In the eyes of these elders, Yue Qingshan's words were purely suicidal, and he seemed intent on dragging the entire family down with him.
How powerful was the Ye Family? They lived in territory ruled by the Ye Family, yet this boy dared to speak ill of them. Wasn't this courting death?
Yue Bo, as the Family Head, did not join the elders in scolding Yue Qingshan. Instead, he calmly gestured for silence.
"Elders, quiet down for a moment and hear what Qingshan has to say."
Deep in his heart, he still wanted to help his daughter. No matter what, she was still his child.
Hearing Yue Bo say this, the Grand Elder snorted coldly but did not continue his tirade.
"Hmph. Do as you please."
Yue Bo looked at Yue Qingshan with a calm expression and reminded him, "Qingshan, why did you say that just now? You must understand—it's the Ye Family. Small families like ours dare not judge them lightly. Remember, you must never say such things again."
Compared to the harsh attitudes of the other elders, Family Head Yue Bo's calm demeanor was like night and day.
This made Yue Qingshan feel slightly encouraged.
With a slight bow, Yue Qingshan said gratefully, "Family Head, I know I should not have interrupted like this."
But after admitting his mistake, Yue Qingshan straightened and continued, his voice burning with conviction.
"However, I believe what I said was not wrong—and neither you nor the Ye Family is being fair. This matter is not Young Miss Yue Ming's fault, so why does everyone blame her?
She simply does not wish to be pursued by the Young Master of the Ye Family. She has every right to seek her own happiness—we have no right to interfere.
Furthermore, that Young Master brought this ruin upon himself. The task was clearly impossible, yet he insisted on attempting it. If anyone is to blame, it is himself for overestimating his abilities. Some things cannot be forced, yet he tried to force them anyway."
After hearing this, the elders scoffed.
They were ancient foxes who had survived centuries of intrigue. They knew the Ye Family was not reasonable, nor did they naively believe they could negotiate with titans.
To reason with another, one must first possess strength equal to their own. For in the world, might makes right. Without such strength, how could one possibly force the other to the negotiating table? Through mere stubbornness?
"What a joke! A naive brat who knows nothing of the world dares to speak so boldly here!"
"Exactly. Do you truly think the Ye Family is so easily provoked? Any one of their servants could wipe out our entire clan. Why would they stoop to reason with insects like us?"
"A boy who hasn't even grown his full beard—you dare to boast here? Truly laughable."
None of the elders took Yue Qingshan's words seriously. They all believed he was merely spouting nonsense.
Being looked down upon by these elders, Yue Qingshan felt anger rising within him, but he did not show it.
Yue Qingshan was, after all, one of the outstanding talents among the younger generation of the family. His aptitude was not even weaker than Yue Ming's.
Of course, he hadn't always been this way.
A few years ago, he had been ordinary, utterly unremarkable.
However, when his father passed away, he left him a ring. Yue Qingshan initially thought it was just a simple keepsake, but he hadn't expected what lay hidden inside.
Within the ring dwelled a wisp of a remnant soul.
And this remnant soul was no ordinary thing—in life, it had been a Great Saint Realm existence.
It should be noted that even in the Yue Family, the strongest—the Grand Elder—was only at the True Immortal Realm.
This remnant soul had been a Great Saint Realm expert during its lifetime. Its power was beyond imagination.
Previously, Yue Qingshan's father had nourished the ring with his spiritual Qi, allowing the remnant soul inside to endure.
After Yue Qingshan's father died, the remnant soul finally regained consciousness.
Upon learning what his father had done, the remnant soul took Yue Qingshan as his disciple to repay the debt.
Having been a Great Saint Realm existence in life, the ring contained numerous treasures, cultivation resources, and profound techniques the Saint had accumulated over millennia.
Under the remnant soul's guidance, and with the resources stored within the ring, Yue Qingshan successfully stood out among his peers and gained the family's attention.
From an inconspicuous nobody, he had become an outstanding talent.
Yue Qingshan was only about twenty years old and was already at the Late Stage of the Divine Ability Realm, nearing its peak.
Compared to Yue Ming, he seemed slightly inferior. However, this was because Yue Qingshan's original aptitude had been weak, creating a significant gap between them. It was already remarkable that he had caught up to this point.
As his cultivation improved and he became an outstanding talent among his peers, Yue Qingshan had slightly more contact with Yue Ming.
Regarding the graceful and beautiful Yue Ming, Yue Qingshan had always believed he was her best match.
Moreover, Family Head Yue Bo seemed to favor bringing the two of them together.
Therefore, Yue Qingshan had always regarded Yue Ming as his fiancée—his future wife.
But then Ye Qian appeared. Not only that, he was the Young Master of the Ye Family, and he had fallen in love with Yue Ming.
Yue Qingshan was just a young member of the Yue Family with no background. He had only reached this point by chance, through the guidance of a Great Saint Realm remnant soul. He had no power, no status, and absolutely no strength to compete with Ye Qian for Yue Ming.
However, fortunately, Yue Ming was not swayed by Ye Qian's identity. When Yue Qingshan discovered this, he was elated.
Yue Ming must like me. Otherwise, why would she reject such an excellent match as Ye Qian?
It doesn't make sense unless Yue Ming already has someone she likes. And there's no need to guess who that person is—it's most likely me.
This was why Yue Qingshan had suddenly burst into the family meeting and spoken so boldly.
His purpose was to exonerate Yue Ming and lessen any punishment she might receive.
Seeing these elders who disliked him, Yue Qingshan sneered inwardly.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not bully a young man for being poor!
How long had he been cultivating? He was already at the Late Stage of the Divine Ability Realm. These elders probably hadn't been as accomplished at his age.
As long as he had the help of his master, becoming a Saint—or even a higher-level Great Saint—was not impossible.
Perhaps he even had the chance to contend for the rank of Supreme!
Yue Qingshan was deeply ambitious.
He believed he was a Child of Destiny. After all, transforming from an inconspicuous nobody into a genius respected by everyone in the Yue Family already proved everything.
As long as he was given enough time, Yue Qingshan believed he would definitely become stronger. Then he would form a divine couple with Yue Ming.
What could be more enjoyable than that?