Marriage Alliance

Bai Junya is coming back? Didn't she go join the Star Sect?

Hanyu was extremely surprised. Moreover, Bai Jingliang spoke with a look of deep sorrow, as if he wished she wouldn't come back.

"I truly don't want her to come back at this critical juncture."

Bai Jingliang exhaled a breath of turbid air and said with utter bitterness.

"Why?"

Hanyu asked, surprised and confused.

Bai Jingliang smiled bitterly and slowly began to recount...

The Bai family is a cultivator family in the Tianning Prefecture area. The Bai siblings are direct descendants of the main branch of this family. Therefore, from childhood, they not only received the best resources but were also placed under the highest expectations.

"When my sister was just born, the family tested her and found she had a single Spiritual Root. The entire family rejoiced, thinking that the family would finally have a chance to rise."

"But my sister has always had a calm personality and disliked cultivating, so she faced a lot of criticism. This continued until I was born..."

Hanyu asked thoughtfully, "You have a single Spiritual Root too, don't you!"

Bai Jingliang nodded and continued, "The year I was born, I was tested and found to have a single metal Spiritual Root. My father even managed to secure the position of family head because of this."

What kind of fortune is this? Two single Spiritual Roots in a row. Hanyu was astonished. The value of single Spiritual Root talent could almost knock on the doors of major sects.

Bai Jingliang's birth also successfully drew all the family's attention. The reason was simple: Bai Junya was always a woman, while Bai Jingliang was a male. Males often represent the continuation of the family and, more importantly, whether the family could continue to flourish after the next succession.

Therefore, Bai Jingliang also worked very hard from a young age and was very dedicated to cultivation.

"My sister and I have had an excellent relationship since childhood. I originally thought that as long as I worked hard enough, no one could force my sister to do things she didn't like."

"Even when I was strong enough, I could let my sister do what she liked."

As Bai Jingliang spoke, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Those rotten old fools actually wanted to marry my sister off to the Qin family."

The Qin family is also a major family that has resided in this area for hundreds of years. Moreover, due to the strength of their cultivators in this generation, they have even risen to become a family with significant influence in Tianning Prefecture.

The two families have always had a mediocre relationship with little interaction. Especially since the Qin family has always had a tendency to suppress surrounding families, the Bai family has no good feelings towards the Qin family.

A few months ago, the Qin family's direct son met Bai Junya once in Tianning City and was instantly captivated.

Indeed, no man could resist falling for such a woman.

But unfortunately, that person was the Qin family's eldest son. Most people would just think about it, but he had enough power to force many people.

Marriage alliance! This phrase was like a bomb that disrupted the lives of the Bai siblings.

Bai Junya naturally did not want to be a tool used as a bargaining chip for profit.

Bai Jingliang also could not allow his sister to suffer such humiliation.

But the elders' coercion was unbearable, even for Bai's father. They used the pretense that the family head must make sacrifices for the prosperity of the entire Bai family, waving the banner of righteousness to forcefully send Bai Junya away.

Later, Bai Jingliang came up with a foolish plan: to send his sister far away. At that time, Linglan was visiting their home. The two girls were also very good friends, so he set his sights on the Star Sect.

Hanyu sighed and shook his head, "You might as well have sent her to a major sect. That way, she might have received protection. The southern region..."

The cultivator sects in the southern region were not comparable to those in the northern territories. This was a widely recognized fact. As Hanyu traveled, the further north he went, the stronger the cultivator sects became. It might be due to geographical factors; the south was barren. How strong could the sects willing to establish themselves there be?

Hanyu could almost guess the rest of the story.

Bai Jingliang shook his head and sighed, "It's not that I didn't consider it, but those major sects have too many rules. It's not the time to open the mountain and accept disciples, and I don't know anyone inside, so it's impossible to get in. We don't have time to wait, so we could only choose the Star Sect in the southern region."

The Bai family must have approached the Star Sect. In all likelihood, Lin Daozong would not offend a noble family, or even two noble families, for the family affairs of a disciple.

The Star Sect could be considered a force in the southern region, but in the eyes of the noble families in the northern territories, it was clearly insufficient.

Hanyu speculated in his heart.

"Instead of trying to send their disciples out, they prefer to stay in their corner, thinking about the glory of their ancestors all day, and in the end, they have to rely on a girl for a marriage alliance. Such noble families will fall sooner or later."

Bai Jingliang said hatefully.

Not all noble families could end up like the Divine Machine Institute, forcing their way into the Nine Sects under the banner of a noble family.

But there would definitely be no shortage of noble families harboring such dreams.

Tianning Prefecture.

A group of people had already gathered by the bank of the Bailu River, gazing into the distance. A middle-aged couple had complex expressions. The man was about forty years old, with some gray at his temples, and his chiseled face showed a bit of vicissitude. He wore a cyan brocade robe that gave him a somewhat refined air.

The woman was around forty years old but was extremely well-maintained, showing no signs of the passage of time. Only when she occasionally frowned did the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes betray her age. Her face was beautiful, and she must have been a stunning beauty in her youth.

In the distance, the tip of a pleasure boat could already be seen. Lin Ruojun, however, showed no joy. Instead, her eyes turned red, and she gently wiped away tears with a handkerchief.

"My lord, must she really come back?"

A flicker of worry crossed Bai Chong'an's face, but he could only nod heavily. "Didn't you and I go through the same thing?"

Lin Ruojun continued to wipe away tears, her heart filled with sorrow. She had been a victim of a marriage alliance herself, which was why she so desperately didn't want Bai Junya to suffer this hardship again. Her heart was filled with hatred for those clan elders.

"They keep saying it's for the family, but why don't I see them offering their own daughters?" Lin Ruojun muttered incessantly.

Bai Chong'an could not reply to her, only his expression was complex as he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The pleasure boat in the distance was gradually becoming clearer. Two beautiful figures stood by the ship's railing.

The departure was lively, but the return was a bit desolate.

The same boat brought her back, but her state of mind was entirely different.

Bai Junya felt a deep grievance, gazing into the distance. Linglan, having lost her usual liveliness, grumbled all the way.

"Our Sect Master is too timid. Do you really think they'd attack you?"

Bai Junya forced a smile and said to her, "You can't say that once we're ashore."

She then sighed, "Actually, you shouldn't have come back with me."

Linglan, hands on her hips and eyes wide, pouted indignantly. "If I don't follow, what if you get bullied?"

Bai Junya inwardly smiled bitterly. This silly girl, if even the Star Sect Master was powerless, how could she help her?

"If your family insists on marrying you off then, I'll run away with you."

Linglan said with a serious expression.

"You want a pill?"

Hanyu was taken aback. Bai Jingliang, while venting his grievances, suddenly asked if there were any pills that could make him stronger.

Was he trying to cram at the last minute?

It wasn't impossible; Hanyu seemed to specialize in such pills.

So he asked Little Glazed, but the result was that Little Glazed disdained it.

"A mere single Spiritual Root, with no fortune and no cultivation. One pill would take half his life."

That was quite a bold statement. A single Spiritual Root was merely "a mere" in the Artifact Spirit's eyes.

"Don't you have anything more precise?"

"At least a talent for Spiritual Power!" the little Artifact Spirit huffed.

The bottle was much cuter. Although the cost was unknown, anyone could eat what it produced. The little Artifact Spirit, however, was picky, like a rich patron, seemingly targeting cultivators with fortune or those heavenly prodigies.

Hanyu grumbled inwardly.

Seeing Hanyu shake his head in refusal, Bai Jingliang let out a long sigh and could only force a bitter smile. "I need to go pick up my sister. Thank you for being willing to listen to me. I've been holding this in for a long time and had nowhere to talk."

"Perhaps in their eyes, these words of mine are just adding to the amusement."

I've always wanted to describe the current situation of the noble families outside my cousin's family. I feel like a direct textual description is a bit bland, so I'm trying to flesh it out with some events.