Chapter 67: At All Costs
Chapter 67: At All Costs
Translator: Panda_Penn Editor: Chrissy
Liu Yi was up to nothing. She just kept drinking. She and Lu Li had seven or eight goblets in a row. It was okay for him, but Liu Yi blushed and her eyes misted. Obviously, she was drunk.
Admittedly, even though Liu Yi was not extremely pretty, she was one of the best. Particularly, she had in her an elegant temperament that was with her since she was born in a big family, something that girls born in the Di Long Tribe could not compare to.
A beauty had been intoxicated. Her skin was rosy in color, and her charming body was soft; her actions were powerless and her eyes were misty.
It was all very inviting. Lu Li himself had quite a few drinks. He was an energetic young man who rarely came in contact with the fairer sex, not to mention drinking wine with a pretty lady at such proximity.
The night was picturesque, and the scenery was impressive. The pretty girl exhaled fragrant smells which came Lu Li’s way. Even if Lu Li was not drunk from the wine, he was now. Seeing that Liu Yi stood up unsteadily trying to pour him more wine, he hurried to grab the flagon. However, he unexpected grabbed onto Liu Yi’s delicate hands.
Lu Li quickly withdrew his hands and said with embarrassment, "Lady Yi. Don’t drink any more. You are drunk!"
Liu Yi poured Lu Li some wine regardless. She also filled her own goblet. Some wine even spilled over. Liu Yi emptied her goblet in one sip. Then she closed her eyes and took a few deep breath. Liu Yi looked to the garden in the distance and said, "Lu Li. I won’t say all those polite and official words today. Today, the reason I ask the ladies of the family and you to the feast was the family had asked me to solicit you. If you give your consent–apart from me, you can marry any of the rest of the ladies. You… can even consummate the marriage tonight!"
Lu Li already knew this. Today, he had handed in the Azure Dragon Spear and the Silver Rainbow Sword which exposed many things. It was understandable that the Liu Family would value him so much.
A genius was significant for a family, but a directly-related lady was nothing in the eyes of the patriarchs. If Lu Li were to marry a lady, he would be considered to have joined the Internal Clan.
Lu Li said nothing in return. Liu Yi carried on with a bitter smile regardless of that. "It is quite ridiculous and pathetic. We, the directly-related family ladies, seem to be quite glamorous and enjoy high status, but it is not true. We are even inferior to an average girl in a tribe. When our family needs us, we must sacrifice at any time."
While saying this, Liu Yi put on a mocking smile and shook her head. "Do you know why the Zhao Family can establish relationship with such a great Lord Yu? Do you really think that it is because Lord Yu valued Zhao Family’s power? Or that the Zhao Family Patriarch can kiss ass? No! The fact is—at the Frigid Cloud Mountain, the Zhao Family Patriarch had given his precious little girl to Lord Yu as a concubine with no status. When Lord Yu is done with the Frigid Cloud Mountain business, the Zhao Family lady will be abandoned with no mercy."
"What?"
Lu Li couldn’t believe this. He became quite sober. He had heard some news that ladies of the big families could not decide their own marriage, but he would have never thought that the Zhao Family would be so cold-hearted as to sacrifice one of their honorable ladies to a powerhouse for him to toy with…
"Ha-ha, do you think it’s quite ridiculous?"
Liu Yi derided more. She turned around and looked at Lu Li and empathetically told him, "Actually… you don’t know. I was sent over that night as well, but Lord Yu did not like me. I was sent to three different lords and none of them liked me. Ha-ha-ha!"
Tears slid down Liu Yi’s face, silently, as she uttered these words. She was laughing and crying. The look made Lu Li’s heart throb and he was shocked.
"Lady Yi…"
Lu Li tried to comfort Liu Yi but did not know where to start. Liu Yi wiped off her tears and had another drink. Then she looked up to Lu Li and said, "Do you feel that these big families like the Liu Family and the Zhao Family are disgusting? Lu Li, the world is bigger than you imagined. We don’t have to talk about the outside world. Big families on the Northern Desert are too numerous to enumerate. We are the Overlord of the Wu Ling County, but when we go out, any powerhouse can overthrow us. Take Lord Yu as an example. He doesn’t need to do anything himself. He can dispatch one of his minions to send us to our doom. If a family can establish relationship with such a man, the Family Patriarch can kneel to him like a dog, let alone sacrificing a lady."
Lu Li was speechless. What Liu Yi said had subverted his perception. It opened his eyes about how cruel the real world was.
"Whew, whew!"
Liu Yi sighed and her eyes became clearer. She seriously said, "Lu Li, I will not lie to you. We, the Liu Family, may be ousted from the Wu Ling County any time now. Three months ago, my grandpa was heavily injured and has been in a coma. He hasn’t gained consciousness yet. He may never be able to do that. That is why the Zhao Family is willing to go so far to establish relationship with Lord Yu. They want to replace us, to become the new Overlord of the Wu Ling County."
"Lu Li, do you still remember last time during the Bloodline Awakening when a boy of the Zhao Family awakened Bloodline of the Fifth Rank? As we speak, the child has been sent to the Yu Family and became a disciple of the Internal Clan of the Family."
"At the Frigid Cloud Mountain, we the Liu Family suffered a lot. You know that time when we were ambushed at the Frigid Cloud Valley. Just because Lord Yu said something, none of the Super Families would right our wrong. Patriarch Cai and the other warriors had died in vain."
"Now the big shots are busy fighting for the original essence and blood of the Beast King. They needed the families to clean out the Xuan Beasts of lower ranks. That is why the Zhao Family dares not to resort to anything rash now. Once the business at the Ice Abyss is over, the Zhao Family will definitely start dealing with us. With the support of Lord Yu, maybe we will not be eliminated entirely, but we cannot stay at the Wu Ling County."
Lu Li looked even gloomier. The situation was worse than he had thought. Lu Li considered it and asked, "Since you, the Liu Family, can become the overlord of the Wu Ling County, don’t you have any patron of your own?"
"Yes, we do!"
Lu Li affirmatively said, "But our patron is only a Fourth-rank Family. The Family of Lord Yu, however, is a Fifth-rank one."
"Family of the Fifth-rank!"
Lu Li’s face twitched. A family with three warriors of the Soul Pond Realm was a Third-rank Family; the one with three warriors of the Fate Wheel Realm was a Fourth-rank one; and a Fifth-rank Family would have at least three powerful warriors at the Eternal Realm.
There were no Human Sovereign at the Northern Desert, nor were there many warriors of the Noble Lord Realm. The most powerful families were the three Fifth-rank Royal Families.
There was no Fifth-rank Royal Family with the surname of Yu, but since the Yu Family was also of the Fifth-rank, they couldn’t be much weaker than the Royal Families. In other words—the family Lord Yu was in was a Super Family at the peak of the Northern Desert.
How powerful such a family was? How many families were affiliated with it? How many powerful warriors were under its command? These were beyond calculation. Liu Yi said Lord Yu could send anymore to overthrow the Liu Family. That was not an exaggeration.
"So, there is nothing for us to do but to wait for our end?"
Lu Li felt pressure. If the Liu Family perished, so would he. The Zhao Family would not spare him a life. This time, he did not refer to the Liu Family as you, but "we".
"Of course not!"
Liu Yi’s eyes were filled with zest. She ardently looked at Lu Li and said, "My grandpa once guarded the doors for the Royal Zi Family. As long as grandpa wakes up, he can beg the Zi Family, then we can have some hope. Lord Yu cannot participate in the war above board. He will be laughed upon by the Big Families on the Northern Desert. As long as we can eliminate the Zhao Family, Lord Yu will most likely not get in the middle of this in person."
"Oh?"
Lu Li’s eyes lit up and he felt some pressure was off. He nodded and said, "The Liu Family is a Third-rank Family, but the Zhao Family is only one of the Second Rank ones. They have much less powerful warriors. Will it be difficult to eliminate them?"
"It will be very difficult!"
Liu Yi shook her head. "Since they have established relationship with Lord Yu, lately, countless powerful warriors has bartered away their honor for Zhao Family’s patronage. Lu [1] Family, Chen Family, He [2] Family and other families have formed alliance with the Zhao Family. On the contrary, many warriors of our Family had died at the Frigid Cloud Mountain. As one wanes, the other waxes. Actually, we are not as strong as the Zhao Family now."
"Therefore… we are in desperate need of powerful warriors!"
Liu Yi stood up, moved close to Lu Li and sincerely said to him, "Lu Li, now that you can kill Qi Sihai and the others, your talent and potential have far surpassed our imagination. As long as you can join the External Clan or the Internal Clan, the Liu Family will train you at all costs, at all costs!"
[1] Lu Family, here refers to the 鲁家, rather than the 陆家 that Lu Li was in.
[2] He Famiy is 何家, He is the pinyin for the surname 何, rather than a pronoun. It is also different from the surname of Patriarch He (贺) of the Liu Family.