The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Sitting on the floor, Murong Qing glanced over worriedly from the corner of her eye. The confidence on Murong Xi's face sent a wave of panic through her. Chen Dong was her last hope. 'What if Murong Xi and the others have set a trap for Chen Dong?'

Before she could think any further, Murong Xi clapped her hands and shouted, "Bring the things in!"

Four maids entered the room, carrying clothes, shoes, socks, cosmetics, and jewelry.

"Get this bitch dressed up properly. There's an important ceremony tonight, and she is an essential part of it!" Murong Xi ordered the maids.

The panic in Murong Qing's eyes deepened. "Ceremony? What ceremony? Isn't the wedding supposed to be tomorrow?"

Murong Xi tilted her head back haughtily, her eyes filled with mockery. "The wedding is tomorrow, that's correct. But it's a custom of the Nanhai Wu Family for the bride to undergo a ceremony the day before. Only by passing the trial of the Wu Family's Gu God can you marry into the Wu Family!"

As she spoke, she lit a slim cigarette, took a drag, and her entire demeanor turned sinister. Noticing Murong Qing's apprehension about the ceremony, she bent down, blew a puff of smoke into Murong Qing's face, and said softly, "Don't worry, the ceremony is very easy to pass. For someone like you..."

Her words were left unfinished, leaving Murong Qing feeling utterly uncertain. She resisted, "I'm not going!"

Murong Xi started laughing, but her smile grew colder and colder. She let the cigarette drop from her hand, then grabbed a handful of Murong Qing's hair, yanking her to her feet. She threatened menacingly, "As if you have a choice! If you want to suffer less, you'll do as you're told!"

Then, she threw Murong Qing onto the bed and ordered the maids standing by, "Get her dressed!"

The maids bowed resentfully. "Yes, Madam!"

Murong Qing let the maids lead her away to be washed and made up, her eyes filled with despair. It wasn't just the Murong Family's seal inside her; there was also one of Murong Xi's Gu Insects. She had tried to escape before, but she was always found easily and then brutally tormented by the Gu Insect.

Ever since marrying into the Nanhai Wu Family a year ago, Murong Xi had learned an unbelievable Poisonous Gu Technique. Although the Gu Insect placed inside Murong Qing wasn't her vital Gu, its power was not to be underestimated. Any Gu that could affect a Celestial Spirit Martial Artist was no simple thing. An ordinary Gu would have trouble affecting even a Grandmaster, let alone someone in the Celestial Spirit Realm, as a Grandmaster's physical fortitude and vital energy could suppress most Gu. For Murong Xi to go from nothing to being able to place a Gu in a Celestial Spirit Martial Artist in just one year—such a cultivation speed was simply unnatural.

It wasn't just her Poisonous Gu Technique; her cultivation progress was also shockingly fast. When she had just gotten married, Murong Xi had only recently broken through to the Grandmaster realm. Her innate talent and potential were considered exhausted, giving her almost no chance of ever reaching the Celestial Spirit Realm in her lifetime. But one year later, she broke through to the Celestial Spirit Realm.

Whenever the Murong Family asked for the reason, she would always say it was a secret of the Nanhai Wu Family that could not be shared. Murong Xi, who had originally been a cast-off used for a marriage alliance, saw her status skyrocket. The Murong Family's old ancestor instantly made a crucial decision: to also marry off Murong Qing, the precious prodigy the family had nurtured since childhood.

And that was why Murong Qing had run away from home.

After being washed up, Murong Qing was having foundation applied by a maid. But as soon as the powder was puffed on, her tears smeared it. The maid had to carefully wipe away the tears and reapply the foundation, but Murong Qing's tears kept flowing. Helpless, the maid could only look to Murong Xi.

Murong Xi sneered. "It seems you prefer to do things the hard way!"

Saying this, she took a conch shell from her bag, placed it to her lips, and blew gently. A strange melody emanated from it.

Murong Qing immediately clutched her stomach and cried out in agony, "AH, IT HURTS! Stop blowing it! Stop!"

Murong Xi snorted coldly. "Hmph! Behave, and I won't have to bother dealing with you. If you dare waste any more time, I'll have the Gu Insect chew your intestines to shreds!" Turning to the maids, she barked, "You! Continue!"

After the torment from the Gu Insect, Murong Qing was covered in a cold sweat, her eyes vacant and filled with regret.

She had thought that reaching the Celestial Spirit Realm would be enough to make the Murong Family cancel the marriage agreement. Unexpectedly, as soon as she returned home, she was subdued by the old ancestor. Even after she revealed her Celestial Spirit Realm cultivation, the family's old ancestor only became more determined to marry her off.

Thinking the old ancestor merely wanted someone in the Outer Appearance Realm to stabilize the Murong Family's status, she had presented the Mingxi Condensation Pill. To her surprise, the old ancestor excitedly confiscated the pill but still refused to change his decision.

Even her own parents vehemently agreed she should be married off.

The clan was in unanimous agreement: if a good-for-nothing Grandmaster could reach the Celestial Spirit Realm, then wouldn't she, a Celestial Spirit Martial Artist who had awakened a special bloodline, surely be able to break through to the Outer Appearance Realm? Perhaps even the god-like Inner Realm wasn't out of the question.

So, under the guise of the entire clan "doing what was best for her," with her parents threatening to kill themselves, she was sent here. Even telling them she was no longer a virgin didn't change their decision. The Gu Insect had been placed inside her to prevent her from escaping or committing suicide. With this Gu Insect in her belly, she couldn't even die if she wanted to. The moment she had any suicidal thoughts or made any move to act on them, the Gu Insect would activate, causing such excruciating pain that she would forget everything else, leaving her completely drained of strength.

Soon, the maids finished her makeup. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her pupils widening slightly. She whipped her head around and demanded, "What kind of ceremony is this that requires me to be dressed like this?"

The outfit was far too revealing for her not to ask.

Although her makeup was done to give her an air of sanctity, it was paired with open-toed, mid-heeled crystal slippers. The "outfit" was just a piece of pure white cloth held together by a few hemp ropes, making the overall look more sensual than sacred.

The garment had no sleeves and an extremely low-cut neckline; a casual glance was enough to see the curve of her breasts. There was no fabric covering her sides from her armpits to the hem, just two hemp ropes connecting at her hips. Moreover, the hemline was so short it barely covered her buttocks. The maids hadn't given her any underwear to wear either.

Murong Qing, who rarely even wore skirts, tried to cover herself up, but her long, porcelain-white legs were completely exposed. There was no way she could go out like this.