He had no idea how to explain his empty-handed return.
"The embroidered ball has been given to you. Besides, I am a woman, and if I go back with you, I cannot marry your young lady. You can take the embroidered ball and go back yourselves."
Feng Jin was speechless. What stubborn fools, so devoid of common sense. Why would they want a woman to go back with them? Did they expect her to marry someone herself?
After clarifying matters, Feng Jin turned to leave, only to find her path blocked again.
"What exactly do you want?" Feng Jin's voice was laced with anger, her slightly furrowed brow indicating she was holding back.
She had said all she needed to. If they continued to be unreasonable, she wouldn't hold back.
"Miss, please accompany us. Only after our master sees you will we be able to account for ourselves."
"Very well, we will accompany you."
Elder Master Ling stepped forward and said.
With Elder Master Ling's permission, Feng Jin had no choice but to return with them.
...
"Master, the person who caught the young lady's embroidered ball has been brought back."
A servant reported to the middle-aged man seated in the main seat.
The man heard the voice, put down his teacup, and lifted his eyes to look forward. He saw an elderly man and a young lady standing before him.
His hand trembled slightly, nearly knocking over the teacup on the table.
"You are the one who caught my daughter's embroidered ball."
Li Kun looked at Elder Master Ling standing before him, constantly appraising him. The old man was at least seventy or eighty years old, yet he had been thrown to such a person.
Just as he was contemplating how to renege, the fortune teller's words surfaced in his mind: whoever catches the embroidered ball, regardless of age, wealth, or status, must marry him to ensure the Li family's peace and prosperity.
After a moment of hesitation, Li Kun decided to prioritize the family's great enterprise and agreed to accept.
However, the next words almost made him explode.
"This embroidered ball was not picked up by me, but by my granddaughter-in-law."
Elder Master Ling directly denied it and then pushed Feng Jin, who was following behind him, forward.
Li Kun glanced at Feng Jin behind him and was stunned, his mouth hanging open forgotten.
After a long while, he regained his senses, but his heart was in turmoil. His legs trembled slightly as he stood up and walked in front of Feng Jin, his gaze constantly assessing her: "Did you really pick up this embroidered ball?"
When he threw the embroidered ball, he had considered ten thousand possibilities, but he had never imagined it would land in the hands of a woman.
What... what was to be done? He couldn't possibly marry his daughter to a woman.
"Indeed, I picked it up. The embroidered ball has been given to you, so I will take my leave now."
Having been forced to come and having returned the embroidered ball, with everyone present, Feng Jin did not wish to linger. She turned to leave.
"Wait, wait!"
Li Kun shouted, stopping the two from leaving. The embroidered ball had been thrown, and everything was fated.
Since she had picked up the embroidered ball, they could not be allowed to leave so easily.
"Hurry and invite the master here," Li Kun said to a servant beside him.
In this situation, only by inviting the master could the current predicament be resolved.
Feng Jin frowned slightly, looking at Li Kun with displeasure: "What exactly do you mean by detaining us? What are you planning!"
Feng Jin sensed that something was amiss, her gaze warily fixed on Li Kun. What did this man want to do?
And what master... she had a feeling she shouldn't have picked up that embroidered ball just now; it was clearly a hot potato.
"Miss, you may not know this, but this time my daughter threw the embroidered ball to find a spouse, firstly to find a groom, and secondly because my Li family has been facing a calamity. To break it, my daughter must throw the embroidered ball to find a husband to resolve this disaster."
"But I never imagined that this embroidered ball would, by mistake, be picked up by you. For the safety of my Li family, please wait here for a moment until the master arrives before making a conclusion."
Hearing this, Feng Jin froze as if petrified. What was all this about?
It was unbelievable that such a bizarre thing could happen to her.
Had she known this situation would arise, she would never have joined the fun, nor would she have picked up that embroidered ball.
Judging by his words, only by marrying the person who caught the embroidered ball could his Li family's disaster be averted.
Could it be that she, a woman, had to marry his daughter? She really didn't have that inclination.
Feng Jin felt as if struck by lightning; her mind was in a daze.
She kept thinking about how to handle this. Or should she just run away? She had some idea when she came in. The Li family was merely a merchant family.
No matter how wealthy they were, could they compare to the influence of the Ling family? With Ling Mohhan backing her, she wasn't afraid.
But now they were all on the other side. As the saying goes, a fierce dragon finds it hard to suppress a local snake. There must be over a hundred guards in and around this mansion. With only her and Elder Master Ling, how could they possibly resist?
Her original plan was to not use anyone, and Feng Jin's spirits immediately sank.
"Master, you've finally arrived."
Li Kun eagerly stepped forward upon seeing a man dressed as a Taoist priest appear at the entrance.
The person Li Kun called "master" was slightly portly, and his yellow Taoist robe exuded an aura of wealth, all thanks to his generous physique.
"This humble Taoist heard that a woman picked up the young lady's embroidered ball?"
"Yes, Master. This has been worrying me greatly. I was afraid the young lady's embroidered ball would be picked up by some unworthy person, so I had long ago instructed the servants to clear the area and guard the surroundings. Who would have thought that after the embroidered ball was thrown, it would be snatched by someone and eventually fly out, hitting this young lady? By the time the servants found the embroidered ball, it was already in the young lady's hand."
"I really didn't know what to do, so I sent someone to invite the Master. Master, you must find a way to save my Li family and all its members!"
Li Kun followed the master, his face filled with sincere pleading and panic, busily begging the master for salvation.
"Master Li, please calm yourself. Everything in heaven and earth has its destiny. Since there is a tribulation, there must be a way to resolve it. Since the young lady's embroidered ball was picked up by this young lady, it is fate, the path of the Grand Supreme Purity Lord. Let this humble Taoist find a solution for you."
"Alright, thank you, Master. Master, you have saved my entire family; your kindness is like rebirth."
Li Kun was instantly overcome with gratitude, almost to the point of kneeling on the ground in profound thanks.
"It is the duty of a monk to save lives, bringing boundless merit. This also helps this humble Taoist cultivate and accumulate merit."