Chapter 112
An awkward silence settled over the arena.
One by one, the surrounding gazes drifted toward Meng Zonghan.
The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly.
For a brief moment, no one dared utter a word. Judging from the crowd's collective silence, it seemed everyone had tacitly decided to give the Hall Master a wide berth rather than risk becoming the target of his foul mood.
At last, Meng Zonghan spoke again.
"Shuangya."
His voice was calm, almost too calm.
"Where did that artifact come from?"
Meng Shuangya met her father's steady gaze and knew there was no point in hiding the truth any longer.
Her eyes instinctively searched the crowd until they found He Wenjing.
The moment their gazes met, the clamor of the arena seemed to fade into the background.
Only the quiet affection between them remained.
"It was a gift from Wenjing, Father."
The words left her lips with surprising ease.
Now that the truth was out in the open, an unexpected sense of relief washed over her.
With so many people watching, surely her father wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him.
Meng Zonghan sighed inwardly.
My daughter... she really had grown up.
Among the spectators, He Wenjing stood frozen in place.
Warmth quietly spread through his chest.
She had chosen to acknowledge him openly before everyone.
That trust alone was worth more than a thousand words.
Before Meng Zonghan could speak again, He Wenjing drew a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped onto the arena in a single leap.
He cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.
"This disciple, He Wenjing, greets Hall Master Meng."
Meng Zonghan slowly turned his gaze toward him.
A cold snort escaped his nose.
"So, it was you."
His eyes swept over the young man without the slightest warmth.
"You gave Shuangya a counterfeit artifact and nearly caused her serious injury before the entire assembly."
His voice grew noticeably colder.
"Do you understand the gravity of your mistake?"
The instant the last word fell, an overwhelming pressure descended without warning.
He Wenjing's shoulders sank. His knees buckled beneath him.
Thud.
He was forced heavily onto one knee.
The crushing aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator bore down on him like a towering mountain.
Against such absolute disparity in cultivation, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator had no ability to resist.
"This disciple acknowledges his mistakes," He Wenjing said steadily, making no attempt to rise.
"I was careless enough to trust the seller's claims and believed the artifact truly came from Master Du Fengyao.
Then, without inspecting it carefully myself, I passed it on as a gift. The fault lies with me."
He offered no excuses, nor did he try to shift the blame.
He simply admitted where he had gone wrong.
As the longtime Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, Meng Zonghan couldn't help but appreciate that kind of character. Taking responsibility instead of making excuses, remaining composed instead of panicking—those were qualities worthy of respect.
Unfortunately, respect didn't mean approval.
He allowed the pressure of his cultivation to linger a while longer.
Under the crushing aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator, He Wenjing's breathing gradually became ragged. His face turned deathly pale, and his body trembled where he knelt, as though he might collapse at any moment.
"Father!"
Meng Shuangya hurried to his side and knelt beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to support him.
Looking up anxiously, she pleaded, "Please stop. He can't endure your pressure any longer."
Only then did Meng Zonghan realize he'd let the test continue a little too long.
With a flicker of embarrassment, he withdrew his aura and casually changed the subject.
"Very well."
He looked toward He Wenjing again.
"Who is this Su Zhile you mentioned?"
Several disciples instinctively turned toward one corner of the crowd.
One of them quietly elbowed the young man beside him.
Su Zhile let out a long, resigned sigh.
...So it really had come to this.
He stepped onto the arena, cupped his fists, and bowed respectfully.
"This disciple, Su Zhile, greets Hall Master Meng."
Meng Zonghan nodded. "Tell us everything you know."
The truth had already become obvious to most of those present. Even so, proper procedure had to be followed.
Feeling the weight of countless gazes pressing down on him, Su Zhile broke into a cold sweat.
"This disciple is deeply ashamed," he began awkwardly. "The artifact I later sold to He Wenjing was something I had purchased from a traveling merchant. He claimed he was selling Master Du Fengyao's surplus works, so I never questioned it."
He hesitated for a moment.
"As for that man's identity..."
Before he could finish, the familiar mysterious voice echoed across the square once more.
[The mastermind behind all this is called Min Daode.]
[Though personally, I think "Min Immoral" suits him much better.]
The disciples: "..."
Even in the middle of exposing someone, she still had time to roast them.
The voice continued without pause.
[Min Daode is also an artifact refiner. Since he and Du Fengyao work in the same field, he watched her reputation soar while his own artifacts were constantly returned for poor quality.]
[Jealousy got the better of him.]
[So he secretly spent years studying Master Du's rune inscriptions and signature markings until, by sheer luck, he finally figured out how to imitate them.]
[Armed with that skill, he began passing off his own inferior artifacts as Master Du's work, deceiving countless cultivators along the way—including poor Su Zhile.]
[I have to admit, though... his forgery skills are truly first-rate.]
Su Zhile: "..."
He suddenly felt that there wasn't much left for him to explain.
The mysterious voice had already done it for him.
Du Fengyao, however, was seething.
"So it's Min Daode!"
Her beautiful face darkened with anger.
The two had clashed before, but she'd dismissed it as nothing more than professional rivalry.
Never had she imagined that, behind her back, he had been using her name to swindle unsuspecting cultivators.
Had Meng Shuangya's artifact not shattered during the duel today...
Who knew how much longer his scheme would have remained hidden?
Left standing on the arena, Su Zhile suddenly realized there was very little left for him to explain.
The mysterious voice had already exposed everything.
He could only smile bitterly and nod.
"That merchant... did indeed call himself Min Daode."
Meng Zonghan's eyes narrowed.
"Houming."
He turned toward Wei Houming.
"Take men from the Enforcement Hall and bring Min Daode in immediately."
Wei Houming cupped his fists. "Yes, Hall Master."
With the matter finally settled, the arena official stepped forward and announced the result.
"The first Golden Core match—Wei Houming is victorious!"
Although many pitied Meng Shuangya's misfortune, the outcome of the match could not be overturned.
The duel had ended fairly.
The accident with the counterfeit artifact was an entirely separate matter.
Rules were rules.
Wei Houming acknowledged the verdict with a nod before stepping down from the arena.
Du Fengyao followed close behind, murderous intent practically radiating from her as she mentally listed all the ways she intended to settle accounts with Min Daode.
Su Zhile wisely slipped away after them.
He had already embarrassed himself enough for one day.
As for He Wenjing, he had just taken a step forward when Meng Zonghan's voice stopped him.
"Not so fast. I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you."
He Wenjing paused immediately.
He had expected this.
He exchanged a glance with Meng Shuangya and gave her a subtle shake of the head.
The two of them had originally planned to wait for the right opportunity before revealing their relationship to her father.
Instead, the truth had come spilling out before the entire sect.
There was no point trying to hide it now.
When Meng Shuangya instinctively moved to speak on his behalf, He Wenjing gently stopped her before stepping forward.
Meeting Meng Zonghan's gaze without the slightest hint of retreat, he said calmly,
"Hall Master, I believe I know what you wish to ask. Shuangya and I chose each other of our own free will. We never intended to hide it from you out of disrespect."
He smiled faintly. "We simply hoped to find the right time to tell you ourselves."
Meng Zonghan looked at him for a long moment before speaking.
"And what if I don't approve?"
His tone remained calm, yet every word carried invisible pressure.
"My daughter entered the Golden Core realm at such a young age."
He looked He Wenjing up and down.
"You haven't even broken through yet. What makes you think you're worthy of standing beside her?"
The difference in cultivation between them was obvious.
Meng Shuangya was already a Golden Core cultivator.
He Wenjing was still at the Foundation Establishment stage.
He Wenjing wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
Instead, he straightened his back even further.
"Shuangya once told me that Hall Master is a fair and reasonable man. So I believe... that you'll respect her choice above all else."
He paused before adding honestly, "I won't claim my cultivation progresses as quickly as hers—that much is true. But if Shuangya chose me despite that..."
He smiled. "...then surely there must be something about me worth choosing."
Meng Zonghan studied him carefully.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Meng Shuangya looking at the young man beside her.
The anxiety that had clouded her face moments ago had quietly disappeared, replaced by a smile so gentle it softened her entire expression.
This brat...
He certainly knows how to talk.
Suppressing the smile threatening to surface, Meng Zonghan deliberately asked, "Oh? And what exactly is this 'something' you think she sees?"
His brows lifted slightly.
The teasing curiosity in his voice made it clear he wanted to hear how the young man would answer.
Below the arena, countless disciples had unconsciously stopped what they were doing.
Not a single pair of eyes remained on the tournament anymore.
Compared to another ordinary match...
Watching an overprotective father interrogate his daughter's sweetheart was far, far more entertaining.
"Shuangya once told me she hoped to find a husband willing to marry into her family," He Wenjing said earnestly, completely oblivious to the storm his next words were about to unleash. "I've already agreed. I'm willing to become your family's live-in son-in-law."
The entire arena fell silent.
A live-in son-in-law?
Among cultivators, very few men of any standing would willingly accept such an arrangement. To many, it was a blow to one's pride, something that would become the subject of gossip and ridicule for years to come.
Even Meng Zonghan was momentarily speechless.
He had always known his daughter harbored that idea. He simply hadn't believed anyone would actually agree to it.
"It... it's true!"
Seeing her father's silence, Meng Shuangya hurriedly stepped in, mistakenly thinking he disapproved.
"Wenjing agreed willingly. I never forced him."
She looked at her father hopefully.
"Father... you're not going to separate us, are you?"
Meng Zonghan let out a helpless sigh.
He had merely been caught off guard.
Yet somehow, before he'd even said a word, he'd already become the villain in his daughter's eyes.
"You're overthinking things."
Meng Shuangya's face immediately brightened.
She turned happily toward He Wenjing and lightly nudged his arm.
"See? I told you my father is reasonable. He didn't object at all."
He Wenjing caught the subtle twitch at the corner of Meng Zonghan's eye and immediately sensed that things weren't quite as simple as Meng Shuangya believed.
Without missing a beat, he smiled and said, "Hall Master Meng is indeed broad-minded and remarkably understanding."
"Hall Master?"
Meng Shuangya blinked before laughing softly.
"That's much too formal." She smiled mischievously. "If we're going to be family, shouldn't you start calling him Father-in-law?"
He Wenjing didn't hesitate for even a moment.
He immediately bowed again.
"This son-in-law greets Father-in-law."
Meng Zonghan: "..."
He stood there in complete silence.
Since when did I agree to any of this?
Nearby, Sect Leader Qingxuzi and the others could no longer hold back their laughter.
It was a rare sight indeed to see the usually stern and unyielding Meng Zonghan rendered completely speechless.
Minghan Zhenren smiled warmly.
"Congratulations, Brother Meng. It's no easy thing to find a young man willing to stand by your daughter's side like this."
He nodded approvingly toward He Wenjing.
"I wish the two of them a lifetime of happiness—and may they continue advancing together on the path of cultivation."
Madam Hongyan watched the young couple quietly, her eyes softening with distant memories.
"I only hope..." Her voice was gentle, carrying a trace of melancholy. "...that everyone who truly loves one another can remain together."
Those who knew her story understood the weight behind those words.
Long ago, during the great demonic upheaval, she had lost the person she loved most.
Even after all these years, the wound had never truly healed.
Seeing the melancholy that flickered across Madam Hongyan's face, Minghan let out a quiet sigh.
He knew her story all too well.
The man she loved had been a disciple of the Bailing Sect. During the great demonic upheaval years ago, he had disappeared without a trace.
Everyone believed he had died.
Everyone except her.
Because he cultivated the Dao of Inaction, he had never left behind a soul lamp within the sect. Without it, no one could say for certain whether he had perished... or was still alive somewhere in the world.
For all these years, Madam Hongyan had held onto a single fragile hope, that he had merely been gravely injured, hidden away in some unknown place to recover, and that one day he would return to her.
Yet Minghan couldn't help wondering...
If he truly were alive, why had he never come back?
How much longer could she keep waiting for someone who might never return?
He shook his head softly.
There was nothing he could say.
Everything that needed saying had already been said countless times before.
Meanwhile, Meng Zonghan shot his daughter a look that was equal parts helpless and aggrieved.
He had intended to keep a stern face and properly test the young man's resolve.
Instead, before he could even begin...
His daughter had completely dismantled his authority.
Meng Shuangya merely grinned and leaned closer, lowering her voice so only her father could hear.
"Don't look so upset, Father." She winked playfully. "He's only at the Foundation Establishment Realm. With you watching over him, what trouble could he possibly cause?"
The corners of Meng Zonghan's mouth twitched.
In the end, he could only sigh in surrender.
"Very well. I'll accept the title for now."
His eyes shifted toward He Wenjing.
"But don't mistake that for my complete approval. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future to see whether you're truly worthy of my daughter."
After clearing his throat, he was just about to continue-when a voice suddenly echoed across the entire arena.
It was filled with utter disbelief.
[Becoming a live-in son-in-law is one thing... but hold on!]
[That so-called son-in-law is actually a woman in disguise!]
[She's been deceiving Meng Shuangya this entire time!]
Silence.
The entire arena froze.
For a heartbeat, no one even remembered to breathe.
Then—an uproar exploded throughout the crowd.
What?!
A woman?!
The shock was so overwhelming that even the disciples who had been quietly enjoying the drama felt their minds go completely blank. Their gazes snapped toward He Wenjing in perfect unison, each pair of eyes filled with the same stunned disbelief.
Meng Zonghan's expression changed instantly.
The amusement vanished from his face, replaced by sharp concern as he immediately turned toward his daughter.
Meng Shuangya stood frozen.
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her where she stood.
The color drained from her face as she stared blankly at He Wenjing, her thoughts dissolving into complete chaos.
"You..." Her lips parted. "You..."
No matter how hard she tried, the words refused to come.
An overwhelming sense of absurdity flooded her heart.
How...
How had she never realized?
He Wenjing heard every word.
For a long moment, he simply looked at her.
He saw the confusion.
The disbelief.
The hurt gradually filling her eyes.
His lips moved slightly.
He wanted to explain. Yet every explanation died before it could leave his mouth.
The mysterious voice had spoken the truth.
Everything between them had begun with a lie.
What could he possibly say?
That he had approached her with ulterior motives... only to fall in love with her for real?
Even he found that explanation painfully hollow.
Silence stretched between them.
The hope lingering in Meng Shuangya's eyes slowly faded.
Why...
Why wouldn't he say anything?
Even if he told her he'd had no choice, even if there were reasons he couldn't reveal...
She would have tried to understand.
She would have tried to forgive him.
But his silence felt like the cruelest answer of all.
"So..." Her voice was frighteningly calm. "It's true."
She lowered her eyes briefly before looking back at him.
A moment ago, she had been talking about their future together.
Now she suddenly felt... ridiculous.
He Wenjing's chest tightened painfully.
More than anything, he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything.
Tell her his feelings had become genuine.
Tell her every word he'd spoken afterward had been sincere.
But no matter how real those feelings were, they could not erase one undeniable truth.
He had hidden his identity.
He had deceived her.
He had always known this day might come.
He simply hadn't expected it to arrive so suddenly... or hurt this much.
Meng Shuangya slowly lowered her head.
Anger.
Heartbreak.
Humiliation.
The emotions tangled together until she could scarcely tell one from another.
Watching from the spectator seats, Shi Xiuxiu felt her own heart ache.
She understood that feeling all too well.
Trusting someone...
Only to discover they had been hiding the truth from the very beginning.
Almost unconsciously, she thought of Qi Luofeng.
A quiet, bitter sigh escaped her lips.
Was there some kind of curse attached to marrying into someone else's family?
Why did every single one of them seem to be hiding a secret?