Extensive Marriage Alliances

Pingyun Market

Huang Zhenghua felt a stir of excitement in his heart when he received the arrangements for the marriage alliances.

The Huang family was divided into five branches and eight lineages. The five branches had been passed down from their ancestors to the present day. As for the eight lineages, they consisted of collateral branches that had been elevated only after producing cultivators. This system differed very little from the Main and Branch Lineage system of the Zhou family.

Following the death of Huang Yuanshan, the second branch of the Huang family suffered from a dwindling pool of descendants, leaving Huang Zhenghua to become the head of their branch.

However, the second branch had expended an enormous amount of resources on refining the Green Jade Pills in their earlier years. Coupled with their gradual decline over time, they had very few cultivators left. Even with Huang Zhengming's favoritism and care, it was difficult to fundamentally reverse the second branch's waning fortunes.

Now that the Huang family intended to form marriage alliances with multiple clans, his second branch had been assigned to the Zhou family.

"The Zhou family has not yet existed for more than three generations. Marrying a woman from their clan means the probability of birthing a child with spiritual roots is significantly higher."

Huang Zhenghua secretly rejoiced. Although his branch numbered several hundred people, their blood relations to Qi Condensation cultivators had long since grown extremely distant. Even if the entire second branch exhausted their wealth to marry wives and take concubines, the likelihood of producing a child with spiritual roots remained abysmally low. To this day, they had only produced two, and both were mere seedlings with a spiritual light of just over an inch.

Unlike other families whose lineages stretched back for numerous generations, the Zhou family was still within its first three generations. The chances of their female descendants birthing children with spiritual roots far exceeded those of ordinary mortals.

He also understood that this was Huang Zhengming's way of doing his utmost to help the second branch revitalize itself.

When the other branches formed alliances with cultivation families, they mostly wedded mortal women of distant bloodlines. Only his second branch had secured a truly favorable match.

With that thought, he quickened his pace and strode into the Baixi Residence.

"Have things been well lately, Brother-in-Law?"

Hearing Huang Zhenghua's greeting, Zhou Minghu sneered inwardly.

On regular days, the Huang family never bothered to remember that they were related by marriage, treating them merely as eyes and ears to monitor the Zhou family. Now that the time for marriage alliances had come, they suddenly brought up their familial ties again.

Then again, everything in this world was driven by profit. Which of these cultivation clans wasn't connected by blood or marriage? Yet, when it came time to strike, they remained utterly ruthless.

"The market has been peaceful, so I am naturally quite at ease and content," Zhou Minghu replied with a faint smile.

Huang Zhenghua laughed, "Hahaha! That is wonderful to hear. It means my day and night patrols have not been in vain."

Hearing this, Zhou Minghu drew a small wine flask from his sleeve-barely a fifth of the size of a standard jar of Baixi Brew-and pressed it into Huang Zhenghua's hand. "The nights are damp and cold. Use this to warm your body, Brother-in-Law. I hope you won't look down on it."

A single jar of Baixi Brew cost one Spirit Stone, so even this small flask was quite valuable. Huang Zhenghua accepted it with visible delight.

"Brother-in-Law, I actually came today to discuss a certain matter with you."

"Oh? I wonder what it is you wish to discuss?" Zhou Minghu asked, feigning ignorance.

Huang Zhenghua's expression remained perfectly natural. "My eldest son, Xuanxu, turns eighteen this year, yet he has still not found a suitable match. It has given me quite a headache. I came today to request a marriage alliance with your family, so that our two houses might bind ourselves even closer together."

Zhou Minghu frowned slightly upon hearing this, adopting a troubled expression. "It is not that I am unwilling, but our family was established only recently. Only my cousin has a daughter over fifteen who is barely of marriageable age. The rest are still young children. I truly must apologize to you, Brother-in-Law."

The smile on Huang Zhenghua's face stiffened, and a surge of irritation rose within him. Why couldn't this Zhou family have sired a few more daughters? To think there was only a single mortal-lineage female available for marriage.

Yet he also knew he had no other choice. If he gave up this chance, the other branches would surely fight over it. He had to bind the Zhou family to his own branch first and see if further alliances could be arranged in the future.

"Fifteen is an excellent age, the very bloom of youth! She matches my Xuanxu perfectly," Huang Zhenghua said with a grin.

"In that case, I shall bring Xuanxu to visit your home another day to select an auspicious date."

After a round of polite pleasantries and diplomatic back-and-forth, Huang Zhenghua took his leave.

Zhou Minghu felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of his niece being married off, but he knew it was an unavoidable necessity. The Huang family held absolute power right now; if they refused the alliance, they would undoubtedly face exclusion and suppression.

The Huang family's ambitions naturally did not stop with the Zhou family. Every branch and lineage had been dispatched to cultivate relationships and lobby within the shops of various cultivation clans. Their sole purpose was to wed daughters from multiple families into their household to bear children, all in the hope of producing offspring with spiritual roots.

If it weren't for the fact that the eleven newly risen cultivation families had been established for far too short a time, the Huang family would have sought marriage alliances with them as well.

Shortly after, the Huang family convened the second Pingyun Small Meeting. This time, they generously put eight Green Jade Pills up for sale, and remarkably, they did not make any moves to suppress the Zhou, Wan, or Wei families.

Although the Zhou family possessed the White Marrow Brew as a treasure to break through bottlenecks, Zhou Minghu understood the wisdom of the middle path. If their family showed absolutely no desire for the Green Jade Pills, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Thus, he bit the bullet and purchased one. A single pill cost eighty Spirit Stones-equivalent to two entire years of profits from the Zhou family's Baixi Brew sales. Furthermore, it was largely useless to them, which made Zhou Minghu's heart ache terribly.

They were truly delivering Spirit Stones to the Huang family on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, the other cultivation clans looked on with envy and resentment. There were only eight Green Jade Pills to begin with-far too many wolves vying for too little meat. With the Zhou family securing one, the chances for the rest of them dwindled even further.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye. The Huang family enjoyed a continuous succession of joyous occasions. Red silk and lanterns hung high as new brides were constantly escorted through their gates.

On this particular day, Baixi Mountain was exceptionally lively. Lights blazed brightly, red lanterns were suspended from every corner, and Ming Peak was decked out in festive banners, overflowing with celebration.

At the foot of the mountain, a grand wedding procession presented an even more dazzling sight. The betrothal gifts alone filled five carts, valued at several thousand taels of silver.

At the very front of the crimson-clad procession rode a handsome, gentle, scholar-like youth-Huang Zhenghua's eldest son, Huang Xuanxu.

Huang Zhenghua attached immense importance to this alliance. From the initial three letters and six rites to the inquiry of names and divination of compatibility, every custom had been meticulously observed before they finally arrived on this auspicious day to claim the bride.

The wedding festivities dragged on for a long time. The younger generation of the Zhou family filled the banquet halls with lively curiosity and cheer.

However, Zhou Changhe and Zhou Chengqian wept bitter tears, unable to bear the sight of Zhou Qianyun departing in marriage.

Once she crossed the threshold today, she would belong to another family upon her next return.

It was only when Huang Xuanxu had been plied with so much wine that his head spun that the fervent hospitality finally subsided, and he led the procession back toward the Huang family.

Standing atop the mountain, Zhou Ping gazed down at the distant wedding procession, his heart filled with a complex mixture of emotions.

"I hope Qianyun does not suffer any grievances in the Huang family."

The older generation naturally held a deep affection for the eldest and youngest descendants, and Zhou Ping was no exception.

Although Zhou Chengqian and Zhou Qianyun did not belong to his direct branch, they were the eldest son and daughter of the Chengqian generation. When they were young, Zhou Ping would often play with them during his leisure hours, and they had grown very close to him.

As the number of children in the Zhou family multiplied and clan affairs grew increasingly complex, he had naturally become more distant from the later grandchildren.

Even so, whenever he found a moment of peace, he would still use his mana to cleanse and refine the bones and meridians of his grandchildren. Even if they lacked the talent to cultivate, it would give them a solid foundation should they choose to practice martial arts in the future, ensuring they lived healthy and peaceful lives.

"Alas."

With a quiet sigh, Zhou Ping turned and walked back toward the summit.

He had already cultivated to the peak of the Spiritual Awakening stage, and the seventeen strands of Spiritual Qi within his body were dense, radiant, and full. He intended to break through in a single, concentrated effort and return to the Qi Condensation realm.

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