Chapter 1: Rather Die Than Marry

"I will never marry Shen Xing, not even if it kills me!"

Tang Xinya, her eyes brimming with tears, pressed the muzzle of a pistol against her own temple, her hand steady as she faced the assembled crowd in the great hall.

Every person present was a member of the Tang family.

To witness the family's long-awaited prodigy resorting to such desperate measures threw the entire hall into chaos.

"Xinya, don't be rash! A gun is not a toy—what if it goes off by accident? Please, put it down!" Her father, Tang Tianming, struggled to maintain his composure, hoping his usual authority would make his daughter obey.

Click.

In response, Tang Xinya disengaged the safety with a cold, mechanical sound.

"Xinya! Please, don't! It's your father's fault, all my fault! I swear I won't force you anymore!" At the same time, her mother, Zhao Sujuan, beat her fists against her husband, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's all your fault! Do something! If anything happens to our daughter, I won't want to go on living either!"

Tang Tianming sighed, his voice heavy with pain. "Xinya. Ten years ago, Shen Xing's father gave his life to save your grandfather. To repay such a debt, the old man promised you would marry Shen Xing as soon as you both came of age."

"I know you've just passed the qualification test with a result of one in a million—S-class. You've already been admitted to Qingbei Martial Academy, the top institution."

"But, Xinya, you must understand—life is not only about talent and achievement. Character is equally important. If Qingbei Martial Academy learns that you broke off your engagement and acted in bad faith, what if they expel you?"

Tang Xinya grew paler, shaking her head in despair. "I don't care! I don't care! I just won't marry Shen Xing! Who is he? A worthless F-class! I refuse to spend my life with someone like that!"

A bitter smile crossed her lips as she swept her gaze across the room. Her finger tightened on the trigger, slowly drawing it back. "Better to die innocent than to marry someone I could never love. Farewell, my family..."

Bang!

She pulled the trigger, but at the critical moment, a blur of blue darted forward, jerking the muzzle upward. The bullet grazed Xinya's hair and struck the ceiling, shattering a corner of the chandelier.

"Don't do anything so foolish!"

Her aunt, Tang Qingyan, swiftly seized the gun, frowning as she scolded her.

Then she turned to the corner of the room, where Shen Xing stood.

"Shen Xing, Xinya is your fiancée. She just tried to kill herself and you stand there unmoved?"

All eyes turned to Shen Xing.

He stood there quietly, as calm and composed as a cultured spectator, making no sound.

Some younger relatives, seeing Shen Xing for the first time, couldn't help but study him closely.

Handsome features, a tall and slender frame, clothes simple yet tasteful, an air of quiet detachment. His eyes were clear, his gaze deep as a midnight pool.

He was the sort of young man clever, sensitive girls would easily find attractive.

Several girls in the room, just awakening to romance, found their hearts fluttering as they watched him.

But then they remembered his shortcomings, and their interest faded.

Shen Xing was mute.

Not only that, but his aptitude was abysmal, and he was frail, plagued by ill health.

How wide was the gulf between F-class and S-class?

Was it just six levels?

No, in truth it was eighteen—since each level had plus and minus variants.

Eighteen levels—an insurmountable divide.

It wasn't just talent. Even lifespan was affected. In this era of martial prowess, the strong brimmed with vitality and could easily live two or three centuries. This meant that when Shen Xing was old and gray, Tang Xinya might not even have reached her prime, let alone begun to age.

Everyone in the Tang family knew: the moment Tang Xinya was found to be S-class, she and Shen Xing became people of two utterly different worlds.

To put it bluntly, it was as if one dwelled in the clouds and the other in the mud.

Shen Xing was not surprised by this farce. He had known it was inevitable. So he watched the scene unfold with a kind of detached appreciation, mentally applauding whichever family mastermind had orchestrated it.

The scene with the gun—he had to admit, that was well staged. He truly hadn't seen it coming.

But now, with all eyes on him, he had nothing to say.

Being mute saved him a lot of trouble.

After all, whatever response he gave, the play was bound for the same conclusion. He had no interest in wasting his energy.

Seeing Shen Xing unmoved, Tang Tianming exchanged a subtle glance with his wife.

Zhao Sujuan understood at once, sighing as she made a suggestion. "Husband, we have to resolve this somehow. If not...why not let Xue'er marry him instead?"

The crowd gasped and turned in unison to look at Tang Xue'er in the far corner.

She stood there, dazed as if struck by lightning, her delicate form trembling, ashen and bloodless despite her peerless beauty.

By blood, Tang Xue'er was Tang Xinya's elder half-sister, sharing the same father but not the same mother.

Though Xue'er was even more beautiful, her mother had died young, and after a stepmother entered the house, her father's affection vanished as well.

In terms of aptitude, she was no match for her younger sister. And so, her status within the Tang family was much lower—something everyone present knew well.

Yet when Zhao Sujuan suggested sending her own stepdaughter to marry a mute with no prospects, many in the room felt a pang of pity.

Especially the young men, who thought it a terrible waste to see such a rare beauty consigned to a 'useless' man like Shen Xing.

Before long, Tang Xue'er gathered her wits.

She stepped forward and fell to her knees beside Tang Tianming, weeping as she pleaded, "Father, please, don't send me away! I don't want to marry. I want to stay home and honor you. My aptitude isn't so bad—I can still contribute to the family!"

Her tears streamed down, her voice desperate.

Tang Tianming hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh. "Xue'er, ever since the martial era began, our Tang family has been in slow decline. Now, at last, your sister's genius has given us hope—our future rests entirely on her shoulders."

"You've seen how determined she is. I can't risk forcing her any longer. So listen to me, I'm begging you, for your father's sake—marry Shen Xing in your sister's place."

Tang Xue'er looked up at her father in shock, not realizing that in her distress, she had bitten her lip to the point of bleeding.

Seeing this, Tang Tianming suddenly knelt beside her as well, as if about to kowtow. "I have no choice... I'm begging you..."

Startled, Tang Xue'er instinctively stopped him, helping him back up.

"Please don't, Father. I agree. I'll marry him—is that enough?"

Her words were hollow, as if the life had been sucked from her, a soulless puppet acquiescing to her fate.

At this, husband and wife finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Tianming turned to Shen Xing at once. "Xiao Xing, would you be willing to marry Xue'er in Xinya's place?"

Shen Xing did not answer immediately. He studied Tang Xue'er with interest, confirming that she had not known of this in advance.

In other words, like him, she was only a pawn in this performance.

Their shared predicament stirred a shred of sympathy in his heart.

Family schemes, parental pressure—a coordinated assault that seemed poised to shatter the girl.

"I've stayed in the Tang family only because my father's keepsake has yet to be found. There's little sense in ruining an innocent girl's life any longer," he thought.

After a moment's consideration, Shen Xing took pen and paper from the table and wrote two lines:

"Uncle Tang, neither Xinya nor Xue'er should be forced into this. I know my own situation—it's unfair to them. The Tang family has cared for me these ten years, and in so doing, repaid your debt in full. Today, let me make the decision: this engagement ends here."