ATPnovel Chapter 4 Parting on Unhappily
Chapter 4 Parting on Unhappily
"This..." Shen Qingci lowered her eyelashes, avoiding Old Master Chen's piercing gaze. Her voice was soft, but each word was clear, striking the silent hall.
"Grandpa Chen, my niece has come here today to dissolve her engagement with Brother Chen. This is Qingci's own decision and has nothing to do with the elders in the family."
"Qing Cizhi's intentions are not here; the continuation of this agreement would be a burden for both parties. I earnestly request Grandpa Chen and my brother to grant this request."
Inside the hall, the air seemed to have frozen solid.
The smile on Chen Zhan's face vanished completely, replaced by a look of rage at being betrayed and a deep sorrow.
He stared at Shen Qingci, his beard and hair trembling slightly:
"Very well, what a fine 'one person's will'! Shen Congshan has truly raised a fine granddaughter! Is an engagement a child's play? You think you can just break it off like that?"
"Grandpa Chen, please calm down."
Shen Qingci kept her eyes downcast, but her tone showed no sign of backing down.
"Forcing it will be futile. Qingci's mind is made up."
"You—!" Chen Zhan was furious and stood up abruptly.
"Grandpa." Chen Xuan's voice rang out from the side, but it was like an ice spring, instantly extinguishing Chen Zhan's raging anger.
He had gotten up at some point and gently supported his grandfather's slightly trembling arm.
Chen Xuan looked at Shen Qingci. His gaze was indifferent, like the water of a deep pool in autumn, reflecting no emotion. He simply looked at his nominal "fiancée" calmly, even somewhat distantly.
That gaze made Shen Qingci's heart tighten for no reason, as if all her thoughts were laid bare before those eyes.
"I understand what Miss Shen means."
Chen Xuan spoke, his voice perfectly calm and without a ripple.
"If you feel it's a burden, then remove it."
Shen Qingci raised her eyes, a clear look of surprise finally flashing across them.
She had imagined the Chen family would be furious, would rebuke her, would use their family ties to plead for her stay, and might even beg her.
But what he hadn't expected was Chen Xuan's reaction—no excitement, no anger, no resentment, only an almost indifferent...refreshing feeling?
"do you agree?"
She asked instinctively, her voice carrying an uncertainty she herself was unaware of.
Why do you disagree?
Chen Xuan's lips seemed to curve slightly, a very faint arc, almost an illusion.
"Miss Shen is exceptionally talented and has a bright future. It is only natural that she would look down on this old agreement. I, Chen Xuan, have no intention of forcing her to comply."
These words were spoken in a flat tone, and their content was somewhat self-deprecating.
But when Chen Xuan said it, coupled with his calm and composed expression, Shen Qingci didn't feel the slightest bit of humiliation at being "unworthy of his attention." Instead, it was like a basin of warm water that silently splashed all her preconceived notions of superiority and pity back at her, leaving only an empty and awkward feeling.
The phrase "I don't think much of you" especially stung her ears. She didn't mean to look down on him; it was just that they had different values. But being pointed out like that made her seem narrow-minded.
"Brother Chen, I did not..."
Uncle Zhao.
Chen Xuan stopped looking at her and turned to Zhao Fu, who was standing to the side.
"Go to my room and bring me the black wooden box on the bottom shelf of the cabinet on the east side."
"Yes, young master."
Zhao Fu bowed and quickly left.
Silence fell again in the hall, broken only by suppressed breathing. Chen Zhan slumped back into his chair, his chest heaving, and closed his eyes, remaining silent.
Shen Qingci sat there, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Before long, Zhao Fu returned carrying a dark wooden box, about a foot square, with a somber color.
Chen Xuan took the wooden box, and with a light press of his fingertip on the copper clasp on the edge of the lid, the lid popped open with a soft "click".
There were no extra items inside, only a piece of vermilion paper that was already a bit old. The paper was crisp and the edges were inlaid with gold thread. Although it had been through the years, you could still see the solemnity it had once been.
It was the marriage certificate that the two families exchanged back then.
Chen Xuan took out the marriage certificate and laid it flat on the rosewood coffee table beside him.
The crimson paper, set against the dark wood grain, was striking. His gaze swept over the familiar phrases and names on the paper, his face remaining expressionless.
"Miss Shen," Chen Xuan looked up, his gaze clear and sharp as he looked at her.
"The marriage certificate is here. I presume you brought yours as well."
Shen Qingci pursed her lips, took out an envelope of the same style from her sleeve, and pulled out another vermilion marriage certificate.
"In that case," Chen Xuan nodded, and said no more.
He did not write a letter of annulment as an ordinary person would, nor did he tear up the marriage certificate. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, his palm hovering about half a foot above the coffee table where the two marriage certificates were laid out.
His action was somewhat abrupt, and everyone in the hall was taken aback.
The next moment, Chen Xuan pressed down gently with his palm facing down.
The movements were slow and even somewhat casual, as if he were simply smoothing out the wrinkles in the paper.
however--
"puff……"
A faint, almost inaudible thud.
Under the gaze of Shen Qingci, Ying'er, and even Chen Zhan, whose pupils suddenly contracted, the two sturdy vermilion marriage certificates, and the hard rosewood tea table beneath them, silently dented and collapsed, centered on the area below Chen Xuan's palm!
There was no smoke or dust, and no splintering wood chips.
Right before everyone's eyes, the marriage certificate, along with the heavy table, was as if crushed by an invisible, infinitely powerful divine hand, instantly turning into a pool of fine powder mixed with dark red and wood brown!
A perfectly smooth palm print, about an inch deep, is clearly imprinted on the originally flat table. The wood grain within the palm print area has been completely smoothed out, giving it an unusual sheen as if it had been forcibly pressed down by a great force.
The coffee table was thus shortened, making it look unusually short.
quiet!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Shen Qingci's cold eyes were filled with unprecedented shock and confusion. She stared at the palm print, then suddenly looked up at Chen Xuan's retracted hand, which had distinct knuckles but seemed ordinary. Her mind went blank.
Half a foot away! Pressing wood into powder!
What kind of martial arts is this?! No, this is beyond her understanding of the word "martial arts"!
The ability to project internal force outward is already legendary, but to contain such fierce power within a small space with such ease and subtle control, instantly shattering wood and paper into dust, requires an astonishing level of internal strength and a terrifyingly refined level of control.
Chen Zhan also gasped. Although he knew his grandson was not what he used to be, his heart still pounded wildly when he saw such amazing skills.
"This promise is no longer valid."
Chen Xuan spoke, breaking the deathly silence. His gaze swept over the pile of powder, as if he were merely brushing away a tiny speck of dust.
"Miss Shen, do you have any further objections?"
Shen Qingci's lips trembled, but no sound came out.
All the previous resolve, reserve, and that little bit of hidden sense of superiority from family background and sect were crushed to dust in the face of this seemingly casual yet earth-shattering palm strike!
"What...what kind of sorcery are you using?!"
The maid Qingyao finally managed to break free from extreme fear, only to be replaced by an even greater sense of humiliation and an unwillingness to admit her panic. She pointed at Chen Xuan, her voice shrill and piercing, yet unable to conceal her trembling.
"You broke the marriage certificate! How dare you...!"
"Ying'er!"
Shen Qingci interrupted sharply. She knew better than Ying'er that what Chen Xuan was displaying was not some kind of "demonic magic," but real, terrifying, and unparalleled martial arts!
"Miss! Even if you want to annul the engagement, you can't destroy the token of your love so contemptuously! You are a core disciple of the Flying Star Sword Sect, how dare he treat you with such disrespect... he..."
Ying'er was indignant, especially when she saw Chen Xuan's calm and expressionless face. She felt greatly slighted, and her anger and fear made her speak recklessly.
Chen Xuan's gaze finally turned to the noisy maid, his eyes turning slightly cold:
"I'm speaking to your young lady, when did it become your place to interrupt?"
"Brother Chen..." Shen Qingci barely managed to compose himself, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere;
However, Ying'er was startled by Chen Xuan's gaze, and then further provoked by his icy tone.
In his shame and anger, he became bold and daring, or perhaps he was used to being arrogant because of Shen Qingci and the Shen family's power, he actually drew the sword from his waist with a "clang"!
"Arrogant! I'll see what you're capable of!"
She let out a sharp cry, disregarding all techniques and rules, and thrust her sword at Chen Xuan! The sword light was chilling, pointing directly at Chen Xuan's chest; she was enraged and acted recklessly!
"Ying'er, no!" Shen Qingci cried out in horror, but it was too late to stop her.
Chen Xuan stood still, his gaze unchanged. Only when the sword tip was about to touch him did he casually raise his right hand, his index and middle fingers seemingly slow, but in reality, they shot forward with lightning speed.
"Ding!"
A crisp, clear sound, like metal striking stone.
The sword tip, which was thrusting towards him, was caught firmly with just two fingers! The sword hummed and trembled, but could not advance any further!
Ying'er's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, her face flushed red as she desperately channeled her inner strength, but the sword remained motionless, as if it were cast into Chen Xuan's fingers. A look of utter horror finally appeared in her eyes.
Chen Xuan twisted his fingers slightly.
"Snap... Boom!"
A piercing sound of metal snapping rang out. The fine steel longsword shattered piece by piece, starting from the tip that was caught in the clamp!
Before the fragments could scatter, Chen Xuan flicked the remaining sword tip with his fingers.
"laugh!"
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
The tip of the sword transformed into a cold star, shooting back at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.
It grazed past Ying'er's ear, picking up a few strands of hair, and then with a "thud," it drove deep into the vermilion doorpost several feet behind her, penetrating nearly halfway into the wood. Its tail trembled violently, emitting a low buzzing sound.
Ying'er stood frozen in place, her face ashen. Her hand holding the bare hilt of the sword trembled violently. Her other hand touched her stinging earlobe, her fingertips brushing against something damp and sticky—a tiny cut from the sharp sword energy.
The shadow of death had never been so close; her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Shen Qingci's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He could only catch his breath after confirming that Ying'er only had superficial injuries.
A flick of the finger shatters a sword; a flying blade sends shivers down your spine! This skill, this terrifyingly precise control over power, is simply unbelievable!
Chen Xuan slowly withdrew his hand, as if he were merely dusting off non-existent dust from his sleeve.
He stopped looking at the terrified maid and fixed his gaze on Shen Qingci's pale face.
"Take her away." Chen Xuan's voice returned to its usual calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness.
"Leave the Chen family. From today onwards, the engagement is null and void, and the past is settled. There's no need to mention it again, Uncle Fu, see the guest out."
After saying that, he and Old Master Chen turned around and walked into the inner hall;
Qingci opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Zhao Fu stopped her.
"Miss Shen, please."
Her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing. She silently helped Ying'er, who could barely stand, and turned to leave the Chen family.