Husband, They Mock Me

In passing. And use whatever convenient tactics were at hand while they were at it. Perhaps that was how the people orchestrating this thought. As for whether it succeeded, perhaps they hardly even cared. If they succeeded, they gained a person; if they failed, they still derailed a stretch of his path. After that, they would re-enter his view and repeat the cycle, over and over. It was rather excessive, but for the Li family, Jiang Man's current situation was more or less like this. Jiang Man felt the Li family was being rather overconfident. "To what level do I need to advance before I can break free from these things?" Jiang Man asked curiously. All these troubles stemmed from him not being strong enough and not having enough renown. He had to enter the sect, and he had to do so in dazzling fashion. Only then could he avoid enough trouble. So he would not hide his strength and just barely scrape by to enter the sect. He needed resources, needed to touch treasures, so he had to be the center of attention. Only then would he obtain better opportunities. Only in this way could he cope with the peerless prodigy fate. Right now, the peerless prodigy fate was still chasing after him, gazing at his back. Yet what he wanted was not just to stay one step ahead of the fate. He wanted the peerless prodigy fate to watch him recede into the distance until he was completely out of sight. To make it experience what a true peerless prodigy was. "Do you have spirit sources?" Zhao Leming asked suddenly. Instantly, Jiang Man snapped out of his thoughts and said rather awkwardly, "Not for the moment." He would have some in the future; his talent was right there. Cultivating lately had consumed quite a few spirit stones. What he earned, what little fatty gave him, what Chang Qiwen lent him, plus what the peerless prodigy fate provided—none of it was quite enough. Moving forward, he still needed to light lamps to earn enough spirit sources to sustain his subsequent food and cultivation resources. Zhao Leming said calmly, "Once you have enough spirit sources, you can shake them off. Have you ever seen them harass the prodigies of other prominent families?" Jiang Man fell silent. For a moment, he did not know how to refute that. Could high cultivation not do the trick? "In the Qi Refining realm, with spirit sources, your cultivation becomes high. If your cultivation isn't high, then it just means you don't have enough spirit sources," Zhao Leming continued. Jiang Man fell silent once more. Right after, he asked about the Luo family. "The Luo family?" Zhao Leming pondered for a moment. "Something likely went wrong with the Luo family. Their new generation suffers from a talent drought. Although some others secured spots, precious few will actually make it into the sect. "Not only that, there are practically no Luo family members in the Three Towers. "If they don't recruit a son-in-law, they will face a huge crisis. "So as second in the Six Pavilions, you are practically their most ideal choice. "Of course, they aren't recruiting just one. As long as someone isn't from those rival families, they'll likely extend an olive branch. "However, you are the most exceptional. Even if you reject them, they will certainly come looking to persuade you. "With the Luo family's backing, you wouldn't really have to worry about anything anymore. "In a single stroke, you'd have everything. "You would save yourself decades of detours." *Except I wouldn't be Jiang Man anymore; I'd be Luo Man,* Jiang Man thought to himself. Regarding this, Jiang Man said nothing more. Marrying into the family was out of the question. The restrictions were far too severe. After chatting about a few more things, Jiang Man headed back. Zhao Leming looked at his receding figure and exhaled. He still had faith in the choice of the figure backing Jiang Man. The previous times, it had been his own narrow vision. This time, he felt there was no need to judge based on his own perspective; he would simply follow the choice of the person behind Jiang Man. It certainly wouldn't be wrong. "I wonder what his ranking will be in the third competition. If he's lucky enough to take first place in the Six Pavilions, then during the sect assessment, he will also draw some notice. "That way, these families won't dare go too far." *** Bathed in the moonlight, Jiang Man returned to the stable courtyard. The old yellow ox was still chewing grass. "Old Yellow, don't you eat meat?" Jiang Man asked curiously. The old yellow ox slightly raised its brow. "Why did you separate from your wife? Is it because you like living alone?" Jiang Man didn't take offense, instead bringing up the matter of the spell. He needed to explain it once and wait for the other to absorb it. As long as it understood the logical progression of the spell, if he encountered any formidable spells in the future, he could consult Old Yellow directly. Afterward, Jiang Man spoke about today's events, the six letters, and their contents. "Don't you want to touch your wife? If you marry into the family, you can touch her," the old yellow ox said. Jiang Man started. "Old Yellow, be as decadent as you want, but don't go having self-destructive ideas." Right now, he was still bound to that immortal maiden of unknown origins. Something like this was bound to carry severe drawbacks. He still had to divorce first. Besides, touching someone from the Luo family was entirely different from touching an immortal maiden. Still, Jiang Man was somewhat curious: if he pretended to agree to the Luo family's terms and leeched off them, how could he bypass the constraints of the contract? He asked aloud. The old yellow ox said calmly, "Very simple. Contracts nowadays were established under the Great Governance of the Immortal Gate, handed down directly by the Immortal Gate itself as binding constraints. As long as you are stronger than the Immortal Gate, you can simply rewrite the rules." Jiang Man was silent for a moment, then asked, "And what if I breach it midway?" The old yellow ox looked at Jiang Man calmly, saying nothing. Jiang Man understood roughly: once the contract was signed, it was virtually impossible to defy; one truly could only remain a Luo family member for life. Still, if he married into another family and that immortal maiden found out, who knew what would happen. Just as Jiang Man was about to ask more, he suddenly saw a faint light appear on the old ox's body. Jiang Man: "..." The old yellow ox also froze. The two stared at each other. "What are you looking at? It's for you," the old yellow ox said calmly. "Is there any chance it's for you?" Jiang Man countered. They had just been discussing the topic of marrying into a family, and a letter had arrived right on cue. A strange, shared sense of guilt welled up. Not because he cared so deeply about her feelings, but because she was simply too powerful. Her identity was extraordinarily prominent as well. Back then, he must have been tired of living to have provoked someone like her. Jiang Man had asked the old yellow ox before, and it had said that under normal circumstances, such a thing would never happen. Yet the unexpected had indeed happened. He could only face it. With a sigh, Jiang Man reached out and retrieved the ball of light. Immediately, the ball of light enveloped him. The crisp, melodious voice of the immortal maiden rang out once more, though this time it held a hint of grievance: "Husband, today they mocked me, saying that although I am married, I don't even know my husband's name and surname, living like a widow. "I wonder when I will finally be able to stay by my husband's side forever. "Furthermore, has my husband asked that evil god when the Magpie Bridge will open? "Time is running short." As the words faded, a shiver ran down Jiang Man's spine. Such a soft, gentle voice. He remembered that when she tricked him into taking the key back then, she had sounded just like this. Back then, he was still a fool, so he had believed her. If he believed her this time, he truly would be an idiot. "What did she say?" the old yellow ox asked curiously. Jiang Man told it truthfully. The old yellow ox was silent for a moment before saying, "In the future, you don't need to tell me whenever your wife flirts with you." Jiang Man put on a solemn face. "How could that be right? I need Senior to help discern truth from falsehood." The old yellow ox glanced at Jiang Man, remaining silent. It merely went back to chewing the grass in its mouth. Jiang Man continued, "Senior, when will the Magpie Bridge open?" Speaking of which, more than half a year had already passed, yet he had never inquired about the Magpie Bridge. Now that the immortal maiden had brought it up out of nowhere, he felt an ominous premonition. The old yellow ox swallowed the grass in its mouth and said, "Back then, when the lake water in the back mountain appeared, that was the day the Magpie Bridge opened. "Calculate it yourself: how long has it been since then? "Also, the Magpie Bridge essentially opens once a year, unless an unexpected accident occurs." Jiang Man froze, recalling the past. The wedding ceremony had taken place around mid-August. So this time, would the Magpie Bridge also open in mid-August? "No," the old yellow ox shook its head and said softly. "It will be earlier." Jiang Man: "..." He remained silent for a long while, then looked at the old yellow ox and asked in a low voice, "Old Yellow, if I take the initiative to ask for a divorce, do you think she'll let me off?" The old yellow ox looked at him in silence. Jiang Man continued, "Every debt has its debtor. Old Yellow, you..." The old yellow ox cut Jiang Man off, saying calmly, "If danger arrives, I could certainly use what strength I have left to flee. Regrettably, I can't take anyone with me." Jiang Man: "..."