Chapter 143: Raging Fury

Hearing these words, Fang Jing's father wore an expression of mixed joy and sorrow.

The joy was that his daughter would no longer have to marry that foolish man from the Wu family. The sorrow was that, without the support of the Wu family, how could the Fang family hope to stand against the Ke family?

Fang Yilong's aged eyes swept across the gathered clansmen, a faint smile appearing on his weathered face.

"There is no need for all of you to be nervous. Even without the Wu family, we have our own backing to contend with the Ke family. No, not just contend—we have enough to crush them. If the Ke family refuses to see reason, their doom is at hand!"

Hearing this, everyone present was momentarily stunned.

Recovering from his surprise, one man looked at Fang Yilong and asked, "Father, what other backing could our Fang family possibly have besides the lifeline of the Wu family?"

The speaker was Fang Yilong's eldest son, Fang Daihe.

His expression was somewhat unsightly, deep gloom swirling in the depths of his eyes. Marrying Fang Jing out of the family was originally what he most wanted to see, because Fang Jing's martial arts talent was second to none among the third generation of the Fang family, ranking absolute first. In the future, she was bound to reach the pinnacle of Dark Force, or even the half-step Grandmaster realm. As for the Grandmaster realm itself, that was impossible!

Compared to Fang Jing, however, Fang Daihe's own son fell somewhat short. If Fang Jing did not marry out, possessing such a formidable daughter would likely result in Fang Daimo—Fang Jing's father—becoming the head of the Fang family.

This was something Fang Daihe was utterly unwilling to witness. He harbored an intense obsession with power and refused to play second fiddle to anyone.

The old master's words displeased him greatly.

Fang Daihe's question was precisely what everyone else wanted to ask, and all eyes naturally converged on Fang Yilong.

The head of the Fang family glanced at his eldest son and said, "Daihe, I cannot speak of this matter just yet."

Without the permission of Grandmaster Chen Xian, he did not dare to disclose Grandmaster Chen's name without authorization. Even though Grandmaster Chen had stated his intention to marry his granddaughter, he could not afford to offend a Grandmaster.

Grandmasters were like dragons; in the hearts of martial artists, their status was loftier than the heavens, sacred and inviolable.

"Father, if you cannot provide a convincing reason and absolute certainty, I believe it is best not to call off the marriage. Otherwise, the consequences are something we cannot bear!" Fang Daihe pressed on relentlessly.

"Old Master, the eldest young master makes a valid point!"

"..."

Many of the core family members who shared Fang Daihe's interests chimed in one after another.

Fang Daimo, Fang Jing's father, furrowed his brows slightly and retorted, "Big Brother is truly eager to see my daughter jump into a fire pit!"

He was well aware of Fang Daihe's petty schemes to seize power.

The old man had already made his decision to call off the engagement, yet Fang Daihe was here putting up every possible obstacle.

"Second Brother, you are quite wrong to say that. I am merely sending niece Fang Jing into the Wu family. The Wu family is a faction even more powerful than the Ke family. What is wrong with our niece marrying into them? Even if Wu Dajiang is a bit simple-minded..." Fang Daihe countered tit for tat.

Thump!

The head of the Fang family abruptly stood up and shouted coldly, "Silence, all of you! My mind is made up. My granddaughter Fang Jing shall not be joined with Wu Dajiang, and there is no need for anyone to say another word!"

As the pillar of strength for the Fang family, Fang Yilong naturally possessed solemn authority. Once he made a decision, no one could oppose it.

Even though Fang Daihe harbored a myriad of lingering resentments in his heart, he had no choice but to bite his tongue and obey.

"Housekeeper, immediately remove all wedding decorations from the estate." Fang Yilong ordered.

A slightly hunchbacked elderly man respectfully acknowledged the command and retreated to carry it out.

"Meeting adjourned!" With that, Fang Yilong also left the Tiger Prestige Hall.

Fang Daimo immediately strode away in the direction of his own quarters. He wanted to share this joyful news with his wife and daughter. Originally, he had been entirely unwilling to marry his daughter off to that foolish Wu Dajiang, but the family had reached a life-or-death juncture, and to preserve the Fang family, he had been forced to sacrifice his daughter's happiness.

Watching Fang Daimo's retreating figure, Fang Daihe secretly clenched his fists. "Damn it, why did things take such a turn?"

However, no one could answer him.

Upon returning to his study, Fang Yilong immediately penned a letter himself and had someone dispatch it through the night to the martial arts family of Wu.

The reason he chose a letter over a telephone call was twofold: on one hand, Fang Yilong wished to sincerely express his apologies to the Wu family; on the other hand, he simply did not know how to break the news to the head of the Wu family over the phone.

...

Inside Fang Jing's boudoir.

Fang Jing leaned against Chen Xian's wide, solid chest. The two of them stood closely together by the window, gazing at the brilliant stars and the silver moon in the night sky, the moonlight casting a luminous veil over them.

"Xian, is this moment real?" Fang Jing raised her head, her limpid, beautiful eyes looking up at the youth's sharply-defined jawline as she whispered softly, "Why does it feel like a dream? I'm so afraid that once the dream ends, you'll leave me again, leaving me all alone once more!"

Chen Xian lowered his gaze to look tenderly at the peerless beauty in his arms, holding her even tighter. "It's real—more real than iron itself!"

Fang Jing nodded softly, then stood on tiptoe, pressing her lips, as delicate as a red rose, against the youth's mouth. She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, and tears involuntarily slipped from the corners of her eyes.

They kissed and parted.

Seeing that Fang Jing was crying again, Chen Xian said with a heart-ache, "Jing, why are you crying again?!"

"Hehe, these are tears of joy, tears of happiness!" Fang Jing wept as she smiled happily.

With that, she buried her head back against Chen Xian's chest like an obedient little beast.

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Fang Jing hurriedly broke away from Chen Xian's embrace, her face flushed red, and called out, "Who is it?"

"Jing, open the door quickly, your father and I have good news to tell you," her mother's voice came from outside.

In truth, Fang Jing had already guessed what the news was. Ever since Chen Xian had appeared in the bathroom and saved her, she had known she was already pulled from the jaws of hell.

"Xian, go hide in the back bathroom. We haven't made our relationship public yet..." Fang Jing said, her face blushing.

Deep down, she remained a traditional girl.

Amused, Chen Xian grazed Fang Jing's exquisite, upturned nose and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you in everything."

With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom.

Only then did Fang Jing go to open the door, greeted by the joyful faces of her father and mother outside.

...

In the dead of night, a black Mercedes sedan drove up to the gates of the Wu family's estate and came to a halt.

At that moment, the Wu family's estate, much like the Fang family's, was lavishly decorated for a wedding—red double-happiness characters, red silk banners, red lanterns, red couplets...

A figure stepped out of the vehicle and handed a letter to the Wu family night-watchman, instructing him to deliver it to the head of the Wu family immediately.

The man quickly took the letter and hurried into the estate.

Wu Dingtian, the head of the Wu family and its ultimate pillar of strength—a half-step Grandmaster—took the letter handed to him by his subordinate. Upon opening it and reading the contents inside, he abruptly sprang to his feet.

Crack!

He slammed a heavy palm down onto the precious hardwood desk, and with a loud bang, the desk splintered into a pile of wooden fragments, a testament to the sheer force of the blow.

"Fang Yilong, you old bastard! To go back on your word—this is going too far!" Wu Dingtian seethed with murderous intent. "Since your Fang family is courting its own destruction, then I, Wu Dingtian, will grant your wish!"

With those words, he immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly, and an unsurprised voice came through. "Oh, isn't this the head of the Wu family? What brings you to call me in the middle of the night? This is truly unexpected!"

"Ke Xueyi, cut the crap! If you want to wipe out the Fang family, set off for the Fang estate at dawn tomorrow. At 10 o'clock, our forces will join together, and we will storm into the Fang family to capture that old bastard Fang Yilong and his granddaughter Fang Jing alive!" Wu Dingtian declared, reeking of bloodlust.

This time, he was truly enraged. Fang Yilong calling off the engagement overnight was a blatant slap to the face of a half-step Grandmaster like him.

Because of his son's wedding, Wu Dingtian had already sent out widespread invitations, and numerous guests had already arrived ahead of time.

Wu Dingtian vowed to make Fang Yilong and the Fang family pay a price they could never bear—the utter annihilation of the Fang family!