The patriarch's study was at the center of the estate, a simple but imposing building made of unadorned ironwood. The two guards at the door were at the Peak of Foundation Establishment. They bowed without a word and opened the heavy doors for me.
The air inside was thick with a palpable pressure. It was heavy, the natural aura of a Nascent Soul expert. My father, Chen Tianyuan, sat behind a large wooden desk. He was the Patriarch of the Chen Family, an Initial Stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and one of the most powerful men in the Myriad Rivers Domain. In person, he looked less like a supreme expert and more like a middle-aged man carrying a mountain on his shoulders. The lines on his face were deeper than I remembered from the original Arya's memories.
"You've come, Arya," he said, his voice a low rumble. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit."
I did as I was told, offering a respectful bow. "Father."
He studied me for a long moment, a flicker of pride in his tired eyes. "Initial Stage of the Golden Core realm at twenty-one. You have broken the family record by a full decade. You are the greatest hope the Chen Family has had in five hundred years."
I played my part. "I only hope to live up to the family's expectations and not disappoint you, Father."
The pride in his eyes faded, replaced by that familiar weariness. He sighed, the sound heavy with unspoken burdens. "Your talent is a blessing, but I fear the times we live in may not allow it to blossom fully. The family is facing… difficulties."
He began to speak, "The Jin Family has become increasingly aggressive. For the past six months, they have been using their immense wealth to undercut our prices on the main river trade routes. They are operating at a loss, a tactic designed purely to bleed us dry. Furthermore, they are buying up our long-term suppliers of common spiritual herbs, forcing us to pay exorbitant prices on the open market."
This matched the novel's prelude perfectly. The Jin Family, despite being the weakest of the noble families in terms of top-tier experts, were merchants through and through. Their weapon was the spirit stone.
"The Spirit Cauldron Sect has also made its move," he continued, his brow furrowed. "They have subtly restricted the sale of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cauldron ingredients to us. They claim shortages, but we know the truth. They see our alchemy as a threat to their monopoly on the mass-produced pill market. They are trying to strangle us."
The combination of these pressures was a slow poison. Our profits were shrinking, our resources were being stretched thin, and the other powers within the Jade River Alliance were beginning to notice. Loyalty, in this world, was a commodity sold to the strongest bidder.
"Our most stable and loyal ally," my father said, his gaze locking onto mine, "has always been the Su Family. Their mastery over cultivating rare spiritual herbs is something even we cannot match, and our families have been bound by pacts for centuries."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle in the room. "Pacts and promises are not enough in these times. We need a bond of blood. I have been in private talks with Patriarch Su. He has agreed in principle to a marriage alliance to solidify our two families against these rising tides."
My mind went still. I knew what was coming, but hearing it spoken aloud was different.
"He proposes a marriage," my father stated, "between you and his eldest daughter, Meira Su."
The name struck me with the force of a physical blow. Meira Su. Not Su Lian. Meira.
My mind reeled from the proposal. According to the plot of Alchemist Sovereign. Today, the Chen and Su patriarchs were supposed to discuss a marriage alliance. But the name in the book was Su Lian. This was the first undeniable deviation from the script. A wave of chilling uncertainty washed over me. This was a real world, with real people making their own choices. Perhaps in this reality, the patriarchs were wiser. Perhaps the original Arya's childhood friendship with Meira held more weight than the novel ever let on.
In the book, the original Arya would have rejected this proposal, or at the very least, stalled indefinitely. He would have seen it as a political maneuver, an unwelcome distraction from his cultivation.
Because the plot had a more tragic path laid out for him. In a few weeks, he would have met Su Lian for the first time at a banquet. He would have been captivated by her beauty and charm. She, knowing the rumors of his childhood rescue, would have subtly hinted that she was the mysterious girl who saved him from the Shadowfang Wolf. The original Arya would have fallen for the lie completely. That lie would have blossomed into an infatuation, a misplaced devotion that would lead him to pursue her hand in marriage, blind to the fact that he was walking into a meticulously laid trap.
But that was the path of a fool. The proposal in front of me now was for Meira Su. The talented girl who had been my childhood friend. The one who truly saved the original Arya. The woman who loved him in silence, her heart breaking as she watched him march toward a doom she was powerless to prevent. The one who tried to warn him, only to be dismissed.
And I remembered her end. A warrior of breathtaking power, a heroine who emerged from the shadows to avenge the man she loved. She had fought Jin Hao to a standstill, an incredible feat. She would have won. She would have killed the protagonist. But then, the betrayal. Her own sister, Su Lian, stabbing her in the back. She died, her final expression one of shocked disbelief, her love and sacrifice completely unknown to the world.
She deserved a better ending.
Strategically, the alliance was the best possible move. The Su Family's loyalty was proven in the original story. Their resources were vital. An alliance of blood would be a powerful deterrent to our enemies. Emotionally… a strange feeling stirred within me. It was sympathy, a genuine respect for the character she had been in the book. She was strong, loyal, and true. A stark contrast to the vipers and fools that populated the rest of the story.
To the transmigrator, she was a reliable asset. To the reader I had been, she was a character I had genuinely pitied and admired.
My father was watching me, expecting hesitation, perhaps a protest. A cultivator's path was a selfish one, and marriage was often seen as a distraction, a worldly entanglement.
But I was not the original Arya.
"I understand, Father," I said, my voice calm and steady. "The family's stability is paramount. A strong bond with the Su Family is the wisest course of action."
My father's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had clearly prepared arguments.
I continued, looking him directly in the eye. "Meira is a woman of great character and talent. I have known her since we were children. There is no one I would trust more to stand with our family. I agree to the marriage."
A genuine smile touched Chen Tianyuan's lips. The weariness seemed to lift from his shoulders, if only for a moment. "Good," he said, relief evident in his voice. "Excellent. This will send a powerful message to the Jin Family and the others. I will send a formal reply to Patriarch Su immediately. We will arrange a meeting for you two soon to discuss the engagement."
"I will await your arrangements," I replied, bowing my head respectfully.
The meeting concluded. I had just made my significant deviation from the script of Alchemist Sovereign. A sense of profound uncertainty warred with a feeling of control. The plot has changed .