“Who’s this girl? She’s pretty good-looking.”
“You don’t know her? In the Nine Dragons Upper Realm, she’s quite a figure among the younger generation. She’s the granddaughter of the Gong Clan’s patriarch, the eldest miss of the Gong family—Gong Mingyue.”
“So she’s Gong Mingyue! I’ve heard of her. Is it true she’s betrothed to Chu Xuanyuan’s son? Didn’t they say Chu Xuanyuan’s son died long ago? Could he still be alive?”
At that moment, a chorus of voices buzzed with discussion. After all, not many knew Chu Feng had appeared in the Nine Dragons Upper Realm.
“Little Sister Mingyue, if that Chu Feng really had even half his father’s talent, I, Xu Morong, wouldn’t have a word to say against it,” Xu Morong continued. “But I’ve heard he’s a complete waste—just a First Rank True Immortal. You’d marry a useless guy like that?”
“What? Chu Xuanyuan’s son is actually alive but only a First Rank True Immortal?”
“With that kind of cultivation, he’s honestly pretty weak. Chu Xuanyuan was a legend back in the day—how could his son be such a disgrace?”
“If Chu Feng’s really just a First Rank True Immortal, he’s nowhere near worthy of the Gong Clan’s eldest miss.”
Xu Morong’s words sparked even louder, more cutting remarks from the crowd.
“Xu Morong, shut your mouth!” Gong Mingyue’s face darkened as she snapped at him.
She wasn’t stupid—she knew Xu Morong was saying this in public to humiliate her.
“What’s wrong, Little Sister Mingyue? Can’t handle the truth being spoken? I’m only looking out for you,” Xu Morong said with a shameless grin.
Gong Mingyue’s face paled with anger, but she didn’t know how to retort.
Their standoff only convinced the onlookers that the engagement was real.
“To be honest, your so-called fiancé isn’t just a talentless waste—his character’s rotten too,” Xu Morong pressed on. “Back at Ice Summit Peak, he pulled out a fake token, claiming he wanted to see Lord Wuming Xingyun. He got caught on the spot and thrown into the fire prison.”
“What? He’s a con artist too?”
“Chu Xuanyuan’s son is such an embarrassment—he’s practically dragging his father’s name through the mud. Someone like that might as well be dead!”
The crowd’s tone shifted from doubt to outright scorn. Though many of them weren’t exactly saints themselves—hiding their own misdeeds behind a façade of virtue—they had no qualms about condemning someone else’s卑劣.
Now, the way they looked at Gong Mingyue had changed, as if thinking: *This girl seems decent—how could she marry trash like Chu Feng?*
Gong Mingyue hated those looks. She turned to Xu Morong. “What kind of person Chu Feng is has nothing to do with me. You don’t need to tell me about him. Even if you beat him to death, it wouldn’t matter to me one bit.”
“What’s that, Little Sister Mingyue? No engagement after all? Did I get fake news?” Xu Morong asked.
“It’s true enough—my grandfather and the Chu Clan’s patriarch arranged it before I was even born. But I never agreed to it, and I’ll make that clear to Chu Feng myself,” Gong Mingyue said.
Her words set off a firestorm among the crowd.
“Make it clear? That’s basically calling off the engagement!”
“Chu Xuanyuan’s son is going to face that kind of humiliation?”
The chatter grew louder and more animated.
“Little Sister Mingyue, if that’s the case, it’s for the best,” Xu Morong said.
“The best? What does this have to do with you?” Gong Mingyue shot back coldly.
“Nothing to do with me? How could it not? Chu Feng’s a lowlife—he needs a good lesson. I heard he’s out of the fire prison now, and I was planning to track him down. But… since I heard about your engagement, I thought I’d check with you first. After all, we’ve known each other for years, Little Sister Mingyue. If you were really set on marrying him, I’d have to give you some face,” Xu Morong said.
“No need. If you can, go ahead and beat him to death. But don’t bother telling me—I don’t care if he lives or dies,” Gong Mingyue replied.
“Xu Morong, are you bullying my sister again?”
At that moment, a furious shout rang out.
A figure sped in from the entrance of the peach orchard, landing in front of Gong Mingyue.
It was Gong Qing.
Xu Morong clearly knew her—his eyes lit up like a wolf spotting a rabbit the moment he saw her.
“My Little Sister Gong Qing, you’re here too!” Xu Morong said, eyeing her the same way he’d ogled Gong Mingyue. “It’s only been a few months, but you’ve gotten even prettier!”
Gong Mingyue yanked Gong Qing behind her, glaring at Xu Morong. “Xu Morong, I’m warning you—don’t even think about targeting my sister. Or I won’t hold back!”
“What’s this? Does Little Sister Gong Qing have an engagement too?” Xu Morong asked with a cheeky grin.
