To make the act more convincing, Ren Yingying tightly held onto Song Qingshu’s arm, her body pressed closely against his. “He and I are deeply in love and have long pledged ourselves to each other. I will never marry anyone else in this life.”

Hearing her declaration, Xia Qingqing’s expression turned even more peculiar. She deliberately asked with a stern face, “Do you really like him?”

“Of course!” Ren Yingying puffed out her chest. 

Song Qingshu felt an intoxicating softness against his elbow, making his heart stir involuntarily.

“Very well, forced unions aren’t sweet.” Xia Qingqing sighed softly before suddenly looking up and fixing her gaze on Song Qingshu. “But what puzzles me is, why does Brother Linghu always wear a mask?”

Ren Yingying’s heart skipped a beat, but she feigned calmness and explained, “Brother Chong heard that I was forced to be betrothed to you. To rescue me, he had no choice but to practice a sinister martial art to increase his strength. Unfortunately, he suffered from Qi deviation during the process, causing the complexion of his face to change. He wears a mask to avoid unwanted stares and gossip. But no matter what he looks like, I will always love him.”

Ren Yingying had always been meticulous. She had anticipated that someone might question Song Qingshu’s identity, so she had already discussed this excuse with him.

‘What kind of martial art could have such a side effect, changing the complexion of one’s face? If it’s not poison-based, then it must be some kind of Qi-cultivation technique gone awry, causing the blood flow to reverse,’ Zhang Sanfeng pondered. ‘I once heard Wuji mention that when practicing the Heaven and Earth Great Shift, the face can turn green or purple. Could it be that he’s practicing the Heaven and Earth Great Shift?’ He found this curious but kept his thoughts to himself.

“Is that so?” Xia Qingqing eyed the two of them suspiciously. “Since the Grandmaster is presiding today, and I have no intention of coveting what others love, I can agree to cancel the engagement. But you must promise me one thing.”

“What is it?” Ren Yingying was overjoyed to hear Xia Qingqing relent. If she could cancel the engagement with Song Qingshu, she would agree to a thousand conditions, let alone just one.

“If you annul the engagement at my door, word will spread across the martial world, and everyone will think I, Song Qingshu, was publicly rejected by you. My reputation will be ruined.” Xia Qingqing kept a straight face. “But if I appear magnanimous and graciously fulfill your love, the damage to my reputation will be minimal.”

“Of course. Whatever you need me to do, just say the word.” Ren Yingying, thrilled at the prospect of canceling the engagement, even found Song Qingshu more agreeable to look at. Calming down, she began to reflect on the matter more rationally. It did seem like she had been too harsh. Making a small concession to make up for it didn’t seem unreasonable.

Xia Qingqing nodded and pointed at Song Qingshu. “The Golden Serpent Camp has been bustling with wedding preparations for us for some time now. If we abruptly cancel the wedding, it will deal a massive blow to the morale of the soldiers. I have a suggestion: since you and he are deeply in love and have already pledged yourselves to each other, why not get married here instead? Let the Golden Serpent Camp have a grand celebration to boost morale. This way, the martial world won’t ridicule me but will praise me for my magnanimity.”

Song Qingshu was left speechless, secretly giving Xia Qingqing a thumbs up. All the women in his life were forces to be reckoned with. He had almost forgotten that Xia Qingqing herself had once been a clever and mischievous girl.

“What?” Ren Yingying was dumbfounded, stammering incoherently. “This… this isn’t appropriate!”

“Why not?” Xia Qingqing asked flatly.

“Marriage is a significant event. Both sets of parents should be present,” Ren Yingying finally found a reasonable excuse. “My father is currently at Blackwood Cliff. While he is an orphan, he was raised by his master and mistress. It’s only proper to invite the master of Mount Hua Sect, Yue Buqun, and his wife to the wedding. How can we marry so hastily?”

Xia Qingqing responded calmly, “Miss Ren, don’t forget that this marriage proposal was initiated by Chief Ren himself. He may not agree to you annulling it. With the Grandmaster here to officiate, his prestige in the martial world ensures that even if your father finds out, he won’t have much to say. As for the master of Mount Hua Sect, if I’m not mistaken, Mount Hua Sect expelled Linghu Chong long ago. Why would they attend your wedding?”

“This…” Ren Yingying was at a loss for words. Her mind raced as she processed Xia Qingqing’s reasoning. Her father had always wanted to ally with the Golden Serpent Camp against the Ming Cult and would certainly oppose annulling the marriage. Even if she brought Brother Chong back to Blackwood Cliff, her father might kill him in anger. With Zhang Sanfeng present, this was indeed a rare opportunity.

Xia Qingqing coughed lightly, seizing the moment. “Miss Ren, you keep coming up with excuses. Could it be that this man isn’t Linghu Chong at all but some imposter you found to fool me?”

“Of course not!” Ren Yingying hurriedly denied it. If they discovered that Brother Chong was an impostor, the marriage annulment plan would fall apart. “It’s just that marriage is a serious matter. We need time to think it over. Could we talk privately?”

“Very well.” Xia Qingqing nodded expressionlessly but slyly winked at Song Qingshu when no one was looking.

Before Song Qingshu could even smile bitterly, Ren Yingying dragged him to the corridor outside.

Before Ren Yingying could speak, Song Qingshu interjected, “Miss Ren, I absolutely cannot agree to this. I have someone I love. If she learns that I married another woman, how could I face her?”

Song Qingshu chuckled inwardly. With Xia Qingqing’s superb acting, how could he, as her husband, perform any less?

Ren Yingying was stunned. She had worried he might take advantage of the situation to marry her, yet he was even more unwilling than she was.

“Is the person you love that quiet young lady?” Seeing Song Qingshu nod, Ren Yingying quickly said, “Senior Xu, I’m not asking you to truly marry me, but to pretend to marry me as Brother Chong. Only you and I will know about this. Your beloved will never learn of today’s events.”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “There’s no such thing as a secret that doesn’t leak. I don’t want to do anything to betray her.”

Ren Yingying bit her lip, lifted her skirt, and knelt before Song Qingshu. “Senior Xu, you already know the entire situation. I will never marry that scoundrel Song Qingshu. If I miss this opportunity, it will be nearly impossible to cancel the marriage. If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to end my life.”

Song Qingshu cursed inwardly. Was he so terrifying that she’d rather die than marry him? But recalling what he had done to her before, he admitted any other girl would feel the same.

“Fine,” he said, feigning reluctance and gritting his teeth. “I’ll help you this one last time. But you must promise never to tell anyone about this.” 

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay