In the lobby of the Dragon Palace Hotel at this moment, Ye Qingmei sat on the sofa, her eyes vacant, her entire being lacking spirit.
Before her, on a tray, lay a red wedding dress.
Around the lobby, Long Yi sat in a wheelchair, his face filled with grief and indignation, tears welling up in his eyes.
Long Shi Wu, having lost an arm, was weak and appeared like an old man in his twilight years.
An Mei bore a hideous scar on her face, sitting beside Ye Qingmei with a look of desolation.
Apart from Ye Qingmei, everyone in the lobby was injured, their arms wrapped in white bandages. A palpable atmosphere of sorrow and despair permeated the entire hall.
"Sister-in-law, we can still fight! Let's go all out! We'd rather die than see you wronged like this!" Long Yi gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. So many had died in the Dragon King Hall during this period.
Half the War Gods of the Dragon King Hall were dead, with only nine remaining, including Long Yi. The number of ordinary martial artists was too great to even count.
"Sister-in-law, we'll escort you to escape. Find a secluded mountain forest, and you can hide there. As for Tian Tian, don't worry, even if we all fall in battle, we will rescue Tian Tian!"
Long Shi Wu spoke, clenching his fist with his remaining hand. Though he had lost an arm and was severely injured, he could still fight. The Dragon King Hall never yielded!
Ye Qingmei shook her head, her face etched with despair, and whispered.
"No more lives can be lost. No more lives can be lost. Whether it's you or Tian Tian, I don't want anything to happen to you again. They want me to marry, so I will marry. As long as I am here, they will no longer trouble you."
As she spoke, tears streamed down Ye Qingmei's face.
After the great changes in the world, the Dragon King Hall had retreated to the capital of the Great Qin, forming an alliance with the Great Qin, hoping to survive this celestial upheaval together.
But who could have imagined that disaster would strike so suddenly!
The ancestor of the Tian family had returned, bringing with him many powerful individuals.
He had rescued Tian Gu and others, healed their injuries, and forcefully arrived in the capital to seek justice for the ancient martial arts families.
On that day, Li Shan Hai perished, and many War Gods from the Dragon King Hall and the War Department were killed. Although many had broken through to the King level, the Tian family's experts were too numerous; they were no match for them.
Initially, the Tian family intended to annihilate all the War Gods of the Dragon King Hall and the War Department.
But no one had expected that Ye Qingmei's body, due to the great changes in the world, had unknowingly become a King-level expert, despite never having cultivated before.
In the end, perhaps the Tian family's ancestor perceived something and sought to seize Ye Qingmei. Ye Qingmei threatened to take her own life, which finally made the Tian family halt their aggression.
The Tian family abducted Tian Tian, using their daughter and the lives of the remaining Dragon King Hall members to threaten Ye Qingmei into marrying Tian Qi Lin. Otherwise, everyone would die. To prevent Ye Qingmei from escaping, they left a large contingent of martial artists to surround the Dragon Palace Hotel.
And three days later, it was the Tian family's day to welcome the bride.
"If the King were still here, it would be great. The King would surely have a way to resolve this crisis," An Mei whispered, her eyes dim. On that day, a powerful expert from the Tian family had attempted to take her as a concubine. If she hadn't resolutely slashed her own face, who knew what would have happened by now.
"Xiao Tian." Ye Qingmei murmured, a flicker of emotion flashing in her eyes, before breaking into tears.
The emotions of everyone in the hall were stirred, their hearts filled with sorrow.
"Yo! Everyone's here. Why the long faces? Don't you welcome this young master?" An arrogant voice boomed into the lobby, followed by Tian Qi Lin, dressed in white, entering.
"Tian Qi Lin, you are not welcome here!" Long Shi Wu's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he said coldly.
But as soon as his words fell, the guards behind Tian Qi Lin immediately surged forward, kicking Long Shi Wu away.
"Pfft!" Long Shi Wu slammed heavily onto the ground, spitting blood. He looked at his attacker – a peak King-level expert!
"You blind fool, how dare a dog like you question this young master? Where in Great Qin can this young master not go? Moreover, this Dragon Palace Hotel is now my property. This young master coming to his own hotel, and you, an outsider, dare to interject?"
Tian Qi Lin spoke with utter disdain, his eyes full of mockery. He recalled his humiliating escape months ago, how he and his third uncle had hidden in seclusion in the mountains. But now, his ancestor had returned, bringing a large number of experts. Now, their Tian family was the uncrowned king of Great Qin!
And he was the most noble person in Great Qin!
Seeing Long Shi Wu injured, Long Yi and the others' eyes flashed with anger, but they restrained themselves. Tian Qi Lin had two peak King-level experts behind him, and they were no match for them.
Ye Qingmei wiped away her tears, her gaze cold as she looked at Tian Qi Lin, her voice icy as she spoke.
"Why have you come? Haven't I agreed to your terms? How much further do you want to push me?"
Tian Qi Lin looked at Ye Qingmei, his eyes gleaming with amusement, and smiled.
"What? We are to be husband and wife in three days. Is there anything wrong with me seeing you early? Or perhaps, you don't want to marry? Have you been deceiving my ancestor all along?"
"Don't forget, your daughter is still with my Tian family, and the lives of these subordinates of your useless husband are still under the control of my Tian family."
As Tian Qi Lin spoke, he casually sat beside Ye Qingmei and reached out to embrace her.
But Ye Qingmei suddenly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve, pressing it against her neck. A bloody mark instantly appeared. She stared coldly at Tian Qi Lin.
"Young Master, Ye Qingmei cannot die!" A guard behind Tian Qi Lin whispered.
Tian Qi Lin's eyes flashed with anger as he glared fiercely at Ye Qingmei.
"Young Master Tian, if you have nothing else, please leave! I, Ye Qingmei, have said I will marry, and I will certainly marry you in three days. I hope the Tian family will honor their agreement!"
Ye Qingmei said, her dagger still held to her neck.
"Ye Qingmei, you wretch, don't think that just because of your special constitution you can do as you please. Offending me now will only make your future days more unbearable!"
Tian Qi Lin said with a dark expression, his heart filled with anger. His Tian family now controlled everything, and his status was incomparably noble, yet he was thwarted by Ye Qingmei, which greatly displeased him.
In the hall, Long Yi and the others’ eyes held suppressed rage, seemingly ready to erupt at any moment. Tian Qi Lin's two guards, seeing this, unleashed their aura, their faces filled with killing intent.
The hall instantly fell silent, as if a great battle was about to erupt.
Seeing this, Ye Qingmei became anxious. She pressed the dagger harder against her neck, drawing blood.
"Tian Qi Lin, don't force me!"
"Young Master Tian!" Seeing that Ye Qingmei was about to commit suicide recklessly, the guards behind Tian Qi Lin became anxious. They knew how special Ye Qingmei's constitution was.
"Hmph, fine. I'll let you, this lowly woman, have your way for a few more days!" Tian Qi Lin gritted his teeth and stood up, preparing to leave.
As he reached the doorway, he paused, then spoke intentionally.
"It's a pity that Li Xiao Tian, that good-for-nothing, is dead. Otherwise, I truly wish to see his expression now."