Chapter 1: I'm here to break off the engagement

Astyre Lopez came to break off the engagement today.
The engagement was made eighteen years ago by his grandfather and Desmaius. He didn't know the specific reason. He was only two years old at that time, and the eldest daughter of the Lawrence family had not yet been born.
Later, he was taken to Mount Skyward to practice by his master, Delron.
Eighteen years passed in a flash, and his master asked him to go down the mountain to seek experience. Delron wanted Astyre to end worldly fate and look for opportunities to break through his innate nature in the world of mortals.
Before leaving, his master gave him a piece of yellowed paper, which he said was a marriage contract written by the elder of the Lawrence family. It had the fingerprints of his grandfather and Desmaius Lawrence on it.
Astyre had no plans to get married. He was only twenty years old this year. How could he live up to this beautiful time and be bound by a marriage contract?
Besides, how could a disciple of the Myriad Immortal Clan from Mount Skyward be willing to be a pushover and become a son-in-law for others?
His master asked him to end his mortal relationship, but he didn't say he had to get married. Therefore, he planned to call off the marriage.
Wouldn't it be the same as ending the mortal relationship?
But Astyre was also a little worried. What if they refused to accept his offer?
After all, he had made them wait for eighteen years. The request made eighteen years ago hadn't been declined, and now, after eighteen years had passed, their daughter had grown up. Suddenly, the statement was made to break off the engagement, and it didn't seem reasonable.
The Lawrence family estate stood on the city's outskirts, nestled against the mountains and by the water. Several traditional local villas hid amidst the lush greenery.
Astyre asked the security guard, "Hey, is the Lawrence family inside?"
"The Lawrence family?" The security guard sized him up, asking, "What do you need to see them?"
"Oh, they are my relatives," Astyre said.
"Your relatives?"
The security guard's gaze revealed a hint of disdain. He had seen too many poor people coming here to look for relatives.
The young man in front of him wore a coarse hemp garment with a few patches on it. His hair was pulled up and secured with a worn-out wooden hairpin, appearing as if it hadn't been washed for at least two weeks. This attire made him seem like a wandering ascetic and an impoverished one at that.
In this day and age, even ascetics were seeking out wealthy family relatives.
"Everyone living here is from the Lawrence family; the security guard directed him to tell who he was looking for," in a mocking tone, as if to say, "Let's see if you really know anyone here."
"Everyone here is a member of the Lawrence family?"
Astyre couldn't help but be surprised. Could all these houses belong to the Lawrence family? It had been heard that the Lawrence family were wealthy, but they hadn't expected them to be this affluent.
"I'm looking for Desmaius."
"Bah! Leave now!" The security guard suddenly turned harsh and gestured to shoo him away. "Had you only heard of that name, hadn't you? Do you even know who he is? Do you think you could simply meet the Lawrence family's patriarch?"
Astyre was unafraid and said calmly, "I'm Astyre. Just call Desmaius and find out."
The security guard, seeing his composed demeanour, became a bit uncertain. He couldn't afford to offend him if he was indeed a relative of Desmaius. He said, "Wait a moment," and then turned to go to the security office to make the call.
Astyre waited with boredom, gazing at the cluster of villas in front of him. He couldn't help but marvel at what a wonderful place it was. It was undoubtedly one of the top spots in Heartvale regarding geomancy.
Whether it was the choice of location or the well-arranged layout, it was clear that someone knowledgeable had guided it all.
Wait, what was that?
Astyre looked up and saw a dark cloud as light as gauze that would not go away above the villas.
He raised his head and saw a faint, sheer black cloud above the villa cluster lingering.
It was a clear, sunny day, and this was not a typical cloud. Although it was faint, an ordinary person wouldn't think it was unusual, but nothing could escape Astyre's mystical senses.
A dark cloud covering the top!
It seemed like this family had fallen into someone's scheme.
Should he inform them?
As Astyre pondered this, the gate opened, and a middle-aged man in his fifties emerged.
The security guard, seeing the guest, nodded and rushed over. "Alfred, it's him," he said.
Alfred assessed Astyre with a hint of scepticism and disdain in his eyes.
"Are you Astyre?"
"Yes."
"Come with me."
Alfred didn't say anything more and led Astyre inside.
The security guard, watching them walk away, shook his head and mumbled, "He's really lucky. Why don't I have such wealthy relatives?"
As Astyre walked through the gardens of the Lawrence family compound, he became even more confident that the Lawrence family was being targeted. The geomancy layout here hadn't changed, but the earth's energy had been disrupted. The Lawrence family's fortune would undoubtedly be affected, and things probably hadn't been going well for them recently.
He glanced up at the black cloud in the sky.
Alfred led him into one of the villas, where the interior was lavishly decorated. Seated on the sofa in the living room was an elegant and well-preserved lady who appeared ageless.
Then, he announced, "Madam, the guest is here," and then respectfully stood to the side.
The lady scrutinized Astyre momentarily, her gaze a bit complicated. She picked up the teacup next to her and delicately took a sip as if trying to rid herself of the bad luck this shabbily dressed young man seemed to bring, using the fragrance of the tea.
"Are you Astyre?" the woman asked calmly.
"Yes."
"Did you come from the mountains?"
"Yes."
Astyre responded with two consecutive "yes" answers. Seeing she wasn't inclined to offer him a seat, he calmly moved to the nearby antique wooden chair and casually sat. He didn't care about the customs of city folks.
Alfred's expression stiffened as he noticed that particular chair. Even he had never dared to sit in it. He was about to reprimand Astyre when the lady stopped him.
"Never mind, he's just a child who just came down from the mountains, not familiar with our customs," the lady said with a smile, though the disdain in her eyes deepened.
"I'm looking for Desmaius." Astyre didn't want to waste time and wanted to speak to Desmaius.
"Old Mr. Lawrence isn't someone you can just see at will. If you have any business, tell me. You can call me Jane," she stated her identity.
"Tell you?"
Astyre found himself in a dilemma. He had come to meet Desmaius but was now faced with Jane Yancey. It was clear that Jane was not Desmaius's wife, which meant she was probably his daughter-in-law, given that the engagement had not been terminated yet. This told the lady sitting across from him was, in essence, his prospective mother-in-law.
Astyre felt uncomfortable with the situation, which was evident in his demeanour. Jane noticed and smiled, saying, "You're feeling awkward, aren't you?"
Astyre nodded honestly and replied, "Yes."
Jane continued, "You probably feel reluctant to bring this up, thinking it's impolite, right?"
"Um," Astyre was slightly puzzled, "Do you know why I'm here?"
"Of course I do," Jane sighed lightly. "Astyre, your name has been etched in my heart for eighteen years like a thorn. How could I forget?"
Astyre realized this was going to be a complicated situation. It seemed like they attached great importance to this marriage.
"Well, I..." Astyre began to speak, attempting to defuse the potential awkwardness.
"No need to rush," Jane interrupted, "You've just come from the mountains. Let me first tell you about the Lawrence family's situation."
"The Lawrence family has a history of over a hundred years, and in terms of wealth and status, we're one of the top families in Heartvale. Take, for example, the chair you're sitting in. It's an official hat chair with ancient dynasty rosewood and dragon carvings. A couple of these were auctioned by Pinnacle Auction House a few years ago for 23 million."
Jane paused, intentionally glancing at Astyre. However, she saw no signs of shock on his face, which disappointed her slightly.
"This chair was specifically prepared for the head of the Lawrence family, and you're the first outsider to sit in it all these years."
She emphasized the word 'outsider' to remind Astyre of his status.
"Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Astyre nodded. "I understand. The Lawrence family is very wealthy."
Alfred, who stood behind Jane, almost burst out laughing. Was this guy really that clueless?
Jane, on the other hand, didn't think Astyre was foolish. He was probably pretending. Many young men from wealthy families tried to ingratiate themselves, and acting a bit naive was a common tactic. That was clever thinking.
"Let me make it even clearer. Families like ours, the Lawrence family, have always emphasized marrying into families of similar standing. For example, my family, the Yancey from Mirkwood City, is also one of the top families there. A match like this allows both families to support each other in business, creating common ground and shared goals between husband and wife."
"Madam, your point is..."
"My point is that the Lawrence family cannot marry our daughter to someone without status, even as a live-in son-in-law."
Astyre suddenly found it amusing. He had come to break off the engagement, but they were ending it on their terms.