Tangyu shook his head and smiled, having to admit that Zi Yan really was a very beautiful girl, pure beyond measure. In those clear eyes, there was even a hint of innocence.

Such a girl, to be honest, is indeed very attractive. If it were the Tangyu from the Earth period, it might really be hard to resist such beauty. Of course, the current Tangyu could completely resist this kind of beauty, completely look past it without the slightest stirring of heart. It's just that now Tangyu is seeking a kind of peaceful life to see if it can bring some opportunity, which is why he stepped in to save the girl earlier.

In fact, Tangyu had already guessed what was going on, that those who wanted to capture Zi Yan were simply servants of the Zi Family.

Given this, even if Tangyu hadn't stepped in, Zi Yan wouldn't have been in mortal danger.

"I was just joking with you, you don't need to take this matter to heart. Helping you once doesn't mean anything. Helping others is a fundamental joy. Moreover, as a man, this is the basic guideline of conduct. Seeing injustice on the road and drawing one's sword to help - this is a majestic righteousness. So earlier, no matter who it was, I believe they wouldn't stand by and watch. So, you really don't need to take it too seriously." Tangyu said.

Zi Yan looked at Tangyu, her autumn water-like eyes shimmering: "No, you see, earlier I ran through the entire town, but no one dared to step in to help me. I cried for help all the way but it was to no avail, it even made me feel somewhat desperate. But at that moment, you appeared, and your appearance gave me hope. I thought you wouldn't help, but you stepped in without any hesitation. That's what makes you different."

"I can see that you're indeed different from others. What you possess is more than just a majestic righteousness. Anyway, regarding this incident, Zi Yan is truly grateful to you, sir. Although Zi Yan knows sir doesn't care much about this, Zi Yan does care."

"Zi Yan was not joking earlier, it's true. Zi Yan has now reached the stage of discussing marriage, and sooner or later, I will take this step. My family wants to force me to marry someone I really dislike, so I ran away. Seeing you, sir—so, Zi Yan does indeed have such thoughts, not just out of gratitude."

After speaking, Zi Yan blushed again, looking at Tangyu with a shy expression.

This kind of look is particularly cute and charming. If it were another man, he probably couldn't help but have some thoughts.

But Tangyu remained unmoved, his will incredibly firm: "Miss Zi Yan, I was really just speaking casually earlier, just joking, you shouldn't take it seriously. Marriage is not child's play, besides, you're still young, there's no need to worry about such things so soon. I had already guessed the reason for your escape. To put it bluntly, running away like this is not a solution."

"Parents love their children dearly, and I believe your parents love you too, it's just that sometimes people like to compromise with certain things. I think your family must have compromised with something, which is why they're making you marry someone you dislike. If you marry, it must be beneficial to your family, it counts as a sacrifice from you. Such a marriage, if you think it's unhappy, then it's definitely unhappy. Running away is actually the right thing to do."

"However, you're running away from a marriage, not your family. If you run away from your family, that's not a good thing for you. If you run away alone like this, I can assure you that your life might become even more miserable."

Zi Yan looked at Tangyu, thought for a moment, and still shook her head and said: "If I go back, my family will still force me to marry that person. Rather than that, I might as well run away. I don't believe I'll be that unlucky."

Tangyu said: "You're thinking too simplistically about this world. This world is far more complex and terrifying than you imagine. Aren't you worried that if you encounter bad people who sell you to a brothel, or get captured by an ugly, fierce bandit to be his wife, these things might happen."

"Ah—" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan was truly frightened, thought for a while, then squatted on the ground and started crying: "What should I do then? If I have to marry that person, I might as well die. No, I won't go back, not even if I'm beaten to death. I can't run away, then I have no choice but to die. Sir, thank you for saving me, but since you won't let me stay with you, then Zi Yan has nothing to live for."

Saying this, she actually took out a dagger, seemingly intending to end her own life.

Seeing this, Tangyu couldn't help but shake his head, with a wave of his hand, he disarmed Zi Yan of the dagger. Zi Yan was about to end it all, but the dagger in her hand suddenly disappeared into thin air, causing her eyes to widen. She looked at her empty hand in shock, then raised her head to stare blankly at Tangyu.

"Death doesn't solve problems. Death is merely an escape and a display of cowardice." Tangyu said.

This was the first time he encountered a young girl seeking to end her life right in front of him.

This incident reminded Tangyu of the feeling he had earlier on Earth. It's really strange, ever since entering the Cultivation World, as his power grew and he experienced more, he felt increasingly unhappy. This feeling intensified even more after arriving in the Mystic Spirit Continent, becoming more depressed. So this time, Tangyu chose to wander around to see if it could make him feel a bit better.

Finally, he found a bit of joy in Zi Yan.

What is happiness?

If you ask ten thousand people, there might be ten thousand kinds of answers. Happiness is a broad term, and everyone has their own perspective.

Zi Yan stopped crying and looked up at Tangyu, her eyes filled with tears, looking adorable and pitiful. Her eyes were full of innocent and helpless longing.

Tangyu squatted down, pointing at a small lake in front of them, and said, "Look at this lake surface, do you think the water is moving?"

"The water is, of course, moving." Zi Yan looked at Tangyu with some confusion.

Tangyu smiled and shook his head, "Not really, the water isn't actually moving, what moves is your heart. When your heart moves, the whole world moves with you. Moving and not moving, they are relative. If I were walking at the same speed as you, then relative to you, I wouldn't be moving. Everything comes from the heart, in whatever you do, you should listen to your heart. Do what your heart thinks. Life can be frustrating sometimes, but you must learn to adapt."

"Life is never smooth sailing; there will always be adversity. When you encounter adversity, your thought should not be to avoid it, not to commit suicide, but to solve the problem. First, set your goals, then figure out how to achieve them. Things are man-made, not everything is beyond redemption."

Zi Yan nodded, looking thoughtful, "I understand what you mean, Young Master Tangyu. You are right, I shouldn't run away or think about suicide. Avoidance certainly doesn't solve any problems. Thank you, Young Master Tangyu, your words have truly awakened me. Doing this is not only irresponsible to myself but also to others."

Tangyu nodded with a smile, "It's good that you think this way. Now, tell me what your situation is exactly, perhaps I might be able to help you."

"Really?" Zi Yan suddenly became excited, grabbing Tangyu's hand. After a while, she realized and blushed, pulling her hand back swiftly, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I got too excited."

Zi Yan poured out all her experiences, letting Tangyu understand the whole story.

In Luo River Town, there are three major family forces: the Luo Family, Wu Family, and Zi Family. Originally, the powers of the three families were about equal, although the Luo Family has always been the undisputed leading family in Luo River Town, with three Mystic Law Realm cultivators in the family. Furthermore, the Family Head of the Luo Family is a Sixth Layer Mystic Law Realm cultivator, recognized as the top expert in Luo River Town. The power of the Luo Family firmly suppresses the Wu and Zi Families.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be anything to worry about, even though the Luo Family oppresses the Zi Family, they wouldn't dare blatantly harm the Zi Family since the Zi Family also has two Mystic Law Realm cultivators. If they really tore open the facade, the Zi Family wouldn't necessarily back down.

But the problem is, the Luo Family and Wu Family had intermarried, making their relationship unusual. This peculiarity immediately disrupted the original balance among the three families. Naturally, this made the Zi Family feel the crisis. If things continue this way, perhaps soon the Luo and Wu Families will completely join forces, and at that time, Luo River Town might not tolerate the Zi Family anymore. This evolution of power dynamics is seen quite often, hence, the Zi Family urgently sought a way to maintain the balance.

And marriage, obviously, was the ideal solution.

It just so happened that the second son of the Luo Family's Family Head, Luo Yong, liked Zi Yan, so the Zi Family proactively sought to arrange this marriage. Since Luo Yong was already interested, the matter was naturally settled smoothly, and it was directly finalized. The Zi Family actively promoted this matter, and once decided, they quickly discussed a good day for the marriage and made a big deal about the marriage alliance with the Luo Family.

This way, the Luo, Wu, and Zi Families would all be directly bound together, and if this marriage was successful, there would likely be no more disputes in Luo River Town.

Of course, all of this is an ideal state.

This marriage, the Zi Family all agreed to, and it was the only method they could think of to continue maintaining this balance.

However, Zi Yan fiercely opposed it, because she very much disliked Luo Yong. Luo Yong was notorious as a debauchee in Luo River Town, unknown how many girls had been ruined by him. Luo Yong had previously teased Zi Yan a few times, causing Zi Yan to despise him greatly.

When she heard about this, Zi Yan naturally refused to agree, causing a rift with her family. No matter what her family said, trying to make her think of the bigger picture, Zi Yan, in her anger, didn't listen.

After several arguments and standstills, in a moment of anger, Zi Yan directly ran away. This led to the latter scene, which was what Tangyu witnessed.

The situation was just as Tangyu had anticipated. It was nothing more than a plot akin to a melodramatic soap opera. Such matters, Tangyu had seen many times on Earth. Encountering it here was not surprising at all.

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