Chapter 26

Bai Qi spends most of his time in deep slumber.

Occasionally, when Zhu Minglang is free, it will fly out from the spirit realm, using Zhu Minglang's chest as a warm, cozy nest, and continue to sleep soundly.

Xiao Hei Ya, on the other hand, has undergone significant changes, growing from two meters to nearly four meters, comparable to an adult fierce crocodile, making it a large spirit crocodile!

Of course, Hei Ya has dragon blood in its body, so if it encounters wild crocodiles in the wild, it should have no problem dealing with a group of them on its own.

The effects of the two-hundred-year-old demon pearl are quite significant!

"Come, put on this collar. Your neck is so thick, I'll put it on your tail for now. This way, others won't mistake you for a wild large black crocodile." Zhu Minglang put the young spirit collar issued by the academy on the large spirit crocodile.

They were about to go out. Bai Qi was fine, as he could be stored in the spirit realm.

However, it was inconvenient to carry the large black Hei Ya. Keeping it in the small pond behind the house wasn't a good idea either, so Zhu Minglang decided to let this big guy roam free for a few days!

"Every morning, go to the bridge, where a girl as dark as you will feed you meat worms. I have an excursion class and will be out for many days." Zhu Minglang patted Hei Ya's big head and earnestly instructed.

With the soul bond, Hei Ya wouldn't be taken away by others, and it would be more human-like than other creatures.

As long as it didn't leave the jurisdiction of the academy, no one would harm it. The academy strictly managed recognized young spirits, and even dragon tamers with true dragons would be severely punished by the academy for attacking young spirits without cause.

"Ooh ooh ooh~~~~~~~" The large spirit crocodile understood that it would be a "left-behind child" for a few days.

Li Family Imperial Academy

A cluster of cedars surrounded a majestic hall, its silver exterior exuding solemnity.

The city-state's elite guards, dressed in silver-black armor, stood in a formidable line, like statues in the courtyard.

This was the deliberation palace of the Ancestor Dragon City-State, where all major and minor matters within the territory were decided.

Today, Li Yunzi, who had been under house arrest for many days, appeared in the deliberation palace. She was dressed in plain clothes, her makeup not as elaborate as usual, but her innate beauty still made the other women in the hall feel inferior...

However, because of the indelible mark of shame, the other women in the clan no longer felt overshadowed by Li Yunzi's brilliance as they did in the past. They could even sit together and mock her.

"Women are ultimately women; we can't get over the hurdle of men." Li Kongxi, seeing that her sisters dared not speak openly, took the lead in breaking the silence.

"I, Mu Qing, still prefer to do my duty, remain unmarried, and let my elders decide my marriage when the time is right, contributing to the clan in this way," said the woman who called herself Mu Qing.

"Kongxi, I heard you are to marry into the Ancestor Palace. Which of the Ancestor Palace's young masters is it? Can you tell us sisters in advance?"

In the Ancestor Dragon City-State, male dominance was not as prevalent. Women of a certain status generally participated in clan deliberations, but marriage matters were mostly decided by the elders. In fact, men without significant achievements were also similar.

They had just discussed military affairs.

The main issues were the harassment from the Lingxiao City-State and the attempts by the barbarians from the wastelands to breach the fortresses and enter the Ancestor Dragon City-State.

Now, the elders were discussing the marriage arrangements of the younger generation.

In the Li family, marriage matters were always discussed in the deliberation hall, as the Ancestor Dragon City-State was surrounded by enemies, and the relationships with neighboring city-states, cities, and fortresses needed to be maintained through important marriages.

Noble families valued marriages because promises, contracts, and alliances were like scraps of paper in the face of power, easily torn up when interests were at stake. Only blood ties were truly unbreakable.

Once two families had common descendants and bloodlines, they could truly stand together in adversity!

"Today, we announce two marriages. Listen carefully, I said announce." Lady Kongtong, the head of the household, spoke.

Military and city-state matters were discussed by the head of the Li family, while marriage matters were handled by the head lady.

"Last year, Li Kongxi accompanied the old lady to the Ancestor Palace's annual banquet, where the fourth young master of the Ancestor Palace, Du Cheng, fell in love with Li Kongxi at first sight. After our deliberation, next month, I and the old lady will take Li Kongxi to the Ancestor Palace to facilitate this marriage," Kongtong said to everyone.

"This is a good match. With this connection to the Ancestor Palace, the Lingxiao City-State will not dare to attack us lightly, no matter how rampant they are."

"Indeed, Lady Kong, you have finally opened a door to the Ancestor Palace for us. From now on, we need not worry about the area south of the Lichuan River, and we can even open many trade routes."

In the hall, everyone smiled and looked at Li Kongxi.

Li Kongxi smiled faintly and said, "Although Kongxi is willing to follow the elders' arrangements, I still need to meet this fourth young master of the Ancestor Palace in person next month to understand his character. If he is of poor character, lacks ambition, and shows no respect for our Ancestor Dragon City-State, I would humbly request the head of the household and the lady to reconsider."

"Kongxi, you don't know Du Cheng? He fell in love with you at first sight from afar!"

"You truly live up to your reputation as a national beauty. Du Cheng is a fine man; his fame has long spread across the major city-states. I heard that the eldest daughter of the Ling family from the Lingxiao City-State even sought him out at the Ancestor Palace, but Du Cheng didn't even let her in... that was the eldest daughter of the Ling family!" Mu Qing exclaimed.

Li Kongxi shook her head, indicating that she had indeed never met Du Cheng.

"Congratulations, Kongxi, on finding a good match."

The other women in the clan also congratulated Li Kongxi in advance.

Li Kongxi remained calm.

"The other marriage." Lady Kongtong spoke again, and the hall quickly fell silent.

People's gazes involuntarily fell on Li Yunzi.

In the past, as the city-state's female lord, Li Yunzi used to sit on equal terms with the two clan leaders, the four heads of the household, the city lord, and several commanders. But now, she no longer had a place there.

She sat in the audience area with other ordinary clan women, silent and cold.

Since Li Yunzi fell from grace, she had not appeared in the deliberation hall for some time.

Her appearance today clearly indicated that the clan had made arrangements for her.

"Li Yunzi..." Lady Kongtong had already called out Li Yunzi's name.

Indeed, to prevent the scandal from further tarnishing the Ancestor Dragon City-State's reputation, the clan had decided to arrange her marriage.

Only by marrying Li Yunzi off could the scandal be quelled.

At the military seat, Luo Xiao involuntarily straightened his posture.

In recent days, he had achieved great feats at the eastern fortress, and his name as a fire dragon tamer, Luo Xiao, had spread throughout the Ancestor Dragon City-State.

"We have decided to marry Li Yunzi into the Ling family of the Lingxiao City-State." Lady Kongtong announced.

Although her voice was clear, it was not particularly loud, but in Luo Xiao's mind, it sounded like a thunderclap, causing his entire body to tremble violently!

How could this be...

It was he who suggested marrying Li Yunzi off to the Ling family!

And his infatuation with Li Yunzi was well-known.

"Head of the household, lady!" Luo Xiao could not accept this decision and stood up from his seat.

"Luo Xiao, sit down," Li Ying, the head of the Li family, said.

"This matter..."

"Sit down!!" Li Ying's tone grew stern, his eyes sharp, and his entire demeanor changed, as if he could turn into a raging dragon and tear someone apart at any moment!

Luo Xiao sat down, dispirited, his already pale face now as terrifying as a corpse.

"Lady, we just discussed the Lingxiao City-State's invasion, and the head of the household did not give us a perfect strategy. Could this be the clan's strategy for dealing with the Lingxiao City-State? I still have some doubts," the commander said.

"Please speak," Kongtong said.

"As the female lord, Li Yunzi has repeatedly defeated the Lingxiao City-State's invading armies, and the people of the Lingxiao City-State, from the military to the civilians, all hate Li Yunzi. How could the Ling family of the Lingxiao City-State be willing to marry into our clan?" the commander asked.

The Lingxiao City-State was a long-standing enemy of the Ancestor Dragon City-State.

Li Yunzi's reputation as the female lord was earned on the western border of the Lingxiao City-State, along with her formidable female lord's guard, which struck fear into the hearts of the Lingxiao City-State's military.

Now, the Lingxiao City-State, taking advantage of the unrest in the eastern wastelands, was acting recklessly on the western border, putting the Ancestor Dragon City-State in a difficult position, facing threats on both sides.

"Ordinary marriages would not be accepted by the Lingxiao City-State's military and civilians, who hate Li Yunzi..." Lady Kongtong paused deliberately, then continued, "So, Li Yunzi will enter the Ling family as a concubine."

A concubine!

This was the method to deal with the Lingxiao City-State's invasion. On one hand, it reduced the status of the once-feared female lord to the lowest possible level. On the other hand, entering the Ling family as a concubine could appease the anger of the Lingxiao City-State's military and civilians.

Becoming the wife of the Ling family would likely cause civil unrest and military rebellion.

Becoming a concubine of the Ling family would be like admitting defeat, as if the Lingxiao City-State had captured the once-unstoppable female lord of the Ancestor Dragon City-State!

"Is this still a marriage?" the commander asked.

This was not a marriage for peace; it was clearly pushing Li Yunzi out to be at the mercy of the Lingxiao City-State!

"How should we handle this... The barbarians in the wastelands cannot be completely eliminated, and the morale of the western army has plummeted due to the Li Yunzi incident, making it difficult to resist the Lingxiao City-State's advancing army. The only way to make peace is this," Kongtong said.

"Our female lord becoming a concubine of the enemy city's lord, what face will the Ancestor Dragon City-State have in the future?" the commander asked.

"How can we let the Lingxiao City-State continue to act recklessly? Once the unrest in the wastelands is quelled, we will certainly repay them tenfold," Li Ying said coldly.

"Only Yunzi will suffer." The commander sighed helplessly.

"Our Li family still has a good reputation. Although Li Yunzi will enter the Ling family as a concubine, she will not suffer great humiliation, and her treatment will be no different from that of a typical noblewoman. Please rest assured, elders," Kongtong said.

"Fear that we may not be able to reach her in time." The commander sighed deeply.

"This matter must not be leaked. The Lingxiao City-State will send a wedding party in late autumn. Commander Cheng, we will rely on you then," Li Ying said.