Volume 1, Chapter 1: I'm Doing This All for Your Own Good!

"If you break this engagement, you will die! Knowing that, do you still want to break it?"

In the living room of the Gu family mansion in the Imperial Capital, a young girl with a baby face looked soft, gentle, and harmless. Yet, the words she spoke made one's blood boil with anger.

On the sofa, a cold and noble man frowned slightly.

Gu Chenxiao, the youngest son of the Gu family, was the most prestigious crown prince of the capital's elite circle.

Aloof and detached, he was like a flower atop a snow-capped mountain, far beyond anyone's reach.

The women who wished to marry him were countless, like a school of fish crossing a river, enough to circle the Earth three times.

Unfortunately, he was born allergic to women. If any woman touched him, he would break out in rashes all over, suffer breathing difficulties, and in severe cases, even fall into a coma.

Outsiders only knew that Master Nine of the Gu family treated women like venomous beasts, but they did not know that he actually had an arranged marriage.

This matter dated back to when Gu Chenxiao was eight years old.

Gu Chenxiao was the late-born son of the old Master Gu. With eight older sisters before him, the family had finally obtained this youngest son, naturally showering him with endless love and affection.

Unfortunately, his health had been poor since childhood. When he was eight, he suffered a high fever that did not break for five consecutive days. The hospital issued seven critical condition notices in a row, and everyone believed he would not survive.

Just as Old Master Gu and his wife were falling into despair, a Daoist priest in tattered robes suddenly arrived at the hospital.

He told the old master that Gu Chenxiao was the reincarnation of the Seven Killings Star, carrying an extremely heavy dark energy. He was destined for a life of lonely poverty, yet he had been born into the wealthiest family, resulting in an exceptionally prosperous fate. The clash of these two conflicting destinies was more than his body could bear, putting him at risk of dying at any moment.

The only solution was to arrange an engagement with a girl of extremely pure Yang energy to turn his misfortune into blessings.

As it happened, the Daoist priest's newly recruited young disciple possessed exactly such a destiny. If the Gu family was willing to arrange an engagement between Gu Chenxiao and his young disciple, he would save the boy's life.

Clutching at straws, Old Master Gu agreed, treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

After exchanging tokens of engagement, the old Daoist drew a talisman, burned it, mixed the ashes with water, and had the old master feed it to Gu Chenxiao.

Miraculously, after drinking the talisman water, the high fever that refused to break actually subsided.

When Gu Chenxiao's parents turned to look for the old Daoist, they found he had already departed.

Before leaving, the priest left them a message: when the time was ripe, his young disciple would come to find them with the engagement token.

Afterward, Gu Chenxiao's health gradually recovered. He lived eighteen years without illness or disaster, and the Daoist's disciple never showed up.

Just as the Gu family was beginning to forget about this matter, a young girl suddenly arrived at their door holding the original token—a dragon and phoenix jade pendant—demanding that Gu Chenxiao fulfill the engagement.

The memory cut off abruptly. The man looked at the young girl before him, whose face was far too tender.

She had apricot-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, with delicate features and soft, white skin like a peeled egg. Wearing a grayish-white Daoist robe, her black hair was secured at the top of her head with a peach wood hairpin. Aside from a string of cinnabar beads on her left wrist, she wore no other ornaments.

Gu Chenxiao's frown deepened. Was she even an adult?

Withdrawing his gaze, the man spoke in a cold, indifferent tone. "I will definitely call off this engagement. Just speak up regarding what compensation you want!"

Yan Chu looked at the dark, malevolent energy that gathered and swirled between the man's brows after he declared his intention to break the engagement, and sighed in her heart.

If it weren't for her master's deathbed command, telling her that he had arranged a marriage for her and insisting she fulfill it, and because a human life was at stake, she wouldn't have come to their door with the token.

However, since he was unwilling, she would not force him.

Yan Chu said, "There is no need for compensation. Breaking the engagement doesn't cause me any loss, as long as you have thought it through!" With that, she handed the dragon and phoenix jade pendant—the token the Gu family had originally given her master—to Gu Chenxiao. "This is the token the Gu family gave my master back then. I'm returning it to you."

Good advice could not save a ghost bent on dying. Since he did not value his own life, there was no point in her saying anything more.

Seeing her agree to break the engagement so easily, Gu Chenxiao was actually taken aback.

He glanced at the girl. Seeing that she was indeed sincerely returning the jade pendant, he reached out to take it.

However, the moment his fingers touched the jade pendant, the sky, which had been clear and sunny just a moment ago, suddenly changed.

Rumble!

Thunder rumbled heavily behind the gathering dark clouds, sounding like a warning.

Gu Chenxiao's heart skipped a beat, and his fingertips paused.

Lifting his gaze, he noticed the young girl's expression had changed slightly. Her clean, soft face showed a trace of astonishment and shock, and her gaze toward him gradually grew complex.

Gu Chenxiao frowned, intending to take the pendant and withdraw his hand.

But the small hand holding the other end of the jade pendant suddenly yanked it back.

Gu Chenxiao: ???

Yan Chu scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I... I'm afraid I can't return this token to you! We cannot break this engagement!"

"You want to go back on your word?!" The man's gaze suddenly turned sharp and cold.

Yan Chu waved her hands. "I'm not going back on my word, it's just... I'm doing this for your own good!"

She hadn't expected that what her master had arranged was actually a Heavenly Covenant!

A Heavenly Covenant was an engagement witnessed and protected by the Heavenly Dao.

Even if one party died, the engagement could not be dissolved! Even in the underworld, they would have to be a pair of ghost lovers!

If one party tried to break the engagement privately, the Heavenly Dao would send down punishment.

Yan Chu glanced at Gu Chenxiao. With his fragile body, he wouldn't even survive a single bolt of heavenly lightning.

Gu Chenxiao laughed in extreme anger. "Miss Yan, there is no need to speak so grandly!"

"Everything I said is true," Yan Chu said helplessly. "If you insist on taking the token back, you will be struck by lightning."

Gu Chenxiao sneered. "Miss Yan, that is quite a unique excuse! In the end, you are just like those other women who want to marry into my Gu family. Tell me, Miss Yan, what will it take for you to cancel this engagement?"

Regardless of the circumstances, her master had saved his life back then.

For the sake of that life-saving favor, he could show her a bit more patience.

He only hoped she would know what was good for her!

Yan Chu was speechless. What was wrong with this man? Did he really have to be struck by lightning once before he would believe her?

Fine, if he wanted to be struck, she would let him have his way. In any case, even if he was struck to death, she could still save him.

Thinking of this, Yan Chu handed the jade pendant over again. "Let's agree beforehand: you brought this on yourself. Don't blame me when you get struck."

Gu Chenxiao responded with a cold sneer and reached out to take it.

He did not believe a single word Yan Chu said.

"Rest assured, I, Gu Chenxiao, am not an ungrateful person." He pulled a checkbook from his pocket, signed a check, and handed it over. "Fill in whatever amount you want..."

However, Yan Chu did not take it.

Instead, she immediately stood up and leaped three steps backward like a rabbit!

Gu Chenxiao was slightly startled. Then, he heard the previously muffled thunder suddenly grow sharp and clear, as if exploding right next to his ear.

Immediately after, a flash of white light flared before his eyes.

"Master Nine, watch out!" the bodyguard cried out in terror.

Yan Chu raised her hand and threw out several talisman papers, freezing the bodyguards who were trying to rush forward to save him.

Before Gu Chenxiao could react, he felt his entire body go numb.