Chapter 68: The Marriage Proposal

In the martial hall’s courtyard, the people from Chaoyang Martial Hall and Haoran Martial Hall stood facing each other. It looked a bit like two gangs showing off their strength.

But it was just a resemblance. After all, the two sides didn’t have any big conflicts. They were just waiting here.

A Fei and Zuo Zhicheng stood at the front. He patted Zuo Zhicheng’s shoulder and said, “A Zuo, they have been inside for almost the time it takes to burn one incense stick. What do you think they are talking about?”

“I don’t know,” Zuo Zhicheng shook his head. After Xiao Jingyang and Xiao Changhe arrived at the martial hall, they went inside to talk with Jiang Tianzheng and his daughter Jiang Qing. No one knew what they were discussing.

But Zuo Zhicheng thought about the recent development of the Hundred Families Association, the establishment of the Martial Arts Association, and the connections between Chaoyang Martial Hall and Hante’s faction in the Hundred Families Association. He had some guesses.

…

Inside the room, Xiao Jingyang and Jiang Tianzheng sat at the head and talked. Xiao Changhe, who stood to the side, looked at Jiang Qing with eagerness. Even though her face was becoming more and more ugly.

“…Old Jiang, look, Changhe and Xiao Qing are about the same age. They grew up together since they were young. They are a perfect match made in heaven,” Xiao Jingyang pointed at Jiang Qing and Xiao Changhe and said. “Look, a talented man and a beautiful woman. How well-suited are they? And you know, the city is unstable now. Our Martial Arts Association was just established, and its unity is still not strong enough. We must truly come together.”

As he spoke, he sighed. “You saw the Blood Rakshasa last month. We are old now. It’s time to make plans for the young people. I always wanted Changhe to marry a gentle, quiet girl from a good family. Xiao Qing is a girl I watched growing up. She is twenty years old this year, right? It’s the age to get married.”

Xiao Jingyang said this with a big laugh. It seemed he didn’t see Jiang Qing’s face had become extremely ugly.

In the soon-to-be-established Martial Arts Association, the position of chairman had been left undecided. After all, among a group of martial artists, it was very hard to find someone who could make everyone truly accept their authority.

But Xiao Jingyang and Jiang Tianzheng were the two with the highest reputation among all the martial hall masters. Among them, Xiao Jingyang had deep martial arts skills and seniority. Chaoyang Martial Hall was the earliest and largest martial hall in Xinlu. He was also the richest. So naturally, everyone had to give him some face when he spoke.

Jiang Tianzheng, however, relied entirely on his personal prestige. After all, among all the masters, he was probably the best fighter. This was proven again in the battle at Chaoyang Martial Hall a few months ago. He was the only one who could threaten the Blood Rakshasa and fight back and forth with her. If he hadn’t been tricked by her poisoned Jian at the end, he might have lasted much longer.

Among a group of martial artists, one’s own martial arts level was a very important factor in determining status.

It was easy to foresee that if the two of them joined forces and became family, it would be an alliance between the best fighter and the richest man. The entire Martial Arts Association, as a huge force, would be in their hands.

Of course, the most important thing was that Xiao Changhe himself liked Jiang Qing very much.

Hearing Xiao Jingyang’s words, Jiang Tianzheng responded with a smile. “Master Xiao, you are right. Xinlu City has been quite unstable recently. So I wanted to establish this Martial Arts Association. I hoped more people would practice martial arts. Besides strengthening their bodies, they could also not fear bullies. When facing danger, they would have another choice to fight back. If the Martial Arts Association can unite, that would be a good thing.”

Saying this, he saw Xiao Jingyang nodding with a smile, looking like the Maitreya Buddha in a temple. Jiang Tianzheng suddenly changed the subject and looked at Jiang Qing beside him. “But this daughter of mine, she practiced martial arts with me since she was little. She had a father but no mother. She suffered a lot and has a wild personality. So even at twenty, she can’t find a good husband. I often worry about it.”

Xiao Jingyang waved his hand. “Hey~ that’s not how you should put it. Look how pretty Xiao Qing is now. And we martial artists, we are all people of the martial world. We need to be straightforward and have a bold and straightforward personality. Look, Changhe also practiced martial arts since he was young. They must have common topics.”

Jiang Tianzheng sighed. “To tell you the truth, Master Xiao, this daughter of mine, I taught her poorly. Since she was little, she only knew martial arts and being mischievous. She doesn’t know any needlework or housework. She can’t even cook a bowl of noodles…”

“Old Jiang, that’s your fault. A lovely girl like Xiao Qing is meant to be cherished,” Xiao Jingyang said with a laugh. “Not to mention anything else, when she marries Changhe, I will treat her like a treasure. I will hire more than ten maids to serve her. I will never let her do any rough work.”

He suddenly put on a serious face. “Old Jiang, you don’t think I am stingy, do you? Let me tell you, the foundation of Chaoyang Martial Hall, I can’t take it to the grave. In the end, it will be handed over to Changhe and Xiao Qing to manage. What are a few maids? Once they marry, I will immediately buy them a house in the northern part of the city.”

What followed was a conversation like a game of push-hands in Tai Chi. Jiang Tianzheng seemed polite, but once it came to the specific matter of Jiang Qing’s marriage, he avoided the topic and refused to agree.

Xiao Changhe, standing to the side, stared carefully at Jiang Qing beside him, showing a deep and affectionate look.

Jiang Tianzheng only had Jiang Qing as his daughter. Once the two married, not only would the entire Martial Arts Association slowly come under his control, but the entire Haoran Martial Hall would naturally be his too. Not only would he gain Jiang Tianzheng, a top-grade fighter, but it also meant all the martial arts secret manuals of Haoran Martial Hall would fall into his hands.

Besides, Jiang Qing herself was a rare beauty, the target he most wanted to obtain.

Right now, although Jiang Qing looked angry, how much weight did a young girl’s own opinion carry in matters of marriage? The most important things were the parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s words. Although Jiang Tianzheng kept refusing now, in Xiao Changhe’s eyes, it was just him waiting for a better price, wanting to sell his daughter for more.

In the whole of Xinlu City, one could say he, Xiao Changhe, was the most suitable marriage candidate for Jiang Qing. He believed Jiang Tianzheng must know this.

Jiang Tianzheng would agree in the end. Faced with her father’s pressure, Jiang Qing naturally had only one possibility: to yield.

Thinking of this, Xiao Changhe smiled slightly. He couldn’t help but think of the young man still waiting outside the door.

So what if you have a good relationship with Jiang Qing? So what if Jiang Qing hates me? Now I am standing inside the room, and you are standing outside waiting for news. This is the difference in status between us.

But just as Xiao Changhe grew more and more excited inside, an unexpected sentence suddenly reached his ears.

“I don’t want to…”

“I would rather die than marry him.”