Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 926: One Hundred Years

Gongsun Ming and Hua Eversong stared at the Worldkeeper in complete shock. They had walked into the fortress expecting to be humiliated or turned away by a furious warlord. Instead they were facing a marriage proposal from one of the strongest beings in the cosmos.Hua found her voice first. She stepped slightly forward and her elegant silk robes rustled softly in the quiet room. "Lord Zhan. Are you truly proposing a union between our daughter and your grandson?"

"Yes, I am proposing a union between Lian and Li Yu." Zhan Tian replied. His arms remained crossed over his chest. "I care about the woman who honors a forgotten oath. Her actions speak louder than the blood of fools. She is worthy of this family."

Tielan and Canghai exchanged a warm smile. They had suspected Zhan Tian might do something like this. They both understood that Zhan Tian was doing this more to reward Lian than to manage Li Yu's life. He was officially acknowledging her worth and declaring that she possessed the strength and honor required to stand beside their son.

Li Yu stood frozen next to his parents as his mind completely stopped working. The sudden shift from a tense political execution to a marriage proposal gave him severe whiplash. His face turned a bit more red as the words finally sank in.

He looked over at Lian. The fearsome and stoic supreme general of the Veiled Lotus was currently blushing a vibrant and furious shade of red. The heat radiated all the way up her neck and colored her usually pale cheeks.

Lian was stunned because she had already resolved herself long ago to do absolutely everything for Li Yu. She had mentally prepared herself to be his sword, his shield and even his lowly servant if that was what he required of her. To be suddenly elevated to the position of his first wife by the Worldkeeper himself was overwhelming and dizzying.

If Li Yu chose to take only one wife, as both Zhan Tian and Canghai had done in their own lives, she would be the sole matriarch of his future household. It was a staggering turn of fate.

Li Yu felt his own face burning now. He was blushing wildly because he actually had a massive crush on her. He remembered the brief times they had interacted in the past. He remembered her beauty, her overwhelming power and the quiet command she carried in every step. It was just a crush because they had not actually spent very much time together but there were feelings undeniably there in his chest.

Everyone in the room could clearly see the mutual embarrassment and the obvious attraction between the two even if it was just budding affections. The heavy tension of the war vanished entirely. Lian felt a sudden surge of joy seeing Li Yu look so flustered and Zhan Tian smirked knowingly at his grandson.

Before Hua Eversong could enthusiastically accept the proposal on behalf of her daughter, Zhan Tian raised his hand to pause the celebration.

"While I believe that is a brilliant idea," Zhan Tian said with a softer and much more paternal tone. "Li Yu is still incredibly young. Love does not have a strict timeline but he and she must be allowed to make their own decisions on it. I will give him the exact same freedom that I gave Tielan and that my father gave to me."

The adults all nodded in understanding. They saw the wisdom in not forcing the bond immediately. A forced union could breed resentment even among the most honorable cultivators. Lian also understood the grace behind the words. She appreciated that Zhan Tian respected them enough to let them choose.

Li Yu, however, felt a sudden wave of disappointment wash over him. He believed his grandfather was simply teasing him with a grand gesture that he never intended to enforce.

From Li Yu's perspective, Lian was vastly out of his league. She was a general who commanded legions of elite warriors across the cosmos and she possessed a cultivation base vastly stronger than his own. He had not truly internalized the fact that his newfound background commanded respect throughout the cosmos. Regardless of his current cultivation level, any clan would view a union with him as a blessing when viewed from a political standpoint.

He was still comparing himself to her based purely on his own current strength. In that specific regard, he felt severely lacking. He felt he was not worthy of such a woman.

Canghai watched the subtle shifts in his son's expression. The perceptive father instantly recognized the insecurity hiding behind the furious blush. He knew his son had spent his formative years fighting for scraps in the dirt. It would take time for Li Yu to understand his true worth.

"Since they both need time," Canghai spoke up. He stepped forward with an elegant and reassuring smile. "How about we make a formal agreement instead? If after one hundred years, they both have not found someone else, they will be married."

The room paused to consider the terms.

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"One hundred years provides them ample time to truly get to know one another." Canghai explained while looking gently between Li Yu and Lian. "Perhaps true love will bloom naturally without the pressure of an immediate binding decree. It also provides either of them a graceful way out if they find another or are simply incompatible. If after a century, they decide they do not wish to be together, the agreement simply dissolves without any lost honor on either side."

Ming and Hua looked at each other and their eyes were bright with happiness. They had feared their brilliant daughter might spend her entire life living in the cold shadows serving a master who would never return her devotion. This outcome was the greatest blessing they could have ever hoped for her.

Every adult in the room clearly saw what Canghai was doing. He was building a bridge for the young generation to cross at their own pace.

Li Yu looked at his father with immense gratitude. He believed his father had seen his crush and was helping him secure a chance without embarrassing him. The hundred year buffer gave Li Yu the critical time he desperately needed to get stronger. It gave him the time to build a solid foundation that he felt would finally be worthy of standing beside General Lian.

"That is an excellent compromise." Zhan Tian agreed happily. He clapped his massive hands together. "Let us seal the agreement."

The tense political meeting instantly transformed into a joyous potential family gathering. The heavy stone walls of the receiving room felt too formal for such a warm occasion so the group relocated back to Zhan Tian's private courtyard. Servants quickly arranged a beautiful tea ceremony on the large stone table under the warm afternoon sun.

Li Yu was seated directly next to Lian. He was still blushing fiercely as he picked up the delicate clay teapot. He carefully poured fragrant spirit tea for Ming and Hua while treating his potential future in-laws with the utmost respect.

"Thank you, Li Yu." Hua smiled warmly as she accepted the cup. Her eyes crinkled with genuine affection. "You have your mother's fierce eyes but your father's steady hands."

Li Yu smiled and bowed his head slightly.

Lian mirrored his actions perfectly. She picked up a second teapot and poured tea for Tielan, Canghai and Zhan Tian with graceful etiquette. Her dragon scale armor clinked softly as she moved. Tielan reached out and gently touched Lian's armored forearm before she could pull away.

"You do not need to serve us like soldiers, Lian." Tielan said with a soft and maternal smile. "You have already done more for this family than we could ever repay. You sit as an equal here."

Lian felt a sudden tightness in her throat. She swallowed hard and nodded. "Thank you Commander."

"A formal agreement requires formal tokens." Zhan Tian announced loudly as the tea was fully served and everyone had taken a sip.

The Worldkeeper reached deep into his robes and pulled out a stunning necklace. It was forged from a single tear of brilliant crystal and hung on a chain that looked like it was woven from starlight. The ambient Qi in the courtyard immediately gravitated toward the gem.

"This is to keep my potential granddaughter in law safe." Zhan Tian said as he held the necklace out to Lian. "I do not want Li Yu to end up heartbroken and weeping in a corner because you took a stray strike on the battlefield."

Li Yu turned entirely red once again at the teasing comment. He looked away from the table in embarrassment as the adults chuckled softly. But internally, a warmth spread through his chest. It felt incredibly nice to have a grandfather who teased him.

Canghai and Tielan followed suit immediately. They both reached into their spatial rings to offer their own tokens of appreciation.

Canghai gifted Lian a small and exquisitely forged, defensive dagger. The blade hummed with active spatial laws. "Keep on your person." Canghai instructed her. "A general must always watch her own back."

Tielan handed her an item that looked exactly like a large and ordinary, grey rock. Despite its mundane appearance, it radiated an impenetrable defensive barrier. "It doesn’t look like much but it will keep you safe. I am not sure why the smiths of my clan make treasures look so terrible."

Lian accepted the treasures with trembling hands. She bowed her head deeply to each of them. She knew these were not just standard engagement gifts given out of tradition. This was the family's little way of personally thanking her for the lifetime of sacrifice she had poured into their son.

Ming and Hua presented their own gifts to Li Yu across the table. Ming handed him a beautiful jade bottle filled with luminescent cultivation pills.

"These are forged from the marrow of the Eversong spirit beasts." Ming explained with a kind smile. "They will vastly improve the density of your blood vitality. A strong foundation requires constant nourishment."

Hua followed by placing a heavy storage bag packed with rare body tempering herbs on the table. "You must visit our estate when the cosmic winds calm down." Hua offered warmly. "We would love to host you properly."

Li Yu bowed his head and thanked them sincerely. He carefully stored the precious items away in his ring. As the tea ceremony slowly concluded, Zhan Tian looked over at Gongsun Ming. The Worldkeeper's fierce eyes softened with a trace of genuine regret for the man sitting across from him.

"I apologize for what must be done to the clan of your birth." Zhan Tian said quietly. The jovial atmosphere dimmed for a brief second. "I know it is not easy to watch the halls of your youth burn."

"You do not need to apologize, Lord Zhan." Ming replied with a sad but incredibly peaceful smile. "I left them long ago and my true connection to that clan was severed the day they chose arrogance over honor. I tried to warn them several times but they refused to listen. They are already facing death. It is their own karma to bear and I will not shed another tear for them."

With the heavy burdens finally lifted and the future secured, the parents all stood up from the stone table. They began to chat amiably among themselves about the shifting cosmic borders and the returning crusade forces.

They slowly walked toward the main hall and deliberately left Li Yu and Lian alone on the stone benches to begin their one hundred years of getting to know one another.