539: Chapter 539

Inside the main hall of the Qin Family, the atmosphere was so heavy it made one's chest feel tight.

A group of Qin Family Elders sat in the hall; in the seat of honor was Qin Zhan, his expression very grim.

The deacons and clan Elders on both sides all had tense Faces, and no one spoke first.

The people from the Zhu Family had arrived.

Leading them was the Zhu Family Head, followed by several Elders.

Standing at the very front was Zhu Yan.

She wore a Sect robe with the patterns of the Xuanling Sect embroidered on the hem; her hair was neatly tied up, and spiritual power flowed through her body, even stronger than most of the Elders present.

She stood there without intentionally putting on airs, yet the atmosphere in the council hall remained somewhat stiff.

Qin Yun sat in a position toward the back and remained silent the entire time.

Many people in the hall looked back and forth between the two with complex expressions.

The Zhu Family Head was the first to speak.

"Brother Qin, taking the liberty of visiting today, there are some things that are best cleared up in person."

Qin Zhan stared at him.

"Since you've come, then speak."

The Zhu Family Head nodded slightly and didn't beat around the bush any further.

He turned his head to glance at Zhu Yan, signaling for her to speak for herself.

Zhu Yan took a step forward.

The hall grew even quieter.

She looked around, her gaze lingering on Qin Yun for a moment before quickly moving away.

"Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin, Seniors."

When she spoke, her voice was steady and flat.

"I have returned this time because I wish to formally terminate the engagement from years ago."

As these words fell, the hall instantly fell silent.

Several Qin Family deacons' expressions changed on the spot.

Qin Zhan's gaze darkened even further.

"Niece Yan, are you mistaken?"

Zhu Yan did not back down.

She lifted her head, her expression very calm.

"This engagement is terminated."

"I have already entered the Xuanling Sect and have seen a wider world. Within the Sect, there are many Prodigies and no shortage of powerhouses. Jianghan City is too small—so small that many things here are simply not worth mentioning on the outside."

"I now have my own path to walk."

"That path should no longer be tied to an old agreement."

Qin Zhan's wife stood up in anger.

"What is the meaning of this!"

"When our two families set this engagement, your Zhu Family nodded and agreed. Now, with a single word of termination, you want to brush everything aside?"

Zhu Yan looked at her and fell silent for a moment.

"Aunt, I have no intention of insulting the Qin Family."

"It is just that keeping this engagement serves no benefit to me, to Qin Yun, or to our families."

"In the Xuanling Sect, many people know I have an engagement set from my early years. It is not an asset; it only becomes a target for gossip."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Furthermore, I already have someone in my heart."

As soon as these words came out, the hall was instantly in an uproar.

"Presumptuous!"

A Qin clan Elder slammed the table, sending a teacup crashing to the floor.

"The engagement is not yet dissolved, yet you are involved with another on the outside. What does your Zhu Family take my Qin Family for!"

Zhu Yan did not panic; her expression only grew more indifferent.

"He is a Core Disciple of the Sect Master's lineage in the Xuanling Sect. His talent, Heart-Nature, and insight are all far above mine. He will go very far in the future."

"And I must keep up with him."

Having said this, she finally looked at Qin Yun again.

"Qin Yun, we are not the same kind of people."

"We weren't before, and we certainly won't be in the future."

"Continuing to hold onto this engagement is an insult to you and a burden to me."

These words were heavy enough.

Several young clansmen in the hall had Faces flushed with anger; someone couldn't help but curse under their breath, only to be glared back into silence by a nearby Elder.

Qin Zhan's wife's eyes turned red.

"Now that your Zhu Family has latched onto the Xuanling Sect, you look down on Jianghan City and look down on my Qin Family, don't you!"

The Zhu Family Head finally spoke up.

"Madam Qin, those words go too far."

"We did not come today to make enemies, much less to trample on the sentiments between our families."

He waved his hand, and a Zhu Family Elder behind him immediately took out a jade box, while a deacon presented several brocade boxes.

The gazes of many in the hall narrowed.

Just looking at the spiritual light on the jade box, one knew that the contents were no ordinary items.

The Zhu Family Head said:

"The termination of the engagement is due to my Zhu Family's fault first. These shall serve as compensation."

"Among them is a three-hundred-year-old Essence Returning Spirit Ginseng, three Spirit Transformation Pills, a volume of a High Grade Spirit Rank Cultivation Technique, and the deed to that shop in the south of the city."

"If the Qin Family still feels it is not enough, we can discuss further."

These words were not harsh; one could even say they gave plenty of Face.

Qin Zhan's expression had turned ugly to the extreme.

He naturally knew that the other party had not come specifically to cause trouble today.

Although Zhu Yan's words were direct, she had not intentionally slandered the Qin Family.

The Zhu Family Head had even prepared generous gifts, clearly not wanting to completely tear apart their relationship.

But the more it was like this, the more humiliated the Qin Family members felt.

Because the other party wasn't maliciously insulting them, but truly felt that this engagement was no longer worth existing.

They truly felt that Qin Yun was no longer a match—even that the Qin Family was no longer worthy of being associated with the Zhu Family.

This was the most humiliating part.

Qin Zhan stood up abruptly, his spiritual power vibrating, causing the table beside him to let out a dull thud.

"Compensation?"

"Does my Qin Family lack these meager things of yours?"

The Zhu Family Head's gaze did not waver, and his voice deepened slightly.

"Brother Qin, making a scene will benefit neither Family."

"Currently, the Wang Family is still watching from the sidelines. If you and I completely fall out over this matter, it will only benefit them for nothing."

"I have come today with courtesy before force; I do not wish to push things to the absolute limit."

These words made Qin Zhan's movements pause.

His chest heaved and his anger surged, yet in the end, he did not step forward.

Because those words were correct.

The current Qin Family could not afford any more turmoil.

A clan Elder spoke slowly, his voice somewhat raspy.

"Family Head, please sit down first."

"The big picture is what matters."

Another Elder whispered:

"The matter of the engagement has already come to this; we cannot keep it even if we try. If we really make a scene, it will only make us the laughingstock of the whole city."

Qin Zhan's wife suddenly turned her head to look at those Elders, her eyes full of disbelief.

"You all intend to endure this too?"

Those Elders avoided her gaze.

It wasn't that they weren't angry.

It was that they knew all too well that the current Qin Family did not have the capital to flip the table.

The hall fell silent for a time.

Everyone thought that Qin Yun would stand up and say something, even if it were just a harsh retort.

But Qin Yun remained seated.

He was as quiet as if he had nothing to do with the matter.

Only then did he slowly rise.

All eyes fell upon him.

Zhu Yan also looked at him.

She had originally thought that Qin Yun would be angry, lose his composure, question her, or even fall out with her on the spot.

But Qin Yun did not.

He simply walked forward a few steps and stopped in front of those brocade boxes.

Then, he reached out and took the jade box.

This action left many people present stunned.

Qin Zhan's wife's Face turned pale.

Several Qin Family youths even showed looks of shame and indignation in their eyes, as if they couldn't believe he would do such a thing.

Zhu Yan was also visibly startled for a moment.

Qin Yun looked down at the jade box in his hand, then looked up at Zhu Yan.

His expression was very calm—so calm it was somewhat abnormal.

"The gifts, my Qin Family accepts."

"Then I thank Young Miss Zhu for her kindness."

"The engagement is hereby terminated."

He spoke very slowly.

"Then, I wish Young Miss Zhu a brilliant future."

As soon as these few sentences were spoken, the main hall instantly became silent.

Some felt he was weak.

Some felt he had resigned himself to fate.

Others felt that there was another meaning within his calmness.

But no one could say for sure.

"Thank you for your understanding."

"I won't see you out."

The Zhu Family Head watched this scene, fell silent for a moment, and cupped his hands.

"Brother Qin, farewell."

They turned and left.

The Zhu Family people did not walk fast; their footsteps could be heard clearly in the hall.

Only when the group had completely exited the door did the emotions in the hall suddenly explode.

Qin Zhan slammed a fist onto the table.

Wood splinters flew everywhere.

"This is too much!"

Qin Zhan's wife's tears fell all at once; she looked at Qin Yun, her chest so tight she couldn't speak.

"Yun'er, you..."

She wanted to ask why he had accepted those things.

But the words reached her lips and were swallowed back down.

Because she suddenly discovered that her son's expression was calmer than anyone's.

Abnormally calm.

The several Elders were also silent.

Some sighed, some shook their heads, and some showed looks of regret.

A few young clansmen stood in place, wanting to offer comfort but not knowing what to say.

Qin Yun stood in the center of the hall, facing those gazes of sympathy, disappointment, or helplessness, and explained nothing.

He set the jade box in his hand aside.

Then he turned and walked outside.

Outside, rain had begun to fall at some point.

The rain wasn't heavy, but it was dense.

Strands of rain dripped from the eaves, and the bluestone ground was quickly dampened.

Qin Yun did not use an umbrella, nor did he look back.

He just walked step by step into the rain.

The voices behind him gradually faded.

His parents' worry, the Elders' sighs, and the clansmen's gazes were all left behind in the main hall.

Rainwater flowed down from his hair, soaking his clothes.

He walked very slowly.

But his back was held very straight.

Only after walking quite far did he stop.

An old tree in the courtyard swayed in the rain; there were no lights beneath it, only a dim shadow.

Qin Yun stood in the rain, raising a hand to wipe his Face, unable to distinguish whether it was rainwater or something else in his palm.

The broken engagement.

The humiliation.

The cold stares.

All the emotions suppressed in his heart over these years surged out at this moment.

He thought of how he had fallen all the way from the position of a Genius.

He thought of the discussions behind his back, of his parents' repeatedly disappointed yet restrained gazes, and of how he had clearly done nothing wrong yet was still marginalized step by step.

The rain fell denser and denser.

Qin Yun lowered his head and slowly clenched his fists.

A moment later, he lifted his head.

The look in his eyes had changed.

It wasn't grievance.

It wasn't resentment.

It was a surge of energy.

A rekindled fighting spirit.

He did not say a single harsh word.

Nor did he smash anything in a frenzy.

He just stood in the rain, looking in the direction the Zhu Family had left for a long time.

Then, he let out a low breath.

"So that's how it is."

"Then let it be so."

Amidst the curtain of rain, the youth turned around and walked toward his own courtyard.

His silhouette appeared somewhat thin.

But those steps were already different from before.