Chapter 547: Are You Willing?

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Stretching his waist lazily, Ling Tian stood up and indifferently said, “Initially, your Shui Family could be considered to have possessed a peerless expert overseeing the family, and that was your number one Elder, Shui WuBo. However, he seems to be walking together on the same road as your two uncles right now. That also means he should be included on your father’s list of those who must be cleansed from the family if you want to get past this hurdle! If you do not do so, then all the power will end up with your uncles. With Shui WuBo taking charge, who knows how many years your Shui Family would be able to hold on for! Thus, in this current situation, this peerless expert is a hindrance to the Shui Family rather than a help! Am I right? Hehe.”

The last part of Ling Tian’s words was full of ridicule, but Shui QianRou only had the thoughts of her family in her mind. Even if Ling Tian’s words were cutting, they were all true. The more she thought about this matter, the angrier she got. How would she still have the energy to deal with Ling Tian? She had come on her own initiative to ask him, and Ling Tian had replied honestly. Now for her to blame others, wasn’t it a little unacceptable for her?

“Based on what you say, it is either our Shui Family completely collapses, or the direct descendants are completely eradicated. Is there no third path for us to walk?” Shui QianRou’s heart was full of fury, and her voice gradually got louder. “Ling Tian, you should know that this is not the answer I want and that this thought will not even be entertained by me. Why are you being so cruel?!”

Ling Tian leaned his side to one side as he coldly smiled, “Cruel? How am I cruel, this is the truth, the actual facts! How did you want me to reply you? That the Shui Family will be harmonious and peaceful all around? For them to live for millennia? Or did you want all the dead members to revive once again? Do you even think this is possible? If I tell you this is possible, would you believe it? Or would you dare?! Shui QianRou, you are no child, to be forgiven for living in dreams. You should be aware that the more you repeatedly press for an answer, it means that your heart has already determined that this answer cannot be found!” Ling Tian’s eyes shone. “That’s why you are constantly searching for that verification!”

Shui QianRou opened her eyes wide, angrily staring at Ling Tian before slowly lowering her gaze in defeat. “For the situation regarding the Shui Family, I’ll admit that you’re absolutely correct. Your deductions hit the nail on the head, and while I don’t want to admit it, this is the current condition of my Shui Family. The reason why my brother and I were dispatched over to Heavenly Star was also the same reason. While I know that it’s difficult to build up our influence on the Yu Family’s land, we still had to try. If my brother and I were to succeed, then our father would have the chance to cleanse the family and proceed with the final battle between the two families. It was a pity that we failed completely, and my brother even had to give up his life.

Shui QianRou shook her head sadly as a tear rolled down, “Water of Heavenly Wind, hehe, what a prestigious name. A family almost in control of the entire Heavenly Wind. However, it has fallen to such a state today, how laughable! Right now, the family members who have malicious intents are far too many, those of direct descent are not strong leaders, causing those of the side branch to flaunt their skills more and more. Many of the important positions are already been taken over by the people from the side branches. Even if we were to use the mentality of burning both common stone and jade together, it’s already too late. Is this the fate of our Shui Family?”

Ling Tian stood by the side silently.

Shui QianRou looked at him, before suddenly letting out a melancholic smile. “Ling Tian, I’ve only just discovered that your ambition doesn’t stop at Heavenly Star! In fact, your people have already stretched to the Heavenly Wind Continent, right? Haha, you can relax, this point doesn’t matter to me anymore. I will not reveal anything to my family, and in fact, I hope that you can succeed. A pity, I might not live to see that day come true.”

“Will you not be able to see it?” Ling Tian slowly asked.

“No! I won’t!” A killing intent as well as the lack of a will to live flashed in Shui QianRou’s eyes. “Water of Heavenly Wind, is a family with a millennium of background, a family with a thousand years of splendor. However, this radiance only belongs to the direct line of descent! As for those who only strive for benefits within the family, they are not worthy of the name ‘Water of Heavenly Wind’! They’re even more unworthy of taking over the hegemony that our forefathers paid for in blood! I would rather that this glorious name disappears in the generation of my father than to give it over to them, letting them tarnish it as they will! If I am to die, I’ll drag them down with me! I will do it! I definitely will do it, and can achieve it!”

Ling Tian slanted his head to the side, “Oh? I never thought that you would be such a strong spirited lady. Indeed, you can give the men a run for their money, I respect you for that. However, I would still like to ask you, why did your father choose to send you two over at this pressing period? Doesn’t he know of the thousand year hatred of the Yu Family against you? Wouldn’t this be more dangerous than back in your family? Unless he really sent you two to be sacrificed?”

“….” Shui QianRou opened her mouth, wanting to reply, but she found herself lost for words and ended up closing her mouth involuntarily.

“According to my conjecture, your esteemed father’s initial idea was just for the two of you to come over and create chaos. Based on your titles as the direct descendants of the Shui Family, even if the Yu Family were to find out your misdeeds, they would take you both as merely objects to profit over rather than silence you. From this point, we can conclude that Heavenly Star is indeed safer as compared to being in Heavenly Wind. However, you two were overconfident, and before making sure of your place, flipped the entire table over to the point that the mess cannot be handled by the both of you. This made your father’s original plan go to waste, resulting in him being caught between a rock and a hard spot today.”

“Now that the circumstances are rapidly spiraling downward due to the matter with your esteemed brother, all the procrastination done has resulted in zero meaning. Now the internal affairs of your family can only be solved through a bloodbath, and to some extent, you two siblings have only hastened the process!” Ling Tian showed two rows of dazzling white teeth as he smiled. “Based on the situation now, it is completely you guys reaping what you have sown! You should bear the responsibility, and not think about exchanging a life for a life, acting in such a heroic manner. Miss Shui’s attitude and liberal speech seem to be a little….”

Upon hearing Ling Tian’s ending sentence, Shui QianRou staggered, her face gray as ash as her lips trembled. She looked as though she was about to cry, but held it in at the last part. The only indication was the rims of her eyes turning red.

Ling Tian actually could not bear to do this to her, bullying a lady so. He twisted his mouth as he thought that he should have achieved his purpose now. Now that everything had been stated clearly, and he had hit the nail on the head, he should start talking about his proposal next. If he were to continue down this line, the lady in front of him would sever her own meridians. That would be a dead loss for him!

So he pretended to cough a few times, stretching out a finger to massage his temples as he revealed a ‘pained’ expression, “Actually, this matter was supposed to be a pure family dispute, and without the matter of your brother right now, just like what you asked me before, I would still have a method to allow you to cut your losses to the bare minimum. Right now, things are a little iffy, but it’s not that there actually aren’t any methods left…”

Shui QianRou had actually given up completely, sitting there with a dejected look on her face. Hearing so, she suddenly leaped up, a renewed hope flaring in her eyes as she exclaimed, “Ling… you… really have an idea?”

“Idea?” Ling Tian barked out a laugh, “I definitely have one, but it’s missing a person for the key role.”

“What role?”

“The role of the inheritor.” Ling Tian furrowed his brows. “So much talk about the family, but it all boils down to the fact that the males are the dominant gender, and that the position of the family head is only passed onto the males and not the females. The greatest question is that your brother is hanging on his last breath, and in a week at most, he will step onto the road towards the yellow springs. This would mean that your side would no longer have someone to continue the family line, or in other words, that your bloodline ends in your generation! From this point, so what if you successfully seize back power? In another decade or so, what will happen? Surely you can’t be immortal? While your brothers were killed by Shui QianHu and his group, you still require a male to inherit the title. There are three ways to be unfilial, of which having no sons is the worst! This point already spells your doom!”

Ling Tian narrowed his eyes as he stared at Shui QianRou, “If you can find a way to resolve this problem, then I’ll have the confidence to allow your Shui Family to convert danger to blessing. In at most three years, I’ll make sure the power in the Shui Family returns to your hands.” Ling Tian specifically stressed the word ‘your’.

Shui QianRou’s face changed rapidly, now green then red. It was only after a long while did she finally bite her teeth and say, “Aren’t you just making things difficult? My dad’s body was weak and he only had my brother and I. Now that my brother’s life is in danger, how do you expect me to find another direct descendant? If I could choose someone from within the family, then why are we even still fighting?!”

Ling Tian laughed at this point, “Who says that there are no more bloodlines of the direct descendants in the family?”

“I’ve already said so, my dad only sired my brother and me. Where’s the person you speak of?”

“Things are closer than they seem!” Ling Tian squeezed his eyes. “Miss Shui, surely, you couldn’t have been adopted, right?”

“A dog’s mouth can’t have elephant tusks, you’re the adopted one!” Shui QianRou burst out into rage as she stood up, before suddenly freezing and staring wide agape at Ling Tian. “You… you’re saying… your meaning is, ME?!!”

“That’s right, you!” Ling Tian confidently nodded his head. “I shall not take you on a wild goose chase. Before this, I’ve already analyzed the entire situation to you once. No matter which route you take, there’s no way out for you guys! However, I’ve also said, that I have an idea and that I can execute it!”

Ling Tian’s eyes gleamed, “Shui QianRou, I just need an assurance from you, and I’ll help the Shui Family tide over this difficult times!”

“But… but… I’m a woman…” Shui QianRou felt some hesitation, as well as a rare sense of anxiety.

“So what if you’re a woman? Aren’t you still the flesh and blood of your father, with the bloodline of the direct family flowing in your veins? You’re probably not even twenty this year; even if you only live up to seventy years, even if the Shui Family goes to ruin in your generation, you’ve held it up for fifty more years than expected!” Ling Tian coldly interrupted. “It’s better than letting it disappear among the winds and clouds right now! Furthermore, when you eventually have children, you just have to change their surnames to Shui, and they can continue the direct bloodline of your family!”

Shui QianRou’s pale face flushed with a bright red. While she acted all heroic previously, she was in the end still a virgin girl who had not been betrothed. Even the matters of her marriage were enough to embarrass her, and Ling Tian actually went a step further, starting to plan for her children…

Even with this immensely thick skin, Ling Tian also felt a little embarrassed, and coughed twice, saying, “Uhm… maybe it’s a little too early to talk about such matters. However, I’m only just speaking my thoughts, and this is a stupid idea from me. If we look at it this way, when you really go in and compete, in the event you succeed, then you can…..”

“Don’t go on…” Shui QianRou jumped up in fright and embarrassment. She buried her face in her chest, and Ling Tian could observe a red flush creeping quickly across her face, to her ears, then to her white and flawless nape, and it proceeded to go lower… oh, past that, Ling Tian could not see any further.

While being embarrassed about the situation, Shui QianRou mulled over Ling Tian’s proposal, and after a long while, came the muffled reply, “Maybe my dad still can…”

Ling Tian coldly snorted, breaking apart her fantasy. “Based on theory, that is wholly possible, as your brother and your ages are not too spread apart. This proves that your esteemed father has a high…. Cough cough cough, never mind. But if so many years have passed and the two of you are still the only children? Your esteemed father also has more than one wife, right? If one or two don’t get pregnant, that’s fine, but all of them… then there’s something to think about.”

“You mean, someone had a part to play in this?!” Shui QianRou suddenly lifted up her head. At the same time, this point sounded very plausible to her! Her hatred grew even deeper.

Ling Tian sighed, “Do you know why I’m the only heir in the entire Ling Family?”

Shui QianRou jumped, and replied incredulously, “Could it be that your family….”

Ling Tian nodded gravely, “That’s why I know, and can even confirm.”

Both sentences ended midway, but the result and meaning were clear to both.

Shui QianRou mutely sat back down, and it was after a long while that her face suddenly turned red again. She stared at Ling Tian for no reason, suddenly spitting out a sentence, “You’ve really played your cards well!”

This startled Ling Tian. Whatever was she talking about? Why this random sentence? Try as he might, Ling Tian could not decipher it, so he only continued, “This road that I’ve mentioned is not the easiest to walk, so if you’ve made up your mind, you need to have sufficient mental preparations. After all, this world is a patriarchal society, and for a female to become the family head, the criticism she will receive will far outstrip that of a man. Furthermore, the values of family and lineage are deeply rooted in the people here, while you might have a son and wish for him to take your surname, your future husband’s side might not agree to that, and this is also a point of discussion. However, all this can be discussed in the future, for that time, all of the Shui family’s problems would be cleared, thus giving you more options.”

Shui QianRou bit her lip, her eyes suddenly locking on Ling Tian with a fiery yet unfocused gaze. It was as though she had just woken from her dream, bleary and sleepy. It was unknown how she took Ling Tian’s words, but she mysteriously asked, “Do you also think that way?”

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