Just then, Ye Tian's deep voice cut through the hall, slicing through the tension like a blade.
"Ye Xian," he said, his tone cold, "what's the meaning of this? What is this woman accusing you of?"
Ye Tian was shocked. Just yesterday, they were talking about Ye Xian's marriage, and now a woman came forward with a serious accusation.
If the marriage with the Meng Clan fell apart because of this, he didn't want to think about what would come next.
His sharp gaze made it clear: this matter needed to be settled immediately.
Ye Xian's mind raced as he retraced his recent steps.
Two days ago, early in the morning, he went to the outskirts of Azure City to complete a mission from the academy: capturing a rare, multicolored lizard prized by alchemists.
He searched all day but found nothing. Frustrated, he stayed at a nearby inn inside the city walls. The next day, as he resumed his search, he was ambushed by Brother Mu and his companion.
He was killed or would have been, had he not mysteriously revived or arised.
He quickly beat the ambushers, using their own trap against them. By evening, he left the valley and disappeared into the fading light. It was already night when he got back to the Ye Estate, where he spent the night with Sheng Qianying.
But no one knew about that. And there had been no word or rumor.
This accusation was clearly a setup. Someone had carefully made this false story seem real.
But why?
Ye Xian's eyes went cold. The timing, this woman's sudden appearance, and the Meng Clan marriage all pointed to a bigger plan.
His gaze landed on his stepmother's smug face. In that moment, he knew it was her. That cold, sharp look in her eyes and that
satisfied smile. It was proof enough.
'Was this her plan to ruin my marriage with Meng Xueqing? Why? Wasn't I already disgraced enough in the clan? Or did she want her own son to marry into the Meng Clan? But if so, why keep it secret from Ye Feng or Ye Tian?'
Ye Xian had an overwhelming urge to slap her.Just to turn her into a complete idiot.
"Patriarch, I deny these baseless accusations."
He turned to the woman in green.
"Who are you, exactly? And what proof do you have for making such a ridiculous claim?"
The woman's face twisted in anger, but she quickly composed herself and sneered.
"Proof? You dare ask for proof? You shameless liar! You used me, and now you pretend not to know me?"
Ye Xian narrowed his eyes. He was sure he'd never seen this woman before. He definitely hadn't talked to her, much less shared a bed with her.
Yes, he had spent the night with someone. But that woman was stunning, graceful, and elegant. Nothing like the one standing in front of him now.
Before he could respond, a voice called out behind him.
"I have something to say, Clan Patriarch."
Ye Xian stiffened. The voice was familiar.
A servant stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"My name is Di Ye. I witnessed something last night."
'The hell....did he saw Sheng Qianying enteringy my room and not leaving until morning.... Shit. This gonna be bad.... Stop... don't panic. Let hear him what he has to say.' Ye Xian calmed himself.
Di Ye paused dramatically before continuing.
"I saw this woman leaving Young Master Ye Xian's bedroom late at night. And while cleaning his room this morning, I found this."
He pulled out a delicate wooden comb, finely carved with the name "Shi" on it. A wave of gasps swept through the hall.
Di Ye gave a sickly smile.
"This belonged to the woman in question. I saw her leave Young master Ye Xian room myself. He even threatened me, told me to stay silent. He said he'd never see her again and that I must not tell anyone."
The atmosphere grew heavy. Doubt began to creep into the faces of those around them.
Then, another voice rang out, sharp and accusing.
"Ye Xian!"
Sheng Qinhua, his first stepmother, stepped forward with a mix of concern and anger.
"You're about to be married with a woman from a prestigious clan. How could you be so reckless? Do you understand the shame you're bringing to the clan?"
Ye Xian felt a strong urge to slap her, especially with that beautiful, arrogant face twisted in fury, screaming at him like he owed her the world. But he forced himself to stay calm.
Patriarch Ye Tian turning to Sheng Qinhua and saying, "Enough. Sit down."
She sat back down.
Ye Xian turned again to Di Ye, who still held the comb.
He said coldly, "Isn't it possible that you're working with her? Maybe you planted that comb in my room."
Hearing this, the woman in the green dress shouted angrily.
"How can you say that?! We spent two nights together! You enjoyed my body to your heart content, made promises to me and now you act like this?!
You said you'd accept me, even marry me! How could you treat me like this now?! Just because you're a Young Master of the Ye Clan, does that mean you can do this to a poor, helpless girl?!
Look, everyone! Look a young master of Ye clan had fun with me and now want to discard me like a useless toy! He's ruining me!"
As she kept talking, Ye Tian, the clan's patriarch grew increasingly tense. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
The Meng Clan was still here as honored guests, and if they heard this mess, things could go very wrong.
If the marriage fell apart, the Meng Clan wouldn't just walk away. They'd make the Ye Clan pay. All Ye Tian could do now was pray Ye Xian knew how to clean this up.
Ye Xian looked at the green-dressed woman. She was stubborn and cunning clearly not someone easy to deal with. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
He looked her in the eye and said, "Alright then. You say we spent two nights together?"
She replied proudly, "Yes, we did."
He said, "Then surely we would have explored each other's bodies and gotten to know them well?"
She blushed but nodded. "Yes."
He leaned forward and asked.
"So... were you satisfied with my body? Did I please you well?"
A murmur spread through the onlookers. Some people nearby started whispering.
"What is Ye Xian saying?"
"Is it true? Did he really spend nights with her?"
"Looks like he's about to take in a concubine…"
When Sheng Qinhua learned that Ye Xian was going to marry the second daughter of the Meng Clan patriarch, she was shocked. That girl had once been a prodigy, a true genius with top-tier talent, until her body from below was crippled.
Even so, Sheng Qinhua had hoped that such a young woman from prestigious clan would become her daughter-in-law and marry her own son, Ye Shen. If that happened, the bond between their two families would grow much stronger.
Ye Feng had married Sheng Qinhua 21 years ago, and a year later, she gave birth to their golden child, Ye Shen. Three years after that, Ye Xian was born. When Ye Xian was seven and Ye Shen was ten, Ye Feng brought home Sheng Qianying as his new concubine.
Ye Xian was now seventeen. Ten years had passed since Sheng Qianying first joined their household.
That same year, his father came back from the outskirts of Azure City, badly injured.
To keep his yang energy from slipping away, he stopped all intimacy—both with his main wife and the new concubine. A full decade without touching either of them.
Ye Shen was already seen as a rising star in the Ye Clan, having reached the Element Disciple Realm by the age of twenty.
Sheng Qinhua believed that if he married into the powerful Meng Clan, even if it meant taking their crippled daughter, it would still bring prestige and open doors to strong alliances.
The Meng Clan had strong ties not only in the capital but also with the royal family.
If the marriage went through, it could push Ye Shen's future to new heights and greatly raise Sheng Qinhua's status as well.
After all, wouldn't it be better for a second-rate clan like theirs to ride the dragon and ascend through the clouds?
That's why she wanted the Meng Clan's second daughter to marry Ye Shen. But the clan master, Ye Tian, and her husband, Ye Feng, refused.
They believed that giving a crippled woman to Ye Shen would only drag him down. As the clan's most promising talent, he had to stay unburdened. So, they decided to hand Ye Xian over for the marriage instead, thinking it was a small price to pay for the clan's future.
But Sheng Qinhua didn't see it as a sacrifice at all. To her, it was a golden chance. One her son Ye Shen deserved to grab.
A way for him to rise above everyone else and secure the future she believed belonged to both of them.
Sheng Qinhua was grunting. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Ye Xian, who was asking questions that were outside of her expectations.
'Don't tell me this brat has some kind of plan.'