I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 196 I am his betrothed wife

To the north of Qingfeng City lies a mountainous area. After walking for two days and one night into the mountains, you will find Chenjiagou, a village nestled in a ravine. The villagers are all surnamed Chen, hence the name.

Chenjiagou has been unusually lively these days.

Chen Laojiu, who had three mulberry trees planted in front of his house, had a younger brother who became rich. He opened a pharmacy in Qingfeng City, bought houses and land, and became the richest family in the village more than 20 years ago.

Now Chen Laojiu's nephew has returned with more than a dozen truckloads of goods. His extravagance is simply astounding, making everyone in the village take notice.

It is said that a remarkable person has emerged from the Chen family, who has made it onto some kind of Qingyun List, and is in short, extremely outstanding. The well-dressed young master Chen said that he has returned this time to repair the ancestral tombs.

It even alarmed the town's prominent figures, who flocked to the Chen family to see this young master Chen.

This young master Chen was incredibly generous; as soon as he returned, he hosted a three-day feast with unlimited rice and meat.

The villagers had never seen anything like it before. They all said that Chen Laojiu's ancestral graves were well-maintained, and that they were truly blessed with good fortune.

And so, their descendants prospered.

Before repairing the ancestral graves, Young Master Chen first renovated the ancestral hall, making it even larger and more imposing than the ancestral hall of the Li family in the town.

The whole village went to see the ancestral hall when it was completed.

This is a big day for everyone in Chenjiagou.

On this momentous day, a group of out-of-towners suddenly arrived, all on horseback. Then, a woman barged into the ancestral hall.

Logically, women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall. But strangely, no one stopped her; everyone just stared blankly as the woman walked into the hall, as if frozen in place.

"Mother, look at the fairy!"

The silence was broken when a child shouted.

Indeed, that woman looked like a fairy from heaven. These mountain people had never seen such a person before. They were all ashamed of their appearance and dared not speak, for fear of offending this fairy.

It was Chen, the young master from the city, who had the courage to step forward and ask, "May I ask why you have come, young lady?"

The fairy-like woman bowed gracefully, "My surname is Yu, and I am Chen Ming's betrothed. I pay my respects to my elder brother."

Chen Rui stared dumbfounded at the stunningly beautiful woman who claimed to be his younger brother's fiancée. He was momentarily at a loss for words.

……

This grand event, which should have been recorded in the family genealogy, ended hastily. Everyone was talking about that angelic woman.

When Chen Rui's wife, Wei, met her brother-in-law's betrothed, she was stunned and felt ashamed of herself.

Even the four maids standing behind her were prettier than her.

Chen Lide tried hard to appear composed, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards his "little aunt".

Chen Lirong hid behind her brother and secretly peeked at her "little aunt," staring intently.

Chen Rui asked, "Where is Erlang? Why didn't he come back with the young lady?"

The woman who claimed to be Chen Ming's betrothed was Yu Haitang, who had returned from that "cave dwelling." She said softly, "He is currently in seclusion and cannot leave, so he asked me to come."

"I see." Chen Rui took a sip of tea strategically and complained, "Erlang is really something. Since he's committed to the girl for life, he didn't even tell me."

Neither he nor Wei doubted her words at all.

With her stunning beauty, it's truly incredible that she could fall for Erlang. A woman's reputation is of utmost importance; how could she possibly deceive them with such a thing?

The Chen family isn't some powerful or influential clan. If she says so, then it must be.

Moreover, they naturally assumed that if Erlang were to marry, it should be a woman who was unique in the world.

Yu Haitang said, "It was my presumption. I have heard that many women are interested in him. I came here to reveal my identity so that those women will not bother him."

Chen Rui quickly replied, "Miss, you are overthinking it. Erlang has always been virtuous and has never shown any interest in other women."

He said this with a hint of unease.

As far as he knew, there was a daughter of the governor from the Xiaoshui faction, and another woman surnamed Zhong whom he kept at home with an ambiguous relationship.

However, in front of Yu Haitang, he would definitely speak well of his younger brother.

Just then, the door to the hall was pushed open.

Chen Rui was furious when he looked up and was stunned.

A young woman dressed in white, pure and otherworldly, appeared before them. She possessed a beauty that seemed to belong to another world, and her aura was as serene and aloof as that of a fairy from the moon palace.

It's unbelievable! I actually saw two women who were so beautiful they seemed otherworldly today.

Wei was also stunned.

Chen Lide looked at this and then at that, his mouth slightly agape, his face full of surprise.

Chen Lirong covered her mouth, feeling like she couldn't take it all in.

After the woman in white entered the room, she asked, "Where is he?"

Judging from her expression, she clearly knows Yu Haitang.

For some reason, Chen Rui had a hunch that the "he" she was referring to was her younger brother, Erlang.

Yu Haitang said indifferently, "What's it to you?"

The woman in white's long sleeves fluttered slightly as she asked again, "Where is he?"

Yu Haitang said quietly, "Everyone here is Minglang's family. Are you going to make a move?"

The woman in white glanced at Chen Rui and the others, then vanished as if into thin air.

Such methods left Chen Rui and his family astonished and bewildered, feeling as if it were divine intervention. Yu Haitang said, "Don't worry, she's just one of those women who's been bothering Minglang. She's after me, she won't hurt you."

Uh?
Upon hearing her say that, Chen Rui first breathed a sigh of relief, then became embarrassed.

At this moment, Yu Haitang said, "I'm tired."

"Chunxiang and Xiaxiang, take the girls to rest."

After she left, Chen Rui and his wife looked at each other in bewilderment.

"How did Erlang meet this Miss Yu? And what about that person just now...?"

"I also want to know."

Chen Rui was very curious about what Erlang had experienced in Jiangzhou City that had managed to provoke such two stunningly beautiful women.
Only when Erlang returns will we get the answer.

……

The Chen family's old house has been expanded several times and is now quite large.

Chen Rui arranged for Yu Haitang to stay in the courtyard where Chen Ming lived, even though he had never lived there before.

Two years ago, Chen Rui asked his uncle, Chen Laojiu, who lived in the old house, to rebuild the courtyard. It is not only spacious, but also has many new things.

After Yu Haitang entered the courtyard, she sent all the maids away.

After a while, Su Zhining appeared, still asking the same question, "Where is he?"

Yu Haitang said softly, "He's dead."

The longsword on Su Zhining's back trembled slightly, and her clear, deep eyes turned cold. "How did you die?"

He did it to save me—

Yu Haitang recalled that day again.

Deep underground, before Chen Ming was swallowed by the lava, he struck out with his palm. It was that palm that saved her life and pushed her back to the shore.

“I should have gone with him… He told me to live well…”

"I still have things to finish..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, tears streaming down her face. She was completely unaware that Su Zhining was no longer there.

……

…………

Su Zhining didn't know how she left Chenjiagou; she walked from daytime to night.

Unbeknownst to her, she had returned to the Zhenhai Prince's Mansion.

At this moment, only Shang Jianfei remained in the Zhenhai Prince's Mansion, tending to the flowers and plants in the garden like an old farmer.

She stood in the garden, looking up at the bright moon in the sky. The sword on her back seemed to be affected by her emotions, emitting a slight hum.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly asked softly, "Is he really dead inside?"

She wasn't asking about Shang Jianfei.

Behind her, someone appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a white robe; it was her master, Yuan Zhixing.

Looking at his disciple's sorrowful appearance, Yuan Zhixing sighed inwardly. This disciple still couldn't overcome the obstacle of love.

"it is true."

"why?"

"This matter is rather complicated—"

"why?"

Yuan Zhixing explained in a low voice, "This story begins a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, due to an accident, the Undying Demon Lord, who was originally suppressed on the summit of Tianji Mountain, escaped. Several of our sect's seniors chased after it all the way to Qingfeng City, and then disappeared."

"After that, our sect sent people to search many times, but we were unable to find any trace of the Undying Demon Soul. Now it seems that the Undying Demon Soul fled to that cave to avoid being hunted down, and even wiped out the family that guarded this place in order to prevent our sect from discovering it."

"However, he underestimated the Longevity Emperor. Entering this cave was easy, but getting out was difficult. He was trapped there for a hundred years. He had no choice but to possess the body of that fire dragon."

"After a century, the puppet of the undying demonic soul finally found its opportunity. It spread rumors and led a group of people into the cave to find the key. Its plan was to have the undying demonic soul possess one of them, then kill everyone else and leave the cave unnoticed..."

"This time, not only did Chen Ming die, but seven first-rank and several second-rank individuals also perished. In the end, the undying demonic soul possessed Chen Ming's body. He was also of a fierce temperament and unwilling to become the Demon Lord's puppet, so he decisively jumped into that fire vein. I'm afraid he was reduced to ashes."

After hearing his words, Su Zhining remained silent for a long time, staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky.

After a long silence, she asked, "Is the demonic soul dead?"

Yuan Zhixing shook his head. "It's difficult. Back then, even several powerful experts at the Celestial Realm couldn't kill it. They could only suppress it and slowly wear down its indestructible nature. Now, almost a thousand years have passed, and they still haven't been able to destroy it. I'm afraid mere lava still won't be able to destroy it."

"Master."

"Ok?"

"I will avenge him."

Yuan Zhixing suddenly asked, "What if he didn't die, but was possessed by that immortal demonic soul? What would you do?"

"..."

After a long while, Su Zhining turned around, looked at her master with a solemn expression, and said, "I will kill it!"

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)