Chapter 410 Xiao Changfeng's Scheme

On the jade bed, the beautiful woman slowly opened her eyes.

Xiao Changfeng exclaimed with joy, "Ruyan, you're awake!"

"F-father?"

Xiao Ruyan opened her eyes and saw Xiao Changfeng, but she stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to look at him again.

Xiao Changfeng felt a pang in his heart and sighed softly, saying, "Ruyan, I know you harbor resentment in your heart, but... I am not in control of my own fate either!"

Xiao Ruyan still turned her head away, refusing to say a word.

Xiao Changfeng's heart felt as if cut by a knife, knowing that his daughter had lost all hope in him.

"Very well, if you won't listen to your father, then you can surely listen to Ji Qing, can't you?" Xiao Changfeng said with a deep sigh.

Xiao Ruyan trembled at these words, unable to help turning her head, her eyes full of doubt.

Knowing his daughter's thoughts, Xiao Changfeng explained, "Your father is incompetent. When I discovered you were poisoned, I was already powerless. It was Ji Qing who worked a miracle and miraculously saved you!"

Xiao Ruyan's eyes were full of shock. She knew better than anyone the toxicity of Nine Nether Soul-Severing Powder—it could kill upon contact with blood.

After several hours of poisoning, it was basically incurable. That Ji Qing could actually save her—what a high level of medical skill that must be!

"He... where is he?" Xiao Ruyan said, her voice trembling slightly.

Xiao Changfeng sighed again and said, "Ruyan, I know you might not want to hear this, but the martial arts contest for a spouse is inevitable. Otherwise, if our Xiao family offends both the Huang and Xue families at the same time, it will be hard for us to survive in the royal city."

Seeing his daughter getting emotional, Xiao Changfeng quickly said, "Don't get agitated yet; let me finish! Perhaps this hopeless situation now has a chance to turn around!"

Xiao Ruyan's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise. "Father, you mean..."

Xiao Changfeng nodded and said, "Exactly! If you really don't want to marry into the Huang or Xue family, perhaps we can pin this matter on Ji Qing. I think... if it's Ji Qing, you... wouldn't refuse, would you?"

Hearing Xiao Changfeng's words, Xiao Ruyan's face, which had been pale from weakness, flushed red.

Seeing Xiao Ruyan's coy and hesitant demeanor, Xiao Changfeng sighed softly. "Actually, I saw through your feelings during the Alchemy Grand Assembly. Now that Ji Qing has been taken as a disciple by the Star Abyss Emperor, his status is comparable to that of the Huang and Xue families. If we were to bring you two together, it wouldn't be impossible, but..."

Hearing the first half, Xiao Ruyan felt a secret joy in her heart.

But upon hearing the word 'but,' her heart trembled, and she asked weakly, "But what?"

"Alas... I never expected you to do something so desperate. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that you're a falling flower in love, but the flowing stream is heartless," Xiao Changfeng sighed.

Xiao Ruyan's heart clenched painfully. Unwilling to give up, she said, "If he had no feelings for me, why would he help me again and again?"

"Your father has been through more and sees things more clearly than you. Although I don't know why he entered the Xiao family, Ji Qing must have come with some purpose. That's why I resorted to that scheme during the Alchemy Grand Assembly, deliberately pitting him against Tong Wenchang. Who would have thought that a chance act would yield unexpected results, and Ji Qing became our Xiao family's savior! In truth, my distrust back then had already thoroughly angered him. If you hadn't stepped up to support him, he would have likely walked away."

Hearing Xiao Changfeng's words, Xiao Ruyan was even more puzzled. "If that's the case, doesn't it prove even more..."

Xiao Changfeng shook his head and said, "Precisely because of that, it shows even more that his feelings for you are not romantic but those of friendship! If he had entered the Xiao family because of you, he would never have gotten so angry over my distrust, nor would he have kept such a low profile before the Pill Competition. Instead, he would have tried every means to make your father and you value him. Although I don't know why, something must have happened at the Pill Competition that completely enraged him and made him utterly defeat Tong Wenchang!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruyan's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

The onlooker sees clear, while the participant is lost. Only after Xiao Changfeng's analysis did Xiao Ruyan realize that perhaps she had been wishful thinking. A stream of clear tears could no longer be held back and flowed down.

"Ruyan, you need not be like this. There may still be a turning point in this matter!" said Xiao Changfeng.

Xiao Ruyan said tearfully, "Father need not comfort me..."

"I am not comforting you. Perhaps you can truly fight for this. Before, I had no confidence, but now... I am seventy percent sure." said Xiao Changfeng.

"Seventy percent sure?" Xiao Ruyan asked doubtfully.

Xiao Changfeng nodded and said, "Indeed! Ji Qing must have had his own purpose in coming to the Xiao family, so I had no confidence at all. I feared offending a future giant and thus never spoke up. But today, through your matter, I can conclude that Ji Qing is a man who values loyalty greatly! If... you truly do not wish to marry into the Huang or Xue families, perhaps you can break the ice with him. Given his temperament, he surely would not stand by and watch you jump into a fire pit."

Xiao Ruyan's eyes lit up briefly, but soon dimmed.

For a woman, especially a stunning beauty like Xiao Ruyan, it was too difficult for her to break the ice.

This required immense courage!

Moreover, Xiao Changfeng had already made it clear that Ye Yuan's feelings for her were only those of friendship.

What if... he rejected her?

If she didn't break the ice, perhaps they could still be friends; once the window paper was pierced, they might not even be friends anymore.

That was not the outcome Xiao Ruyan wanted!

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart; at that time, she might feel worse than death!

"I..." Xiao Ruyan was clearly caught in extreme inner turmoil.

"Alas, I know this is somewhat cruel for you, but this is the best solution I can think of. Most importantly, you are fond of Ji Qing, aren't you? Ji Qing has been waiting outside for a long time. I will go call him in now. As for whether to speak or not, it's up to you." Xiao Changfeng sighed softly and turned to leave.

Xiao Ruyan did not notice that at the moment he turned, a glint flashed in Xiao Changfeng's eyes.

Xiao Changfeng said this for his daughter's sake, but more importantly, once Ye Yuan and Xiao Ruyan became a couple, the Xiao family would be tied to the banner of the Alchemist Association.

With this connection, the Xiao family's position in the royal city would be unshakable!

Xing Yuan had dared to sanction the imperial family for Ye Yuan's sake, showing how much he valued this disciple.

Once the two were happily married, the landscape of the royal city's alchemy world would change again, and the Pill Competition would no longer need to be held!

This was Xiao Changfeng's deeper calculation!

Xiao Ruyan was simple-minded; how could she see through Xiao Changfeng's profound scheming?

That said, even if she did see through it, she would probably still want to keep Ye Yuan's heart at all costs, wouldn't she?