Morning light filtered through the bamboo grove, casting long streaks of gold across the Lin Clan courtyard. The echoes of laughter, faint clashing sounds, and the rhythm of insults drifted through the calm air.
It was supposed to be a peaceful morning, one of celebration and quiet preparation before the grand wedding ceremony. But, of course, peace rarely survived long among young cultivators.
"You dare say she looked at you? Courting death, are you?"
"Hah! Fancy you, pretending you caught her gaze! The moment her eyes turned, your knees trembled like a mortal before tribulation!"
Two young men in azure robes faced each other in the courtyard, their hair tied in tight warrior knots, spiritual energy flickering faintly around them. They were both of the younger generation of the Lin Clan—talented enough to temper their bodies, but not wise enough to temper their tongues.
By now, a small crowd had gathered—servants, distant cousins, and even a few elders pretending not to watch.
"You two idiots again?" someone whispered. "Arguing about a woman before sunrise?"
"Not just any woman," another voice chuckled. "A jade beauty from the Jade Harmony Sect! Didn't you see her yesterday when they arrived? Even the air around her shimmered."
The two hot-headed cousins were almost shaking with righteous indignation, faces red from more pride than Qi circulation.
"When we attend the wedding tomorrow," one of them declared, slamming his palm into his chest, "I'll be the one to propose to her after the ceremony!"
"Dream on! She smiled at me, not you!"
Their hands twitched as if ready to strike, spirit energy flaring faintly, barely enough to ruffle the dust on the ground.
That was when a calm laugh interrupted them.
"Ah, to be young and stupid again."
The laughter came from the veranda nearby, where Li Ming sat leisurely, sipping a cup of morning tea. His posture was relaxed, his expression unreadable—neither mocking nor kind, just amused.
He had slept well the previous night, a faint smile still lingering from yesterday's events. The marriage agreement had been publicly announced, and the entire clan was buzzing with excitement. Soon, he would marry Su Yueru of the Jade Harmony Sect—the sect's most adorned and admired disciple.
To him, these two arguing juniors were like a pair of chickens fighting for a worm at the edge of a dragon's nest.
"You two," Li Ming called out lightly, "if you have so much energy, why not use it to cultivate instead of courting early death over a woman far beyond your reach?"
The two froze, glancing at each other before turning to glare at him.
"Li Ming," one sneered, "shouldn't a cripple keep quiet while men speak?"
"That's right," the other added, smirking. "You don't even have spiritual roots. At least we can circulate Qi. You can't even sense it."
"You're talking about cultivation?" Li Ming tilted his head, half-smiling. "You two have been tempering your bodies for five years and can't even punch through a stone slab. If your fists are that weak, how do you expect to win a beauty's heart?"
Laughter rippled through the watching servants. The two youths turned crimson.
"You—!"
One of them pointed a trembling finger at him.
"You think you're better because you're marrying into the Jade Harmony Sect? Don't forget, it's only because of family arrangement! Without them, you'd still be sweeping the meditation hall!"
Li Ming simply chuckled, setting down his cup.
"You're right," he said calmly. "Without this marriage, I'd still be sweeping."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting.
"But after this marriage, I won't need to sweep again."
The confidence in his tone silenced the murmurs. It wasn't arrogance—it was the kind of quiet certainty that made even fools hesitate.
The two men hesitated, unsure whether to continue. Their pride screamed for them to strike back, but something about Li Ming's gaze made their hearts waver.
Still, pride was a stubborn trait.
"Hmph! You speak as if you'll suddenly ascend to immortality after getting married!" one of them spat. "You can't even sense Qi—what makes you think you'll surpass us?"
Li Ming smiled, his tone almost casual.
"You're right again. I can't sense Qi now."
He stood, his robe sleeves fluttering in the morning breeze.
"But let's make a little wager."
"A wager?"
"Yes." Li Ming's smile deepened. "After one hundred years, we'll see who among us stands higher in cultivation. You two may laugh at me today, but when that time comes, I hope your tongues haven't aged faster than your strength."
For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then the courtyard erupted in laughter.
"Hahahaha! One hundred years? Li Ming, are you drunk on tea?"
"A mortal without roots dares to talk about one hundred years? You'll be dust before we reach the Golden Core realm!"
"Someone fetch him a walking stick!"
Even a few servants snickered.
But Li Ming didn't flinch. He simply smiled, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve.
"We'll see," he said softly.
Then, with a faint chuckle, he turned and walked away, leaving their laughter echoing behind him.
The two cousins sneered, but as his back disappeared down the bamboo path, a strange chill passed between them—a fleeting feeling they couldn't name.
The onlookers murmured.
"He really didn't get angry."
"Either he's truly confident… or he's gone mad."
"A hundred years, though. Even with a long life elixir, that's a big claim."
As the crowd dispersed, Li Ming's figure vanished behind the eastern pavilion. The morning breeze carried his faint whisper—too soft for them to hear.
"A hundred years? I only need ten."
....
The wedding drums began to echo in the distance. The clan was already preparing for the grand procession to the Jade Harmony Sect, where the ceremony would be held. Elders were rehearsing speeches, attendants arranging gifts, and servants polishing jade carriages.
Li Ming, meanwhile, walked alone through the quiet garden path. Birds chirped from the willow branches. A thin mist curled above the pond.
His smile had faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
"Mocked by mortals…" he murmured, looking at his reflection in the water. "It's almost funny."
He clenched his fist lightly, feeling the familiar emptiness inside—the still void where spiritual roots should have been.
For most cultivators, that emptiness was the end. For him, it was only the beginning.
"Su Yueru," he whispered, his voice soft yet steady. "If the heavens deny me a path, then I'll walk the Dao that begins with you."
As he stood there, a faint shimmer stirred in the air—so faint that even he didn't notice it. A pulse, gentle and unseen, rippled through the pond's surface, forming a pattern of lotus petals before vanishing.
A sign of fate in motion.
That evening, the two quarrelling cousins were still boasting to each other, loudly proclaiming that Li Ming's words were the ramblings of a deluded cripple. They drank cheap wine, laughing as the sun set.
But far away, in his chambers, Li Ming sat cross-legged, the faint scent of incense drifting around him.
He wasn't cultivating—he couldn't.
Yet, in his stillness, there was a quiet power, something different from Qi.
"Open Heavenly Marriage Contract System!"