Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Son-in-Law?

Da Qian Emperor family, Yujing City, Imperial Study.

Four men sat gathered together.

"Your Majesty."

Nangong Qing wore a broad smile. "If nothing unexpected occurs, Little Ling should return to Yujing City within a few days. Whether we can keep him here then will depend entirely on Your Majesty’s ability."

Clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, the lofty, imposing Emperor of Da Qian, Nangong Chengyu, possessed a handsome and stern countenance, commanding respect without visible anger.

"I was the one who personally ordered the stripping of his imperial status," Nangong Chengyu sighed. "Times have changed. I wonder if he holds resentment towards me?"

Nangong Qing’s expression turned complex.

He did not tell Nangong Chengyu that from the moment he met Nangong Zhandao until their parting, Nangong Zhandao had not once voluntarily brought up any topic concerning Nangong Chengyu.

Resentment? He didn’t know.

But that Nangong Zhandao did not care about Nangong Chengyu—Nangong Qing was almost one hundred percent certain of that.

Nangong Zhandao cared about Mu Wanjun.

"Report!"

Suddenly, an urgent voice sounded outside the Imperial Study. "Your Majesty! An urgent dispatch from Youyun City! It’s news from Youyun City’s guardian envoy, Han Ji."

"Speak it here."

Nangong Chengyu shed his melancholic demeanor instantly, his tone regaining its dominating force.

"Han Ji reports that the Ninth Prince encountered two Saints from the Hunyuan Sect just outside Youyun City. He has been taken by them and is now being escorted towards the Hunyuan Sect."

BANG!

Nangong Chengyu slammed the table, shattering the sandalwood furniture, his fury erupting. "The audacity is staggering!"

"One hundred years ago, I gave them face and took a step back. Now the Hunyuan Sect dares to press me again? Do they truly regard Da Qian as made of paper?"

"You are dismissed."

Nangong Chengyu’s chest heaved sharply, his rage palpable.

"Your Majesty, Nangong Zhandao holds the top rank on the Hidden Dragon List. Regardless of the reasons, we absolutely cannot allow him to fall into the Hunyuan Sect’s hands. This servant humbly suggests that we must reclaim him, even if it demands the full strength of our nation," one Saint spoke gravely.

"Indeed."

Another Saint added, "War with the Hunyuan Sect must be considered acceptable collateral damage."

"Hold."

Nangong Qing recalled the messenger, summoning him back into the Imperial Study. He asked, "In Han Ji’s report, only two Hunyuan Sect Saints were mentioned? Were there any others with Nangong Zhandao?"

"There was one woman."

"You may leave." Nangong Qing dismissed the man.

Nangong Qing looked at Nangong Chengyu, a light smile appearing on his face. "Your Majesty, there’s no need for alarm. Little Ling will be unharmed."

"Crown Uncle, do you know something?" Nangong Chengyu asked, puzzled.

"When I saw Little Ling outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion," Nangong Qing explained, stroking his beard with a knowing smile, "he had two quasi-emperors with him, both women. Judging my observation, the one traveling with him now is likely one of those quasi-emperors."

"If the Hunyuan Sect truly dared to act recklessly, they might bite off more than they could chew."

"Could this be true?"

Both Nangong Chengyu and the two sages in the Imperial Study found it hard to believe.

"Absolutely true," replied Nangong Qing.

"Then this emperor’s mind is at ease." Nangong Chengyu sighed in relief. Nangong Qing, steady and reliable by nature, wouldn’t deceive him.

"Your Majesty, though he is accompanied by a quasi-emperor, since we are now aware of this, I propose we should still send an envoy to bring him back," suggested one sage.

"That makes sense."

Nangong Chengyu nodded. "Imperial Uncle, we must trouble you to make the journey."

"Your Majesty."

Nangong Qing accepted the decree and departed.

….

Jizhou.

The Hunyuan Sect occupied the Primordial Spirit City, its territory sprawling over nearly half the city. Ranges of mountains stretched across the land, interspersed with clusters of palaces and an expansive spirit lake.

The great masters of the Hunyuan Sect had relocated this scenery through great magic, effectively replicating an entire city within Primordial Spirit City.

The four flew straight to the Hunyuan Sect’s main peak, heading directly for the Hunyuan Hall.

Inside the Hunyuan Hall, both men and women stood in attendance.

The weakest cultivator present was at the saint level.

A young man was seated high upon the sect master’s throne, his aura unfathomably deep. With every flicker of his eyelids, divine patterns swirled and bizarre visions unfolded.

This was the sect master of the Hunyuan Sect. Having lived over eighty thousand years, he was a formidable expert at the peak of the great sage level.

Mo Nansu was his youngest disciple.

"Sect Master, Brother Chiyue has returned."

A Saint sensed the Chiyue Saint’s presence and announced it with pleased surprise.

"Two unfamiliar auras accompany him."

"That must be the boy."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

A few breaths later, the Chiyue Saint appeared at the Hunyuan Hall entrance with Nangong Zhandao and Lan Youruo.

Nangong Zhandao swept his eyes over the gathering. Nearly all the Hunyuan Sect’s high-ranking cultivators were present, the very individuals who wielded the sect’s power. They’d all come for him.

The Hunyuan Sect Master’s gaze lingered briefly on Lan Youruo, his brow furrowing slightly.

Lan Youruo’s aura felt profoundly strange; her cultivation level remained completely veiled even to his perception. Yet, he brushed off the concern—surely a mere escort for Nangong Zhandao couldn’t be a quasi-emperor-level protector.

"How insolent!"

An Elder of Killing infused with a fierce aura snapped coldly. His eyes pierced like sharp swords as they fixed on Nangong Zhandao. "You stand before the Sect Master! Kneel!"

Nangong Zhandao, however, remained unmoved.

"This junior, Nangong Zhandao, pays his respects to the sect master of the Hunyuan Sect." Nangong Zhandao cupped his hands in a salute, without any humbleness or arrogance, not revealing a trace of fear.

"Nangong Zhandao, your name in recent times has been like thunder striking the ears," the sect master of the Hunyuan Sect said with a half-smile. "However, that name leaves nowhere near as deep an impression on me as Nangong Ling’s."

"A name is just a designation."

Nangong Zhandao smiled and said, "Whatever you wish to call me, I won’t mind."

"Hmph."

The Elder of Killing snorted coldly and said, "Nangong Zhandao, do you know how terribly Mo Nansu suffered because of you?"

"She originally had hope of succeeding as the sect master, but now she can only stay at Penitence Cliff, confined for life. And you still manage to smile?"

"Sect master, this youth shows no remorse. Why not condemn him forever to Penitence Cliff to make amends for his mistake a hundred years ago?" another elder said.

Lan Youruo was like a serene painting, silently listening.

"Esteemed seniors, you invited me from afar to the Hunyuan Sect. Could it be to suppress me and atone for the mistake of a hundred years ago?" Nangong Zhandao smiled.

"If I recall correctly, over a hundred years ago, when I was expelled from the Da Qian royal family, that should have compensated for the mistake."

"How could it be that easy?"

The Elder of Killing waved his sleeve, filled with killing intent, "That was merely the Da Qian Emperor family’s punishment of you. Our Hunyuan Sect has never stated we would cease pursuing it."

"A hundred years ago, you humiliated us Hunyuan Sect greatly. Can simply stripping you of status erase our disgrace?" an old woman with white hair and a youthful face said angrily.

The sect master of the Hunyuan Sect slightly raised his hands.

Seeing this gesture, everyone fell silent.

"Nangong Zhandao, bringing you to the Hunyuan Sect this time, I have only one demand."

The sect master of the Hunyuan Sect stared at Nangong Zhandao and smiled, "A hundred years ago, you and Mo Nansu were deeply in love, but because of personal grudges between Da Qian and our sect, you were forced apart."

"So today, I am willing to unite you."

"From now on, you will be part of my Hunyuan Sect!"

Uproar!

Inside Hunyuan Hall, chaos erupted.

Chiyue Saint and others, not informed in advance, heard this demand and were stunned.

Could the sect master truly make Nangong Zhandao a Hunyuan Sect son-in-law who moved to the bride’s home?

Some wore strange expressions.

A hundred years earlier, when Nangong Zhandao and Mo Nansu were lovers, the sect master had forcibly parted them with a stick.

Now, he actually wanted them to marry?

It was utterly absurd.

Ultimately, what the sect master of the Hunyuan Sect valued was Nangong Zhandao’s status as first place on the Hidden Dragon List, along with his underlying potential and talent.

"Nangong Zhandao, if you agree to marry, I guarantee that with all the resources of the Hunyuan Sect, we will support your cultivation," the sect master solemnly said.

Nangong Zhandao laughed.

When he had come, he had already foreseen this scene.

"Sect master, I already have someone I love."

Nangong Zhandao grasped Lan Youruo’s soft hand, his gaze gentle, "My affair with Mo Nansu is like fleeting clouds of the past, long vanished without a trace."

"Your proposal, I regretfully cannot accept."

A sweet smile graced Lan Youruo’s face as she looked deeply into Nangong Zhandao’s eyes.

She had eagerly anticipated this, and finally, she heard those words.

"Outrageous!"

The Elder of Killing shouted furiously, "You scorn the respect given!"

"Nangong Zhandao, you must understand one thing: this is the Hunyuan Sect."

"When the sect master speaks, no one can defy his command!"

"Honored senior, forcing something to happen yields no good result," Nangong Zhandao calmly retorted, his tone mild.

"Hahaha…"

Upon hearing Nangong Zhandao’s reply, a cold flash passed through the sect master of the Hunyuan Sect’s eyes, though he suppressed his rage. He turned to Lan Youruo and chuckled, "The two of you are a handsome man and beautiful woman, a golden pair. I can understand your feelings."

"If you can’t be a son-in-law moving in, it doesn’t matter."

The sect master shifted tactics, "As long as you swear to become my disciple, I will still honor my earlier promise; it’s no joke."

Nangong Zhandao’s gaze was tranquil.

"What if I still refuse?"

"Nan Gong, the dagger is drawn; there’s no gain in more words," Lan Youruo squeezed his hand back, her vision turning icy, "We must make them realize that with just one Hunyuan Sect, they cannot afford to provoke us."

"Only through strength can we demolish their illusions."

"Leave this matter for me to resolve."