In the Hibiscus Garden, rain or shine, Fifth Lady Su Xi was still diligently practicing her Hibiscus Throwing Knives technique. Each blade she sent flying burst into sparks that looked like blooming hibiscus flowers, dazzling and brilliant.

Seeing this, Su Zhi’s anger vanished without a trace. He nearly forgot why he had come, standing quietly to the side, filled with both pride and regret.

With this throwing knife skill, she was nothing like a newly initiated Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even the elders of the clan who had been at that stage for years couldn’t compare. Then he thought of the other younger generation, so disappointing in comparison, and he couldn’t help but feel a deep pang of regret. If only Fifth Lady had been born a man… as her father, he had ultimately failed to do right by her.

She finished a set of twelve throwing knives. They spun in the air and looped back, going out as flames and returning as icy blossoms, circling around her fingertips, darting like dragons, before vanishing altogether. In their place, a bracelet now rested on her wrist, a storage artifact coveted by all in the cultivation world.

After bowing to her father in greeting, Su Xi asked, “Father, what brings you here? Did you keep the man?”

“I heard from Uncle Song you chose Liu Xiaolou?” replied Su Zhi.

She nodded. “Grandpa Song was right. If it’s possible, I’d like to choose him.”

Su Zhi frowned, growing anxious. “Why? Do you not know his background? He’s a rogue cultivator from Wulong Mountain, in western Xian. I’ve heard that Wulong Mountain is nothing but a den of thieves.”

Her face stayed calm. “So what?”

Su Zhi snapped, “If a rogue like that marries into the Su family, won’t we become the laughingstock of the entire world? This man won’t do. Pick another.”

Su Xi fixed her gaze on her father. “Among the men in Gualu Hall, who could marry in without disgracing the Su family? Please, Father, enlighten me.”

Su Zhi was at a loss for words, but still tried to reason with her. “Fifth Lady, I know you resent this matter. For the sake of our family, you’ve given up your whole life… but even so, you can’t choose the very worst one, can you?”

She shook her head. “Father, you misunderstand. I have no complaints about taking in a husband. I don’t care about marriage for its own sake. What matters to me is the responsibility I bear as a daughter of the Su family. What I mean is, whether it's Qishan, the Jia family of Dongheng Town, or the Qian family, or the Zhang family. What are they, really? One amuses himself with chess and pretends to be refined, another grows rich by exploiting neighbors, another is the son of a high-interest pawnshop, and another runs a waterside trade with no real capital... and who else? Forget it, I don’t care. The point is, compared to the rogue cultivator from Wulong Mountain, are any of them really any better?”

“Then I’ll choose again…” Su Zhi muttered. “I’ll hold another son-in-law selection gathering…”

She smiled, unconcerned. “Father, you truly don’t understand me. My ambitions don’t lie here. No matter who I choose, it makes no difference to me. And if we keep dragging this out, what will you do if Elder Wang of the sect actually speaks up?”

Su Zhi’s eyes widened. “You’ve heard something?”

“This evening, Young Master Wang came by. When he left, there was a finality in his manner. I suspect he’s going into the mountains to petition Elder Wang.”

The Wang clan of Xunxi was an important branch of the Danxia Sect. The Wang family patriarch ranked among the sect’s four great elders, a Nascent Soul cultivator. If one of his descendants, madly infatuated with Fifth Lady, managed to persuade him to write a formal proposal, the Su family truly would have no way to refuse. And if she were really married off, there would be no coming back.

Su Zhi immediately abandoned the idea of not choosing anyone at all, but still said, “No matter what, pick someone else.”

“Father, what exactly is it that worries you?”

He sighed. “That Liu Xiaolou… he’s…”

Su Xi smiled. “Inclined toward men?”

He looked startled. “You knew?”

“That’s exactly why I chose him,” she replied.

Su Zhi was stunned. “Fifth Lady…”

She laughed. “Father, there’s no need to worry. I’ve already thought it through. I’ll make a three-year agreement with him, just to get past this immediate crisis. After three years, I’ll simply give him a letter of divorce. By then, as a woman who’s already been married once, there won’t be so many people rushing to propose anymore, will there?”

Su Zhi still couldn’t wrap his head around it. “Even if he’s marrying into our family, it’s not proper to just dissolve the engagement so casually.”

“Exactly. Which is why someone with a taste for men is perfect for me. When I divorce him, no one will have anything to say… and besides, for these three years, we won’t interfere with each other. It’s the best of both worlds.”

He finally understood, but he couldn’t help feeling a fresh wave of guilt. He sighed. “Fifth Lady, you were born into the Su family, and your father…”

Su Xi answered solemnly, “Father, there’s no need for that. I was born into the Su family. If I can contribute to it, I can only be glad.”

On this matter, Su Zhi felt he owed his daughter far too much. So he decided to follow her wishes in the choice. What pained him was knowing that if she chose Liu Xiaolou, she would spend three years in a marriage that existed in name only. Even if she divorced him afterward, she would be a woman who had married before. There would be no good matches left to hope for.

He had no desire to return to Gualu Hall, so he summoned Butler Song to take over. Song would end the banquet and speak with Liu Xiaolou about the details.

Butler Song, however, didn’t immediately bring the banquet to a close. Instead, he ordered the entertainment to continue in Gualu Hall as planned. The performers were a first-rate troupe brought in from Hongdu, more than a hundred li away.

While the honored guests sat with unease, trying to enjoy the music, a Su family servant quietly approached Liu Xiaolou from behind and invited him out of the hall to a private room nearby.

Liu Xiaolou thought to himself, This is probably when they cut me from the list of candidates. I just wonder how big the parting gift will be. He bowed respectfully to the elderly man who had been at Su Zhi’s side throughout the banquet. “Greetings, Senior.”

“The old man’s surname is Song. I’ve managed the Su family’s Shenwu Manor for over forty years.”

“So you are Butler Song. My apologies for the discourtesy. May I ask why Butler Song has called me here…?”

Butler Song had already poured fragrant tea. Passing it to him, he said, “Please, honored guest, have some tea.”

“If you have something to say, Butler, please speak plainly. I can take it.”

Butler Song was silent for a moment before asking, “How much does our Shenwu Manor’s honored guest know about it?”

Liu Xiaolou paused. The truth was, he didn’t know much at all. He was just about to come up with a polite answer when Butler Song began speaking on his own. “Shenwu Manor was founded by the Su family’s ancestors and has stood for a thousand years. It has always been one of the main branches of the Danxia Sect. You should know, honored guest, that the Danxia Sect is one of the greatest sects in the world. That alone should tell you the depth of our foundation. In its prime, the Su clan had one Void Refinement cultivator and three at the Nascent Soul stage, all renowned across the land.”

Liu Xiaolou truly hadn’t known the Su family had once been so illustrious, and said in praise, “Indeed, a family at the height of glory.”

Butler Song went on, “Though we are not what we once were, our foundation remains. To enter the Su family’s gates, even as a son-in-law, is an honor most could never hope to attain.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Yes.”

Butler Song sighed. “It’s just that a new matter has arisen. Our Fifth Lady of the Su family is a rare genius. She entered Foundation Establishment before the age of twenty, drawing the attention of sects and noble families far and wide. Many outstanding young men have admired her, and proposals have come without end. But Fifth Lady is unwilling to marry far from home, partly to stay by her parents’ side, and partly to use her own strength to revive the family’s name. That is why we are holding this son-in-law selection today. But of course, the man who marries in cannot be chosen lightly.”

The more Liu Xiaolou listened, the stranger it felt. If they meant to dismiss him, a single sentence would do. Why all this preamble? Blinking, he asked, “Since you’ve said all this, Butler, is there something you need this junior’s help with?”

Butler Song narrowed his eyes in a smile. “Indeed, we do need the honored guest’s help, to temporarily marry into the Su family.”

Liu Xiaolou was puzzled. “Temporarily?”

Steward Song nodded. “Temporarily.”