Chapter 40: Taking a Master

The young girl finished speaking, her gaze locked firmly onto the old man’s eyes, while Cheng Guangyao trembled uncontrollably with rage.

He glared viciously at the girl, who had just reached the age of fifteen, and his voice cracked as he shouted, "Scoundrel! Absolute scoundrel!"

"Yunniang, I think you have truly lost your mind!"

"What are you all standing there for? Take her away at once!" Cheng Guangyao roared, a flicker of murderous intent passing through his eyes. "Drag her to the ancestral hall! Let her dead father see for himself... see what kind of daughter he has raised!"

"Yes," the burly servant women who had been waiting outside the hall replied, moving to forcibly drag Cheng Yingxue away.

"Let’s see who dares!"

At that critical moment, a thunderous roar erupted from outside. A flash of snowy light streaked from the back courtyard into the hall; a porcelain vase, taller than a person, shattered instantly, and the flying shards sliced across the old man’s face.

"If you want to take her, you must first answer to the sword in my hand!" Su Changling, seeing Cheng Yingxue about to be bullied, stood before the girl. With a slight movement of her fingertips, her long sword unsheathed three inches, the sheer force of its aura shattering the solid wood plaque hanging above Cheng Guangyao’s head.

Gold-painted wooden debris rained down on everyone. Looking at the tall, extraordinary young woman whose skill and demeanor were clearly exceptional, a trace of trepidation flickered in Cheng Guangyao’s brows. "May I ask, who are you..."

"Su Changling, forty-seventh generation disciple of the Buyun Ruins on Mount Huang, greets the Old Master of the Cheng family." Su Changling’s expression was icy; though her words were polite, she did not bother to perform the actual gesture of respect.

Upon hearing the words "Buyun Ruins," a glimmer of realization dawned in Cheng Guangyao’s eyes. His anger vanished, replaced by a smile—one that could almost be called amiable—as he bowed to the girl. "So, you are an immortal from the mountain."

"However... if my memory serves me correctly, as an immortal of the mountain, are you not forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs?" Cheng Guangyao remained composed, his posture relaxed as if he held the key to his opponent’s weakness. "Especially... since this is a family matter within the Cheng household."

"People of the mountain are indeed forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs," Su Changling said, her expression impassive. "But today, I choose to interfere. What will you do about it?"

"Is the immortal fairy not afraid that I will file a formal complaint with the Heavenly Gate?" Cheng Guangyao narrowed his eyes.

"Why would such a matter require a complaint from you, Old Master Cheng?" Su Changling remained unmoved. "Once this is settled, I shall return to the mountain to face my master’s punishment."

"Ten lashes of the God-Beating Whip—a small injury, I can endure it."

"Furthermore—how can you be so certain, Old Master Cheng, that this is merely a matter for your household?"

Cheng Guangyao’s heart skipped a beat. "Fairy, what do you mean by that?"

"It means, Old Master Cheng, that I have taken a liking to Miss Cheng and intend to accept her as my disciple—" Su Changling spoke slowly, then suddenly turned and drew her long sword.

"Cheng Yingxue, forty-eighth generation disciple of the Buyun Ruins on Mount Huang, pay your respects to your master!"

"Master, please accept this disciple’s bow!" Startled by the sudden turn of events, a flash of insight struck Cheng Yingxue, and she knelt down without hesitation.

The three-foot blade passed before her brow, drawing a single bead of blood. As the drop vanished into the steel, she felt as if a path to the supreme realm had opened up before her.

"Good—from this moment on, you are the forty-eighth generation direct disciple of the Buyun Ruins." Seeing the smile in the young girl’s eyes, Su Changling turned to look coldly at the old man on the dais. "Old Master Cheng, does this not make it more than just a matter for your household now?"

"The marriage of a disciple of the Buyun Ruins is not for you mortals to decide!"

"Fine, fine, what a fine disciple of the mountain!" Cheng Guangyao was now trembling with more than just anger. "Yunniang, the Cheng family has raised you for over a decade... are you truly going to go this far?!"

"Grandfather, I have never forgotten the kindness the Cheng family showed in raising me." The girl’s expression was calm. She stood up, reached out to stop the girl who was about to draw her sword again, and stepped forward. "But is this current situation not exactly what you brought about, Grandfather?"

Her eldest uncle had already relented. Initially, she had not intended to sever ties with the Cheng family. But it was her grandfather who had forced her step by step to this point.

He denied her, suppressed her, lectured her, extinguished her individuality, and erased the meaning of her existence, all in an attempt to box her in and turn her into the "virtuous wife and mother" favored by the world.

She could not do it.

The books she had read, the knowledge she had acquired, and the ideals in her heart would not allow her to waste her life in the depths of a courtyard.

Since she could not, she had to leave—to leave this place, which for her, was full of shackles.

"I admire women who are willing to dedicate their lives to their husbands' families," Cheng Yingxue said with sincerity. "And I truly respect those who can remain chaste for their late husbands for their entire lives."

"But unfortunately, I am not that kind of woman."

"Nor can I, like them, spend my whole life trapped in that small, sunless courtyard."

"Therefore, let us sever ties, Grandfather." Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. "There is no point in arguing about this any further."

"Yunniang, have you truly thought this through?" Cheng Guangyao’s face was livid. "Your father has been dead for a long time; severing ties is not as simple as clapping hands three times in the hall."

"The written act of severance, the family discipline rod—none of these can be omitted!"

"Then let none of them be omitted." Cheng Yingxue’s gaze was as calm as an ancient well. "They are but physical pain; there is nothing to fear."

"You! You are simply incorrigible!" Cheng Guangyao felt a lump in his throat and threw his sleeves down heavily. "Fine, then let it be as you wish!"

"Tomorrow at the hour of the snake (9-11 AM), I will invite the Magistrate to bear witness—tomorrow, we shall sever ties at the Cheng ancestral hall!"

"It is a deal!" Cheng Yingxue nodded decisively. Cheng Guangyao, hearing this, was left gasping for breath, overcome with rage.

He glared fiercely at the two girls in the hall for a long time, but eventually said nothing. He turned and left the hall in a hurry, followed by the clan elders.

"Hmph! I thought the Old Master of the Cheng family was someone formidable; it turns out he’s only worth this much." Perched on the rafters, the female ghost who had watched the whole scene scoffed, her slender legs dangling beneath her long skirt, her smile filled with mockery.

Su Changling glanced up at her undignified posture and curled her lips slightly.

Cheng Mingye, who had been oblivious to all this, sighed deeply and bowed to the young woman. "Fairy, please forgive the Cheng family for making a spectacle of ourselves today."

"Please, follow my maid to the back courtyard to rest for a moment—allow me to have a word with Yunniang."