The middle-aged woman was around the same age as Li Qingyun and richly dressed. She glanced over coldly, her eyes filled with disdain and derision for Ning Changfeng.
"Hmph."
Hearing Li Qingyunâs words, the elderly woman in the lead snorted. "After all these years, youâre still as stubborn as ever, refusing to admit you were wrong."
"Changfeng has always been very good to me. Heâs the man I love. I followed my heart, whatâs wrong with that?"
Li Qingyun looked at the elderly woman with a complicated expression. This was her mother, the wife of Li Tongguang.
Like Li Tongguang, her mother held a deep-seated prejudice against her marriage to Ning Changfeng.
From the bottom of her heart, the elderly woman despised Ning Changfeng. She looked down on this man from the tiny Baiquan Town.
In her mind, Li Qingyun should have married into a First-Class Noble House at the very least; Ning Changfeng was nothing but a toad lusting after a swan.
Over this matter, she had even spoken harsh words, threatening to disown Li Qingyun and sever their mother-daughter bond.
"Li Qingyun, how dare you speak to Mother like that? Back then, you refused to listen to her. Do you have any idea how heartbroken she was?"
The middle-aged woman who had spoken earlier was Li Qinglan, another of the elderly womanâs daughters, but she was three years older than Li Qingyun. By seniority, Li Qingyun was expected to call her Elder Sister.
At this moment, Li Qinglan was like a belligerent rooster, unleashing her hostility toward Ning Changfeng without restraint. "Look at this man youâre with! So many years have passed, has he made anything of himself? Heâs still holed up in the tiny Ning Family with no accomplishments to his name. Such a useless person. You must have been blind to have followed him."
At her words, Ning Changfeng couldnât help but clench his fists.
He couldnât refute her.
His talent for cultivation was mediocre, not the least bit outstanding. To this day, his cultivation was only at the Innate Middle Stage.
In a place like Baiquan Town, such a cultivation level would earn him respect. No one would dare to casually insult him.
But compared to a top-level family like the Li Family, his cultivation was far too weak. He was utterly defenseless before them.
"You can say what you want about me, but do not talk about Changfeng."
Li Qingyunâs eyes grew cold as she staunchly defended Ning Changfeng. They had been married for many years; was their relationship something that could be torn apart by a few mere words?
Her personality had always been independent and decisive. Back then, she had chosen Ning Changfeng even when everyone in the Li Family opposed it. How could she possibly regret it now?
"Heh, why donât I say a few words?"
Just then, a middle-aged man stepped forward. "Ning Changfeng, we are both Martial Artists. Why donât we have a little spar? Of course, if you donât dare, then I have nothing more to say. But please leave the Li Family. I donât think the Li Family welcomes cowards."
"Absolutely not."
Li Qingyunâs expression changed, and she immediately refused.
The middle-aged man was named Sun Minghui. He wasnât from the Li Family himself but was Li Qinglanâs husband. He had been allowed to marry into the Li Family due to his great talent and powerful strength.
Of course, that was also because Li Qinglan wasnât particularly outstanding. A jewel of the family like Li Qingyun, who the Li Family had treasured, was intended to be married off to forge an alliance with another great clan.
"Forget it. You donât need to bully him. I imagine he wouldnât dare anyway," Li Qinglan mocked.
Back then, Li Qingyun had been lauded as the familyâs jewel, cherished by all and dazzlingly brilliant. In comparison, she herself had often been neglected and overlooked.
It was this disparity that caused her to harbor a long-standing resentment toward Li Qingyun.
Who could have imagined that Li Qingyun, the jewel of the family, would throw herself into obscurity, infuriating the entire Li Family in the process?
"Li Qingyun, look at the kind of man you married! And then look at my Minghui! Theyâre like heaven and earth. Are you still going to say your choice back then wasnât a mistake?"
Li Qinglan said proudly.
Sun Minghuiâs strength had reached the Innate Peak. In a second-tier family, he could even become the Clan Leader.
In fact, Sun Minghui was now highly regarded by the Li Family, entrusted with important responsibilities, and wielded considerable power.
"I was not wrong!" Li Qingyunâs voice was firm and unwavering.
At her words, the expressions of the elderly woman and the others soured.
"Ning Changfeng, are you a coward? Can you only hide behind a woman?"
At this moment, Sun Minghui said in a cold voice, "How about I give you a chance? Just admit you married above your station and are unworthy of Li Qingyun, and I wonât make things difficult for you. What do you say?"
Ning Changfengâs eyes darkened, misery filling his heart. He could already see that these people were here today for the sole purpose of humiliating him and finding a way to force him out.
If he accepted the spar, Sun Minghui would surely be ruthless. Even if he didnât die, he would be severely injured.
If he didnât accept, he would be a coward.
To advance was death, to retreat was also death. He had no other choice.
"My foster father and foster mother are deeply in love and their feelings are mutual. Who says my foster father is unworthy of my foster mother?"
Just at that moment, a voice rang out.
"Who is it?"
All eyes turned to see three people walking in.
"Yuâan, Jiangâer."
Ning Changfeng and Li Qingyun both stiffened, staring in astonishment at the two of them.
Not long ago, they had been worried about Ning Jiangâs safety. Who would have thought that he would now appear before them?
"Foster Father, Foster Mother, Iâve come too late. Iâm sorry youâve had to suffer here in the Li Family."
Ning Jiang walked to the coupleâs side, a hint of gentleness in his eyes.
If the two of them hadnât found him by the riverbank and raised him, he would have died long ago. Most importantly, he was only an adopted son, yet they treated him as their own and had never once mistreated him.
At times, they treated him even better than they treated Ning Yuâan.
Though not his parents by blood, they were more to him than any biological parents could be.
Moreover, if it werenât for the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse afflicting him, the couple would never have been forced to come to the Li Family, only to be detained and have their cultivation sealed by them.
"Good, good. Itâs good that youâre safe."
Ning Changfeng and his wife both looked emotional.
"Foster Father, Foster Mother, Sister An has already told me about all the injustices youâve suffered in the Li Family. This all started because of me. I will make the Li Family answer for what theyâve done!"
Ning Jiangâs tone was ice-cold.
He learned from Ning Yuâan that the couple had been like captives in a cage here in the Li Family, with no freedom to speak of. The Li Family members frequently treated them with scorn and mockery, forcing them to endure endless humiliation.
One could say that every day they spent in the Li Family was a day of mental torture for the couple.
"Hm? Ning Yuâan, what are you doing here? Isnât tonight the marriage alliance with the Huangfu Family? Why are you back early?"
Li Qinglan frowned, then looked at Li Shiyu and said, "Shiyu, what in the world is going on?"
Her attitude toward Li Shiyu was much better.
Li Shiyu was the most outstanding genius in the history of the Li Family. Furthermore, she was the current Clan Leaderâs own legitimate daughter. With her esteemed status, she was not someone Li Qinglan could afford to offend.
Li Shiyu was about to speak, but Ning Jiangâs voice rang out before she could:
"What did you just say? That my foster father is a coward, unworthy of my foster mother? Who gave you the nerve!"