Just then, Ye Tian's deep voice echoed through the hall, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Ye Xian, what is the meaning of this? What is this woman talking about?"
Ye Tian was flabbergasted. Just yesterday, discussions were ongoing about Ye Xian's marriage—and now, a woman had come forward with a shocking accusation?If the marriage with the Meng Clan fell through because of this, he didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
His sharp gaze made it clear: this matter needed to be settled immediately.
Ye Xian's mind raced as he retraced his recent steps.
Two days ago, early in the morning, he had gone to a valley to complete a mission from the academy—capturing a multicolored lizard, a rare beast prized by alchemists.
He searched all day, but found nothing. Frustrated, he stayed at a nearby inn inside the city walls. The next day, he resumed the search—only to be ambushed by Brother Mu and his companion.
He was killed—or would have been, had he not mysteriously revived.
He defeated the ambushers easily, turning their trap into their own downfall. By evening, he left the valley, blending into the dusk. It was night by the time he returned to the Ye Estate—and that night, he had spent time with Sheng Qianying.
But no one knew about that. And there had been no word or rumor.
This accusation was clearly a setup.
Someone had carefully crafted this false narrative to appear believable.
But why?
Ye Xian's eyes turned cold. The timing, the woman's sudden appearance and Meng clan daughter marriage to Ye clan—it all pointed to a larger scheme.
His eyes met the smug expression of his stepmother. In that moment, he knew—it was her. That cold, calculating gleam in her eyes, that satisfied smile—it had her fingerprints all over it.
'Was this her plan—to ruin my marriage with Meng Xueqing? Why? Wasn't I already disgraced enough in the clan? Or did she want her own son to marry into the Meng Clan? But then why hide this from Ye Feng or Ye Tian?'
Ye Xian had an overwhelming urge to slap her—just to turn her into a complete idiot.
"Patriarch, I deny these baseless accusations."
He turned to the woman in green.
"Who are you, exactly? And what proof do you have for making such a ridiculous claim?"
The woman's face twisted in anger, but she quickly composed herself and sneered.
"Proof? You dare ask for proof? You shameless liar! You used me, and now you pretend not to know me?"
Ye Xian frowned slightly. He had no memory of this woman—he was certain he had never even spoken to her, let alone spent the night with her.
Yes, he had spent a night with a woman—but that woman was so much beautiful and refined, nothing like the person standing before him.
Before he could respond, a voice called out behind him.
"I have something to say, Clan Patriarch."
Ye Xian stiffened. The voice was familiar.
A servant stepped forward and bowed slightly. "My name is Di Ye. I witnessed something last night."
'The hell....did he saw Sheng Qianying enteringy my room and not leaving until morning.... Shit. This gonna be bad.... Stop... don't panic. Let hear him what he has to say.' Ye Xian calmed himself.
Di Ye paused dramatically before continuing.
"I saw this woman leaving Young Master Ye Xian's bedroom late at night. And while cleaning his room this morning, I found this."
He pulled out a delicate wooden comb, intricately carved and bearing the name "Shi." Gasps echoed through the hall.
Di Ye gave a sickly smile.
"This belonged to the woman in question. I saw her leave his room myself. He even threatened me, told me to stay silent. He said he'd never see her again and that I must not tell anyone."
The atmosphere grew heavy. Doubt began to creep into the faces of those around them.
Then, another voice rang out—sharp and accusing.
"Ye Xian!"
Sheng Qinhua, his first stepmother, stepped forward with a mix of concern and anger.
"You're about to be married with a woman from a prestigious clan. How could you be so reckless? Do you understand the shame you're bringing to the clan?"
Ye Xian felt an intense urge to slap her—especially seeing that beautiful face shouting at him with such anger. But he held himself back with great effort. He was about to say something when Ye Feng stood up and said to Sheng Qinhua, "Enough, sit down." She sat back down.
Ye Xian turned again to Di Ye, who still held the comb.
He said coldly, "Isn't it possible that you're working with her? Maybe you planted that comb in my room."
Hearing this, the woman in the green dress shouted angrily, "How can you say that?! We spent two nights together! You enjoyed my body to your heart content, made promises to me—and now you act like this?! You said you'd accept me, even marry me! How could you treat me like this now?! Just because you're a Young Master of the Ye Clan, does that mean you can do this to a poor, helpless girl?! Look, everyone! Look a youngman from Ye clan had fun with me and now want to discard me like a useless toy!He's ruining me!"
As she spoke, Ye Tian, the patriarch of the clan, was getting more and more nervous. Cold sweat formed on his forehead. The Meng Clan was still visiting as guests, and if they overheard this, it could spell disaster. If the marriage broke off, the Meng Clan would never forgive the Ye Clan. All he could do now was silently pray Ye Xian would handle this properly.
Ye Xian looked at the green-dressed woman. She was stubborn and cunning—clearly not someone easy to deal with. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
He looked her in the eye and said, "Alright then. You say we spent two nights together?"
She replied proudly, "Yes, we did."
He said, "Then surely we would have explored each other's bodies and gotten to know them well?"
She blushed but nodded. "Yes."
He leaned forward and asked, "So... were you satisfied with my body? Did I please you well?"
A murmur spread through the onlookers. Some people nearby started whispering.
"What is Ye Xian saying?"
"Is it true? Did he really spend nights with her?"
"Looks like he's about to take in a concubine…"
When Sheng Qinhua learned that Ye Xian was going to marry the second daughter of the Meng Clan patriarch, she was stunned. That girl had once been a prodigy, a true genius with top-tier talent—until her body from below was crippled.
Even so, Sheng Qinhua had hoped that such a young woman from prestigious clan would become her daughter-in-law and marry her own son, Ye Shen. If that happened, the bond between their two families would grow much stronger.
Ye Feng had married Sheng Qinhua 21 years ago, and she'd given birth to golden child Ye Shen a year later. And Ye Xian was born after three years. When Ye Xian was seven and Ye Shen was ten, Ye Feng had taken Sheng Qianying as concubine.
Ye Xian was now seventeen, meaning ten years had passed since that fateful period when Ye Qianying entered their household. It had been the same year his father returned from the outskirts of Azure city with life-threatening injuries, forcing him to abstain from all marital relations to preserve his yang energy. A full decade without intimacy with either his first wife or the new concubine.
Ye Shen was already seen as a rising star in the Ye Clan, having reached the Element Disciple Realm by the age of twenty. Sheng Qinhua believed that if he married into the prestigious Meng Clan, even if it was through their crippled daughter, it would open doors to powerful alliances.
The Meng Clan had deep connections—not just in the capital, but also with the royal family. If that bond became official, it could greatly improve both Ye Shen's future and her own status.
After all, wouldn't it be better for a second-rate clan like theirs to ride the dragon and ascend through the clouds?
That's why she wanted the Meng Clan's second daughter to marry Ye Shen. But the clan master, Ye Tian, and her husband, Ye Feng, refused.
They felt that marrying a crippled woman into the clan would only hold Ye Shen back. As the most talented youth in the clan, they didn't want to risk tying him down. Instead, they chose to offer Ye Xian for the marriage—believing it was a small sacrifice for the greater good.
But Sheng Qinhua didn't see it as a sacrifice at all. In her eyes, it was an opportunity—one she wanted her son Ye Shen to seize, to rise above the rest and claim the future he and herself deserved.
Sheng Qinhua was grunting. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Ye Xian, who was asking questions that were outside her expectations.'Don't tell me this brat has some kind of plan.'