Forcing Your Young Master to Marry?

Withdrawing his spear and exhaling, his thoughts cleared.

Xiao Li glanced at the woman on the ground who had been frightened out of her wits and said, "Go on, be more careful in the future."

The woman acted as if she had been granted a pardon, nodding frantically, "Thank you, thank you, my lord."

Xiao Li tore off a piece of the dead man's clothing and used his blood to write a few large characters upon it.

"Money for services, money for everything."

The passersby, startled by Xiao Li's display of strength, exchanged glances with a hint of dread in their eyes. So, he had killed a Dou Master just to establish his authority?

A Dou Master was not considered a top-tier expert in Hundred Monster City, but they were certainly somewhat famous. One had to realize that the overlord of Hundred Monster City, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, had only broken through to the Dou Ling realm recently; before that, Great Dou Masters were the premier powerhouses.

The two men who had been following Xiao Li through the crowd saw these large characters and exchanged a look of pleasant surprise.

"Iron shoes are hard to find, yet here it is without any effort."

The two quickly stepped forward, cupped their hands in a salute to Xiao Li, and said, "Little brother, we have a favor to ask."

Xiao Li was quite surprised that business had come so quickly, and he asked with curiosity, "Speak your mind. As long as the price is right, everything is negotiable."

The smiles on their faces deepened. "We are from the Lin Family of Hundred Monster City. I am Lin Kui, and this beside me is Lin Xu. It is like this..."

Lin Kui recounted their predicament, "There is another faction in Hundred Monster City called the Black Tiger Gang. Their leader has broken through to the Dou Ling realm, and his daughter, Xu Xinyue, wants to forcibly take our young master as her husband. Our family head refused, and in the end, an agreement was reached: both families will send a youth under the age of twenty-five, and the result will be decided by a duel..."

As Lin Kui spoke on and on, his look of deep sorrow and bitterness made Xiao Li's expression grow increasingly strange.

"A daughter, forced marriage, your young master?"

Such a niche scenario; Xiao Li felt his brain struggling to process it. Shouldn't the standard trope be forcing a girl into marriage?

"Stop, stop, stop. You two, this matter..."

Lin Kui's face turned awkward. He knew it sounded absurd, but the facts were exactly as stated.

"Please, listen to me. That young mistress of the Black Tiger Gang, Xu Xinyue, is actually quite good-looking. It's just... we fear her true motive is to swallow up our Lin Family."

Lin Xu chimed in from the side, "That's right, that's right! Besides, even if they were truly in love, having our young master marry into their family is just... it's truly shameful!"

Lin Xu looked as if he were about to cry. Judging by Lin Kui's expression, this was likely the real reason the Lin Family was unwilling.

Xiao Li covered his forehead. He finally understood. He felt foolish for only realizing it now—this Xu Xinyue was far more formidable than he was; she had long since grasped the truth of doing exactly as one pleased.

However, this was easy to handle. According to Lin Kui, this Xu Xinyue was only a fledgling Dou Master. She certainly couldn't compare to him; it would be a matter of a single spear thrust. But since this was a business transaction, naturally... hehe.

"Ahem, you two. This matter can be handled, but since she has a father at the Dou Ling level, I am in a difficult position. As for the payment..."

Seeing Xiao Li nod, Lin Kui hurriedly agreed. He had just witnessed the other party's strength; he could kill a Dou Master with ease. This strength was far beyond Xu Xinyue's, and he looked young—certainly under twenty-five.

"Little brother, one hundred thousand gold coins..."

Seeing Lin Kui's pained expression, Xiao Li shook his head. "Once we reach this level of cultivation, money becomes secondary. You may pay in goods."

Lin Kui had a sudden realization. "I understand, little brother. However, we cannot make the final decision on such a major matter. Please, accompany us to the Lin Family to discuss it in detail with our family head."

Xiao Li nodded. With The Two Elders Qian and Bai protecting him from the shadows, he wouldn't just stay in this obscure Lin Family of Hundred Monster City—he would even dare to spend a few days at the retreat of Old Demon Ground.

"Please, lead the way."

"After you."

At the Lin Family of Hundred Monster City, the family head, Lin Yi, looked utterly hopeless. "That Xu Xinyue wants to forcibly marry my son! If this gets out, in the vast Black-Corner Region, our Lin Family will become the biggest laughingstock!"

The target of Xu Xinyue's affection, Lin Qi, pursed his lips, struggling to suppress his laughter for fear of being beaten by his father.

After mentally reviewing every sad event in his life, Lin Qi managed to stifle his laughter and spoke, "Father, for the sake of the family, I am willing to marry Yue... Xu Xinyue. Ha, ahem..."

Lin Yi froze, then erupted, slamming his hand onto Lin Qi's head. "You scoundrel! Your own reputation may not matter, but I am thinking of the family's name!"

Lin Qi clutched his head and scurried away. "Dad, Dad, stop hitting me! Wuwu QAQ."

Watching Lin Qi shrink into a corner, Lin Yi threw his sleeve in a fit of rage. "Useless thing! Thinking of being a kept man—what is so good about being a kept man!"

"Xu Xinyue's father is a Dou Ling..."

"I'll beat you to death, you unfilial son!"

Lin Yi drew the precious sword from beside the table. The thick Dou Qi emanating from him made even Xiao Li, who had just arrived at the door, feel a moment of silent surprise.

This head of the Lin Family actually possessed the strength of an eight-star Great Dou Master. No wonder they could maintain a foothold in Hundred Monster City.

Lin Kui and Lin Xu were startled by the family head's actions and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. "Family Head, Family Head, wait! We have a solution!"

...Five minutes later

Under Lin Qi's resentful gaze, Xiao Li was invited to take a seat.

Lin Yi rubbed his hands in pleasant surprise. "Little brother is already a Great Dou Master at such a young age. I wonder which family's genius you are? Please forgive my earlier display."

Sensing the faint, dangerous aura emanating from Xiao Li, Lin Yi dared not be careless. This Xiao Li must be a disciple of some major clan; otherwise, he wouldn't be this powerful.

Xiao Li waved his hand. "Family Head Lin is too polite. I am merely a rogue cultivator, just taking money to resolve disasters."

Seeing that Xiao Li was unwilling to say more, Lin Yi laughed it off and changed the subject. "Little brother is right. As for the payment, how about a high-tier Yellow-grade Dou Technique?"

For a family at the Great Dou Master level, Mysterious-grade techniques were absolute secrets and family treasures. The Xiao Clan's previous generation had a Dou Wang expert, yet their best technique was only mid-tier Mysterious-grade. This showed that Lin Yi was indeed sincere. It was just a pity that the techniques and skills Xiao Li was currently practicing were all Earth-grade; he truly couldn't bring himself to care for it.

"Hmm... Patriarch Lin, I don't really have a need for cultivation techniques or battle skills right now. My payment could be medicinal herbs, magic cores... or perhaps, magic beast corpses."

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. Though he didn't know why Xiao Li wanted magic beast corpses, they were far easier to come by than herbs or techniques.

"In that case, my Lin Family does indeed have a few magic beast corpses. They were all obtained from my own hunts—five in total, all from Tier 3 magic beasts. Would that suffice as payment?"

Xiao Li's face lit up. "It's a deal."

The Two Elders Qian and Bai, hidden in the void beside Xiao Li, exchanged a glance. While they were equally curious as to why Xiao Li wanted magic beast corpses, they wouldn't dream of asking. A genius had their reasons for doing things; even if it were just for a meal or a whim, it was perfectly reasonable!

Besides, the aura radiating from Xiao Li was sharp and fierce, embodying the unyielding nature of lightning to the fullest. There wasn't a hint of him practicing any evil arts, so the Two Elders Qian and Bai weren't the least bit worried about him going astray.

Lin Qi, hiding in the corner, turned green with rage upon hearing Xiao Li agree. "My sugar mama!"