Several days later.
Bai Mudan decided to have a frank talk with her father.
"Dad, I want to get married," Bai Mudan said.
"I know," Bai Daqing nodded, "I also want you to settle down soon, but... Gao Fei simply doesn't agree..."
"What?" Bai Mudan pouted, "I'm not talking about Gao Fei."
"Eh?" Bai Daqing was stunned and stared blankly at his daughter, "Not Gao Fei? Then who? What? You've fallen for soone else?"
"Yes," Bai Mudan nodded, "I've fallen for another man."
"And what about Gao Fei?"
"I've already forgotten about him."
"Really forgotten?"
"Forgotten!"
"...My daughter, you... how can you... change your heart so quickly? Marriage is no trivial matter. You must be cautious!"
"As the ancients said well: One cannot hang oneself on a single tree, Since Gao Fei does not want to marry , then so be it, there are plenty of good n in the world, any one I choose would be better than Gao Fei."
"Any one you choose? Who have you chosen? What's his na? What does he do?"
"Don't worry, let explain slowly," Bai Mudan walked over, took her father's arm, and said cheerfully, "His na is Dongfang Jian, he's about my age, but his cultivation is much higher than mine, I've been with him for over a month, and I've found he is a man of love and righteousness, very good to , one could say he does everything I ask. No matter what I ask of him, he agrees without any hesitation..."
"How did you et him?" Bai Daqing asked in a deep voice.
"It's actually quite a coincidence," Bai Mudan smiled, "So days ago, when I was out having fun and watching the plum blossoms in the garden, I t Dongfang Jian. At that ti, I even scolded him harshly..." Bai Mudan shared the details of how she t Dongfang Jian.
"Is it really a coincidence?" Bai Daqing snorted lightly.
"What? You suspect Dongfang Jian has designs on ?" Bai Mudan's eyes widened, "That's not possible, absolutely not, Dongfang Jian is not that kind of person."
"As the saying goes, you can't see a person's heart through their belly, what exactly Dongfang Jian is thinking, only he himself knows," said Bai Daqing.
"You..."
"My daughter, you're not just any ordinary family's child, you're the precious daughter of the City Lord's Mansion; in the Human Territory, you are considered a person of high status. I don't know how many n are eyeing you. They are not interested in you per se, but in your status. They go out of their way to get close to you, to please you, seeing you as a ladder to the sky..."
"Dongfang Jian is not that kind of person! I can feel that he truly loves ," insisted Bai Mudan.
"Love? How much do you understand about love?" he asked.
"I..."
"As the old wisdom goes, one should not harbor intentions to harm others but must be wary of them. This is a lesson learned through the blood of our ancestors, and we must rember and not blindly trust strangers," explained Bai Daqing.
"What about Gao Fei! Why didn't you stop from marrying Gao Fei?" Bai Mudan asked, visibly upset.
"Gao Fei is different," Bai Daqing shook his head, "I understand Gao Fei, I know his temperant, that's why I am willing to let you marry him. As for this Dongfang Jian you speak of... I've never even seen his face, let alone know what kind of person he is. How could I possibly agree to let you marry him? I'm only thinking of your best interest!"
"If you truly have my best interest at heart, then you can't stop from seeing Dongfang Jian," she asserted.
"Alright, I don't want to argue with you anymore," Bai Daqing waved his hand: "Continuing this argunt could affect our father-daughter relationship." Having said that, Bai Daqing paused: "How about this, bring that Dongfang Jian over for to et him, and after that, I'll give you a response." His daughter's arrogance made him helpless, and her stubbornness vexed him. Wasn't raising his daughter from childhood anything but easy? Overindulging her was no good, as it would make her arrogant and conceited, but strict constraints were also problematic, possibly leaving a shadow in her heart and affecting their father-daughter relationship. Oh, being a good father was truly too difficult.
"Fine, I'll go find Dongfang Jian right now," Bai Mudan turned and ran off.
Bai Daqing sighed deeply: "This girl is really becoming less and less of a worry-free child."
...
Half an hour later.
Bai Daqing t Dongfang Jian.
"Dad, this is Dongfang Jian," Bai Mudan clung to Dongfang Jian's arm, her head nestled on his shoulder, acting very intimate.
Bai Daqing slightly furrowed his brow: "Mudan, step outside for a mont, and let have a talk with this young man alone."
"Why, is there sothing you can't say in front of ?" Bai Mudan was reluctant to leave.
"How's that?" Bai Daqing's face darkened: "Do my words no longer carry weight?"
"You..." Bai Mudan began to speak but was pulled back by Dongfang Jian, who patted the back of her hand and smiled, saying: "Be good, go out and wait."
"Fine, but if my dad gives you a hard ti, just call for , and I'll co right in," Bai Mudan reluctantly walked out, looking back every three steps.
Bai Daqing felt very upset. When he spoke, Bai Mudan wouldn't listen, but when Dongfang Jian said a word, she obediently complied... People often say that after marrying a wife, a man forgets his mother, but now it seed, after finding a man, she had forgotten her father. The more Bai Daqing thought about it, the angrier he got, his face slowly turning gloomy.
"City Lord," Dongfang Jian bowed with a fist, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly: "I sincerely like Mudan, and I beg the City Lord to let marry her. I swear, I will treat her well and never let her suffer the slightest grievance."
"Nice words are easy to say," Bai Daqing spoke indifferently: "What matters is action."
"The City Lord can test , and only marry Mudan to if he finds qualified," Dongfang Jian said: "I can wait, no matter how long it takes."
Bai Daqing stared intently at Dongfang Jian, his gaze sharp: "Your na is Dongfang Jian?"
"Yes," Dongfang Jian nodded.
"Where are you from?"
"I co from a humble place; if I were to say the na, the City Lord probably wouldn't recognize it."
"What have you co to Chaotic Wind City for?"
"I have been traveling the world these years, admiring the beautiful landscapes while tempering my ntal state. I've been through grasslands, crossed deserts, and lived in mountains and forests for a long ti... Over a month ago, I ca to Chaotic Wind City. I originally planned to stay only a couple of days, but then I t Mudan. From the mont I saw her, my heart started beating uncontrollably, and I knew... I had fallen hopelessly in love with Mudan... This is the first ti in my life I've felt such infatuation for a woman. I swear, I must marry Mudan and cherish her..."
"Save the act," Bai Daqing said flatly: "Those sweet nothings may work on Mudan, but they're useless to . Saying all that only makes think you're a smooth talker."
"I can swear, every word I say is true..."
"Just talk," Bai Daqing interjected.
"What?"
"What is your real purpose in getting close to Mudan?"
"Purpose? I have no purpose, my eting her was an accident, a coincidence..."
"Nonsense!" Bai Daqing scoffed: "My daughter is naive and easily fooled, but I... am not so easily deceived. I've lived many years and have been through innurable events; you want to fool ? There's no chance!"
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