"You, a simple country bumpkin, dare to think of marrying the young Miss of our Hudson family? Get lost immediately, or don't blame me for being rude!"
Cloud City, the Champs Elysées villa area.
Stowe stood in front of a luxurious villa. The one who stood in front of him was the Hudson family's butler, Conrad.
Stowe responded with a cold voice, "Let Landon personally come and talk to me. You're not the one who can make the decision."
"Old Master? Are you even qualified to meet the Old Master?"
Conrad took one glance at Stowe's attire—a shabby Taoist robe, even having a wooden hairpin on his hair—and his eyes filled with disdain.
"A wild boy from the mountains dares to come to the Hudson family to marry. Go take a look at yourself in a puddle and see if you're worthy. Get lost immediately before you sully our ground!"
Saying this, Conrad directly picked up a broom and started sweeping at Stowe's feet.
Stowe's expression was getting more and more unpleasing to the eye.
He came here today, originally to dissolve the marriage.
If this butler's words held any weight, he could leave now.
But now, he must meet the Hudson family's decision-maker, because the original marriage arrangement was made between his grandfather and Landon.
When he was two years old, his grandfather and Hudson family's Old Master agreed to a child marriage, intending for him to marry the girl inside the belly of Hudson family's eldest daughter-in-law.
He still remembers that during that time, his grandfather would take him to go through the trash cans every day, selling scrap to maintain their livelihood.
When he heard about the marriage contract, he thought that his fiancée's family would also be in a similar situation.
As it turned out, it was the Hudson family from Cloud City - one of the wealthiest houses.
Stowe had no idea why his grandfather would set up such a marriage for him, but it was not like he could ask now.
In the fifth year after getting engaged, his grandfather took a long journey, leaving him alone at home.
Day and night, he longed for his grandfather's return. However, upon returning, his grandfather was barely holding onto life. After comforting Stowe by patting his head, he left the world.
Later, had he not met the immortal master Wuya, who took him to the mountains for cultivation, he didn't know whether he would still be alive today.
Nowadays, over a decade later, he has stepped into the divine realm with his extraordinary talent for cultivation, and is about to obtain the innate Daoist physique.
As worldly love is a great hindrance on the path of cultivation, he came down the mountain this time to dissolve his engagement with the Hudson family.
However, as soon as he arrived, he was stopped outside by the steward, each word more offensive than the last.
"Is this the manner of the Hudson family's steward?"
Stowe coldly opened his mouth, his face unsightly.
"Manners? You a rustic boy from the mountains dare to judge my manners? Well, today I will show you some colors!"
The steward, Conrad's, face instantly darkened, and he briskly waved his hand.
In an instant, several tall bodyguards in black suits rushed over, surrounding Stowe.
Stowe's expression tightened, as he flexed his fingers.
He was always reasonable, but when encountering unreasonable people, there was no need for him to continue to tolerate.
"Drive him out directly!"
Upon Conrad's command, all the bodyguards clenched their fists and headed towards Stowe.
"Who allowed you to make a fuss at the entrance?"
At this moment, a cold feminine voice came rushing in.
The few of them looked toward the direction of the voice, and a beautiful wife, dressed extravagantly and with delicate features, came walking over.
The Conrad's demeanor instantly became respectful as he bowed slightly towards her.
"Madame."
Upon hearing this, Stowe looked at the beautiful wife, quickly realizing that this woman was his future mother-in-law.
He courteously greeted her, "Mrs. Huxley."
Mrs. Huxley's eyes slightly dimmed as she looked up and down at him.
"You are Stowe?"
Stowe nodded, "Yes, that's me."
Seeing his attire, Mrs. Huxley's heart sank as she took a deep breath.
"Come in first."
Stowe's corner of the mouth lifted in a slight smile, "Thank you, Madame."
Next, he followed Mrs. Huxley into the villa.
Conrad stared at him hatefully, then followed behind him into the villa as well.
Upon entering the villa, Stowe's eyebrows raised slightly.
The interior decoration of the villa was more luxurious than its exterior—paintings by Wu Daozi, carved mahogany tables—it truly represented the extravagance of the leading household in Cloud City.
Mrs. Huxley sat down on the sofa, tapped the teacup on the table a few times, and blew lightly into it.
"Sit down." she said.
"Thank you." he responded.
Stowe sat down on the couch to the side and politely expressed his thanks.
Today, he had come to annul their marriage agreement.
However, considering that the Hudson family's young mistress had been waiting for him for eighteen years, they were unlikely to be pleased with his decision to cancel the marriage. Therefore, he made sure to behave as politely as possible in order to increase his chances of a successful annulment.
"Did you just arrive in Cloud City today? Have you found a place to stay yet?" Mrs. Huxley asked casually, sipping her tea.
"I haven’t started looking yet. I came straight here after leaving the mountain," Stowe replied truthfully.
The disdain in Mrs. Huxley's eyes deepened at his response.
As she suspected, such a poor lad like this was obviously excited about marrying their family's daughter. Naturally, he’d hurry over here without a second thought – why would he be occupied with anything else?
She slightly raises her chin, her gaze looking down on the scene.
"Your accommodation for these few days will be prepared for you, and all the expenses will be covered by the Hudson family. We will also take care of your return train ticket when the time comes. If you prefer, I can arrange for our driver to take you back."
"Go back?"
Stowe was slightly taken aback.
Indeed, he planned on returning, but apart from this marriage proposal, he still had some worldly matters to handle, and needed to stay in Cloud City for some time.
But from Mrs. Huxley's implication, was she suggesting he should return in a few days?
Mrs. Huxley subtly knitted her brows.
"Having lived in the mountains, you might be not accustomed to the bustle of a big city. It would be best if you return after staying a few days."
Stowe's feelings became a bit complicated.
His interactions with people living in the mountains had been quite straightforward. Mrs. Huxley's words felt a little strange to him.
It seemed like she was showing her concern, and yet, it also felt like she was urging him to go back.
However, throughout the conversation, she did not mention the marriage proposal at all, which made Stowe frown.
"Thank you for your concern Auntie, but my main purpose for coming here is mainly to….."
Mrs. Huxley rudely interrupted him.
"You've come from the mountains, you probably don't realize the status of our Hudson family in Cloud City."
"You could say that in the entirety of Cloud City, there isn't a young man from any family who wouldn't want to marry Sally. If our Hudson family were to form this kind of connection, naturally, we would soar to great success."
"But, isn't it true that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world? We, the Hudson family, are not fools. We wouldn't rush to let him drain our resources, knowing full well that his intentions are malicious."
Upon saying this, she lifted her eyes and glanced at Stowe.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Stowe slightly raised his eyebrows, "Mrs. Huxley, perhaps you've misunderstood my intentions. I came here to..."
The complexion on Mrs. Huxley's face worsened.
In her opinion, Stowe's diversion was an act of playing dumb.
After all, who would willingly give up a marriage with the Hudson family?
She decided not to beat around the bush any longer, and got straight to the point.
"There's no need for more words. I will tell you my stance straight away. With the Hudson family's wealth and status, the one to marry my daughter must be the cream of the crop. You, a poor lad who came down from the mountains, do not deserve to be a son-in-law of the Hudson family. Even if you have an engagement arranged with us, I absolutely will not recognize it!"
