Yu Xin felt that everything was so new. It was her first time experiencing town life. She loved the dazzling array of trinkets on the street and enjoyed the various delicacies.
This was a completely new world for her, and everything was so incredible. Gradually, she actually started to like town life. However, due to her lack of common sense, she often made a fool of herself along the way, and Chen Nan constantly explained to her how to interact with people.
Chen Nan felt very relaxed with her. Yu Xin was untouched by worldly affairs, and her innocent words always made Chen Nan chuckle.
Chen Nan was somewhat surprised by Yu Xin's intelligence and ability to accept new things. In just one month, she had changed a lot and would no longer make any fools of herself. Although she changed quickly, she still retained her innocence.
When Chen Nan brought her back to the Chen residence, Yu Xin's unparalleled beauty and innocent personality immediately won the great favor of Chen Nan's parents. If Chen Nan's mother hadn't intervened, Chen Zhan would have almost accepted Yu Xin as his goddaughter at Chen Nan's request.
Although Chen Nan's mother did not adopt her as her goddaughter, she treated her even better than her own daughter. She did this for her own selfish reasons.
Since his cultivation had regressed instead of progressed and his physique underwent a strange change, Chen Nan hadn't smiled for a long time. However, since his return this time, he often wore a smile, which made his mother extremely happy. She attributed all of this to Yu Xin and had already privately considered her as her future daughter-in-law. After learning about Yu Xin's background as an abandoned child, Chen's mother felt even more affection for her.
When Chen Zhan discovered that Yu Xin possessed a powerful internal force, he was deeply moved. This internal force was certainly not comparable to his extraordinary skill, but for a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, it was already incredible.
It was only through Yu Xin's account that I learned that the powerful internal energy within her was forcibly infused into her body by her master before his death. Her own skills were already outstanding, and with this powerful internal energy, she was already virtually unmatched among the younger generation under twenty, comparable to Chen Nan before his cultivation declined.
Days passed uneventfully, and Yuxin became a member of the Chen family, growing fond of the warmth of this home. Aside from mentioning wanting to return to the mountains during the first month, she never brought it up again.
As she grew more intelligent, she became familiar with interpersonal relationships and came to understand the simplicity and complexity of human nature—simple appearances masking complex inner truths. She recalled the words her master had once spoken to her, and only now did she grasp their true meaning.
Having seen, heard, and learned more, Yu Xin no longer gives off the impression of being naive, innocent, and unaware of the world. But that purity and innocence remain, and her intelligence and kindness make her beloved by everyone in the Chen family.
She had a special feeling for Chen Nan, who brought her into a completely new world and exposed her to human society, which she had previously feared.
In fact, she was very willing to spend time with Chen Nan, after all, he was her first friend in this world and the friend she trusted most.
Seeing the two getting along well and growing closer, Chen's mother smiled with satisfaction.
Yu Xin has been in the Chen family for over a year, and Chen Nan's cultivation is still stuck in a slump and cannot recover to its original state, but his state of mind is no longer as dejected as before.
Yu Xin's pure and optimistic personality deeply touched him. She was able to give up her familiar life in the mountains and bravely come to the unfamiliar world that she had previously feared. Why couldn't he let go of his burdens and start a new life?
He is indeed slowly changing, seemingly gradually forgetting the martial arts that he once regarded as his life.
Days passed quietly and uneventfully, and another year went by. Chen Nan and Yu Xin spent every day together, and a hazy feeling seemed to develop between them. It was a complex feeling that combined kinship, friendship, and a touch of romantic love.
If nothing unexpected happens, their feelings for each other might naturally develop into love, or they might continue to get along in this complicated emotional state.
One thing completely changed this situation.
When Chen Nan was very young, his parents arranged a marriage for him. His fiancée was the daughter of another famous family. That family was not only well-known in the cultivation world, but also had great power in China. The two families were considered a good match.
A few years ago, Chen Nan was considered a leading figure among the younger generation, but after the accident, he seemed to lose all his brilliance. The news of his declining skills spread like wildfire, and various sarcastic remarks followed one after another.
Chen Nan's mother keenly sensed that the famous family that was engaged to the Chen family had become ambiguous about the marriage. They stopped mentioning it and the engagement might be called off.
Chen Zhan was a man of great wisdom and didn't dwell on the matter. Chen Nan's mother was also very open-minded and felt that since the other party was already somewhat unwilling to accept the marriage, it was best to just let it go.
However, the other party kept dragging their feet and never gave a clear indication. It wasn't until later, when the head of that prestigious family brought his daughter to visit, that the engagement was finally settled.
Chen Zhan possessed unparalleled martial arts skills and was also the carefree prince of Huaxia Kingdom, making the family head somewhat wary. Although he was unwilling to marry his daughter to Chen Nan, whose martial arts had declined, he still didn't explicitly express his opinion after their meeting. He simply wanted to use his daughter to subtly convey his message to Chen Nan.
But this young lady from a prominent family seemed too arrogant and self-centered, often acting without thinking. She paid little attention to her father's advice, wanting to resolve this unhappy marriage in her own way.
Young people have their own circles. This heiress rented a mansion and organized a gathering for the scions of prominent families, many of whom were her admirers.
At the party, she made it clear that her future husband had to be a true hero, and she would never marry a good-for-nothing.
The criticism was clearly directed at Chen Nan, though not explicitly stated. Many scions of prominent families joined in the commotion, declaring that with her beauty, how could she marry a good-for-nothing? Even if she were willing to compromise herself, they would not agree.
The people who egged him on were all arranged in advance by that rich young lady, with the aim of embarrassing Chen Nan, making him lose face, and causing him to feel ashamed and privately propose to break off the engagement.
Sometimes, clever people do foolish things, and this young lady was no exception. If she had expressed her thoughts to Chen Nan in a tactful way in private, nothing unexpected would have happened.
The reason why the Chen family has not taken the initiative to dissolve the marriage is entirely out of consideration for the woman's face. After all, it would be very embarrassing for the woman if the man broke off the engagement first.
This young lady's reckless actions truly embarrassed Chen Nan, and he was furious. Such an insult would be unbearable for any man, let alone the former "number one" among the younger generation. Once high and mighty, he was now being so insulted and his dignity trampled upon; Chen Nan almost lost his temper.
Chen Nan gripped his sword three times and released it each time, finally restraining himself. This woman wasn't worth it. Relationships are very pragmatic; he and this woman could never be together. To resort to violence in a moment of impulse would only make him a laughingstock.
Ants, being weak and insignificant, are ignored and trampled upon by passersby. Chen Nan's martial arts are half-crippled, and his future is utterly bleak. At this moment, his silence is undoubtedly seen as a sign of cowardice by those scions of noble families, and many of them speak sarcastically and disrespectfully.
The young lady from the prestigious family was extremely smug, and her words became even more audacious, transitioning from coded language to directness. She walked straight up to Chen Nan and said softly but haughtily, "Chen Nan, I will not marry you. I don't want my husband to be a good-for-nothing."
Two crisp slaps rang out almost simultaneously in the hall, and the scene fell silent as everyone's eyes turned to this.
The first slap was delivered by Chen Nan to the young lady. His voice was calm and unhurried: "If a woman is only beautiful on the outside, she's nothing but a vase." He casually tossed a vase from the table next to him onto the ground, saying, "See? A broken vase isn't pretty. Its inside isn't as smooth and beautiful as its surface; it's actually quite rough. A vase is just made of dirty clay; in the end, it's just an ornament."
The second slap was delivered by Yu Xin to the wealthy young lady; it was a loud slap. Although she was innocent and kind, she was also furious to see Chen Nan humiliated like this. Seeing Chen Nan retaliate, she instinctively followed suit with a slap. Her words, however, were soft and gentle: "One should know how to respect and love oneself."
Chen's mother had already subtly informed Yu Xin about Chen Nan's engagement and explained the uncertainties involved to her in detail, so Yu Xin was fully aware of the situation.
Although she is innocent and kind, she is no longer the naive girl she once was; the intelligent girl has long understood the meaning behind Chen's mother's words.
Slapped simultaneously by both men, the young lady could hardly believe her eyes. It took her a long time to recover. She touched her swollen cheek and screamed, "You dare hit me? You piece of trash, how dare you hit me... I'll kill you!"
She acted as if she were going crazy, and lunged at Chen Nan first.
Yu Xin's cultivation level was already unmatched among the younger generation. Knowing that Chen Nan's cultivation had declined, she feared for his safety and stepped forward first.
With a gentle wave of her slender hand, she led the young lady aside. The young lady, having rushed too far, stumbled and fell to the ground, eliciting a burst of laughter from the hall. Yu Xin secretly extended a finger from her sleeve, releasing a burst of energy that sealed a major acupoint, rendering the young lady unable to move.
Several young men who admired the young lady rushed forward to help her up when they saw her lying on the ground unable to move.
At this moment, the young lady's face was ashen. Being made such a fool of herself was worse than being killed.
Chen Nan smiled at Yu Xin. He hadn't expected that the once innocent Yu Xin would resort to such underhanded tactics. The environment truly does influence a person. However, he was also very happy. He used to worry that she would be taken advantage of, but now it seemed she had a full understanding of human nature, and he no longer needed to worry about her.
"Chen Nan, how dare you treat me like this?" After glaring at Chen Nan, the young lady then turned her glare at Yu Xin with a fierce look. She gritted her teeth, and only then did she notice Yu Xin's celestial beauty. She was filled with jealousy and hatred.
Chen Nan said coldly, "We are old friends. I was just disciplining you for your father. Also, I'm announcing that our engagement is hereby dissolved, and we have no further relationship."
"You..." The young lady was furious. She hadn't expected Chen Nan to be so decisive and publicly dissolve the engagement.
Although she had always wanted to break the contract, she always thought that she should be the one to announce the news first. She never expected that the other party would say it first, which made her feel humiliated.
"You...you all kill him!" the young lady shouted at the several scions of noble families beside her.
The group exchanged glances. Although they were highly skilled and came from wealthy families, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Chen Nan, even if they had the greatest courage. Helping the young lady embarrass Chen Nan was already their limit.
Who in the world doesn't know that Chen Zhan, the head of the Chen family, is unparalleled? There are countless legends about him. He is the most legendary figure of this era. Who would dare to offend him?
Seeing that none of the people stepped forward, the young lady was both angry and furious. She said to Chen Nan, "You...you think you're so great because you're such a good-for-nothing? Who would want to marry you? Even if you don't say anything, I'll break the contract anyway."
Yu Xin stepped forward and said, "Everyone has seen your 'outstanding' performance. Chen Nan will never marry you, because he will marry me in the near future."
Everyone in the hall was stunned. At this gathering of scions of noble families, the most dazzling and eye-catching person was not the young lady who was engaged to Chen Nan, nor the few young heroes with far-reaching fame, but Yu Xin, a peerless beauty who was like an elf and a fairy.
She was untouched by worldly concerns; her unparalleled beauty captivated everyone, and her ethereal, fairy-like aura enchanted all. From the very beginning, many eyes had never left her. Hearing her words now, everyone felt utterly dejected, filled with a mixture of jealousy and envy towards Chen Nan.
The young lady didn't notice Yu Xin at first, until she was slapped and realized her existence. Looking at this stunning woman who was far superior to her in every way, she felt a deep jealousy.
"Who...who are you? Why are you here? I didn't invite you!"
Yu Xin didn't answer, and pulled Chen Nan along as they walked out of the hall.
Having been pampered since childhood, she had repeatedly suffered setbacks and was now being ignored. Overwhelmed with anger and frustration, the young lady fainted.
After leaving the hall, Chen Nan said softly, "Yu Xin, thank you!"
"Do I need to be so polite with you?" Yu Xin chuckled. "Do you think I've become bad? Did I go a bit too far today?"
"No, not at all. I used to think you were too naive and too kind, and I was always afraid you would get taken advantage of. But today I realize you can protect yourself now, and I don't have to worry about you anymore."
Yu Xin laughed playfully and said, "You're implying that I've become bad, hehe. I think that woman is really bad, so I couldn't help but teach her a lesson."
Thinking of the young lady's disheveled appearance just now, Chen Nan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Hehe, let's go home."
Chen Nan's engagement to the wealthy young lady was dissolved, and the commotion at the party that day was dropped. Chen Nan and Yu Xin had known each other for over two years, and their relationship only became clear after that party, which was something Chen's mother was very happy to see.
The two young people, who got along well, didn't make any grand vows of love. They felt that as long as they were happy together, that was enough; a simple and peaceful life was the true happiness. If nothing unexpected happened, perhaps in another year or two, Chen's mother would seize the opportunity to arrange their marriage.