Chapter Seven: I Demand a Divorce

"You—you must have a death wish!" The young man was boiling with rage, but the moment the words left his lips, he regretted them. As expected, two sharp, deadly auras immediately locked onto him, draining the color from his face and causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

"What’s wrong? If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and kill me! If you don’t, stop making a scene. This is the Chen Family of Flame Town, not your Ten Thousand Swords Sect." Chen Bo’s voice was icy.

"As the eldest son of one of the three great families of Flame Town, is this how little you know of courtesy?"

"Courtesy is reserved for those who deserve it. As for you? The farther you get, the better!" Chen Bo shot him a look of utter disdain, making the young man from Ten Thousand Swords Sect itch to draw his sword and strike.

But here, both the head of the Chen Family and the steward, Chen Sheng, had their eyes fixed upon him. Any rash move, and his head might roll the next instant.

"You—hmph! Are you Chen Family really set on opposing our Ten Thousand Swords Sect? You may rule the roost in Flame Town, but our sect master is a true innate master. Do you really think you can stand against us?" Unable to outtalk the sharp-tongued Chen Bo, the young man could only invoke the weight of his backing, hoping to intimidate Chen Bo into submission.

But how could he know that Chen Bo had already thrown caution to the wind? He replied, "You? Offend the Ten Thousand Swords Sect? Tell me, can you even speak for the entire sect? Are you disregarding your own sect master, or do you harbor ambitions to take his place?"

"Slander! That’s slander!" The young man jumped up and cursed, not realizing that in the eyes of the others, his reaction only betrayed his guilty conscience.

"Bao Pi, hold your tongue!" The Sixth Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect snapped, his face dark. "It seems that even if Young Master Chen can no longer cultivate, his skill at verbal sparring only grows sharper. Since you’ve made things so clear, I’ll be blunt as well."

"Everyone knows that although you were once a prodigy of cultivation, your meridians were destroyed by unknown hands a year ago, your abilities lost, and you are now but a common man."

"And although my sect master’s disciple, Qin Ruolan, was betrothed to you by family arrangement, in your current state, you are no match for her! Such is the world—strength rules, the weak serve."

"We are here today to see that Qin Ruolan of our sect withdraws from this engagement. As long as you sign and seal this contract, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect will see you well compensated."

With a turn of his hand, the Sixth Elder produced a contract and a box. This was not some mystical pocket-world technique, but rather a relatively rare storage ring—Chen Bo’s father had one, too.

He opened the box, from which a delicate fragrance filled the hall, invigorating all present. Inside the box lay three brown pills, the source of the enticing aroma. The Chen family elders stared at them with eager, even covetous, eyes.

"Those are Detoxifying Pills!" the Second Elder of the Chen Family exclaimed.

"Detoxifying Pills? Incredible!"

"Heavens, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect truly spares no expense—three Detoxifying Pills at once."

Despite the name, these pills were not merely antidotes; they were invaluable to cultivators at the Organ Cleansing stage, purging toxins from the body and greatly accelerating cultivation. They were especially useful for breaking through to the Vein Tempering stage. Such pills were beyond price.

"Chen Bo, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and sign the contract! With your current status, you’re hardly a match for Miss Qin and would only hold her back!" One of the Chen elders, speaking without thinking, barked an order.

"Heh! Are you elders of the Chen Family or the Ten Thousand Swords Sect? Why do you keep siding with them?" Chen Bo was seething. He realized now that in this world, blood ties were worth little. Of all the Chen Family, perhaps only his father, his sister, and the steward Chen Sheng truly cared for him.

"We’re just being objective!" retorted the Second Elder.

"Fine, fine. In that case, what choice do I have?" With a look of defeat, Chen Bo took the contract and the box.

"Hmph! Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d done this from the start?" Everyone except Chen Bo, Chen Sheng, and his own father shared that thought.

"Miss Qin, must you really be so heartless?" Chen Zhenhai suddenly spoke to Qin Ruolan.

Qin Ruolan hesitated, then met his gaze and said, "Uncle Chen, I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do."

"Enough! I, Chen Zhenhai, have no such niece! From this day forth, the Chen Family and the Qin Family of Flame Town will go their separate ways. You take your broad road, and we’ll stick to our narrow bridge. From now on, our paths will never cross again!"

He then looked to Chen Bo, sighing, "Bo’er, you’ve suffered enough. We have no need for such faithless traitors in our Chen Family!"

Chen Bo smiled. "Father, you’re right. Who needs such faithless people? I wonder what kind of fool will pick up these cast-off shoes in the future."

With a flick of his hand, the three pills tumbled to the floor. Everyone was stunned, and only snapped out of it when Chen Bo ground the pills to dust under his foot.

"You wretch! How dare you!"

"Those were Detoxifying Pills! How could you waste them like that? Can you bear the consequences?"

"Chen, what’s the meaning of this? Are you scorning the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?"

"Oh?" Chen Bo twisted his foot, grinding the remains further. "Didn’t you say these pills were already mine? I’ll do what I want with my own things—what business is it of yours?"

"You—" The Grand Elder’s face flushed with anger, his finger trembling as he pointed at Chen Bo.

"You what? They weren’t yours to begin with, and why should I hand them over to you? I wouldn’t feed them to pigs for your sake! And what’s with your hand shaking like that? Got a seizure?" Chen Bo sneered.

"Oh, right. Almost forgot this contract. Let me see—tsk, tsk, I can’t make sense of this. Why is it all in classical language? Are you mocking my poor literacy?" No one else understood what Chen Bo meant by "classical language" or "literacy," but it was clear from his tone it wasn’t meant kindly.

With a faint smile, Chen Bo, to the shock of all present, tore the contract to shreds. "Don’t get the wrong idea—I have no desire to resume this engagement."

With that, he pulled out a piece of coarse paper used in the latrine, solemnly placed it in the Sixth Elder’s hand, and said gravely, "Remember, keep it safe!"

The Sixth Elder, bewildered, instinctively unfolded the paper, and nearly coughed up blood on the spot. Written across it in bold strokes were the words: Divorce Decree!

"I’m the one ending this marriage! Hahaha!" Chen Bo laughed heartily and strode away.