The Annulment and a Transmigrator’s Schemes

“Exhale~”

“Inhale~”

Sitting within his quiet cultivation chamber, Qin Yan opened his eyes.

The youth’s appearance was still somewhat tender; after all, he was only sixteen years old. Upon his already somewhat defined face, a pair of sword-like brows framed eyes as bright as stars.

Having concluded this cultivation session, Qin Yan’s heart eased with a subtle sigh of relief.

Foundation Establishment Stage, ninth layer: this was his current cultivation realm.

Sixteen years had passed since he transmigrated into this world; from an abandoned infant, he had grown to be adopted by the Great Elder of the Yanqing Sect.

This was a world where cultivation was possible, yet it was subtly different from what one might expect.

The probability of women possessing spiritual roots was significantly higher than that of men, a disparity that led to a societal dynamic where women were dominant and men were weaker.

Consequently, many aspects of life had been altered; for instance, women were expected to fight on battlefields, while men were meant to stay home, assist their wives, and raise their children.

Truth be told, to this day, Qin Yan found it difficult to adapt to such profound changes.

As a result, in the eyes of many, he stood apart from other men, for he possessed a strength, tenacity, and an unwillingness to yield typically associated with women in this society.

Fortunately, as the Great Elder’s second disciple, such criticisms rarely reached Qin Yan’s ears.

Qin Yan rose to his feet, his long black hair cascaded over his shoulders, and he was clad in a set of black training attire as he walked towards the exit of his quiet chamber.

No sooner had he stepped outside than he spotted a woman leaning against the chamber door, dressed in a white gown and cradling a longsword.

A foxtail grass dangled from her lips, and her face lit up with surprise and delight as she watched Qin Yan emerge.

“Junior Brother! Have you finished cultivating?”

“Yes, Senior Sister.”

Qin Yan gazed at the woman in white before him, clasping his hands together in a slight bow, offering a respectful greeting.

This woman was the Great Elder’s eldest disciple, Yu Qingxuan.

She was a full ten years Qin Yan’s senior, now twenty-six years of age, and also a prodigious talent whose current cultivation was at the early Golden Core Stage.

She possessed an oval face complemented by captivating peach blossom eyes, giving her the appearance of a gentle and refined individual.

Her delicate figure, clad in the white gown, was curvaceous and well-defined, and a generous expanse of pale skin was revealed at her neckline, a sight so dazzling it could make one struggle to avert their gaze.

At her age, she had long since matured into womanhood.

Moreover, given the differing societal views on gender in this world, women faced far fewer restrictions compared to men; for Qin Yan, however, it was quite the feast for the eyes.

After all, he was a transmigrator.

As Qin Yan observed Yu Qingxuan’s joyful expression, a flicker of bewilderment crossed his mind.

Normally, his Senior Sister commanded an air of unparalleled prestige and maintained a serious demeanor; ‘What great fortune could have befallen her today?’ he wondered.

Before Qin Yan could even voice his question, Yu Qingxuan spoke first.

“Junior Brother Qin, good news, splendid news!”

“I wonder what grand news has brought such joy to Senior Sister?”

Qin Yan appeared utterly perplexed.

“Do you still recall your engagement? That ‘waste’ from the Xiao family, though they were indeed a genius in the past, their cultivation has regressed instead of advancing this past year.

Therefore, our Sect Master has decided to annul your engagement!”

Yu Qingxuan announced with an air of exuberant delight, addressing Qin Yan before her.

“An-annul the engagement?!”

Qin Yan’s face registered profound astonishment.

This engagement had been arranged when he was six years old; his Master had taken him to the Xiao family, and it was formalized under the witness of both the sect and the Xiao family elders.

The entire affair felt eerily familiar, which was why Qin Yan remembered it so clearly, never daring to forget.

‘He had always feared that one day, the Xiao family genius would experience a regression in cultivation, or something similar…’

Then, when he turned fifteen, such a scenario actually came to pass.

Qin Yan truly felt like weeping without tears, knowing that this day was inevitable.

For this engagement had always been a transaction born of mutual benefit; the sect had sacrificed Qin Yan to curry favor with the cultivation family, and the Xiao family genius was no different, as the Xiao family, too, had sought to leverage this connection.

Now that the Xiao family genius had become a ‘waste,’ this engagement would naturally come to naught.

Yu Qingxuan observed Qin Yan’s expression, a mixture of tearful despair, along with shock and a hint of refusal.

The smile on her face gradually faded.

‘Why does Junior Brother wear such an expression? Could he be reluctant to part with that Xiao family ‘waste’? But from beginning to end, the two of them had only met once, on the day of their engagement.

Perhaps Junior Brother is simply too loyal and righteous…’

“Junior Brother, do you find anything inappropriate about this annulment?”

Yu Qingxuan inquired.

“Senior Sister, since the Sect Master has already made a decision regarding this annulment, and I grew up within the Yanqing Sect, without the sect, there would be no me today, how could I possibly find it inappropriate?”

Qin Yan declared with utmost solemnity.

Whether it was an engagement or an annulment, as a disciple of the sect, such matters were truly not for him to decide.

“Junior Brother, I know you value loyalty and righteousness deeply, but between you and that Xiao family ‘waste,’ there is only an engagement.

Firstly, there is no affection; secondly, there is no substantive bond.

Cultivation itself is a journey against the current; you absolutely must not let momentary kindness hinder your progress, lest they become a burden.”

Yu Qingxuan spoke slowly and deliberately, her tone heavy with earnest advice.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister.”

Qin Yan once more clasped his hands and bowed slightly.

“That is excellent then.”

Yu Qingxuan nodded gently; by now, her heart was utterly brimming with joy.

Ten years ago, Master had taken her and Qin Yan to the Xiao family to arrange the engagement for her junior brother, and this junior brother was someone she had watched grow up.

At that time, her heart had bled with sorrow.

Her junior brother had been precocious, displaying extraordinary talent and wisdom from a young age; not just Master, but anyone who met him would likely be utterly charmed.

Now that this engagement was canceled, her junior brother would henceforth be a free man.

As the saying goes, ‘the pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first’; ‘If, from this point forward, the two of them were to forge a beautiful romance and roam the world freely, wouldn’t that be delightful?’

****

Yanqing Sect, First Peak.

Within a grand hall atop the peak.

Qin Yan and Yu Qingxuan stood side-by-side, respectfully facing the elegant middle-aged woman before them.

The beautiful woman was clad in a dark Xuan-colored Daoist robe.

Her lustrous black hair was coiled atop her head, secured by a wooden hairpin.

Her gaze, typically sharp and discerning, swept over them, yet, upon seeing Qin Yan, it softened perceptibly.

She was none other than the Great Elder of the Yanqing Sect, the Master of Qin Yan and Yu Qingxuan, named Qin Nianci.

And Qin Yan’s surname, ‘Qin,’ stemmed from this connection, for he was the abandoned child she had found, and thus, naturally, he took her surname.

“Yan’er, Qingxuan has already informed you about the annulment, hasn’t she?”

Qin Nianci asked, her tone gentle.

“Yes, Master,” Qin Yan performed a deep bow and continued, “Since the sect has made such a decision, Qin Yan dares not disobey.

I shall obey all of Master’s commands.”

“Truly… such an understanding child…”

“A month from now, you shall accompany me down the mountain.”

Listening to Qin Yan’s words, Qin Nianci’s tone grew even softer, for the survival and advancement of the sect, no sacrifice was too great.

As one of the rare male cultivators, possessing exceptional spiritual roots and unparalleled talent, to have him united with that genius who had become a ‘waste,’ no matter how one looked at it, it was truly a losing proposition.

At that moment, Qin Yan lowered his head, already strategizing inwardly.

While he could make no decisions regarding the annulment, he was not entirely without room to maneuver.

A month’s time would be ample for him to make contact with that Xiao family ‘waste’—

Xiao Miao!