PDLP Chapter 672 Rules of the New World
Chapter 672 Rules of the New World
Xue Qingwu was already sixteen years old that year. She did not go out to work according to her mother's wishes, but chose an ordinary high school in the city to continue her studies. Otherwise, her mother would definitely interfere in her marriage within less than a year of working.
At the age of sixteen, her mother had already started looking for candidates. With so many children, parents would be anxious about their marriages. They married off the children one by one according to their birth order. From Xue Qingwu's point of view, it seemed like they wanted to get rid of them quickly. Of course, it cannot be said that Xue's parents did not love their daughter, but it was not easy for people to survive in this world. They really did not have some delicate emotions.
Their criteria for finding a son-in-law were simple and normal: as long as he had a decent job, wasn't a shady person, and could take care of the family and support the family, nothing else mattered. As for relationships—they could be cultivated after marriage!
Her eldest sister Xue Qingli chose her own marriage partner who was of equal social status. She had dated someone before, but was hurt after the breakup. In anger, she just wanted to find a powerful husband who could allow her to live a good life for the rest of her life. The eldest brother-in-law she found was very capable. Although he was an ordinary person, he made his family business flourish.
The second sister, Xue Qingmang, was completely confused and lost. She had a childhood sweetheart, a perfect match for her. Their mother, fearing her daughter would suffer, constantly urged her to keep her distance from her childhood sweetheart and to marry him once she turned eighteen. However, the second sister couldn't control herself and lost her virginity at fifteen. Not long after, she became pregnant, infuriating her mother. But that wasn't enough; having a child before the age of fifteen was illegal, and the man would be jailed regardless of whether the two were consensual. Technically, the childhood sweetheart was to go to jail, but the second sister, tearfully arguing, simply said they were driven by passion and had acted haphazardly. As long-standing family ties, they couldn't bear to see their childhood sweetheart go to jail. So, after much discussion, the two families agreed to a marriage, and despite the heavy expense of the childhood sweetheart's family, the second sister's child could not be kept. Her mother took her to a private clinic and reluctantly aborted the child.
Something even more dramatic happened. Less than two months after the abortion, the childhood sweetheart was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The whole family was stunned, and the second sister was also hit hard. The childhood sweetheart's terminal illness progressed rapidly, and she died in less than half a year. Their marriage was naturally canceled.
Two years later, my second sister turned eighteen, and my mother arranged a marriage for her in the same place. However, my second sister was reluctant from the beginning. Such a marriage naturally could not last. They had two children and their relationship was still very ordinary. Not long after, my second brother-in-law cheated on her. It was said that the other party was his first love. My second sister went home every day to cry about her miserable life, but my parents were afraid of being embarrassed and afraid of being pointed at by others, so they did not explicitly agree to their divorce. My mother even asked my second sister to consider the two children and save their marriage for the sake of the two children. My second sister dragged on like this, sometimes staying at her parents' home for half a month in a month instead of returning to her own home.
She herself was deeply confused. She wasn't willing to let her second brother-in-law get away with it, but she couldn't bring herself to divorce him, and she couldn't bear to give up her two children. In her own words, she had already given up one child; giving up these two would be like tearing her heart out. And so, day by day, my second sister wasted her time in her marriage.
Xue Qingwu thought about the many things going on at home, and recalled her mother's hesitation to speak. She understood that her mother wanted her to arrange a marriage first and then marry in two years. She didn't dare to be forceful with herself because she was still a little nervous about Xue Qingwu's cross-city schooling, so she could only hint at her third daughter one by one.
Xue Qingwu always resisted her mother's reminders in silence. She knew that even if she said a lot of reasons, her parents, who had their own way of doing things, would not listen.
Xue Qingwu thought that when she graduated from high school next year and turned seventeen, she would have no choice but to reveal her special abilities. This would grant her the privileges of a Returned True Person, and she could then find a way to leave the city. She feared even more that if her Returned True Person identity were exposed, her family would surely arrange for her to marry into a Yuncheng noble family to bolster their overall strength, leaving her with no real control.
Female Returning True Persons are even rarer and more precious in this new world, and their value is even higher. Some Returning True Persons with ordinary qualifications are frantically snatched up by aristocratic families as resources. They are willing to spend huge amounts of experience and resources to marry into their families, simply because - female Returning True Persons have a higher chance of giving birth to Returning True Person bloodlines! Therefore, their fate and freedom are even more cruel and bloody, and they are deprived of freedom!
Xue Qingwu's two aunts are examples. Although their qualifications are really average, they still cannot withstand the madness of the Yuncheng nobles, so her two aunts both married into families that are more powerful than the Xue family.
Of course, there are also women who have mastered their own destinies. These few, renowned women, are all incredibly talented and have made outstanding contributions, but they still cannot escape the fate of arranged marriages. While this gives them increased influence and a wider range of options, Xue Qingwu knows of only one powerful woman who has always lived alone, free and unfettered. However, the drawbacks are obvious: she doesn't reside in any particular city, but in a few houses on the edge of a dangerous secret realm. From time to time, she's pursued and ambushed by those with ulterior motives.
By the way, the government has no jurisdiction over the age or circumstances of marriage for Returned True People. Whether a Returned True Person is male or female, as long as the female is strong and can withstand the pressures of society and her family, no one will bother her even if she lives alone. This is one of the privileges of Returned True People. Unfortunately, few Returned True People are truly free from the influence and restrictions of society and her family. Therefore, many Returned True People males often remain unmarried in their twenties, while few Returned True People females remain single.
That day, Xue Qingwu went downstairs to the dining room for dinner and saw his younger brother Xue Qinglin, who should be at Fanzhen School. "Why are you back?"
The news Xue Qinglin brought back shocked the whole family.
"The Imperial Capital has detected that there's a high probability of a sky-crack cave barrier forming at the junction of the eighth city, Sun City, and the ninth city, Moon City. If the high-level mutant beasts in the secret realms of Sun City and Moon City riot, a sky-crack cave will appear at the barrier. This will probably take several days. The Imperial Capital has already sent people over. Currently, our Cloud City is the closest to Sun City and Moon City, so we're worried about any changes. Therefore, all the returning True Immortals in Cloud City have been recalled and dispatched. The entire city is on alert, so we kids can't stay in school anymore! By the way, this news is still a secret from ordinary people, so don't go out and spread rumors to disturb people!"
Their mother Chen Zixia smiled awkwardly. She had just wanted to go out and visit friends, but after hearing what her youngest son said, she gave up the idea. In case the government didn't allow her to talk nonsense, she'd better not cause trouble.
Xue Qinglin excitedly recounted many stories of high-level mutant beasts suddenly attacking cities. It turned out that some high-level mutant beasts could tear through space, so it was natural for them to attack and occupy cities. Xue Qingwu asked, "What is the probability of a high-level mutant beast attacking our Yuncheng? I don't see that you're nervous at all."
Xue Qinglin said, "I heard it's only 0.8%, but our Cloud City Lord is taking it very seriously. When the time comes, the entire city's air defense barrier will be raised, which won't affect ordinary people at all. Our ancestors have experienced this a lot, so don't worry! We and the ordinary people in the city will be fine!"
Xue Qingwu nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that he would have to take a good look at the battle between the returning real person and the high-level mutant beast.
"Did you just say that people from the imperial capital would come?"
Xue Qinglin nodded. "Yes, I heard that this time, members of the royal family were also dispatched. They are considered close relatives of the Zhou family. Their abilities are very powerful and of high levels! Oh, I wonder when I will be able to be that powerful and defeat a large number of mutant beasts with just one move. That would be so cool!"