Yu Yuanzhen was already old. His son, Yu Xiaogang, was a useless good-for-nothing, not to mention his younger brother, Yu Luomian, who was also unreliable,even having an illegitimate daughter. As for his legitimate grandson, Yu Tianheng, the moment he heard about what happened today, it was obvious he had the brains of a block of wood,so stupid it was unbearable. If they truly received Dugu Bo's full support and he later became clan leader, with this level of intelligence, who knew how quickly he'd drag the clan into ruin.
In comparison, the illegitimate Yu Tianxin was far better. He had talent, no less than Yu Tianheng.
More importantly, he was intelligent, had already shown strong leadership skills, led the Thunderclap Battle Team to prominence, and was diligent. In terms of combat strength, he had always been number one in Thunderclap Academy.
In any case, as the clan's great elder, he believed that his great-grandson Yu Tianxin would not necessarily lose to that so-called genius soul master, Yang Yunhai. Just a commoner soul master,so what if his martial spirit evolved? It was still just Blue Silver Grass.
How strong could he possibly get?
So, in his opinion, Yu Tianxin was far more suitable than Yu Tianheng to inherit the position of clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Thinking of this, the great elder tilted his head and let out a cold snort. "The match isn't even settled yet and they want my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to hand over a ten-thousand-year spirit bone? Not a chance!"
"Of course, if they want me to agree, fine,use the spirit bone as a betrothal gift and finalize the marriage."
It was certainly worthwhile to win over a Title Douluo for the clan, but in his view, there had to be some guarantee. They could not make a losing deal.
This reasoning was perfectly sound!
"Otherwise, it'd be like throwing meat buns to a dog,gone for good!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and his voice grew louder.
"Don't think just because I stay home all year that I don't know what's going on. Do I need to point out exactly how far Tianheng and that Dugu Yan have gotten?"
Damn it! Level 39, and yet utterly crushed by a Level 31 commoner soul master whose martial spirit was still Blue Silver Grass. When they sent someone to search for rare treasures and had an old hand take a look along the way, they found Dugu Yan was still a virgin! Useless!
Can't win a fight, can't win over a woman,what does he do all day? Clearly a good-for-nothing who spoils everything.
"Great Elder, please calm down. Brother Dugu is still a Title Douluo, this isn't something we can speak of lightly," Yu Yuanzhen said, frowning slightly. Anyone who could reach the Title Douluo rank was no fool.
Truth be told, even he was dissatisfied that after so long, Yu Tianheng still hadn't secured Dugu Yan.
He had personally arranged for Yu Tianheng to enroll in Heaven Dou Royal Academy. First, to establish connections with the royal family and strengthen his position.
Second, to lead the Heaven Dou Team to defeat Thunderclap Academy, thereby gaining prestige and convincing the clan members.
Third, to court and win over Dugu Yan, thus bringing Dugu Bo, the Title Douluo, into their fold.
With those three goals plus his own support, Yu Tianheng would be able to take over the clan leadership from him in the future and hold it securely.
Yu Tianheng had indeed succeeded in pursuing Dugu Yan, but progress afterward had been far from satisfactory.
"Then have your grandson hurry up and get it done! Even cooking the rice before setting the table would work! If you're too embarrassed to write that in the letter, I'll write it myself!" The great elder's neck flushed red with anger, slamming his palm on the table so hard that it cracked.
As the oldest and most senior member of the clan, he was not afraid of Yu Yuanzhen.
"That's right, exactly!" other elders echoed.
"There's no guarantee at all right now. If they break up in the future, wouldn't the ten-thousand-year spirit bone be given away for nothing?"
"Exactly! And a ten-thousand-year spirit bone, especially a power-type one, isn't something you find every day."
"To be honest, even if the rice was cooked, I still wouldn't think it was completely secure. If they argue later, they could still split. Since they're in a hurry, it's safer and gentler to do it through an engagement with a betrothal gift. I'm sure Dugu Bo could accept that."
"Dugu Bo is also useless,can't even find a better way to heal himself. Not as clever as a kid," someone muttered under their breath.
Listening to the heated discussion, Yu Yuanzhen felt a pounding headache.
Finally, he slammed his palm onto the chair's armrest and said in a low voice, "Enough!" The hall fell silent.
"I'll write the letter myself. Everyone, disperse."
With that, he got up and left.
Two days later, in the afternoon, at Heaven Dou Royal Academy team dormitory,
Tap tap tap. Yu Tianheng, looking anxious and conflicted, ran up to the third floor and knocked on Dugu Yan's door.
"Tianheng, how did it go?" The door quickly opened, and Dugu Yan, who had been waiting inside, asked expectantly.
Yu Tianheng looked awkward, opened his mouth, and finally said, "The clan is willing to give a ten-thousand-year power-type spirit bone as a betrothal gift to arrange our engagement."
He didn't dare say something like "or we could just do it tonight." At this moment, it was far too sudden and suggestive.
Dugu Yan fell silent, then forced a faint smile.
"Tianheng, I need to go back and discuss this with my grandfather. After all, he's my only family in this world."
"Of course." Yu Tianheng quickly nodded, then said awkwardly, "Yan, I'm sorry. I know this is abrupt, but the decisions of the elders are not something I can disobey or change at will."
Even his grandfather had personally written the letter,there was no doubt there was no room for negotiation.
"I understand." Dugu Yan nodded slightly. Some things didn't need to be said for her to understand.
Smiling faintly, she said, "Tianheng, go train. I'll pack up and go see my grandfather."
"Oh, okay." Yu Tianheng nodded instinctively, then turned nervously and left, heading downstairs.
Once he was out of sight, Dugu Yan's expression dimmed. She gently closed the door, leaned against it, her eyes blank for a moment. She sniffled, walked slowly to the desk, sat down, and stared blankly ahead. Her eyes gradually reddened, tears welling up.
Suddenly, she slumped forward, laying her upper body on the desk, hands covering the bridge of her nose.
Tears spilled over instantly, her body trembling slightly as she sobbed.
From the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's perspective, there was nothing wrong,after all, it was a precious ten-thousand-year power-type spirit bone. And Yu Tianheng truly had no power to oppose his elders' decision.
But still…
She felt like she was being traded as if she were an item, her price being that spirit bone.
All their time together,under the weight of interests,seemed so fragile. If she refused, did it mean… She didn't dare think further. Her heart ached unbearably, and she couldn't stop the tears. Her body shook with sobs.
She didn't know how long it took before she finally stopped, wiped her eyes, and slowly stood.
She went to the bathroom, washed her face, glanced at her swollen red eyes, then returned to her seat.
She wiped the water stains from the desk with a tissue, then wrote a note, slipped it under Yu Tianheng's door, and went downstairs.
Seeing no one on the first floor, she quickly left the dorm, avoiding people as she left the academy.
Before long, a carriage rolled slowly toward Heaven Dou City in the setting sun.
When she returned to the Dugu residence, it was nearly evening. She asked the butler and learned Dugu Bo was still out.
She went straight to her room, lay down on the bed, stared blankly at the ceiling as tears once again streamed down her cheeks.
She quickly turned over, pulled the quilt over herself, and began to sob, her body trembling.
After a long time, the sound stopped, the quilt no longer moved, as if she had fallen asleep.