The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 33: Your Head Is Really Neatly Shaped

　　Jiang Shuo’s words made the smile on Si Yao’s face almost impossible to keep up. The expression she had been forcing instantly vanished, replaced by a glare full of anger as she shot a look at the smug Jiang Shuo.

　　Jiang Shuo laughed arrogantly. He took the Sect Leader token from Elder Situ’s hand and casually set it on the nearby table. Then he deliberately cleared his throat and started negotiating with the elders.

　　“The Heaven-Gazing Mirror only appears once every hundred years. This time, it even prophesied that if Si Luo becomes the Sect Leader’s wife, the sect will enjoy ten thousand years of prosperity. Something this important surely can’t be ignored by the elders.”

　　“As a disciple of the sect, helping the elders ease their worries is only my duty. I, Jiang Shuo, will naturally take the lead, even if it costs me my life.”

　　His words sounded righteous and grand, but there was clearly more hidden beneath them.

　　The elders were thoroughly unimpressed by Jiang Shuo’s not-so-subtle implication. Helping them ease their worries sounded nice enough, but it was basically written all over his face that he meant, “Hurry up and marry Si Luo to me!”

　　Elder Situ caught the underlying meaning in Jiang Shuo’s words and smiled as he smoothly deflected, “That may be so, but you should first let the token acknowledge you as its Master before discussing marriage.”

　　Jiang Shuo’s expression turned unusually solemn and sincere as he spoke in a grave tone. “Every previous Sect Leader only performed the blood-binding during the succession ceremony. That is the most important step in inheriting the position, and it cannot be rushed.”

　　He lightly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Why don’t the elders discuss my marriage with Si Luo first, and then consider the succession ceremony afterward?”

　　What an utterly shameless suggestion.

　　Jiang Shuo did not feel there was anything wrong with his proposal at all. Si Yao only wanted the position of Sect Leader’s wife anyway. If she could marry Mu Yuanbai, why couldn’t she marry him?

　　The moment his words fell, the elders all looked troubled. Mu Yuanbai’s brows knitted tightly together as he stared at Jiang Shuo with open hostility, while Si Yao was completely stunned.

　　She had thought Jiang Shuo was just trying to scare her on purpose, but now it really seemed like he was serious.

　　Si Yao muttered inwardly, It’s only been a few days. Did Jiang Shuo lose his mind or something? Even though their relationship had eased up a bit, it definitely was not at the “get married immediately” stage.

　　Seeing the cold and indifferent look on Si Yao’s face, Jiang Shuo felt a surge of anger rise in his chest. They were both about becoming Sect Leader’s wife, so why had she been so happy when it was Mu Yuanbai, yet now she looked utterly miserable at the thought of marrying him?

　　For the first time, Jiang Shuo began to doubt himself.

　　Could it be that he really was inferior to Mu Yuanbai?

　　Si Yao’s mood affected Jiang Shuo. The smile that had been on his handsome face faded, replaced by a cold tone as he said, “If none of the elders object, then today we can announce that Si Luo and I are now Daoist Partners.”

　　Si Yao’s eyes widened in shock, staring at him, ready to curse.

　　What the heck!

　　Did he even ask her first?

　　On the other side, Elder Situ had no choice. He wanted to calm Jiang Shuo, so he relented, “If that is the case, you two can at least promise your engagement first, then hold the wedding.”

　　Hearing Elder Situ’s words, Si Yao was even more stunned. She hadn’t expected him to just abandon their little strategic plan. They had agreed it was only supposed to be a show, so why was there engagement and marriage now? Did everyone just pretend she didn’t exist?

　　Jiang Shuo furrowed his brow, appearing to consider Elder Situ’s suggestion seriously. After a moment, he finally gave in, “Fine.”

　　That was the last straw for Si Yao. She shot up from her seat, glaring at Jiang Shuo, “Fine, my foot!”

　　Her angry voice rang out, drawing the shocked gazes of everyone in the hall. Because Jiang Shuo’s cultivation was too high, Elder Situ’s voice transmission might have been intercepted, so he hadn’t communicated with Si Yao directly and instead secretly signaled her with his eyes.

　　At that moment, the system voice seemed perfectly timed to appear in Si Yao’s mind, advising,【Please remain calm and ensure the plot proceeds normally.】

　　Seeing Jiang Shuo agree to succeed as Sect Leader, she knew there could be no more mistakes. Clenching her teeth, she swallowed all the curses lodged in her throat.

　　So in front of everyone, she forced an awkward, dazzling smile and continued her earlier words, saying to Jiang Shuo, “Your… head is really neat.”

　　Elder Situ silently exhaled in relief, seeing that she had restrained herself. Mu Yuanbai and the other elders exchanged strange looks. Who ever compliments someone like that?

　　Jiang Shuo’s expression instantly turned cold. Don't think he didn't know she was trying to insult him!

　　Si Yao wished she could disappear into the floor, lowering her head in embarrassment.

　　Elder Situ, aware of her reluctance, tried to cover for her, finding a way to stall and push the succession first before the marriage. He said, “The succession is urgent. I will arrange everything now. First the succession, then the engagement.”

　　Hearing Elder Situ’s plan, Jiang Shuo’s gaze darkened, but he nodded in agreement, “Then so be it.”

　　With the main situation settled, Si Yao couldn’t help feeling betrayed as she looked at Elder Situ’s wrinkled, smiling face.

　　She immediately regretted agreeing to play Elder Situ’s little game. She should never have boarded his sinking ship.

　　The council had gone off perfectly—well, perfectly for everyone except Si Yao.

　　When it ended, she left Yuanming Hall with a sour expression that made it seem as if someone had stolen her money.

　　On her way back, the disciples of Xuanming Sect watched from afar, guessing that her sullen face meant her engagement with Mu Yuanbai had been called off. Sure enough, soon news came from Yuanming Hall that their engagement had indeed been canceled. But before anyone could celebrate, word spread that Jiang Shuo would succeed as Sect Leader, and that Si Luo would be betrothed to him.

　　Si Yao felt utterly cursed. She had planned to trick Jiang Shuo into taking over, but this guy acted like he had a screw loose, and suddenly the whole situation had flipped. She, Si Yao, who had lived two lifetimes and never even had a proper romance, was now about to be engaged.

　　And to her enemy, no less.

　　She never imagined she would one day be engaged to Jiang Shuo. For the next two days, she wandered around in a daze, half-convinced she was dreaming.

　　A nightmare, really.

　　After Jiang Shuo relented, the elders immediately set about preparing everything for the succession ceremony. With beasts and demons constantly stirring, the sooner Jiang Shuo took over, the better.

　　Si Yao knew that even if Jiang Shuo didn’t succeed as Sect Leader, he would never abandon the sect.

　　The elders were so insistent on him taking over because Xuanming Sect possessed a secret technique only successive Sect Leaders could study. This technique could greatly enhance a cultivator’s power, and the elders hoped Jiang Shuo would master it to face the Beast and Demon realms.

　　The elders acted swiftly. In just a few days, all preparations for the succession ceremony were completed. They wanted Jiang Shuo to take over as soon as possible and invited the leaders of the major sects to witness the event.

　　From the Immortal Sect Assembly to the succession ceremony, Xuanming Sect held two grand events in just a few days, leaving disciples whispering among themselves, wondering if some great incident was about to occur.

　　The change of Sect Leader from Mu Yuanbai to Jiang Shuo sparked no objections. In everyone’s eyes, it seemed only natural that Jiang Shuo would succeed.

　　What did cause a stir was Si Luo going from being betrothed to Mu Yuanbai to now being engaged to Jiang Shuo.

　　Everyone had assumed she only sought to cozy up to the aloof senior brother, but it turned out she cared more about becoming Sect Leader’s wife. That was even more contemptible than they expected.

　　Si Yao had heard plenty of gossip in the past few days and had long learned not to care. Mu Yuanbai and Jiang Shuo’s succession faced no opposition because one had the strength and the other had the experience. She, on the other hand, was becoming Sect Leader’s wife just because Elder Situ said so. Compared to them, her claim was hardly convincing.

　　The succession ceremony was held in a hurry, kept simple, with many complicated rites skipped. Only the disciples were summoned to witness.

　　On the solemn, ancient platform, Elder Hongfang presented the token representing the Sect Leader’s authority to Jiang Shuo.

　　Jiang Shuo’s expression was cold. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he respectfully bowed to Elder Hongfang and accepted the token.

　　Jiang Shuo reached out, pricked his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the token. It glowed with a golden light for a moment before dimming again.

　　Elder Hongfang finally relaxed a little and called out to everyone, “From today onward, Jiang Shuo is the new Sect Leader of Xuanming Sect.”

　　With his commanding voice, all the disciples present bowed respectfully toward Jiang Shuo on the high platform, chanting in unison, “Long live the Sect Leader.”

　　The ceremony was complete.

　　Jiang Shuo had officially taken the helm of the sect.

　　Not only did the elders breathe a sigh of relief, but Si Yao also felt her heart ease slightly. This part of the story was finally secure.

　　But her relief didn’t last long. Elder Hongfang’s voice rang out again, “The child of destiny, Si Luo, shall bless our sect with prosperity for ten thousand years. The Elder Council has decided that Jiang Shuo and Si Luo will be betrothed at today’s succession ceremony, with the wedding to be held on a later date.”

　　Elder Hongfang’s face betrayed some awkwardness. After all, they were forcing a young girl into an engagement without considering her own wishes. It was a decision that weighed on the sect’s conscience.

　　Still, they had planned it carefully. For now, they just needed to keep Jiang Shuo calm. Once he had fully taken over the sect’s affairs, they could stage a “turncoat” act and feign disagreement.

　　Jiang Shuo didn’t notice any of this. After the ceremony, his gaze stayed fixed on Si Yao.

　　His eyes burned with an intensity even he could not fully name.

　　In short, whether she wanted it or not, he was going to marry her in the end.

　　Si Yao stood on the high platform, not far from him. The elders had arranged it this way intentionally. Seeing her so close, Jiang Shuo could no longer contain the stirring in his heart and stepped forward.

　　In front of everyone, he reached out and took her small hand in his own as if claiming his rightful place.

　　Standing side by side, one tall and strikingly handsome, the other ordinary and unremarkable, the contrast was striking to all onlookers. It looked as if heaven and earth were standing next to each other.

　　Everyone thought Si Yao was like the mud at the mountain’s base, only rising this far by luck.

　　Si Yao stiffened and pulled her hand back instinctively, trying to put some distance between them.

　　All eyes were on her, burning with attention, making her extremely uncomfortable. She just wished this succession ceremony would end soon.

　　She endured as best she could. Just as the ceremony was about to finish and she felt a hint of relief, a harsh voice rang out from the viewing seats.

　　“A woman so plain she isn’t even as striking as a commoner at the mountain’s base, and yet she is to become the Sect Leader’s wife? Have the elders cultivated all these years only to lose their sense of judgment?”    

    

    

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