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Whoa! As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in a buzz. The disciples of the sect whispered among themselves, their faces
Whoa! As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in a buzz. The disciples of the sect whispered among themselves, their faces
Whoa! As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in a buzz. The disciples of the sect whispered among themselves, their faces
Whoa!
As soon as these words were spoken, the audience erupted in a buzz. The disciples of the sect whispered among themselves, their faces filled with shock and hints of joy.
"How can this be? The sect is actually forming an alliance with the Star Luo Empire?"
"What's so surprising about that? Don't forget, before the sect sealed itself off, we supported the Star Luo Empire."
"That's different. Back then, we supported them in secret. If the Star Luo Empire rose to power, we'd benefit; but if they declined or were attacked by the Heaven Dou Empire or Spirit Hall, we could just cut ties—no losses either way.
But now, forming a military alliance with them makes us like grasshoppers tied to the same rope. If the Star Luo Empire is invaded, there's no way the Clear Sky Sect can stay out of it."
"There's no choice. The sect is still too weak right now. In the past, we had the four single-attribute clans. Now we're all that's left. The Heaven Dou royal family is declining, so we had no option but to ally with the Star Luo Empire.
We need them to provide us with supplies and logistical support, while they need our top-tier combat strength. It's a win-win deal!"
"Besides, you heard it yourselves—both that elder and the madam are Titled Douluo, with strength not inferior to our own elders. Adding them to our Clear Sky Sect makes eight Titled Douluo in total. That kind of power is second only to Spirit Hall."
"..."
The discussion under the stage grew louder. Every word of the disciples reached Tang Xiao's ears. Seeing the energetic faces and the fiery passion in their eyes, he raised his chin slightly in pride. This—this was the Clear Sky Sect he envisioned.
Looking at the scene before him, Tang Xiao slowly stepped down from the stage. As for the matter of marrying off his sister to another man… he really couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
Fortunately, the five elders understood and didn't force him to announce it publicly. After Tang Xiao and Dai Tianxing left the stage, the Second Elder slowly walked up and solemnly declared:
"In addition, I have one more announcement. To deepen our cooperation with the Star Luo Empire, after discussions between the five elders, the Sect Master, and the White Tiger Douluo couple...
We have decided to betroth the Clear Sky Sect's eldest lady, Tang Yuehua, to the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Weisi. When the time is right, the two shall be officially wed!"
The so-called "when the time is right" referred to waiting until Zhu Zhuqing turned eighteen. At that time, Tang Yuehua would marry Dai Weisi alongside the sisters Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing.
After all, Tang Yuehua came later and couldn't upstage the two original crown princesses.
Whoa—
The moment those words were spoken, another wave of shock swept through the crowd. The disciples all stared at one another, dumbfounded—Lady Tang Yuehua was getting married.
No one was more surprised than Dai Weisi himself. His eyes widened in confusion and disbelief.
Wait… such a huge matter, and no one thought to discuss it with me beforehand?
"Uh…"
Suddenly, pain shot up Dai Weisi's lower back. He turned around and saw the faces of Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing twisted with fury—as if they might devour him. Zhu Zhuyun even rolled her eyes and sent a message via soul power:
"You see? What did I tell you? Sister Yuehua really does have feelings for you!"
"Um, Zhuyun, Zhuqing… If I told you I just found out about this now too… would you believe me?"
"You guess?" The two sisters rolled their eyes in unison.
"Why do I have to guess anything!?"
Ignoring the two women, Dai Weisi turned his gaze to Tang Yuehua. Sure enough, her face was flushed red with embarrassment. When she noticed Dai Weisi looking her way, she immediately lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
An older woman chasing a younger man… and now it's been announced in front of everyone. This is beyond humiliating!
"Yuehua-jie, what's going on?" Dai Weisi asked via soul power transmission. But Tang Yuehua, shy as a little girl, just lowered her head and didn't respond.
Frustrated, Dai Weisi was just about to stand up and question the Second Elder—how could they arrange a marriage like this without even asking him?!
But just as he moved, the voice of his grandfather, Dai Tianxing, suddenly rang in his mind.
"Weisi, sit down. Last night, the five elders of the Clear Sky Sect discussed this with us. They said the girl has feelings for you, so we agreed to the marriage."
"But Grandpa, I already—" Dai Weisi began to protest but was cut off coldly by Dai Tianxing.
**"I know you already have Zhuyun and Zhuqing, but you are the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire. Your actions must always prioritize the empire's interests.
Marrying into the Clear Sky Sect benefits the Star Luo Empire. If your children awaken the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, we may have a chance to bring the entire Clear Sky Sect under our banner.
Even if they don't, the alliance strengthens cooperation between our forces. Besides, the girl is elegant, noble, as beautiful as a flower, the Clear Sky Sect's beloved treasure, and she has feelings for you. She's your equal in every way. What's there to complain about?
As for her age—does that really matter? They say if the woman is three years older, it's like holding a golden brick. If she's fifteen years older? Then it's five golden bricks. Unless she tells someone, who would ever guess she's over thirty?"**
"..."
Dai Weisi was left speechless. What could he do? He could only accept this sudden windfall of fortune.
"If I marry Yuehua-jie, wouldn't that make me Tang San's uncle-in-law? Not bad. That brat would have to call me uncle. Even if I slap him, he'd have to take it obediently."
In truth, Dai Weisi wasn't against marrying Tang Yuehua. After all, who could resist a fair-skinned, beautiful, wealthy older woman? And she wasn't even forty yet—not exactly old. He just felt a little sorry for Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing.
Thinking of them, he tightly grasped their soft hands, silently telling them with his actions: I won't leave you.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't particularly mind. Being a later addition herself, she could even empathize with Tang Yuehua's feelings. The one who had it worst was Zhu Zhuyun, the "official wife."
However, as the future empress of the Star Luo Empire, Zhu Zhuyun showed great tolerance. As long as it benefited Dai Weisi and the empire, she wouldn't object.
Besides, with Tang Yuehua sharing Dai Weisi's attention, she could finally get a good night's sleep.
…
Amidst a wave of cheers, the blood-oath alliance ceremony concluded successfully. Tang Xiao also began making preparations to unseal the Clear Sky Sect.
The first step was to strengthen the sect's defenses. If Spirit Hall were to launch a surprise attack, the consequences would be dire.
On the way back, Dai Weisi, Tang Yuehua, and the Zhu sisters all wore awkward expressions—especially Tang Yuehua, who was so ashamed and flustered that she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.
In the end, it was Dai Weisi, as the man of the group, who took the initiative. He gently took Tang Yuehua's hand and said, "Yuehua-jie, today… you must've been shocked too, huh?"
He originally wanted to call her "wife," but knowing how shy she was, calling her that might embarrass her to death. So he stuck with "Yuehua-jie."
(End of Chapter)