Yingying had long learned to be obedient. She swiftly produced a charcoal pen and a sheet of paper she carried with her, then began scribbling lines across it.
“The Hundred Lineages are composed of destroyed Noble Families or Noblemen whose bloodlines are in decline or have vanished entirely. There are even demons and ghosts among them. Dissatisfied with the fading of their bloodlines, they formed an organization that resembles a mortal sect.”
“They have their own rules of inheritance. In order to contend with the immense power of the Nine Great Families of the Central Plains, they banded together to form the Hundred Lineages Alliance.”
After Lu Sheng finished reading, Yingying placed the paper down. With an unknown method, she erased the writing completely, then began scribbling anew.
“Ordinary Noble Families create their own mantras, tailored to their Divine Weapon or Devil Blade bloodlines. Even if outsiders learn them, those mantras would only cause harm.”
“The Hundred Lineages are different. They have a unique system that can impart mantras usable by most Nobleman bloodlines. Naturally, these mantras are much weaker.”
“I see…” Lu Sheng murmured. “Isn’t that essentially a sect with extraordinary powers?”
Yingying shook her head slightly and scribbled again.
“They’re not a sect. They’re looser than that. I’ve been there before. The atmosphere is more like an exchange.”
“If you’ve been there, then why didn’t you and Hongfang Bai join one of the Hundred Lineages?” Lu Sheng asked, puzzled. “Didn’t you need mantras?”
Yingying paused, then slowly wrote another line.
“Sis once killed an Elder of the Hundred Lineages and took his mantra…”
Her words trailed off.
Lu Sheng immediately understood. No wonder. Perhaps Hongfang Bai had obtained that tiny mantra booklet the same way, by killing someone.
‘The real question is whether I should accept Shangyang Jiuli’s recommendation and head to the Central Plains to join the Hundred Lineages, Lu Sheng pondered inwardly. Logically speaking, entering the Hundred Lineages and obtaining their mantras would be the dream of countless ordinary men…’
Yingying seemed to sense his hesitation and quickly scribbled again.
“Is Sect Master hesitating because of Chen Yunxi?”
“Yes,” Lu Sheng nodded. “We’re engaged. And it’s time for me to marry her.”
Yingying wrote without delay.
“Then marry her. But given your current status and identity, the role of your primary wife may be too heavy for her.”
Lu Sheng glanced at the words, then looked back at her with curiosity.
“You know about this?”
“It’s in my memory,” Yingying wrote earnestly. It seemed that she, too, had lived through a complicated past before becoming an Anomaly.
That made sense. Anomalies were the elites and kings among ghosts. Even ordinary ghosts required intense bitterness and deep-seated grudges to take form. Anomalies demanded conditions far harsher than that.
“I plan to take Yunxi with me,” Lu Sheng said after a moment. “As for whether she will be my primary or secondary wife…” He paused briefly. “Yunxi treats me with complete sincerity. I should make her my primary wife.”
He had no need for political marriages.
Yingying offered no reply. She had already returned to pressing his clothes. This was Lu Sheng’s decision, and she had no reason to interfere.
Lu Sheng considered the matter further.
Soon after, he wrote a reply, rolled it up, and placed it into the copper tube before fastening it securely to the snake-headed crow’s leg. After giving the bird some water, he lightly tossed it into the air.
The crow shot upward at once, vanishing into the falling snow within a few breaths.
Lu Sheng stared in the direction it disappeared.
“Such an opportunity… how could I let it pass?” he murmured. “The Central Plains… it’s time to go take a look. The Nine Great Families and the Hundred Lineages.”
This was a rare chance to gain a thorough understanding of the Noble Families and their bloodlines. If his identity were ever exposed in the future, an opportunity like this would be nearly impossible to find again.
“Since I have to go anyway, I may as well bring Yunxi along,” Lu Sheng continued quietly. “The Lu Family in the Northern Lands must also be settled. Martial League’s loose ends need to be dealt with. And there are those precious herbs on the map… and the Three Sacred Gates.”
Too many matters still awaited resolution.
Lu Sheng decided to first confirm the date of the Hundred Lineages Symposium, so that he could properly settle all affairs in the Northern Lands before departing.
Very soon, on the fifth day after Shangyang Jiuli’s first letter, her second message arrived.
When Lu Sheng received it, he was seated in the study of Crimson Whale Sect, reviewing the reports detailing the damage caused by the snow disaster.
This time, Shangyang Jiuli’s letter stated clearly that the Hundred Lineages Symposium would be held in three months. There was still ample time.
Lu Sheng did not hesitate. He penned his reply at once, expressing his agreement to participate.
After releasing the strange bird, he turned his attention to his subordinates and began assigning tasks, issuing orders to prepare for his wedding.
…………
Mountain-Edge City, Chen Family.
Chen Yunxi held the letter she had just received, her fingers tightening slightly around its edges. Written upon it were a series of arrangements regarding the wedding between Chen Family’s Chen Yunxi and Lu Family’s Lu Sheng.
Her father had only just returned home, yet he had handed her the letter at the earliest possible moment, reminding her repeatedly to keep the schedule firmly in mind so as not to be caught unprepared.
What truly stunned Chen Yunxi was not the wedding itself, but the fact that Lu Sheng, given his current status and power, was still willing to take her as his primary wife.
“Little Yu, go and invite Father here,” Chen Yunxi said calmly.
Despite the joy swelling in her heart, her expression remained composed. She understood all too well that the position of primary wife carried with it not only honor, but endless complications and pressure.
Her handmaiden hurried off and soon returned to the courtyard with Chen Daozao.
“Father.” Chen Yunxi curtsied lightly. “Regarding the arrangement for me to be the primary wife… I object.”
Chen Daozao had approached with a gentle, paternal smile, assuming his daughter was troubled by some minor confusion. The words that followed, however, struck him like a bolt of lightning.
“What… what did you say?” His expression stiffened, the warmth draining from his face.
“I said I cannot be the primary wife,” Chen Yunxi repeated, her tone steady and serious.
“Nonsense!” Chen Daozao snapped, cutting her off sharply. “Do you even understand what you’re saying? Primary wife! That’s the highest position within a family’s inner court! And you’re saying you can’t take it? Don’t tell me you’d rather be a concubine instead!”
His anger flared uncontrollably.
Chen Yunxi did not recoil. Instead, she met his gaze calmly.
“With Lu Sheng’s current status and identity, our Chen Family would inevitably come under immense pressure if I were to become the primary wife,” she said slowly. “It’s impossible for him to have only me as his wife. His standing today determines that any future wives or concubines will come from families far more powerful than ours.”
She paused, her voice firm yet unresentful.
“I cannot rely on Lu Sheng’s affection alone to secure my position as the primary wife. That kind of foundation is unstable. It won’t last.”
“Rather than letting matters reach that point, I might as well step back of my own accord, give up this precious position, and become his secondary wife instead.” Chen Yunxi spoke calmly, as though she had already seen the matter through to its end.
Chen Daozao was left speechless.
Indeed, the gap between the Chen Family and the Lu Family was simply too great. In a remote fringe city, a merchant family like the Chens might still count as a force. After all, in places far removed from central authority, local powers tended to cluster together, and strength often depended on privately raised forces.
But Mountain-Edge City was different.
It was heavily garrisoned, with experts emerging in droves. In such a place, privately hired troops were of little value.
This city was of strategic importance to the court, housing an Intelligence Agency. The level of control exercised by the authorities here far surpassed that of ordinary cities.
No amount of money could buy a Spirit Focus expert. Not even an Intent Proficiency expert, for that matter. Strength Proficiency experts, by contrast, were far easier to come by.
Chen Daozao himself had nurtured quite a number of Strength Proficiency experts. Fortune had even smiled upon him, allowing a few to break through to normal Intent Proficiency. But that was the limit of his reach.
In Mountain-Edge City, an average Intent Proficiency expert was, at best, an elite. Only Spirit Focus experts stood at the apex of the various sects.
And even if one were to painstakingly cultivate a powerful Intent Proficiency expert, they would soon be poached by stronger factions to serve as resident guests.
In the eyes of sects led by Spirit Focus experts, or the even more formidable Noble Families standing behind them, merchants were nothing more than well-fed livestock, regardless of how vast their wealth might be.
“You… are right…” Chen Daozao finally said, his expression shifting repeatedly as countless thoughts surged through his mind. In the end, he had to admit that his daughter saw further than he did.
Becoming a secondary wife was, indeed, the most suitable position for her.
Rather than exhausting Lu Sheng’s affection to maintain her standing, her voluntary concession would instead leave him with a sense of guilt, prompting him to compensate her in other ways.
Moreover, a secondary wife was not the same as a concubine condemned to live entirely in the shadow of the primary wife.
After a long pause, Chen Daozao let out a slow breath.
“Then… we’ll do as you say.”
“Father, your judgment is sound,” Chen Yunxi said softly. “Right now, far too many wealthy families are eager to gain Lu Sheng’s favor. Even the Lord Prefect once joked, after drinking a little too much, that he wanted to introduce someone to him.”
She paused, her expression composed.
“And he said that despite knowing about my engagement to Lu Sheng.”
Chen Yunxi had not been idle all this time. As the future wife of the Sect Master of the Northern Lands’ number one sect, she bore immense pressure.
Such a position, such a status. A single careless misstep on her part could trigger a chain reaction of consequences.
Every word she spoke and every action she took would be scrutinized, amplified, and spread.
Even if Lu Sheng possessed the power to shield her from harm or suppress every rumor at its source, Chen Yunxi did not wish to rely on that. She was strong-willed and refused to have things resolved in such a manner.
“And there’s more,” Chen Yunxi added after a brief pause. “I want to practice martial arts as well.”
“Ah?” Chen Daozao’s eyes flew open in shock.
…………
In the study of the Crimson Whale.
“Secondary wife?” Lu Sheng held Chen Yunxi’s letter in his hand, genuine surprise flickering across his face.
After a brief moment of contemplation, understanding dawned on him. Chen Yunxi’s decision was not impulsive. It was perceptive.
“Very well. Make the arrangements,” he said calmly, turning his gaze toward the elderly woman before him.
She was a Divine Prime expert formerly of Martial League, one who had only recently pledged allegiance to him. Surnamed Sun and named Mingzhen, she was known in the pugilistic world as the Thousand Hands Flying Rainbow, a legendary grandmaster of concealed weapons. In her younger days, she had also been particularly enthusiastic about matchmaking.
“Rest assured, Sect Master,” Sun Mingzhen replied with a smile as she leaned on her staff. “I’ll see to it personally. Miss Chen Yunxi will marry you joyfully and without worry.”
“I had intended to make her my primary wife,” Lu Sheng said quietly. “But on further thought, Yunxi’s choice is the more fitting one. We’ll proceed according to her wishes. As for the banquet, you may handle it, but keep it modest. Nothing overly extravagant or exhausting.”
“Understood, understood!” Sun Mingzhen grinned and withdrew.
Soon after, Jade Lotus and Ouyang Qi, who had been waiting outside, entered the study.
“Reporting to Sect Master, we’ve found Senior Zhao Jiaojiao!” Jade Lotus announced the moment he stepped in.
Lu Sheng’s brows rose sharply.
“Speak,” he said, fixing his gaze on Jade Lotus.
“External Affairs Zhao was discovered this morning, collapsed in the snow and severely injured,” Jade Lotus reported swiftly. “A total of one hundred and twenty-eight bite and maul wounds were found on her body, inflicted by a beast. She suffered massive blood loss and lost consciousness. She’s currently resting after being treated with medicinal concoctions prepared by the physician.”
“Severely injured?” Lu Sheng was visibly taken aback.
He knew Zhao Jiaojiao’s strength well. With the Yin Crane Web implanted atop her Divine Prime foundation, her cultivation had been advancing at a terrifying pace. Given a few more years, breaking past Divine Prime and stepping into a higher realm would not have been impossible.
“Take me to her,” Lu Sheng said grimly.
“Yes, sir!”
Jade Lotus led Lu Sheng swiftly through the Crimson Whale, descending toward its lower levels, deep into the heart of the massive vessel. This was where the sect’s living quarters were located, home to numerous disciples, experts, and Elders.
Before long, they arrived at a cabin heavy with the sharp, lingering scent of medicine.
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