Ling Residence Ancestral Home.

Council Hall.

The hall was filled with Ling Family Members, all of whom were individuals with deep cultivation bases, essentially the key figures of the Ling Family. Those seated here held a certain level of influence.

Ling Xuefei was also present, sitting to the left of the Ling Family Patriarch, Ling Jifeng, indicating her status and importance within the family.

The Ling Family was holding a meeting to summarize the experiences and lessons learned from the Lii Family's downfall. After numerous discussions involving dozens of people, they reached a conclusion, and Ling Family Patriarch Ling Jifeng began, "Ultimately, we exist in a world where the strong prey on the weak. The strong seize everything, while the weak can only be passively beaten. Although our Ling Family has some financial resources, we lack manpower. For a thousand years, there hasn't been an Upper Immortal from the Purple Mansion among us, which reveals our weakness. Otherwise, not to mention the Lii Family, even a Tribal Leader like the King of Eastern Mountain would not dare invade lightly..."

"Of course... those who become Upper Immortals of the Purple Mansion are all geniuses, but geniuses are rare and cannot be demanded. Our weakness isn't due to a lack of effort; rather, it's because our Ling Family People lack aptitude, and no geniuses have appeared..."

"To ensure our family doesn't suffer humiliation and beatings in the future, to prevent similar power struggles, we must devise a foolproof strategy, a long-term plan..."

"This foolproof strategy, this long-term plan, I actually thought of last night and proposed it this morning. Now, I've called everyone here to hear your opinions..."

"This plan is to form alliances through marriage, to marry into powerful families..."

At this point, the patriarch Ling Jifeng glanced down to his left where Ling Xuefei sat, her face turning red as she lowered her head.

"This powerful person is none other than Wang Xiaoqiang, who saved our Ling Family from peril. Wang Xiaoqiang is an Administrator at the Wind Rain Pavilion, responsible for assassination tasks, holding significant authority. Moreover, Wang Xiaoqiang is strong, intelligent, and resourceful, as evidenced by how he punished the Lii, Ma, and Teng families yesterday..."

"Yesterday, he did our Ling Family a great favor without seeking anything in return. He even shared a portion of his gains with Xuefei to bring back to our family. Although the share wasn't large, it demonstrated his generosity and integrity, making him worth becoming close to..."

Before Ling Jifeng finished speaking, there was a flurry of murmurs below:

"Indeed, Wang Xiaoqiang is remarkable. He joined the Wind Rain Pavilion as an assassin and, within a few months, ascended to an Administrator. His abilities are unquestionable..."

"He also appears younger than thirty, charming and suave, truly talented and handsome, haha..."

"Come on, Wang Xiaoqiang is Xuefei's superior, and don't you think, Wang Xiaoqiang and our Xuefei are a perfect match..."

In fact, the proposal to betroth Ling Xuefei to Wang Xiaoqiang had already been quietly discussed among the family heads the night before. Now, when the patriarch Ling Jifeng proposed marriage, everyone naturally pushed to make the match.

"Wang Xiaoqiang is the candidate for our marriage alliance..." Ling Jifeng said with great satisfaction, "In the name of the patriarch, I betroth Xuefei to Wang Xiaoqiang..."

"Of course, our Ling Family is not inhumane. Wang Xiaoqiang risking his life to save our family was all for Xuefei's sake. Wang Xiaoqiang, as an Administrator at the Wind Rain Pavilion, and our Xuefei, just an assassin; why would he act for Xuefei's sake unless he liked her? Moreover, Wang Xiaoqiang and our Xuefei are undoubtedly made for each other..."

"Yes, indeed, they are talents who complement each other, a match made in heaven!" Everyone echoed, full of joy and excitement. Even Ling Xuefei's father, Ling Chengfeng, was immensely gratified, clearly hoping his daughter would marry Wang Xiaoqiang. This union would also elevate his status within the family.

Amid the crowd's voices, Ling Xuefei blushed red as dawn, lowering her head as far as she could. Discussing this privately would have been better, but having a meeting to discuss it made her feel trapped as a young lady.

"As long as our Xuefei marries Wang Xiaoqiang, our Ling Family can live in peace from now on." Patriarch Ling Jifeng concluded, then turned his gaze to Ling Chengfeng, "Seventh Brother, Xuefei is your own daughter, what do you think?"

Ling Chengfeng immediately stood up and said, "Patriarch, there's no question about it, I wholeheartedly agree, and besides, our Xuefei likes Wang Xiaoqiang too, they are a perfect match..."

Before Ling Chengfeng could finish, Ling Xuefei shyly exclaimed, "Father, how can you say that..."

"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong, daughter? It was your mother who mentioned that you often call out 'Brother Qiang, Brother Qiang' in your dreams... isn't that Brother Qiang exactly Wang Xiaoqiang?"

"Haha, it turns out they've been together for a while..."

"That makes it even better, since they're already together, let's not delay and push for this matter as soon as possible..."

"Yes, indeed, we shouldn't let Wang Xiaoqiang take the initiative; we should be the ones to propose this... After all, he's an Administrator at the Wind Rain Pavilion, a notable figure... and he has a great favor over our Ling Family, so we should lower our posture..."

"Right, right, time is of the essence, why not settle the matter by tomorrow?"

The Ling Family People discussed enthusiastically, while Ling Xuefei was in extreme agony. She had no objection to marrying Wang Xiaoqiang; on the contrary, she looked forward to it as she liked him. However, she feared that rushing it might backfire.

"Patriarch Uncle, I still need to consider this matter, we all need a bit more time to think..." Ling Xuefei spoke up.

Her words dampened half of everyone's enthusiasm, leaving them astonished. Patriarch Ling Jifeng asked, "Xuefei, what is there to consider? What's the need for more thought..."

"Little Qiang... he, he seems to have another woman..." Ling Xuefei thought of Fairy Zixia and blurted out.

"Impossible, I've heard Wang Xiaoqiang isn't married yet, you're not married, he's not married, so what's there to consider..." Ling Xuefei's father, Ling Chengfeng, said.

"He may not be married, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a woman. Right now, there is a woman by his side..." Ling Xuefei's mind was full of Fairy Zixia's image. Fairy Zixia had always been by Wang Xiaoqiang's side, and Xuefei felt their relationship was undoubtedly deeper than hers with Wang Xiaoqiang.

"A woman?? That's quite normal, isn't it? Aren't men typically polygamous? Your Eighth Uncle here, doesn't he have seven wives?" said Ling Tianfeng, ranked eighth, grinning. Indeed, Ling men, besides Ling Chengfeng who had one wife, generally had multiple wives.

"Precisely because he has a woman by his side, we must act fast. As the saying goes, the first to strike gains the advantage. If you marry him first, you become the principal wife, with the most say, and if you have a child earlier, he'll certainly value you more..." Ling Jifeng said shrewdly.

"Your uncle is correct, Xuefei, women should be devoted to one man, but don't expect men to be equally faithful to one woman..." Ling Chengfeng imparted wisdom to his daughter, somewhat earnestly.

"Dad, didn't you always stay true to Mom?" Ling Xuefei asked her father.

"Ah, that's just because I lack the ability; if I had the ability, I would've... ahem..." Ling Chengfeng said awkwardly. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)

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