Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 6 Engagement
Xu Boyang didn't expect that Wang Mingru would directly refuse, and was a little surprised for a moment.

In his opinion, the Ding family of Fengqing Town and the Fei family of Dongke Town should be at the same level. At most, the Fei family is higher, but not much higher.

Wang Mingru's daughter married into the eldest branch of the Ding family, who was also an immortal cultivator. This small pill should be a piece of cake. I didn't expect Wang Mingru to say it was so difficult. Why was the Fei family so generous?

Isn’t that ghost market owned by the Fei family?
"Boyang, you have made great contributions in the past few years, but Uncle Wang should not have kept these things from you. However, since this concerns matters related to the immortal family, the more you know, the greater the risk, so it is better for you to know less."

Seeing Xu Shaoliang's face dark and about to curse, Wang Mingru winked at him, telling him not to talk too much, and continued,
"But Uncle Wang didn't tell me about what happened today, fearing you might harbor resentment. To be honest, these immortal elixirs aren't accessible to ordinary cultivators, and they didn't fall into the hands of my son-in-law. He was simply following instructions. Even your trip to the Ghost Market was specially arranged by someone. Do you understand all this?"

Xu Boyang was shocked and his face turned pale. Then he felt a chill on his back, as if there were thorns at his back. No wonder he had been in and out of the ghost market in Dongke Town many times and had never encountered any danger. It turned out that someone was secretly arranging it.

He suddenly remembered the girl in purple. He was afraid that her identity was not ordinary. In this case, this ghost market might not just be the Fei family. There must be a more terrifying force behind it.

"However, Shaoliang, there is no need for us to say more. If your family agrees to the matter I mentioned to you before, I, Wang Mingru, will kneel in front of your son-in-law and ask for this item for your family." Wang Mingru suddenly spoke to Xu Shaoliang.

Xu Shaoliang's face changed. He didn't expect Wang Mingru to bring up the old matter again, and even mentioned it in front of Xu Boyang. He immediately groaned in his heart:
"Boyang is still a young boy, unaware of the unpredictable nature of human nature. Now, he's been tricked by this old man. He's really trying to use my family as a fire!"

Sure enough, Xu Boyang's eyes lit up and he asked, "Uncle Wang, there's no need for us to talk too much. As long as my father's leg disease can be cured, I agree on his behalf."

"Hahaha!"

Wang Mingru laughed loudly, his eyes full of smiles.

"This is the parents' order and the matchmaker's words. I'm afraid your consent alone won't do the trick!"

"W-what did you say?"

Xu Boyang was startled and his face felt a little hot. He turned around and saw his father with his head down and no words, and Wang Mingru with a smile on her face. He immediately realized that he had fallen into his trap.

"Boyang, you are already seventeen years old this year. It is time for you to get married and bring honor to the Xu family. I have a niece who is the jewel of our family. She is only twenty-eight years old. She may not be as stunning as a fairy, but she is also very beautiful. If your family does not mind, would you be willing to enter into this marriage?"

Wang Mingru took his time, lowered his head and drank a sip of tea, but he did not give in in his words and pressed forward step by step.

"Boyang, your filial piety is deeply appreciated by Uncle Wang. If this marriage goes through, this bone-growing pill will be my personal gift to your family. As for the marriage, it will naturally be held in a grand ceremony in town, and the dowry will not be reduced. From now on, your Xu family will have the final say in Lingxiupu!"

Xu Boyang was young after all, and he was caught in a difficult situation by mistake. Now that he had embarked on the path of immortality, he had lofty ambitions. How could he hastily marry someone and give others an advantage?

Besides, getting closer to the Wang family now may not be a good thing. Although they are vassals now, it is not too difficult to withdraw. But once they are related by blood, it will be difficult to stay out of it.

Who knows whether it is a blessing or a curse?
The troublesome thing is that it is difficult to refuse this matter. Now I am living under someone else's roof. If I refuse so flatly, it will probably cool the friendship between the two families. I am afraid that my life will be difficult in the future.

Wang Mingru had his own plans. The reason why he dared to open up to the two people from the Xu family was to tie them up on the boat.

Now that he is old, he cannot support the Ding family alone. These two have worked hard over the years and are loyal and brave. They are indeed a good choice.

But outsiders are outsiders after all, how can they be more useful than family members who are related by blood?

And since he chose to let Xu Boyang know that there was a bigger force behind the Ding family, to put it bluntly, it was to tell the father and son that his Xu family was already tied to the Wang family and the Ding family. The more they knew, the more they would have to bear. It would be better to go a step further and get on board completely.

There is no reward without effort. Isn't this the truth in this world? If you are not born with it, how can you get wealth for free?

Xu Shaoliang looked at Xu Boyang sitting there blankly, coughed, and said:

"Brother, how about this? The caravan still needs to move on, and business still needs to be done. Boyang has just taken over, and it's not the same as when he was with me. Carrying out the escort is like cutting meat with a blunt knife, and everything needs to be polished."

"At my age, it doesn't really matter whether I treat this leg or not. It's better to let him go for another two years. When he can walk away with dignity, I can let him come back and do what he needs to do."

Xu Shaoliang's words were flawless. Based on the fundamental interests of both families, he neither hurt Wang Mingru's face nor explicitly agreed to the marriage. His ambiguity and just a few words postponed the matter for two years.

As for two years later, that is another matter. Who knows what the Wang family will be like in two years. By then, even if there is no way, it is not certain that the girl will wait.

How many more years can you stay in your prime years?

"Haha! Shaoliang has good intentions. Yes, this caravan cannot be lost!"

Wang Mingru could see what Xu Shaoliang was thinking, but now that things had come to this, it would be embarrassing if he refused to give in. He nodded and said, "Business is the most important thing. I'll do as Shaoliang says."

Xu Boyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the ambiguous words of Xu Shaoliang and Wang Mingru, he felt a little regretful for his rash request just now, and thought to himself:

"Old ginger is always wiser. As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. It's true!"

"Shaoliang, how's Master Tan doing? Have you contacted him?"

Wang Mingru simply changed the subject to avoid embarrassment between the two families and asked about Tan Wenli's situation.

"No problem. Master Tan is at my house today, and Boyang has also met him. The caravan has just returned, and I was thinking of letting the guys rest for a few days first, and then invite Master Tan over in two days." Xu Shaoliang told him his plan.

"Well, that's good. The Tan family and my family are old friends, and his martial arts are not bad either. You should take him with you more often when you have time." Wang Mingru nodded and ordered.

Afterwards, Wang Mingru chatted with Xu Shaoliang about some follow-up matters of the caravan. When the lights came on, Xu Shaoliang saw that it was almost time, so he said goodbye.

On the way home, the father and son rode their horses, one in front and one behind, both in silence.

After a long time, Xu Boyang finally said, "Dad..."

"Don't gossip on the road." Xu Shaoliang said softly.

When they got home, it was already dark. Xu Shaoliang lit the oil lamp and sat down and said:
"I've heard everything I should and shouldn't have heard today. You should understand what Wang Mingru meant. He said asking about his son-in-law was probably just an excuse. You can go ahead and do the business on the Dongke Town trade route without worry. Hire people and buy horses. Just don't be too conspicuous, and don't go to town and provoke that Song guy."

"I understand, Dad." Xu Boyang lowered his head.

Xu Shaoliang said coldly, "You don't need to worry about what happened tonight. He would have told you about it whether you asked for the pill or not. This is just a good opportunity for him to exploit the issue."

"Dad doesn't have that much ability. If I follow Wang Mingru all my life, my son will still be controlled by him when I'm old. I can only fight for these two years. If you are unwilling to give up, you should seize the opportunity yourself."

"Since he's made this two-year agreement, his meaning is very clear. In two years, either you marry his niece, or our family will be wiped out."

"Dad, I'm afraid it won't be this bad..." Xu Boyang had never thought of this. "Humph!"

Xu Shaoliang narrowed his eyes and said bluntly:
"You still don't understand? That Tan Wenli is clearly Wang Mingru's backup plan. If you don't marry his niece in two years, he will immediately depose you and me, and the Tan family will take our place!"

"We know so much about the Wang and Ding families. This matter also involves the immortals. If you are unwilling to join the Wang family, can he let you live in this world?"

"You don't know, Wang Mingru is in poor health. He has no way out. If he doesn't tie you up on the boat this time, he's afraid something might happen in the future!"

"Don't think this caravan is insignificant. Who knows how many people's interests are tied up behind it!"

"Dad, I don't want to live under someone else's roof all my life!"

Xu Boyang spoke his mind.

"Dad understands!"

Xu Shaoliang turned his head to look at his son and said in a deep voice,
"Boyang, I don't know where you get such great ambitions, but I'm happy for you. However, you can't just say it casually. You have to have the strength to do it!"

"Two years from now, if you don't have the ability to challenge Wang Mingru, you'd better give up the idea in your heart and marry a woman from the Wang family. Then my family will still have a way out!"

Xu Boyang lowered his head and responded sullenly, his eyes fixed on the flickering flame of the oil lamp. He unconsciously clenched his fists, and the fire in his heart grew more and more intense.

"Two years from now, I will make sure the Wang family doesn't dare to force anyone!"

Xu Boyang's confidence naturally came from embarking on the path to immortality, but he knew that he was just a climber who had just touched the first step. Everything still required time. He could not leave the Wang family at the moment. Fortunately, the father and son were of one mind and did not let Wang Mingru's plan come to fruition.

Too bad it's only two years.

Xu Boyang understood that time was running out for him, and he was no longer obsessed with Xu Shaoliang's leg. Everything should be focused on practicing as quickly as possible.

He understood that as long as he could attain immortality, the current predicament would be nothing more than a child playing house and could be resolved in an instant.

Although I was a bit greedy and reckless tonight, at least I didn't gain nothing. Not only did I confirm the actual effect of the Bone-Growing Pill, but I also learned that the Ding family has intricate connections with the Fei family and even the Ghost Market.

This will be of great benefit to his next move.

His goal was very clear, which was to obtain as many spirit stones as possible through escort missions within the next two years, and to enter the palace in his mind to exchange for more and better cultivation resources!
Practice again and again until the Wang family no longer dares to force you!

After returning to the room, he quickly took the spirit stone, walked to the couch, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to concentrate.

He had many questions and thoughts in his mind, and he needed to find the answers in the palace of his mind!
After the trance, the clouds and fog cleared, and the dark world filled with stars and palaces reappeared.

The brightly lit place was still the two palaces, and there was no change because he had entered the Nascent Soul stage.

Xu Boyang was a little disappointed. He paused for a moment, looked at the lights of the [Palace of Wealth], and quickly walked up the cloud steps.

Zhao Lingguan is easier to talk to, but he doesn't dare to provoke the person from Daoyan Palace easily.

Since he exchanged for the "Tianhao Daoqi Changshuo Jingzhu" that day, Xu Boyang has not come in for more than half a month. Firstly, he has finally entered the door with great difficulty, and he can't act recklessly like before and leave a bad impression on the two spiritual officials; secondly, he doesn't have many spirit stones on him, and he estimated that he can't exchange for anything, so it is better for him to practice well and take steady steps.

The reason I came in today was, firstly, that I had entered the Nascent Soul stage and officially embarked on the long journey of a cultivator. I wanted to come in and take a look, perhaps there would be some changes. Secondly, it was really necessary for me to inquire about some issues regarding cultivation.

As a result, the first idea was shattered.

"Wow! Not bad, it's condensed!"

Zhao Lingguan stood with his hands behind his back and squinted his eyes, looking at the young prince with interest.

Xu Boyang still bowed respectfully and said:
"Hello, Officer Zhao!"

"Good boy, it's only been a few days and you already have fifteen more spirit stones!"

Zhao Lingguan twisted his beard and rolled his eyes. He had already noticed the spirit stone on Xu Boyang's body. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised and asked:

"Have you joined the Immortal Sect?"

Seeing Xu Boyang shook his head inexplicably, Zhao Lingguan finally breathed a sigh of relief, frowned, and said:
"Boy, I've told you before that you can't tell anyone about this place. Don't blame me for not reminding you again out of kindness. You are now just an ant. You must not join any immortal sect. If someone discovers your secret, you will die without a burial place! If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself!"

These words came out of Zhao Lingguan's mouth, but every word was like thunder exploding in Xu Boyang's ears, shaking his body and mind, and trembling all over.

Xu Boyang was terrified and his face turned pale.

This matter had originally been his deepest secret. He obeyed his father's orders and didn't even dare to tell it to his father Xu Shaoliang, let alone others. But now that he has embarked on the immortal path, he can't even enter the Immortal Sect in the future. It can be seen that the extent of the involvement has far exceeded his imagination.

Xu Boyang thought for a moment, and his doubts grew stronger, but under the great reputation of Zhao Lingguan, he did not dare to ask more questions and nodded quickly.

"Well, you are a teachable kid. When you achieve enlightenment in the future, you will naturally understand everything."

Zhao Lingguan nodded with satisfaction and asked again,
"What? You want to exchange your morals again?"

"No, Master Lingguan, I have some questions and would like to ask for your help."

Xu Boyang calmed himself down before speaking.

"Okay! Considering that you are new to the Great Dao, I can answer three of your questions for free. Each question I answer will cost one Spirit Stone." Zhao Lingguan clapped his hands and said,
"This is the rule of the [Wealth Palace]!"

Xu Boyang was overjoyed, finally getting an advantage. He said, "Thank you, sir. Can I ask now?"

"Sure! But you'd better think before asking. You still have two free questions left."

Zhao Lingguan's eyes showed a cunning look and he laughed.

(End of this chapter)