Chapter 2394 — The You Family's Courtship
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Now that Kang Jingming had become an alchemist, even the pills he botched could be brought back to the Kang family and sold on commission to ordinary cultivators—the personal guards of wealthy merchants, say—and that alone would be a fortune. Moreover, the hidden You family rather disdained such low-end business, and the Kang family filled that gap in the market perfectly.
"Yes. Does anyone else have a suggestion? Speak up, all of you," Kang the Divine Physician said.
"Grandfather, then what about my marriage to Wang Xinyan...?" Kang Jinglong asked after a moment's hesitation. He was a thoroughly calculating man; though he thought well enough of Wang Xinyan and rather coveted her beauty, if it came to weighing her against the family's interests, he could let the beauty go.
"Indeed, Father—shouldn't Zhaolong break off the engagement and find someone better? A young lady of another hidden family, perhaps?" Kang Guifeng was just as mercenary, and so he asked.
"Break off the engagement? Foolish!" Kang the Divine Physician snorted. "As for Wang Xinyan of the Xiao family—your engagement to her stays exactly as it is! Not only must you not break it off, you must do everything in your power to bring the match about!"
"Oh? And why is that?" Kang Guifeng was startled; he had not expected his father to say such a thing.
"Guifeng, our Kang family suffered badly last time because we went back on our word!" Kang the Divine Physician waved a hand, his expression grave. "Last time, it was precisely because we were too eager for quick gain and broke our promise that we nearly lost this chance to climb high and attach ourselves to the You family. If the Xiao family hadn't acted as go-between, we would never have made contact with the hidden You family at all! So everything the Kang family has today is thanks to the Xiao family! And we are fortunate the Xiao family did not hold it against us. Otherwise, our Kang family would truly have fallen into decline!"
Kang Guifeng and Kang Jinglong were both taken aback, though they nodded all the same, unable to deny that Kang the Divine Physician was right.
"And Zhaoming's rise this time is likewise owed to the hidden You family! As the saying goes, when you drink the water, do not forget those who dug the well. Our Kang family absolutely must not break off with the Xiao family over this. Not only must we not—we must do our utmost to bring the marriage about!" Seeing that Kang Guifeng and Kang Jinglong were taking it in, Kang the Divine Physician went on: "In your eyes, an alliance with a hidden family would serve us better. But do you really think that, given our family's present standing, those hidden families would truly look twice at us? It is true that we have attached ourselves to the Xuandan Sect, but how many hidden families are there without an ancient sect at their back? Look at old-established hidden families like the hidden You and the hidden Pi—behind each of them lurks the shadow of an ancient power. If we sought a match with them, would they even consider us? Besides, if our Kang family were to break a promise of marriage, we would be petty, faithless wretches in their eyes. If we did it once, could we not do it again? Let me venture a bold guess: in the future, once Kang Jingming becomes an elder of the Xuandan Sect, will not our Kang family's standing rise above that of the hidden families? And then, I suppose, we would break faith again and marry into an ancient family or an ancient sect? By then, I fear, the Kang family's name would long since stink to high heaven!"
"So you mean we should go on cooperating with the Xiao family and keeping up our friendship?" Kang Guifeng asked cautiously.