Chapter 77: The Zhong Family Strikes Back

However, seeing Xu Yining's tearful gaze, and remembering that he had taken her good fortune, he scratched his head and reluctantly agreed."Alright, but this is only for appearances; we can't truly overstep the boundaries of our relationship."Xu Yining's face lit up with joy, and she nodded emphatically.

She secretly clenched her fists, grinding her teeth as she muttered, "Jiang Fan! Do you think I'll regret it now that you've become outstanding? Let me tell you, I won't! My destined one is someone like Shadow Guard Number One, a person you'll have to look up to your entire life!"

Afterward, the two agreed on a time and then parted ways.

As Jiang Fan passed the Chen family residence, he was surprised to see several luxurious carriages parked at the entrance. The carriage curtains bore the insignia of Jade Willow City, and a 'Zhong' character was embroidered on them. He recalled Zhong Qizhen's harsh words from the day before he left. Frowning, he stepped into the Chen manor.

Inside the Chen family's main hall, a square-faced, dignified middle-aged man slammed the table and roared, "Your Chen family is going too far! My son is a remarkable talent, yet your Chen family treats him worse than a good-for-nothing!" The teacups on the table vibrated, toppled to the floor, and shattered.

Liu Qinmin shrank her neck, hiding behind Chen Yuqiu, not daring to utter a word. Standing before them was Zhong Liangpeng, the head of the Zhong family, one of Jade Willow City's most prominent families. He had rushed to the Chen residence overnight to seek justice for his son.

"Hmph!" Chen Yuqiu said with a stern face. "Who my daughter marries, whether as a main wife or a concubine, is our Chen family's own business! Your son has poor character, and I don't agree to the engagement. Are you trying to force it? Coming to my Chen family and slamming tables and breaking teacups—who is truly going too far?" He, too, exuded an imposing aura.

This made Zhong Liangpeng rein in his temper slightly. He gritted his teeth and said, "I don't care! All I know is that your Chen family would rather marry your daughter off as a concubine to a good-for-nothing than agree to an alliance with my Zhong family's young master. This is an insult to my Zhong family!"

Hearing this, Chen Yuqiu scoffed disdainfully, "You keep calling him a good-for-nothing. In my opinion, your son can't even compare to a single one of Jiang Fan's toes! Is your son even worthy of competing with Jiang Fan for a woman?"

This merciless evaluation ignited Zhong Qizhen's fury, as he was also present. He roared, "You're saying I'm worse than a good-for-nothing? My Zhong family is a prestigious household in Jade Willow City—what about Jiang Fan? I am an inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect—what about Jiang Fan? My strength is formidable—what about Jiang Fan? Comparing him to me is an insult to me, and saying I'm inferior to him is an insult to our Zhong family!"

Just as Chen Yuqiu was about to retort, his peripheral vision caught sight of Jiang Fan approaching unhurriedly, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes lit up, and a wide smile instantly appeared on his face. "Young Master Jiang... no, esteemed son-in-law, what brings you here?"

Liu Qinmin's face also lit up with surprise and joy. She smiled as she stepped forward, taking his hand and saying, "Why didn't you let a servant announce your arrival? Please, sit down, sit down! Go, quickly bring the good tea the master keeps in his study." She pulled Jiang Fan to sit down. Her gaze was even kinder than if she were looking at her own son.

Chen Siling's previously sour expression blossomed like a peach flower after Jiang Fan's arrival, and she shyly sat down beside him. Bashfully, she picked up a spirit fruit and offered it to Jiang Fan, "Here, for you."

When Zhong Qizhen and his father arrived, the three members of the Chen family hadn't shown them any goodwill. But the moment Jiang Fan appeared, all three displayed an incredibly enthusiastic attitude. The stark contrast was unacceptable to Zhong Qizhen, who trembled with rage. "Jiang Fan... what exactly has Jiang Fan given you?" He didn't understand, truly couldn't grasp it! Why was this good-for-nothing, whose fate of entering the Azure Cloud Sect lay in his hands, being treated with such immense respect by the Chen family?

Zhong Liangpeng was also provoked by the immense disparity. He scoffed angrily, "Originally, after our two families allied through marriage, if your daughter performed well, I could have considered using my connections to get her into the Azure Cloud Sect as an outer disciple after a year! Do you know what that means? It means your daughter would leap over the dragon's gate, no longer ordinary, and your Chen family would rise to glory, bringing honor to your ancestors. But all of this has been ruined by your ignorance!"

Jiang Fan's ears were ringing from the father and son's clamor. He cleaned his ears, then picked up a brush and wrote a note: "If I show you what I've given the Chen family, you'll shut up, right?"

Zhong Qizhen folded his arms across his chest and sneered, "What could a live-in good-for-nothing possibly give? Nothing but some worthless trash, I suppose."

Jiang Fan said no more. He picked up his brush and wrote to Chen Siling, "Does the Chen family have a spiritual root testing artifact? Show it to the Zhong father and son to make them quiet."

Chen Siling froze. "The Chen family naturally has such an artifact, but test my spiritual root?" What spiritual root did she even have? To be frank, it was embarrassing; her spiritual root was even worse than Xu Youran's. It was only a first-grade spiritual root. Otherwise, she wouldn't have focused her energy on business. Her talent in martial arts was truly dismal. Wouldn't testing her spiritual root in public be humiliating?

Chen Yuqiu reminded him, "Esteemed son-in-law, Siling's spiritual root is not particularly outstanding. Wouldn't testing it in front of the Zhong father and son be a public disgrace?"

Jiang Fan calmly picked up his brush and wrote, "It's fine; just test it."

This...

Chen Yuqiu and Chen Siling exchanged glances. They were completely baffled by Jiang Fan's intention. However, unable to refuse Jiang Fan's request, Chen Siling could only brace herself and pick up a crude testing artifact. She awkwardly infused her pitifully weak spiritual energy into it. Soon, a beam of light projected from the center of the artifact, forming a line of text above the circular disc.

Zhong Qizhen sneered, "I wonder what you, a good-for-nothing, want to show me? To see how low Chen Siling's spiritual root is—" He couldn't bring himself to utter the last word. His eyes gradually widened, and his face turned pale with shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhong Liangpeng was also greatly startled. "A sixth-grade spiritual root? H-how can this be?" Chen Siling clearly had only a first-grade spiritual root. How had it suddenly become a sixth-grade spiritual root?

Chen Yuqiu, Chen Siling, and Liu Qinmin were all stunned on the spot. Chen Siling retested, disbelievingly. The result was still a sixth-grade spiritual root. "Father, I... I have a sixth-grade spiritual root now? Just like Xu Yining, the number one female prodigy of Lone Boat City!"

Chen Yuqiu's beard trembled with excitement. "Have our ancestors manifested their divine power?" Liu Qinmin was so overjoyed that tears streamed down her face. "Heaven has eyes, heaven truly has eyes! Our Chen family finally has a martial arts prodigy!"

Facing their astonishment, Jiang Fan simply smiled faintly, then raised his brush and wrote, "Now, do you know what I gave Chen Siling?"

Upon seeing this note, everyone looked at Jiang Fan in surprise. Zhong Qizhen said unconvincedly, "You say that as if you changed her aptitude. If you're really that capable, why do you have no spiritual root yourself?"

However, the three Chen family members immediately realized the truth. There was no ancestral manifestation, no divine intervention. It was clearly Jiang Fan's doing! Chen Siling suddenly remembered the pill Jiang Fan had given her in the jade box yesterday, and how he had specifically told her to take it.

"Was it that pill from yesterday?"