Chapter 1043 - 1039: Three Consecutive Questions
Just as the senior members from the Chang family were preparing to write with their ink brush, Sun Miaohan spoke up, saying, "Wait a moment!"
All the senior members froze simultaneously. Was there going to be a last-minute change of heart?
The face of the senior member from the Chang family immediately drooped, and he spoke with a hint of impatience, "Let me state upfront, if you plan on backing out at the last minute, there’s no need to continue. You should know that a person without credibility cannot stand, and the basic trust must be maintained. What is spoken is like water thrown out; it cannot be retrieved at will!"
Sun Miaohan sneered inwardly, wanting nothing more than to tear that hateful mouth apart. Hearing so many moral principles from them really made one feel sick!
However, with a questioning look, she said, "Relax, I’m not planning to back out. I just want to ask a question."
"Ask away." The senior member from the Chang family was slightly relieved, but his tone of voice was patronizing, as though allowing Sun Miaohan to ask questions was a great boon that he bestowed upon her.
"My question is, when will the items on the gift list be delivered?" Sun Miaohan asked seriously and explained, "I am waiting to receive them, and this matter cannot proceed without discussing it!"
One of the senior members immediately replied, "Generally speaking, the betrothal gifts are delivered once they are confirmed. As for you saying you’re waiting to receive them... wait! What did you say? You’re waiting to receive them?"
Seeing the face of that incredulous senior member, Sun Miaohan appeared a bit puzzled and nodded, saying, "Yes, otherwise why would I marry Tao Zhenghao? Am I stupid?"
The face of the senior member from the Chang family turned green immediately, regretting a little why he allowed Sun Miaohan to speak just now.
"Do you understand the rules? Those items are meant for our entire Heartbreak Valley, and they have little to do with you, understand?"
Sun Miaohan furrowed her brow and sneered, "I’m getting married, but the entire sect receives the items; why?"
"This has been the rule since ancient times, just like the rules we set at Heartbreak Valley, which must be strictly abided by!" another senior member couldn’t help but step up and say.
"The rules since ancient times?" Sun Miaohan nodded slowly, "I see."
Then she quickly said, "Since that’s the case, then I’ve decided not to marry."
"You!"
Almost all the senior members stepped forward in unison, extremely angry at Sun Miaohan’s words, their facial features practically squeezed together, looking particularly ferocious; it was as if a pack of hungry wolves were intending to devour Sun Miaohan, the little lamb, alive.
After a few moments, the senior member from the Chang family took several deep breaths, and once his excited emotions slightly calmed, he asked, "Are you refusing because you can’t get the items on the gift list?"
"Of course!" Sun Miaohan nodded without hesitation, saying, "If it weren’t for those good things, do you think I would agree to marry Tao Zhenghao?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ming almost couldn’t control himself from standing up to applaud his apprentice, thinking, "She is truly my apprentice, so clever and sharp-tongued!"
Seeing the senior members displaying defeated expressions, Xu Ming felt a sense of satisfaction, as if his previous pent-up grievances had somewhat dissipated.
But when he turned to look at Senior Sister Chen Zhenfang, he found her still maintaining a poker-faced expression with closed eyes, causing him to feel puzzled.
If it had been before, this scene would have been quashed in its budding stage by her, never allowed to develop as it has now; why was she so patient today?
As Xu Ming silently wondered, the senior members, led by a Chang elder, launched another attack on Sun Miaohan, raising the stakes to the level of the entire sect...
"You need to understand, the sect has cultivated you for over a decade so that you can be useful at crucial moments."
The senior member of the Chang family spoke in a reasonable and empathetic tone, "Perhaps you don’t quite understand, but if we can obtain those items on the gift list, it will have a tremendous change for Heartbreak Valley."
Sun Miaohan retorted, "Was the sect cultivating me all these years just for the day when they could exchange me for items on the gift list? What have we been painstakingly training for, just to get a good price?"
"What nonsense!" The Chang elder suddenly slapped the table in front of him, his thin hand’s veins bulging, evidently exerting too much force.
"Fine, if I’m speaking nonsense, then let’s take a step back, shall we?" Sun Miaohan’s lips curled into what looked like a mocking smile.
"How do we take a step back?" a senior member interjected.
Sun Miaohan laughed, "Earlier, you all said the ancient rules stipulated that it’s inappropriate for me to take charge of the items on the gift list, right? Then let me designate a few people to handle it; that should be permissible?"
"Absolutely not!" The Chang elder rejected without a second thought, joking— if Sun Miaohan designated who would get the items on the gift list, wouldn’t his efforts have been in vain?
"Why?" Sun Miaohan asked with a sense of amusement, "Does the ancient rule have specific constraints on my suggestion just now?"
This was obviously impossible; no matter how ancient the rule was it wouldn’t detail things to this extent, plus the division of interests was never something rules could constrain.
Otherwise, much of the law could entirely be deleted!
However, senior members are called senior members for a reason; they possess unique abilities. After being left speechless by Sun Miaohan for a moment, someone found a reason to refute, "The items on the gift list, those Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are extremely precious, distributing them to disciples would waste their potential and not fully utilize their effects."
Adding, "We could take a second-best approach, distributing them as rewards when the disciples reach a certain level of strength, this would make everyone grateful to you, isn’t it the best of both worlds?"
These words immediately received unanimous praise from the senior members; anyway, the first thing is to muddle through and get the items. Whether they’re distributed later is not a concern, in worst-case scenarios, they could find some stooges and muddle through.
"Since things have been spoken to this extent, I have nothing more to say."
Sun Miaohan sighed, seemingly out of arguments, and said, "However, I have a few final questions. As long as my mentors can give me satisfactory answers, I’ll pack my belongings immediately and right away marry into Wind Blade Valley."
The senior members exchanged glances, nodding in agreement, "Alright, ask away."
The senior member from the Chang family timely inserted, "I hope you keep your promise and don’t pull this last-minute change-of-heart thing again."
Sun Miaohan nodded to indicate understanding, took a deep breath, and asked, "Please answer, what rules did our founding ancestor establish when our sect was founded? Why is Heartbreak Valley called Heartbreak Valley? What conditions are needed to marry Heartbreak Valley’s disciples?"
This series of three questions immediately left all the senior members as if struck by lightning, standing dumbfounded, with cold sweat running down their foreheads...