Duke Duanyang’s heart sank. He thought that life was always , fearing what might come, yet it came anyway... The visitors were most likely from the Gong Family. But to come all the way to the North Continent without even giving prior notice?
Duke Duanyang hurriedly instructed the servants to treat the guests well and to find a place to settle them for now. He would follow shortly.
The duke closed the door and took a deep breath.
"The Gong Family... has sent people!"
He turned to look at Lin Sheng, coldly asking, "Do you intend to keep kneeling here forever? You should at least come with me to greet them, right?"
There was no response.
Duke Duanyang sighed lightly.
He stepped in front of his daughter again. "Tell me about that man you fancy. Who is he really?"
Lin Sheng softly spoke, "He’s just a nobody. You probably haven’t heard of him."
The word "just" carried a depth of meaning.
Because Meng Xizhou from the Meng Family fell in love with a nobody.
Meng Xizhou was extraordinarily talented, with cultivation abilities that could be called demonic. She even had a chance to study under the Divine Throne of Light City. Such a woman bore the hope of the entire Meng Family. When she called off her engagement, it shocked the entire West Continent.
Duke Duanyang, Lin Yu, looked at his daughter with a complex expression.
It was clear his naive daughter considered herself as "Meng Xizhou." Yet, in every aspect, she was far from being Meng Xizhou... And as for himself, he certainly couldn’t compare to the Meng Family.
The Duanyang title had been conferred for over a hundred years. For three generations, they had enjoyed the Emperor of North Continent’s favor. But even so, it took unimaginable effort and significant achievements to attain the current peace and comfort.
Lin Yu had been stationed on the frontline of the Fortress for nearly a decade in his youth. He was responsible for guarding Gu Castle Fortress, an extremely perilous snow-covered defense and the most critical giant wall in the northern human territories.
At Gu Castle, he met a similarly young Gong Family Master, Gong Qing.
Transcendents of the Five Continents took pride in being assigned tasks in the North Continent... During that time, Deep Sea had not yet been created. Many Transcendents came to the Fortress to apply to join the Legion.
Lin Yu thus became close friends with the young man from the Gong Family. At that time, they didn’t know one was the successor of the Gong Family and the other the heir to Duanyang. Both families had a century-long, deep bond. Perhaps it was fate. It wasn’t until the end of the first year stationed at Gu Castle, when both "unknown" young men became prominent figures, that they discovered each other’s true identity while deciding to stay.
Later, the North Continent entered its most chaotic period in fifty years. Lin Yu shielded Gong Qing from a fatal strong logic bullet, while Gong Qing, with torn Source Energy Armor, carried Lin Yu across a battlefield of tens of miles. Both young men thought they were facing certain death. Laughing through what seemed like his dying wish, Lin Yu had cursed that being the sole heir was a curse; if he died, there would be no one to inherit his title, lamenting he joined the military too early to have a son.
Gong Qing replied, "Live, then you can have one."
Lin Yu retorted, "But even if I had a son, he couldn’t marry the Gong Family’s precious daughter."
Gong Qing said, "Live, and he can."
And thus, the child betrothal was sealed.
After that, both indeed survived.
Amid flying bullets, the war in the North Continent ended. Her Majesty the Empress brought peace after the flames of war.
Gong Qing and Lin Yu then bid farewell following their accomplished terms.
Life’s fortunes are unpredictable.
At the time, both young men believed that even after parting, they would often meet.
However, many things can be predicted at the start but not at the end.
From that day forward, the families remained in contact, but the two men rarely met.
Years passed, and Lin Yu and Gong Qing were no longer young. Drunkenly, they discovered an unexpected situation with the child betrothal: Lin Yu had a beautiful daughter, while the Gong Family had a chubby son.
Lin Yu slammed the table in anger.
But in truth, during the last toast, both men laughed heartily.
They remembered the desperate situation lying in the snow, thinking survival itself was the greatest fortune.
Lin Yu had been incredibly lucky in the earlier part of his life.
He was old and retired from the frontlines. Her Majesty the Empress rewarded him with the greatest compassion and respect, allowing him to enjoy his later years in Duyang Manor. In those final turbulent battles, very few were fortunate, and the title of "Duke" was conferred on only a handful in the entire North Continent, easily counted on one’s fingers.
Lin Yu asked for nothing more now.
He only wished for his daughter’s happiness.
Gong Zi was guided to a side hall in Duyang Manor.
He was not in a rush.
He hadn’t announced his visit beforehand, nor revealed his identity, simply stating his surname. Being brought to the side hall was within reason... After all, with the "Gong" surname alone, the duke would meet with him, at which point he could bring up the matter of canceling the engagement.
Gong Zi sipped some tea.
He appeared calm, his expression untroubled, yet deep down... he was quite nervous.
As far as Gong Zi knew, Duke Duanyang and his father were life-and-death comrades.