Ye Family Council Hall.
Today, the display was grand.
The floor was wiped three times with damp cloths by the Qingyi Attendants, shining so brightly that it reflected the newly hung crimson silk on the corridor pillars.
In the air, the rich scent unique to the expensive Ningshen Incense wafted outward, strand by strand, attempting to create a solemn and festive atmosphere.
However, this deliberate grandeur couldn’t conceal the strange, turbulent undercurrents in the hall.
On both sides, the Ye family disciples stood tall, chins up and eyes forward, but the low murmurs of conversation never ceased.
“They’re here, they’re here! The Xiao family sure knows how to make an entrance.”
“Is that Xiao Liuli walking behind the Elder? Tsk, just looking at that mask gives me chills. Wearing that iron thing in broad daylight… How unlucky.”
“You know, Senior Brother Ye Tianjiao is a man of character. Cutting off this burden was a wise move. What a pity for Ye Chen, though, being so handsome.”
“I heard from my third uncle’s cousin that rumors from the Xiao family’s enemies say Xiao Liuli’s face was ruined by Cold Poison long ago. Otherwise, why would she wear that iron lump every day?”
“Quiet! The Patriarch is looking this way!”
At the front of the crowd, Ye Tianjiao stood with hands behind his back, a blatant sneer and amusement on his handsome face.
He had come today just to watch the show.
To see what kind of spectacle this farce, directed by his own hands and starring Ye Chen and Xiao Liuli, would become.
On the high seat, Patriarch Ye Nantian was exchanging pleasantries with a half-gray-haired Xiao Family Elder, a flawless smile on his face.
“Brother Xiao, you’ve come from afar. Thank you for your trouble. Has Liuli’s health been well lately?”
“Thank you for your concern, Brother Nantian,” the Xiao Family Elder replied with a polite but emotionless smile.
“Liuli’s health remains the same. Today, we’ve come to confirm the marriage contract set by our ancestors. After all, this matter concerns the honor of both families and cannot be delayed.”
His tone was businesslike and distant.
Xiao Liuli stood quietly behind the Elder, like a lifeless statue.
From the moment she stepped into the hall, she had blocked out everything around her.
The harsh whispers, the complicated gazes—they all felt like they were separated by a thick layer of ice, unable to reach her heart.
Her heart had long become a barren, frozen land.
After experiencing the world’s coldest warmth, nothing but cultivation and the faint hope of dispelling Cold Poison and regaining her strength remained.
This marriage contract, to her, was just a procedure to endure on the path of cultivation.
It didn’t matter whom she married, whether the other was a genius or a fool, handsome or ugly.
She needed only a nominal husband—a status that could temporarily silence gossip, allowing her a moment of peace to seek her own path.
At that moment, a slender figure walked in unhurriedly through the side door.
Ye Chen had arrived.
Neither late nor early—right on time.
He still wore that plain blue robe, his face expressionless, as if he’d just woken up and been called to attend a gathering that had nothing to do with him.
Ignoring the stares filling the hall, he walked straight to his seat and sat down quietly.
The Xiao Family Elder saw him, his brows knitting almost imperceptibly.
He turned his head, voice not loud but clear enough for the people at the main seat to hear.
“Brother Nantian, according to the agreement back then, the marriage was to be with the most outstanding disciple of the Ye family. May I ask who this is…”
He didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear.
The Ye Chen before him seemed utterly unremarkable, in no way fitting the word “outstanding.”
Ye Nantian’s smile didn’t change, but his heart tightened. He was about to explain.
But at that moment, Xiao Liuli, who had remained silent, looked at Ye Chen for the first time.
She studied him carefully.
Very clean, very ordinary.
His features were indeed handsome, but his eyes were empty, lacking the sharpness a young man should have.
She couldn’t sense any trace of spiritual power from him—a complete and utter mortal.
After only a glance, she looked away, her heart unmoved.
Instead… she felt relieved.
An ordinary person.
Someone with no ambition, no desire, not even a care for himself.
This… was the best outcome.
She didn’t need a genius husband telling her what to do, nor an ambitious man scheming for the Xiao family’s remaining resources.
What she needed was someone like Ye Chen—an “invisible man” who would bring her no trouble and never interfere with her actions. A “nominal husband,” nothing more.
The more ordinary, the weaker, the more beneficial it was for her unwavering pursuit of the Dao.
So, as the Xiao Family Elder was about to speak again, Xiao Liuli suddenly stepped forward, bowed slightly toward the main seat, and her voice, though not loud, rang clear through the hall, cutting off all thoughts.
“Let the elders decide the marriage.”
Her voice was like a cold spring—clear, but utterly devoid of emotion.
At her words, the Xiao Family Elder swallowed what he was about to say. Ye Nantian clapped his hands and laughed.
“Good! Niece Liuli is wise and understands the greater good. It’s settled, then!”
He turned to Ye Chen, who seemed to have been wandering in his own world all along, and asked sternly.
“Ye Chen, do you have any objections?”
Ye Chen seemed to return to himself at that moment.
He looked up at Ye Nantian’s smiling face, then at the slender, masked girl, and finally, softly uttered a single word.
“Fine.”
A marriage concerning the honor of two great families was thus settled in such a bizarre atmosphere.
Looking at the two standing side by side, yet seemingly worlds apart, the sneer at the corner of Ye Tianjiao’s mouth deepened.
Truly a match made in heaven.
A cripple and a monster.
Perfect.