The silver haired youth in front of Liu Feiefei looked both familiar and unfamiliar, this was the husband she married seven years ago.
It's been seven years and this was her second time of meeting him, her eyes were filled with indescribable emotions as she gazed at the man before her.
Gu Shang on the other hand couldn't stop his thumping heart from beating wildly in his chest, Liu Feiefei still remained as beautiful as she was the night he had first saw her face in their bridal chamber.
She was the wife he didn't even get to spend a single day with before he was thrown into prison.
It's been seven years since then and Gu Shang didn't even know how to start speaking to her, there were so many things he wished to tell her, yet so little to share, at this point they were no different from strangers, but no matter what she was still his wife.
Gu Shang took in a deep breath with his nerves relaxing as he regained his composure.
"It's been a long time,wife!" Gu Shang said with a gentle smile as he gazed at Liu Fei Fei.
Liu Feiefei's body stiffened upon hearing Gu Shang address her by the title married couples use.
The Liu Clan guards were shocked and nearly fainted when they heard Gu Shang boldly address Liu Feiefei as 'wife'.
They couldn't help but wonder whether Gu Shang had a screw loose in his head or whether he was just tired of living.
They couldn't help but laugh coldly in their minds, this kid was a little too dumb.
He was about to receive the best beating he had ever experienced in his life.
Liu Feiefei was known to be very respectful towards her late husband and wouldn't stand anyone disrespecting his name.
Though a lot of people felt that it was a shame and that a waste of space like Gu Shang didn't deserve a genius like Liu Feiefei or her devotion, none dared to say it to her face.
But here was this kid with a screw loose claiming the title of the young miss deceased husband. This young man was indeed a brave soul, but that wasn't going to stop the beating of his life he was about to receive.
But the thrashing of a lifetime they expected didn't happen but instead a small blush appeared on the face of Liu Feiefei.
The eyes of the Liu Clan guards along with the capital guards Liu Feiefei returned home with couldn't help but widen in shock.
My heavens did they just see a blush on Liu Feiefei's face, this was something they had never experienced before. Liu Feiefei always had a cold face on almost everyday, there was rarely ever any other type of emotion on her face,
Yet this young man actually made her blush, what in the heavens name was going on?
It should be known that over the years many big clans young masters and highly talented young scholars from various aristocratic families had pursued her, and which one of them didn't have mouths laced with honey.
Even as men some of the ridiculous confessions and love poems they heard at the gates of the manor had made them blush, but none of those words were able to move the young miss in the slightest bit and yet all it took this young man was merely five unimpressive words.
Ignoring all the shocked gazes around her, Liu Feiefei looked at Gu Shang and said, "come with me!"
Gu Shang nodded but before they left Liu Feiefei turned back at guards and ordered, "from now on, his not a stranger but my husband, you shall treat him as the young master" she said as she entered the manor with Gu Shang
The guards nearly choked upon hearing her orders. What on earth was going on today?
The guards wanted to smash their heads through bricks if it would help them understand what was happening today,
Suddenly one of the guards thought of something which was the only reasonable explanation for what was going on.
"Don't tell me that the young man is her useless husband who should have perished in battle seven years ago?" he blurted out but held his mouth to stop himself from continuing.
Understanding suddenly dawned on the rest of the guards.
Indeed that guy was the infamous illegitimate son of the Gu Clan who had no talent for cultivation, the description did indeed match the young man.
'A pretty face with trashy talent for cultivation!" What did their young miss do to deserve such a man?
Meanwhile Gu Shang head was in a mess as he followed Liu Feiefei through the outer courtyard of the Liu Clan.
Returning back to the capital, one of his biggest concerns was whether Liu Feiefei was going to accept and acknowledge their marriage.
He was ready to give her a divorce if she was not willing to continue their marriage any longer, because it's been seven years since they last saw each other and he wouldn't be mad if she had someone she loved In her heart.
What was more, this marriage in itself was more of a downgrade to her in the past, though the situation might be currently different now and he wasn't the same as seven years ago.
He wouldn't have a single complaint if she wanted out of the marriage.
Four decades ago the Gu Clan was nearly eradicated when they offended a powerful cultivator at the peak of the foundation establishment realm.
No one was willing to help them until the ancestor of the Liu Clan stepped up to help them and fight against the powerhouse when they were at their lowest.
The crisis was later resolved with the Liu Clan ancestor sustaining severe injuries. The Gu Clan at that time had sworn to come to the aid of the Liu Clan whenever they needed help, and even made a vow of a marital alliance to strengthen the bond between the clans and back the Liu Clan if they ever needed help.
The relationship between the two clans prospered for years to come until the death of the Liu Clan ancestor.
Without a foundation establishment realm elder Holding the fort for them, the Liu Clan power and influence fell. Their control in the military was stripped by the imperial family and wealth and business gobbled up by the other Clans.
In all this time the Gu Clan had become a powerful clan with their influence stretching far beyond the capital along with their wealth.
This was as a result of supporting the then emperor when he was just a prince and also playing a crucial part in his ascendance to the throne.
Though they knew of the Liu Clan's plight and could have helped them simply by lifting their hands, they stood aside without offering any support.
Seven years ago, the Liu Clan was in crisis and with no one to rely on, could only seek the Gu Clan and remind them of their vow decades ago.
The Gu Clan in order to not lose face decided to fulfill the vow, while everyone had expected them to marry off their eldest son, they did something that shocked the entire capital and turned the Liu Clan into a complete joke.
The Gu Clan did not use their eldest son to form the alliance, instead they used the talentless illegitimate son of theirs who was infamously known throughout the entire capital as trash.
This was the biggest humiliation the Liu Clan had ever suffered.
The humiliation of having their most talented descendant in a hundred years marry the trash of the Gu Clan was something the entire capital talked about for days and months.
People had expected Liu Feiefei and the Liu Clan to back out of the marriage, but contrary to all expectations they pushed ahead with the wedding.
And to make matters more humiliating, the Gu Clan had accused Gu Shang of murdering a commoner and had him arrested a day after his wedding.
This incident made both Liu Feiefei and the Liu Clan the joke of the imperial capital so it would have been understandable if she hated him even,
But to his surprise, she really acknowledged him as her husband right in front of the guards.
This had completely caught Gu Shang off guard, he had expected a lot of scenarios but this wasn't one of them.
While still In a daze, Liu Feiefei led her into the dining hall of the Liu Clan.
The dining hall wasn't large or grand but it gave people a cozy feeling.
In the middle of the dining hall was a long table with all the members of the Liu Clan seated around it.
The moment they entered the hall, the noisy hall suddenly became silent as all of them turned their attention to Gu Shang and Liu Feiefei.
All of them had scrutinizing looks on their faces as they observed Gu Shang.
Liu Feiefei had never brought anyone home so they were all surprised to discover that she had actually brought someone home and it was a man at that too, how rare.
A beautiful middle aged woman with the poise and grace of a noble stood out to Gu Shang, she exuded a gentle elegance that made her look distant but easy to approach but what drew him in was the striking resemblance of the lady to Liu Feiefei.
"Fei Fei, who is this gentleman?'' she asked with a soft melodious voice.
Everyone perked up their ears as they were curious to find out about the identity of the handsome youth before them.
"He's my husband and your son-in-law, Gu Shang," Liu Feiefei simply introduced.
The moment she finished speaking, murderous intent suddenly started filled the room making it hard to breathe.