With a'slap,' Madam Ke gave Xu Peng a slap across the face. "Stop being so full of yourself! How many times have I told you? Ke Tian and I are together because we truly love each other."
"On the contrary, it was you who ignored my confessions when I was young, insisting that you had to be successful in your career before dating me. Now that I've been married for sixteen years, you come running back to say you accept my confession? Where the hell were you all those years ago?"
As soon as Madam Ke's words fell, a wave of gossip and commotion broke out among the crowd in the hall.
"I didn't expect Madam Ke and Xu Peng to have a history when they were young! Then why didn't they end up together? Back then, Madam Ke was known as the number one beauty in Liyue!"
"You have to blame Xu Peng for not cherishing her back then. Instead, he left the Xu Family to travel, saying he was going to train. In the end, he trained for sixteen years, until Madam Ke became another man's wife."
"Sixteen years! That's so long, the food has gone cold! No wonder Madam Ke married Ke Tian and became his wife."
The slap stunned Xu Peng, but he quickly recovered and said self-righteously, "Yue'er, how can you say that? You know! I was just a child of a concubine in the Xu Family and didn't even have a vision. How could someone like me be qualified to accept your confession?"
"But hard work pays off. Sixteen years ago, I obtained a vision in a ruin, but I was also trapped inside for fifteen years. I only managed to find the mechanism to get out with great difficulty."
"Having a vision, strength, and a vast amount of treasure from the ruin, I wanted to find you, only to hear that you were forced into marriage by this fellow Ke Tian sixteen years ago!"
"What use is saying all this now? I am already a married woman and have a daughter. I can say I am happy and fulfilled in this family! You should forget about me! We were simply never meant to be," Madam Ke said with a sigh.
Hearing this, Xu Peng was a bit dejected, but he immediately cheered up and said, "Yue'er, it's okay, it's not too late. As long as I kill this fellow Ke Tian, you and I can be together! It's fine if your daughter comes along too, but she must call me 'Daddy'."
Everyone was shocked by Xu Peng's words. They hadn't expected that for the sake of Madam Ke, Xu Peng was actually willing to take her in regardless of her past.
"This fellow Xu Peng is too shameless! He's dead set on breaking up someone else's family. It was clearly his own choice back then, yet now he's here clamoring about it."
"He wants to kill the girl's father and then have her call him 'Daddy'. It's already good enough if the daughter doesn't kill him, yet he wants her to call him 'Daddy'."
"Pah! We cannot associate with such a person!"
The disdainful curses coming from around him made Xu Peng feel disgraced. He immediately erupted with a powerful aura from within his body, pressing down on the surroundings. The strength of this aura made it difficult for everyone to breathe. Those who were cursing Xu Peng fell silent, fearing he would come for them.
"Hmph! A bunch of trash, you think you have the right to talk about me? Are you worthy? I don't mind telling you that my vision has reached Level 69. I am the strongest person here, so mind your mouths, or I'll make sure you never leave here alive," Xu Peng said sharply.
Xu Peng's words were like a bomb dropped into the crowd, immediately causing them to burst into discussion again.
"Heavens! A Level 69 vision, no wonder he could defeat Master Ke!"
"In just half a year, he upgraded from Level 49 to Level 69. Such cultivation speed is truly terrifying! Xu Peng is truly a genius!"
"Xu Peng is so powerful; I'm afraid the Ke Family won't be able to escape disaster this time!"
Hearing everyone marvel at his strength made Xu Peng very proud. He was now a powerhouse who inspired fear! No one dared to look down on him anymore.
Xu Peng grabbed Madam Ke's slender hand, looked at her beautiful face, and said affectionately, "Do you see, Yue'er? I am no longer that waste of the Xu Family! So, are you willing to give me a chance to let me love you?"
Despite such affectionate words, Madam Ke was not moved in the slightest. She violently shook off Xu Peng's hand and said angrily, "Xu Peng, show some respect. I've said it's impossible between us. If you touch me again, I will kill you."
Xu Peng, whose hand had been shaken off, was not indignant. He smiled and said, "To hit is to show affection, to scold is to show love. It's alright, Yue'er, I know you definitely want to be with me; you're just a little shy. Wait for me here! Once I've killed that fellow Ke Tian, we will get married."
Hearing that Xu Peng still wanted to kill Master Ke, Madam Ke spread her arms to block him. "Xu Peng! If you want to kill Ke Tian, you'll have to kill me first and step over my corpse. Otherwise, don't even think about killing Ke Tian."
"Yue'er, why must you do this? Is that fellow worth it?" Xu Peng said with some disappointment.
"No more words. If you want to kill, kill me first!" Madam Ke said firmly with her eyes closed.
"This..." Xu Peng was a bit torn, not knowing what to do.
"Third Elder, you should know that we are under the orders of the Young Lord to bring the powerful families of Liyue into our grasp! If you can't do it, I can't guarantee what will happen to your mother!" Xu Ritian reminded him from behind.
Xu Peng clenched his fists tightly. Xu Ritian's father—the head of the Xu Family, Xu Yan—had captured Xu Peng's mother and imprisoned her somewhere, threatening to kill her if Xu Peng did not cooperate.
Xu Yan and Xu Peng were half-brothers. However, Xu Yan was born to the legal wife, while Xu Peng's mother was a lowly maid of the Xu Family. Years ago, Xu Peng's father had violated his mother while drunk, leading to Xu Peng's birth. Because he was born of a concubine or servant, Xu Peng had always been looked down upon in the Xu Family.
After Xu Yan became the family head, Xu Peng went out to train. Upon his return, Xu Yan discovered that Xu Peng possessed a vision and was powerful. Xu Yan demanded that Xu Peng stay in the family as the Third Elder; otherwise, he would kill his mother. Xu Peng had no choice but to agree.
Thinking that if he didn't follow Xu Yan's demands, his mother would be killed... His mother had worked hard to raise him, and he couldn't let her be harmed! He could only apologize to Yue'er for now.
"I'm sorry, Yue'er!"
"What? You..."
Xu Peng lightly raised his palm, and cold energy rapidly condensed within it. He extended two fingers and pressed them against Madam Ke's forehead. In the blink of an eye, Madam Ke turned into an ice sculpture.
"Madam!"
"Mother!"
Master Ke and Keqing immediately ran to the ice sculpture and cried out to Madam Ke inside. Unfortunately, although the frozen Madam Ke could move her eyes, her body was completely immobile.
"Xu Peng, what have you done to my wife? If you have the ability, come at me! What kind of hero attacks a woman?" Master Ke said furiously.
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