“You’re truly capable, Family Head Wu,” snorted City Lord w.a.n.g Lei ambiguously. He’d purposefully chosen that moment to bring up the Profound Great District’s Cai Family. Obviously, he wanted them to know.
The current head of the Liu Family smiled calmly, but had no other external reaction.
The Profound Great District’s Cai Family, in the eyes of ordinary family clans, was a vast and important figure. However, for the w.a.n.g and Liu families, who’d been in Raging Flame City for hundreds or even thousands of years, the Cai Family alone wasn’t enough to quell their ambitions.
The Liu Family’s background was the most mysterious, while over a dozen w.a.n.g Family members had become City Lords in the past. Their foundation wasn’t at all inferior.
Although the Cai Family were a peak-level family clan in the Profound Great District, they weren’t strong enough to blot out the sun. They weren’t all-powerful.
The head of the Wu Family noted both family heads’ expressions. He smiled, his tiny eyes narrowing into slits. He naturally hadn’t expected a mere spirit stele could convince those two old fogies to give up the position of city lord, but he had something even more explosive up his sleeves.
They carefully placed the spirit in the center of the arena. The next moment, several figures appeared in the entryway.
Their leader was a mustached old man clad in a purple changshan dress s.h.i.+rt. His back was somewhat hunched, but his decrepit body nevertheless emanated a terrifying oppressive aura.
He was at least a peak earth immortal, or possibly even a sky immortal.
He was accompanied by a handsome youth. If Ye Zichen were here, he definitely would have recognized him: this was none other than Cai Renfei, who’d formed a grudge against him back at the Hundred Daybreaks Inn. There were a few attendants with them as well. The attendants were clearly out of the ordinary as well. They were at least human immortal experts.
“Cai Tong, the third grand elder of the Cai Family. Why is he here?”
It was possible that the Wu Family paid a hefty sum to borrow the spirit stele from the Cai Family, and that the Cai Family wanted to ensure its safety.
But if Cai Tong had come in person, this was serious.
Cai Tong was the former head of the Cai Family. The current family head was his son. Given his lofty status, he normally stayed within the family’s immortal mountains like the other grand elders. He normally only appeared when the clan was in grave peril. Otherwise, he lived a reclusive existence separate from the outside world.
Yet now he’d come to visit the Wu Family in person. Also, if they weren’t mistaken, the youth beside him was the prince of the Cai Family, Cai Renfei.
“Elder Cai, why did you come all the way here in person?”
The moment Cai Tong appeared, the head of the Wu Family rushed over and greeted him with a smile. The other two families, as well as Wei Jie and the representative of the Skyspan Trading Company, rose to their feet as well.
This was the respect of the younger generation before their elders.
“I hadn’t planned on coming, but when I considered that this is my darling grandson’s wedding, I decided I’d best show up. What, you don’t want this old man here?” Hunch-backed Cai Tong smiled calmly. His voice couldn’t be considered small. Everyone, from the Wu Family youths in the arena, to the spectating family clans, to the representatives of Raging Flame City’s peak-level factions, heard each and every word.
“A marriage? The Wu Family and Cai Family are forming a marriage alliance?” The spectators looked at each other, gazes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with astonishment. w.a.n.g Lei and Family Head Liu, who hadn’t gone up to greet Cai Tong, looked at each other as well, their expressions solemn.
A marriage!
Just forming a cooperative relations.h.i.+p was one thing, but if marriage was involved, the two families’ relations.h.i.+p wasn’t that simple.
“Elder Cai, what are you saying? We’re honored to have you here! It’s awfully bright out, so let’s hurry and sit in the shade.” Family Head Wu led Cai Tong to the shaded pavilion. Wei Jie and the others, who’d been standing at respectful attention, all greeted Cai Tong respectfully.
“No need to worry about me. You all go on and mind your own affairs,” said the old man. “Right, where is my future grand-daughter-in-law? Bring her here so I can see her.
Cai Tong smiled and leaned into his chair. The Wu Family head hurriedly called someone over and whispered a few words into his ear. The man immediately disappeared before their very eyes.
City Lord w.a.n.g Lei and Family Head Liu’s minds raced as they returned to their seats. As they sat, Family Head Wu spoke a few more polite words to Cai Tong, then sat as well. He smiled confidently at the other two family heads, then waved at the Wu Family Elder overseeing the arena.
“a.s.semble!” The elder barked a command. Instantly, every member of the Wu Family’s younger generation gathered around him.
“Let’s go too,” said Wu Di. He rose to his feet, but at that moment, Zheng Yunan tugged on his sleeves.
“Wu Di I’d like to ask you one last time. You ought to know what I want to ask you.” Zheng Yunan stared right into Wu Di’s eyes, her gaze intense and unwavering. Wu Di instinctively avoided her intense gaze and said nothing.
“Fine, then….. I’ll give this hairpin back to you.” A bitter smile surfaces on her lips, then she plucked the jade-green hairpin from hr haid and slipped it into his hands.
As Wu Di clutched the hairpin, his hands trembled subconsciously. By the time he came to his senses, the family’s retainers had already led Zheng Yunan away.
“So that’s my Cai Family’s granddaughter-in-law.” Cai Tong watched everything play out on stage. When the man Family Head Wu sent arrived by Zheng Yunan’s side, he knew she was his future granddaughter-in-law.
Throughout the arena, Zheng Yunan was the only one who caught his eye. From her face to her figure, she was a rare beauty.
“That’s right, Elder Cai. That girl’s name is Zheng Yunan. She’s our top retainer, Zheng Chenggong’s granddaughter.”
“Ol’ Zheng’s granddaughter,” Elder Cai smiled as if enlightened. “The Zheng family has really given their all for your Wu Family. Both of Zheng Chenggong’s sons died for your family, and now his granddaughter is becoming a sacrificial p.a.w.n to form a marriage alliance between our two families. Ol’ Zheng…..”
Cai Tong’s words were frank and to the point. This wedding, put simply, was a turning point in both parties’ relations.h.i.+p.
It had nothing to do with mutual love. This was a pure marriage alliance between families.
This was rather unfair to Zheng Chenggong. The Zheng Family had served the Wu Family for a thousand years. The Wu Family obtained their current position in part due to their efforts.
If it was at all possible, the Wu Family Head didn’t want to use Zheng Yunan to form this marriage alliance, but throughout the entire Wu Family’s main branch, no other women entered old Cai Tong’s eyes.
He had no choice but to sacrifice her.
“That’s good too. Once Renfei marries that girl, Ol’ Zheng and I will become family too. He and I were close once, when we were young.”
Cai Tong smiled calmly, but suddenly, his turbid eyes narrowed. “However….”
The Wu Family Head instantly froze, his heart on tenterhooks, until Cai Tong continued leisurely, “That girl’s relations.h.i.+p with that youth over there seems more than ordinary. If she enters our Cai Family, she has to serve my grandson whole-heartedly! This old man rather dislikes that youth.”