Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi

"A gamble is a gamble—you lost this time!"

Xiao Yi glanced calmly at Xu Ying.

Since their encounter with Tang Long and the others, Erha and Da Heng had not betrayed them.

Xiao Yi had come to regard both the man and the beast as companions.

Now that his companions were being humiliated, how could he simply stand by and watch?

Furthermore…

He could tell that Erha and Bai were indeed deeply in love. Otherwise, he wouldn't have intervened.

Xu Ying's face turned alternating shades of green and white, his eyes blazing with fury.

He could never have predicted that Xiao Yi's group possessed such heaven-defying techniques, capable of instantly transforming a mixed-blood Wolf Demon into a creature as noble as a Beast Emperor. This level of bloodline was comparable to Bai's ancestor, the Snow Wolf Emperor!

Not only had Xu Ying lost the wager, but he had lost completely.

Utter defeat!

Thinking about the terms of his bet with Xiao Yi—that if he lost, Bai and Erha could be together—he felt as though he had swallowed several dozen live flies.

Little Lin said with a mocking grin, "What now? A dignified disciple of Baiyu Capital Holy Mountain trying to renege on his words?"

Jin Yi crossed his arms, his demeanor icy. "That's not something a lofty Baiyu cultivator should ever stoop to!"

"You…"

Xu Ying's face turned even darker. Seeing the growing number of spectators around them, some of whom were already pointing at him and whispering, he could only let out a cold snort and grit his teeth. "As a disciple of Baiyu Capital, my word is my bond. Reneging is out of the question. Fine! Bai, I release you to them!"

With a casual flick of his wrist, the collar around Bai's neck snapped open with a resounding click.

Awooo!

Bai let out a long howl, bounding toward Erha with unrestrained joy.

Awooo!

Erha, too, roared and charged toward Bai.

The two mystical beasts rubbed against each other affectionately.

Their eyes brimmed with jubilant delight.

Then…

The pair of beasts approached Xiao Yi's group, their forepaws lowered in a gesture of reverence. In unison, Erha and Bai exclaimed, "Thank you, Lord Xiao, Lord Lin, and Lord Jin, for your help!"

"Rise, now!"

Xiao Yi waved his hand dismissively.

Little Lin remarked nonchalantly, "Since you're our companions, we naturally couldn't just stand idly by while you were mocked and insulted!"

Jin Yi spoke coolly, "You bear my bloodline as well as my brother's bloodline. Don't bring shame to us!"

"Rest assured, my Lords!" Erha said hastily.

Bai's voice was crisp as she exclaimed, "My Lords, Bai will certainly keep a close watch on Erha!"

"Good!"

The group nodded in satisfaction.

Behind them, Da Heng clenched his fists tightly, his gaze toward Xiao Yi and the others brimming with gratitude.

Xu Ying, his face darkened, muttered, "Now then, are you ready to follow me?"

"Lead the way!" Xiao Yi said with a relaxed smile.

"Hmph…"

Xu Ying let out a cold snort, his expression bitter as coal. Turning on his heel, he began leading them toward the Gathering of the Virtuous Tower.

Trailing behind the group, Erha and Bai nestled into each other like enamored lovebirds, rubbing against one another with affection.

Although Erha's bloodline rank had been elevated, his personality remained unchanged, as loquacious as ever: "Bai, do you know what my favorite color is?"

Bai tilted her head thoughtfully: "White?"

"Wrong!"

Erha chuckled mischievously, gazing at her with love-struck eyes, "My favorite is your radiant beauty!"

"Oh, stop it…" Bai murmured, her face flushing shyly.

Erha went on, "Do you know what I most want to do?"

Bai shook her head: "I don't know!"

Erha grinned and teased, "When I'm old, I want to kiss your toothless gums!"

A rosy blush spread across Bai's cheeks. "Where on earth do you learn things like this…"

Wagging his tail, Erha circled her twice before declaring, "Sweet words might be learned, but my love for you is real!"

"Awooo…"

The two beasts let out occasional howls of delight.

Both seemed eager to find a cozy den to snuggle into together.

Jin Yi, his face darkened, muttered, "I'm starting to regret helping him now."

Little Lin twitched the corner of his mouth as he turned to Da Heng, "Did you teach him this?"

Da Heng let out an awkward cough, visibly embarrassed: "If I could teach him things like this, I wouldn't still be single at almost thirty…"

"…"

The group exchanged glances.

A sudden wave of existential crisis hit them—they felt as if their lives were inferior to a dog's…

Xu Ying, meanwhile, listened on with an utterly bewildered expression. A strong urge to ask Erha for advice stirred within him. But then he remembered he had just lost a bet and dismissed Erha's bloodline as beneath him. Seeking Erha's help now would be utterly humiliating.

"Later… I'll ask Bai to help me bring it up…" Xu Ying thought inwardly.

After all, if he could master Erha's skills for charming others, wouldn't those haughty senior sisters who always played hard to get fall right into his hands?

Still.

He needed to maintain his aloof demeanor for now.

A short while later…

The group arrived at the Gathering of the Virtuous Tower.

Within each of the four main cities stood one Gathering of the Virtuous Tower.

These towers served to house young talents arriving from all across the land to attend the marriage tournament.

Having resolved to improve relations with Erha for the sake of learning his flirtation techniques, Xu Ying's demeanor toward Xiao Yi's group noticeably softened. "Everyone," he said gravely, "the Gathering of the Virtuous Tower is filled with young prodigies participating in the marriage tournament. Not one of them is easy to deal with. On top of that, you're all competitors. It's best to keep things low-key to avoid unnecessary conflicts."

"Are there many participants in this tournament?" Little Lin asked.

"Of course!"

Xu Ying nodded, his expression proud. "This is the marriage tournament for Her Highness, the Holy Maiden of Baiyu Capital. Experts from far and wide have flocked here to compete. Were it not for Baiyu's secluded location, even more people would have shown up…"

"What's the tournament's structure?" Xiao Yi asked.

At the moment, he knew nothing about the marriage tournament.

Xu Ying hesitated briefly before replying, "The tournament has three stages. The first stage will take place in the four major cities simultaneously three days from now. Each city has one hundred 'Marriage Tokens,' which will require all participants to compete for them. Only by gaining a token can you proceed to Baiyu Capital Holy Mountain for the next two stages—but I can't reveal anything about the second and third stages right now…"

"Even marriage requires a three-stage tournament?"

"There are too many competitors; it's natural to eliminate the weaker ones!"

The group discussed further.

Xu Ying led them into the Gathering of the Virtuous Tower, where they registered their details at the front desk.

Through Xu Ying's arrangement, they were allocated several premium 'Sky-Class' rooms.

Generally speaking.

These Sky-Class accommodations were reserved for prominent guests from elite factions.

Aware of Xu Ying's shift in demeanor, the group felt puzzled but chose to reciprocate his politeness with friendly smiles nonetheless.

However…

Just as they were about to accept the keys to their rooms, an angry roar erupted from nearby: "What did you say? The Sky-Class rooms were given to those people just now? Damn it! Do you people even know how to manage things around here? Do you let any random riffraff into Sky-Class rooms?"

"Hey!"

From behind Xiao Yi's group came the booming voice of three hulking figures striding forward. Their arrogance palpable, they snarled, "Hand over your room keys!"