Chapter 2

"Is this Zhu Ying the only surviving descendant of the Zhu family, one of the five major families of Youzhou?" Ma Xiaofeng suddenly spoke up.

This question was directed at Liu Zhifei, but the instructor did not respond, his face showing a hint of discomfort, as if he knew something.

At this moment, Zhang Jiaoxi suddenly turned his head, and the two instructors also noticed something.

Shang Xia followed the gaze of the three men and saw a graceful young girl, like a white lotus standing tall, turning the corner of the street.

As if by mutual agreement, the moment Mu Qingyu appeared, the tightly closed gate of the small courtyard opened, and a pale-faced Zhu Ying appeared at the entrance, followed by an old servant.

From a distance of over ten yards, their eyes met in mid-air. Zhu Ying's face became even paler, and Mu Qingyu also showed a hint of unease, but she eventually steeled herself.

"Everyone... please come in!"

Zhu Ying's voice sounded strained, and he turned and walked in.

At this moment, Zhang Haogu and the others naturally did not care about Zhu Ying's rudeness. They waited in silence for Mu Qingyu to enter first, then followed her into the courtyard.

After experiencing what seemed like the prelude to a屌丝逆袭 (rags-to-riches story), Shang Xia had a bad feeling again.

Fortunately, this matter had nothing to do with him. It seemed that he and the others were only invited to be witnesses. Shang Xia decided to just watch the show.

Moreover, he took this opportunity to familiarize himself and control the extraordinary power within his body, making sure not to repeat the mistake of "witnessing" Dou Zhong's flaw.

"Brother Zhu..."

Mu Qingyu was interrupted before she could finish speaking.

"Do you want to break the engagement?"

Zhu Ying's eyes, staring at Mu Qingyu, were already tinged with a blood-red hue, and Shang Xia could see his eyelids twitching.

Mu Qingyu sighed and said, "Brother Zhu, that was just a jest between Uncle Zhu and my father after drinking. Besides, we have both grown up..."

"Jest... ha ha..."

Zhu Ying's laugh was like that of a night owl. He suddenly grabbed a piece of cloth from the table and shouted, "Is this marriage contract also fake?"

Mu Qingyu's brows furrowed slightly, but she still sighed, "Brother Zhu..."

"Let me ask you," Zhu Ying interrupted her again, his voice stern, "If the Zhu family of Youzhou still existed, would you still choose to break the engagement?"

Mu Qingyu, displeased, said, "What do you mean, Brother Zhu? I am not the type to seek favor, and this is just a matter between you and me..."

"Ha ha... What a fine person who doesn't seek favor!"

Zhu Ying seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. He suddenly pointed at Shang Xia, who was sitting on the side watching the show, and said, "Then what about you and him?"

Damn... So that's what this is about!

He was enjoying the show, but now he was being accused of "stealing" Mu Qingyu's love.

Feeling the teachers' gazes, which were filled with deep meaning and scrutiny, Shang Xia could no longer remain calm and insisted that he would not take the blame.

However, before the bewildered Shang Xia could defend himself, Mu Qingyu quickly said, "This has nothing to do with Brother Shang. We only have more exchanges in cultivation... Don't misunderstand!"

Shang Xia almost slapped his forehead. Was this a defense or an attempt to cover up?

At this moment, Shang Xia really felt that the girl, who looked like a white lotus, was actually a schemer.

Sure enough, Zhu Ying, already in a state of extreme bias, became even more agitated, his voice rising, "Just more exchanges? The top student of the outer dormitory? Ha ha... Isn't it because of the Shang family behind him! What are the four major families of Tongyou City? I only know the five major families of Youzhou: Zhu, Liu, Yun, Ji, and Murong. Where is the Shang family? It's just that there are no tigers in the mountains, so the monkeys are calling themselves kings!"

At this point, Shang Xia could no longer remain indifferent. He stood up abruptly and said coldly, "What do you mean, Brother Zhu?"

Zhang Haogu, also displeased, said, "Nephew Zhu, you have spoken out of turn!"

Ma Xiaofeng scolded, "Zhu Ying, what are you talking about?"

Liu Zhifei, with a stern voice, said, "Let's not bring up the past."

Shang Xia glanced at Liu Zhifei, realizing that the rumors of the Liu family of Tongyou City and the Zhu family, both from the five major families of Youzhou, being close were true. Liu Zhifei's partiality towards Zhu Ying was not just because he was his instructor.

"Fine, fine, fine, you are indeed all on their side. No wonder you were all invited here!" Zhu Ying laughed sharply, clearly losing his rationality.

Shang Xia watched coldly, Zhang Haogu sighed, Ma Xiaofeng showed anger, and Liu Xiaofeng frowned.

"You have no right to break the engagement!"

Zhu Ying suddenly grabbed the marriage contract, his face flushed abnormally, and said, "Since you are all here, be witnesses. This Mu woman is fickle, and I, Zhu Ying, disdain to marry such a despicable person. The previous engagement is hereby annulled!"

With that, he crumpled the marriage contract into a ball and scattered it into the air.

Mu Qingyu, under the flying pieces of paper, turned pale, her body trembling with anger, and she struggled to hold back her tears.

Zhang Haogu, who had had enough, stood up and walked out, saying coldly, "This farce is annoying. I'm leaving!"

Ma Xiaofeng followed with a cold snort.

Liu Zhifei also stood up, intending to say something, but in the end, he only looked at Zhu Ying and said, "Behave yourself!"

Seeing the three teachers leave one after another, Shang Xia naturally did not want to stay longer and was about to leave.

However, he noticed that Mu Qingyu was still standing there, her anger and distress making her look like a withered lotus, even more pitiful, as if she might faint at any moment.

Shang Xia frowned and stopped in front of her, asking, "Miss Mu, are you alright?"

"Brother Shang..."

Mu Qingyu's scattered gaze focused on Shang Xia, and she reached out to lean on him as if she had found a support.

Shang Xia, not wanting to get involved, instinctively blocked her with his arm.

Unexpectedly, at the moment their arms touched, the extraordinary power within Shang Xia, which had not yet been fully controlled, leaked out.

Mu Qingyu, unprepared, felt her strength drain away, and with a soft cry, she collapsed into Shang Xia's arms like a pile of mud.

Shang Xia, who had experienced many such situations in his previous life, immediately knew what had happened.

However, this left him in a dilemma. He couldn't avoid her, but he also couldn't not avoid her, so he could only spread his arms to show his innocence...

Seeing the three teachers ahead turn back and look at him with strange expressions, Shang Xia felt a multitude of emotions surge within him...

What the hell did I do...

I haven't done anything, and you're already excited?

I'm also very helpless...

"Shang—Xia—"

A low growl, like that of an injured beast, came from behind. Zhu Ying's gaze, filled with hatred, looked at Shang Xia as if he were his mortal enemy.

Being publicly humiliated by a broken engagement was bad enough, but seeing the two of them touch in front of him was an even greater humiliation, especially when Mu Qingyu seemed to be overwhelmed by the moment. This would be unbearable for any man.

"You are too much!"

Zhu Ying leaped high, his palms glowing red, and as he moved through the air, a wave of blood seemed to surge, aiming for Shang Xia's back.

However, before Zhu Ying's palms could land, a shadow flashed past, intercepting him like an eagle catching its prey.

The wave of blood was stopped as if by a dam.

At the same time, Shang Xia felt a gust of wind, and Ma Xiaofeng, the instructor, was already standing beside him, looking sternly at Zhu Ying, who was held by Liu Zhifei.

"Who gave you the nerve to attack a classmate from behind?"

Zhang Haogu, the teacher, walked over with his hands behind his back, his face dark, glanced at Shang Xia, and then focused on Zhu Ying.

"You were rash!"

Liu Zhifei said sternly, then released his hands.

"Fine, I was wrong, I'm sorry!"

Zhu Ying took a deep breath and suddenly calmed down.

At the same time, the redness in his palms was fading.

Shang Xia was somewhat surprised, not because Zhu Ying had suddenly become rational, but because he was actually apologizing to him.

Without any reason, Shang Xia felt a sense of caution towards this person.

At this moment, Shang Xia suddenly felt a lightness in his body.

Mu Qingyu, who had been leaning on him, now floated in the air like a feather.

Shang Xia looked in surprise and saw that Teacher Zhang was holding her sleeve with two fingers.

"Clack—, the will of martial arts, this is the third level of the Extraordinary Martial Realm!"

Shang Xia never expected that the usually gentle Teacher Zhang was already a master of the Martial Realm.

Teacher Zhang, holding Mu Qingyu's sleeve, walked out, and she followed, floating behind him.

Shang Xia's awkward situation was naturally resolved.

However, Shang Xia did not leave immediately. He had noticed that when Mu Qingyu was taken away, her eyelids had twitched, indicating that she had already regained consciousness but was pretending to be unconscious to avoid further awkwardness.

Liu Zhifei and Ma Xiaofeng, the two instructors, remained in the middle to prevent any further conflict.

Shang Xia knew that Teacher Zhang had come by carriage and guessed that he had already settled Mu Qingyu in the carriage, so he was about to leave.

"Chief Shang..."

Zhu Ying's dark voice sounded again.

Shang Xia stopped, looking calmly at Zhu Ying, who looked like an injured beast.

Zhu Ying's gaze was filled with unhidden hatred, and he said in a dark tone, "Being the top student of the outer dormitory means you are the strongest among the six dormitories!"

"Shang Xia, do you really think you are the best in the outer dormitory?"

Shang Xia smiled coldly, "It seems you have some insights?"

Zhu Ying's tone was mocking and sarcastic, "You, Shang Xia, being able to reach the peak of the Martial Essence Realm in your first year in the outer dormitory is indeed impressive. However, the reason you are the top student is partly due to your identity, which makes many people unwilling to compete with you, or even disdain to compete with you. Besides, don't forget that one-third of the students in the outer dormitory are second-year students!"

Shang Xia looked at Zhu Ying with a half-smile, "So, Brother Zhu, are you here to challenge me? I wonder if you were unwilling, disdainful, or afraid before? Oh, right, you are also a second-year student!"