"Hello, I am here to see Min Li. I was told by the Dragon Essence Temple that she had returned home not long ago." Yuan said to the guards while they were stilled dazed by the beauties around him.
"Y-Young Lady Min? What business do you have with her?"
"I am here to fulfill a promise I made to her."
"I'm sorry, but the Min Family is not accepting any visitors at this moment, as they are currently preparing for the Young Lady's marriage." The guard then said, taking Yuan by surprise.
"What? Marriage? Min Li is getting married?"
"Yes, the Min Family suddenly announced her marriage with Gu Tao from the Gu Family, their third eldest song."
"The Gu Family…" Yuan recalled when someone from the Gu Family tried to recruit him to their family when he was still a disciple of the Dragon Essence Temple, and he mentioned that the Gu Family was one of the Seven Legacy Families.
As for Min Li marrying this Gu Tao, it was obviously something that her family decided for her.
Yuan could still remember Min Li pleading with him to join her family so that they wouldn't do something like this to her.
'Looks like I had made her wait too long…' Yuan sighed inwardly.
However, knowing that Min Li was most likely forced into this marriage by her family, Yuan was more inclined to meet with her.
"Hey, my Young Master said he wants to meet with Min Li. I don't care if the Min Family is accepting visitors or not, he will meet her today!" Feng Yuxiang suddenly said with a cold expression on her pretty face.
"Who do you think you are? If you think you can say whatever you want just because you are a little pretty, then—"
Before the guard could even finish his sentence, Feng Yuxiang retrieved a medallion from her storage ring and shoved it right in his face.
The guard was startled at first, but when he realized what Feng Yuxiang was holding, it turned into shock and fear.
"T-The Min Family's Royal Guest Medallion! Why do you have something like that?!" The guard exclaimed in a shocked voice.
"Does it matter why I have it? The question here is whether you will let my Young Master meet Min Li or not."
The guards gritted their teeth as they were in a predicament.
On one hand, the Min Family said no guests are allowed, but on the other, the Royal Guest Medallion is the highest honor one could receive from the Min Family, and those with the medallion must be treated as though they are part of the family!
This rule was set by the founder of the Min Family, so it wasn't something they could simply ignore!
"M-May I ask for your name, Senior?" One of the guards asked her.
"Feng Yuxiang," she calmly responded.
"Wait! Aren't you Madam Feng from the Golden Phoenix Bazaar?!" Someone there recognized her name.
"Yes, I used to work at the Golden Phoenix Bazaar," Feng Yuxiang nodded, not denying her identity.
"O-Open the gates for them!" The guard then said.
"Are you sure?" The others asked him.
"Yes! Just open it!"
The guards nodded their heads and opened the gates for them.
"Please excuse us for the inconvenience just now, Madam Feng. Please, follow me. I will bring you to the Young Lady." The guard said to her.
Once Yuan and the others disappeared with the guard, the other guards began mumbling to each other.
"Who is Madam Feng?"
"You don't know? She used to own the most popular and valuable stores in the Golden Phoenix Bazaar. The Min Family also used to be a frequent customer there, so they highly respect her." One of the more senior guards there explained to the others.
Meanwhile, inside the Min Family's living quarters, Min Li sat inside her room with a tranquil expression on her face as she stared outside her window.
"I knew I shouldn't have returned… I knew it was a trap, yet I still returned… I am such an idiot…" Min Li sighed.
It was mostly due to how she was raised to listen to her parents regardless of the situation, hence why she returned to the family after being summoned by them.
After many weeks of silence from her family, they suddenly called her back to the family without giving her any explanations.
Min Li knew that this was about her failure to recruit Yuan to their family, as news of Yuan's departure from the sect had spread shortly after he left, so it was clear to the Min Family that she had failed to secure him.
"But to think they'd immediately give me to another family… I didn't think they'd move so fast— be willing to toss me away so easily. They must be really upset about my failure…" Min Li sighed again after realizing just how little her family valued her.
While it is true that she lacked in talents and achievements when compared to her siblings, she is still a cultivation genius with a rare talent. How can the Min Family throw her away this easily? She couldn't understand it.
"I don't know when Disciple Yuan will come, so I cannot wait for him to rescue me. Therefore, I will have to deal with this situation by myself. If worst comes to worst, I will climb the Stairway to Heaven by myself! Even if I die in the process, it will be a much better fate than marrying into the Gu Family!"
While Min Li planned her escape from the Min Family and her marriage, Yuan and the others approached their living quarters.
"I'm not sure where the Young Lady is located, but she should be here. Let me go speak with someone for more information." The guard said to them after they arrived.
"Thank you." Yuan nodded.
"Please wait here for a few minutes." The guard then left the place.
Once the guard left, he immediately ran to the Min Family to notify them of the situation.
"What? Madam Feng from the Golden Phoenix Bazaar is here? Why?" The head of the Min Family, Min Yide asked the guard.