Nobles from every corner of Heaven Dou City had long since arrived on hearing the news.
Even the Imperial Family had sent someone to offer condolences.
The most conspicuous among them, impossible to overlook, was Ge Long, who arrived clad in armor and riding a white tiger.
This marshal was hailed as a pillar of the empire, his actual authority second only to the current emperor, Xue Ye.
Within the military, his prestige was absolute.
Almost no one in Heaven Dou dared provoke the Ye family. Beyond Lin Chuan himself being a high-ranking Soul Saint, this marshal was another reason.
It was a piece of gossip that nobles occasionally whispered about in private.
Marshal Ge Long and Ye Xi had supposedly shared a romance in their younger days.
Of course, they had never ended up together.
"You've suffered, my dear."
"My condolences."
At Ge Long's appearance, a trace of unease surfaced on Ye Xi's face.
People around them whispered, repeatedly casting sidelong glances at the pair.
Everyone knew Marshal Ge Long spent years stationed at the border and rarely returned to the imperial capital.
Who would have imagined he would turn up here today?
"Thank you, Marshal."
Ye Xi was inwardly speechless.
That supposed romance had been nothing more than Ge Long's own wishful thinking.
Back then, she had discovered that he treated practically every woman under the heavens with the same tender devotion.
After some thought, Ye Xi had chosen to leave him.
She could not accept Ge Long's philandering.
Over the past fifteen or twenty years, she had maintained a courteous distance whenever their paths occasionally crossed, until she eventually cut off contact entirely.
Now that he had appeared at a time like this, he was probably here for more than a simple visit.
Sure enough, they spoke privately in the small garden.
Before long, Ge Long revealed why he had come.
His utter lack of restraint made it difficult for Ye Xi to maintain the composure she had forced herself to put on.
"Please conduct yourself with dignity, Marshal."
The situation was so absurd that she did not even know how to describe it.
Her husband had only just passed away, yet he had seized this opening to come straight to her door and seek a marriage.
Was this something any normal person would do?
"Ha! Other people might not know the state of your Ye family, but do you think I don't?"
A hint of mockery crossed Ge Long's face.
"With Lin Chuan dead, are you relying on that Soul King uncle of his to prop up your Ye family?"
"Without a powerful protector, people will devour the Ye estate's holdings until not even the bones remain."
Ge Long had made this special trip from the border, and he was determined to achieve his aim.
"I didn't say I would propose right this moment."
"Next year, then. Once Lingling is a little older, I'll send someone with the betrothal gifts."
"At the latest, I can wait until she turns eighteen. Then I'll come and take her away."
Marshal Ge Long spoke coldly.
A marriage alliance with the Ye family was the best option he could think of at present.
He was now the military's highest authority, his power blazing like the sun at its zenith.
And these were not times of war.
There were only occasional minor clashes along the empire's borders.
Emperor Xue Ye certainly would not marry a princess to him to win him over.
Prince Xue Xing was wary of him as well.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe disagreed with him on political matters even more.
He spent his days putting on the guise of a benevolent heir.
He did not want to go to war with the Star Luo Empire.
If the crown prince ascended the throne one day, Ge Long's comfortable days would likely be over.
But as long as he could bring the Ye family under his control...
With the support of Nine Heart Begonia, the finest healing system martial soul under the heavens, and his army of a million strong...
No matter who in the Imperial Family eventually ascended the throne and completed the transfer of power to the next generation...
His position as a pillar of the empire would remain unshaken.
He himself was a level 86 defense system Soul Douluo.
His martial soul was Yazi, a top-tier beast martial soul rarely seen in the world.
People in the Soul Master World called him the "Nine-Life Divine Dragon."
With Ye Xi and Ye Lingling supporting him...
Never mind the three Soul Douluos at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy-even if he faced Dugu Bo, the Titled Douluo backing Prince Xue Xing, he would have nothing to fear.
In truth, he lusted after both mother and daughter.
But judging by Ye Xi's prudish attitude, he knew he had no chance with her anytime soon.
Her daughter, however, was a woman he would marry no matter what!
Next year, he would find a suitable opportunity and have Emperor Xue Ye decree the marriage directly.
"If you have nothing to say, I'll consider this marriage settled." Ge Long burst into laughter.
Ye Xi stood dazed, looking utterly lost.
Her world swayed in the wind and rain.
For a moment, she had no idea what to do.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Heart aching, Ye Lingling came over to steady the stumbling Ye Xi and encountered Ge Long as he left, laughing loudly.
She gave him a formal bow.
The way this foremost figure in the military looked at her frightened her.
It made her uncomfortable and raised goose bumps all over her body.
With a grim expression, Ye Xi leaned close to her ear and said a few words.
Ye Lingling's cheeks instantly flushed red.
It was not a young maiden's bashfulness.
She was fucking burning red with rage!
Marshal Ge Long was seven or eight years older than Lin Chuan, more than old enough to be her father.
Yet this old ox still wanted to nibble tender grass.
He truly had no shame!
And he had even pursued her mother back then.
He did not treat her as a person at all.
Ye Lingling knew perfectly well that noblewomen rarely had freedom in marriage.
They could only choose the best from a limited pool of candidates.
That was why, despite her privileged upbringing, she had always worked hard at cultivating.
She hoped that when she met her ideal husband someday, he would not look down on her.
But if she really were forced to marry a shameless old man like Marshal Ge Long...
Even setting aside whether he would treat her well...
The best outcome would merely be becoming a co-wife.
As far as she knew, Marshal Ge Long had wives and concubines in droves.
He even had grandchildren.
He was hardly some devoted lover who had remained unmarried all these years after her mother rejected him.
"Mother, I..."
When Ye Lingling raised her head, her eyes were already red, and she was too choked up to speak.
She only hated that she had not been born a man.
Nor was she a Battle Soul Master.
"Don't worry, Lingling."
"Even if I have to give up my life, I won't let you suffer this humiliation."
Mother and daughter embraced and wept.
"My apologies, Madam Ye."
"It seems we've come at a bad time."
With spiritual power approaching that of a Titled Douluo, Chen Zhuo had naturally heard every word of their earlier conversation, clear as day.
"And you are?"
Mother and daughter looked up at the youthful, attractive boy and girl before them.
Ye Xi already had a guess.
She was naturally very familiar with Dugu Yan; it was no exaggeration to say she had watched her grow up, at least in part.
But she had never seen the young man beside her.
Judging by how close he was to Dugu Yan, he was presumably Dugu Xin's son by a mistress, the one mentioned in the rumors.
The young master of Dugu Manor who had remained mysterious from beginning to end and never attended a single social gathering.
"My name is Chen Zhuo."
"And she's my sister."
Chen Zhuo casually pointed at Dugu Yan, his manner relaxed.
"Aunt Ye, Lingling..."
Dugu Yan's heart ached for them. She hurried over and linked arms with Ye Lingling.
She was partly to blame, too.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had visited her close friend, Ye Lingling.
Those two years at the Great Soul Arena had been no life for a human being.
Every day, she was either cultivating or fighting matches.
She had no time or energy for anything else.
"Greetings, Young Master Chen."
Compared with Dugu Yan's cheerful, outgoing personality, Ye Lingling was far more reserved.
She was like the very image of a well-bred young lady.
Every movement and gesture was bound by a set of rules.
"Just call me Chen Zhuo."
"We're about the same age. There's no need to be so formal."
Because soul power existed in this world, a person's true age could not be judged by appearance alone.
Often, by eleven or twelve, their height and build were already no different from an adult's.
And after becoming a Titled Douluo, they could preserve their appearance indefinitely if they wished.
Only when they were near death and could no longer sustain their soul power would their looks wither in an instant.
That was why someone like Bibi Dong remained so stunning in face and figure, even after becoming a mother.
Almost no one could challenge her title as the continent's greatest beauty.
Not until Qian Renxue later returned to her true appearance and walked the world as Spirit Hall's young mistress.
Only then did that honor pass to someone else.
Chen Zhuo looked at Ye Lingling.
This was his first time meeting this inheritor of Nine Heart Begonia.
Ye Lingling was even prettier than he had imagined.
She truly was a lotus rising from clear water, naturally beautiful without a trace of embellishment.
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