"Marriage matters ultimately require mutual consent."
Xu Mingyuan acted as if he was completely oblivious to the Yang family head's expression and continued, "If you truly force this, even if Elder Brother and I agree, my father won't allow it."
"With my father's temperament, I'm afraid he'd have my younger sister end her own life rather than fulfill someone else's wishes."
"If Yang family head agrees to discuss marriage with my younger sister six years from now, Elder Brother and I are confident we can persuade our father."
When being soft didn't work, Xu Mingyuan immediately became firm.
In the negotiation process, combining soft and hard approaches was the best strategy.
At the same time, to make them wary, Xu Mingyuan knew well what they wanted, but they didn't know the Xu family's true foundation.
Six years was but a moment, but for the Xu family, it was enough to turn heaven and earth upside down.
The Yang family head remained silent, looking at Xu Mingyuan. Seeing his eyes firm and resolute, he knew this wasn't someone who would easily submit.
"If Worthy Nephew Mingwei still wins, then we'll follow your suggestion. Otherwise, one year from now, my Yang family will come to your Xu family to fetch the bride. Do you dare agree?"
Sure enough, he took the bait.
The previous match was merely a trap set by Xu Mingyuan. His firm tone was meant to make him proactively propose another match.
Naturally, Xu Mingyuan wouldn't agree so readily. He shook his head, "If your Yang family just sends out a seventy or eighty-year-old grandmaster elder, how could my elder brother be a match?"
"My Yang family is also a great clan in the commandery capital. We wouldn't be so shameless. Naturally, it would be someone of your elder brother's... same generation."
"Really?" After pondering, Xu Mingyuan turned to look at Xu Mingwei and blinked, "Elder Brother, what do you think?"
"As long as they're the same generation, I fear nothing."
"Truly a straightforward person. Then let it be agreed."
The Yang family head's eyes gleamed, a trace of cunning passing through them.
"Shigang, spar with Worthy Nephew Mingwei."
From among the elders, a burly middle-aged man stepped forward and smiled faintly, "No problem, Father."
Yang Zhao immediately said, "Family head, Shigang is seventeen or eighteen years older than Mingwei!"
"That's not wrong, but the match only stipulated the same generation, not age restrictions. Tell me, isn't Shigang your nephew? Isn't he of the same generation as your son Shichang and Mingwei?"
"Yes." Yang Zhao had to admit this now.
Xu Mingwei suddenly stepped forward, raising his hand to stop Yang Zhao from continuing to defend him, "Thank you for your concern, Father-in-law. Leave the rest to your son-in-law. After all, this is our Xu family's own matter. We can resolve it ourselves."
"Cousin, your worthy son-in-law is truly reasonable."
"Then let's begin."
After speaking, everyone stepped back.
Yang Shigang immediately raised his hand to condense a crimson true qi palm imprint, its power more than double that of Yang Shidao's earlier.
Innate perfection?
Indeed, even for the Yang family, young grandmasters couldn't be easily cultivated.
Xu Mingwei took a deep breath, looked at that crimson palm imprint, and clenched his fist. His knuckles immediately made sounds like firecrackers.
Peak late innate stage true qi, innate divine strength.
Everything was concentrated in this one punch.
The dazzling golden light converged, appearing as dark gold wrapping around his fist.
Seeing the crimson palm imprint attacking, Xu Mingwei immediately threw a punch.
This punch had the momentum of being invincible against ten thousand men.
"Shatter!"
As his voice fell, the crimson palm imprint condensed by Yang Shigang was similarly shattered by one punch. The incomparably powerful force sent his entire person flying and crashing to the ground.
Everyone was speechless, all looking at Xu Mingwei with disbelief.
The Yang family head exclaimed, "You're at innate perfection?"
"Late innate stage." Xu Mingwei said calmly, "Yang family head, I should have won this battle too."
The Yang family head's face was now black as charcoal. Just as he was about to fly into a rage, suddenly a voice came.
"Indeed innate divine strength, extraordinary martial talent. You've won."
Seeing who arrived, square-faced, with an imposing air, white beard and hair, the Yang family head immediately said in shock, "Father."
"Old family head." The other elders and guards also spoke one after another.
The newcomer was Yang Wenfeng, the previous family head and current commandery deputy.
"My Yang family keeps our word. Let's discuss both these matters six years from now."
Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan looked at each other, both breathing sighs of relief.
"Then Uncle, we'll take our leave first."
Yang Zhao respectfully cupped his fists. Just as Xu Chuan, this old family head, had absolute authority in the Xu family, so too did Yang Wenfeng.
After they left, Yang Wenfeng glanced at the Yang family head, "Your vision truly cannot compare to Yang Zhao's. If you weren't my son, I truly wouldn't have chosen you to succeed as family head."
"Father."
"Go to the study and reflect on your mistakes."
The Yang family head who had been domineering before Xu Mingwei and the others had no power to resist his own father and could only obediently return to the study.
"You all may disperse as well."
All the elders bowed and left.
Only Yang Wenfeng and the grand elder remained.
The grand elder stepped forward and asked in surprise, "Wenfeng, cultivating the Xu family people as our Yang family's legitimate line, didn't you also agree? Why now..."
Yang Wenfeng smiled faintly, "Third Uncle, circumstances change."
"The way of aristocratic families, if everything truly relied on cunning acquisition and plunder, could it truly last? How many have met the fate of complete clan extermination in just decades because they failed to eliminate all threats while doing such things?
Aristocratic family development, the core is still accumulating one's own foundation, then employing strategic alliances."
The grand elder savored this carefully.
But he heard Yang Wenfeng continue, "In earlier years, though I heard about the Xu family from Yang Zhao, I thought they were just a small family with some potential. But today's events made me understand the Xu family's potential.
If we're enemies, we must eliminate all threats. If we have no such plans, it's best to draw them as allies. Failing that, maintain non-interference."
"Their Xu family doesn't qualify as an enemy of my Yang family." The grand elder's eyes showed some arrogance.
"Yes, the Yang family has no intention of being enemies with them, so it's best to draw them as allies. But..." Yang Wenfeng hesitated, "Forget it, let it be for now."
"Afterward, have Yang Zhao help mediate."
Yang Wenfeng said no more. Then the grand elder also left.
The Yang family's actions today were merely to strengthen the family foundation. In their eyes, recruiting useful talent was naturally normal.
Even the Xu family did the same but unfortunately, the Xu family was no ordinary family. Even though they were still weak at this moment, they didn't care about others' cultivation and wouldn't rely on anyone.
The so-called Yang family inherited martial arts mattered even less to them.
Coming to the commandery capital was mainly to visit relatives. If the Yang family agreed to give the inherited martial arts, the Xu family would accept it and remember this favor.
If not, they would leave after visiting relatives.
Unfortunately, the Yang family was too arrogant, accustomed to being high above, which led to the current conflict.
Yet it was far from the level of mortal enemies.
Even the Yang family and Chang family, competing in the commandery capital for over a hundred years with clan members dying at each other's hands, hadn't reached that level. Both sides just wanted to completely suppress the other and weaken their strength.
Let alone a remote small family with nothing but some marriage relations.
Mortal enemies, eliminating all threats?
Within the commandery capital, not a single family would take them seriously.
If not for personally witnessing Xu Mingyuan's eloquence that deeply understood human hearts today, seeing Xu Mingwei compete twice with the Yang family and stop at the right point both times, Yang Wenfeng wouldn't have seen the unfathomable potential behind the Xu family.
"Yang Zhao has interacted with the Xu family for many years but has probably only seen less than one-tenth of their potential."
It was precisely because of this that Yang Wenfeng finally stepped in to stop things before the two families continued their enmity.
He guessed that the Xu family members were probably like startled birds and would leave today.
He immediately had someone summon Yang Shihui, "Go give this to the Xu family. You must deliver it before they leave."
"Grandfather, this..." Yang Shihui took the wooden box and asked in confusion.
"Just go. Don't ask so much."
"Yes."
Yang Shihui bowed and headed to Yang Zhao's residence.
"Ah, this huge family still can't function without me. When will my Yang family produce a prodigious talent? Should I try having Yang Zhao become family head?"
Lost in thought, Yang Wenfeng clasped his hands behind his back and paced back to his own study.