21. The Proposal
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Lord Xu walked into the room with a severely pissed off look, and following him was Xu Linhua.
"Oh my! How are there others here?" Linhua covered her mouth in apparent surprise.
"Everybody should leave these quarters." Lord Xu quietly ordered.
"Not a word must leave this place!" Lord Zhang added, as Ye Chongmin and the other servants backed out.
"That includes you." Lord Xu's irises had darted to Zhang Cheng, who was still staring at Luoyin with no small menace.
Zhang Cheng turned to his father, but Lord Zhang motioned for him to leave, so he slinked out in annoyance.
"Don't just stand there. Help your little sister get dressed." Lord Xu said to Linhua, who stood behind him, and Linhua headed towards the bed.
"Zhang Luoyin, Come with us." Lord Xu said, as he turned and left the small room.
Lord Xu's aura exploded outside, leaving Luoyin reluctant to follow!
But he couldn't stay in the room and compound the issue, so he threw on a robe and stepped outside.
Weiyan finally lifted the covers when the men had left, and Xu Linhua scowled down at her.
Lord Xu loved Weiyan as if she was his biological child, but his wife and other children didn't share his generosity, and they often bullied Weiyan.
This was worsened by the fact that Weiyan was a natural in Art, Pen, or Sword, so she easily surpassed Xu Haoyuan, her elder brother, in sword, spear, archery, spells, shields, seals, talismans and generally anything combat.
And as for Xu Linhua?
Be it in looks, playing the qin, the zither, the pipa, dancing, embroidery, and really everything else... Xu Linhua couldn't hold a candle to Weiyan, and she was used to hearing snide comments like,
"The guest outshines the host!"
Xu Linhua's deep rooted hatred had only grown after Lord Zhang had cancelled her engagement to Zhang Cheng because of Weiyan, so at present, she fought to hide her triumphant expression as she asked,
"Little Sister, how could you shame the Xu family's face so completely?! Even though you're merely an orphan, Father still has... oh, I should say, 'had' high hopes for you! After our family fed and clothed the beggar, our face got smeared in the mud!"
Weiyan's face was as red as a ripe apple, but she rose to her feet, stepping up to Linhua.
"What do you want to do?!" Linhua challenged, raising her nose, but Weiyan simply patted her shoulder.
"Elder Sister, the wine I shared with you last night was delightful." She said. "And then I woke up here like this... Since you've gotten what you wanted, there's no need to say these things."
A sliver of guilt passed over Linhua's face, but it was soon replaced by anger, especially with the calm way Weiyan had accused her.
"Hmph! Even if I did anything, what can you prove?! You've even lost the protection of the Zhang family!"
But Weiyan ignored her and turned to collect her robes.
"Are you ignoring me?! Hao! Watch how people whisper about their beloved 'White Swallow', and your marriage to the Zhang trash!
"I already won over all the Zhang Servants, so by the time I marry Cheng gē ge, you won't have an easy life here!" She huffed and stalked out of the room with her nose in the air, leaving Weiyan behind.
But Weiyan simply continued dressing.
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Outside, Lord Xu and Lord Zhang had led Luoyin a far distance away, and now he knelt behind Lord Xu, who had his arms crossed behind his back.
Lord Xu's fearsome aura enveloped him and he found it a bit hard to breathe.
"Zhang Luoyin, how disappointing. I was just beginning to like you." Xu Fengyan stated a little too quietly.
Luoyin bowed. "Sect Leader Xu! I c- c- can't say anything! Ch- ch- childhood trauma!"
"You little brat!" Lord Zhang raised a hand. "Who would believe this stupid act of y-?!" But Xu Fengyan turned to him.
"Zhang Guo, please. I need an answer for my Yanyan."
Lord Zhang huffed in annoyance. "I wonder how this person is my son!" He hissed, then flung his sleeves and stormed away.
Luoyin straightened and touched his cheek.
Lord Zhang had slapped him earlier, but the Spirit-binding Oath hadn't responded.
Did he have to be the one to touch the person? Or was Lord Zhang not a grievance?
Luoyin sighed and focused on Lord Xu.
"Sect Leader Xu, even if you don't trust me, you know Xu Weiyan would never do something like this. Our cultivation levels are also like night and day, so why would she let me do that to her?"
"Who knows if you're some sweet talker?!" Xu Fengyan accused, unknowingly releasing more of his aura, but he was surprised to see that Luoyin didn't struggle at all.
'Isn't he supposed to be a weakling?!' Xu Fengyan wondered.
Luoyin resisted the urge to smile.
He wasn't as strong as he wanted to be, but his cultivation the previous night had certainly been fruitful.
"Sect Leader Xu, you and I just reached a lucrative deal yesterday." He calmly pointed out. "Why would I suddenly jump into fire? What will I gain from offending you? If you investigate my quarters even a little, I'm certain that you'll find something."
"You seem confident." Xu Fengyan regarded him.
"That's because there's only one person who will benefit from this, and she likely had the help of Ye Chongmin, our dear Head Maid.
"I was awake till the second hour past midnight, so it must have happened afterwards, and I don't trust anyone within the residence, so I ate or drank nothing. That means there must be a small hidden hole on the wall where poisoned smoke was let in at some point.
"Since you ordered everyone to leave, Maid Ye wouldn't be able to eliminate any evidence yet."
Xu Fengyan sighed in annoyance.
Luoyin was right. He found the whole thing suspicious.
Linhua had informed him at dawn that she had seen Weiyan enter Zhang Luoyin's quarters the previous night, and she still wasn't back home, so he had rushed over.
Only to find the room already surrounded by servants.
Also, why hadn't Linhua stopped Weiyan, or informed him the previous night?
"Stay here." Xu Fengyan said, then went back to Zhang Luoyin's room.
It didn't even take too long to find a small hole in the corner of the room. There was a bamboo pipe passed through the hole, and what looked like burned-out residue on the other end of the pipe.
Xu Fengyan returned to Zhang Luoyin. "I found the evidence. I will properly apologize later for bullying you. For now, you're free to go." He waved Luoyin away.
Luoyin sighed in relief, but when he tried to rise, a familiar aura kept him in place, followed by a familiar voice.
~"Foolish boy! I had to return, because I knew you would try escaping what you must do!"~ It was Immortal Kai Zhen.
~"Shifu!"~ Bailong replied. ~"You're not expecting me to--!"~
~"I don't have to say anything, since you've seen it for yourself! What did you see in Zhang Luoyin's memories? And what will happen if you ignore his grievances?!"~
Bailong gritted his teeth in anger.
As he had touched Weiyan earlier, he had seen it clear as day. The reason she was a grievance to Luoyin!
He cupped his hands.
"S- Sect Leader Xu, I won't just give you an answer and leave. Nothing happened between your daughter and I, but our reputations will be harmed by this, and whatever we say won't change anything.
"Everyone will still believe I and Xu Weiyan crossed the point of no return, so I have a small proposal of my own."
He knelt even straighter and cupped his hands.
"Let me Marry Xu Weiyan!"
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