Chapter 83: Chapter 79: The Champion Marquis’s Daughter, Huo Hongling

It was already very late when Lu Mingyuan returned to Qingzhu Hall.

He had thought about many things on the way, but he still couldn’t figure out Qi Xingyan’s intentions.

’It didn’t seem like he was pledging allegiance, and it couldn’t have been a warning, but there shouldn’t be any ill will.’

“The Heart Inquiry Bureau…”

Lu Mingyuan suddenly remembered he still had to prepare for the Heart Inquiry Bureau’s session the next evening, so he had to set the matter aside.

He returned to the hall and sat down, beginning his routine check of the daily Mountain and River Mansion Report.

Today’s new Great Yan Mansion Report had already been released.

’Calculating the time, the Champion Marquis should be arriving at the battlefield soon.’

Dragon-Scale Horses could travel a thousand li in a day. Leaving in the morning, they could arrive by nightfall, reaching Beihai County in just one day.

The latest news would probably take a few more days to arrive.

On one side were the Military Merit Families, led by the Seven Great Marquis’s Mansions, along with the three-hundred-thousand-strong army of the Third Prince, Lu Guangyao, a Martial Dao genius. On the other was the Champion Marquis—Great Yan’s foremost marquis who had become famous in his youth and retired for ten years—leading fifty thousand Qilin Iron Cavalry.

He didn’t know who would ultimately emerge victorious.

But Lu Mingyuan was looking forward to it.

After all, the Champion Marquis was very likely to be his future father-in-law.

’If he can defeat the Third Prince and kill him, my Refinement Level will increase by another ten percent.’

However, that possibility was relatively low.

The Third Prince was backed by Chiyang Mountain, after all.

According to the sect overview in the Great Yan Atlas, Chiyang Mountain was a powerful sect. It controlled many Treasure Mountains and supported over ten other sects.

Inside, there were not only Qi Cultivators but also Martial Artists. Most were even practitioners of Daoist and Martial Dual Cultivation, possessing two different types of power and entirely separate cultivations. They could unleash terrifying strength, and it was definitely not as simple as “1+1”.

Lu Mingyuan had seen few people like that.

But they did, in fact, exist.

For example, over a hundred years ago, in the Eighteenth Year of Kang Cheng.

There was a peerless genius with extraordinary comprehension who entered the Dao through the Military Family’s path. He cultivated both Swordsmanship and read the Holy Sage Books, nurturing a Vast Righteous Qi. A practitioner of Daoist and Confucian Dual Cultivation, he placed as the Third Place Scholar in the imperial examinations but refused to become an official. He preferred writing erotic poetry and was famous for his amorous escapades. He traveled to the Western Border to slay demons, temper his state of mind, seek verification of the Great Dao, and protect the peace of the region. It was said his poems were endless, and so too was his Swordsmanship, placing him in the first rank of the Sword Dao. Within ten years, he ascended to the Thirteenth Realm and became known as the Great Yan Confucian Sword Immortal.

To this day, his whereabouts are unknown. No one knows if he retired into the mountains and forests.

At the very least, it was certain that anyone who could cultivate two Daos was a supreme genius.

He acknowledged that he hadn’t even properly cultivated the single path of the Martial Dao, so he had no energy to spare for other paths for the time being.

…

「At the same time, in the Champion Marquis’s Mansion.」

“I greet you, Mother.”

A woman dressed in a deep red Martial Robe, with an elegant and outstanding temperament that revealed a hint of assertive coldness, bowed to the middle-aged beauty.

The Martial Robe was form-fitting and cinched at the waist, making her seem exceptionally slender and giving her a clean, sharp air. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail that cascaded down her back. Her eyebrows were thin, her gaze was cold, and she was brimming with a heroic spirit.

A white ribbon was tied around her arm, and she wore a pair of heavy bracers.

If not for her more delicate frame from behind, she could have passed for a man.

This woman was none other than Huo Hongling, the legitimate daughter of the Champion Marquis, the rightful young lady of the Grand General of Cavalry, and also one of the Capital’s most renowned prodigies.

Huo Hongling was not only of noble birth and extraordinary beauty, but her Martial Dao talent was also exceptional. Six months ago, at the mere age of eighteen, she had directly stepped into the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Among all the princes and young masters in the Capital, even within the Seven Great Marquis’s Mansions, few could match her. She possessed the same flair her father, the Champion Marquis, had in his youth.

Birth, appearance, talent… Huo Hongling was outstanding in every aspect.

A true favored daughter of heaven.

Looking at her daughter, who had grown more and more outstanding, the middle-aged beauty was immensely pleased and spoke.

“You should already be aware of the matter regarding the marriage.”

“Yes, I am aware. However, I do not wish to go through with this marriage.”

“Hm?”

The middle-aged beauty’s gaze instantly sharpened as she looked at her daughter.

However, she wasn’t surprised. She knew that Huo Hongling had always been strong-willed and had incredibly high standards since she was a child. To get her to marry, even an ordinary son of a prince or duke might not meet her approval.

“Give me a reason. This marriage was decided by your father.”

The middle-aged beauty tapped the table. She didn’t get angry immediately, but instead looked calmly at Huo Hongling.

Meeting her mother’s imposing gaze, Huo Hongling was unafraid and said calmly.

“That Lu Mingyuan is nothing more than a hedonistic silk-panted heir. His status is indeed outstanding, being the current Sixth Prince, but the man’s character is improper. I do not like him. To marry me, his qualifications are far too lacking. Unless he can defeat me in a direct confrontation and possesses respectable strength, then perhaps I might consider it.”

Huo Hongling did not doubt Lu Mingyuan’s status.

Of the current dynasty’s princes, only seven remained, and one of them was now leading a rebellion.

News had spread this morning that the Eldest Prince, Lu Changfeng, had been tainted by demonic influence and was already dead, sending the entire Imperial Capital into an uproar.

Although Lu Mingyuan was one of the seven sons, he had lost the right to contend for the throne. He had no capital to become emperor, and his backing was not strong. A union with him would not necessarily be a powerful alliance for the Huo Family.

She didn’t understand why her father had agreed to this marriage.

“He coveted beauty and let the Demoness of the Demon Country escape. He is scorned by the people of the Imperial Capital. I have no desire to marry a prince who has lost his right of succession.”

Huo Hongling shook her head.

Her father’s experiences had taught her, even at a young age, that military strength and being good at fighting were useless. One also needed connections. A suitable husband’s family could provide the Huo Family with a protective umbrella and a guarantee for their future.

Leading troops was easy, but obtaining a higher noble title was exceedingly difficult. Take her father, the Champion Marquis. Although he was once ranked as the foremost Marquis in Great Yan, he was never able to obtain the title of Marquis, all because he lacked backing.

’If Lu Mingyuan still had the right to inherit the throne, I might have considered it. After all, that way, our Huo Family could rise again and stand at the pinnacle of the Great Yan Capital City.’

But Lu Mingyuan was merely a hedonistic heir. Even if he was fabulously wealthy, he was useless. How could he possibly be qualified to marry her?

In Huo Hongling’s usual social circles, who wasn’t a descendant of a Duke? They were, at the very least, outstanding legitimate heirs of princes and high nobility. She had even met many a Prince and Imperial Grandson.

Therefore, in Huo Hongling’s mind, given her own qualities, if she were to marry, her husband had to be stronger than her—even stronger than her father, whom she had seen as the goal to surpass since she was a child.

After Huo Hongling finished stating her thoughts, her mother remained expressionless and said flatly:

“There is no need for further discussion. Your marriage to Lu Mingyuan cannot be changed. This is your father’s personal decree.”

“What!”

Hearing this, Huo Hongling’s elegant face froze. She almost suspected she had misheard.

She had thought she’d made her point clearly enough; persuading her mother seemed like a sure thing. To be refused by her mother was unbelievable, and even more so, unacceptable.

Since childhood, she had been the treasured young lady of the family. Her parents had never disdained her for being a girl; in fact, she was doted on exclusively. Her father had even taught her martial arts every day.

But this time, and this time alone, there was no room for negotiation, not with her father, nor with her mother.

She did not want to marry a hedonistic Sixth Prince who had lost his right of succession! ’What use is that to the Huo Family?’

Huo Hongling’s long, thin eyebrows knitted together. She could not accept this in her heart.

“Why?”

The middle-aged beauty sighed. “This is your father’s will. It seems you still don’t understand his intentions.”

“We have laid low for many years for the sake of stability. If your father returns victorious, the pressure he faces will only be greater, and the eyes of the Imperial Court will be on him even more. The Sixth Prince’s side is the safest choice. It also demonstrates that our Huo Family has no ambition to vie for power.”

“Why not vie for it? As long as we find a family to ally with our Huo Family, it’s not impossible to advance further. The Sixth Prince is not even as good as the Eighth Prince or the Second Prince.”

“You are still too young, spirited and proud just like your father in his youth. But what I can tell you is that Lu Mingyuan is, in fact, worthy of you. I don’t know about his literary talents, but his Martial Dao talent is not bad either. I heard from Noble Consort Wang Zhaoyan that he went from being an ordinary person to breaking through to the Martial Arts Fourth Realm of Rebirth in less than two months.”

’The Fourth Realm? So what?’

’He’s just a mere Rebirth Realm Martial Artist, while I broke through to Grandmaster a long time ago.’

Listening to her mother’s words, the unwillingness in Huo Hongling’s heart did not subside. Instead, she scoffed inwardly.

Going from an ordinary person to the Martial Arts Fourth Realm of Rebirth in less than two months was indeed astonishing; even she couldn’t have done that back then.

’But at his age, he’s already past the prime age for learning martial arts. It was probably achieved by piling on expensive Qi Blood Elixirs. If so, the difficulty is greatly reduced.’

’A cultivation like that would have an unstable foundation.’

’What use is it?’

She, Huo Hongling, would only marry a strong man who was more outstanding than her. Otherwise, she would rather be alone for life.

However, despite being extremely dissatisfied in her heart, Huo Hongling did not show it by directly refuting or resisting her mother.

She knew she could not defy the will of her father and mother. If she openly resisted, she would be the only one to suffer in the end.

’If I don’t want to agree to this marriage, I’ll just have to find another way to help the Huo Family.’

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep