Chapter 1180: Unmarried Fiancé
The White Fox Clan was a large community, from which several families had branched off. However, these families were not equal in wealth or strength; they were similarly divided into various ranks. The family Bai Lei belonged to was one of the few prominent families within the White Fox Clan, holding a crucial position.
Bai Lei's family also had a patriarch, but this patriarch was not the patriarch he spoke of. The patriarch he referred to was the patriarch of the White Fox Clan, who governed the entire clan, whereas their family's patriarch could only manage their own family and could not interfere with the affairs of other families.
The current patriarch of Bai Lei's family was none other than Bai Lei's father. Since Bai Lei happened to be the only son in the family, he naturally became the young master of the family, and others referred to him as Young Master Lei.
As for why he wasn't called Young Master Bai, it was easy to understand: the entire White Fox Clan shared the surname Bai. If every family's young master were called Young Master Bai, it would be impossible to distinguish one from another.
Bai Lei was also one of Bai Jiumeng's admirers, but he was not the groom chosen by the White Fox Clan's patriarch for an arranged marriage. He had lost out in the competition against other rivals for Bai Jiumeng, thereby forfeiting the qualification for the marriage decree.
It was precisely because Bai Lei wasn't the subject of the arranged marriage that Bai Jiumeng didn't immediately reject his offer of help. Of course, she genuinely didn't have much affection for him; otherwise, she wouldn't have frowned upon seeing him.
With Bai Lei's guarantee, Bai Xue and Luo Xue were no longer obstructed and followed Bai Jiumeng to her home.
Just as Bai Jiumeng had said, her family was not a prominent household within the White Fox Clan, nor was it powerful enough to form a proper family. Her home was merely a very ordinary White Fox Clan family, residing in one of the least conspicuous areas of Snow Fox Mountain. These inconspicuous, remote sections of Snow Fox Mountain were almost entirely occupied by common families, while those with even a modicum of strength had secured better locations. The powerful major families, in particular, occupied the prime spots on Snow Fox Mountain, locations whose scenery and spiritual qi density were incomparable to any other.
Bai Jiumeng's return brought immense joy to Meng Ba and Meng Ma, who showered her with loving concern for quite some time. However, after this brief period of happiness, Bai Jiumeng was met with a harsh reprimand, and even her underage younger sister vented her grievances to Bai Jiumeng.
When Bai Jiumeng had secretly fled Snow Fox Mountain, she hadn't known about the series of events that transpired afterward. But under the reprimands of her parents and the complaints of her sister, she gained a general understanding of what had occurred.
At that time, she had fled Snow Fox Mountain to avoid the arranged marriage. Upon learning of her escape, the higher echelons of the White Fox Clan were extremely furious. Bai Jiumeng's actions were clearly an act of defiance, a direct challenge to the authority of the White Fox Clan's elders. How could these high-ranking White Fox officials, long accustomed to their lofty positions, not be enraged?
The most incensed, naturally, was the man forced into the marriage. His family was a major one within the White Fox Clan, holding a crucial position. Such prominent families valued their family's face immensely, not only absolutely forbidding outsiders from provoking or trampling upon it but also strictly prohibiting their own members from doing anything that would harm the family's honor.
Bai Jiumeng's act of eloping not only caused immense humiliation for the groom-to-be but also brought disgrace upon his family. Therefore, both the man and his family were extremely furious about the incident.
Although Bai Jiumeng had escaped, her parents and relatives were still on Snow Fox Mountain. It was obvious that both the White Fox Clan's higher-ups and the groom's family would undoubtedly vent their anger on her family because of this matter.
Indeed, after Bai Jiumeng fled Snow Fox Mountain, their family's life had been far from easy. Especially in the beginning, being suppressed and bullied was a daily occurrence. If not for the consideration that they were all of the same clan, and that the fault lay with Bai Jiumeng and not her family, Bai Jiumeng's Meng Ba and Meng Ma and her younger sister, even if they wouldn't face a deadly calamity, would certainly have been imprisoned until Bai Jiumeng was forced to show herself.
Fortunately, Bai Jiumeng had many admirers within the White Fox Clan, including young masters from prominent families. Bai Jiumeng's elopement was precisely the outcome they desired, as it meant they still had a chance to pursue her. Therefore, when Bai Jiumeng's family was suppressed and bullied, these young masters would generally step forward to help them out, hoping to curry favor. Bai Lei was one of them.
Without the open or covert protection and assistance from these young masters, Bai Jiumeng's family's life would undoubtedly have been even harder.
Her family's plight did not come as a surprise to Bai Jiumeng; she had already considered this when she chose to flee Snow Fox Mountain. Her proactive return to Snow Fox Mountain now was precisely to resolve this issue.
However, Bai Jiumeng had not anticipated that her admirers would offer help to her family during this period. More precisely, she hadn't even considered that possibility.
Upon learning how much Bai Lei had helped her family after she fled Snow Fox Mountain, Bai Jiumeng quickly expressed her gratitude.
"Young Master Lei, thank you for taking care of my family these past days. Jiumeng will remember this great kindness in her heart, and if the opportunity ever arises in the future, Jiumeng will certainly repay this great favor."
The reason Bai Jiumeng didn't particularly like Bai Lei was that she had been annoyed by his harassment in the past, hence her poor impression of him.
This time, Bai Lei not only took responsibility for bringing Bai Xue and Luo Xue into Snow Fox Mountain, but he had also provided considerable help to her family after she left. Thus, her impression of Bai Lei had improved somewhat.
Of course, her impression of Bai Lei had only changed slightly; it was nowhere near enough for her to develop feelings for him, much less consider pledging herself to him because of it.
Furthermore, she was no longer at the Great Demon realm she had been when she first fled Snow Fox Mountain; she had become an even more powerful Demon King. With her current realm, her standards were naturally higher. How could someone lacking sufficient strength catch her eye?
"Jiumeng, why are you being so formal with me? We've known each other since childhood; we're childhood sweethearts! How could I bear to see you suffer, and I certainly don't want to see your family bullied!"
Bai Lei said with a smile, the admiration in his eyes unconcealed. Although Bai Jiumeng strongly disliked Bai Lei speaking to her with such an ambiguous tone, and even more so disliked him looking at her with such undisguised adoration, considering that he had just helped her greatly, she suppressed her displeasure and said no more.
Seeing that Bai Jiumeng didn't show any signs of disgust, Bai Lei was overjoyed. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and say more to sway Bai Jiumeng and achieve his desires. However, just then, several green lights shot rapidly from a distance, their destination seemingly Bai Jiumeng's home.
The appearance of these green lights immediately drew everyone's attention. Bai Lei, who had been ready to strike while the iron was hot and say more, also closed his mouth because of their arrival.
Soon, the green lights descended upon Bai Jiumeng's home. The one leading them was also a man, and from his appearance, his age was not much different from Bai Jiumeng's and Bai Lei's.
However, this man was vastly different from Bai Lei upon his arrival. Bai Lei had been filled with joy upon hearing of Bai Jiumeng's return, and after seeing her with his own eyes, his emotions had surged, his face blossoming into a smile like a flower. The man who had just appeared, however, had a dark expression, with not a trace of a smile on his face.
This man's appearance caused a change in the expressions of everyone present, except for Bai Xue and Luo Xue, who were outsiders. Even Bai Jiumeng's still underage younger sister, who had been smiling playfully moments before, became timid and hesitant.
Bai Jiumeng's brows furrowed slightly, her expression somewhat cold. Bai Lei, standing beside her, immediately looked incredibly displeased upon seeing this person, as if he harbored a deep grudge against him!
"Bai Chen, your intelligence is truly impressive!"
Not only was Bai Lei's face grim, but he spoke through gritted teeth. His animosity was so obvious that even Bai Xue and Luo Xue, as outsiders, could tell the two definitely held a deep-seated grudge against each other.
However, the man named Bai Chen directly ignored Bai Lei, his gaze fixed intently on Bai Jiumeng, his face as dark as water.
"Bai Jiumeng, you've finally decided to return. I thought you were going to hide outside for the rest of your life and never come back to Snow Fox Mountain."
Bai Chen spoke coldly, the chill in his gaze exceedingly strong.
Seeing Bai Chen completely disregard him, Bai Lei's face immediately contorted with anger. His subordinates also sensed the wrongness of the atmosphere and quickly moved closer to Bai Lei, adopting a stance that suggested they were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"Bai Chen! This young master is speaking to you!"
Bai Lei spoke with a furious demeanor. Hearing this, Bai Chen finally turned his gaze to Bai Lei, his eyes devoid of fear, containing only disdain.
"Young master? Heh, don't try to pressure me with your 'young master' status. Our Snow Fox Mountain isn't solely dominated by your family, and there's more than just one 'young master' named Bai Lei. I'm speaking with my future wife; what business do you, an outsider, have meddling here? Have you forgotten who the patriarch betrothed her to? If you have, then I'll tell you: Bai Jiumeng was betrothed to me, Bai Chen, not to you, Bai Lei!"
Bai Chen spoke coldly, his words instantly making Bai Lei's face flush crimson. He wanted to retort but found himself speechless, able only to glare fiercely at Bai Chen, his fists clenching with a grinding sound.
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