Chapter 23: The Dragon Does Not Dwell with the Snake

  Outside the hall is a white marble-paved reception square, on which stands a screen wall, three zhangs and three chi high, two zhangs and four chi wide, extremely grand.

  Against the wall, Ji Xueyan measured Ye Chen for a long time before saying: "I came here to..."

  Ye Chen interrupted her and said: "I know."

  "Do you know?" Ji Xueyan was somewhat surprised, in her impression, the other party was not stupid, but absolutely not clever, only this time seeing again, seemed to have some changes.

  "Surely it can't be because of me?"

  "Of course not," Ji Xueyan shook her head. "Regardless of whether you've guessed it or not, I'll tell you myself - the two of us are impossible."

  "So you're here to discuss dissolving our engagement, after all, if I don't agree, it would be very troublesome for you to resolve the engagement on your own, at least you'll face many elderly people's advice, especially since you can't face my mother, she treats you very well and is like a sister to your mother, and if both of us agree, those elderly people won't have anything to say either."

  Ji Xueyan opened her mouth, only to find that she didn't know what to say. This wasn't how she had imagined it would go. She had thought he would be furious - after all, being jilted by the woman was a humiliating thing, and she had already prepared herself for his anger, planning to make him understand the gap between their abilities, that they were fundamentally mismatched, and that continuing to cling to each other would only lead to further humiliation. But now, these preparations seemed useless, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

  Taking a deep breath, Ji Xueyan found herself underestimating Ye Chen and felt somewhat stifled. Her tone was stiff as she said, "What you said is right, but there's one thing you need to remember: even if you disagree, I will still dissolve our engagement. You must have heard the saying 'a dragon does not cohabitate with a snake.' We are fundamentally people from different worlds. I have a long way to go in my future, and the gap between us will only grow larger."

  "A dragon does not cohabitate with a snake!" Ye Chen muttered to himself, then chuckled and said: "What a great analogy! You consider yourself the true dragon, while I'm just a small snake. However, your analogy is premature - who's the real dragon has yet to be determined. Moreover, even if one is a small snake, there's still a chance to transform into a dragon."

  Xue Yan involuntarily revealed a cold smile, the other side was simply unscrupulous. Judging from the current situation, it's obvious who is the true dragon and who is the small snake. He actually said that being the true dragon is not certain, does he think that one day he can become the true dragon and soar to the sky?

  "Alright, I'm not interested in debating established facts. Just answer me one question: are you willing to dissolve the engagement?"

  "Yedu didn't think twice and said, 'Why not agree, I agree to cancel the engagement.' Yedu was clear about his own potential. As long as he had time, reaching the Condensed Truth Realm, the Embracing Origin Realm, or even the Star Extreme Realm wouldn't be a problem. Why bother getting entangled with a woman?"

  Besides, even if he disagreed, the other party had already invited the inner gate elder of Cuiyu Valley, and not agreeing would be humiliating. Now that he has agreed, he has turned from being passive to taking a bit of initiative, preserving his last bit of dignity. Of course, what the other party gave him today will definitely be returned in the future, he wants to let her know that whether or not someone is a true dragon is not determined by words, but by actual actions.

  Both sides fell silent for a while.

  A moment later, Ji Xueyan's right middle finger lightly brushed against the crystal ring on her left hand, and a faint glow flashed, a mysterious book suddenly appeared in her hand.

  Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, Storage Ring.

  The Storage Ring is a legendary treasure for ordinary people, but for high-level warriors it's an essential item. The ring contains its own space where you can store large quantities of items such as gold, elixirs, herbs, clothes and weapons without feeling any weight at all.

  Unexpectedly, the other party actually had a Storage Spirit Ring. To know that among the core disciples of Liuyun Sect, only two or three people possessed one.

  "This is a top-tier martial arts manual, Iron Bone God Palm. If you can grasp one or two of its secrets, it's enough to defeat a martial artist of the same level. But don't worry, this isn't a martial art from the Jade Valley, but rather something I obtained from a notorious thief I killed. It doesn't pose any threat and can be considered as my compensation to you." Ji Xueyan slightly raised her chin, as if she had just tossed out an ordinary item.

  "What I want, I'll take myself." Ye Chen refused bluntly without another word, laughing at the idea that a mere top-tier human-grade secret manual was worth selling his own dignity. Moreover, accepting it would only make the other person look down on him, thinking he had no backbone.

  "Can't you understand? With your talent, it's only a matter of time before you become an inner disciple."

  Ye Chen said coldly: "Don't worry about canceling the engagement, I keep my promises. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

  After finishing speaking, Ye Chen turned around and walked towards the main hall. He needed to report to Luo Xinglie before he could leave.

  Xue Yan was taken aback, but immediately revealed a mocking expression. In her opinion, the other party was intentionally doing it for her to see. Otherwise, who would let go of a top-tier secret manual at this level? After all, this level of secret manual is not something that can be easily obtained. Unfortunately, the other party's efforts were in vain, as she wouldn't even give him a second glance.

  On the way, Ye Xuan stopped Ye Chen.

  "How dare you be so stubborn, just take the secret recipe and be done with it, why must you sulk." Ye Xuan had a lot of say in the Ye household, previously even Ye Chen didn't dare to argue with her.

  "There are many secret books in Liuyunzong, but it's not necessary."

  Ye Xuan shook her head and said, "You've changed, become unreasonable and quarrelsome. I know you're feeling humiliated in your heart, but to tell the truth, you and Snow Goose sister really don't match. Her future husband should be someone like the Four Great Masters, not someone like you who is a small character. Of course, I'm not belittling you, small characters have their own way of living, and it's good that they are stable and down-to-earth."

  I'd rather not argue, anyway. Yexin didn't want to continue talking with these two arrogant women. Sometimes, the more reasonable you are, the more the other person thinks you're nitpicking; if you're unreasonable, they'll be aggressive and make you seem completely wrong. So the best approach is to ignore them.

  "See you at year-end gathering." With that, Ye Chen strode into the grand hall.

  In the hall.

  Mu Feng glanced at Ye Chen, "You still have some self-awareness, Ji Xueyan is one of the most talented disciples in Feicui Valley, and you are indeed not worthy."

  Ye Chen cursed in his heart, old rascal, are you worthy of meddling in my affairs? All the people from Fei Cui Valley have the same behavior, arrogant and self-important, thinking they're no longer ordinary humans, high above everyone else. Now even Ye Xuan has caught this strange disease.

  One day, I will defeat each and every one of your Jade Valley disciples, making you all realize that everyone is human, and Jade Valley isn't anything special.

  Although he thought so in his heart, Ye Chen wouldn't say it out loud. Arguing with a late-stage Yuan Yuan realm cultivator who was also an elder of the Fei Cui Valley's inner sect would be seeking death.

  "My lord, I'll take my leave first." Ye Chen bowed to Luo Xinglie.

  "Since the problem is solved, let's go down!"

  "Yes!"

  Turning around, Ye Chen didn't even look at Ji Xueyan and left decisively.

  Ye Xuan beside Ji Xueyan pouted, feeling a bit embarrassed. As members of the Ye family, how could there be such a big gap between them?

  "Hope he won't stir up trouble at Hui's place."

  "He wouldn't dare either." Ye Xuan said resolutely.