Chapter 7: Must she really marry?

"Or could it be..."

Madam Cheng hesitated, but Su Changling had already grasped the implication behind her words. She gazed quietly into the woman’s troubled eyes for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Madam, you might find it better to ask Miss Cheng herself about such matters."

"So... so it is true, then! Yunniang really is!" Upon hearing this, Madam Cheng stumbled, her body swaying uncontrollably as she fell back, collapsing weakly against the small table that held a pastel porcelain vase. Her eyes instantly turned a deep, bloodshot red.

Her expression was so profoundly sorrowful that Su Changling wondered if she would burst into tears the very next second.

"This child... Immortal, how could she ever think to take such a path?" The woman looked up at the young girl, her voice trembling and raw. "Is she trying to carve my heart out while I’m still breathing?"

A mother knows her daughter best.

At first, when Cheng Yingxue returned, Madam Cheng had managed to convince herself that the girl had simply gone hiking to vent her frustrations. But when she saw the mud and tears covering her clothes, and the dark, dried stains of blood on her hem...

How could she not guess why the girl had gone up that mountain?

Only someone seeking death would torture themselves so recklessly!

Madam Cheng’s legs felt as though they could no longer support her weight. Su Changling lowered her gaze slightly and shook her head. "Madam, when I first saved Miss Cheng, I asked her a similar question."

"I initially thought she was being impulsive, but she told me she had only reached this point because she had finally seen through everything. She said she had been driven into a corner, and she said she did not want to marry."

"I do not understand why not wanting to marry should lead one to such a path." Su Changling flicked her sleeve, a gentle breeze of spiritual energy lifting the woman and setting her back into her chair. "This is a question I have never been able to resolve."

"Madam, can you provide me with an answer?"

Madam Cheng was startled. "What?"

"Why is it that not wanting to marry leaves only death as an option?" Su Changling repeated softly. "Or, to put it another way, must Miss Cheng marry at all?"

Madam Cheng’s face went deathly pale, a look of confusion surfacing in her eyes. "Must she... must she marry?"

"But if she doesn't marry, she..."

What else could she do?

Madam Cheng’s mind was a blur. She seemed stumped by the girl’s unconventional question, unable to find a response. The woman opened her mouth in a daze, but at that moment, the chiming of the garden bell cut through her tangled thoughts.

The old bell, hung in the garden for who knows how many years, struck five times, its deep, resonant toll echoing like thunder. Startled birds flapped their wings, soaring across the small lake to land in a row upon the eaves.

In the main hall, the young woman, having changed her clothes, knelt upright in the center of the room. Her back was straight, her gaze fixed without fear on the face of the man seated in the position of honor. Her hands, partially hidden in her sleeves, were tightly clutching the handkerchief in her palm.

"I heard from the servants at the side gate that you went hiking this morning, Yunniang?" Cheng Mingye lowered his eyelids, lifting his teacup and casually skimming the foam from the surface with the lid.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air. He took a sip to moisten his throat before finally deigning to speak again: "And you even brought back an immortal from the mountain?"

"In reply to my Uncle, that is indeed the case." Cheng Yingxue spoke with neither arrogance nor servility. "Yesterday, upon learning of the two marriage proposals you had arranged for your niece, I felt a sudden surge of resentment. Thus, after the third watch this morning, I left home to clear my mind."

"It is simply that my luck was poor. Mount Huang had experienced two heavy rainstorms yesterday, and the mountain paths were still slick and muddy." The young girl repeated the excuse she had given Madam Cheng to Cheng Mingye, word for word. "I nearly fell off a cliff due to poor footing while climbing, and it was only by the grace of the immortal’s intervention that my life was spared."

"The immortal who escorted me back to the manor today is the very one who saved my life on the mountain."

"Oh? Slippery paths, nearly falling off a cliff... and saved by an immortal?" Cheng Mingye raised his eyelids, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yunniang, do not let yourself be deceived."

"If you, Uncle, are also capable of riding a sword three hundred feet into the air," Cheng Yingxue replied, her face devoid of any irritation, "then the Immortal is naturally a charlatan."

"Hmph! Sharp-tongued." Cheng Mingye slammed the teacup down, splashing pale green tea onto his fingertips. "I don't know how my brother managed to raise you to be like this!"

The man stared intently at the girl, his presence as the head of the household weighing heavily upon her.

Cheng Yingxue met his gaze without flinching. He watched her for a moment before his expression softened slightly. "However, since she is truly an immortal from the mountain and has saved your life, we shall treat her with proper hospitality. The Cheng family has never been one to be ungrateful."

"That is only natural." Cheng Yingxue lowered her gaze, her tone as unyielding as before. "There is no need for you to instruct me, Uncle; my mother and I will see to it that the Immortal is well-attended."

"Tsk, even a young girl like you has started putting on airs." Cheng Mingye rubbed the armrest of his chair, lifting his chin with a faint sneer. "Very well. Now that these trivialities are settled, let us discuss the real business."

"Yunniang, I do not wish to dwell on why you went up the mountain this morning. Since you have returned safely, I trust you have come to a firm decision."

"Well? The young master of the Shen family in the north of the city, or the widower, Mr. Luo, across the street—which of these two marriages do you intend to choose?" Cheng Mingye asked, leaning forward slightly as if to listen.

Cheng Yingxue looked up, her expression unchanged. "In reply to my Uncle, I choose neither."

Cheng Mingye’s eyes widened in clear shock, his face instantly flushing with anger. "You—say that again?"

"Uncle," the young girl’s eyes were clear and bright, each word crisp and firm, "I do not wish to marry."

"How absurd!" Cheng Mingye was now thoroughly incensed. He slammed his palm onto the tea table, nearly overturning the cups.

The Cheng uncles and elders seated around the room erupted in a clamor. Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Cheng Mingye was furious, pointing a finger at the girl. "Marriage is a major life event, not a game for you to play! If you say you won't marry, what will others think of the Cheng family?"

"Yunniang, I think your fall on the mountain must have addled your brains!" Cheng Mingye sneered, preparing to call for help. "Someone, seize the young lady—"

"Uncle, why must you be in such a rush to lose your temper?" Cheng Yingxue remained unhurried. Though she was so nervous she felt she might tear her handkerchief to shreds, she maintained her composed and calm demeanor.

"Before you lose your temper, would you mind answering two questions for your niece?"