Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

This year, Jiang Chen was twenty-two.

Recalling the scenes from the martial arts tournament back then, Jiang Chen felt a splitting headache.

He had no idea which son of a bitch had spread the rumors, but they grew more and more outrageous with each telling. It started with him making Nangong Meng cry on the stage and ended with him seducing and then cruelly abandoning her. Fuck, there were countless versions. If he ever found the bastard behind the rumors, he would string him up and give him a good whipping.

Quite a few of Nangong Meng's suitors had also come looking for trouble, but those were minor annoyances.

After all, he was still a seeded prodigy of the Lingyun Martial Academy.

However... three years had passed, yet Jiang Chen's cultivation was still stuck at the Qi Gathering 9th Level.

Even with the Spirit Mark granted by the royal palace during the martial arts tournament, it would still take him another year or two to break through to the Spirit Mark Realm.

Among his peers, all of the top ten Heaven's Chosen, except for him, had already stepped into the Spirit Mark Realm.

His talent... was ultimately inferior to theirs.

Even Nangong Meng, whom he had easily defeated back then, had reportedly broken through to the Spirit Mark Realm several months ago, and with a Blue Spirit Mark at that.

In the entire Tianfeng Kingdom, those who possessed a Blue Spirit Mark could be counted on one hand.

Jiang Chen suddenly thought of Nangong Meng, not because he missed her, but because he remembered the words he had spoken three years ago.

It was just some casual, pretentious remark he'd made at the time, feeling it suited the occasion.

Nangong Meng... she couldn't have taken his words seriously, right?

Jiang Chen mulled it over. This didn't just pop into his head for no reason; it was because his long courtship with Wang Bailu was finally coming to an end tomorrow.

Tomorrow was his wedding day, and Jiang Chen didn't want any unexpected incidents.

Jiang Chen turned his head, intending to return to his residence, when a flash of brilliant purple caught his eye.

Jiang Chen said nothing, lowered his head to stare at his toes, and simply quickened his pace.

Suddenly, he felt a chill on his neck. An ice-blue longsword was pressed against it.

Jiang Chen stiffly raised his head. A flawless face was staring coldly at him, one hand holding the sword against his neck.

Damn it, whatever you fear most is what you get!

Jiang Chen gave a dry laugh. "Miss Nangong, long time no see."

Nangong Meng didn't speak, merely staring at Jiang Chen so coldly it made his hair stand on end.

Jiang Chen fumbled for a red wedding invitation and offered it to her. "Miss Nangong, tomorrow is my wedding day. I would like to invite you to attend. I hope you will grace me with your presence."

Nangong Meng took the invitation, and with a flicker of eerie light, it turned to ash in her hand.

"Jiang Chen, do you remember what you said back then?" Nangong Meng's tone was glacial, colder than ten-thousand-year-old ice.

Of course, Jiang Chen remembered, but he definitely couldn't admit it now.

He said innocently, "Miss Nangong, what could I have possibly said back then that would make you remember it so vividly?"

Nangong Meng thought this guy was truly shameless.

He clearly knew, yet he was pretending not to, trying to bluff his way through?

"Jiang Chen, I challenge you!"

"If you don't accept, I'll castrate you!"

Nangong Meng's words were chilling, and Jiang Chen had no doubt she meant them.

He felt that Nangong Meng was truly capable of doing such a thing.

The words on the tip of his tongue had to be swallowed back down.

With the life of his 'little brother' on the line, he, Jiang Chen, had no choice but to take this seriously. It was a well-known fact that he was a man who cherished his bonds, especially those of brotherhood.

Fuck, this little vixen, was he really going to be afraid of her?

Jiang Chen made his move.

Jiang Chen got beaten up.

His face was black and blue. Don't be fooled by her delicate, tender-looking hands; when she started hitting someone, she didn't hold back at all. No matter what schemes Jiang Chen tried, she showed him no mercy.

He really couldn't understand the mentality of those people in the Tianfeng Kingdom who claimed they'd willingly trade ten years of their life to be beaten up by Nangong Meng. They were pure masochists.

Jiang Chen scrambled to his feet, looking disheveled, but Nangong Meng was long gone.

In her place, she had left a jade bottle. Beneath it, two crooked characters were carved with the trace of a sword.

'We're even.'

Jiang Chen felt that if he let his dog, Da Huang, crawl all over the place, the tracks it left would look better than this handwriting.

Such a beautiful girl, yet she was petty, violent, and on top of that, illiterate. Her handwriting was just too ugly.

After his silent rant, Jiang Chen curiously stepped forward and opened the jade bottle. Inside was a 3rd Grade Elixir, and a healing one at that.

"A beating in exchange for a 3rd Grade Elixir... seems like a pretty good deal."

Jiang Chen muttered, feeling a little better.

She was a generous, petty person; a thoughtful brute.

A pity she was illiterate.

Jiang Chen returned home and ran right into his father, Jiang Li. Jiang Li looked at him curiously, "Chen'er, how did you get so many injuries?"

Jiang Chen looked up and grumbled, "I fell."

Jiang Li didn't believe him. How could a fall leave fist marks?

Seeing that Jiang Li was skeptical and about to investigate, Jiang Chen had no choice but to explain helplessly, "I ran into a senior on the road who needed a sparring partner to test a new technique. They gave me a 3rd Grade Elixir."

Jiang Li was full of suspicion, but when Jiang Chen produced the elixir, he decided to believe him for the time being, despite his many doubts.

"Getting beaten up for some superficial wounds gets you a 3rd Grade Elixir? Why have I never met a senior like that?"

Jiang Li thought about it and decided the beating Jiang Chen took was well worth it. It would be great if he could run into that senior a few more times.

Jiang Chen: "..."

...

The next day, Jiang Chen's injuries had completely healed.

On the day of the wedding, the hall was filled with distinguished guests. Throngs of people had rushed to Beifeng City.

There were senior students he knew from the Lingyun Martial Academy—some who had already graduated even put aside their missions to attend—as well as his own teacher, Jiang Xiangyang, and even the Vice Dean of the Martial Academy.

There were also the younger generation from Tianjian Mountain from back in the day, and Wang Bailu's masters and elders.

And of course, there were his good-for-nothing friends like Li Ming, and the other Heaven's Chosen who had ranked in the top ten at the Inquiry Conference.

Jiang Li was taken aback by the scene. Among the guests were many with illustrious backgrounds, figures even he had to look up to.

And all these figures were being very polite to his son.

It felt so surreal!

Meanwhile, Old Master Wang couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. He felt this was the wisest decision he had ever made in his life.

Jiang Chen's potential was far from exhausted, and the Wang Family would prosper along with him.

The day was filled with joy and celebration. For the first time, Jiang Chen felt a little drunk.

Thinking of his best bro Li Ming, who had already passed out, Jiang Chen added a mental note:

'Lightweight!'

The moonlight was hazy—a perfect time for the wedding night.

Jiang Chen guessed that Wang Bailu must have been waiting for him for a long time.

Today, he was the husband, and she was the wife.

He would leave his mark on this world.

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Arriving at Wang Bailu's door, Jiang Chen looked up to find that the dark clouds obscuring the moon had drifted away. The moonlight was exceptionally bright, the moon large and round.

In the distance, on a tall building that stood level with the moon, there seemed to be a figure clad in purple.

Jiang Chen blinked, and the purple figure was gone.

"Must be my imagination," Jiang Chen thought. He figured he'd had too much to drink and was seeing things.

"Husband..." A soft call came from within the room.

Jiang Chen hesitated no longer. He opened the door and walked inside.

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan