truly do that, then my mother... and I, will have been mistaken."

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes, reached out his hand, and took hold of another corner of the marriage contract. As the young woman's fingers relaxed slightly, the contract floated away like a red leaf detaching from a branch in late autumn.

Zhao Xiang'er's sleeve fell back down, covering her pale wrist, revealing only a small segment of her cold, jade-like fingertips.

The young woman placed the marriage contract in his hand and became completely silent. She seemed to be waiting for Ning Changjiu to make his choice, yet at the same time, it was as if everything had nothing to do with her.

Ning Changjiu gently stroked the marriage contract, not opening it publicly to confirm its contents. After all, it was someone else's private matter, and he was, in the end, only involved in a misunderstanding.

Still... that junior disciple, whether brother or sister, must be around sixteen years old. How could they be so patient? Not even showing up at this point...

Perhaps they truly surpassed their teachers.

He wondered what would become of this disciple in twelve years.

Ning Changjiu smiled. He didn't tear up the contract but tucked it into his sleeve. "Thank you for Your Highness's kindness," he said, "but five years is too long. Let's make it three. Three years from now, I will come to the imperial city to meet you."

"Three years?" Zhao Xiang'er said. "But you haven't even entered the Profound realm yet."

Ning Changjiu hummed in affirmation. "Not only have I not entered the Profound realm, but this body of mine is also difficult to cultivate. I'm no different from an ordinary person; compared to cultivators, I'm practically a cripple."

Zhao Xiang'er said, "I originally planned to use similar words to provoke you if you didn't agree, but I didn't expect you to enjoy self-deprecation so much. Nevertheless, you don't need to belittle yourself, and I won't believe your nonsense. No matter how poorly your body performs now, I have great expectations for you. Three years. I will wait for you."

Ning Changjiu was silent for a moment, then nodded emphatically. "It's a deal."

After he said this, he distinctly felt that the familiar aura had drawn closer.

But it still didn't appear.

"Could... could I have misunderstood something?" he wondered.

"But if it's truly a mistake," he thought, "then let's just go with it."

This was just an interlude in today's birthday banquet.

The conversation between the two didn't last long, but for everyone present, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples of shock.

Many people hadn't even processed how it started, what happened, and how it ended up this way.

And of course, the two individuals who thought they understood everything were equally bewildered.

In short, a three-year agreement was thus sealed.

The birthday banquet was also gradually drawing to a close. The time that followed was for discussing merits and dispensing rewards, or assigning blame and meting out punishment, and the atmosphere slowly grew heavy again.

This was because most of the people in the grand hall were, in fact, criminals.

As midday approached, Qiu Li, who had been standing on the steps outside for an hour, was slowly escorted into the hall by two guards.

More and more people dispersed from the grand hall. Many officials, who had arrived at the birthday banquet in bright attire, were now leaving in prison uniforms. However, likely for the sake of the bigger picture, most were not the primary instigators and thus received lighter sentences.

Qiu Li watched the people walking past him. They, in turn, looked at him as if he were already dead.

They still had a path forward, but Qiu Li, as one of the chief instigators of the attack on the Imperial Preceptor's Residence, was naturally beyond pardon.

At noon, two guards in black robes and iron armor escorted Qiu Li inside.