Not you and Bo Saixi marrying? Then it's me?!

Qian Renxue fell silent.

Her grandfather's analysis was grounded in reason and evidence, leaving no room for rebuttal.

To attempt to strangle a successor so highly regarded by the gods, one with such limitless potential, before he could fully mature, would carry an extremely low success rate and a cost that might prove impossible to bear.

"Then... are we just going to sit back and watch him grow, only for him to become our greatest enemy in the future?" Qian Renxue asked, unwilling to accept this, a flicker of agitation flashing through her violet eyes.

"Of course not."

Qian Daoliu's tone suddenly turned firm, even carrying a strange undertone. "I have an idea—an idea that might turn an enemy into a friend, or perhaps even transform this crisis into a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for our Spirit Hall and the Qian family. It is just that... this idea might require you to suffer a grievance, Xiao Xue."

Suffer a grievance?

Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback. Her willow-leaf brows knit together involuntarily, and a sense of wariness rose in her heart.

Anything that would cause her grandfather to use the word "grievance" was certainly no small matter.

She looked at Qian Daoliu's solemn expression and asked, "What idea? Please, Grandfather, speak your mind."

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath, his gaze burning as he looked at his most outstanding granddaughter, and said word by word: "A political marriage."

"A political marriage?" Qian Renxue was stunned at first, then, as if she had realized something, a look of sudden enlightenment dawned on her face. A faint, almost imperceptible smile even tugged at the corners of her lips as she blurted out, "Oh~ I understand. You mean you and the Sea God Douluo, Senior Bo Saixi? If that is the case, then it is indeed a joyous occasion. Senior Bo Saixi is peerless in her grace, and as you are both peak powerhouses of this era, if you were to join in matrimony, it would be of immense benefit to both easing the tensions between our sides and the future situation of the continent. If you have such intentions, Grandfather, please go ahead and propose. I, your granddaughter, support you with both hands—I have absolutely no objections!"

She spoke with such ease and naturalness that it seemed like a truly celebratory event. A hint of mischief even flashed in her eyes, as if she felt her grandfather had finally come to his senses.

However, upon hearing these words, the expression on Qian Daoliu's face froze instantly. It then turned pitch-black, his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and blue veins seemed to throb on his temples.

He glared at Qian Renxue in annoyance, his tone filled with helplessness and speechlessness. "You girl! What kind of nonsense are you spouting! If I could marry Bo Saixi, would I need to call you all the way back from Heaven Dou City to discuss it?!"

"Uh..." The smile on Qian Renxue's face froze instantly, then faded away like a receding tide.

She looked at her grandfather's look of utter exasperation, and a more outrageous, more inconceivable guess coiled around her heart like a cold viper.

In that moment, her pupils shrank to the size of needlepoints!

Her violet eyes were filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

Her delicate body began to tremble uncontrollably, and even her voice carried a trace of imperceptible quivering:

"Gr... Grandfather... you... you don't mean... you want me... to enter a political marriage with Sea God Island, do you?!"

Once this thought appeared, it occupied her entire mind like a wildfire!

No wonder!

No wonder her grandfather had to summon her back so urgently and with such solemnity!

No wonder he spoke of her suffering a grievance!

No wonder he laid the groundwork by talking so much about the talent and potential of that Sea God successor!

So... the protagonist of this marriage was not her grandfather and Bo Saixi, but rather... her and that twelve-year-old boy she had never even met?!

Qian Daoliu watched his granddaughter's thunderstruck, dumbfounded expression and sighed inwardly.

He knew how great the impact of this decision would be on his proud and haughty granddaughter.

But he did not back down. Instead, meeting Qian Renxue's shocked gaze, he nodded slowly and firmly:

"That is correct. That is precisely my intention. I want you to enter into a marriage contract with that Sea God successor."

"Boom!"

Even though she had already guessed it, hearing the confirmation from her grandfather's own lips made Qian Renxue feel as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her mind, leaving her dizzy and barely able to stand.

She took half a step back instinctively, shaking her head frantically, her beautiful face etched with resistance and disbelief.

"No! Grandfather, this won't do! Absolutely not!"

Qian Renxue's voice rose in agitation. "I... I am already twenty-one years old this year! He is only twelve! There is a full nine-year gap between us! This... how can this be possible?!"

To have her, the Saintess of Spirit Hall, the Crown Prince who had been lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire for over a decade, enter a marriage with a twelve-year-old boy?

This was simply... simply the biggest joke in the world!

If word got out, where would she, Qian Renxue, put her face?

Watching her granddaughter's intense reaction, Qian Daoliu remained unusually calm, his tone even carrying a hint of dismissal. "Nine years, that is all. What is the big deal about that? Have you never heard the saying: 'A woman three years older is like holding a golden brick'? You are nine years older than him, so that is like holding three golden bricks! This is a good thing, a blessing!"

"Pfft—"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Holding... holding three golden bricks?!

Grandfather, where on earth did you hear such twisted logic?!

How can this be the same thing?!

She looked at Qian Daoliu's matter-of-fact expression and was left completely speechless. She opened her mouth, only to find that she could not find the right words to refute such absurd logic.

Seeing her granddaughter's look of utter misery and frustration, Qian Daoliu felt a twinge of pity, but it was outweighed by a sense of far-sighted determination.

His expression turned serious and solemn once more, and his tone softened, carrying a note of heartfelt sincerity:

"Xiao Xue, do not be so quick to object. Hear your grandfather out. My decision to have you marry him is not a moment of impulse, nor is it intended to humiliate you. There are multiple, profound considerations behind this—not just for the future of Spirit Hall, but also... for your own prospects and future!"

He paused, beginning to break down his calculations one by one:

"First, I have seen that child myself. Setting aside his age, his appearance, temperament, talent, and potential are all of the highest order. He is truly a dragon among men, and there is no fault to be found. If you were to unite with him, it would never bring you shame."

"Second, and this is the most realistic point for you right now: we both know that woman, Bibi Dong, has operated within Spirit Hall for many years and has many followers, especially that disciple of hers, Hu Liena, whose reputation is growing by the day. Although you are my granddaughter and the orthodox successor of the Angel God, the number of top-tier powerhouses and new-generation geniuses within Spirit Hall who support you without reservation is still too small! With an unstable foundation, how can you contend with her? How can you take back the position of Pope that rightfully belongs to you?"

Qian Daoliu's voice carried a hint of coldness. "But if you were to unite with the Sea God successor, the situation would be entirely different! At that point, standing behind you would be the entirety of Sea God Island, that unfathomable Bo Saixi, and the future Sea God! With the support of this power, dealing with Bibi Dong and reclaiming authority will be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

"Third, and this is the most long-term consideration."