Roadblock

"Ye Shu of the Ye family is here to pay his respects to the mountain!"

The resounding sonic wave rippled through the air, traveling up the stone steps and scattering the mist that hid the mountain peak, revealing the full view of the Yunxiao Sect's grand entrance.

His voice arrived before he even took a step.

The two disciples guarding the mountain gate were shaken so badly their ears rang. It took them quite a while to recover from the dizziness. Gripping the hilts of their swords with both hands, they watched him warily.

"You are Ye Shu? The legendary fiancé who made the three-year agreement with Senior Sister Li?"

"The one and only."

Ye Shu smiled faintly and took a piece of red paper from his robes. "I even brought the marriage contract."

"Today, I have come to fulfill the agreement."

The guarding disciples exchanged a glance. One of them flew up the mountain to report the news, while the other cupped his hands toward him in a gesture of invitation.

"Please wait for the announcement. Sir, please follow me to the reception hall first."

"Alright."

Ye Shu nodded and followed behind him.

The mountain gate of the Yunxiao Sect was magnificent. The paths were paved with bluestone, and spirit bamboo was planted all along the way, rustling whenever the wind blew past. Countless pavilions and terraces could be seen in the distance, all constructed with top-quality redwood and white jade. Their purple-gold roofs sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight, truly exuding the aura of an immortal sect.

In comparison, the Qingxuan Sect was far too shabby.

At least during the days Ye Shu had spent at the Qingxuan Sect, the things he saw most were manually built thatched sheds and wooden cabins. Except for certain essential and important buildings like the Scripture Pavilion, almost everything else was purely handmade—primitive, matchbox-like structures.

Compared to the Yunxiao Sect, it was practically the countryside.

It only had more mountains and a vaster territory, but this ironically made the people of the Qingxuan Sect look more like mountain savages.

However...

Ye Shu looked for a long while and ultimately felt it was a bit petty and narrow in scope. He simply withdrew his gaze and stopped looking.

Along the way, there were many Yunxiao Sect disciples who had been attracted by his loud shout. They curiously sized up this legendary trash of a fiancé.

"Is this that Ye Shu?"

"The one who tried to sneak-attack our beautiful Sect Master and failed?"

"To think he actually tried to take liberties with Sect Master Feng while she was heavily injured! Fortunately, the Sect Master discovered it in time and didn't let him succeed. Even I only dare to think about it at night, yet this lecher actually dared to make a move in broad daylight. How audacious!"

"Exactly, exactly. No wonder Senior Sister Li wants to break the engagement."

"If it were me, having such a lustful fiancé, I would break the engagement even if he wasn't a cripple!"

"He actually dares to come to our Yunxiao Sect. How shameless!"

"I've truly never seen such a brazen fellow."

"If I wasn't afraid of offending Senior Sister Li, I would definitely teach him a lesson today!"

"It's fine, calm down."

"Senior Sister Li will teach him a lesson for us."

The incessant whispers filled his ears along the way, all of them words slandering Ye Shu, as if he were an unforgivable sinner who deserved a thousand deaths.

Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the disciple leading the way.

Cursing was a small matter; his real fear was that this crowd wouldn't be able to hold back and would start a fight, accidentally injuring him in the process. That would be a huge problem.

Frightened, he quickened his pace.

Following behind him, Ye Shu remained expressionless, seemingly deaf to the whispers of the people around him.

"Despicable! Too despicable!"

Sitting on his shoulder, Xiaobai couldn't help but feel indignant for him, her small face puffing up like a steamed bun. "It was clearly that Feng Mengli who tried to kill you without distinguishing right from wrong! How did it turn into you trying to take advantage of her? It's so clear in the Record Crystal. Do these people not have eyes?"

"They are simply stupider than me!"

"Idiots among idiots!"

"Too wicked! Why is my female lead so wicked!"

After cursing angrily, she kicked Ye Shu in exasperation. "Hey! Why don't you have any reaction at all? Aren't you even a little bit angry about being slandered?"

"Angry?"

"Why should I be angry?"

Ye Shu said indifferently, "Failing to distinguish black from white is their problem. The truth will not change because of their opinions."

"This world is just like this. There will always be many people who cannot see the truth of the matter. If you care too much about the gazes of the world, then you will never accomplish what you want to do."

"Because ignorance is often the majority."

"I do things for what I want to do, not for the eyes of the world."

"If one day the world were about to be destroyed, but everyone misunderstood you and didn't comprehend you, would you just give up and not save it? Then are you truly yourself, or just a puppet serving the opinions of the world?"

"I have never been afraid of others throwing cold water on me."

Ye Shu smiled faintly, maintaining his forward stride the entire time.

"You... you..."

Xiaobai's little tongue tied in knots, completely dizzied by his words. She simply stopped talking and sulked by herself.

The two walked all the way and finally saw the reception hall.

Before even entering the door, Ye Shu saw an old man in a white robe sitting inside, holding a teacup in one hand and leisurely sipping tea.

"You've arrived?"

The old man glanced at Ye Shu and said flatly, "Sit."

Ye Shu sat down as told, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea, smiling. "Elder Zhao's demeanor is undiminished from the past. This junior vaguely remembers when you were at my Ye family, also in the reception hall, how infinitely glorious you were, and how... you humiliated my incompetent father."

Elder Zhao's expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently:

"Back then, it was just children being ignorant. To support Qingran, this old man had no choice but to do some things that crossed the line."

Ye Shu raised his teacup and took a sip.

"This junior understands."

"I just wonder why Senior is waiting here this time?"

"Hehe, then I won't beat around the bush."

Elder Zhao put down his teacup and said coldly, "You came here for the matter of the three-year agreement, right?"

"Exactly." Ye Shu nodded.

Receiving an affirmative answer, Elder Zhao tilted his head back, a look of reminiscence on his face. "Counting the days, it's been a year, hasn't it? Time really flies. Back then, Qingran was still young and ignorant after all. Us adults found it hard to reject her face on the spot, so we let her make this three-year agreement with you."

Hearing this, Ye Shu raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Senior's meaning is?"

"My meaning is very simple." Elder Zhao put down his teacup, stared at Ye Shu, and enunciated each word clearly:

"This three-year agreement... is void."

As his words fell, the aura around Elder Zhao abruptly changed, and the spiritual pressure of a peak Nascent Soul realm expert crashed down like a massive mountain.

"Young man, a wise man submits to circumstances."

He stood up and flicked his sleeves.

"Back then, because Qingran was present, this old man didn't make a move against your Ye family. Otherwise, do you think the Ye family would still exist in this world?"

"Retreat at once!"

"This old man might still consider sparing your life."