Chapter 2
1491 Words
The other guards followed suit. Liu Ruyan, slapped to the ground, was utterly dumbfounded.
This was not what she had imagined. She had expected Fu to mock Jiang Yunhao, not treat him with such respect.
Disheveled, she struggled to rise, tears in her eyes, exuding a pitiful, helpless appearance.
“Truly worthy of the imperial family,” murmured the onlookers.
“Liu Ruyan must be deluded if she thought the guards would side with her.”
“Crying, yet still pretending she’s innocent—so pitifully fake!”
“Little Young Master Yunhao hasn’t even harmed her. Since the engagement is annulled, reclaiming his gifts is only right.”
The words cut deep. Liu Ruyan shivered. Even now, the crowd mocked her instead of sympathizing.
“Fine… I’ll return them,” she muttered, humiliated beyond words.
She removed her outer armor—the Tianxuan Divine Armor. Its purple fabric shimmered and transformed into a white plate. A divine treasure that could change with its wearer’s will.
Her face flushed with fury and shame.
“Wait—is that all?” the crowd whispered.
No—it wasn’t just the Tianxuan Divine Armor. Every treasure she wore had been given by Jiang Yunhao over three years. She had to return them all.
With each item she removed—rings, necklaces—her heart bled as if being torn apart.
“All… all returned. Satisfied now?” she finally gasped, left in nothing but her inner white clothing, eyes brimming with tears.
Suddenly, Jiang Yunhao appeared before her.
Before she could react, two sharp slaps landed on her face.
“These are for the guards you humiliated,” he said coldly, standing still.
The black guards gawked, unable to believe it. Such a scene had been unthinkable before. Yet now, it was real.
“Notify the Liu clan elders: return my betrothal gifts by tomorrow. Refuse, and I will visit personally,” Jiang Yunhao commanded, waving them off with disdain.
Liu Ruyan staggered, clutching her stinging cheeks. Could this be real? The obedient dog had dared to strike her!
Seeing the guards’ respect toward him, she dared not provoke Jiang Yunhao further. She fled with her friends, tails between their legs.
Jiang Yunhao turned back to his carriage. The system was ready to activate.
“Return.”
“Obeying the Young Master!” the guards shouted, their voices thunderous.
For three years, they had suffered in silence, frustrated at Jiang Yunhao’s subservience. But now—everything had changed. From their hearts, they recognized their Young Master.
At the Luoshui Riverbank, the storm subsided, but the city would soon erupt with the news.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan, leaving in disgrace, fumed:
“Jiang Yunhao… such a man! I only tested him for three years! I never said I didn’t like him—I just wanted to see his true heart!”
“Couldn’t even endure a little test—how could he give me security? And he even hit me!”
Her friends comforted her, reminding her
“We pay our respects, Young Lord.”
The three Divine Realm elders entered and saw Jiang Yunhao in the hall.
Clad in snow-white robes, flawless and immaculate, his black hair casually draped behind him, exuding unrestrained elegance—anyone who saw him would involuntarily praise, “What a refined and extraordinary gentleman of this mundane world.”
Yet such a man willingly acted like a sycophant. Isn’t that infuriating?
The three elders were not in a good mood. They bowed respectfully and then lowered their heads in silence.
“Oh? The First Elder and Second Elder aren’t here? And where are the other elders?”
Jiang Yunhao’s eyes swept over the three of them.
The imperial Jiang family had eight branches, each commanding a large number of external vassal experts who had long sworn loyalty.
To these elders, the words of Young Lord Jiang Yunhao were akin to heavenly music.
Yet, only three elders had arrived…
“Ah, Young Lord, please forgive us. The First and Second Elders are temporarily away from the Jiang family.”
“The other elders are all in secluded cultivation.”
The Third Elder forced a smile onto his face and quickly explained.
Jiang Yunhao nodded but said nothing further.
He, of course, knew these were just polite excuses.
“It seems my past sycophantic behavior disappointed the elders.”
A flicker of emotion passed through Jiang Yunhao’s eyes.
Three years of being the Young Lord of the Jiang family, groveling like a dog for a woman.
This humiliation wasn’t just his own—it was the disgrace of the entire Jiang family.
To the elders of his branch, it was sorrowful to see such ineptitude and they longed to change it.
However, respect within the Jiang family was clear. Even Divine Realm elders dared not lecture their master; they could only watch and feel anxious.
Not wanting to see me is understandable. Jiang Yunhao could understand this and did not blame the First Elder or the others.
But…
Whether it was the First Elder or the Second Elder,
his branch’s elders, open your eyes and watch closely!
Everything is about to change.
It is time for me to win hearts!
A faint smile curved Jiang Yunhao’s lips.
He suddenly realized that the Liu family matter wasn’t entirely bad.
It allowed him to regain his dignity, gain the mysterious benefits of the system’s check-in prompt, and simultaneously consolidate loyalty.
This was absolutely thrilling.
“By the way, Young Lord, you urgently summoned us to the Divine Hall. What is the matter?”
At this moment, the straightforward Fifth Elder furrowed his brow.
“Young Lord, we are also quite busy. Many matters in the clan await our attention.”
The Fourth Elder was even more blunt.
The Third Elder opened his mouth, surprised at how deep his friends’ resentment had grown.
“Let me say this first: if Young Lord asks us to deliver gifts to that Liu Ruyan again, I shall not comply.”
“Even if you intend to blame me, I don’t care; I cannot afford to lose face for this.”
The Fifth Elder’s face turned ashen, feeling frustrated and somewhat aggrieved.
For the past three years, at Jiang Yunhao’s request, the elders had frequently delivered gifts to Liu Ruyan.
And who were they?
They were vassal elders of the Jiang family, beings of divine power!
As Divine Realm experts, they could dominate any region, revered as patriarchs.
Yet they had been reduced to appeasing a mere young girl on behalf of an unreliable master like Jiang Yunhao.
Their pride had been utterly humiliated!
“Fifth Elder, how dare you speak to Young Lord like that?”
The Third Elder was startled and quickly tugged at the Fifth Elder’s sleeve.
The Fifth Elder straightened his neck stubbornly.
“If Young Lord wishes to punish me, then strike. I shall not go.”
The Third Elder was speechless, quietly sighing in despair.
Jiang Yunhao’s branch was the main line of the Jiang family, and his father was the family head, revered as the White-Robed God King.
Even after disappearing a century ago, no new head had been chosen.
Such an extraordinary figure had sired an unworthy son—a source of endless frustration.
“Please forgive him, Young Lord. Fifth Elder has always been this way.”
The Third Elder forced a smile, repeatedly apologizing.
“What fault has Fifth Elder committed?”
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Jiang Yunhao did not become angry; instead, he voiced praise.
The three elders were stunned.
In the past, Young Lord would have jumped up and scolded anyone who disrespected Liu Ruyan!
Before the elders could react, Jiang Yunhao continued:
“Today, Liu Ruyan wishes to annul our marriage, and I have agreed.”
“What?! Young Lord agreed to annul the marriage?”
Upon hearing this, the three elders almost spat blood.
He hadn’t even married her yet, and he agreed to annul the union?
All the gifts sent over three years—gone to waste!
The Jiang family had not only lost face, but also immense resources.
What a fool!
The elders exchanged increasingly bewildered looks.
Only Young Lord Jiang Yunhao could do such a thing.
But thinking further—if the marriage was annulled, why call us here?
To witness your three-year sycophantic saga?
“Since the marriage is annulled, all the things the Liu family took from me over the past three years must be returned.”
“Tomorrow, I shall have the elders awaken the Jiang family’s Nine-Dragon Coffin, wipe out the Liu family entirely, reclaim all resources belonging to the Jiang family, and enter the Liu family’s ancestral grounds to place their ancestor in the coffin.”
Jiang Yunhao’s eyes were calm as still water, his voice cold.
“Your orders shall be obeyed, Young Lord.”
“Eh… the Nine-Dragon Coffin into the Liu family?!”
- Writer
