The silence within the clan hall did not last long.
A "ding-dang" sounded.
Someone had received a message.
Many people had received the message.
It was news from Xu Yan.
In one hour and thirty minutes, he completed the comprehension of three Nightmare Sealing Items, becoming the new "S-class"!
The whole Snow Forbidden City was shaken by this.
Han Dang glanced at the message.
He calmly said, "Now... Xu Yan has done it."
The previously stalled negotiations subtly shifted at that moment.
"Han Dang, did you come to propose a marriage alliance?"
An elder spoke faintly, "These practices are outdated... Children born to our Mu Family have their own freedom."
"Such talk is barely enough to deceive children."
Han Dang stated unequivocally, smiling as he spoke, "Everything in this world can be placed on scales and weighed, it all depends on whether the stakes are high enough... How much is the freedom you just mentioned worth?"
The elder fell silent at once.
He had nothing to say.
Eventually, the Great Elder gently tapped the long table and asked, "How do you intend to form this marriage alliance?"
Han Dang named a person, and seriously said, "I have no idea what my junior brother sees in this girl... but he wishes to use his ’S-class’ status and the standing of a Disciple of the Grand Judge to settle this marriage arrangement."
As soon as the name Mu Ya was mentioned, everyone at the Elder Council’s faces immediately changed.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
An elder slammed the table and rose to his feet.
Veins popped on his forehead, as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately swallowed his words.
These past few years.
The matter of Mu Ya and Gong Zi... they had seen it with their own eyes and kept silent consent. Although those two kept their involvement under wraps, this was after all Changye, and they were not blind.
It was about mutual affection.
These elders weren’t villainous, unable to help, nor could they personally tear it apart!
The Great Elder placed one palm on the tabletop.
He signaled for everyone else to calm down.
The Great Elder looked at Han Dang and calmly said, "This one won’t do, pick another... "
He helplessly said, "Please... gentlemen, do you think this is akin to selling vegetables? Are such matters negotiable? My junior has already invested his emotions."
An elder also scoffed coldly.
"As far as I know... Xu Yan and Mu Ya have never met, right?" he said sarcastically, "Is your esteemed junior’s affection so frivolous that he has been in the Tundra for too long, only able to see the wild people in the snow mountains?"
Many in Changye did not like Xu Yan.
Anyone discerning could see that this guy... was imitating Gu Shen.
Moreover, the relationship between the Mu Family and Gu Shen had been good. This past year, Mu Nan and Mu Ya had both visited the Spring Rain Temple.
Han Dang glanced at the time again, removed his glasses, and slowly wiped them while posing the most crucial question.
"Whether Xu Yan likes Mu Ya... Whether Mu Ya likes Xu Yan..."
"Does it really matter if they have feelings for each other?"
Han Dang put his glasses back on, and said word by word, "I’m here to request a marriage alliance..."
Where does mutual affection come into play?
This... is like a transaction.
In a transaction, it doesn’t matter if the parties involved are happy or not; what’s important is whether the outcome of the transaction is worthwhile.
Those angered elders, all of a sudden, became silent... They were sitting here, and the very thing they were engaged in didn’t deserve the false facade of "emotion," because the so-called "marriage alliance" had never considered "feelings" first. What was most terrifying was that the five great houses of Changye had been doing this for a long time already.
"If my intelligence is not mistaken... Your anger is due to the matter between Mu Ya and Gong Zi." Han Dang calmly said, "But don’t forget, with Gong Zi’s identity, as the determined heir of the Gong Family, he is already bound by a marriage contract with Duke Duanyang of the North Continent... You don’t really think that these two will end up together, do you?"
"Let’s back up ten thousand steps, does the Gong Family’s arranged marriage hold any true feelings? They are willing to make sacrifices for the longevity of the clan, even if the one in question is the future Family Head. And you cannot?"
Han Dang stood up, "The Bai Family has Bai Xiu. The Li Family has Gu Shen. The Mu Family has nothing... but you could have Xu Yan."
He smiled, gazing at the Mu Family elders seated in silent contemplation.
"I will step outside to clear my head. Gentlemen, please think it over carefully. In half an hour, I will return here."
After exiting through the door, he left behind the Mu Family’s elders in the clan hall.
They exchanged glances with one another.
The previous anger... seemed to have shifted somewhat.
And not long after, another message sounded.
It was news of Xu Yan breaking another record in his comprehension of the Jingzhe Scroll.
This emerging genius had proven his potential to Changye in less than half a day’s time.
At least for now... he seemed stronger than Gu Shen.
Perhaps, even stronger than Bai Xiu.
Half an hour later, Han Dang returned to the clan hall, and he was very satisfied with the expressions of the elders at that moment.
The eyes that were once brimming with anger.
Most of them had now turned to silence, to conflict, to confusion.
This short period was certainly not enough for them to discuss an outcome...
The voice of the Great Elder Mu Zhong resounded.
He looked at Han Dang and, this time while speaking, he used a thread of spiritual power.