On this particular morning, in the Cultivation Room of the National Guardian General Residence, General Batian Long Ao, just like any other day, completed a set of Dragon Strike Tiger Boxing.
Indeed, the Long Family was a lineage of heroes. Long Fang, in his forties, was a master of Dark Heavenly Great Success. In the Wo Hua Imperial City, he was a man of considerable influence. However, compared to his extraordinarily talented father, Long Ao, and his recently deceased nephew, Long Jiuzun, he appeared rather diocre.
Long Fang’s son, Long Bai Ren, rushed in, flustered.
"Father, sothing terrible has happened," Long Bai Ren’s talent was also respectable. Despite his young age, he had reached the Dark Earth Peak in cultivation, but his temper was rash, and he lacked the refinent to grace the elegant halls.
"How many tis have I told you not to barge into the Cultivation Room while I’m training," Long Fang’s expression darkened, "What could possibly be the matter? As long as your grandfather is still around for one more day, even if the sky falls, there will be soone to hold it up. Those wretched won in the Imperial City wouldn’t dare touch the General Mansion."
These days, the funeral affairs of Long Jiuzun had been neatly taken care of. The only issue of concern was the marriage of Long Rui.
"It’s about Rui’s marriage, it’s ruined, definitely ruined this ti," Long Bai Ren, having hit a wall at Ji Yun’s place the previous day, had consequently invited several sons of prominent families from the Imperial City. Unlike Ji Yun, all of them expressed their long-standing admiration for Miss Long Rui, agreeing to select an auspicious day to co and propose marriage. When that ti arrived, Long Fang was supposed to rely pick and choose, opting for a suitable candidate to set the wedding date.
In the eyes of Long Fang and others, a woman was rely a tool for bearing children and continuing the family lineage. Even if Long Rui was unwilling, her parents had died early, and with Long Ao not in the Imperial City, it was naturally up to the elders in the Duke Mansion to decide on her marriage.
"Ruined? Ha, as if the Duke Mansion would dare to openly co to snatch the bride," as Long Fang spoke, he threw a punch, shattering a stone, which was used to practice arm strength, three steps away into pieces, showing off his domineering Dark Energy.
"No, it’s not the Duke Mansion, it’s that Ji Yun brat causing the trouble. Rember how I arranged to talk about the marriage with a few nobles yesterday? Little did I know that last night, they were invited by Ji Yun and Qing Zizhu under the pretense of celebrating military achievents to go drink and whore. They set a feast at Mantingfang, drank until they were senseless. Ji Yun must have been so drunk out of his wits to hug a Dancing Girl and say..." Long Bai Ren dared not continue.
"Say what?" Long Fang glared fiercely, scaring Long Bai Ren so much that he trembled violently and blurted out: "He said, all the girls from Mantingfang are overshadowed by the Dragon Residence’s Long Rui, claiming that Long Rui is promiscuous, and when she was in Fandi Port she embraced and got intimate with Yue Minzhi. He and Qing Zizhu claid they saw everything. And Qing Zizhu added oil to the fire. Once that news spread, all the nobles who wanted to establish marriage ties with the Dragon Residence retracted their visitation invitations."
Mantingfang was the largest place for entertainnt in the Imperial City, where words spoken over drinks, amplified by singers and dancers, could spread from ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, and in less than half a day, the whole Imperial City would be abuzz with the talk.
Although the General Mansion was illustrious, none of the nobility in the Imperial City wanted to marry a woman with a tarnished reputation. In an instant, the threshold of the General Mansion was deserted. When the matchmakers in the Imperial City heard that the bride-to-be was Long Rui of the General Mansion, they all shut their doors, none of them willing to take on the task.
When the female family mbers of the General Mansion went out for social interactions, they were also subjected to pointing fingers and whispers, caught up in the scandal as well.
"These two despicable wastrels, I will not let them off lightly," Long Fang, upon receiving the news, felt a surge of Dark Energy stuck in his chest, unable to rise or fall, was nearly furious to death.
"Father, what should we do? With things like this, who would dare to ask for marriage from the General Mansion? Rui’s reputation has been completely destroyed," Long Bai Ren was also fed up with being viewed with disdain, wishing he could marry off Long Rui, this loss-making commodity, as soon as possible, to anyone, as long as she no longer brought sha upon the General Mansion.
"Let’s think again, if not soone of high rank, then an ordinary citizen will do. As long as they have a clean background and so talent," Long Fang was also compelled into a corner, clueless that all this was orchestrated by Yue Jinghua from behind the scenes.
The situation inside the General Mansion was a ss, yet inside the Duke Mansion, Yue Jinghua was happily cultivating the newly contracted batch of Asura Fire Roses together with Shalman.
The Asura Fire Rose was originally a unique magical flora from the Dark Hell, distinguished by its vivid colors and year-round blossoming. The blossoms resembled bright and glaring flas, very eye-catching. Yue Jinghua discovered that these roses greatly benefitted her cultivation of the Shura Killing Fla and were also an excellent defense against enemies, she thus decisively transplanted them in large quantities to her own courtyard.
She had just planted a Fire Rose when she saw Yue Minzhi walk in with an anxious expression.
"Huahua, did you secretly spread the rumors about Long Rui? You’ve gone too far this ti. This matter concerns a lady’s honor and reputation. You are a woman too, how could you not consider all angles? As your brother, I am very disappointed in you," Yue Minzhi had gone early in the morning to inspect the Imperial City, when he heard rumors about Long Rui from several of his subordinates in the Imperial Guard.
The incident at Fandi Port was very secretive; Ji Yun and the others would normally not speak recklessly about such matters. Rembering that his sister assured him just a few days ago that she would take care of Long Rui’s matter, Yue Minzhi imdiately connected it to his younger sister.
Seeing her elder brother with anger coloring his handso face, eyebrows furrowed together, clearly enraged, Yue Jinghua’s eyes darted, she pouted her lips, and put on a face of grievance: "Big brother, what are you talking about? That news was spread by Ji Yun and his group. You know, people from Ji Yun’s group are narrow-minded. Failing to win her over, he used this incident to take revenge. It has nothing to do with at all."
Ji Yun, oh Ji Yun, since you have acted the role of the ’villain’ for so many years, this ti you will have to be wronged once again, Yue Jinghua muttered inwardly.
Seeing his little sister’s aggrieved look, and her face and hands covered with soil from planting the Fire Roses, his heart softened. He had always been affectionate towards his little sister since childhood. Although he found his sister vastly different since her return from Shang Kingdom, it was as if she beca another person.
But the Duke Mansion’s debts were cleared, and she went to Shang Kingdom alone, an incredibly daunting task. Not only had he failed to protect his sister as an elder brother, but he also doubted her without understanding the circumstances. Guilt flooded Yue Minzhi’s heart.
He wiped Yue Jinghua’s face, with no trace left of his earlier complaints, only tenderness and regret in his eyes: "Huahua, big brother has wronged you, it’s my fault. My marriage is my own matter, rest assured, big brother will not let you and mother suffer anymore. As for Long Rui, I will not let her reputation be tarnished in vain."
Having said that, Yue Minzhi turned and left with wide strides.
Yue Jinghua’s mouth curled up in a smug smile, "Wooden-headed big brother, relying on you, I’ll never get to drink sister-in-law’s tea in this lifeti."
Suddenly, her smile froze.
In the courtyard, a powerful surge of Dark Power ca crashing down like a colossal tidal wave.
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