It's fair to say that Cai Yan at this moment is the goddess in the heart of Lin Yang, the loser from his previous life! With the goddess taking the initiative to pursue him, how many men could resist?
"Heh, you want both? And Wenji is just a concubine? Young man, are you dreaming? Where do you get your confidence to talk to me like that?" Hearing Lin Yang's words, Cai Yong was so angry that he laughed.
"Neither of us is married. Wenji has feelings for me, and I have feelings for Wenji too. How does that become wishful thinking? If I were the emperor now, would you still think that Wenji becoming a concubine would be unworthy of her? To put it bluntly, isn't it just that you think my status is too low now, and that marrying a concubine would be unworthy of Wenji's status?" Lin Yang said calmly.
Damn it, you're blatantly disrespecting your own status! If it weren't for the fact that you're my future father-in-law, I would have given you a real beating already! Don't you know that people like you who look down on the protagonist's status rarely survive past the second chapter?!
"You know that much!" Cai Yong said speechlessly.
"What's more important than face than practical benefits? If you really care about Wenji's happiness, then you should take a closer look at how much betrothal gift I'm offering! That's the true measure of my sincerity."
"How about this? In the future, I will implement a system of enfeoffment in the Wu Kingdom, granting my and Wenji's children a large fiefdom. What do you think? Even the emperor's concubine, or the wife of a top-tier noble family, could not possibly receive this treatment!" Lin Yang probed.
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong immediately closed his eyes to rest. Seeing this, Lin Yang felt somewhat embarrassed. However, to build a harem, one naturally needs to be shameless.
Moreover, this time there was no shouting or direct refusal, which is a good start.
It seems that Cai Yong, this old man, still loved Wenji very much. At least, in his eyes, Wenji's happiness was far more important than his own pride.
Otherwise, a more proud old man would have already driven Lin Yang away. The fact that he hasn't left means there's room for negotiation. It also illustrates the importance of a fiefdom.
"Yes, I have a plan. After the Wu Kingdom has been developed to a certain extent, I will take the initiative to launch an interdimensional war and invade other worlds. At that time, I will find a good world as the fiefdom for my children with Wenji. As for how to invade other worlds, that is a secret."
"Furthermore, having a complete world as a fiefdom and a dowry is an absolute sign of sincerity. Even if Wenji marries someone else, she could never have a world of her own," Lin Yang said.
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong finally opened his eyes. With his cultivation level, he naturally knew that Lin Yang hadn't lied. A complete world—that was a very sincere approach, and Lin Yang was indeed a very promising young man. If he could truly achieve this, it wouldn't be something to consider.
After all, as Lin Yang said, even marrying the emperor as a concubine wouldn't bring so many benefits.
However, that's still not enough! Perhaps we should continue testing him and see where Lin Yang's bottom line lies. In any case, the more benefits we squeeze out now, the better Wenji's married life will be in the future.
Before he knew it, Cai Yong had been led astray by Lin Yang. Previously, he was considering whether or not to marry off his daughter, but now, he was subconsciously thinking about how much dowry Lin Yang would have to offer.
“It’s still not enough!” Cai Yong said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang was immediately overwhelmed. This father-in-law was truly too difficult to deal with. A complete world! He was to grant him the status of a prince, allowing him to establish his own kingdom and become emperor within that small world—what kind of treatment was that? Why was he still dissatisfied? It was a real headache!
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Chapter Ten: Good, kid, you've got guts! You really have guts!
"Then I'll elope with Wenji! I'll just take Wenji and leave Luoyang." With that, Lin Yang waved his right hand, and thirty identical fourth-tier Yinglong appeared.
At the same time, a token appeared in his hand, and he stood in the middle of the Yinglong. Meanwhile, the auras of the thirty newly-advanced fourth-tier Yinglongs seemed to be subtly merging. The next instant, a beam of light appeared, directly enveloping Cai Yong.
The protective shield formed by these thirty Yinglong dragons working together could, even if it wasn't a match for Cai Yong, at least delay him for a while. After all, Cai Yong was currently only a fifth-level scholar. As long as he didn't disrupt the dynasty's fortune, he wasn't afraid of him.
Delaying for a while will suffice; it's just an elopement after all. Then, we can leave Luoyang with Cai Yan and run off to Jiangdong. Even if Cai Yong finds out, what can he do? Can he really conquer Jiangdong? Let him come if he wants; who's afraid of whom?
Upon hearing this, Cai Yan, who was leaning against the door, gaped in astonishment. Fighting her father for her sake, trying to elope? Was this an elopement or a robbery?
Suddenly, her face flushed slightly. The idea of eloping for love, leaving Luoyang, and returning to Jiangdong—it sounded like something out of a third-rate romance novel, so unrealistic.
However, for some reason, it suddenly made her feel much better. It seemed that this wasn't so bad after all.
Upon seeing this, Cai Yong stood up in astonishment. What kind of shameless person could say and do such a thing?!
"So, if I don't agree, you're planning to use them to stop me, then go out and find Wenji, and elope with her?" His usually calm tone finally softened.
"Haha, it's so easy talking to my father-in-law. That's right, since reasoning won't work, I'll just take her by force. Anyway, as a duke, taking a woman by force isn't a big deal! Even if the world knows, it will just be a good story, called 'The Duke's Fury for a Beauty.'"
"Moreover, father-in-law, your cultivation level is only at the peak of the fifth rank of scholar. As long as you don't mobilize the imperial court's fortune, I'm not afraid. At least, these thirty Yinglong at the early stage of the fourth rank, once they form an array, can already stop you."
"So, for safety's sake, father-in-law, please don't break the formation casually. Anyway, it won't take long; the formation will automatically dissolve in about half an hour. However, by then, Wenji and I will probably be back in Jiangdong. Next time, we'll bring our grandchildren to visit you," Lin Yang said confidently.
This is also the weakness of scholars. When scholars are powerful (as officials, they can mobilize the fortune of their jurisdiction and benefit themselves), they can rival immortals of the same level. However, when scholars are weak, they are truly very weak.
Relying solely on oneself, solely on reading, and solely on the principles gleaned from books, one's actual combat effectiveness is, well, let's just say it's questionable.
Otherwise, if Cai Yong were a martial artist, a general skilled in body cultivation, or a Taoist priest practicing immortality, Lin Yang wouldn't dare to act this way. But what can he do when Cai Yong is merely a scholar? If he were to elope with Wenji to Jiangdong, would Cai Yong still try to stop him? Certainly not!
As for the next time, he can bring his grandson and granddaughter directly. He believes that Cai Yong will not stop him out of consideration for them.
"Haha, how naive. If I were still a fifth-order Quasi-Saint, you might have a slight chance of success if you caught me off guard, but now, hehe!"
As he spoke, an astonishing aura erupted from Cai Yong, instantly crushing the thirty early-stage fourth-order Yinglong to the ground.
As for Lin Yang, he was immediately sent flying against the wooden door. There was another loud crash, but this time it was just a superficial injury. This meant there was hope!
Damn it, Cai Yong has already reached the sixth level of sainthood! This time, eloping or snatching someone from the Cai family is truly a hellish challenge! Suddenly, Lin Yang, who was originally full of confidence, felt his heart turn cold.
"Impossible, how did you break through?" Lin Yang asked subconsciously!
A sixth-order sage? How could Cai Yong have broken through to the next level so soon? In my previous life, wasn't Zheng Xuan the first scholar to break through? How come it's Cai Yong now? This must be my own butterfly effect.
"Haha, speaking of which, I have to thank you a lot. It was your reminder that allowed Wenji to bring back a large number of books from other worlds. And it is these books that have enabled me to comprehend the civilizations of other worlds every now and then. After comprehending them a few more times, the breakthrough to the sixth rank will be a natural outcome," Cai Yong said with a smile. As he spoke, he stroked his beard, looking quite pleased with himself.
However, Lin Yang wasn't happy about his smugness. So, the reason his attempt to forcibly abduct the woman had failed was entirely his fault! Wasn't this a case of reaping what you sow?
"No, Wenji brought the books back mainly because of my reminder. So, in a way, I owe you the favor of helping you achieve enlightenment. Since that's the case, to repay that favor, marry your daughter to me! That's right, I'm just using your kindness to get what I want, so marry your daughter to me." Lin Yang suddenly said with a smile.
The debt of gratitude for his enlightenment was an issue that Cai Yong could not avoid. In any case, as the Duke of Wu, no matter how much he disliked him, Cai Yong couldn't kill him.
Moreover, marrying off one's daughter to repay a debt of gratitude is a popular practice nowadays. It's a way to repay a great debt of gratitude with minimal effort and also establish a family connection, making it quite fashionable.
"Hmph, Wenji is the apple of my eye, how could I possibly measure her worth with gratitude? You're overthinking it. So, what do you plan to do now?"
Looking at Cai Yong, who resembled a major villain, Lin Yang couldn't help but get angry. Damn it, how could a transmigrator like himself be stumped by a native father-in-law like this?
Reasoning doesn't work, and neither does fighting, so the only option left is to take the crooked path! To be honest, I, a perfectly good young man, was forced down this crooked path, and it's all my father-in-law's fault.