"I do not want to be anyone's young mistress. I only want a quiet life. What is so wonderful about being part of an illustrious family? My parents died because of the feuds between sects and great families, did they not?" Sun Jingyan had no interest whatsoever in her grandfather's proposal. "I only want to live as an ordinary person. And I have already proved to all of you that I am capable of supporting myself! Away from the influence of a family, I have my own company and my own business."

"Cough, cough, cough... You... You are trying to cough me to death..." After hearing Sun Jingyan's words, Old Master Sun began coughing violently.

"Grandfather... What is wrong?" Sun Jingyan asked hesitantly, startled by the sight.

"Jingyan, to be honest, I suspect I have reached the end of my life. I probably do not have many years left..." Old Master Sun sighed, his voice filled with helplessness. "That is why there are certain things I must arrange in advance. Otherwise, our Sun family will be in grave danger!"

"What? Grandfather, your health... When I saw you last time, you were still so strong!" What Sun Jingyan truly resented was her eldest uncle's family. It had been her eldest uncle who first proposed the marriage alliance with the Wu family. Her grandfather, on the other hand, had never really forced her, so although Sun Jingyan disliked the Sun family, she still felt some affection for her grandfather.

When she was young, the only people in the Sun family who treated Sun Jingyan well were her younger brother, Sun Yikai, and Old Master Sun. Everyone else considered her an outsider by blood, not a true member of the Sun family.

"The last time... The last time you saw me was two years ago, was it not?" Old Master Sun said with a bitter smile.

"I..." Sun Jingyan's heart suddenly ached.

"Jingyan, when it comes to your marriage, I have never forced you, and you should know that. When the Wu family came to ask for your hand, I merely asked you to spend some time getting to know one another. I never promised them anything." Old Master Sun continued, "Of all the children in the third generation, you are actually the one I have always doted on most, though I never said so. You should remember that when you were little, your elder brother, you, and your younger brother would get into trouble, and I was always the one scolding the other two..."

"I know..." Sun Jingyan said quietly.

"But you must understand that you are a daughter of the Sun family. That is a fact no one can change! I can give you a certain degree of say in your marriage, but your match must still be equal in status." Old Master Sun said, "Marriage alliances between great families are something every family practices. That cannot be changed. And think about it: if you married a man of humble birth, how could you ever return to the Sun family? How would you face the other great families?"

"I... My boyfriend is actually very capable. He is not the son of a great family, but he is a cultivator..." Hearing her grandfather's words, Sun Jingyan had no choice but to use Wei Zhao as a shield.

"A cultivator? No matter how capable a cultivator is, without a family supporting him, he is still of no use. You are talking about a rogue cultivator, are you not?" Old Master Sun said. "You may call me overbearing or unreasonable, but I will never agree to your marrying a cultivator with no real power behind him! This concerns not only the future of the Sun family, but your own happiness as well!"

"My own happiness... I know. Besides, he really is very capable..." Sun Jingyan protested.

"No matter how capable he is, just how capable can he be? Do not tell me he is a Mystic-rank expert." Old Master Sun challenged her. "You should know that a rogue cultivator must at least reach the Mystic rank before he can barely earn the respect of families like ours. Yet in the eyes of the hidden families, such people are nothing more than hired muscle and lackeys, and their status is far below that of our great families. So, Jingyan, consider this your grandfather's final request before he dies. I am not insisting that you marry into the Yu family, but you must at least marry the son of another great family, all right?"

"Grandfather, he... He might actually be a Mystic-rank expert," Sun Jingyan said helplessly. "And he also seems to possess remarkable medical skills. Could you let him take a look at your illness?"

"Hmm? Mystic rank?" Old Master Sun was taken aback. He had only mentioned it casually, never expecting that Sun Jingyan's rogue-cultivator boyfriend really would be a Mystic-rank expert. Though a rogue cultivator of the Mystic rank was still less important in the eyes of the hidden families than a Yellow-rank heir of a great family, a Mystic-rank expert was nevertheless an extraordinary asset in the eyes of the great families.

Old Master Sun's thoughts reached further. If Sun Jingyan's rogue-cultivator boyfriend really was a Mystic-rank expert, and if he could persuade the man to join the Sun family as a resident son-in-law, then the Sun family would gain a Mystic-rank expert out of nowhere. That would be of immense significance to them.

The Sun family was a cultivation family specializing in auxiliary healing, so it had no real combat experts of its own. Adding a combat expert would therefore be an excellent thing. It would bring the family more tangible benefits than a marriage alliance with another family.

"Yes. He is a Mystic-rank expert..." Sun Jingyan forced herself to say it. She was talking about Wei Zhao, but in truth, Wei Zhao had no relationship with her at all.

"In that case, I will give you a chance. Bring him back to the Sun family. If what you say is true, let him attend the Gathering of the Great Families with us. Having a Mystic-rank expert would be an excellent opportunity for the Sun family to make a strong impression!" Old Master Sun said. "Of course, there is one condition: he must agree to marry into the Sun family as a resident son-in-law..."

"What?" Old Master Sun's first condition had already been difficult enough for Sun Jingyan. Bring Wei Zhao home? And take him to the Gathering of the Great Families? Would Wei Zhao agree? And now her grandfather wanted Wei Zhao to marry into the Sun family? This was such an impossible demand that she might as well be beaten to death.

"What is it? Do not tell me you made him up." Hearing the doubt in Sun Jingyan's voice, Old Master Sun frowned.

"That is not it. I suppose meeting him would be fine... But could we wait a while? I do not want to make our relationship public just yet. And as for becoming a resident son-in-law, he would never agree to that... After all, he is a Mystic-rank expert..." Sun Jingyan said with a bitter expression.

"The opportunity has already been given to you. This is my bottom line!" Old Master Sun said. "If he joins the Sun family, then our strength will increase, and I can accept that. But if he merely marries you, then you will become part of his family. In that case, we might as well form a marriage alliance with one of the great families. That would be far more worthwhile!"