It was a big hall room full of ancient carvings. An old man was sitting at the center of the hall room. This man was the Supreme Ancestor of the Pisces Clan. Several other old and middle-aged men were also sitting in two rows left and right to the supreme ancestor. At the very first seat on his right was the clan leader, Snow's father. At the first seat of the left row was the Grand Elder of the clan. The other seats had clan elders seating on them. Many of the clan elders were whispering and talking about something.

At that moment, Snow entered the hall room. As soon as she entered, everyone's attention shifted to her. The room fell into silence.

"You left a letter saying that you are leaving the clan to roam outside and gain worldly experience. You disappeared for more than a year. What is the meaning of this?", breaking the silence, the supreme ancestor asked Snow with a reprimanding tone.

" As I've mentioned in the letter, I went on a trip to roam the world and gain worldly experience.", Snow replied.

"Humph! The Sagittarius Clan members said you were fooling around in a mortal village. Is it true?", the ancestor asked again.

" This is also a kind of worldly experience. Besides, I was ambushed by demons, so I had no choice but to find a place to recuperate.", Snow replied with a straight face,

"Damn those demons! They dared to ambush my daughter?", the clan leader shouted in rage.

"That's why I had forbidden you to leave the clan territory before reaching the Heavenly Wisdom realm. You know you will become the wife of Julian Fireborn, the young prince, and the next leader of the Sagittarius Clan. Currently, their clan is the one with most potential and power among the Twelve Zodiac Clans of the Central Continent. They are now only second to the Clan of Leo and soon they will surpass them too. Also, you must have already heard the news of Julian breaking through to the Heavenly Wisdom realm. He is indeed the most talented individual ever in history. Everyone is pretty much sure he will be the one to gain the final victory in the battle for the Primal Crown and soon, he will become the Paragon of this era. After marrying you and dual cultivating with you, his talents will grow even further and it will guarantee his victory in the battle for the Primal Crown. The demon race will want to stop him from doing so by capturing or killing you. If the demons can kill you and Julian fails to have a Yin-Yang exchange with you through dual cultivation, Julian's growth can be hampered. Also, Julian has deep feelings for you, so by killing you, the demons can also hurt him mentally and damage his confidence. Above all, a child born from both yours and Julian's unique physique and clan bloodline will have infinite potential and secure the Paragon of the next era for the humans too. So, it is very normal for the demons to try killing you when you are outside the clan territory. You must understand that there is no man better than Julian to be your husband, in all kinds of ways. It is the best choice for you, him, and everyone else, as well as the human race. So, bear in mind not to leave the clan territory without our permission ever again.", the supreme ancestor explained.

Snow bit her lips, thinking of what to say. She was feeling very frustrated. Suddenly, a gentle yet mature and determined face of a young boy appeared in her heart. For some reason, this boy, Edward, left a deep impression in her heart even though he was just an ordinary mortal boy. She wondered what Edward was doing right now.

'Why am I thinking about him again?', Snow thought.

Collecting her thoughts, she said, "I understand, ancestor. For now, I would like to enter in seclusion for training."

Saying that Snow bowed, and left the hall room.

***

***

***

Right now, Edward was standing behind his house, looking at his father's and mother's grave.

After Snow left, his heart was in turmoil for a few days. He didn't know what to think or what to do. All he did was train and cultivate, and again, train and cultivate. He couldn't understand his heart, Snow was everything to him, yet at the same time, nothing, as they didn't have any kind of relation, except a meeting by fate. In the end, he was nothing to Snow, because he was not worthy. At least, not yet.

He hated that boy named Julian. He hated him because Julian threw a bag of gold to his face and dismissed him, just like that. He treated Edward like a poor commoner, giving him money to settle things, making Edward look like a poor, worthless, and helpless person in front of Snow. Although Edward really was just that, He hated him because Julian did it in front of Snow.

But he also envied him. He envied Julian. After all, he was Snow's fiance. He hated him because he was rich, talented, and strong; and because Julian had all the things Edward did not have.

"My day will also come. One day, I will return the money you gave me with interest, and I will have everything. That day, you will be the one to envy me, Julian! Just you wait, Julian! You will regret underestimating me one day!", Edward took an oath.

"Father, Mother, I have lived in the house you have left me for a long time now. I have been near your graves and took care of them. But now I must leave. I will be starting my own adventure, and I will grasp my fate with my own hands! Goodbye!"

After spending a little more time in front of the graves and muttering those words, Edward silently left the place which he had called 'home' for many years. Soon, his shadow was seen leaving the village, disappearing into the horizon.