Chapter 239

As for why, street gossip held that City Lord Xia was a man of lofty character who refused to associate with City Lord Lin, a man steeped in worldly passions. City Lord Lin, for his part, had publicly called Xia Huainan a hypocrite hungry for fame. Their relationship had only grown worse from there.

But it had to be said that the city lord of Xishan City was rather too generous with his affections. Rumor had it that he had dozens of wives and concubines with names and standing, including quite a few talented female cultivators. As for the women and men with whom he had shared fleeting romances, they were too numerous to count.

That was right: City Lord Lin was hardly choosy. If someone was good-looking, they could become the apple of his eye. Though his private conduct left something to be desired, he was a capable ruler. Xishan City was well governed, and many daughters of ordinary families even took pride in marrying into the City Lord's Office.

Why? For one thing, City Lord Lin was exceedingly handsome. For another, perhaps because of his bloodline, the City Lord's Office in Xishan City had more than thirty young city lords, most of whom could cultivate. In other words, anyone who married the city lord and bore a child with the bloodline of a cultivator, son or daughter, could truly climb the social ladder.

"More than thirty? Is it really that many? Then what was that business you mentioned about a destined match between Dao partners?"

"That brings us to City Lord Lin's first wife."

Promiscuous though City Lord Lin was, he and his first wife had reportedly been deeply devoted to each other in their early years. Unfortunately, she was not a cultivator. Even after taking a Youth-Preserving