"What?" Ren Butong thought he had misheard.

A mere seventh-grade martial artist dared to speak to him in this tone—was he courting death?

Thus, his face turned incredibly grim, with murderous intent swirling in his eyes.

"Say that again?"

Xue An laughed freely, "Even if I say it several times, it would still be the same!"

As he spoke, Xue An raised his hand to point at Ren Ning, who was shrinking her neck and lowering her head like a quail.

"This daughter you’re about to sacrifice for benefits by currying favor is now under my protection!"

Ren Butong laughed furiously, "Good, good, good!"

He repeated "good" several times, and then shouted in an extremely cold tone.

"Ren Ning, I’m giving you one last chance now. Come here obediently, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened, otherwise, you’re in trouble!"

Hiding behind Xue An, Ren Ning trembled, her face displaying a look of panic, before she shakily stepped out from behind Xue An.

Each step she took was as difficult as if her legs were filled with lead.

Seeing this, Ren Butong snorted coldly, as if he’d expected this all along.

Ren Xing’s eyes even held a hint of pride.

Let’s see what you do now!

Do you really think bringing a man back changes anything?

Under father’s pressure, you still have to obey, don’t you?

Of course, Ren Xing hid these thoughts very well, at least they didn’t show on the surface.

Just as Ren Ning was slowly moving her feet to walk over, Xue An suddenly spoke in a calm tone.

"I’ve always believed that people should be independent, and children are not merely extensions of their parents’ will but autonomous individuals!"

"He granted you life, but that was without your prior consent, so you don’t owe anything for that, and no one can force you to go against your inner conscience!"

"If someone does, then you should rise up and resist, because at that point, family ties are no longer comfort but a shackle!"

Hearing these words, Ren Ning’s body trembled fiercely, then she abruptly raised her head to look at Xue An, just meeting his gaze filled with pity.

Ren Ning’s cheeks under the veil quickly blushed, feeling somewhat dizzy under the scorching gaze.

"Do you understand what I said?" Xue An said casually.

She took a deep breath, nodding, "I understand!"

Seeing this, Ren Butong roared furiously, "Ren Ning, aren’t you coming over?"

If it were usual, upon hearing her father speak in such a tone, Ren Ning would tremble all over.

But this time, possibly due to that gaze, Ren Ning surprisingly remained very calm.

"I’m not coming!"

"What did you say?"

"I said I’m not coming, because I did nothing wrong, I don’t want to marry that son of the Great General!" Ren Ning said softly.

Ren Butong was extremely shocked.

He never imagined this normally submissive Ren Ning would dare to defy him in front of so many people.

Not only him, but even Ren Xing widened her eyes in a daze.

The entire venue fell into extreme silence.

Just then, a round of applause sounded, and Xue An said with a face full of approval.

"Well said, that’s the attitude!"

Upon hearing his praise, Ren Ning’s face turned red again.

Actually, she didn’t even know how she managed to say those words, as if those simple few words consumed all her lifelong courage.

Meanwhile, Ren Butong completely exploded.

"Good, good for a filial daughter, daring to openly defy your father’s orders!"

Saying this, Ren Butong raised his hand to point at Xue An, speaking in a tone full of murderous intent.

"Do you think with this person as your backing, you can act recklessly? Have you considered that a mere seventh-grade martial artist is nothing in my eyes?"

"Come, people!"

"At your service!"

"Execute this wild kid immediately!" Ren Butong ordered coldly.

"Yes!"

A tall and strong man stepped out of the crowd behind Ren Butong.

This man held a large hammer and sneered at Xue An.

"Pretty boy, you dare come to the Ren Family to mess around; today I’m going to take your life!"

Whoosh!

In the midst of speaking, he smashed down his hammer.

The giant hammer carried the sound of wind and thunder, chopping towards Xue An’s face.

But Xue An didn’t even blink; he gently uttered a word.

"Scram!"

Bang!

Though that word wasn’t loud, to the ears of the strong man, it was like a bolt from the blue, causing him to lose control instantly.

Moreover, the sound wave shattered the giant hammer made of Fine Gold in his hand.

"Ahhhh!"

The strong man saw only the hammer handle left in his hand, screamed, and then fled as if he had seen something incredibly terrifying.

Just in one encounter, this seemingly tall and burly man was defeated.

Ren Butong’s eyelids twitched incessantly; he hadn’t expected this boy, supposedly of seventh-grade strength, could be so extraordinary, defeating one of his guards without even making a move.

However, before he could speak, a loud shout erupted from the crowd behind him.

"You brat, daring to bully my brother, come take your life!"

Whoosh!

A meteor hammer shot towards Xue An like lightning but instantly stagnated before reaching him, then shattered into pieces.

Moreover, the chain of the meteor hammer rapidly broke, spreading to the front of the one who made the move.

This person hadn’t expected his boastful words to backfire so quickly, and in terror, he loosened his grip, the chain clattering to the ground, breaking into fragments.

The whole place was in shock.

Even the least perceiving person could see this young man was not ordinary.

Ren Butong’s expression turned even uglier, but deep in his eyes, there appeared a hint of fear.

Xue An completely ignored him, instead turning to Ren Ning and speaking.

"Did you see? Any seemingly invincible existence is actually like these scoundrels, easily defeated!"

Many faces burned red at this remark.

Ren Ning merely nodded blankly.

She hadn’t really seen clearly what had just happened, for all her attention was focused on Ren Butong.

The accumulated fear from so many years had left a deep shadow in her heart, not something easily corrected in an instant.

In addition, her recent defiance left her heart pounding, so she kept secretly observing Ren Butong’s reaction.

Xue An seemed to sense her thoughts too, smiled lightly, and began to walk forward.

Ren Butong instinctively stepped back, but Xue An’s steps seemed slow yet swift, arriving before Ren Butong with a gust of gentle breeze.

"What did you say earlier? My strength is nothing before you? You even said you’d have me executed immediately?" Xue An raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression a mix of amusement and mockery.