I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Among the ten great cultivation clans of Azure Province, the Ye Family ranked fifth, boasting numerous geniuses within its ranks.

Of them, Ye Qingxian was the most renowned, hailed as the hope of the younger generation. It was a pity that the Heavens were jealous of heroic talent; she had suffered a cultivation deviation while practicing her arts, losing her entire cultivation base.

After her, another genius had emerged from the Ye Family named Ye Xian’er.

This girl was not from the main lineage, but she was deeply favored by the Ye Family’s Matriarch. Not only did she possess a first-grade spiritual root, but she was also born with immense physical strength. Even during the Qi Refining Realm, she could send a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator flying with a single punch—truly monstrous.

Now, at only ten years old, she had already successfully established her foundation. Her talent was even more terrifying than Ye Qingxian’s.

If not for the Matriarch keeping her hidden, the Ye Family wouldn’t have known they harbored such a fearsome genius.

At this moment, this very genius sat before Shen Xian, listening obediently as he told the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

When he first learned her identity, Shen Xian had been quite surprised for a while.

But upon second thought, if he could build a good relationship with this little genius girl, it would save him a lot of trouble during his stay with the Ye Family. So, for once, he told the story of the Butterfly Lovers with rare seriousness.

……

“So what happened next? Did Liang Shanbo just die like that?” Ye Xian’er shook her pigtails. The ice-silk ribbons on her wrists shimmered with a faint pink glow, and bits of candied hawthorn stuck to the corner of her mouth. “If you ask me, Zhu Yingtai should have chosen Ma Wencai!”

Her maid, Xiao Tao, stamped her foot in agitation. “Young Miss! Ma Wencai bullied others by relying on his power…”

“What do you know!” Ye Xian’er suddenly put on a stern little face, imitating the mature tone one might find in storybooks. “The cultivation world follows the law of the jungle. Without strength…”

Her words were cut short as she wrinkled her nose from the sourness of the hawthorn. “Mmm… this hawthorn is so sour!”

She looked at Shen Xian seriously. “Brother-in-law, what do you think?”

Ye Xian’er and Ye Qingxian belonged to the same generation, so it wasn’t wrong for her to call Shen Xian ‘brother-in-law.’ To this little girl, since this man told such good stories, he deserved the title.

Shen Xian lay on his reclining chair, idly spinning a dragon-shaped jade pendant between his fingers. He chuckled softly. “Priceless treasures are easy to seek, but a sincere heart is rare to find.”

Material things were important, but something like love truly couldn’t be explained in just a few words. Throughout history, countless people had sacrificed everything for love.

Shen Xian was pragmatic, but that didn’t stop him from expressing a sliver of respect for such individuals.

“Hmph!” Ye Xian’er jumped down from the rattan chair, clearly displeased. She blurted out, “Brother-in-law only says that because of his cultivation…”

She had meant to say it was because Shen Xian lacked strength that he spoke this way, but suddenly realizing it was inappropriate, she quickly changed her words. “What story hasn’t this young lady heard? Your ending is no good!”

Pouting angrily, she pulled out a book titled The Cold-Faced Immortal Lord Falls For Me from her sleeve and slapped it onto Shen Xian’s legs. “It should be like this! The protagonist ends up becoming Number One Under Heaven!”

Shen Xian didn’t mind. He gave a light laugh. “You’re right, too.”

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in his calm eyes as he said meaningfully, “In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme. Only by being powerful enough can one achieve true freedom.”

“Now that’s more like it! But this story is good. Are there more?” Ye Xian’er took out another candied hawthorn stick from her storage ring and asked with an expectant face.

Though she said the ending was bad, deep down, she really liked this story.

“There are more,” Shen Xian said. “But I’m tired today. Let’s continue tomorrow.”

Storytelling was also tiring work. Even if these stories weren’t his own thoughts, expressing them still took mental effort.

“Alright.” Ye Xian’er was somewhat dejected. Then she thought for a moment and suddenly handed over the candied hawthorn in her hand. “For you.”

Shen Xian took it, somewhat puzzled.

The little girl then channeled her spiritual power and vanished from the courtyard in a flash of light, leaving only a sentence carried by the wind: “I didn’t mean what I said earlier. If you encounter any trouble you can’t solve, come find me at Plum Garden.”

She was referring to her earlier complaint about the protagonist’s cultivation level.

Shen Xian came back to his senses and then chuckled softly. “This little girl… is quite interesting!”

……

Shen Family Main Hall.

Nangong Wan sat upright on the throne in an opulent gown, her exquisite face filled with anger as she stared down at several kneeling elders below.

“Is this how you handle matters concerning my son?” she said coldly. The pressure of her Nascent Soul Realm erupted, making it hard for the three elders to breathe.

The authority of the Matriarch was displayed to its fullest extent at this moment.

“Matriarch, spare us! Matriarch, have mercy!” The three elders kowtowed frantically.

They were responsible for selecting the guards for this assignment. With such a face-losing incident occurring now, they could not escape the blame.

“Mother!”

At that moment, Shen Li hurried in. The oppressive aura in the hall dissipated accordingly.

He bowed his head and cupped his hands respectfully. “Mother, this matter is entirely your son’s fault. It was only because I saw how disrespectful the Ye Family was that I resorted to such an inferior plan. If you must punish someone, punish me.”

This matter had been arranged by Shen Li himself. Regardless of whether he was directly involved or not, he had to step forward and take responsibility; only then would he not chill the hearts of his subordinates.

Nangong Wan’s gaze darkened as it fell upon this son of hers; her anger had not subsided.

“So you disregarded your younger brother’s safety?”

A flash of viciousness passed through Shen Li’s eyes before he dropped to his knees with a thud. He looked up with an expression of ignorance. “Mother! I absolutely did not intend that! It’s mainly that your son never imagined people from the Lin Family would dare attack us! Rest assured! I will get to the bottom of this and make sure the Lin Family pays!”

Nangong Wan frowned slightly.

She knew this second son’s temperament very well and understood things were not so simple.

“You three will reflect on your actions at Cold Spring Pond for three years,” she said to the three elders before turning her gaze back to Shen Li. “As for you… watch your step!”

These four words were spoken with extreme weight by Nangong Wan; their warning intent was very clear.

“Thank you for your mercy, Mother!” Shen Li kowtowed respectfully in gratitude.

When he looked up again, she had already left.

His expression darkened instantly. He glanced at those three elders and sent them a mental message, cursing them: “Useless trash who can’t accomplish anything but ruin everything!”

The three elders trembled but dared not say anything.

Shen Li rose, walked out of the main hall, and looked up at the clear blue sky. His mood grew increasingly irritable.

Recently, large numbers of demonic cultivators had suddenly appeared throughout Azure Province, causing varying degrees of damage to the family businesses. His father was in secluded cultivation, leaving family affairs largely in his hands.

Now, not only had the plan targeting that waste of a younger brother failed, but he also received a stern warning from his mother, making fury burn within him.

“Damn waste!” He cursed inwardly.

The three elders punished by his mother were all his trusted confidants. Though his mother hadn’t pursued him excessively, it still amounted to cutting off his wings.

And the source of all this was that trash.

This made him resent his target even more, even stirring a faint killing intent within him.

“Let’s see if you can survive the return from the Ye Family!” Shen Li’s eyes turned icy cold. He muttered the words, then strode away.