Chapter 794: This Has Nothing to Do With Me
"Old Urchin, what exactly are you trying to do?" Hu Yanbo shouted gloomily.
"I"m not trying to do anything. I simply don"t think this kid is a good match for the young lady. Am I not qualified to voice my objections?" replied Old Urchin.
"You are obviously trying to create trouble," said Hu Yanbo furiously.
"Say whatever you want. You guys brought a kid here out of nowhere. Are you not afraid of leading a wolf into the house? What you did is against the hall master"s original goals," said Old Urchin with a sigh. He looked at Tuoba Wan"er and said, "The young lady has the right of opinion in regard to this as well, yet all of you came to this decision without even consulting her. You are treating the young lady with complete disrespect!"
The seventh elder, Sha Hanbiao, spoke up, "We are selecting a good match for the young lady for the hall master"s sake, and we are also doing this for the young lady"s well-being. How can you call us picking her a good match an act of disrespect?"
"We"ll need to ask the young lady about that," said Old Urchin as he looked at Tuoba Wan"er.
Tuoba Wan"er said, "Elders, you have worked hard for the Holy Hall, and you have worked untiringly for my affairs as well. You are all indeed the pillars of the Holy Hall. However, shouldn"t we wait for the hall master"s decision when it comes to selecting a son-in-law for the Hall?"
The first elder said, "The hall master commanded that the young lady would need to get married before 40 years old. Therefore, we need to select a son-in-law. This is a task entrusted to me by the hall master."
Tuoba Wan"er"s eyes rippled when she heard that. With a sigh, she said, "I"ll have to trouble the first elder, then."
Helplessness was thick in her voice, and she probably wasn"t feeling very well at the moment. Children of influential clans like this never had freedom when it came to their marriage.
"Before the hall master entered seclusion, he told me that the son-in-law needs to be a young hero capable of going through the three trials he had personally created. Only someone who can pa.s.s the trials can be the Holy Hall"s son-in-law. The third elder has recommended you, Xiang Zixuan as a candidate. Are you willing to take the trials?" asked the first elder.
Xiang Zixuan agreed unhesitatingly, "I am willing."
"Then let"s not delay this. Get Xiang Zixuan going already," urged Hu Yanbo impatiently.
He did not want to give Old Urchin any chance to mess this up.
Alas, Old Urchin was firm in his intention to make things difficult for Hu Yanbo. He said to the first elder, "That kid is the third elder"s choice, while this kid is my choice. I believe he has the qualifications to be the Holy Hall"s son-in-law."
"Haha, with that tiny bit of strength he has, is he not embarra.s.sed about wanting to be the Holy Hall"s son-in-law? Old Urchin, are you sick?" Sha Hanbiao roared disdainfully.
"What about his strength? What"s important is the fact that the young lady likes him, and he likes the young lady. That alone is enough," said Old Urchin firmly.
What? Since when did she start liking me, and since when did I start liking her? He is obviously pus.h.i.+ng me into a pit of fire! Xiang Shaoyun complained inwardly.
He had never imagined that the task Old Urchin had for him was to s.n.a.t.c.h the bride. If this was a joke, it was a bad one.
More importantly, Tuoba Wan"er was also winking at Xiang Shaoyun as she said, "Yes, I like Shaoyun."
The instant she said that, Xiang Zixuan"s gaze locked onto Xiang Shaoyun. If glares could kill, Xiang Shaoyun would have instantly died.
The other elders also looked at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment, causing him to feel like he was sitting on a pincus.h.i.+on. He really wanted to shout loudly that this had nothing to do with him.
Unfortunately, he did not dare to do so. If he dared to say that, even Liang Zhuangmin and Wu Zhijun would suffer Old Urchin"s wrath.
"You hear that? The young lady likes the kid, and he likes her as well. He is also an individual of great talents. I personally think they are a match made in heaven. Excellent, this is it, then," said Old Urchin, his hands waving around excitedly.
"What a joke. This concerns the young lady"s marriage, and this also concerns the Holy Hall. How can we be so casual about it?" an elder objected unhappily.
"That"s right. Old Urchin, stop creating trouble. This kid will never get our approval," objected a different elder.
A few more elders voiced their objections as well. They clearly had a bad first impression of Xiang Shaoyun. Some were even calling Xiang Shaoyun a boy that still stank of his mother"s milk. Finally, the insults crossed Xiang Shaoyun"s bottom line.
He stood up, smiled, and addressed all the elders, "Am I really that bad, seniors?"
"If you"re smart, you should get lost," a displeased voice rang out.
Seated opposite Xiang Shaoyun, Xiang Zixuan formed a sneer on his face. Inwardly, he thought, Truly a kid that doesn"t know the immensity of heaven and earth. But why is he surnamed Xiang as well? And why does he resemble that statue so greatly? Is he related to the clan?
Looking at the elder who had spoken, Xiang Shaoyun replied, "Yes, I am quite smart. I am only a third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator right now, but I"m only 23 years old. I wonder what your cultivation level was back when you were 23, elder?"
"Impudent! You think you can disrespect everyone just because of the little talent you have? Do you want me to kill you with a slap?" the elder replied furiously, standing up like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
In fact, this elder was someone who had only gotten some achievements at old age. During his youth, he had suffered. Only during his old age when he had stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter did his strength manage to grow to his current level. Thus, what Xiang Shaoyun just said was akin to rubbing salt on his wound.
"Truly an ignorant kid. Have you not heard of young prodigies dying untimely deaths?" said someone else with disdain.
In their eyes, it was completely ridiculous for Xiang Shaoyun to be acting so arrogantly before them.
Although Xiang Shaoyun"s feat of reaching this cultivation level at his current age was nothing less than stunning, it was not like they had never seen such geniuses before. A genius needed to first grow, and not all geniuses could grow to reach their potential.
More importantly, none of them knew Xiang Shaoyun. They knew nothing of his origin, and they did not know his relations.h.i.+p with Old Urchin. Thus, it was understandable why they were unwilling to see him fight for the son-in-law"s position.
"Sigh. Looks like fellow seniors really don"t like me. But my feeling for the young lady is genuine. Dear seniors, please do give me a chance," Xiang Shaoyun pleaded earnestly.
Just a moment ago, Xiang Shaoyun was behaving unyieldingly. But suddenly, his att.i.tude took a 180-degree change. He was evidently someone that was strong in appearance but weak in reality.
"Don"t worry. With me here, you will be given a chance," said Old Urchin with an admiring gaze. He looked at the first elder and said, "First elder, both of us have the right to recommend a candidate. What do you think about letting both of them take the trials? The one to get through the trials shall be the son-in-law."
"Fine, since Old Urchin and the young lady approve of him, I will give him a chance," said the first elder with a nod. He looked at Xiang Shaoyun and Xiang Zixuan as he said, "Listen well. To be the Holy Hall"s son-in-law, you need to get through the three trials put in place by the hall master himself. If you fail, you will lose your qualification."