I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

“I am not worthy of the honor!” Ye Wen hastily bowed. Although he didn’t know what to make of the situation, he was clear that Liang Zhiping was the current head of the Liang family of the Da Luo Empire, a powerful being at the seventh layer of the Divine Realm.

“I am Liang Mengchao. And which of your Ye family’s young masters should I call out?” The man who spoke was tall and muscular, with a fierce demeanor.

“Originally, it was Lord Liang. I apologize for the oversight. You’re referring to Yong’er, who has just returned from the Da Zhou Empire and is currently resting. I’ll have someone call him out immediately.”

“No need to trouble yourself.” At this moment, a petite, lovely girl with two buns on her head walked down from the airship, casting a sideways glance at Liang Mengchao: “Father, you’re being very rude. If you continue like this, I’ll leave.”

“Uh…” The nearly two-meter-tall man, who had just been exuding an aura of dominance, suddenly became speechless.

“You know Yong’er, and it’s only polite to have him come out to meet you. Lord Liang is not being rude.” Ye Wen smiled: “I suppose you’re the Little Rong girl Yong’er mentioned?”

Upon hearing this, Liang Xiaorong’s eyes lit up: “That’s right, it’s me. Did he mention me? When? What did he say? Did he say something bad about me?”

In reality, Ye Wen had never heard Yong’er mention her, and this was just a polite phrase, but it unexpectedly stirred up Liang Xiaorong.

It seemed she was quite interested in Yong’er…

Ye Wen narrowed his eyes: “How could it be bad? Yong’er has nothing but praise for Little Rong, saying you’re skilled in swordsmanship, and your cultivation…”

Ye Wen continued to lavish praise on her, extolling her virtues.

“And then?” But Liang Xiaorong wasn’t interested in hearing about her talents; she wanted to know about Yong’er’s evaluation of her appearance.

Ye Wen, who had lived for a thousand years and was a master of human nature, immediately caught on and began to flatter her again, making Liang Xiaorong blush with delight. She was happy, but Liang Mengchao behind her was not pleased, clenching his fists in secret.

89 Gazing at the Scenery

This time, the Liang family sent six powerful transformation cultivators, over twenty nascent souls, hundreds of golden cores, and thousands of crystals. To an uninformed mortal, it might seem as if war was about to break out. Yet, the cultivators understood well: from the Liang family of the Daluo Dynasty to the Ye family of the Dazhou Dynasty, they spanned half the Eastern Continent. Many areas were forbidden to air travel, large ships could not sail in a straight line, the journey was long, and the wilderness was fraught with danger. The sheer number of them served primarily to intimidate the petty and to showcase the might of their great families.

As for the reason for their visit to the Ye family, it was quite simple. Ye Yong had previously suggested a friendship between the Ye and Liang families during his visit to the Liang family. Although Ye Yong could now represent the Ye family, the upper echelons of both families had never engaged in dialogue. A true alliance could not be forged merely through words.

Coincidentally, it was the New Year, and Ye Yong was at home. He had also heard that he assisted Ye Wen in capturing a demonic cultivator, prompting the Liang family’s upper echelons to immediately decide to set out, taking two days to arrive.

Upon receiving the notification, Ye Yong made his way to the guest hall, just as the guests were settling in: six transformation cultivators, ten nascent souls, and a little Liang girl, while the rest remained aboard the ship.

Ye Yong had met Liang Zhiping and the others before, greeting them one by one.

“Ye Shaoxia truly is a dragon among men! In just a short time apart, you have accomplished what ordinary cultivators find difficult,” spoke an elder, a ninth-layer transformation cultivator. Ye Yong recalled him as Liang Xiaorou’s second grandfather, Liang Xiongwei, the fourth elder of the Liang family, the highest in cultivation and seniority among those present.

“Elder, you flatter me,” Ye Yong replied, fully aware that the elder referred to the capture of the demonic cultivator. He slightly bowed, hands clasped in respect. “The one who acted was my junior, Ye Wen. I merely happened to be present, riding on his coattails for the fame; I truly did nothing.”

Liang Xiongwei and the others exchanged knowing glances, not lingering on the matter. However, Liang Mengchao was not one to coddle Ye Yong. He snorted coldly, “Well, you are quite fortunate, aren’t you? With so many juniors in the Ye family, none were present, yet you were.”

Liang Mengchao believed that a man should take responsibility for his deeds; if it was your merit, it was yours, and if not, then it wasn’t. The crux was that everyone knew the “truth,” yet Ye Yong pretended to be an outsider, feigning humility for whom?

Of course, the most important point was that he was quite displeased with Ye Yong for daring to speak well of his precious daughter behind his back, even going so far as to have the elders repeat it in front of her to please her. How could he tolerate that?

Ye Yong found himself at a loss for words in response to Liang Mengchao’s jab. First, he truly wasn’t being modest; had Ye Wen not shown up, he would have long fled with Qin Shiming, and there would have been no subsequent events. Secondly, all the recent attention he had garnered was due to the Heavenly Dao conspiring against him, attempting to elevate him only to bring about his downfall. Otherwise, how could merely taking the Empress out for a date lead to so many coincidences?

Unfortunately, Ye Yong could neither explain nor clarify. To outsiders, all those “coincidences” appeared “reasonable,” as if he had orchestrated them intentionally.

“Mengchao, Ye Shaoxia is blessed with great fortune; it is only natural for those around him to share in that luck. Speak without such sarcasm, as if you are questioning something,” Liang Xiongwei reprimanded sharply.

After all, Mengchao’s earlier words carried an implicit accusation of Ye Yong’s false modesty, which sounded quite unpleasant. Having lived for so long, his social skills were certainly not lacking; Liang Xiongwei’s rebuke undoubtedly made the Ye family members feel much more at ease.

In truth, Liang Xiongwei was also somewhat speechless. As an elder of the Liang family, he knew that Liang Xiaorou was a natural celestial body, but he also understood that without Ye Yong, she would have perished in the Black Water Secret Realm. To rescue a celestial body from the jaws of death, and to suffer no backlash from fate afterward, even garnering other merits, was enough to prove Ye Yong’s extraordinary fortune.

A cultivator

Letting Liang Xiaorou draw closer to Ye Yong was a good thing, yet Liang Mengchao, the father, was stubborn, fearing his daughter might be deceived.

“My apologies, everyone. Mengchao means no harm,” Liang Zhiping, the elder brother and current head of the family, was the first to stand and offer an apology.

Realizing his impulsiveness was misplaced, Liang Mengchao understood that confronting Ye Yong would serve no purpose and could tarnish the family’s reputation. He too stood, muttering an apology.

“Liang Tangzhu speaks from the heart, daring to voice what others dare not. What is wrong with that? After all, fate is a curious thing,” the protective Ye Wen and others had heard enough to not take it to heart.

The Liang family had come to forge an alliance, and the Ye family was willing. Though the two clans were distant, that very distance lent significance to their union. First, there would be no conflict of interests, and then, should the Ye family venture into the Daluo Empire, the Liang family would provide support, making their endeavors much easier.

“Ye Shaoxia, since we are newcomers, why not take Xiaorou on a tour of the Ye residence? A visit to the nearby city would also be delightful,” Liang Xiongwei suggested, hoping that by separating the two, Liang Mengchao would behave more reasonably.

Liang Mengchao felt a twitch in his eyelid at the suggestion but restrained himself from reacting.

Once Ye Yong led Liang Xiaorou away, the upper echelons of the Ye and Liang families began their discussions.

——

“I’m sorry, my father didn’t mean to cause you trouble, he just…” Liang Xiaorou walked alongside Ye Yong in the long corridor, her expression a bit awkward.

“It’s fine. He just doesn’t know me yet, thinks I might deceive you,” Ye Yong understood Liang Mengchao well; the more he had targeted him at first, the more he would later favor him, provided trust was established.

“Yeah. He tends to be overly sensitive about matters concerning me.” Liang Xiaorou was afraid Ye Yong might dislike her father, but it seemed that was not the case: “By the way, I heard Shiming came to see you a few days ago. She’s now…”

Here it began, the mention of “serious matters.”

“Shiming is staying in a small villa next to my mother’s wing. Are you looking for her?” Ye Yong was well aware of Liang Xiaorou’s intentions and provided the answer she sought.

“No, no.” Liang Xiaorou quietly sighed in relief; if Shiming were living next door or, worse, together with Ye Yong, she would surely lose her composure: “I was just curious why I haven’t seen her.”