âAunty, I just had a thought, though Iâm not sure if I should say it?â said Nie Li. Although heâd been tortured by Long Shuyun, he knew that this was still one of his few chances to speak with her. If he missed this opportunity, then who knows when the next time would be?
âSpeak!â Long Shuyun cast a glance at Nie Li with a âhmphâ. She was still rather unhappy about the way things had turned out. If Long Yuyin wasnât there with them, then her temper wouldâve erupted a long time ago.
âAunty has a high position inside the Dragonseal Family. With your support, Long Yuyin would have a really good chance of obtaining the Patriarchâs position. Itâd still be slightly inferior to Long Tianmingâs, but it shouldnât be too far apart.â Nie Li said as he probed.
âYouâre wrong. The Ancestor of the Dragonseal Family1 supports Long Tianming! Therefore, it wonât be easy for Long Yuyin to obtain the Patriarchâs position.â Long Shuyun lightly looked over Nie Li as she continued, âDonât think that Iâm unaware of what youâre planning. Youâve helped someone from all the three major families establish a foundation. Itâs all for your competition over the Sect Masterâs position. However, all three of them wonât have an easy time trying to obtain the Patriarchâs position in their respective families!â
Nie Li shook his head. âAbout that, Aunty has misjudged me. I didnât approach these three on purpose, just to lift them up for my own purposes!â
âOh? Then whatâs your motive? Have I misjudged you?â Long Shuyun looked at Nie Li with that âsmileâ again. She obviously didnât believe his words.
Long Yuyin looked at Nie Li. She firmly believed that Nie Li wasnât just using her. After all, her relationship between Nie Li was built under many coincidences, it wasnât Nie Li whoâd specifically tried to get close to her. If Nie Li been trying to get close to her, then he wouldnât have confronted her in the Saint Soul Grounds.
âAunty should also be able to see it. The Divine Feathers Sect has too many factions that are competing intensely against each other. There are many people who tried to change it, but they werenât able to do so. Hierarch Skycloud, for example. Heâd rather become a hermit and not bother about any of the sectâs matters. Iâm certain that if this goes on, then the Divine Feathers Sect will definitely fall apart within two hundred years!â Nie Li said firmly.
Long Shuyun was silent.
Long Yuyinâs eyes were wide â she obviously hadnât thought as far as Nie Liâs words were predicting.
âContinueâŠâ Long Shuyun said.
Nie Li slowly explained, âEveryone keeps prioritising their own benefits. Everyone knows that there are a lot of problems inside the Divine Feathers Sect, but they keep competing against each other. If this continues, then the Divine Feathers Sect will definitely fall. One hundred years ago, the Divine Feathers Sects was ranked third among the six major sects. Now, weâre at the tail end of that ranking. Even if Sect Master Situ tries to change the current situation with all his heart, he canât do anything because the three major families all have their own agendas. After all, the combined power of the three major families has already surpassed the Sect Masterâs!â
Long Shuyun looked down at him. âWhat are you trying to say? Are you trying to tell me that you can change the situation with just your own strength?â
âTrying is better than doing nothing. Of course, itâs impossible to change anything with my strength alone. However, I have Gu Bei, Li Xingyun, and Long Yuyin. I think that their talents are pretty good, and that theyâre also people worth trusting. Theyâre much better than the likes of Gu Heng, Long Tianming, and Li Yufeng. If those three wind up in charge of the three major families, then the Divine Feathers Sect will have a dark future, where it ends up torn apart. However, if Gu Bei, Li Xingyun and Long Yuyin can take control of the three major families, then everything will be totally different!â
Nie Li impassionedly reasoned, âWith my strength alone, itâd be hard to accomplish that feat. But I, Nie Li, am willing to use everything I have to help Gu Bei, Li Xingyun, and Long Yuyin ascend to their positions! Iâm not doing this for myself. Iâm doing this so that in one hundred years, the Divine Feathers Sect will still be a safe place for us all!â
Long Shuyun was mesmerised by Nie Liâs solemn vow, so much so that she no longer knew what was true and what was false. In this world, almost everyone worked for their own benefits. Who would do something that wouldnât benefit themselves, but others instead? In her heart, Long Shuyun still didnât believe him very much.
However, Long Yuyin was moved by Nie Liâs words. So, it turned out that Nie Li had such a huge dream. She looked at him. She compared herself to the man before her, and felt petty and low. Everything sheâd done was to benefit herself; however, Nie Li had been thinking of the entire Divine Feathers Sect. This lifted Nie Liâs image even higher in her heart.
Long Shuyun twitched her lips in disdain. âYour words are only enough to bluff little girls. You want me to believe you? Hmph! Do you really think Iâm that childish?â
It was true that Nie Liâs motives included something other than âfor the good of the Divine Feathers Sectâ; however, he could still look into his heart without shame. For the entire Draconic Ruins Realm, their greatest threat wasnât from organizations like the Demon Godâs Sect. It was the supreme existence â the Sage Emperor!
Countless numbers of experts from the Draconic Ruins Realm had fearlessly performed divinations on destiny, all to confront the Sage Emperor. The death toll far surpassed thousands, or even tens of thousands.
In order to protect his family and clansmen, Nie Li could embark on his noble plan with a clear conscience.
Nie Li looked at Long Shuyun and smiled. âIt doesnât matter if Aunty believes me or not. Either way, thereâs no disadvantage to it. Right?â
Long Shuyun was silent for a moment, then said, âThatâs true. Then, what do you plan to do?â It didnât matter what Nie Liâs real motives actually were; the ones who he was pushing onwards included her daughter. And that was enough for her. As long as it didnât threaten her, she didnât care what he did.
Nie Li looked Long Shuyun in the eye and said in a serious tone, âSome of the things I have up planned are extremely huge. I wish that no matter what happens, Aunty will stand by me. Helping me also means helping Long Yuyin!â
âThat depends on my mood!â Long Shuyun crossed her arms over her chest and calmly said, âIf you need my help, send a message through Yinâer. Maybe Iâll consider it!â
Long Shuyun didnât look concerned in the least; however, Nie Li knew that heâd be able to convince her. Long Shuyun was very caring towards her daughter. If Nie Li could convince Long Yuyin, and have her coax and pester her mother, then he wouldnât have to worry about whether Long Shuyun would refuse.
Now that he had help from a 9-stage Dao of Dragon Realm expert, many things would be a lot easier to handle.
Long Shuyun looked at Nie Li as she said patiently, âBrat Nie Li! Youâre really wonât marry my daughter? If you marry her, then as your mother-in-law, how could I not help you? When Yinâer ascends to her position, weâll also do our best to help you obtain the Sect Masterâs position. If you keep things this way, then arenât you afraid that, after you raise Yinâer to her position, we might abandon you? If that happens, you wonât have anything more to gain!â
âMother!â Long Yuyin stomped her feet in embarrassment.
Nie Li righteously replied, âItâd be hard to find any man who wouldnât have his heart moved by a woman as good as Long Yuyin. However, if the marriage is linked to benefits, then it would be disrespectful towards Miss Long Yuyin! How could I, Nie Li, be that kind of despicable person? Therefore, we should carefully think this matter over!â
Long Shuyun looked at Nie Li in a daze. She really couldnât understand this boy. If Nie Li managed to push Long Yuyin to the Patriarchâs position and marry her, then his chances of obtaining the Sect Masterâs position would be much higher. Not to mention that there was nothing more a man could ask for in terms of Long Yuyinâs appearance. However, no matter how she tried to persuade him, he wouldnât agree. Could there really be people in this world who didnât work to benefit themselves, but to benefit others?