The Horned Demon Chu Tian’s “I object” wasn’t high in volume, yet it instantly drowned out all the clamor.
The entire courtyard and its 100 guests fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
The music came to a screeching halt.
The movements of people raising their glasses froze in midair.
The noisy chatter vanished, leaving only the sound of the wind blowing through the banners in the courtyard, making a flapping noise.
All eyes turned in unison toward the source of the sound.
It was the man standing beside Su Nian, a man so handsome he didn’t seem mortal, yet he was an utter stranger.
The fanaticism and excitement on Su Changhai’s face froze completely.
His face, which had been flushed with alcohol and excitement, turned pale at a visible rate, eventually shifting into a leaden gray.
He almost thought he was hallucinating.
The Horned Demon Chu Tian stepped forward slowly.
His footsteps were light, and they made no unnecessary sound as they landed on the bluestone floor.
He ignored Su Changhai, passed by his side, and walked directly to Su Nian’s parents.
His figure was tall and straight, like a sharpened sword drawn from its scabbard.
Among the crowd of fawning or mediocre figures, he stood out as extraordinary.
He bowed slightly in a humble gesture, yet he carried an innate composure.
“Uncle, Auntie.”
“I am Chu Tian. Niannian and I met in Academy City, and I am… also in love with her.”
His voice was clear and steady.
He acted exceptionally formal, completely different from how he behaved in private with Su Nian.
Su Nian was slightly stunned.
‘Chu Tian?’
‘He helped me before, even finding people to deal with the Horned Demon… Why would the Horned Demon use his name as an alias while traveling?’
‘What is he trying to do?’
Clearly, Su Nian assumed the Horned Demon was intentionally using the name “Chu Tian” to impersonate the Captain of the Guard.
Unable to figure out his motives for a moment, Su Nian quickly stopped thinking about it.
At this moment, her heart was entirely focused on her parents.
Would they be moved by Su Changhai’s words?
Would they truly be coerced by the so-called “family glory” and the “future of the town,” ultimately agreeing to this marriage?
The Horned Demon’s public objection was somewhat surprising to her, but it also made sense.
‘This guy… He definitely wouldn’t want me to marry someone else.’
‘Hmph. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.’
After a brief, dead silence, the courtyard erupted into a buzz of discussion.
“Chu Tian? Who is that? I’ve never heard of such a person in Hidden Dragon Town.”
“Look at his bearing and his clothes. He definitely isn’t an ordinary person…”
“He… He actually dared to publicly oppose the Su Family Head. He even said he’s in love with Miss Su Nian. He’s trying to steal a woman from the Third Prince!”
“Is he crazy? Does he not value his life?”
The whispers merged into a chaotic background noise, every word laced with shock and disbelief.
Su Changhai finally recovered from his extreme astonishment.
Humiliation!
This was blatant humiliation!
The banquet he had meticulously arranged, the glorious future of climbing into the Royal Family, and his absolute authority as the Su Family Head.
At this very moment.
A brat who came out of nowhere was publicly challenging his authority in front of all the town’s prominent figures!
A younger member of the family standing near Su Changhai immediately jumped out, pointing at Chu Tian’s nose and cursing.
“A bumpkin from who knows where dares to spout such nonsense here!”
“Do you know who you’re competing with for a woman? That’s His Highness, the Third Prince! The future King!”
Su Changhai allowed the others to attack Chu Tian for a moment before tearing off his mask of respectability and speaking out in anger.
“Guards!”
“Drag this meddling lunatic out of here and break his legs!”
Su Changhai’s voice became shrill, no longer possessing the steady tone of a family head.
Several Su Family servants standing nearby had long been unable to restrain themselves.
Upon receiving the order, their faces immediately twisted with savage malice.
Gripping the clubs at their waists, they closed in on the Horned Demon Chu Tian.
In the courtyard, the brief silence was instantly replaced by tension.
“A toad wanting to eat swan meat? You should look in a mirror to see what kind of trash you are!”
“He’s finished. This kid is going to get his legs broken.”
Jeers and laughter rose and fell.
Those who relied on the Su Family and hoped to get a share of the benefits from this marriage spoke up one after another.
They used the most vicious words possible, attempting to drown out this arrogant young man.
As Su Changhai watched this scene, the anger on his face was gradually replaced by a cruel sneer.
He enjoyed this feeling—the power to decide a person’s life, death, or honor with a single sentence.
Just then, the man sitting in the seat of honor spoke.
“According to the customs of your East Continent immigrants, it is better not to see blood on such a day…”
“I think it’s better to treat it as a joke.”
The speaker was the envoy sent by the Third Prince.
Upon hearing this, Su Changhai raised his hand, signaling the servants who were about to strike to retreat.
He then turned to the envoy representing the Third Prince, his face instantly covered in a flattering smile.
“I’ve let the Lord Messenger see something embarrassing. He’s just an ignorant madman.”
“Everything shall be as the Lord Messenger commands.”
Su Changhai cleared his throat and intentionally raised his voice, his eyes sweeping over the Horned Demon Chu Tian with a cold gaze.
“Bring out the dowry!”
“Let some ignorant fools who haven’t seen the world open their eyes.”
“A person like you thinks he’s worthy of competing with the Third Prince!”
His voice was filled with the pleasure of showing off.
Several servants immediately responded, struggling to carry out several heavy boxes from the back.
“Bang!”
The lids were roughly thrown open.
In an instant, the courtyard was filled with the brilliance of jewels and treasures.
The golden light was so dazzling that people could barely keep their eyes open.
There was a full box of gold coins, mountains of various jewels, and several sets of armor and weapons that radiated a clear glow of Magic.
The air in the entire courtyard seemed to be tainted with the scent of wealth.
“Do you see this?”
Su Changhai raised his chin even higher.
He pointed at the treasures as the guests erupted into a series of uncontrollable gasps and praises.
Every word felt like a slap to Chu Tian’s face.
“This is the sincerity of the Royal Family!”
He spoke with the posture of a victor.
“What do you have to compare with the Third Prince?”
Everyone looked at “Chu Tian,” who was standing there all alone, with expressions expecting a good show.
Their eyes were filled with pity and mockery as they waited to see how miserably he would end up or how he would beg for mercy on his knees.
Su Nian was also a bit nervous.
Clearly, the Horned Demon was her nemesis, but why did she hope the Horned Demon would “win” against the other party at this moment?
‘Did I forgive the Horned Demon? No… that’s not right.’
‘It’s because compared to the Horned Demon, I hate this Su Family Head and that Third Prince even more. None of them are good people!’
Meanwhile, the expression on the Horned Demon Chu Tian’s face didn’t change at all.
He was calm.
He didn’t even spare those so-called “dowry” items a single glance from the corner of his eye.
In his eyes, those things were no different from stones on the side of the road.
He simply raised his hand casually.
He gave a light wave in the air.
There was no incantation and no light from a magic circle.
There was only a move that was simple to the extreme.
An imperceptible spatial ripple, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, rippled out in front of him.
In the next moment.
“Boom!”
Under everyone’s horrified gazes, a mountain of light and treasures appeared out of thin air in the open space in the center of the courtyard.
The light was blinding!
In an instant, it completely swallowed the brilliance of the dowry brought by the Third Prince’s envoy, suppressing it until it was dim and lusterless.