Qin Li stepped into the luxurious carriage, his expression unchanging. The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage set off at a brisk pace. It was a comfortable, steady ride, without the slightest jolt. Much like the spacious and stable carriage, Qin Li's heart was perfectly calm, untroubled by the events about to unfold.
The carriage was clearly a man's. The interior was simple yet grand, and there was even a small bookshelf built into the wall—evidently prepared for long journeys.
Qin Li casually pulled out a book and froze. It was a High Level Combat Technique! He pulled out another—an Advanced Yuan Power Heart Method!
In disbelief, Qin Li pulled out six or seven more books. Their titles were all different, but every single one was either a Heart Method or a Combat Technique. Moreover, none of them were trash—they were all High Level!
On the Celestial Essence Continent, Yuan Power Heart Methods and Combat Techniques were mostly passed down from the Ancient Era and were divided into three tiers: Beginner, Middle, and High Level. In an ordinary martial hall or academy, the best one could hope to find was a Middle Level technique. Unless one was from a great family, very few people could possess Advanced Techniques. At auctions, an Advanced Technique would occasionally appear, and any one of them could easily fetch hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!
And the small courtyard Qin Li had bought only cost ten taels of silver! For an ordinary family, five taels of silver, spent frugally, was enough to live on for a year.
The value of these Heart Methods and Combat Techniques was, therefore, self-evident. Qin Li frowned slightly and returned the books to their place. He wasn't sure what Master Shangguan intended by this. Perhaps there was no ill will, but as far as Qin Li was concerned, he had no intention of accepting such a gift. Besides, the man had only left the books there; he hadn't explicitly said they were for him. 'Maybe... that old lunatic from the Shangguan Family has more money than sense and just likes showing off by leaving Cultivation Techniques worth one million taels of silver lying around!'
As Qin Li was lost in thought, he felt the carriage come to a halt. A voice from outside called out, "Young Master Qin, we've arrived."
Qin Li stepped out of the carriage and found himself before a teahouse. It was a three-story wooden building with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding an air of ancient charm. Just standing outside, one could feel a sense of tranquility.
"Young Master Qin, please come inside. The young lady is waiting for you." The Knight gave a slight bow, ushered Qin Li into the teahouse, and then stood guard outside.
Some of the more discerning passersby couldn't help but wonder. 'Who is this important personage?' they thought. 'To be using Master Shangguan's personal carriage and guards... their background must be extraordinary!'
When they saw Qin Li's slender figure disembark from the carriage and casually stroll into the teahouse in his slightly dusty clothes, their jaws dropped. Their eyes filled with disbelief. 'Could this young man be a scion of the Imperial Family who enjoys traveling in disguise?'
It was no wonder they made such a guess. The Shangguan Family was related to the imperial court by marriage. Besides members of the Royal Family, who else was worthy of having Shangguan Tie—the most powerful figure in all of Yellow Sand City—give up his personal carriage?
The teahouse was serene. A faint, refreshing fragrance filled the air. A beautiful young woman stood inside. She gave Qin Li a slight bow and gestured toward the stairs, saying softly, "Young Master Qin, please head upstairs!"
Qin Li smiled to himself. 'As expected of a young lady from a great family, she really knows how to put on a show.' But since he desired nothing from her, he felt perfectly self-assured. He climbed the stairs. On the second floor, another beautiful young woman was waiting to guide him to the third.
When Qin Li reached the third floor, he found himself facing an open window. Beyond it, to his surprise, was an enormous lake. A small island sat in the middle of the lake, its pavilions and waterside terraces peeking out from the shade of the trees. The view alone was enough to lift one's spirits. A short rest here would surely soothe any troubled heart.
'How extravagant!' Qin Li had never imagined that such a place could be hidden right in the heart of Yellow Sand City. This alone was a testament to the Shangguan Family's power.
Qin Li hadn't realized that the entire third floor was a single, open space. Some twenty meters away, by a window in the corner, a girl with a slender figure stood with her back to him, gazing outside.
Aside from the two of them, the entire third floor was empty.
Hearing someone ascend the stairs, the girl turned. A thick, white veil concealed her face, revealing only a pair of bright eyes. Her gaze swept over Qin Li from top to bottom. When she noticed the obvious dust on his clothes, her brow furrowed, and a hint of displeasure flickered in her eyes.
If she hadn't heard that this illegitimate son of the Qin Family had dared to kill the servant who insulted his mother with his own hands, Shangguan Shiyu would never have agreed to this meeting. 'In her heart, the only person in the entire world who was truly kind to her was her grandfather. She couldn't be bothered to waste a single word on anyone else.'
She didn't speak, and neither did Qin Li. For more than ten seconds, they simply stared at each other in silence. Shangguan Shiyu, being a girl, was the first to look away. She hadn't seen anything strange in his eyes. Other than his slightly dirty clothes, the young man was actually quite handsome, with exceptionally clear eyes. 'Still, who knows if he's laughing at me on the inside?' Shangguan Shiyu wondered.
"What's wrong with you? Don't you know it's rude to stare at a girl?" Her voice was as crisp and clear as an oriole's song, with a sweet lilt that was exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
Qin Li gave a slight smile, walked over to the window, and gazed into the distance. "If you weren't looking at me," he said lightly, "how would you know I was looking at you?"
Shangguan Shiyu froze. She never expected anyone to speak to her like that. 'It's... novel.'
"Aren't you afraid of me? Everyone says I'm a jinx, a bad omen. They say getting close to me brings misfortune." Shangguan Shiyu's voice was calm, and her eyes, fixed on Qin Li, betrayed no emotion.
Even Shangguan Shiyu herself couldn't understand why she was voluntarily telling these things to a stranger.
"That's a load of bullshit," Qin Li said nonchalantly, a faint smile on his lips as he continued to gaze out the window. "Just nonsense."
"You're so crude!" Shangguan Shiyu said, her delicate brows knitting together. But she felt a strange sensation in her heart. 'It seems I'm not as repulsed by such vulgar language as I thought I'd be.'
"My grandfather... he reached some sort of agreement with your Qin Family, didn't he?"
Shangguan Shiyu stood more than ten meters away from Qin Li, also gazing out the window. "The truth is," she said softly, "I don't want to marry. I know you act like you don't care on the surface, but deep down, you must be terrified."
"Honestly, I never planned on getting married either. I'm being forced into this too. Of course, you have no obligation to help me. Don't worry. You can live the life you want. You can just refuse."
Qin Li turned his head, looked into Shangguan Shiyu's bright eyes, and spoke earnestly. "But I came to see you today just to tell you one thing: you're not a jinx, you're not a monster, and you are certainly not an ill omen. This world isn't only made up of people with yellow skin. There are people with black skin, and with white skin, and even many other races you've never seen, and they all live perfectly fine lives. Whether you want to go through with this engagement doesn't matter. I don't really care either. Of course, I won't deny that if we get engaged, life will be much better for my mother and me. And by 'better,' I don't mean in a material sense. I mean we'll be much safer. I'm sure you understand that."
As he finished, Qin Li gave a self-deprecating smile and waited for Shangguan Shiyu's rejection. Then he could leave Yellow Sand City for good. He was confident the Qin Family wouldn't dare to harm Qin Hanyue.
In Qin Li's mind, the deal between Shangguan Tie and Qin Hongyuan was far less important than the attitude of the girl standing before him. If she refused, the Qin Family would come seeking revenge within three days. But he had no right to force a thirteen-year-old girl to nod and agree to become his fiancée.
'Why should someone else have to deal with my problems?' The thought of relying on others had never once crossed Qin Li's mind.
"Is that true? There are people with black skin in this world?" Shangguan Shiyu stared at Qin Li, her eyes wide with utter disbelief. "You're lying... I've never heard of anything like that!"
Qin Li laughed. "Why would I lie to a little girl like you? The world is a vast place. How much of it could you possibly know?"
'As if you're so much older!' Shangguan Shiyu found his smile infuriating. To think he called her a "little girl"! But she was undeniably captivated by his words. 'Is what he said true? Are there really people in this world with black skin? Does that mean... there are others like me?' She stared at Qin Li, and an idea suddenly struck her. 'Could he just be saying what he thinks I want to hear, while secretly thinking something else?' Shangguan Shiyu decided to test him. She spoke.
"Hey, Qin Li. Do you want to see my face?"