Winged Human Taboo

Qin Yi quickly noticed that Yu Shang and another old winged person were standing at a distance watching him bully the little maid. He immediately coughed twice, even stuffing his lollipop into Yu Lan's hand, and greeted her with a serious expression, "Greetings, Saintess... And this is..."

Yu Lan grabbed the two lollipops and ran off in a flash.

"This is my clan's High Priest," Yu Shang said calmly, her face cold. "If you wish to participate in this marriage proposal, you must obtain the High Priest's approval. Remember, having the right to propose marriage does not mean you can harbor any improper thoughts about me!"

After saying that, he snorted coldly and left.

Qin Yi thought to himself, "Who says the Winged Human Race are all old-fashioned? When it comes to acting, they're all better than the last!"

Although they were all playing themselves...

Outside the courtyard, only Qin Yi and the High Priest remained, staring at each other in bewilderment.

Qin Yi discovered that even winged people age.

It is clear that this has nothing to do with race, but only with cultivation. Like humans, before reaching the Cloud Ascension stage, one will still age, only at a slower rate, about several hundred years, roughly equivalent to sixty or seventy years for an ordinary person. During the Cloud Ascension stage, the body gradually becomes energy, and only then does the appearance begin to freeze in time.

Of course, this doesn't prove that those who only achieve greatness in old age have poor aptitude and no future. Some people cultivate slowly in the early stages, or start cultivating very late, but later find the right path and achieve great success—that's perfectly normal. Some people are exceptionally talented at the beginning, but then reach a certain hurdle they can't overcome in their lifetime—that's also perfectly normal.

Therefore, the cultivation world is full of old men and women, but that doesn't mean they are weak.

In truth, cultivators at this level could use their inner energy to improve their appearance, but most wouldn't deceive themselves; they would simply be who they are. Only those enchantresses who follow the path of pleasure would deliberately make themselves appear younger...

The idea that the entire Winged Human Race were all beautiful women, which I had previously imagined, is not true.

Despite his mind wandering with random thoughts, Qin Yi still politely bowed and said, "Qin Yi greets the High Priest."

The High Priest returned the greeting, and his attitude towards Qin Yi was more formal and respectful than that towards Yu Shang, who had acted recklessly before.

He was indeed a distinguished guest "on par with Wang Ping," and this was not just a casual remark.

"Your dragon blood, esteemed guest, comes from the other side?"

"Yes."

"Does the dragon still have offspring? Are there still Dragon Clan on the other side?"

"Hmm... this is a complicated issue. It's not that I want to use this as leverage, but it's true that it can't be revealed to outsiders. The Winged Human Race might not want to displease the one who bestowed the bloodline, so please understand my predicament."

The High Priest understood the meaning behind his emphasis on "not blackmail"—it couldn't be passed on to outsiders, except for his own wife. This implication could easily be interpreted as blackmail, so Qin Yi's willingness to be so explicit was commendable.

The High Priest felt even more favorably disposed towards her and said, "We don't necessarily need to know the whole story, since we can't reach the other side anyway, so knowing wouldn't be of any use. But since we have some information, we naturally want to inquire further. If that person doesn't want it to be spread, we won't ask."

Qin Yi laughed, "The Winged Human Race aren't actually that hard to communicate with."

The High Priest smiled slightly, "There are rigid races, but there are no creatures that remain stubborn even after thousands of years."

Qin Yi cupped his hands in greeting. "These words are quite insightful; I have learned a great deal."

The High Priest sized him up for a moment. "You don't seem like the type to fight with a little girl for candy."

Qin Yi blushed deeply. "Childlike heart, childlike heart..."

The High Priest remained noncommittal, then asked, "Yu Shang said that our distinguished guest wishes to visit Jianmu?"

"Yes."

"If you want to go to Jianmu, there's no point in you marrying Yu Shang, since we ourselves can't even get close to Jianmu. If you just want to go to the central area of the sea, there's no need to marry Yu Shang; we can take you there now."

"Senior, you misunderstand." Qin Yi cupped his hands earnestly. "Qin Yi's proposal to Yu Shang has nothing to do with Jianmu; it is solely for Yu Shang's sake."

The High Priest was clearly unmoved by these words, and simply said, "In terms of qualifications, we have no reason to refuse a distinguished guest with dragon and phoenix blood. But you should understand that our marriage alliance is for the purpose of Xun Wood City, a city inhabited by a hundred races. Although your status is noble, you have no advantage in this matter. And since you don't want to use the information about dragon blood to blackmail us, we have absolutely no reason to choose you. What use would it be for you to participate in the competition?"

Qin Yi chuckled, "Your choices aren't based solely on who has the most power in the city, are they?"

"That's true, but clan power is the primary criterion. Strength isn't just about appearances; when we assess these three families, we're looking at what they can offer. Of course, other considerations are also taken into account, such as Yu Shang's own preferences... but those aren't the deciding factors." The High Priest said calmly, "I know you might have some personal feelings for Yu Shang, but since I'm in charge of this matter, there will be no favoritism. You... you can say you have absolutely no chance, so why humiliate yourself?"

Qin Yi smiled and said, "As long as the High Priest agrees to my participation, the rest will be clear in due time."

The High Priest stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked a very abrupt question, "You really don't know the origin of your Phoenix Blood?"

"Uh?" Qin Yi almost couldn't keep up with her train of thought, and could only reply casually, "I really don't know."

"Heh..." The High Priest clearly had something to say, but hesitated, and finally said, "You're such a good guest, why do you have to humiliate yourself? Then join in."

After saying that, he turned and left without exchanging any more pleasantries.

Qin Yi looked at her back with great curiosity. At the last moment, she suddenly asked what the Phoenix Blood meant.

Logically, this should be something they value highly and should have asked about first, but it was as if they forgot about it and only asked about it at the very end, which was completely baffling.

Moreover, she could tell that she and Yu Shang were having an affair.

This old priest has a cunning air about him...

No wonder the "fools" of the Winged Human Race are still alive and well; the tribe has its own intelligent leaders. They may have rules to abide by in their hearts, but their minds are not rigid.

Qin Yi stood there thinking for a long time without figuring it out, then shook his head and went back inside. A short while later, Yu Shang quietly opened the door and slipped in, her earlier swan-like demeanor completely gone.

Qin Yi deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Does that mean you can have improper thoughts about me? Then why did you come here?"

Yu Shang smiled ingratiatingly and snuggled into his arms, "You know I'm just putting on an act in front of the High Priest, you must have ulterior motives, very ulterior motives. I'm waiting for you to marry me openly with the entire clan's approval."

This was precisely the meaning behind Qin Yi's participation in the competition. If it weren't for the fact that he wanted her to be able to hold her head high in the clan, he would have already run away with her on a private journey.

So to put it bluntly, losing this contest doesn't matter; at worst, they can go back to square one and elope. It's just that Qin Yi felt that doing so would be too unfair to the girl... and it would also make him too ashamed to face the Winged Human Race in the future, squandering a good hand of dragon blood.

We must win, and we must win spectacularly.

Furthermore... what Qin Yi saw while shopping today made him realize once again that his initial premonition of trouble might not have been unfounded. Those Hat-Wearing Person must have had their own plans; they didn't seem to be simply after a marriage alliance.

Yu Shang was explaining to him, "The three families involved this time are the Double Eyed Bird, the Uwabami Bird, and the Guiche. In terms of attributes, one is righteous, one is evil, and one is malevolent. All three are powerful clans in this city, and it will be very beneficial for us to form a marriage alliance with any of them."

"There's even Double Eyed Bird... So how are you going to assess the three families?"

"There will be several challenges to prove the strength of the clan, the individual's ability, and..." Yu Shang's face flushed slightly, "... to prove that they can win my favor."

No wonder Gu Shuanglin sought his advice on being a live-in son-in-law... it was all about winning his favor. Could this be a grand spectacle showcasing the simp's brilliance?

Qin Yi blinked, then suddenly asked, "Do the Feathered People have any taboos or things that outsiders aren't aware of?"

Yu Shang rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, "Generally speaking, outsiders are aware of the taboos... Oh right, there is one: we really dislike crowns with a lot of Liusu, which most outsiders probably don't know."

Qin Yi was taken aback. "Why is that?"

"We don't know either. We heard that our ancestors hated this, so the descendants tried their best to avoid related things. After being passed down from generation to generation, it became a taboo. We even feel uncomfortable when we see others wearing crowns... Of course, we can't criticize others for what they wear. We can only keep it to ourselves, so others naturally don't know that this is an internal taboo of ours."

Qin Yi seemed to understand something and quietly reached into the ring.

A Little Ghost dodged, Qin Yi missed it in one go. He tried again, and the Little Ghost played hide-and-seek with the large hand reaching in from the dog. Ultimately, limited by the space, it couldn't escape and was lifted into the air by the large hand, kicking its arms and legs wildly.

"Just how many people did you offend back then..., Great Staff Grandpa!"