“Xiangyi, after all these years, do you still blame your grandfather?” The old man murmured with a sigh, looking at the peerless woman before him.

“Gongsun Sheng, spare me your false compassion. Do you think I don’t know the poison in your system has long been cured? Since I have fallen into your hands, do with me as you will—kill me or torture me!” The graceful woman was none other than Gongsun Xiangyi. Hearing Gongsun Sheng’s words, a cold sneer curved her lips.

“After all, you are my granddaughter. How could I bear to harm you?” Seeing Gongsun Xiangyi’s fury, Gongsun Sheng’s face twisted into an expression of deep bitterness.

“Granddaughter? Hahahaha! Gongsun Sheng, how dare you utter that word? Who was it that brought me to such a state back then? And who was it that despised me and sought to utterly destroy me?” At the mention of his words, Gongsun Xiangyi threw her head back and laughed wildly, her laughter turning ferocious and maniacal. Her eyes were filled only with resentment.

“Alas…” Seeing Gongsun Xiangyi’s expression, Gongsun Sheng could only heave a heavy sigh, momentarily speechless.

“Xiangyi, those are things of the past. No matter what, your surname is Gongsun, and you are one of us, a member of the Gongsun family. Let the past be the past, alright?” Gongsun Sheng spoke with great kindness.

“Why didn't you think that way fifteen years ago? When those so-called cousins bullied me, why didn’t you say such things then? When I was tormented by everyone, when I kept the snakes company, when I slept alongside the scorpions—why didn’t you speak up then? Gongsun Sheng, oh Gongsun Sheng, don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning! It’s all about marrying me off to Xuanyuan Xue, isn’t it? Let me tell you plainly: even if it means death, I will never marry him!” Gongsun Xiangyi scoffed coldly.

“Alas…” Gongsun Sheng sighed deeply once more, his clouded eyes revealing an inexpressible sorrow.

Xuanyuan Xue, the youngest son of the Heavenly Yuan Empire’s God of War, Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan. Not yet thirty, he had already reached the Grandmaster Realm and held the rank of a First-Rank Great General, currently responsible for guarding the entirety of Lanzhou. It was precisely because of his arrival that the Northern Invasion steps of the Southern Cloud Empire had been halted.

Half a month ago, with the front lines stabilized, Xuanyuan Xue had traveled from Jincheng to pay his respects, bringing with him a letter from Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan. The letter contained only four words: Gongsun Xuanyuan!

Gongsun Xuanyuan—Gongsun preceding Xuanyuan—this clearly indicated the standing of the Gongsun family within the Xuanyuan lineage.

As for what Gongsun Xuanyuan truly signified, only the head of the Gongsun family and key members of the Imperial Clan were privy to that secret.

It concerned the first patriarch of the Xuanyuan family, Xuanyuan, and the first head of the Gongsun family, Gongsun. That history dated back a thousand years, when the Xuanyuan family was not yet a major power. Xuanyuan had been ruthlessly pursued by enemies and suffered grievous injuries, saved only by Gongsun. Later, Xuanyuan mastered his divine techniques, exacted vengeance, and became the most renowned figure of that era. To repay Gongsun’s life-saving grace, he married Gongsun’s daughter, thus establishing the formidable Xuanyuan family. Furthermore, to engrave the deep kindness of the Gongsun family into memory, he established an ancestral decree: Gongsun Xuanyuan.

It meant: Gongsun first, then Xuanyuan. From that generation onwards, the Xuanyuan and Gongsun families were almost perpetually bound by marriage ties, generation after generation. The previous Emperor’s own mother was a sister of Gongsun Sheng.

The four characters Gongsun Xuanyuan had slowly evolved into a formal correspondence for arranged marriages between the Xuanyuan and Gongsun families.

Upon seeing those four words, Gongsun Sheng immediately understood Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan’s intent. However, in terms of seniority, Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan was the late Emperor’s imperial uncle, making him Gongsun Sheng’s peer. For his youngest son to propose marriage, Gongsun Sheng felt he should seek a match among his own peers. Yet, the critical issue was that although the Gongsun family was powerful, finding a true peer involved distant relatives; his own direct line had none suitable.

Of course, over the years, the seniority between the Xuanyuan and Gongsun families had become quite muddled. Even if they weren't of the same generation, it wouldn't matter—but the crux was that Xuanyuan Xue had proposed marriage to Gongsun Xiangyi.

At that time, Gongsun Sheng had been utterly stunned. Gongsun Xiangyi had left the Gongsun family twelve years prior. He had assumed she was dead, only for her to suddenly reappear before him barely a month ago, nearly succeeding in poisoning him. Of course, having dealt with poisons his entire life, it wasn't easy to succeed in killing him.

When she failed to poison him and was subsequently captured, Gongsun Sheng recalled how his own sons had been engaged in bitter infighting for the position of family head, even beginning to plot against him. This brought to mind Gongsun Mu, the granddaughter who had never concerned herself with family power. This, in turn, made him recall the extremely plain-looking granddaughter, Gongsun Xiangyi, filling him with deep regret for his past indifference and immense guilt toward her. Thus, even when she tried to poison him, Gongsun Sheng couldn't bring himself to kill her, even suppressing the suggestions to execute her by claiming his own poison was not yet cured.

When Xuanyuan Xue proposed to marry Gongsun Xiangyi, those within the Gongsun family dared not kill her any less.

But these were truly not the reasons he hadn't killed her! He genuinely hoped she could return to his embrace. Even if Xuanyuan Xue hadn't made such a request, he would never have permitted anyone to lay a hand on her.

Watching Gongsun Xiangyi’s resolute defiance, Gongsun Sheng felt as if his heart were being twisted by a knife. It was fate, all of it—a terrible destiny!

Sighing heavily in his heart, Gongsun Sheng suddenly flicked his index finger, sending a sharp gust of wind shooting out. It struck the nylon ropes binding Gongsun Xiangyi, and the incredibly resilient cords instantly snapped. Free from her bonds, Gongsun Xiangyi sprang up.

“What? Has your conscience awakened? Are you planning to release me? Or are you attempting to move me with such a gesture?” Gongsun Xiangyi stood above him, looking down at Gongsun Sheng as she spoke coldly.

“Don’t leave this place. You can do anything else you want,” Gongsun Sheng said faintly, pushing his wheelchair aside as he retreated.

“Do you think I would listen to you?” Gongsun Xiangyi scoffed. If she hadn’t known she was no match for Gongsun Sheng, she would have struck him down immediately!

“If you don’t want anything to happen to your Little Flower, you had better obey your grandfather!” Gongsun Sheng’s figure quickly vanished at the end of the corridor, but his words clearly reached Gongsun Xiangyi’s ears...

Hearing the threat, Gongsun Xiangyi’s body wavered. Her previously furious expression instantly dimmed. Little Flower was still in their hands. What could she possibly do?