Gongsun Yu really had a bad streak of luck. Regardless of whether they wanted to protect him or harm him, he would always be the topic of their conversation.

Qin Weiwei grit her teeth. This guy would rather murder Gongsun Yu than ask her father for her hand in marriage. How could she stomach this?

"It’s not just about Gongsun Yu. Father has also been forcing me to settle my marital affairs as soon as possible. However, this kind of mutual consent can never be forced," said Qin Weiwei. She shook her head and sighed.

"That’s right!" Miao Yi promptly nodded his head. "It’s useless to force these matters. It will be over if you just refuse him."

"But I have already promised him."

"Er…" Miao Yi still had his reservations and continued to ask, "Since you’re not willing, why did you promise him?"

"Because of your matters. If I hadn’t promised him, I wouldn’t have been able to help you solve your problems all at once while I was at South Edict Manor then," said Qin Weiwei, keeping an indifferent expression without any emotion. "For the sake of you, my friend, I have tried my very best. Can’t you just help me for once?"

"This…" Miao Yi was still hesitant, wondering whether or not this woman was trying to play him for a fool. However, after giving it a bit more thought, he realized Qin Weiwei wasn’t the type to use her reputation as a joke. For a moment, he didn’t know what he should say. He could only force a smile and said, "It’s not that I don’t wish to help you, but how could I help you with such problem!"

"Simple. Go and ask my father for my hand in marriage."

When Miao Yi imagined the scenario of himself asking Yang Qing for his daughter’s hand in marriage, he instantly felt buckets of sweat breaking. His expression was a little sour as he wiped his forehead and said, "Qin… Wei… Wei. Is it appropriate for a mere Cave Master like myself to run to the Manor Head and talk about marriage? If I do, won’t he strike me down in anger?"

"You will be fine. I will go with you. I will explain that we yearned for each other for a long while already. As long as you propose the idea of marriage to him, I naturally will have a way to make father agree to it."

"Yearned for each other?" Miao Yi’s eyes went wide. He was silent for a while before hesitantly saying, "Isn’t it inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate? I already made a promise to father about my marital matters just to solve your problems. This happened because of you, and now you don’t want to help me? Does that mean that I should go find a random guy to marry just because of your problems?"

"This… I do wish to help you, but this sort of matter… I don’t care about myself, but I fear this will besmirch your reputation! Think about it. If you and I carry a status like that, how will you marry in the future?"

"You don’t have to worry about that. If I truly meet someone I like one day, I will explain my reasons to him."

"Explain? Will you be able to explain your reasons properly? Qin Weiwei. I truly am thinking of your own good. In the eyes of a man, even if you try your best to explain, the other person will still feel resentful about it."

"So you think n.o.body would want to take me as his wife, the daughter of the Manor Head of South Edict Manor?"

"No, no. You have the authority, power, and status; you are beautiful as well. There are many men out there who would want to marry you…" Miao Yi scratched his face. He didn’t know what else he should say. He didn’t think he would ever encounter a situation like this one. He was beginning to suspect that this woman was trying to trick him. But as a woman, she didn’t need to use her reputation to toy with him like this. In the end, he meekly said, "Actually, you could try and find others to do it. I think… Gongsun Yu is actually a decent choice. He will definitely be happy to help you with your problem…"

‘BANG!’ Qin Weiwei slammed the table and stood up with a frosty expression on her face. Miao Yi was taken aback by her sudden action.

"OUT!" Qin Weiwei angrily yelled, pointing to the door. "I won’t help you with your problems anymore. The problem between Gongsun Yu and you hasn’t been settled yet. I will leave it to Manor Head to deal with. I don’t give a d.a.m.n anymore!"

Miao Yi’s expression twitched. He was finally experiencing how it felt like to be pressured by a higher ranking officer. However, going back to the main point, even Miao Yi felt he was quite shameless for saying such things to her. When he took a step back and thought about it, if he really did allow Qin Weiwei and Gongsun Yu to end up together, Gongsun Yu would take the opportunity to give him a hard time; let alone Qin Weiwei.

"Don’t be mad," said Miao Yi with a horrendous smile on his face.

"Mad? It’s not worth getting mad over someone like you," yelled Qin Weiwei once again. "GET OUT!"

"I… I promise, alright?" Miao Yi took the initiative to beg. "Weiwei. Don’t be mad. We’re friends. How can I stand by and do nothing? I promise that I will find the Manor Head and speak with him about the marriage proposal, alright?"

Qin Weiwei rapid breathing eventually calmed down. She stared at him coldly and said, "You better think of this carefully. It’s your decision. I’m not forcing you to do it."

‘You are clearly forcing me to do it and you still deny it? I am only being polite because I am not strong enough, and both you and your father are my superiors!’ Miao Yi felt that his tears were flowing into his stomach instead, yet he still had to show her an apologetic smile. "No, no. Since we are friends, there’s no way that I won’t lend a hand after seeing my friend in trouble."

Qin Weiwei’s eyes shone. She could suddenly feel the joy in having her authority.

To be honest, when she forced Miao Yi into being friends in the beginning, she already felt that sensation before. After having her first daunting experience with it, she discovered that authority was quite an effective tool to use. Her skin eventually ‘thickened’, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to say such words to Miao Yi.

Of course, she had to disguise herself to be able to say such things—like pretending to help him with his problems. If she had to say what she truly felt, how could she bring herself to do it? Even if she were to be beaten to death, she would never speak the truth.

She didn’t know anything about falling in love as she has no experience with it either. She would rather simply come across as tough while concealing the truth.

Her cold expression was slowing warming up. Qin Weiwei sighed again and said, "Actually, if we do it like this, you will be able to reap a lot of benefits. If you and I take on that false status, I can dispel those rumors and my father’s forced marriage. You will be able to talk through some of your problems with Manor Head. It won’t do for me if I keep taking your side to solve your problems. With this layer of relations.h.i.+p between us, my father might think of a way to promote you as Mountain Chieftain as soon as possible."

‘I do want to become a Mountain Chieftain but not through this kind of method!’ Miao Yi forced a smile and said, "You might be able to dispel your rumors, but I am afraid that I will be doused with more rumors. When that time comes, someone will definitely label me as a kept man."

Qin Weiwei was stunned. She hadn’t considered this point before. When she considered them being together, it didn’t seem like there were any disadvantage for Miao Yi. After thinking about it for a moment, it would indeed be a little too much for a man to bear such reputation. It seemed that her status and background were not as much of an advantage as she initially thought. A flash of regret visible pa.s.sed her eyes.

Miao Yi was not really concerned about reputations and the like. As a person who grew up in a street as a filthy butcher, he was already used to being despised by others. Now all he was worrying about was how he should tell Yang Qing of the marriage proposal. Gazing out the window, he asked, "If I really take up that status, does that mean I have to stay in Mount Calming Sea in the future?"

Qin Weiwei replied a little awkwardly. "Sure."

"Ah! That’s unfortunate," Miao Yi sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Qin Weiwei asked in turn. "Were you thinking of staying in the same room with me?"

‘I want to!’ Miao Yi gaze flew from the window to Qin Weiwei’s pretty face, then darted to her pert bosoms. He let out a hollow laugh and said, "Unfortunately, this is all an act. It is too bad that we would be couples in name only. Others may think that I really do have a beautiful wife."

Qin Weiwei stayed calm and replied, "Oh. Do you want to seriously court me then?"

Miao Yi teased, "My dear Mountain Chieftain is so beautiful. Any man would wish to court you."

Qin Weiwei coldly replied, "I will not stop you. If you have the b.a.l.l.s for it, then why don’t you try it? Maybe I won’t refuse."

‘Cough! Cough!’ Letting out two dry coughs, Miao Yi’s expression turned awkward as he thought, ‘This woman is very certain that I don’t the guts to touch her.’

To be honest, he really did desire courting Qin Weiwei. If he actually took on that status with such a beautiful woman beside him, he would desire to become intimate with her just as any other men would.

Having said that, there was nothing he could do as he worked under her father’s command. If he angered Yang Qing, he could very easily be turned into a Loose Cultivator with just a single kick. Forcing himself on Qin Weiwei was like taking his bright future as a joke. He couldn’t afford that! Furthermore, he wasn’t perverted enough to go on such a desperate route yet...

In the Suppressing Second Hall, Advisor Liao Busheng from Suppressing Third Hall silently waited beside Huo Lingxiao, after delivering the archive to him under Wu Menglan’s orders.

Huo Lingxiao sat there with an arm resting on the tea table, impa.s.sively studying the contents of the jade archive.

Liao Busheng kept on observing Huo Lingxiao, but there was hardly any reaction on his face.

After he was done reading through the contents of the jade archive, Huo Lingxiao put it down and tilted his head upwards with a smile. "I never expected Wu Menglan to be this interested in my subordinate. Go back and inform her, there are many men who are stronger than Xiong Xiao in Suppressing Second Hall. If she still wants one that badly, I can personally hand-pick some for her and I can a.s.sure that she will not be disappointed."

Liao Busheng’s expression twisted slightly. This was an insult to his Hall Master, but as he was alone, he dared not act recklessly. He could only mutter, "Farewell."

Huo Lingxiao raised his hand slightly and responded, "See yourself out!"

After Liao Busheng flew off, Huo Lingxiao’s expression gradually became grim. Suddenly, his transcendence energy began surging.

‘BANG! BANG! BANG!…’

A number of explosion rang out, and several items inside the room were pulverized. Yu Tian and Liu Xing’s faces paled from fright as they glanced around the room.

Sweeping his sleeves, he blew dusts from the exploded items outside. Huo Lingxiao then scornfully laughed, "Well done, Xiong Xiao. You have quite the pair on you. How dare you ridicule me like this! I guess you have a death wish."

Yang Qing was right. The reason Xiong Xiao’s name had been leaked from the list was because of Huo Lingxiao.

Of course, how could a Hall Master do such a thing that could easily go wrong? Naturally, he wanted to somehow reveal the list to Xiong Xiao so that he would be able to understand the good intention the Hall Master had for him, as long as he was smart about it.

The reason he did so was simple. He wanted to support someone who was equally powerful to Yang Qing and had the ability to keep him in check, while he supported Yang Qing at the same time. In case Yang Qing refused to obey him, he could use that person against him.

The rules of the game did not dictate that problems could be only solved with those who have higher cultivation base. The most important thing was whether they were intelligent or not. During the battle between Yang Qing and Zhang Decheng, Xiong Xiao had performed remarkably, which was why Huo Lingxiao had taken a fancy to him.

When Yang Qing delivered the candidate list to him, it was obvious that he, as the Hall Master, shouldn’t show an obvious bias towards Xiong Xiao. On the surface, he did not cross out Xiong Xiao’s name but he allowed someone else to reveal the list to Xiong Xiao. The reason he did this was to see whether Xiong Xiao had the ability to contend with Yang Qing. If he showed some ability, the candidate list could always be altered at the very last minute.

Surprisingly, Xiong Xiao was not a fool either. He felt that the support Hall Master had given to him was too weak. Moreover, he was more knowledgeable of Yang Qing’s shrewdness than the Hall Master was, and he knew that the Hall Master was simply using his life as a chess piece to his game, without regards to his life or death. Because of that, he decided not to fight against Yang Qing and defected by himself to quickly escape!