Chapter 111 Uniting by Marriage
The atmosphere of the banquet became gradually warm after the drinking had gone through three rounds.
“Thanks for giving a banquet for my sake. I am greatly beholden to you for your great kindness. The martial arts circle is full of hards.h.i.+ps and dangers and I still have a long way to go. Teachers, please give me more guidance and support in days to come. I propose a toast to all teachers and cla.s.smates!”
Lin Yanxing stood up and said. Although what he said was clearly polite formula, a round of applause burst out in the banquet and the atmosphere of the small banquet was immediately at its peak. Many maidens in the College of Literature who had begun to think of love looked at Lin Yanxing with a bit of love and affection in their eyes. If they could marry such a splendid lover, it could be said that they had not spent their life in vain.
Lin Yanxing looked at Su Li from time to time, with a hope that he could see a bit of affection in the latter’s eyes. It was a pity that he found out that Su Li had no affection towards him and chatted and laughed with Feng Qingru and Yan Hongxiu from beginning to end. She completely ignored him.
Lin Yanxing felt a little lost, but he was more interested in Su Li immediately. He thought, “She is such an outstanding person as I am. If she shows the look of other vulgar girls, it will reduce her beauty. Only a perfect girl like her can match me and give birth to a perfect child for me!”
After coping with teachers, Lin Yanxing took a seat and drank a cup of wine from time to time. He had already thought about how to propose this marriage in his heart. He was confident that the trifling Su Family from the Dasu Town would never refuse the proposal of the Lin Family of the Qinghe Town considering its origin. Moreover, Su Li would feel overwhelmed because she could marry such an outstanding husband as him.
Su Li’s perception was so keen that she certainly could perceive Lin Yanxing’s look. She couldn’t help but feel it was a trouble. If the Lin Family truly proposed the marriage, Su Huanli who had always wanted to develop in the Qinghe Town would certainly accept it.
The banquet had lasted for one hour, but Su Li left earlier using the excuse that she couldn’t hold the drink. In this way, Lin Yanxing would have no opportunity to annoy her. Lin Yanxing returned to home with Lin Xiang. When the butler saw them, he greeted them immediately and said happily,
“First Master, you finally come back. You become famous overnight this time. Woman matchmakers have worn holes in our doorway an hour ago. All the proposed misses are all from wealthy and influential families of the Qinghe Town!”
Lin Yanxing frowned and immediately walked in. Lin Xiang instantly followed him uneasily.
Her cousin had promised her that she could be his concubine. If he chose one of the misses as his wife, she was destined to be considered as the inferior and had to respect the miss in the future.
Seeing Lin Xiang follow Lin Yanxing like a young married woman, the old butler slightly shook his head. He didn’t know the reason why the master would like Lin Xiang who was plain-looking and unknowledgeable considering that the master was a difficult person.
“Father, send these portraits back. I have a candidate.”
The head of the Lin Family was deeply surprised by the first sentence of Lin Yanxing when he walked in. Then the head who was forty years old and a little fat held his son’s hand and said in a deep voice,
“Yanxing, you are here in time. I am going to tell you that I have sent back all the portraits sent by woman matchmakers.”
Lin Yanxing looked slightly happy and said in astonishment, “Father, have you known whom I want to marry?”
Lin Xingrong laughed and said while stroking his beard, “The miss certainly can match you.”
“Is she Su Li?”
Lin Yanxing asked with excitement in his eyes. He had thought that his family may stop this marriage because of Su Li’s family, but little did he think that his father had already arranged everything for him.
Lin Xiang followed Lin Yanxing and her face turned pale when she heard that. A look of enmity flashed through her eyes. If Su Li was superior to her in the whole life, she might as well choose to die directly.
Lin Xingrong was slightly dumbfounded. There was a strange look appearing on his face and he said, “Yanxing, how can you think of her? The girl from the Su Family is indeed a talent, but that’s all that she has. It is hard to tell whether she can make a further improvement or not. Also, considering her family, how can such a girl be worthy of our Lin Family? My candidate is the daughter of the Jin Family!”
“Jin Family? Jin Ruolan?”
Lin Yanxing looked pale. He had stayed at the Qinghe Town for years and certainly had seen Jin Ruolan. Lin Yanxing almost vomited up when he thought of Jin Ruolan’s disgusting face. He couldn’t help but refuting his father, “Father, if I remembered it correctly, Jin Ruolan was dismissed by both the Qinghe School and the embroidery workshop. How can she be suitable?”
“Can Su Li be worthy of you?” Lin Xingrong had a long face and said, “You are obsessed with Su Li and have become mindless. How can I let you take control of the Lin Family in the future? Carefully listen to me.”
Then Lin Xingrong glanced at Lin Xiang who stood behind Lin Yanxing. Lin Xiang took the hint readily and immediately walked out of the room. There were only the father and son of the Lin Family left in the room.
Lin Yanxing glanced at Lin Xiang who was clever and obedient and said with a cold face, “Father, be frank. I will never marry Jin Ruolan if you don’t have a good reason!”
“…You!”
Lin Xingrong glowered. He couldn’t bear to scold his son thinking of his glorious achievements. Finally he said in a deep voice, “It is the madam of the Gong Family in Yunjing that proposes it. Do you know what it means?”
“Gong Family in Yunjing?” Lin Yanxing’s pale face slightly changed.
“Good!”
Lin Xingrong waved his sleeve and said, “Do you think that your father is a fool? Uniting our family with the Jin Family by marriage in the teeth of the storm is certainly to bring about our own destruction, but it is totally different when the Gong Family is behind!”
Lin Xingrong was excited and continued, “The Gong Family has been a big aristocratic family for generations. The madam who has come to our family even has a connection with the General’s Mansion in Yunjing. No matter what her purpose is, such a big shot can act as a go-between of our family and the Jin Family. If we can ally ourselves with the Jin Family to fight against the Yan Family, we will surely defeat the Yan Family. Then the entire Qinghe Town will belong to us. There is even a hint of possibility that you can develop in Yunjing with the help of Madam Gong!”
Lin Xingrong had proved his role as the head of the family. He certainly knew the art of eloquence. Instantly Lin Yanxing was convinced.
“You should not confine yourself to the Qinghe Town. Yunjing… Even the entire Dahan Country is your world. There is only one Su Li in the Qinghe Town, but there are thousands of talents like Su Li in Yunjing! We have no connections in Yunjing, so you will have difficulty in taking a step there despite the fact that you may go there via the martial arts compet.i.tion. My son, this is a good opportunity. You must seize it!”
Finally Lin Yanxing was influenced after hearing what his father said. For a moment, he couldn’t make up his mind. Watched by his anxious father, however, he raised his head and nodded in the end after a long time.
“I want to know which family will make a final decision if we unite the Jin Family by marriage. I don’t want to be inferior to a woman!”
As the saying goes, a lean camel was bigger than a horse. The Jin Family still had far larger influence than that of the Lin Family. Lin Yanxing had a good reason to worry about it. If the three families ally themselves to defeat the Yan Family but it was the Jin Family that made a final decision, the Lin Family would lose everything.
Lin Xingrong smirked after hearing what his son said and said, “If Jin Cheng’ao was still in the Jin Family, Madam Gong would certainly choose the Jin Family. But there isn’t any diamond in the rough in the Jin Family, so Madam Gong will surely have confidence in you! She has clearly said that she doesn’t mind helping you in Yunjing if you can make a good showing!”
There were brilliant rays appearing in Lin Yanxing’s eyes. His ambitions were endlessly exploding at the moment. There were all types of glorious scenes flas.h.i.+ng through his mind. He finally lowered his head and said, “I have a smaller field of vision. Father, you should decide this thing. I’d like to marry the daughter of the Jin Family!”
“Well! Well! Well! You are free from arrogance and impetuosity!”
Lin Xingrong was deeply relieved. He thought he had not lived a life in vain for having such a remarkable son.
With Wu Yun acting as a go-between, the Jin Family and the Lin Family had quickly finished the marriage in one day after spreading the news, which made the Yan Family have no time to react.
“Has Lin Yanxing married Jin Ruolan?”
In the Linli Building, Su Li’s eyebrows slightly narrowed when she heard the news. The two families’ move was so strange that she was unable to guess their intention. The Lin Family had more or less the same position as the Ran Family and Qin Family in the Qinghe Town, but the Jin Family had far larger influence than the Lin Family.
Moreover, the Jin Family was in low ebb at the moment. What the Lin Family had done was obviously working for its own destruction and would surely put itself in a perilous position. It was in fact very unwise.
“There must be something that I don’t know.”
Su Li rubbed her glabella. What the two families had done was both quick and covert, so she couldn’t find anything useful in a short time and all she could do was to wait for their next move. During the period, the Yan Family quietly enjoyed their fruits and their influence had greatly improved. They probably could support for a long time for the two families’ attack. In this way, she could find out the true reason.
At the moment, a series of slight steps rang outside the door. Fang Yuan hurriedly rushed in and said, “I have already made a thorough investigation of Lin Xiang. She is the miss of the Lin Family in the Heli Town and has an extremely bad reputation. There is a rumor in the black market that she frequently sells the aphrodisiac and has many strange obscene prescriptions.”
Su Li’s eyes slightly brightened up after she heard that and then she said, “It seems that we have to have a hand in the business of the Lin Family. Go to the black market of the Heli Town again and buy some aphrodisiac sold by Lin Xiang. It will help me a lot.”
Fang Yuan flushed a lot and his lips slightly moved. He was about to say something, but he saw Su Li raise her hand and heard, “Has Luo Yichen recovered from his illness?”
“Yes. He nearly recovers. I can’t see clearly his cultivation, but I guess his cultivation is almost the same as mine.”
There was a hint of contest in Fang Yuan’s eyes. Qu Qingning had reached the acquired eighth hurdle, and he had broken through the acquired ninth hurdle to widen the gap. But Su Li recruited a hard-a.s.s before he could take a breath.
“No, he is at the peak of the acquired realm. You certainly can’t see it clear.” Su Li slightly shook her head and mercilessly broke Fang Yuan’s illusion.
Fang Yuan’s pupils slightly narrowed and he immediately kept silent. He had always been Su Li’s first senior. The taste of sudden inferiority was not good.
At this moment, he heard Su Li’s voice which was slightly gentle, “You are just seventeen years old, but he is more than twenty. It is not strange that he has a higher cultivation than you.”
Fang Yuan was slightly stunned.
Was… she comforting me?
“Let Luo Yichen go to the black market and buy the aphrodisiac. Tell him that he should do something after eating free meals for one month.”
Su Li took a piece of paper and quickly wrote down a line of words. She gave it to Fang Yuan and said, “The Qinghe Town will have no peace in the future again. Investigate Wu Yun’s movement in the dark and do not disturb them. Let Qu Qingning protect Feng Qingru in the dark…”
Orders were given in an orderly way. Fang Yuan secretly kept them in mind and went downstairs. The Linli Building seemed to be operated as a winery, but it actually had the tendency of differentiation in power like a pyramid.
In the enclosed martial arts field in the back yard, sweat poured from Luo Yichen’s face and he was waving the spear in his hand. He quickly stabbed it at the crucial points of a wooden man with accuracy.
Mei Ruohan was doing the task a.s.signed by Yin Xuetong. She raised her head from time to time and there were sparking rays in her eyes. She had never thought that an ordinary life would still be so happy.
With a beauty accompanying him, Luo Yichen also felt peaceful. His cultivation had climbed to the peak of the acquired realm since he recovered. Although he was no match for Ms. Li, he certainly could protect Mei Ruohan from harm.
At this time, Fang Yuan walked in with an unfriendly face. He gave Luo Yichen a piece of scrip and turned away without saying anything.
Luo Yichen had already got used to the ways of “Boss Fang”. He lowered his head and opened the scrip. He immediately flushed to such an extent.