The main reason behind their gibberish was still jealousy that the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect wasnât interested in their disciples.
âThey have four hundred and thirty thousand points on the imperial star ranking, a full hundred and fifty thousand points above the second place. Xuanyuan Dragon Sect has a good reason to extend their offer.â
âAs a big sect, they donât lose anything if these few donât make the cut. But if they donât do anything, they risk losing some top geniuses.â
That was true and left many speechless. If Long Wanying hadnât stepped out and instead allowed Jiang Qingliu to be taken away by Lan Sha, who knew what would have happened?
Amidst the discussion, Long Wanying waited for Jiang Qingliu's reply with a smile on her face.
âOur Xuanyuan Dragon Sect has a rich heritage and a reputation tracing back millions of years, whatâs there to be hesitant about? If you truly donât wish to let the children go, then why not join us too?â Long Wanying asked.
âMy body, heart, and soul all belong to the Azuresoul Palace, and nothing can sway me,â answered Jiang Qingliu.
âBut the Azuresoul Palace alone canât protect the children. Without our shelter, theyâll eventually die from some accidents, or theyâll never amount to anything in life,â Long Wanying said.
The lack of protection from the Azuresoul Palace was precisely the reason why Jiang Qingliu himself was never able to achieve much in life.
âI have no problem with giving you the three younger ones. As for Yu Ziqian, I hope you donât mind if I keep him? Heâs been with me for a long time, so itâs hard for me to just give him away. And considering that Iâm offering you three disciples, can I count on you to help Yu Ziqian out as well?â Jiang Qingliu asked, seemingly troubled by the offer.
But deep inside, he was thinking otherwise. Well, thanks for helping me get rid of these hot potatoes!
âYu Ziqian? You can keep him, alright, he hasnât proven himself inside there yet.â Long Wanying smiled.
âAlright, but it depends on the kidsâ own choices as well. Oh, and one more thing, their results inside shall be counted under our name,â Jiang Qingliu bargained.
âThatâs not an issue, we donât need to climb the ranking anyway.â After all, the battle between the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect and Dreamless Celestial Nation wasnât something that could be affected by mere disciples.
Trying his best to hide his excitement, Jiang Qingliu put up a straight face and said, âThen Iâll leave the rest to you. As for the Blueblood Starocean, I hope the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect can provide us with a little assistance.â
âYou neednât worry about that.â As she spoke, Long Wanying turned to Lan Sha, her gaze much colder all of a sudden. âAny thoughts on that?â
âNothing much, Iâm just impressed with how you decided the fate of the entire Azurecloud Continent and its countless lives with a few simple words,â Lan Sha said without a hint of emotion. âItâs fine if those kids have something in them, but wouldnât it be funny if you came all the way to the continent just for a few dimwits?â
âWeâll see about that,â Long Wanying replied.
âJiang Qingliu.â Lan Sha turned around. âWatch out for that woman if you donât wish to lose everything you have left.â
âThanks for the advice, but oneâs personality can be reflected by their looks, and Iâm not blind to the point where I canât tell the two of you apart,â Jiang Qingliu responded.
âHa, just as naive as you used to be. Tell me, which lady will possibly let you observe her true nature? Do you really think she could climb to where she is today without a few tricks?â Lan Sha shrugged.
âLan Sha, if you were any wiser, youâd pick your words more carefully. That pettiness of yours is the exact reason why you can only work for your brother and nowhere else.â Long Wanying was surprisingly calm even when being insulted.
âYeah, considering that bosom of yours, anything must seem petty.â Lan Sha let out one more menacing smirk before turning to take his leave.
âShameless!â
His words immediately drew scorn from the onlooking crowd, especially angering those from the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect.
âIf thatâs how he behaves at over seven hundred years old, itâs all we need to know about his personality. Thereâs no need to be bothered by him,â Long Wanying calmly said.
âItâs natural that people focus more on what draws their attention the most, and thatâs when they tend to say things they usually dare not to speak,â Jiang Qingliu commented.
âWhat do you mean by that?â Long Wanying cast an odd glance at him.
âNuh, nothing, donât mind me.â Jiang Qingliu caught a peek at her chest and shook his head awkwardly.
âIs there something you dare not speak as well?â Long Wanying asked.
âNope.â
âThat better be the case.â
âGot it.â
They were long past their youth, and naturally love affairs werenât something of much interest to them anymore, considering all their life experiences.
âHave you been all alone ever since he left this world?â Jiang Qingliu couldnât resist asking.
âDo you really have to ask that? If I were to remarry, the whole world wouldâve known,â Long Wanying replied.
âIndeed.â¦â Not knowing how to react to that, Jiang Qingliu could only give her a thumbs up. She was quite a bigshot now, after all.
âYou really are a boring person.â Long Wanying rolled her eyes.
âHaha, so it seems⦠â Jiang Qingliu bit his lips, âso, do you want to take revenge?â
âAre you kidding me? How am I supposed to take revenge? Do you even know who did it?â Long Wanying gritted her teeth.
âSorry to bring it up.â Jiang Qingliu lowered his head.
âAre you a moron or something?â Seeing him abashed only added to her frustration.
âIâm really sorry.â
Even the conversation sheâd had with Lan Sha wasnât as uncomfortable as this one. Some memories are best left unmentioned, and their pain forgotten. It took a while before she finally calmed down, her eyes hovering over the first name in the imperial star ranking.
âDo you know why I want this boy?â she asked.
âBecause he's at the top of the ranking with unimaginable potential?â
âWrong answer.â Long Wanying shook her head.
âThen?â
âDo you want the truth or the lie?â
âOf course I want the truth, why wouldnât I?â Jiang Qingliu was slightly taken aback.
âBecause you might not believe it, since even I myself donât completely believe it.â Long Wanying's gaze was somewhat mocking.
âTell me.â
âMy son was there during that fight, and both of them died together,â Long Wanying said.
âI⦠heard about it.â Jiang Qingliu nodded. What did this woman have to go through, to survive the pain of losing both her husband and son at the same time. Even so, she had lived to this day and even taken over his place as the Whitedragon Empress.
âLi Tianming looks very much like my son, especially with that bright, confident smile. His left eye is golden, just like my sonâs, and I want to take him with me.â Long Wanying couldnât help but gently smile when she looked at the name on the ranking.
Jiang Qingliu was dumbstruck. Of all the reasons she could give him, this was the truth?
âJiang Qingliu, donât you believe me?â She looked like she had fully anticipated his reaction.