148: Thank you for your help, brother.

Di Yan flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "My majesty does not need to be maintained by forcing my niece into marriage! This matter shall not be discussed further!"

Long Yin refused to give up and continued to persuade him, "Big Brother! Didn't you also take Second Brother's sweetheart, Chen Yue, as your consort back then?"

"Why is it that when it comes to me, it's not allowed?"

"Could it be that in Big Brother's heart, my daughter, Long Yin's daughter, is not as good as Second Brother's sweetheart?"

These words were somewhat malicious, causing even Xuanyuan Che's expression to change slightly.

Di Yan once again gave the System a mental thumbs-up.

Then, with a deep frown, he said, "That was a special circumstance. How can it be compared to this?"

Seeing this, Long Yin knew that ordinary persuasion was useless.

A trace of determination flashed in his eyes. He suddenly stood up and flipped his wrist, and a cold, glinting dragon-patterned short blade instantly appeared in his hand!

The tip of the blade turned back, pointing directly at his own heart!

"Big Brother!" Long Yin's voice was hoarse, filled with an undeniable resolve. "If you insist on rescinding the imperial edict and destroying this marriage, then you are not acknowledging me as your brother, nor Kuier as your wife!"

"Today, I, Long Yin, shall commit suicide in this Imperial Study to uphold Big Brother's majesty, and to repay Big Brother for saving my life and for the grace of fulfillment back then!"

"Husband!"

"Third Brother!"

Long Qinger and Xuanyuan Che cried out in alarm at the same time.

Long Kui was even more struck like a bolt from the blue. Her delicate body trembled violently as she looked at the scene before her in disbelief.

To force her to marry her Eldest Uncle, Emperor Yan, her father was actually using his own life to threaten him?!

Was... was this still the doting father she knew?

Long Yin's sharp gaze swept toward Long Qinger.

Meeting her husband's gaze, Long Qinger's heart struggled painfully to the extreme.

On one side was her daughter's happiness.

On the other side was her husband's resolve.

And on another side was her affection for Di Yan.

Finally, under Long Yin's almost coercive gaze, she also knelt down, her voice trembling slightly. "Big Brother, if you do not agree, and if my husband dies, Qinger will not live on alone either."

Di Yan's expression changed completely.

He looked at the Long Yin couple who were threatening him with death, then at the pale-faced Long Kui, and finally at the helpless Xuanyuan Che. A great sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

He knew Long Yin. This Third Brother was the most stubborn and fierce; if he said he would do it, he truly would!

Was he really going to watch his brother, whom he had finally reunited with, spill blood in the Imperial Study?

Seeing the situation reach such a stalemate, Xuanyuan Che sighed inwardly.

He received Long Yin's pleading look and knew that if he didn't speak up, someone might actually die.

So he had no choice but to step forward and bow to Di Yan, advising, "Big Brother, Third Brother's temperament has always been like this; you know it best."

"He is acting out of a heart of gratitude, and because he respects Big Brother to the extreme, he is behaving so radically."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "The imperial edict has been proclaimed, and the Myriad Laws Star Realm knows of it."

"If it is abruptly rescinded, it will indeed damage Big Brother's majesty."

"Third Brother and Younger Brothers Wife are so earnest, even staking their lives on it."

"Big Brother, why not agree for now? As for the rest, we can plan further later?"

Xuanyuan Che's words were clever, giving Di Yan a way out while hinting at the possibility of planning further later.

Di Yan feigned silence for a long time.

Inside the Imperial Study, the air was so heavy it felt as if it were about to drip water.

Long Kui looked at her parents kneeling on the ground, using their lives as leverage, then at her Second Uncle Xuanyuan Che's troubled expression, and finally at her Eldest Uncle Di Yan's frowning, shifting face.

Despair once again flooded her heart.

So, in her father and mother's hearts, marrying her to Eldest Uncle Emperor Yan was already so important that it surpassed her own wishes, and even their own lives?

How pathetic!

How laughable!

Just as Long Kui was disheartened and on the verge of collapse, a faint voice sounded in her mind:

"Niece Kuier, do not panic. I am also being forced into this."

"Your father and mother are threatening me with death; I cannot watch them commit suicide."

"I will temporarily feign agreement to stabilize them."

"Don't worry, I guarantee you in the name of the Emperor that even if you are my Beloved Consort in name, I will never do anything to wrong you."

"Between us, there is only the care of an elder for a Junior, and nothing else."

This was a transmission from Eldest Uncle Emperor Yan!

Long Kui suddenly looked up at Emperor Yan.

She saw Emperor Yan looking at her with a trace of helplessness and reassurance in his eyes, nodding almost imperceptibly.

A warm current, accompanied by a great sense of grievance, instantly broke through Long Kui's defenses.

She understood.

Eldest Uncle Emperor Yan was acting!

He was still protecting her!

All the anger, despair, and coldness transformed in that moment into infinite gratitude and trust toward Di Yan, as well as deeper heartache and confusion toward her parents' actions.

She lowered her head slightly to hide the churning emotions in her eyes and spoke no more.

Seeing that Long Kui had understood his meaning, Di Yan felt slightly relieved.

He let out a long sigh, his face filled with exhaustion and helplessness, and waved his hand at the Long Yin couple who were still kneeling:

"Enough, enough! You may stand up!"

"I... shall agree."

His voice was strained, filled with humiliation and distress.

Hearing this, a look of wild joy erupted in Long Yin's eyes. He immediately threw away the short blade and kowtowed heavily. "Thank you, Big Brother, for fulfilling my wish!"

Long Qinger also breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was a whirlwind of emotions, not knowing whether to be happy or sad, as she followed, "Thank you, Brother Yan."

The two of them stood up.

A brilliant smile was on Long Yin's face, as if the person who had just been threatening suicide wasn't him.

He rubbed his hands together and said impatiently, "Since Big Brother has agreed, then my dowry cannot be shabby!"

Saying that, he waved his hand, and three ancient-looking jade boxes appeared out of thin air on the Imperial Desk.

He pointed to the first jade box and said loudly, "Big Brother, inside this is the nine revolutions purple heaven pill!"

"This pill is a secret transmission of my Yao Race, and it is the first part of Kuier's dowry to help Big Brother increase his strength!"

He then pointed to the second, slightly smaller jade box. "Inside this is the inverted scale of a fallen ancestor of my Dragon Clan, the second part of Kuier's dowry!"

"After being nurtured by my Origin Dragon Qi for a hundred thousand years, it has become a supreme treasure."

"When worn, it can automatically protect its master and is sufficient to block any attack from an Early Stage Immortal Emperor five times! This treasure is for Big Brother's protection!"

Finally, he pointed to the third jade box. "This box is a small spatial Immortal Artifact, containing one hundred thousand immortal crystals, one hundred billion Immortal Stones, and various Heaven And Earth Treasures and Spirit Pills of Grade Three and above, totaling no less than five million catties! This is the third part of Kuier's dowry."

As this series of numbers was announced, Long Kui gasped, her beautiful eyes widening.

Had her father emptied more than half of the Yao Race Treasury?!

Nearby, Mu Xuanyin, Xuanyuan Che, and the others also looked shocked.

This was a massive gesture!

Di Yan immediately waved his hand. "Third Brother! How can this be? It's too precious! These are the foundations of your Yao Race; I absolutely cannot accept them!"

Long Yin took a step forward and said earnestly, "Big Brother! We are brothers; why distinguish between us?"

"If not for Big Brother risking his life to save us and selflessly fulfilling our wish back then, how could Long Yin and Qinger be here today?"

"These external things are not worth mentioning compared to Big Brother's kindness!"

Seeing that Di Yan was still about to refuse, his expression turned solemn as he threatened half-seriously, "If Big Brother doesn't accept, is it because you look down on this small token of mine? Or are you going to force me to take out that short blade again?"