Chapter 63: Selection

“Sir Li, I have no need for your gift,” Miss Lu said, handing the zither back to him.

“Oh, come now, Miss Lu, you mustn’t look down on our Li family. We can easily afford such things,” Li insisted shamelessly, pushing the instrument back toward her.

“Sir Li, please take it back. If I were to accept your gift, I fear I’d never dare return here to play music again,” Miss Lu replied, repulsed by his domineering attitude and hinting at a subtle threat.

“No matter. I'll have my father come to your house and propose marriage someday, and then you can play for me alone.” Li remained persistent, not taking no for an answer.

Lin Yang, curious about the parentage of such a brainless son, tapped the man beside him and asked, “Friend, who is this Sir Li?”

The man next to Lin Yang responded with disdain, “You must be from elsewhere, friend. In this valley, there are only two great families: the Lu family and the Li family. The Lu family far surpasses the Li family.”

“The Lu family boasts three Foundation Establishment cultivators, plus a clan leader at the peak of Foundation Establishment. The Li family, on the other hand, has only one Foundation Establishment clan leader.”

“And that fool up there is the Li clan leader’s son—spoiled and arrogant, used to getting his way, which explains his brainless remarks.” The man spoke at length.

Lin Yang pondered for a moment and then asked, “So who is that Miss Lu up there?”

“You mean Miss Lu Yi? She’s the granddaughter of the Lu clan leader, the cherished daughter of the family. Her talent is impressive; at twenty-four, she’s already at the late stage of Qi Training.”

“She’s likely to reach Foundation Establishment in the future,” the man said excitedly at the mention of Miss Lu. Suddenly, he turned back to Lin Yang, “Friend, you’re not planning to marry Miss Lu, are you? I’d advise against it. She’ll only accept someone whose talent surpasses hers, ideally a young man who’s reached Foundation Establishment.”

“And rumor has it Miss Lu prefers men of poetic talent. I doubt anyone in our little town fits the bill,” he added.

Lin Yang now understood the gulf between Miss Lu and Sir Li, and, intrigued, asked more about the latter.

“What about that overly confident Sir Li?” Lin Yang inquired.

“You mean Li the Good-for-Nothing? He’s said to have three spiritual roots. Despite his father’s relentless training, at twenty-six he’s only reached the fifth layer of Qi Training—a true waste,” the man replied with disgust.

“And he often uses spirit stones at the market to forcibly take concubines. The last Lu family girl he took was beautiful and played the zither beautifully, too.”

“If the Lu family is so much stronger, how did he manage to marry one of their girls?” Lin Yang asked.

“It’s because the last Miss Lu wasn’t favored in her own family. As a ‘crab,’ she had few who truly cared for her, and ultimately, those within and outside the clan conspired to send her to the Li family,” the man said, growing angrier, almost tempted to storm the stage and kick Sir Li himself.

“That suggests the Lu family isn’t much better—betraying their own for profit,” Lin Yang commented, finding it shameful to trade away one’s kin for wealth, especially to a weaker family. His view of the Lu family’s shamelessness was thus broadened.

“Alas, that’s how it is. All the common cultivators in the market suffer under the Lu and Li families’ oppression. If it weren’t so dangerous to leave, there’d hardly be anyone left here,” the man sighed. Lin Yang had noticed upon entering that the outskirts were crawling with monsters, the entire market nestled deep in mountains, surrounded by vast wilderness.

Lin Yang decided not to involve himself in their affairs; after all, he had no stake in the matter and was just here for trade, not to stir up trouble.

…

After quite some time, Miss Lu finally managed to send Sir Li away and began the main event.

“Fellow cultivators, today is our Lu family’s matchmaking festival. Any gentleman who can open the three boxes before you may select a lady to join him for dinner,” Miss Lu announced, taking three boxes bound with arrays from her storage pouch.

From backstage, many graceful Lu family women emerged, all dressed in dazzling attire, drawing the eyes of every man below.

“Every five years, our Lu family holds this matchmaking event, hoping talented men will join our clan,” Miss Lu revealed her true purpose. After all, those who could open the boxes must possess real skill.

“Miss Lu, can we chat with you instead?” some men shouted from below.

“That’s out of the question. To converse with me, you must compose a poem based on my theme,” Miss Lu replied from the stage.

“Then let’s begin!” the men called out, eager for their chance at dinner with Miss Lu.

“Please step forward and try your luck at opening these boxes,” Miss Lu invited.

Lin Yang examined the boxes with his spiritual sense and instantly understood their mechanisms. The first box restricted age—only men under thirty could open it. The second required at least mid-stage Qi Training cultivation. The third measured spiritual strength; only those whose soul met the threshold could open it.

It was clear the Lu family was screening for strong candidates, and these women were likely from side branches, meant for political marriages—otherwise, such measures wouldn’t be so extreme.

Lin Yang found the Lu family’s manipulative strategy disgraceful. True strength was earned, not assembled through alliances with outsiders. Such tactics bred resentment among rogue cultivators; binding interests through women alone would never suffice, and, faced with profit, the Lu family might well be devoured by wolves.

Soon, dozens of men were filtered down to just over ten—a group of promising, young talents.

At that moment, Miss Lu spotted Lin Yang watching the spectacle and personally brought the three boxes down to him.

“May I ask, sir, why you haven’t tried on stage?” Lu Yi asked curiously.

“I’m already over thirty,” Lin Yang replied, choosing a plausible excuse to avoid attracting attention.

Yet Lin Yang forgot that few could discern the arrays’ functions, which only piqued Miss Lu’s curiosity further.

…