Chapter 58: A Dramatic Proposal

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"Big sister, you forgot, last time you gave me some spiritual spring water, and my roots could extend far and deep, and then I found this thing." The osmanthus tree invited Tang Ailian as it pushed something up with its roots.

To Tang Ailian's surprise, the thing that emerged was a square object, about two inches wide and three inches long. Tang Ailian placed the square object into her medicine well space and used her telepathic energy to remove the dirt from it, then opened the box. Instantly, a cold aura radiated within the medicine well space, causing fluctuations in the spiritual energy.

Inside the box was a small knife, a little over three inches long, shining with a sharp glint.

"Could this be one of those legendary throwing knives? But why doesn't it have a red silk handle? Judging by the spiritual power on this small knife, it should be a magical tool. Maybe it's the kind of small throwing knife used in ancient times to cultivate one's dantian."

Tang Ailian suddenly remembered the history of Li Family Village that she had heard about in her previous life. The Li Family Village was more like a family than a village, as everyone there shared the same surname, Li. It was said that their ancestors were a prominent martial arts family, capable of walking on knife edges without getting hurt and dipping their hands in boiling oil without harm.

Tang Ailian thought, "Little Gui, let me give you some even better spiritual water to see how far your roots can extend."

Little Gui was the name Tang Ailian had given to the osmanthus tree.

As soon as it heard about the better spiritual water, Little Gui became excited. "Big sister, give it to me, give it to me!" It spoke playfully while using its spiritual energy to charm Tang Ailian.

Tang Ailian chuckled and used her telepathic energy to draw water from a depth of three meters—her telepathic abilities had improved to the point where she could draw water from such depths. With a flick of her finger, she poured the spiritual water onto the roots of the osmanthus tree.

Receiving the deep spiritual water, the osmanthus tree felt a sense of joy in its consciousness. It was delighted to have tasted this precious spiritual water.

However, the next moment, it slowly fell silent and didn't respond to Tang Ailian's telepathic calls, no matter how much she tried.

Tang Ailian was perplexed. Could it be that the spiritual water she provided was too concentrated, causing it to fall into a deep slumber?

Nevertheless, receiving a magical tool was an unexpected surprise for Tang Ailian. She had a feeling that there were more treasures to be found underground in Li Family Village.

Putting that aside for now, she decided to test the small knife.

Tang Ailian used her telepathic energy to hold the small knife, attempting to make it move. However, manipulating the small knife with telepathic energy was completely different from drawing water with telepathic energy. It took her quite some time to make the small knife stand upright, with its tip pointing upwards.

It was exhausting.

While Tang Ailian was immersed in playing with the magical tools in her medicine well space, she was unaware that inside the house, Liu Meilan was resurrecting old memories with Liu Xiujian. She needed to tie Tang Ailian to her son, Xiao Ye, at all costs.

Liu Meilan handed Liu Xiujian another cup of tea. "You see, Xiujian, your brother-in-law has already agreed. Why don't you agree too? Our relationship is so good, and when Ailian comes to my house, I will treat her like my own daughter."

Liu Xiujian's face turned dark. "What? How come your dad didn't tell me about this?"

"Ah, we've even exchanged tokens. Don't you believe it?" Liu Meilan got up and went into the room, returning with an old-fashioned pocket watch in her hand. "Look, this is it, the betrothal gift from your brother-in-law, Big Dragon, to Xiao Ye. Isn't he the head of the family? Why can't he decide on Ailian's marriage?"

Liu Xiujian recognized the pocket watch—it really belonged to Tang Daliang! He felt a surge of resentment. How could Big Dragon sell off his favorite daughter like this? Just wait until he came back; he would deal with him!

Ever since Liu Meilan had forcibly taken away all the sweet potatoes that Liu Xiujian had hidden, his impression of Liu Meilan had worsened. He felt that Liu Meilan was somewhat ungrateful. How could he allow his daughter to marry into such a family?

Liu Meilan smiled sweetly. "Of course, we're just hoping to make an arrangement for now, and they can decide when they grow up. If they don't like each other, how could we force them? Everyone knows you can't tie the knot if they don't get along."

Hmph, the bride Liu Meilan had in mind was quite special. Liu Xiujian hadn't considered the influence of Tang Ailian's master, and he didn't want to deny it. But who was he? He was Liu Xiujian! He had succeeded in taking Li Qiuyu away from his cousin's clutches, so he believed he could certainly win back a wife for Li Xinnye.

Tang Ailian? She was not going to let her escape from his grasp.

"That's for sure. I just hope that we can make this arrangement for now, and when they grow up, they can decide for themselves. If they don't like each other, we can't force them. After all, who doesn't know that you can't force a marriage if they don't get along?" Liu Meilan said, her tone softening, making it difficult for Liu Xiujian to refuse.

He snorted inwardly. If Tang Ailian were an ordinary girl, he wouldn't be interested. But when he heard Liu Meilan mention Tang Ailian's master, he suddenly realized that there might be complications.

Tang Ailian had a reclusive master, and he had heard about it. Moreover, he had heard about the customs in the martial arts world. Once someone became a disciple of a master, they had to show the same respect to their master as they did to their parents. Sometimes, their master's words held even more weight than their parents'.

Considering this master's existence, Liu Xiujian couldn't deny that his brother-in-law might not be able to make decisions for Tang Ailian. He didn't dare to oppose that idea.

But who was he? He was Liu Xiujian, and he believed that he could make things happen. After all, he had managed to win Li Qiuyu away from his cousin's grasp, and he was determined to win back a wife for Li Xinnye.

Tang Ailian? He wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers.

Tang Ailian watched her father and felt a sense of pity for him. He must have been busy during the New Year period. Now that he was back, he deserved a good rest. She quickly poured a glass of water for him and said, "Dad, have some water."

Tang Daliang drank the water, feeling much

 better. "My Ailian is the best. After drinking the water you poured, I feel full of energy."

Tang Ailian secretly rejoiced. The water she had given him contained spiritual essence, so of course it would make him feel better. She contemplated whether to give her father some cultivation techniques as well.

Although Tang Daliang's physical fatigue had disappeared after drinking the water, he still felt mentally drained. He longed for a good rest.

However, as soon as he entered the room, he was met with his wife's anger.

"Honey, I'm back," Tang Daliang greeted.

"You dare to come back?" Liu Xiujian's mother, Liu Meilan, raised her eyebrows.

(End of this chapter)