Xiao Gang, You Two Are Cousins

After a while, Qian Xunji walked in. Yu Luomian immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Pope Your Majesty."

"This is your home. You are the host, and I am the guest. There is no need for such formality," Qian Xunji said.

Yu Luomian looked up at Qian Xunji and froze. Qian Xunji was still Qian Xunji, but the Angel Clan's signature golden hair had turned a pale white. It seemed Tang Hao's affair had dealt Qian Xunji a severe blow; his hair had turned white overnight from worry.

However, Yu Luomian did not concern himself with that. He first invited Qian Xunji to sit down. Once they were seated, Yu Luomian asked:

"May I ask what brings Pope Your Majesty to my humble home?"

Qian Xunji picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Elder Yu Luomian, have you ever heard a saying?"

"What saying?" Yu Luomian asked.

"A fair lady is sought by a gentleman," Qian Xunji said. "I, Qian Xunji, will not beat around the bush. Let me be direct: I have come to ask for your daughter's hand."

"Ask for her hand?" Yu Luomian said in surprise. "I have no legitimate daughter to marry off."

Qian Xunji shook his head. "Elder Yu Luomian, I am not referring to your legitimate daughter. You should know her. Her name is Liu Erlong. Once, I caught but a fleeting glimpse of her and was deeply captivated. After returning home, I could neither eat nor sleep, thinking how wonderful it would be if I could take her as my concubine."

"Elder Yu Luomian, could you fulfill this small wish of mine?" Qian Xunji asked. "If you agree to this marriage, you and I will be family from now on."

As he spoke, Qian Xunji took two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones from his Soul Tool and placed them on the table. "These are my betrothal gifts!"

"Ah..." Yu Luomian stared heatedly at the two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. His heart was greatly tempted, but he looked hesitantly at Qian Xunji, unsure what to say. You, Qian Xunji, were already over fifty, while Liu Erlong was only in her twenties. You could practically be her father, yet you wanted to take her as a concubine???

Besides, there were so many beautiful women in the world. As a man of Qian Xunji's standing, what woman could he not have? Why had he taken a liking to Liu Erlong, that tomboy who was not feminine in the slightest?

"What, are you unwilling?" Qian Xunji asked regretfully.

"No, no, no, no. That is not what I mean," Yu Luomian said. "Pope Your Majesty, I am merely astonished that you have taken a liking to my daughter. For you to be willing to take her as a concubine is a blessing Er Long must have cultivated for ten lifetimes."

Yu Luomian did not feel there was anything inappropriate about making her a concubine. Liu Erlong had merely been a little accident from his indiscriminate sowing of seed outside. She was born of a concubine, not the legitimate line. If he married Liu Erlong off as Qian Xunji's concubine, Qian Xunji would be the one losing face, while Yu Luomian would gain the benefits. He could even use this to establish ties with Qian Xunji. If the opportunity arose in the future, he might even kick his elder brother off that position and become the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's clan leader himself. Why would Yu Luomian not be delighted?

Daughters were meant for political marriages. You fucking wanted free love? Dream on.

"Then it is settled." Qian Xunji pushed the two Soul Bones over. Yu Luomian immediately put them away, smiling obsequiously as he said:

"For Er Long to receive your favor, I believe she will certainly find happiness."

Qian Xunji smiled. "Elder Yu Luomian—no, my future father-in-law—I will certainly treat Yu Erlong well."

"Yu Erlong?" Yu Luomian's expression stiffened, then he said, "Right, right, Yu Erlong. Pope Your Majesty, I dare not accept being called father-in-law, but now that Yu Erlong has been entrusted to you, I can rest easy as her old father."

Toward the end, Yu Luomian recalled what had just happened and felt somewhat conflicted, unsure whether he should tell Qian Xunji about Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.

Yet Qian Xunji said, "My future father-in-law, what are you thinking about? Is it that Yu Xiaogang is going to marry Liu Erlong?"

Shock appeared on Yu Luomian's face. He said, "Pope Your Majesty, you already know about this? Sigh, what a family disgrace. Yu Xiaogang has utterly ruined the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reputation."

"How could an elder male cousin marry his younger female cousin?" Yu Luomian said gloomily. "Pope Your Majesty, please do not take this matter to heart. I will certainly persuade Er Long to marry you."

"No," Qian Xunji said. "I do not mind this matter at all. However, I respect Er Long's wishes. How about we go to their wedding together?"

Yu Luomian said, "That would be excellent."

On a night beneath an exceptionally brilliant starry sky, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong finished their wedding rites under Flender's officiation.

Flender looked at the breathtaking Liu Erlong in her white wedding dress, his heart aching terribly. The woman he loved was about to marry his brother.

Still, Er Long and Xiao Gang were a perfect match.

Yet Flender forcibly endured the loneliness in his heart. He patted Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang on the shoulders and said, "Xiao Gang, now that I have entrusted Er Long to you, I can rest assured."

"Mm, I will take good care of Er Long, Flender." Yu Xiaogang pulled Liu Erlong around the waist and said firmly.

Flender's heart twinged with pain. The three of them sat down and drank together.

After the drinking was over, Yu Xiaogang was preparing for his wedding night, while Flender was ready to bid farewell and leave to travel the continent alone. Then the doors of the Small Chapel were kicked open, and several uninvited guests walked in from outside.

Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong looked closely. It was Yu Luomian, along with several disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

The three had entirely different reactions upon seeing Yu Luomian. The happiness on Liu Erlong's face immediately darkened, while Flender looked at her with concern. Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, looked astonished, unable to understand what was happening.

Yu Xiaogang asked dumbfoundedly, "Second Uncle, why are you here?"

"You brat, you still know I am your Second Uncle?" Yu Luomian walked straight up to Yu Xiaogang, looked at Liu Erlong in her wedding dress, and said, "Yu Xiaogang, you could practically call me father-in-law now."

"Father-in-law?" Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched slightly. "Second Uncle, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? The person you married today is my daughter—your younger female cousin." Yu Luomian said angrily, "If I had come any later, you would have completed the wedding rites. Next, would you have entered the bridal chamber?"

"You, an elder male cousin, marrying your younger female cousin—Yu Xiaogang, do you have no shame?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang felt as though he had been struck by lightning. Shocked and dazed, he turned toward Liu Erlong beside him and asked, "Er Long... is what Second Uncle said true?"