Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Looking at Xu Miaoran's eyes, Xin Yue paled.
After a long while, he finally said, "Junior Sister is overthinking things."
"I'm sure you know that more than anyone else," Xu Miaoran tersely replied.
Xin Yue laughed. "It seems that Junior Sister still has some misconceptions about me. It's fine. With time, you'll understand my feelings."
He shot a glance at Lan Yu and walked off.
Once the pair were gone, Xu Miaoran weakly sat down.
Hong Yuan hastily moved to support her. "Young Lady, how could your father…"
Xu Miaoran stopped her. "Don't blame Father for this. He has no other choice."
"Eh?" Hong Yuan was stunned.
There was someone who could pressure a Violet Palace True Lord?
"It's the other Violet Palace True Lords, of course!" Xu Miaoran replied. She then sighed. "The inter-domain trade has made some people grow envious."
Marrying Xu Miaoran was just an excuse to take control of the massive business Xu Miaoran controlled.
When Tang Jie was around, the Basking Moon Sect and Horizon Ocean Pavilion suppressed each other, both unable to say anything.
Once Tang Jie was gone, Xu Miaoran became the sole powerholder, and people started to get ideas.
A few years ago, someone had proposed that the Basking Moon Sect should have its share removed now that Tang Jie was gone. Only through Xu Miaoran's strenuous objections had this plan been put aside. But it was precisely this proposal that made both Horizon Ocean Pavilion and Xu Miaoran realize various problems.
Xu Miaoran started to sense her sect's greed, or else she would have never so easily guessed at the motives behind Xin Yue's proposal.
Horizon Ocean Pavilion realized that such a vast and important fortune was being controlled by a single woman, and one that was not completely loyal to them. The problem was too serious, so they began to think about putting everything back under their own tent.
It was just like the stance the Basking Moon Sect had had toward Tang Jie. Horizon Ocean Pavilion didn't care if that wealth ended up in the hands of any one disciple. What they cared about was that this disciple was loyal.
Thus, Horizon Ocean Pavilion started to think of ways to solve this problem.
The best way was to find another man for Xu Miaoran.
If Xu Miaoran were married to someone from Horizon Ocean Pavilion, her heart would eventually return to it, and the wealth from the inter-domain trade would all end up with Horizon Ocean Pavilion. After all, while she was unwilling, if the marriage were done, everything would become the husband's. History had proved this far too many times.
Thus, Horizon Ocean Pavilion applied pressure to Xu Guanghua, which was when the rumor that Xu Miaoran was no longer a virgin began to spread.
If it were just these rumors, Xu Guanghua could have endured it.
The problem was that there truly was no news of Tang Jie. He could accept the rumors, but he couldn't accept his daughter being a widow. If the rumor spread, how could his daughter marry anyone else?
As a father, Xu Guanghua loved his daughter, but every person had a different way of expressing their love.
This was why the pressure from Horizon Ocean Pavilion gradually began to show results—finding an excellent man who wouldn't shun his daughter became Xu Guanghua's dream.
In such circumstances, it wasn't strange for Xin Yue to appear. After all, he was the most outstanding junior disciple Horizon Ocean Pavilion had produced in the last one hundred years, possessing both excellent looks and character. He was a great match for Xu Miaoran, and Xu Guanghua had no reason to reject him.
As the daughter, Xu Miaoran could refuse her father's arrangements, but she couldn't criticize these arrangements for being mistaken.
After all, it was nobody else's fault that Tang Jie was so incapable that there was still no news of him.
Xu Guanghua had already been very patient.
"Then… Young Lady, what do you plan to do?" Hong Yuan panicked after hearing Xu Miaoran's explanation. She had never imagined that worldly affairs would be so complex, that even her young lady could be pressured into a marriage.
"'What do I plan'?" Xu Miaoran's eyes gleamed with a ruthless light. "As they say, a general will come to head off the soldiers, and earth can be used to dam the waters."
"Young Lady…" Hong Yuan saw the look on Xu Miaoran's face and was momentarily taken aback.
She took a deep breath, and the blush on her cheeks faded, replaced by a hardy resolve.
Xu Miaoran said, "They've made a mistake."
"What?" Hong Yuan asked.
"They underestimated me," Xu Miaoran answered.
Yes, these people had plotted long and calculated well. They had seen through Xu Guanghua's thoughts, allowing them to get him to agree to this marriage.
But they had underestimated Xu Miaoran, or perhaps they had simply disregarded her will. After all, in this era, so long as the father gave the nod, the children mostly couldn't refuse the marriage.
Xu Miaoran stood up.
Looking out the window at the swimming fish, Xu Miaoran said, "They believed that they could decide my fate by getting my father's approval, but they're wrong. If I don't want to marry someone, then even an Immortal Platform Titan won't be able to marry me."
"Right!" Hong Yuan clenched her fists and said, "Even if we have to struggle to the death, we can't let them have their way."
"'Struggle to the death'?" Surprisingly, Xu Miaoran rolled her eyes at Hong Yuan. "That's the dumbest decision. Dying is very easy, but living is hard. I've cultivated so many years precisely so that I can live forever with eternal youth, so how can I speak so easily of death? Tang Jie was right. Death is defeat, and how can a defeated general ever speak of courage? Only those who survive can fight, can laugh at the losers."
"Eh?" The maid was somewhat taken aback. "But then how can we fight back? They could even kidnap you into the marriage if they wanted."
"That's why you need to use your brain," Xu Miaoran said. "Don't always go around thinking about death like a fool. Dealing with your enemies requires being more cunning and ruthless than them."
"But we can't beat them," Hong Yuan sobbed.
"Idiot!" Xu Miaoran scolded. "I'm telling you to use your brain."
"Argh, Young Lady, I can't use my brain that well. I just listen to whatever you say," Hong Yuan shouted, clutching her head.
Xu Miaoran fell silent and began to think.
After a while, she said, "I've got an idea. Didn't Xin Yue say that my father would agree to his proposal if he officially became a Young Lord? If that's the case, we just won't let him become one."
"But Xin Yue is the strongest among the juniors. Nobody except Senior Sister Han is a match for him."
"If he doesn't have an opponent, we'll make one! Hmph, I was able to use my immense wealth to push me to Heart Demon in a short time, so I can do the same for others. While nobody in Horizon Ocean Pavilion can compare to Xin Yue in terms of martial might, how can anyone competing for the right to be Young Lord be weak? Fan Chenglong, He Songxu, Luo Anbo—these senior brothers are each and every one a prodigy, a proud son of heaven. They're only a little lacking compared to Xin Yue. I can just support one of them until they're at the point where they can have a good bout with Xin Yue, and that just might be enough to overcome him."
Hong Yuan's eyes lit up. "Right, so long as you help someone else defeat Xin Yue, he won't be able to become Young Lord! But it's not far from the day of the tournament. Even if we stuff the candidate with medicines, it still can't be easy to get those senior brothers to surpass Xin Yue, no?"
Xu Miaoran nodded. "It truly won't be easy. Spirit medicines still need time to work. There are only seven or eight days until the tournament, and even I can't guarantee that they could catch up so quickly. But the competition for Young Lord isn't just about individual strength, but also reputation and the ability to gather people. It's not something decided through pure strength, but through the support of the lower disciples and the Elder Council."
"Young Lady, you mean…"
Xu Miaoran snarled, "Bribe them! Bribe all the sect members that I can. No matter who they are, everything is fine so long as they don't support Xin Yue. Give them different amounts of money depending on their strength and influence. Bribe everyone from elders all the way to the students, but no matter the price, Xin Yue can't become Young Lord!"
These words had Hong Yuan sweating.
After operating the inter-domain trade over the years, Xu Miaoran was no longer that ignorant girl of the past. Ten years of trading had broadened her experiences and sharpened her wits.
Ten years of fermentation had made Xu Miaoran much more mature, and there had also been Tang Jie's teachings.
Horizon Ocean Pavilion had underestimated her will, underestimated her love for Tang Jie, and underestimated her intelligence, which was why Xu Miaoran was bound to flip the tables in this clash.
But Xu Miaoran clearly didn't think this was enough. After some more pondering, she said, "But even if he can't become Young Lord, my father might change his mind and decide to marry me to Xin Yue anyway."
"What then?"
After some thought, Xu Miaoran coldly said, "If you do something, make sure to do the best job you can! Since they fabricated rumors, I can do it too! If they spread rumors without evidence that I'm not a virgin, I can say that Xin Yue has a bastard son on the outside! Let's see whose rumors are more vicious and numerous! I'll fight with them to the end! Hong Yuan, in a little while, you'll handle this matter. No matter how much you have to spend, hire as many people as you can to spread rumors about Xin Yue. I want his reputation in the cesspit, stinking up to the high heavens!"
Hong Yuan worriedly said, "That will take a lot of money."
"Then spend it. Are you afraid that we don't have the money!?" Xu Miaoran yelled.
"Money! Since they're after my money, I'll use all that money to make them eat shit.
"This is a competition!
"Xin Yue wants to become Young Lord and marry me, but I want him to fail!
"Fighting to the end is a display of resolve. I can't use death to prove my resolve to Father, for there's no turning back from that, but I can use my endless money to prove it. Father wants to see my resolve, so I will let him know just how much this resolve is worth!"
Xu Miaoran raised two fingers.
"Twenty million! I'll throw in twenty million to ensure that Xin Yue doesn't become Young Lord of Horizon Ocean Pavilion and to let everyone know what happens to people who want to marry Xu Miaoran!"
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