Chapter 1

In the great Zhou Dynasty, in Wuzhou, Dongning Prefecture.

At the main gate of 'Jinghu Daoist Academy', one of the eight major Daoist academies in Dongning Prefecture, a young man with a sword at his waist walked out of the academy.

"Senior Brother Meng."

"Senior Brother Meng, greetings."

"Have seen Senior Brother Meng."

The other disciples around him were quite enthusiastic.

Young Meng Chuan nodded slightly at these junior disciples. In fact, many of these 'junior disciples' were older than him, but the rule at Jinghu Daoist Academy was that the more accomplished took precedence. He had entered the 'Shanshui Tower' of Jinghu Daoist Academy two years ago. The Shanshui Tower had twenty-two disciples, who were also the strongest twenty-two in the academy, admired and aspired to by many junior disciples. Among them, 'Senior Brother Meng' was particularly revered because he occasionally gave them guidance, while other senior disciples in the Shanshui Tower were too lazy to waste time on others.

"Young Master, Young Master." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the side.

A green-clad girl ran over, and Meng Chuan smiled when he saw her: "Lüzhu, why are you here?"

"My young lady wants to invite Young Master to go to East Mountain for a trip. There was a heavy snow last night, and the snow-covered East Mountain is very beautiful," the green-clad girl said with a smile.

"Go to East Mountain for a trip?" Meng Chuan frowned and said, "East Mountain is too far. It will take a whole day to get there and we will have to stay overnight, and we can only return the next day."

The green-clad girl smiled: "My family has a villa on East Mountain where we can stay overnight."

Meng Chuan shook his head: "Go back and tell Qingping that the Yuyang Palace Demon-Slaying Festival is just over a month away. I need to focus on my cultivation to prepare, so I can't accompany her."

"This..." The green-clad girl hesitated.

"Just go back and tell her directly," Meng Chuan instructed, "And tell Qingping to spend more time on her cultivation and not always think about going out for trips."

"Yes." The green-clad girl could only obediently agree and return to report.

Meng Chuan shook his head slightly.

He was also somewhat troubled by 'Yun Qingping,' with whom he had a pre-arranged marriage from childhood.

...

Jinghu Daoist Academy was built on the east bank of Jinghu Lake, and on the west bank were many mansions, including the 'Meng Mansion.'

"Master." Two guards at the mansion gate were quite respectful when they saw Meng Chuan.

"Is my father in the mansion?" Meng Chuan asked.

"Someone from the ancestral home just came, and the master immediately went there," the guard said.

Meng Chuan nodded thoughtfully and entered the mansion.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!" Soon, he could vaguely hear the sound of arrows, and Meng Chuan followed the sound to the training ground.

In the training ground, a red-clad girl was drawing her bow and shooting arrows. Each arrow instantly flew through dozens of feet and hit the target, with each subsequent arrow hitting the shaft of the previous one.

Meng Chuan watched her practice from the side.

Her name was Liu Qiuyue, the only daughter of his father's life-and-death brother, 'Liu Yebai.'

When he was eight years old...

Liu Yebai brought his daughter to the Meng Mansion and stayed there from then on.

Qiuyue and he were very similar, both having lost their mothers at a young age. From a young age, Qiuyue practiced with him, and they have been practicing together ever since, forming a deep bond.

"Chuan, you're back." The red-clad girl's eyes lit up when she saw Meng Chuan, "Shooting these targets is so boring. Come, come, come, quickly be my target. If I hadn't been waiting for you, I would have gone to the academy to practice long ago. The archery range there is much larger."

"Alright, I'll be your target."

Meng Chuan smiled and walked to the center of the training ground.

The red-clad girl changed her quiver, and the arrows were all without arrowheads. She looked at Meng Chuan with shining eyes: "Chuan, you have to be careful. Don't get beaten up again with a bruised nose and face."

"You be careful too. This time, I will break your Seven Stars Linked Arrow." Meng Chuan focused and prepared.

The red-clad girl giggled and her fingers moved like a blur, drawing and shooting arrows without needing to aim.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!! Arrow after arrow was shot out. Each time she drew an arrow from her quiver, drew the bow, and shot, then drew another arrow, drew the bow, and shot... it was as natural as a normal person breathing. The arrows were astonishingly fast and powerful.

"Puff, puff, puff." Meng Chuan's sword was already out of its scabbard.

The sword moved in arcs, forming a subtle field in front of him, blocking all the arrows that came his way.

"Chuan, your sword skills are getting better. You still need to use the Seven Stars Linked Arrow," the red-clad girl said with a smile while shooting, clearly finding it very easy.

"Whoosh!"

As soon as she said that, a new arrow shot out, breaking the air with a sharp whistle.

"Here it comes!" Meng Chuan became even more serious.

"Puff." "Puff."

Meng Chuan's sword moved in arcs, like a sphere, blocking the arrows. However, the Seven Stars Linked Arrow was a powerful move that consumed a lot of true qi, and the speed of the arrows would increase.

By the sixth arrow, Meng Chuan's sword failed to block it, and he felt a pain in his chest, stumbling involuntarily. His chest was likely to turn black and blue.

"Still couldn't block it." Meng Chuan shook his head helplessly.

"I have five powerful moves, and you can already block four of them. Only the 'Seven Stars Linked Arrow' remains," the red-clad girl said with a smile, "That's already very impressive. In the academy, no one at the Bone Washing Realm can block my 'Triple Shadow Arrow,' but you can."

"I've been blocking your arrows since I was a child, so I'm naturally better than the others in the academy," Meng Chuan shook his head, "And these arrows don't even have arrowheads. If they did, the speed would be even faster. Your five powerful moves... I probably couldn't block most of them."

"Chuan, haven't you heard? At the same realm, no one can withstand the relentless attacks of a divine archer," the red-clad girl said proudly.

"Qiuyue... in a real fight, I would have rushed to your side first," Meng Chuan said with a huff.

"Divine archers always have guards," the red-clad girl pouted, "My guards would block you, and then you would become my target. Maybe in the future, you will be my guard!"

Meng Chuan laughed.

He knew how terrifying divine archers were. In any force, top divine archers held a very high status and were well-protected.

His sister Qiuyue had a great talent for archery.

"Chuan, did the dean call you today to talk about the Yuyang Palace Demon-Slaying Festival?" Liu Qiuyue asked.

"Yes, did your Liyang Daoist Academy mention it?" Meng Chuan asked.

"They did! Among the top ten Bone Washing Realm disciples in our Liyang Daoist Academy, I am the only divine archer, so the dean directly gave me a spot," Liu Qiuyue said, "In the Yuyang Palace Demon-Slaying Festival, I, as a divine archer, am the most skilled at dealing with demons."

Meng Chuan smiled: "In our Jinghu Daoist Academy, there are three spots for the Bone Washing Realm. I am one of the top ten Bone Washing Realm disciples, but I still need to compete for a spot. If I don't get a spot, I won't have the资格 to go."

"Then you just have to work hard," Liu Qiuyue said with a grin.

"Don't be careless. In the Yuyang Palace Demon-Slaying Festival, don't let the demons get close to you," Meng Chuan said, "Let's practice."

As he spoke, Meng Chuan suddenly lunged forward.

"Try to catch me if you can."

Liu Qiuyue immediately darted away, even turning around to shoot an arrow.

...

In another place, one of the five great demon families in Dongning Prefecture, the 'Yun Family.'

Yun Qingping was making tea for her father, Yun Fuan.

"Father, try this." Yun Qingping flatteringly placed a cup of tea in front of her father. Suddenly, she saw the returning servant Lüzhu and her eyes lit up, calling out, "Lüzhu!"

Lüzhu could only obediently go over.

"How did it go? What did Meng Chuan say?" Yun Qingping asked eagerly.

"Master Meng said that the Yuyang Palace Demon-Slaying Festival is just over a month away, and he needs to focus on his cultivation to prepare, so he can't accompany Miss to East Mountain for a trip," Lüzhu said softly.

"Again, he won't go?"

Yun Qingping was somewhat angry, "He just knows about cultivation, cultivation, cultivation."

"Master Meng also asked me to tell Miss to spend more time on cultivation and not always think about going out for trips," Lüzhu added.

"He's managing me?"

Yun Qingping became even more angry.

"I think Meng Chuan is right," Yun Fuan said, sipping his tea, "You should focus on your cultivation and not always be so playful."

"Father, Meng Chuan is like a block of wood," Yun Qingping said, looking at Yun Fuan, "When I was just a month old, you arranged a marriage between me and Meng Chuan! But our personalities are completely different. I like to play and invite many friends to play with me. He likes to cultivate, paint, and be quiet. We don't even get along when we talk. Just thinking about marrying him makes me want to go crazy."

"You're just too restless. It's a good thing to have someone who can keep you in line," Yun Fuan said with a smile.

Yun Qingping went to her father's side, hugging his arm and pouting, "Father, I beg you, go talk to the Meng family, talk to Uncle Meng, and cancel the engagement."

"Forget it!" Yun Fuan said, drinking his tea and directly rejecting her.

"Father!"

Yun Qingping was angry, "Why do you have to force me to marry him? When I was just a month old, you arranged the marriage without me knowing anything. How could you know what Meng Chuan would be like when he grew up? You didn't even consider my feelings. Isn't that unfair?"

"Meng Chuan is still quite good," Yun Fuan said, "Among the young generation of the five great demon families in Dongning Prefecture, he is one of the best."

"So what if he is good? I don't like him!" Yun Qingping said angrily, "I don't want to marry a so-called genius who can't even talk to me."

Yun Fuan gently put down his teacup, raised his eyelids, and coldly looked at his daughter.

Yun Qingping's heart trembled.

But her pride made her raise her head and stare at her father!

"In the past half year, you have asked me to cancel the engagement six times," Yun Fuan said coldly, "It seems I have spoiled you too much. Today, I will make it clear to you."

Yun Qingping stared at her father.

Yun Fuan continued, "Your marriage to Meng Chuan is not just about the two of you. It's also about our Yun family and the Meng family! Our Yun family is one of the five great demon families, but we have only been settled in Dongning Prefecture for a few decades, with only a few dozen members, and our roots are still shallow. The Meng family has been rooted in Dongning for over a thousand years, with over ten thousand members! Meng Chuan's father, 'Meng Dajiang,' will be the next head of the Meng family. You are the only girl of the third generation of our Yun family. If you marry Meng Chuan, the relationship between our Yun family and the Meng family will naturally take a big step forward, which will greatly benefit our Yun family."

"Grandfather has already become a demon," Yun Qingping countered, "With Grandfather around, no one can shake our Yun family! Since that's the case, why can't I live a more carefree life?"

"Carefree? Carefree means you can marry whoever you want?" Yun Fuan said coldly.

"What, is that not allowed?" Yun Qingping raised her head, "For the sake of the family, must I sacrifice myself? Father, don't you feel ashamed?"

"Shut up!"

Yun Fuan stood up in anger, pointing at his daughter, "Yun Qingping, you want to go out for trips with a group of guards. In the dead of winter, you want to eat fire dragon fish, and someone will risk their life to find it for you. You don't focus on your cultivation, but a large amount of treasure is used on you, allowing you to reach the Bone Washing Realm this year. I hire experts to give you one-on-one guidance. You are weak, so I hire three Transcendence Realm guards to secretly protect you. Hiring three Transcendence Realm guards costs five hundred silver taels a month, and there are other treasures given to you..."

"For your so-called carefree life, do you know how much the family has paid?" Yun Fuan stared at his daughter.

Yun Qingping was stunned.

She was not stupid.

She quickly calculated and realized how astonishing the family's investment in her was.

"You enjoy the benefits of the family, so you must bear the responsibilities you should bear!" Yun Fuan shouted, "Just enjoy the benefits and do nothing? Dream on!"

"Also, I know there is a young man in your academy named Zhang Chong, who has been quite attentive to you recently, right?" Yun Fuan sneered, "A minor from the Zhang family, does he deserve to marry my daughter, Yun Fuan? He should look in the mirror and see who he is!"

"Father, I and Senior Brother Zhang have not..." Yun Qingping tried to explain.

"If I find out that you have crossed any boundaries and disgraced the face of our Yun family and the Meng family, not only will he die, but you will also be expelled from the family!" Yun Fuan coldly looked at his daughter, who was somewhat frightened, "Don't blame me for being heartless when the time comes."

Yun Qingping felt a chill in her heart.

She had never seen this cold side of her father before. She was only fifteen years old.

"Daughter."

Yun Fuan's expression softened, "Family marriages are like this. Even if he is ugly and incompetent, you must marry him. When I married your mother, it was also arranged by your grandfather, and I had no choice! And to be honest, Meng Chuan has a good character, and you should be grateful."

After saying that, Yun Fuan glanced at the servant Lüzhu, who was trembling behind his daughter, and instructed, "Lüzhu, watch over your young lady and don't let her make any mistakes."

"Yes." Lüzhu quickly responded.

Yun Fuan then left with his hands behind his back.

Yun Qingping stood there, staring at her father's departing figure, thinking about the words "Even you, I will expel from the family. Don't blame me for being heartless when the time comes." These words had a significant impact on Yun Qingping.

She realized that the world was not as she had thought for so many years.

——————

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