Outside the Earth City of the Jiang Clan,

The area was vast, and a grand procession was making its way from a distance.

The group, more than fifty strong, all rode expensive beast-mounted steeds. Most of them were dressed as guards, likely from a large city family. At the front, a man and a woman rode side by side. The man had a face like jade, while the woman’s face was veiled in light gauze.

"This is the tribe’s Earth City? It doesn’t seem any bigger than our family’s branch mansion," Chen Yuanzhou observed as he looked out ahead. Dressed in scholarly attire with a sword at his waist as if it were an accessory, he continued, "But the wall here is definitely taller than the mansion’s, at least three zhang. It can barely defend against low-level demonic beasts."

"Be careful after we enter the city. Don’t speak carelessly," Chen Yuanzhou’s older sister, Chen Yuan Shu, replied coldly. She wore a black, tight-fitting dress that accentuated her slender waist, making her look both heroic and striking.

"Why? Are you afraid of danger here in the tribe’s Earth City? Do they dare?" Chen Yuanzhou said arrogantly.

"The tribe’s territory is self-governing, with many taboos. A single wrong word could ruin their customs," Chen Yuan Shu replied coolly. "We don’t fear the tribe members, but if a conflict arises, Lei Hong, the inspector, would never let it go lightly. It could even bring trouble to the family."

"Don’t worry, I understand. I won’t cause trouble," Chen Yuanzhou quickly reassured her.

Most ordinary inspectors might hesitate in the face of the Chen family, but not Lei Hong.

As a key figure serving under the Lord of Feixue City, Lei Hong’s standing was no lower than the head of the Chen family. According to the imperial regulations, inspectors couldn’t serve in their own family’s territory and had to be stationed far from home. Lei Hong, not a native of Feixue City, was from another region, and it was said that his teacher was an extraordinary figure, even a god-like being.

Lei Hong’s tenure as an inspector lasted only a decade before being transferred. Due to his immense ability and powerful background, no one in Feixue City dared ask him to take sides or compromise.

"He’s known for his impartiality, and sometimes his temper isn’t great either. People learn the hard way when they offend him," Chen Yuan Shu added, her tone serious.

"I think I should remind you," Chen Yuanzhou said, gaining a bit of courage. "You’ve caused more trouble than I have! My temper is mild; it’s your temper that needs to be more careful."

After saying this, Chen Yuanzhou quickly pulled the reins, making his horse veer to the right, creating a slight distance between him and his sister. He was afraid that she might retaliate with a punch, which would certainly make him lose his cool.

To his surprise, Chen Yuan Shu didn’t respond aggressively this time.

"Mm." She gave a soft response.

Chen Yuanzhou subtly pulled the reins again to get closer, observing his sister’s expression. From the look in her eyes, he could tell she was distracted and in low spirits.

"Sis, you agreed to come along for a break, but it doesn’t seem like you’re at ease. Is something bothering you?" he asked cautiously.

"I’m fine." Chen Yuan Shu replied curtly.

"In the past, whenever I went out, you didn’t come with me, always scolding me for not focusing on my cultivation. This time, you suggested coming with me. It can’t be just for a break, can it?" Chen Yuanzhou pressed on.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Chen Yuan Shu shot him a glare.

"Am I not allowed to speak?" Chen Yuanzhou quickly added, "Who else am I supposed to talk to if not you? All my friends—once they heard you were coming with me, they bailed! It’s just the two of us left now, a bunch of cowards!"

"Are you blaming me?" Chen Yuan Shu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Not blaming you! How could I! Sis, you’re overthinking it!" Chen Yuanzhou’s tone became faster. "I’m just concerned about you, we’re siblings! Mom passed away early, Dad is always in seclusion or busy with family matters, and I was practically raised by you. You used to look after me, and now I’m looking out for you. Isn’t that how it should be?"

"Stop buttering me up, you were raised by servants," Chen Yuan Shu shot back, looking ahead.

"Well... being raised by servants and by a real sister, how could they be the same? Let’s not go off-topic... Sis, are you really not bothered by something? What’s going on?" Chen Yuanzhou tried to steer the conversation back.

"Shut up." Chen Yuan Shu coldly snapped.

"Hey, what’s wrong with talking to my sister? The bigger the family, the less affection there is. We’re basically all each other has. If you have something on your mind, who else can you talk to?" Chen Yuanzhou’s words caused the surrounding guards’ eyelids to twitch.

"All you two do is act like you’re from some great family! One of you is the first genius of the family, possibly the number one talent in Feixue City, and the other was once the number one genius in Feixue City before losing a lot of her talent. Now, she's still the second genius of the family! The family practically treats you both like treasures, spending more on your training in a year than a medium-sized family would earn in an entire year! And you say you’re all each other has?!"

"Sis! Just tell me, what's going on?"

"Sis! There’s no one else here."

"Sis! I..."

"You’re so annoying," Chen Yuan Shu muttered, glaring at her brother again. Then, she spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "You said I raised you, so does that mean I’m your mother?"

"Big sister is like a mother, you said it yourself!" Chen Yuanzhou quickly responded.

"Mm, I’m your mother," Chen Yuan Shu answered, then added, "Now, the family is looking to find you a father."

"Ha..."

The guards couldn’t hold back their laughter, and two of them, unable to contain it, quickly pretended to cough, one even turning their head to rub their face as if to hide their smile.

Chen Yuanzhou loved to act like a scholar, but in truth, he wasn’t well-read. On the other hand, Chen Yuan Shu was highly educated and had a knack for delivering cutting remarks, always catching people off guard.

Chen Yuanzhou’s face froze for a moment, before he pretended to be unfazed and muttered to himself, "So the rumors were true..."

"Hm?" Chen Yuan Shu suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing as she asked, "What rumors?"

"The family is looking for a husband for you... They say you're already twenty-six, so marrying out of the family is impossible. With your talent, no one is worthy of you, so they decided you need to marry a man who will join the family. They’re already looking for candidates, someone between twenty-five and forty years old, with at least the talent to make it onto the Starry Hall’s list of candidates. He doesn’t have to be from Feixue City, even someone from a county city is fine. Appearance doesn’t matter, but he can’t have tribal bloodline...," Chen Yuanzhou rattled on, counting off with his fingers.

"You were at that meeting, weren’t you?" Chen Yuan Shu suddenly asked coldly.

Chen Yuanzhou froze and quickly shrank his neck, realizing his sister was genuinely upset. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Yes..."

"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?" she demanded.

"I... I didn’t dare..."

Chen Yuanzhou had not only attended the meeting regarding his sister’s marriage but had also been given a task by the family elders—to try to persuade Chen Yuan Shu and do some ideological work on her.

Chen Yuanzhou didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t refuse the elder council’s orders. He knew his sister’s temperament—she would only resist more if he pressured her. She preferred a gentler approach...

After a few moments of silence, seeing Chen Yuan Shu turn her head again, Chen Yuanzhou cautiously spoke up.

"Sis, you really don’t want to get married?" he asked, lowering his voice instinctively.

Chen Yuan Shu refused to respond.

"Marriage isn’t so bad. Look at me—engaged at fifteen, married at nineteen. Though we haven’t had children yet, I plan to wait until I break into the Jie realm, then have more with Xiao Hui..." Chen Yuanzhou kept talking, a smile appearing on his face as he mentioned his wife.

"You’ve known her since childhood. Although her talent isn’t as great as yours, it’s good enough to be on the Starry Hall’s list. Her family, the Qian family, isn’t one of the four major families, but they are one of the largest, even competing with the Wei family. You’re twenty-three, she’s twenty-two—just a year apart. From the moment I first saw her playing with you, she’s been following you, calling 'Brother Yuanzhou'... You two getting married would make everyone happy—the family, you, her, even the storytellers in the teahouses of North Street in Feixue City would be pleased! They’d call you a match made in heaven!"

Chen Yuan Shu spoke quickly, still facing forward. "Of course you think marriage isn’t a big deal! It’s not like you’re going to marry a stranger and sleep with them to have children!"

Chen Yuanzhou, now quite scared, quickly pulled his horse several paces away, causing the beast to startle slightly.

Once Chen Yuan Shu turned her head back, Chen Yuanzhou dared to approach again.

"Sis, didn’t you have any childhood sweethearts?" he asked, but immediately regretted it, quickly adding, "Sis, forget I asked!"

He regretted it, not because she had any tragic past with a lost childhood sweetheart, but because... she didn’t have one!

When Chen Yuan Shu was six years old, she was hailed as having a god-like presence, and from then on, she raced ahead of her peers, leaving them far behind. Her talent was so high that those her age seemed insignificant in her presence! By the time she entered the Innate Realm at twelve, she had already surpassed her peers by leagues.

It was that year, when she was twelve, that she and her younger brother, Chen Yuanzhou, were ambushed. To protect him, she was injured, severely damaging an important meridian and diminishing her talent. However, even after that, she remained the second most talented in the Chen family and a disciple of the Starry Hall.

This was also the reason why the Chen family would never allow her to marry outside the family. Chen Yuan Shu represented the hope for the family to ascend to divine power. As long as the family could produce a divine figure, even though her meridian damage was nearly impossible to heal, they still held on to that hope.

But even with all this, the family couldn’t let her make all the decisions, especially concerning major matters like family inheritance and her marriage.

Her extraordinary talent meant that she had to marry, to continue the family legacy.

"Sis, if you hadn’t been injured for me, with your talent, you would have surpassed the Innate realm years ago, and possibly become the youngest Jie realm practitioner in Feixue City’s history. The family wouldn’t have forced you into marriage..." Chen Yuanzhou spoke with regret.

"Stop talking nonsense," Chen Yuan Shu snapped.

The conversation paused as the team finally arrived at the gates of the tribe’s Earth City, where a large group of guards awaited them.