"Sigh!" After a long while, Xuanyuan Hao finally let out a slow breath, a look in his eyes that was difficult to decipher.

"Patriarch!"

"What, you..." Xuanyuan Hao was about to sit down when he suddenly saw the old man who had just been dispatched to run an errand return, and judging by his appearance, he seemed to have sustained some injuries, causing a jolt in the Patriarch's heart. "Did you get beaten back by that girl?"

"Yes!" The old man's face involuntarily showed great awkwardness. After all, he was considered a master within the Xuanyuan family, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from a girl not yet twenty years old—it was truly bitter.

"Do you think I've made a mistake!"

"Not yet!"

"Hmm?" Xuanyuan Hao let out a sound of contemplation and asked, "Are you saying that because I haven't replied to the Shangguan family yet, I haven't done anything wrong?"

"Exactly!" the old man replied honestly.

"Alas, I actually know that," Xuanyuan Hao murmured, stroking his chin. "But if my Xuanyuan family were to intermarry with the Shangguan family, with their financial muscle and our Xuanyuan family's power as ability users, we would be unrivaled in Huaxia. Wouldn't that be excellent?"

"But, Patriarch, you should also consider this. If the Young Miss is enraged, we will all suffer, and besides, I think you wouldn't easily sacrifice the happiness of your only daughter, would you?" the old man said softly.

"Shangguan Tengfei of the Shangguan family is indeed an outstanding individual, it's just a pity his ambition for power isn't great enough, which is why he is in his current state. Moreover, judging by his demeanor, it really seems connected to his sister," Xuanyuan Hao spoke as if everything was within his grasp, a cold sliver playing on his lips.

"Indeed. Furthermore, your subordinate heard that Shangguan Tengfei has already reached a complete impasse with the Shangguan Family Head. Now the Shangguan family has issued a decree: until Shangguan Tengfei forms a marital alliance with the Xuanyuan family, he is forbidden from using any of the Shangguan family's resources."

"Heh heh, do you think I should reconsider this matter?"

"I'm afraid time does not allow the Patriarch much room for consideration."

"Has a message arrived from the Shangguan family?"

"Yes, it seems Shangguan Qingyun intends to pay a personal visit soon!"

"Alas, this matter is truly difficult to resolve!" Xuanyuan Hao’s face was etched with gravity.

Indeed, as Xuanyuan Hao had stated, if this situation were mishandled, it could ignite unnecessary conflict. Although the Shangguan family was commercially focused, they held significant influence in Huaxia and ranked at the very top of the Eight Great Families—therefore, refusing them would be tantamount to offending the entire Shangguan clan.

However, conversely—accepting the match would mean hurting Xuanyuan Bing. In the Xuanyuan family, Xuanyuan Bing was the apple of Xuanyuan Hao’s eye; known for being fiercely protective, how could he possibly doom his own daughter to a lifetime of unhappiness? It was precisely for this reason that he had been so hesitant to make a final decision.

"Master, perhaps I should go speak with the Young Miss again..."

"No need. If you go again, that girl probably won't hold back. I should go myself," Xuanyuan Hao waved his hand.

"Yes!" The old man felt terrible inside, as if he had fallen from the eighty-story floor straight onto the ground.

Xuanyuan Bing, within the Xuanyuan family, was an ability genius. Her Ice element ability had successfully advanced to the S-level, making her an almost invincible presence within the family. Even Xuanyuan Hao himself was currently only an A-level ability user. This explained why the old man had been defeated by Xuanyuan Bing and returned covered in dust.

Meanwhile, a crimson sports car sped down the road, driven by a beauty with an icy expression; even the air escaping her lips seemed bitterly cold. If one looked closely, it could be seen that this red car was tearing along at a furious pace of 200 kilometers per hour.

"Whoosh!" The red car let out strange, shrieking sounds as it continually turned and drifted, its speed increasing, yet the beauty's icy face remained utterly unmoved, as if she were merely driving, not racing.

At this moment, a young man was preparing to exit his own vehicle. Before he could even open the door, a sudden ripping sound, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, swept past. "Damn it, what the hell was that? Crazy!"

"Hmm?" The youth in the driver's seat suddenly furrowed his brow, his gaze fixed on the red car as it rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. A strange, knowing smile curled at his lips.

"Fatty, hold on tight."

"Brother Yi, what's—"

"Whoosh!" Before the young man, who was Lin Fatty, could settle in, the black sedan shot forward, emitting an eerie howl that made Lin Fatty's heart race. He muttered inwardly, "Good heavens!"

Undoubtedly, the one in the passenger seat was Lin Fatty, meaning the driver was Yang Yi. These two had been aimlessly cruising since leaving the Dragon Guard Company. However, just as they reached this stretch of road, Lin Fatty seemed to have an uncontrollable urge to relieve himself, forcing Yang Yi to pull over with a sigh of resignation.

But before Lin Fatty could attend to his urgent need, a red car streaked past them, immediately catching Yang Yi's attention. Now, Yang Yi eased off the brake, accelerating to follow the red car.

"Brother Yi, what are you doing?" Lin Fatty was extremely uncomfortable. Setting aside the sheer speed Yang Yi was driving, this sudden burst of racing had thoroughly startled him, causing the previously slight trickle of urgency to transform into a desperate need to clench his legs shut to prevent a flood.

"Heh heh, I saw someone quite interesting; I just want to follow and see who she is," Yang Yi said, a strange smile playing on his lips—a smile that held a hint of amusement mixed with something deeply unsettling.

"Quite interesting..." Before Lin Fatty could finish speaking, he let out a loud yell, "Brother Yi, I can't hold it anymore! Quick, quick, quick, let me out of the car!"

"Damn it, you brat!" Yang Yi cursed, annoyed. He was just about to catch up, so he slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt.

"For Christ's sake, that was agonizing!" Lin Fatty scrambled to open the door and bolted out. He immediately unzipped, sighing with relief, "Damn, if I had held it in any longer, something disastrous would have happened. Whoosh, that felt so good..."

"Whoosh!" The black car let out a few protesting sounds, and Yang Yi’s voice called out, "Fatty, I'm going after that person. You call Yanran to come pick you up!"

"Hey—Brother Yi, Brother Yi!!!" Hearing the voice, Lin Fatty quickly turned around, still wrestling with his zipper, but in that very instant, his face twisted in agony. He began hopping around, gasping for air while yelling out in pain, "Ouch, mother, that hurts so much... So much pain... I pinched it... Damn it!"

Fortunately, no one else was around, or Lin Fatty's contorted, flushed expression would surely have drawn hearty laughter from a crowd.

"Hmm?" A subtle change flickered across the face of the beauty in the red car. In her rearview mirror, she could see a black sedan slowly gaining on her, causing her brow to furrow slightly.

"Boring!" The woman in the red car lightly bit her lower lip, spitting out those two words before stomping on the accelerator, causing the car to surge forward violently.

"Interesting," Yang Yi murmured involuntarily, a smile touching his lips. He then stomped his own accelerator, pushing his car to move even faster than the red one.

And so, the two cars engaged in a prolonged chase on the road. One would pull ahead significantly, only to be caught and overtaken by the other, a pattern that repeated throughout the entire afternoon until both vehicles were nearly out of fuel. They finally pulled into a gas station before stopping.

"Why were you following me?" The woman in the red car squinted, her gaze cold as she addressed Yang Yi in the black sedan beside her.

"Me following you?" Yang Yi curled his lip. "It seems to me that you were following me!"

"Me following you? Don't joke!" The cold beauty in the red car—who was indeed Xuanyuan Bing, her name perfectly matching her personality—spoke without leaving any room for argument or emotion.

"Heh heh, you follow me, I follow you, it's all the same in the end," Yang Yi chuckled, completely unfazed by her icy tone. Deep down, a strange desire burned within him: he truly wanted to test the truth of what Dongfang Shiling had said—that touching a cursed woman would lead to immediate death.

"Oh?" A strange glint flashed in Xuanyuan Bing's eyes, and for the first time, a cold sneer appeared on her lips.

"It's rare. I haven't seen you smile once on this entire drive, not even a cold one," Yang Yi remarked calmly.

"Hmph!" Xuanyuan Bing saw that she had finished refueling, let out a cold sound, and then strangely studied Yang Yi for a long moment before finally speaking, "Do you have the nerve to have a drink with me?"

"Nerve?" Yang Yi scoffed. "I don't know what 'nerve' is. I only know that I also have a strong desire for a drink right now!"

"Good, interesting!" A cold light flashed in Xuanyuan Bing's eyes. She pressed down on the accelerator, and the car shot away.

"Very interesting, hehe. The legendary cursed woman, eh? I really want to see just how this curse works!" Yang Yi’s mouth tilted up, the rogueish side of his nature seemingly revealing itself at last.