20: Lin Dong, the new chosen one

The Nine Great Elders were shaken to the core by this address of "Fellow Daoist."

One must know that Leng Yue and Su Li only possessed quasi-emperor cultivation.

According to the rules of the Spirit Realm, they should have addressed Lin Xiaotian as Senior.

But they had forgotten one thing.

In the current Spirit Realm, what Emperor Realm powerhouse would dare not give Gu Qingtian a modicum of respect?

Even if Lin Xiaotian is a Great Emperor, when meeting the Three Matriarchs of the Gu Clan, he must lower his status and address them as equals.

"Greetings, Green Emperor." Leng Yue and Su Li returned the salute.

Lin Xiaotian laughed heartily, "I had the pleasure of meeting Sword Immortal Gu back in the day, so there is no need for such formalities, Fellow Daoists."

He turned to the side and introduced, "This is my wife, Zhao Wei, my son Lin Dong, and my daughter Lin Rou."

Zhao Wei smiled gently and nodded in acknowledgment, "Greetings, Mother of the In-Law."

Lin Dong and his sister immediately bowed, "Greetings, Aunt Leng Yue, Aunt Su Li."

Leng Yue and Su Li nodded with a smile.

At this moment, Lin Dong stepped forward and respectfully handed over a gift list, "Aunt, this is the list of betrothal gifts my father carefully prepared. Please take a look."

Leng Yue raised her jade hand, took the gift list, and glanced over it, her expression calm and unruffled.

"You have been very thoughtful."

Her tone was indifferent as she casually passed the list behind her.

"Grand Elder, put these into the treasury!"

"Yes, Second Mistress!"

The Grand Elder respectfully received it.

He hesitated for a moment before carefully opening the gift list to take a look.

Suddenly, his pupils dilated, and his voice trembled involuntarily:

"One... one hundred-thousand-year-old Snow Ginseng King!"

"Ten Nine-Turn Profound Pills!"

"One billion Spirit Crystals!!"

"A... a quasi-emperor weapon!!!"

"...!"

With every item announced, the other eight Elders gasped in shock.

When the quasi-emperor weapon was mentioned, the eight Elders were already trembling with excitement.

Their reaction, in the end, was simply due to a lack of experience.

From Gu Qingtian's birth to his Ascension, it had only been about five hundred years; for them, this amount of time was but a drop in the ocean.

As for Leng Yue, Gu Yun, and the others, being Gu Qingtian's closest family, what had they not seen?

Even Emperor weapons were not something they had only seen once, so naturally, they were not surprised.

For Cao Bu, these things were mediocre, though he didn't possess them himself.

Seeing the reaction of the Nine Great Elders, Lin Dong felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

There was a time when he was deeply insecure due to his humble origins.

Who would have thought that on the day he broke through to the Void Breaking Realm, the esteemed Green Emperor Lin Xiaotian would suddenly appear and claim to be his biological father?

At the time, he was completely stunned.

It wasn't until the Bloodline verification results came out that he had to accept this fact.

It turned out the Lin Clan had a bizarre tradition.

Every Clan Chief's son had to gain experience in the outside world and could only return to the clan after breaking through to the Void Breaking Realm.

And Lin Xiaotian was even more ruthless, having thrown the siblings into a remote Lin Clan with the same surname.

After confirming his identity, the first thing he thought of was Gu Lingshuang asking him to propose marriage.

In the past, he always felt he wasn't good enough for Gu Lingshuang, but now, he could finally stand tall and say: "Ling Shuang, I am worthy of you."

As he scanned the room, he suddenly noticed the calm-looking Cao Bu.

He could understand the composure of Leng Yue and the others; as the wife and daughter of Sword Immortal Gu, they had likely even seen Emperor weapons.

But why was this kid in the Heavenly Bridge Realm also so calm?

Before coming, Lin Xiaotian had told him the history of the Gu Clan, and this person before him had not been mentioned.

However, being able to stand alongside Gu Lingshuang and the others, he couldn't be simple.

He smiled and nodded at Cao Bu.

Cao Bu returned a faint smile, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the top of Lin Dong's head, a flash of imperceptible surprise crossing his eyes.

The four characters "son of destiny" made his eyes dazzle.

Gu Qingtian had just ascended, and someone else had already taken over as the protagonist.

The efficiency of the Heavenly Dao in adopting "godsons" was quite high.

In any given world, there can only ever be one son of destiny.

Only after the previous son of destiny dies or ascends can a new one be born.

The Child of Luck is different; many can exist simultaneously.

For instance, Gu Yun and his four siblings all possess the destiny of a Child of Luck.

"System, can I bind this Lin Dong?"

"Ding, no."

Cao Bu was taken aback: "Why?"

"A one-sentence summary: You ignored me in the past, and now you cannot afford to climb high to reach me."

Cao Bu pondered for a moment, recalling what the System had explained to him before.

Children of Luck are also divided into different ranks:

First rank: Child of Luck.

Second rank: son of destiny.

Third rank: Child of Chaos.

Fourth rank: Child of Grandmist.

According to the System's requirements, if he were to acknowledge a new foster father in the future, it would have to be at the level of a Child of Chaos at the very least.

As for things like son of destiny or Child of Luck.

To put it bluntly: You are not worthy!

To be clear, those who could be his foster father must either have overwhelming strength or Heaven-Defying Luck.

With his current potential, he has already surpassed Gu Qingtian.

Lin Dong, who is still in the "newbie village," is indeed not worthy.

However, this Lin Dong's mother still possessed a lingering charm.

And his own sister was stunningly beautiful, not much inferior to Gu Yingying.

Lin Dong withdrew his gaze from Cao Bu and bowed deeply to Leng Yue: "This Junior is sincere toward Ling Shuang. I will marry no one else in this life. I beg you, Aunt, to grant your consent!"

As his voice fell, he looked at Gu Lingshuang, his eyes filled with an unbreakable tenderness.

Gu Lingshuang looked back at him, returning a brilliant smile.

A flicker of emotion crossed Leng Yue's eyes; this betrothal gift was indeed valuable.

But to take away her precious daughter?

It wouldn't be that easy!

"You say you will marry no one but Shuanger, but I want to know, if someone were to take her purity, what would you do?"

Her gaze stared sharply at Lin Dong; whether he could satisfy her depended on how he answered next.

If it was acceptable, granting their union would not be out of the question.

If not, then what of the Immortal Emperor Clan? They could just roll back to where they came from.

Lin Dong was stunned at first, but then a cold glint appeared in his eyes, and the spiritual energy around his body instantly boiled: "If anyone dares to harm a single hair on Ling Shuang's head, I will make sure they wish for death but cannot die!"

His tone shifted, becoming gentle: "Aunt, rest assured, what I love is Ling Shuang herself. Even if the heavens collapse and the earth cracks, I will live and die with her."

He suddenly turned his head, gazing at Gu Lingshuang with a smile: "Besides, Ling Shuang is a heaven-favored daughter capable of killing enemies above her level. Who would be so blind as to come and seek death?"

Having said this, Lin Dong bowed to Leng Yue again: "This sentiment is witnessed by the heavens and earth, and verified by the sun and moon. I hope you will grant your consent, Aunt!"

Gu Lingshuang's eyes reddened slightly, crystalline tears shimmering within them.

At this moment, she firmly believed she had not misjudged him.

Leng Yue nodded imperceptibly; she was barely satisfied with this answer.

Her original intention was to have Lin Dong take a Heavenly Dao oath.

After thinking about it, it seemed a bit excessive, and in the end, she dismissed the idea.

"A marriage contract is not child's play. If you truly love each other, even without these betrothal gifts, I would have agreed."

After saying this, she turned to look at Gu Lingshuang: "Shuanger, what is your intention?"

Gu Lingshuang's pretty Face flushed slightly, and she nodded shyly: "Daughter is willing."

Leng Yue turned back and gazed at Lin Dong: "I grant this marriage; however..."

"Please speak, Aunt." Lin Dong felt a surge of warmth and quickly cupped his hands.

"Remember what you just said. If you ever violate it in the future, even if I have to shatter the firmament, I will surely bring an Emperor weapon to your Lin Clan to demand an explanation!"

At this moment, Lin Xiaotian stepped forward with a laugh: "Mother of the In-Law, rest assured. If this brat dares to let down Ling Shuang, you won't need to act; I, as his father, will be the first to break his legs!"

Zhao Wei followed closely, saying: "We, as a couple, assure you that we will never let such a thing happen."

Lin Dong's tone was firm, his voice resolute: "What I, Lin Dong, just said, I will do. If I violate it, may I die a horrible death."

What a joke!

In the entire Spirit Realm, who would be so fearless as to dare take the purity of Gu Qingtian's daughter?

If that truly happened, whoever it was, they would only have a dead end.

Leng Yue's expression softened slightly, and a smile finally appeared on her lips: "For Shuanger's sake, I will believe you this time."

After saying this, she turned to Lin Xiaotian and his wife, saying with a hint of apology:

"I ask for your understanding, Green Emperor. Before ascending, Qingtian's greatest concern was the children's marriages. As a mother, I have to be cautious."

Lin Xiaotian laughed heartily: "Mother of the In-Law, do not take it to heart. If anyone wanted to marry my Rou'er, my trials would likely be even more severe."

This remark caused Lin Rou's Face to flush instantly, her gaze drifting involuntarily toward Gu Yun.

Just moments ago, she had noticed that this man possessed an indescribable charm that attracted her, though she did not know if he was married.

This scene was coincidentally noticed by Li Xinxue.

She frowned inwardly and, without changing her expression, took Gu Yun's arm.

This left Gu Yun completely baffled, not understanding why Li Xinxue would suddenly do this.

Lin Rou immediately understood.

This must be one of Sword Immortal Gu's two sons.

Rumor had it that both were already married.

Now it seemed she had no chance.

Besides Li Xinxue, there was one other person who saw all of this.

That was Cao Bu!

His eyes flickered slightly, and he swept his gaze over Gu Yun without revealing anything.

A plan quietly emerged in his mind.

"Green Emperor, please come in. Let us sit down and talk slowly." Leng Yue made a gesture of invitation.

Lin Xiaotian nodded: "Please."