Two people competing

Jiang Yao’s lips twitched involuntarily as she observed Yan Yun’s smug demeanor, before she swiftly gave chase.

“Hey, little brat!” Jiang Yao called out, her voice taking on a teasing edge. “Honestly, the first time I saw you, I thought you were a little girl. How on earth did you manage to grow up looking like this?” She had seamlessly transitioned from a greeting to a direct jab at Yan Yun’s appearance.

She couldn’t quite pinpoint why, but she simply refused to be outdone by Yan Yun in this battle of wits.

“What, are you perhaps jealous that I, a man, happen to be prettier than you?” Yan Yun’s retort was so unexpected, it nearly choked Jiang Yao.

Those words thoroughly rekindled a competitive fire within Jiang Yao that had lain dormant for years.

“Little brat, has your tongue been dipped in poison?” Jiang Yao retorted, a hint of disgust in her voice. “From the moment we first spoke, you’ve been brimming with hostility. If you marry me with such an attitude, life won’t be easy for you, I can assure you of that.”

Yan Yun’s attitude and tone had thoroughly irked her, sparking an urge to engage in a full-blown verbal battle.

“Is that so?” Yan Yun responded, her tone still unhurried and composed. “Was I not merely stating a fact?”

Yet, the more composed Yan Yun remained, the more Jiang Yao’s irritation simmered.

“The truth is,” Jiang Yao declared, her voice dripping with challenge, “in a few days, I, your elder sister, will arrive at your home as your husband, escort you into the bridal sedan, and then we’ll proceed to my family’s ancestral hall for our wedding ceremony. After that, I will personally ensure you learn some proper manners.”

Even Yan Yun found herself struggling to maintain her composure. She had merely displayed a poor attitude, yet Jiang Yao, that woman, was cutting her to the quick with every single word.

Unfortunately, conceding defeat was simply not in her nature.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes,” Yan Yun shot back, a truly vile remark escaping her lips. “If you’re so bold, then just stay at home and watch! Otherwise, the moment you return to the Yunhua Sect, I’ll immediately take concubines. What will you do then? I’ll even have children with them. By the time you next return, you’ll suddenly find yourself with a whole brood of children. You’ll surely be overjoyed!”

“You?” Jiang Yao scoffed. “Little brat, you might not be old, but your mouth is surprisingly sharp. Who taught you such a venomous tongue? I advise you to start saying more flattering things. If you manage to truly infuriate me, I’m afraid your backside might just ‘blossom’.”

Jiang Yao’s face darkened considerably, her expression clearly conveying, ‘Provoke me one more time, and I won’t hesitate to administer some family discipline.’

“Suit yourself,” Yan Yun countered, her argument perfectly poised. “I won’t be the one losing out. Once you’re finished hitting me, I’ll simply go around broadcasting it everywhere. Everyone will just assume we have a wonderful relationship, believe it or not?”

Thus, the two were locked in a fierce battle of wits, exchanging jabs, neither willing to yield an inch.

This initial pre-marital encounter had, regrettably, ended on an acrimonious note, with Jiang Yao failing to gain the upper hand in even a single exchange.

Indeed, on the journey back to the Jiang family estate, Jiang Yao wore a thoroughly darkened expression, her lips twitching uncontrollably, and a ceaseless stream of grumbles escaping her mouth. Her clenched fists trembled, producing faint rustling sounds.

Observing Jiang Yao’s agitated state, Jiang Yuan and the others couldn’t help but inquire.

“Eh? Jiang Yao, what’s amiss?” Jiang Yuan asked, a note of concern in his voice. “Did you and that boy Yan Yun have a disagreement?”

Upon hearing her father’s inquiry, Jiang Yao instantly detonated like a powder keg.

“Father, let me make one thing absolutely clear!” Jiang Yao declared, bristling like an enraged cat. “Once that arrogant little brat Yan Yun arrives at our Jiang family, everything will be decided by me! Did you actually agree to let her take concubines? Did you even bother to ask for my permission? I’m telling you now: do not agree to anything for her without my explicit consent!”

The disciples from the Yunhua Sect, witnessing Jiang Yao’s furious outburst, were utterly dumbfounded.

“What in the world?” one disciple murmured. “What’s gotten into Junior Sister Jiang? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her lose her temper like this. How unusual!”

“Exactly,” another agreed. “At the sect, she always maintains such a cold, ‘do not approach’ demeanor. Yet, the moment she steps foot back home, she transforms completely. What on earth transpired between her and that Yan Yun earlier?”

Jiang Yuan, observing his daughter’s furious, almost frantic state, found himself utterly bewildered (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘zhang er heshang mo bu zhao toutou nao,’ referring to being completely baffled or at a loss, like a monk two zhang tall unable to touch his own head).

He couldn’t fathom why his daughter had suddenly become so concerned with Yan Yun. After all, their marriage was merely a formality; once the ceremony concluded, Jiang Yao would return to the Yunhua Sect, and they would likely rarely see each other again. Was there truly any need for such intense concern?

Jiang Yao had previously claimed indifference, yet after meeting Yan Yun today and engaging in a few verbal skirmishes, her demeanor had shifted to something quite unusual.

And it wasn’t just Jiang Yao; Yan Yun, too, wore an indignant expression upon returning to her own dwelling.

“Damn it, what’s there to be so haughty about?” Yan Yun fumed. “Just a mere yellow-haired girl, do you genuinely believe I take you seriously? Your family is the one who sought my help; it’s not as if I’m shamelessly trying to become your live-in son-in-law! Can’t you get the situation straight?”

Yan Lingyun, observing Yan Yun’s disgruntled muttering, couldn’t help but chuckle. “How rare! I’ve truly never seen you this angry before. Hey, kid, why such intense hostility towards a girl you’ve just met? I think this Jiang Yao is quite beautiful; it wouldn’t be a bad deal to have her as your wife.”

Her words instantly brought a sudden calm to the previously agitated Yan Yun.

‘Eh? Is that right? What’s gotten into me? Where did this inexplicable irritation and anger suddenly spring from?’ Yan Yun pondered in her mind, before slowly settling back down.

Closing her eyes, she began to calmly recall her initial impressions of Jiang Yao.

Yet, the more she delved into her memories, the more a sense of unease settled upon her, particularly concerning the two words Jiang Yao had used to describe a married couple.

These two words were far from unfamiliar to Yan Yun; they were precisely the terms used to describe a married couple in the world of her past life.

She was certain that such a specific term should not exist in this current world.

Having immersed herself in countless books, and now coupled with this peculiar sense of familiarity, she felt as though she were conversing with an acquaintance from her past life.

‘Something isn’t right, very wrong indeed. This woman is problematic,’ Yan Yun murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, back at the Jiang family estate, Jiang Yao had returned to her room, her face still flushed with indignation, and promptly locked herself inside.

“That hateful wretch! They’re absolutely infuriating me to death, ugh…” Jiang Yao cried, flinging herself onto her bed and mercilessly pummeling a pillow.

As her outburst of anger finally subsided, she gradually settled into a quiet calm.

With her emotions now stable, her mind began to clear and function properly once more.

“That’s not right,” Jiang Yao mused, flipping over to lie on her back, her eyes closed in deep thought. “What’s wrong with me today? How can a mere little brat provoke such fury from me with just a few words?”

As she continued to ponder, her eyes suddenly snapped open, and she abruptly sat upright.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed. “I knew this familiar sense of annoyance and that unyielding tongue felt strangely familiar, so familiar that I nearly forgot we were meeting for the first time.”

“But, is that even possible? Wouldn’t that be too much of a coincidence?” Jiang Yao murmured to herself.

Tonight, neither she nor Yan Yun would likely find any sleep.

As night descended, Yan Yun tossed and turned in her room, the day’s interactions with Jiang Yao replaying rapidly in her mind. As the scenes unfolded, they inexplicably stirred memories of her past life.

“The more I look, the more similar it seems, but isn’t this far too coincidental?” Yan Yun thought, her large eyes wide with contemplation.

Just then, a dark shadow, cloaked by the night, infiltrated the Yan family estate.

Yan Lingyun immediately sensed its presence and promptly warned Yan Yun.

“Kid, be careful. Someone is stealthily approaching, and their cultivation is not low; they possess at least the Divine Mark Realm cultivation.”

This sudden turn of events caused Yan Yun’s expression to change drastically.

‘Are they coming for me?’

“Judging by the aura fluctuations, it shouldn’t be anyone from the Yan family; it’s an unfamiliar presence,” Yan Lingyun continued.

Yan Yun’s expression stiffened, and she quickly dove under her bed. Yan Lingyun, without hesitation, used her power to conceal Yan Yun’s aura.

The dark shadow soon appeared at the window.

Yan Yun immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, daring not to make a sound.

Swiftly, a force effortlessly opened Yan Yun’s locked door, and the figure silently stepped inside.

“Not here? Where would this kid go in the middle of the night?” the black-clad figure whispered to themselves.

After a quick scan of the room, the figure swiftly departed, making their way out of the Yan family estate at top speed.

Remarkably, not a single Yan family cultivator had detected their presence.

However, just as the person reached the street, a terrifying aura suddenly descended from the heavens, pressing down heavily upon them and forcing them to their knees.

“What’s happening? Such… such powerful force!” The black-clad figure was instantly filled with terror.

At the same moment, an ethereal female voice echoed in their ears.

“Since when has your Lin family become so despicable, attempting to assassinate a child in the dead of night? Consider this a warning: behave yourselves during this period, or don’t blame this Venerable One for being impolite. Now, get out.”

With that, a surge of Five Elements energy seized the figure, flung them into the air, and then slammed them with a palm strike towards the direction of the Zhou family, finally crashing them heavily into a house within the Zhou estate.

Having completed all this, a woman in flowing white robes, her face veiled and her presence ethereal, appeared on a rooftop not far from the Yan family estate.

Her beautiful eyes gazed towards the pavilion where Yan Yun resided, lost in thought.