Chapter 173 "Your Father" is here to demand a reckoning! (2)

Hearing Long s.h.i.+ya"s words, not just Xue AoTian and Xue Aoying, even the Lion King Gu Site… all their expressions changed instantly, their faces paling. Gu Site might have a fiery temper, especially on the surface, but he was always in control, ensuring he did not cross any limit. In truth, he could not afford to actually fully offend Long s.h.i.+ya, and as a King he would never do such a thing. After all, for a person like the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor to hold enmity for the WanShou Empire, it would bring them an unprecedented loss. Not even the Heavenly Snow Mountain could endure such losses! In the end, it came down to that line… the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor was all alone…

Instantly, the Lion King Gu Site turned his gaze to his son, saying angrily: "Yingbing, what is going on?"

Gu Yingbing"s expression was also bewildered. "I also do not know! Senior Long, when has this Junior hurt your disciple?"

Long s.h.i.+ya"s countenance remained icy cold as he gave a humph. Turning to Zhou Weiqing, he said: "Little Fatty, let him see who you are."

On the other side, Zhou Weiqing immediately lifted his hand to pull down the cowl of his cloak, revealing his features.

For the others present, when they looked at him, they would not have any other thoughts about it. Howver, Gu Yingbing"s expression changed instantly, staring at Zhou Weiqing with utter shock. "You… it is you…?!"

Zhou Weiqing smiled pa.s.sively. After the thirty six days of cultivation, having gone through all the pain and suffering and being on the verge of death so many times, he had matured and grown much more. Facing Gu Yingbing now, his aura was not any lesser than him.

"Lion Prince, it has been a while. Hope you are still well."

In that moment, no matter the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord Xue AoTian, the Tiger King Xue Aoying, or the Lion King Gu Site, all their attention was focused on Zhou Weiqing. Everything else aside, they were extremely curious about this new disciple of Long s.h.i.+ya"s.

After greeting Gu Yingbing, Zhou Weiqing walked out from behind Long s.h.i.+ya"s seat. He first bowed deeply towards Xue Aotian, greeting him. "Junior Zhou Weiqing greets Senior Xue."

He then turned towards the Tiger King and bowed once more. "Greeting Senior Tiger King."

After saying both greetings, only then did he turn towards the Lion King. However, this time he only inclined his head slightly in greeting, almost as if his status was same as the Lion King.

"You are Zhou Weiqing?" Although Xue AoTian had guessed as such in his heart, when he actually heard Zhou Weiqing speak his name, a light flashed in his eyes. Towards Zhou Weiqing, he had heard too much about him… this young man that had drawn his daughter to her… one with such unbelievable talents, with two Saint Attributes – the Demonic Attribute and Time Attributes. More so, one that had six Elemental Attributes. Now… this young man was actually standing right in front of him in such a fas.h.i.+on. This was something he had not expected at all.

As for Zhou Weiqing, he was experiencing a totally different feeling. To him, Xue AoTian"s gaze was like a magnifying gla.s.s, as if every inch of his body was under examination, as if it could even pierce through him. Just from his gaze alone, Zhou Weiqing felt as if his entire life and death was under Xue AoTian"s full control.

"Yes Sir." Zhou Weiqing answered respectfully.

"Zhou Weiqing, I spared your life, and you dare appear in front of me here?" Upon seeing Zhou Weiqing, Gu Yingbing could no longer maintain his composure. In a flash, he stepped out, his entire body glowing with fiery light, as if he was ready to take action at any time.

Long s.h.i.+ya gave a cold humph, a powerful presence bursting forth from him. The Lion King quickly stepped forward as well, blocking in front of his son, afraid that Long s.h.i.+ya would suddenly take action.

Long s.h.i.+ya said coldly: "The series of events… I do not need to go into detail any longer; I guess Old Monster Xue you can already guess what happened. Your disciple heavily injured my disciple. This matter, you have to give me a reckoning."

Xue AoTian"s expression was extremely ugly. This was truly not an easy situation to resolve. Long s.h.i.+ya had already spoken things out clearly, not leaving any leeway at all. Even as the top powerhouse in the world today, he could not easily ignore such a threat from Long s.h.i.+ya. While it was not that difficult for him to defeat Long s.h.i.+ya, but even if he were to join forces with the Lion King and Tiger King, they might not be able to kill Long s.h.i.+ya. The entire WanShou Empire could not withstand the anger of the someone like the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor. Knowing it, this was also why Long s.h.i.+ya dared to actually bring Zhou Weiqing up to the Heavenly Snow Mountain.

"Bro Long, what kind of reckoning are you looking for. Let us discuss it then." Long s.h.i.+ya said solemnly.

Long s.h.i.+ya said coldly: "Very simple. A debt of blood must be paid. What your disciple did to my disciple, I will do to him in return."

"You dare!" Gu Site howled angrily. This was the first time he had actually heard the name Zhou Weiqing. In truth, he did not know anything about the current situation.

Gu Yingbing leaned closer to his father and spoke softly in his ear: "This is the human who stole Tian"er away."

Hearing Gu Yingbing"s words, only then did Gu Site finally understand what was happening, and his expression grew ugly as his face turned overcast. The atmosphere in the room turned dangerous as killing intent filled the entire Grand Hall.

The only one who was highly relaxed was the Tiger King Xue Aoying. Currently, his expression was rather weird; his eyes flas.h.i.+ng with a hidden glee, almost as if he was delighting in the Lion King"s troubles. The entire matter did not really have anything to do with him, and he could naturally sit back and watch the show for now.

"I dare? In this world, what is there that I, Long s.h.i.+ya, dare not do?" Long s.h.i.+ya glared at the Lion King disdainfully.

Xue AoTian looked coldly at Long s.h.i.+ya and said: "Bro Long, are you saying that the two of you, Master and Disciple, have come here specially to cause trouble?"

"Cause trouble? Old Monster Xue, if your disciple was the one who was beaten nearly to death, four limbs broken, what would you do? If I really wanted to cause trouble, I would have come two days later, during the actual wedding, to cause trouble in front of all your WanShou Empire Tribe Leaders… a proper trouble. I have chosen to come early, that is already to give you a lot of face."

In truth, if anyone else had been beaten by Gu Yingbing, Xue AoTian would not have any sense of guilt at all. However, with all he knew about the matter, and with this Zhou Weiqing somehow becoming Long s.h.i.+ya"s disciple, he knew this matter was very troublesome.

Looking at how Long s.h.i.+ya was being so protective, he knew his character very well, and that Long s.h.i.+ya would definitely do as he threatened if pushed to it. In a short moment, the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord was given a big headache, not knowing what to do.

"Bro Long, how about this, I can give your disciple some compensation in other areas… After all, Yingbing is about to wed my daughter. If you heavily injure him, how can the wedding be held? We can discuss what sort of compensation… what do you think?"

For Xue AoTian to speak like this, it was already a huge compromise for someone of his stature.

However, Long s.h.i.+ya immediately rejected the proposal. "No way."

Just as Xue AoTian"s expression turned sour from that, Zhou Weiqing who was standing beside Long s.h.i.+ya quickly tugged at his sleeve, shaking his head tentatively.

A sudden suspicion struck Xue AoTian, and he said: "Bro Long, why not listen to what your disciple has to say? After all, he is the main party in this matter."

Long s.h.i.+ya looked at Zhou Weiqing irritably; as if dissatisfied with his cowardly appearance. "Little brat, I am here trying to get justice for you. What are you trying to say?"

Zhou Weiqing said humbly, trembling with awe and trepidation: "Master, even if you break that Lion Prince"s four limbs, the pain that I have suffered cannot be returned. We might as well get the compensation."

At the head of the table, Xue AoTian laughed heartily and said: "Bro Long, look, your disciple is much more reasonable than you are. Little fellow, speak out then, what do you want? In this entire mainland, as long as this old fellow wants to do it, there should not be any issue."

Zhou Weiqing quickly seized the opportunity and said respectfully: "In that case, this Junior thanks Senior respectfully." As he said that, he abruptly fell down on his knees in front of Xue AoTian. "Senior, the compensation I wish to have is… please let me marry Tian"er."

In terms of power and strength, Zhou Weiqing was no match for any of these powerhouses in front of him right here. However, in terms of cunning and shrewd planning, perhaps none of them were a match for him at all.

In truth, Zhou Weiqing and Long s.h.i.+ya were actually acting out a planned scene, to make concessions in order to gain an advantage. Long s.h.i.+ya was naturally acting the "red-face" 1 to perfection, and with this ingenious and timely teamwork with Zhou Weiqing… in moments they had both encircled the others in their trap. Currently, all they had done was to construct a scenario where they were perfectly justified to ask for such a request.

"No way!" Without thought, Gu Yingbing retorted. Actually, with his status as the Lion Prince, under such a scene with all his elders and powerhouses here, he would never have spoke out so rashly. However, since it was to do with Tian"er, his heart was already in disorder, especially with Zhou Weiqing right here. No matter how much Gu Yingbing did not wish to accept it, he knew that the man Tian"er truly loved was this Zhou Weiqing. Furthermore, not only did Gu Yingbing love Tian"er deeply, their marriage was also a huge affect on his future. If he could not marry Tian"er, who knew if his master would actually pa.s.s down the position of Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord to him.

Zhou Weiqing continued looking at Xue AoTian, as if he had not heard Gu Yingbing at all.

At this point, the Lion King Gu Site could no longer resist. Turning to Xue AoTian, he said: "Mountain Lord, this pair of master and disciple are clearly here just to cause trouble." His expression was even uglier than his son. However, though he might be speaking as such to Xue AoTian, he dared not overdo it. After all, Long s.h.i.+ya"s earlier threats had definitely taken effect. As the Emperor of the WanShou Empire, he dared not risk his tribe and Empire.

Xue AoTian"s eyes grew cold. As the top powerhouse in the world today, not only was his talent exceptional, his intelligence and understanding definitely had to be top notch as well. The act between Fatty Long and Zhou Little Fatty, how could he not see through it? The truth was likely that all the reckoning was false, and their true goal was his daughter. Yet, at this point, the two of them had reason on their side, and it was not so easy to handle it.

"Zhou Weiqing, my daughter has already been betrothed to Gu Yingbing… you should already know about it, and you are purposely using it as your compensation? What kind of position are you trying to put me in?"

Zhou Weiqing continued kneeling there, his gaze fixed upon Xue AoTian. Steadily and calmly, he said: "Senior, have you ever asked Tian"er whether she was willing? In a relations.h.i.+p between man and woman, the most important thing is love between the two. You only have one daughter, do you really want to see her suffering for life? Tian"er got Gu Yingbing to give me a letter that she wrote, and within she asked me to forget her, to give up on her. I know her too well. If she did not agree to write that letter, perhaps that previous time, the Lion Prince would have already killed me. Tian"er loves me, and she only loves me. We have already been through intimate relations."

Chapter 173 ‘Your Father’ is here to demand a reckoning! (3)

“Originally, when Tian’er first left me, she had told me that if you did not agree to the relations.h.i.+p between us, she would threaten you with her death. I am sure that you, above anyone else, know full well how Tian’er’s character is like. Perhaps she might marry Gu Yingbing to give you face, but I am certain that she will never be his true wife. As a father, if you are willing to see your daughter suffer for the rest of her life, perhaps even to the extent of taking it herself… then I can only say that you are not a qualified father, almost not deserving to be one.”

Zhou Weiqing’s words were firm and resolute. In front of the top powerhouse in the world, Xue AoTian, he did not show any fear at all. As he spoke to his last words, his tone was even reproachful.

The Tiger King Xue Aoying could only stare at the side, his jaw agape. It had been years since he had seen, or even heard of, anyone daring to speak to his elder brother like this. This little fellow truly has guts indeed!

Xue AoTian’s face turned green, then white. Looking at Zhou Weiqing, the energy reverberations around his body fluctuated violently, as if he was on the verge of taking Zhou Weiqing’s life.

Long s.h.i.+ya stood right beside his disciple. He did not dare be negligent at such a moment. Without a doubt, he was confident in escaping even if the three top powerhouses here surrounded and attacked him. However, he knew he did not have the ability to do so and bring Zhou Weiqing along as well.

That was to say… if Xue AoTian actually fell out with him; then Zhou Weiqing would forever be left here. Even though in Long s.h.i.+ya and Zhou Weiqing’s plan, such a situation was highly unlikely to occur, but there was always that small possibility.

For Zhou Weiqing to actually dare to anger Xue AoTian like this, even Long s.h.i.+ya had not expected it. In his heart, he couldn’t help but give a big hidden thumbs up to Zhou Weiqing, but at the same time he also felt like breaking into a cold sweat for his precious disciple.

“Senior, Tian’er will only be truly happy with me, we are in love with each…”

“Enough!” At last, Xue AoTian interrupted Zhou Weiqing abruptly. Currently, the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord seemed to be in a rage, standing up suddenly from his seat.

Just the action of standing up alone did not seem much, but everyone in the room grew nervous at that. The one who felt it the most was naturally Zhou Weiqing, taking the brunt of the powerful and violent aura, causing his entire body to stagger back, almost falling down. Long s.h.i.+ya instantly stepped in front of his disciple, while both the Tiger King Xue Aoying and Lion King Gu Site also stood up in succession. Of course, the two had very different expressions on their faces.

The Tiger King looked at his elder brother, his face showing signs of worry and anxiety. On the other hand, Gu Site’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. His only thought now was how to best leave Long s.h.i.+ya here ‘permanently’, and not allow him to escape. “You all wait here.” All of a sudden, Xue AoTian said angrily. With a sweep of sleeve, his entire figure flashed and disappeared from the grand hall.

Zhou Weiqing stood up, looking at his shocked teacher. With a low tone, he said to Long s.h.i.+ya: “Looks like we have a chance… Mountain Lord Xue does love Tian’er very much after all. He must have gone to speak with Tian’er about what I said earlier. Perhaps, he has also sensed something wrong with her, that perhaps her current circ.u.mstance is not far from what I described.”

With Long s.h.i.+ya’s powerful Heavenly Energy surrounding them, the master and disciple pair were not afraid of having their conversation heard by the others. Long s.h.i.+ya nodded upon hearing that, saying: “Very good. In the end, being able to bring home the beauty, it will all depend on yourself.”

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “I will definitely succeed.”

Gu Yingbing stood there, looking at Zhou Weiqing with a venomous glare. At this moment, he was filled with regret. He truly regretted not killing Zhou Weiqing at that time when he had the chance. During that time, he had two Heavenly King Stage powerhouses with him. If he had killed Zhou Weiqing then and burned all evidence, killing Shangguan Fei’er and Lin TianAo at the same time, who would know it was him? There would be no such trouble right now! Of course, that was also because he had never dreamed that Zhou Weiqing would suddenly gain a Master like Long s.h.i.+ya. The notorious Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor… his own father had personally tested his cultivation just now. The strongest of the Heavenly Emperors… one could even call him the second strongest powerhouse in the entire world! With his threat there, his own Master would have to think twice about everything… would he actually still agree to let him marry Tian’er? No, the chances were dropping astronomically.

As Gu Yingbing thought up to that point, he immediately felt as if his heart was being burnt by a raging flame, almost to the point of physical pain. An intense jealousy overwhelmed him… Tian’er… she loved this man after all! But, no matter what, I will never give up on marrying Tian’er! Master must never leave her to him! I am Master’s main disciple! Furthermore, this is an important and critical chance to bring the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger and Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion Tribes closer together… how could Master possibly change his mind about this important marriage alliance?

As he thought further, Gu Yingbing’s expression finally turned better slightly, though the Lion King Gu Site’s expression remained cold and wary,  and he seemed to be subtly speaking to the Tiger King Xue Aoying. A few lines of something, but Xue Aoying only shook his head slightly, as if rejecting whatever suggestion.

Without question, Long s.h.i.+ya could easily guess what the Lion King was telling the Tiger King, likely trying to instigate the Tiger King to attack him. Of course, he was not too worried, after all he was extremely confident in his own cultivation and strength. More so, he knew that both Xue AoTian and Xue Aoying knew him well enough, and without Xue AoTian’s word, Xue Aoying would never take action against him. Now, it would all depend on Xue AoTian.

The battle of wits in the grand hall aside, on the other side, Xue AoTian had already arrived at his daughter’s room once more.

Tian’er was still sitting dazedly on her bed, as if she had never moved a muscle since he last saw her. Unlike the previous time, Xue AoTian did not walk directly to his daughter, instead standing at the room entrance, watching her silently.

Tian’er’s eyes were void and empty. Those beautiful eyes did not seem to not seem to have any soul left in them. Watching his daughter, Xue AoTian suddenly felt as if his heart had been stabbed brutally.

Tian’er being unwilling to marry Gu Yingbing, how could he not know? Yet, Xue AoTian stubbornly believed that feelings and emotions could change as time pa.s.sed. As long as Tian’er married Gu Yingbing, and the two spent more time together, she would eventually grow to love him. Furthermore, their marriage could also determine the future of the Heavenly Snow Mountain and the WanShou Empire. No matter how much he loved his daughter, he still had to think about the picture of his land and subjects.

The facts had also proven itself, that his daughter was also willing to follow his orders for the big picture, finally agreeing to the marriage. Yet, Zhou Weiqing’s words had also stabbed deeply into Xue AoTian’s heart. The deepest resonance was that Tian’er was his only daughter!

Indeed! He only had a single child… a single daughter! From young, he had always loved Tian’er so much. Yet, due to his cultivation, how much time had he actually managed to spend with her?

Now, his daughter had finally grown up… yet for his own reasons, he was about to force her to marry someone she did not love. In that instant, Xue AoTian felt deeply uncomfortable in his heart.

Especially when he saw his daughter’s empty eyes… that was a heavier blow than any words or thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Xue AoTian steeled himself before walking slowly to his daughter. Sensing someone entering the room, Tian’er finally lifted her head subconsciously.

“Father.” Tian’er gave a forced smile.

Originally confident that Tian’er would eventually comply to everything he imagined, only now did Xue AoTian realise how much bitterness there was in her smile, how forced it look. Once again, he felt his heart twist in pain. “Tian’er, is it that you truly do not want to marry Yingbing?”

“Ahh?” Tian’er gave a startled cry, but she quickly lowered her head, shaking it as she said: “No! Of course not! I am willing to marry Big Bro Gu.”

“Really? But… just a few moments ago, someone told me that I am not qualified to be a father… not qualified to be your father… because I am forcing you to marry someone you do not love. In fact, it is possible that after your marriage, you will leave me forever… permanently… is that true?”

Xue AoTian did not beat around the bush any longer, instead asking the question that was burning right in the forefront of his mind.

“What?” Xue AoTian’s words was like a bolt of lightning in Tian’er’s ears. Her entire body trembled as she stared at her father, unable to speak at all.

Xue AoTian’s shock in his heart was no less than his daughter. From her eyes, he could clearly sense that Zhou Weiqing’s words were truly accurate. It was likely that Tian’er would complete the marriage to Gu Yingbing, to bring about the alliance between the tribes, before ending her own life.

As a father, his understanding for his daughter was far less than a young man who had only known his daughter for over a year. In this moment, besides anger and indignation, the greatest feeling in his heart was guilt. What a close call! His daughter could have left him forever due to his own actions!

Thinking up to that point, Xue AoTian’s heart was throbbing in pain.

“Who… who said something like that…” Tian’er’s voice was trembling as much as her body, her eyes filled with disbelief. She had not actually noticed that someone would actually dare to speak to her father like this, but was fully shocked by the fact that someone had actually read her thoughts so completely.

Xue AoTian looked at his daughter, muttering to himself: “You would really abandon father like that?”

Tian’er said mournfully: “Originally, I have always lived happily, without a care in the world. Even when I originally ran away from home, it was more a rash, childish piquish thing to do, more to get back against Father for not asking me before formalizing the betrothal between Big Bro Gu and myself. It is not like I dislike Big Bro Gu… in fact if everything had advanced slowly and gradually, perhaps everything would have proceeded as you planned. However, when I ran away from home, I met him… these few years of being together, I lost my heart to him. Perhaps, he may not be the best, the most talented of all, but Tian’er’s heart can no longer hold anyone else but him. Father, don’t you know my character? If I have not truly given my whole heart to him, how could I possibly give myself to him? Father, don’t you love Tian’er anymore?”

As she spoke up to that point, she was already sobbing hard.

Xue AoTian abruptly raised his arms, pulling his daughter into a tight hug; as if he did not do so, she would disappear from his eyes. As the top powerhouse in the world, with the grand cultivation level of Heavenly G.o.d Tier… Yet at this very moment, his heart was filled with an emotion that he had not felt in a long time… sheer and utter fear… even terror. In that instant, Xue AoTian realised that compared to his daughter, everything else did not seem important anymore.