Chapter 4

Mirror Lake Meng Mansion, study room.

After practicing sword techniques all day, although he was mentally excited, his true energy was depleted and his body was tired, so he had to rest. Meng Chuan also came to the study and began his daily routine—painting.

A paperweight held down the paper, and a beautiful palette was placed beside it, containing various high-quality pigments.

Meng Chuan was painting with great concentration.

Since childhood, Meng Chuan had loved painting.

Perhaps it was because his mother was skilled at painting and taught him. This was his favorite thing to do when he was young. A child of three or four could paint for three or four hours without stopping, forgetting to eat, and not feeling tired at all, even with paint all over his body, he still smiled happily. His mother once said, "My son has extraordinary talent and will surely become the best painter in the world, with each painting worth a thousand gold pieces."

Born into the Meng family, with doting parents, he had no worries.

However, when he was six years old...

That great disaster claimed over ten thousand lives, and his mother also passed away.

He escaped back to Dongning Mansion under the protection of his parents. Since then, he practiced diligently, but he still painted for an hour every day. When he painted, he forgot the fatigue from his practice, and even felt as if he had returned to his childhood, with his mother guiding him. His heart was also incredibly peaceful.

He was fifteen years old now.

He had been painting for over a decade and had studied under several painting masters, surpassing them all. His mother was right; his talent was indeed extraordinary, at least more so than his talent for sword techniques.

But what was the use?

No matter how great a painter, could they kill monsters?

"Knock, knock, knock." There was a slightly urgent knock on the study door.

"Hmm?"

Meng Chuan looked out in confusion, "Usually, no one disturbs me when I'm painting. What's going on?"

He put down his brush and went to open the door. His father, Meng Dajiang, was standing outside. He usually smiled, but today his expression was serious.

"Meng Chuan, come with me to the ancestral home quickly," Meng Dajiang said.

"Okay."

Meng Chuan didn't hesitate and immediately followed his father out. "Father, why have you been going to the ancestral home so often recently?"

"It's nothing," Meng Dajiang didn't elaborate.

"Then why am I going to the ancestral home now? Is there something going on?" Meng Chuan asked again. As a junior, he only went to the ancestral home three or four times a year.

Meng Dajiang glanced at his son and said, "It's about your engagement to Yun Qingping. The Yun family and the Meng family have decided to dissolve the engagement."

"Dissolve the engagement?" Meng Chuan was very surprised. "Father, why dissolve the engagement suddenly?"

"Do you feel attached?" Meng Dajiang looked at his son.

"No," Meng Chuan shook his head. "I only see Yun Qingping once every few months, and our personalities don't match. Dissolving the engagement is actually a good thing for me."

At fifteen, Meng Chuan didn't understand love.

To him, Yun Qingping was just a somewhat familiar and somewhat spoiled little sister, nothing more.

"That's good. This time, both the Yun family and the Meng family have agreed to dissolve the engagement," Meng Dajiang said. "When we get to the ancestral home, just listen and speak less."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded.

...

The Meng family's ancestral home was in the western part of Dongning City, covering a vast area. Over two thousand clan members lived inside, and the distance from south to north along the central axis was about a mile.

Of course, the Meng family's roots were in the countryside. Due to the threat of the demon race, people in the countryside formed fortresses for self-protection. Each fortress had thousands of people, and it was common for members of the same clan to gather in one fortress. After a thousand years of proliferation, the Meng family had three large fortresses, totaling over ten thousand clan members. In Dongning Mansion, there were many such large families.

What made the Meng family special was the presence of a divine being.

They immediately became one of the five highest-ranking divine families in Dongning Mansion.

"Elder."

"Elder."

The ancestral home was orderly. Some patrolling clan members saw Meng Dajiang and his son and respectfully greeted Meng Dajiang as "Elder."

Meng Dajiang, ranking third in the Meng family in terms of strength, was still relatively young and had a chance to become a divine being. He was the designated next clan leader.

"Hmm?"

Meng Chuan followed his father into the reception hall.

There were already many people seated on both sides of the hall, with the Meng family on one side and the Yun family on the other. The atmosphere was clearly tense. Meng Chuan could see that most of his elders did not look pleased.

"Brother Dajiang has arrived," Yun Fuan stood up and said with a smile, "Did you bring the marriage contract?"

"I brought it," Meng Dajiang nodded slightly.

Yun Fuan smiled and said, "The other elders have no objections to dissolving the engagement. Brother Dajiang, you should have no objections either, right?"

Meng Dajiang stood there and said with a smile, "If both families are willing, the marriage is a good thing. Since there is no willingness, it's better to dissolve the engagement early. Here is the marriage contract."

He took out the marriage contract from his chest and handed it to Yun Fuan with both hands.

Yun Fuan took it and carefully unfolded it, checking the names and handwriting. He nodded slightly, confirming it was indeed the original marriage contract. The handwriting of the two ancestors could not be imitated.

"Yun Fuan, please tear up the marriage contract here," a bald, thin old man from the Meng family said.

"Haha, are you worried I'll take it back and use it to force Meng Chuan to marry my daughter in the future?" Yun Fuan laughed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't do such a despicable thing!"

With that, he tore the marriage contract in front of everyone.

"I've torn up the marriage contract, and everyone can see clearly. Are you relieved now?" Yun Fuan smiled and looked at the Meng family elders. "I won't stay any longer."

He then walked out, followed by the other Yun family members.

When he passed by Meng Chuan, Yun Fuan stopped and smiled at him, "Nephew Meng, remember, from now on, you and my daughter Qingping have no connection."

"Yes, no connection," Meng Chuan replied.

Yun Fuan nodded and led the group away.

Meng Dajiang watched Yun Fuan leave, his brows furrowed, and calmly instructed, "Meng Chuan, the engagement is dissolved. You can go back now. I still have some matters to attend to here."

"Understood," Meng Chuan glanced at the elders and obediently left.

Boom~~~

The hall door closed, and the hall remained bright under the light of the thick candles.

"Too much, too much!" The bald, thin old man was so angry that he slammed his cane on the ground, the sound piercing.

"表面上说和我们商量，实际上我们根本没得选。难道厚着脸皮要去联姻？”一位黝黑老者冷笑说道，“敢去云家闹腾，怕是会被云家老祖一巴掌拍死！”

"Even if they say they are consulting us, we have no choice. Should we shamelessly go for the marriage?" a dark-skinned old man sneered. "If we dare to cause trouble at the Yun family, we might be killed by the Yun family's ancestor with one slap!"

"解除婚约也是好事，我们真拿婚约去逼云家，令两个小辈成亲，有用吗？只会令云家记恨。联姻是想要彼此成为助力，如果结仇，就没必要了。其实对我孟家而言，这婚约只是小事，三姐的伤才是动摇我孟家根基的大事！”一位儒雅老者看向最上面的胖老者，“族长，三姐的伤，真的没法医治？”

"Dissolving the engagement is also a good thing. If we really use the marriage contract to force the Yun family to make the two young people marry, would it be useful? It would only make the Yun family resent us. Marriage is to become mutual support. If we become enemies, it's not necessary. For the Meng family, this engagement is a minor issue. The real problem is the injury of Third Sister!" a refined old man looked at the fat old man at the top. "Clan Leader, can Third Sister's injury really not be treated?"

The fat old man frowned and said, "In a couple of days, Third Sister will return to Dongning. We'll see then."

Meng Dajiang listened, his brows tightly furrowed.

The pillar supporting the Meng family was about to collapse, and the elders were all worried.

The Meng family kept the news confidential, known only to the elders. If it spread, the tens of thousands of clan members would be anxious, causing many problems.

Now...

The other four divine families' high-ranking members also knew the news, but they didn't spread it, fearing that some foolish junior might anger the Meng family. After all, 'Meng Immortal Lady' was not dead yet! Even if she were dead, she still had some divine friends. As long as they didn't overstep, those divine friends wouldn't intervene.

Without a divine being, the Meng family could not shoulder many responsibilities. Without shouldering responsibilities, they could not enjoy many rights.

Responsibility and power are equal.

In the current world, from the lowest mortals to the highest divine beings, no one can escape responsibility.

Mortals, once they reach the Bone Washing Realm, regardless of gender, must serve in the military for five years at the age of twenty! Only about half survive. But people still want to reach the Bone Washing Realm because if they are too weak, they don't even have the value to serve in the military. According to the government rules, those who do not serve in the military are not allowed to engage in many professions. They can only live at the bottom, leading a miserable life.

And divine beings are the backbone of humanity. Each divine being spends their life in battle and protection. Even when they return to their hometown to rest, they must guard their hometown.

Thus, divine beings are brilliant and noble, and their families can also be prosperous. If a divine being dies and cannot shoulder the responsibility, the family must step down from important positions.

******

Meng Chuan returned home, and it was almost dark.

"Ah Chuan, sit down and eat. I heard you and Uncle Meng went to the ancestral home, I thought you wouldn't be back for dinner today," Liu Qiuyue was sitting there drinking porridge and eating a pancake. Meng Chuan sat down opposite her, and a maid brought a bowl of porridge for him. Meng Chuan drank the porridge but was somewhat distracted.

"Why are you so quiet? What happened?" Liu Qiuyue asked.

"Oh."

Meng Chuan snapped out of it and said casually, "The Yun family and our Meng family have decided to dissolve my engagement to Yun Qingping."

"Dissolve the engagement?" Liu Qiuyue's eyes lit up.

"Yes, just now, the marriage contract was torn up on the spot," Meng Chuan nodded.

Liu Qiuyue carefully observed Meng Chuan and asked, "Why are you so sad? You even spaced out while drinking porridge?"

"No," Meng Chuan shook his head, "Yun Qingping and I don't get along, and you know that. Dissolving the engagement makes her happy and me relaxed. It's good for both of us, so why would I be sad?"

"Then why were you spacing out?" Liu Qiuyue pressed.

"I feel something is off," Meng Chuan frowned. "The engagement was set by the two ancestors. Even if they came to dissolve it, the Yun family should at least send their 'Three Heroes of the Yun Family.' This is the minimum respect for our Meng family. But this time, only the fifth-ranked, least useful Yun Fuan came alone. It seems they look down on our Meng family, which is the first suspicious point."

"Secondly, in the hall, the Clan Leader and the elders all looked very unhappy. But they held back from start to finish. When have they ever been so well-tempered?"

"Thirdly, Yun Fuan usually flatters my father and others, with a very low profile. But today he was much more daring. Where did he get the nerve?"

"The key is, there must be a reason behind dissolving the engagement. What reason could make the two ancestors dissolve the engagement?"

Meng Chuan looked at Liu Qiuyue, "I guess either the Yun family has found a powerful backer, or there's a reason on our Meng family's side."

Liu Qiuyue was somewhat surprised, "Ah Chuan, I didn't realize you could think so much."

"It's just a wild guess. Since Father didn't tell me, there must be a reason," Meng Chuan smiled.

"Being the one whose engagement was dissolved and still smiling, hurry up and eat your pancake," Liu Qiuyue laughed and urged.

"Eat, eat," Meng Chuan immediately picked up the pancake and started eating.

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