"I see. This is truly the fortune of my Yu Family!" Yu ManLou laughed heartily. The three brothers only had a single daughter or niece and Yu ManLou also greatly doted on Yu BingYan. The moment Yu ManLou saw Yu BingYan and thought about how she was extremely obedient since she was young, Yu ManLou was immediately filled with love and tenderness. Everything was fine as long as the one who cured Yu BingYan wasn't Ling Tian. If Ling Tian could even cure the Divine Black Negative Meridians, Yu ManLou would have to reconsider his evaluation of Ling Tian. As for Justice curing the Divine Black Negative Meridians, Yu ManLou wasn't too surprised by this. After all, it was only natural for the number one expert in the world to have such abilities!
Yu ManTang still couldn't be at ease and grabbed Yu BingYan's wrist and sent his inner qi into her body to investigate her condition.
"Father, no!" Being caught off guard, Yu BingYan was immediately anxious. The icy inner qi within her body wasn't to be underestimated and she was afraid that her father would be harmed by it.
Before she could finish her sentence, Yu ManTang trembled and he unsteadily took two steps back with a pale countenance. He never expected that his warm inner qi would suddenly meet two waves of extremely icy inner qi and half his body was almost frozen. Only after he let go of Yu BingYan's wrist and circulated his inner qi for a few cycles was the chilly condition dispelled.
"What a powerful frost toxin!" Yu ManTang said with lingering fear and worry, "Yan'er, with such a powerful frost toxin in your body, how will you be able to endure it?" Through his probing, Yu ManTang could feel that the Divine Black Negative Meridians in Yu BingYan's body didn't weaken in the slightest but seemed to have flared up instead. He couldn't help but be filled with worry for his daughter.
"I am fine, father!" Yu BingYan smiled, "Although the frost toxins in my body seem to be more severe, it is only because Senior Justice used his inner qi to suppress the Divine Black Negative Meridians. The frost toxins are no longer a huge burden to my body and with the aid of the Mysterious Yin Essence Heart Sutra, your daughter will be able to deal with it." After the excitement in her heart from returning home died down, Yu BingYan could not help but recall the days she had in the Ling Family Courtyard and Ling Tian's warm embrace.
"That's great! That's great! For you to receive the aid of a peerless expert from Beyond Heavens, it shows that my daughter is a fortunate individual. It seems like Ling Tian truly put in a great deal of effort as well!" Yu ManTang nodded his head with gratification. Looking at his daughter, a merciful and doting look could be seen on his face. As the Second Master of the Yu Family, he naturally understood how difficult it was to invite Justice to take action. He was sure that Ling Tian would have definitely needed to pay a huge price to invite Justice.
Seeing the strands of white hair on her father's head, Yu BingYan felt a stabbing pain in her heart. When she left home, her father's head was still a silky black color but after a short half a year, his hair had actually whitened greatly. It was obviously because of him worrying constantly about her all the time and it was all thanks to her being unfilial!
Yu ManLou coughed twice, took a few steps forward, and stroked Yu BingYan's silky hair. At the same time, his gaze was filled with a myriad of emotions including pity, guilt, shame, resolution, and even killing intent.
"Yan'er, Uncle is also glad to see you return safely. You are back to participate in the generational battle between the Shui and our Yu Family. As a member of our Yu Family, there are some responsibilities that you cannot push away. You have to prepare yourself mentally for that. Since you had the fortune to receive a mysterious skill from Justice, you may be able to turn things around." Yu ManLou hesitated for a moment before finally talking slowly. At the start, he spoke slowly as though he was hesitating about something but he gradually spoke faster and faster as though he made a decision.
Yu BingYan felt a tinge of coldness in her heart as she said gently, "I wonder what kind of responsibility Uncle is talking about? What does Uncle mean by turning things around?"
A glare shone in Yu ManLou's eyes and he said slowly, "For a family to survive for a thousand years without falling, countless sacrifices and hardships must be endured along the way. How can a person who does not belong in an aristocratic family understand the bitterness and sourness of the rise and fall in a family? Currently, the family has already reached its peak and the Yu Family has never reached such heights before in history. However, a huge enemy also lies before us at this moment."
Yu ManLou's eyes were vacant as he sighed, "The enemy that our family is currently facing is also an enemy that our family has never faced before in a thousand years of development. Thus, in order to defeat the enemy and ensure the prosperity of our family, we need to pay a certain price! Regardless of whether or not we are willing to pay this price, this price is a necessary one. As a member of the Yu Family, no one shall be allowed to avoid the matter. Even if it is me, your father or your third uncle. As long as the family needs us to sacrifice ourselves, we wouldn't hesitate in the slightest! BingYang, as the only daughter from the direct descent of the family, even if you were lucky to receive the teachings of the number one hidden sect, as a member of the Yu Family, you have no choice!"
Yu BingYan lowered her head, afraid that Yu ManLou would see the proud look on her face. That's right, she had a look of pride! The powerful enemy who their Yu Family had never faced before in the past thousand years was without a doubt her Tian'ge!
Yu BingYan said in a soft tone, "First Uncle is trying to say that BingYan will have to pay a price in the upcoming generational battle? I wonder what kind of a price BingYan will have to pay? I hope that First Uncle will enlighten me!"
Yu ManLou turned around and did not wish to continue looking at Yu BingYan as he said with a heavy tone, "The battle between the families will be a battle of life and death! The date of the battle has already been set and it cannot be changed! Since you have spoken out openly, I shall not hide anything from you either. While the Divine Black Negative Meridians in your body have been suppressed by Justice's mystical might and you even received a legendary secret manual, you have not come into contact with martial arts for the past decade and you are like a blank sheet of paper. You don't have to worry about victory or defeat when facing the little princess of the Shui Family but the price that you will have to pay will probably be the price of your life!"
Yu ManLou suddenly turned around with a burning gaze, "This is the arrangement of destiny! I know that you are unsatisfied and unresigned but I do not wish to lie to you at this very moment. I only hope that you will prepare yourself for it. Regardless of the reason, you are still my niece and even if I have to send you to your death, I want to give you an explanation first!"
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became chilly.
Yu ManTang turned around with a desolate expression and his eyes shut. The joy from his daughter's illness being cured could no longer be seen. He originally wanted to risk the fury of his big brother and sneak BingYan out of the Yu Family but he never imagined that Yu ManLou would see through his plans and openly say his piece at this moment!
The moment Yu ManLou said his piece, it would be the decision of the family and the decision could no longer be changed! Even if Yu ManTang didn't want to face the decision, he had no choice but to accept it. If Yu ManTang still thought of sending his daughter away at this moment, it would be akin to betraying his family and this was something that Yu ManTang would never be able to accept!
A bitter smile could be seen on Yu BingYan's face. She knew that her first uncle would definitely show his cards during this trip of hers but she never expected him to show his cards this quickly! It seemed like her first uncle could not wait to send her to her death just so he could give Ling Tian a blow!
Half a year ago, her first uncle sold her out for the ambition of swallowing the Ling Family. Today, he wanted to make use of her to strike a blow at the Ling Family and her husband! So what if she was Yu ManLou's flesh and blood?!
I won't let things go your way!
"Ever since I was young, BingYan understood my destiny and knew that I was the main character of the generational battle. BingYan already understood that I had to sacrifice for the family..." Yu BingYan said in a righteous manner.
Yu ManLou's face turned dull as he heard that but he was elated in his heart. "Yan'er is truly understanding..."
However, he never expected Yu BingYan to interrupt him with a sneer, "However, First Uncle seems to have forgotten something important. Things are no longer like before. When First Uncle talked about the Yu Family disciples, it includes everyone within these premises except for me." While she had already made relevant arrangements to deal with Yu ManLou's demands, Yu BingYan could not help but speak out the words of her heart. Ever since she was young, she had always been filled with fear and reverence for her first uncle. But at this moment, Yu BingYan no longer had a single trace of fear.
"Oh?" Yu ManLou's expression changed and his cold gaze shot over, lowering the temperature in the room, "Niece BingYan is trying to say that you do not acknowledge that you are a Yu Family disciple?"
Yu BingYan lifted her head up proudly, "This niece is already Mrs. Ling!"
"Preposterous!" Yu ManLou flew into a rage and slapped a chair beside him. With a loud 'pa' sound, the sandalwood chair was reduced to dust, "Even if you are married to Ling Tian, you are still Yu BingYan! The first word of your name is still 'Yu'!"
"Yes, if this was half a year ago, that would be the case indeed." A mocking smile could be seen on Yu BingYan's face, "At that time, if BingYan died, I would have to be buried in the tomb of the Yu Family. But now, even if BingYan dies, I can only be buried in the Ling Family's tomb!"
Yu BingYan took two steps back and glared at Yu ManLou without backing down, "As the Family Head of the Yu Family, First Uncle can naturally give an order to the daughter of the Yu Family! If BingYan does not remember wrongly, First Uncle instructed Third Uncle to propose a marriage to the Ling Family and form goodwill between the families even if BingYan was a concubine!"
Yu ManLou's face flushed with awkwardness and despite what Yu BingYan said being the truth, Yu ManLou refused to admit it and roared instead, "That was just a stop-gap measure, how can it still count right now?! The matters of today cannot be compared to the matters of yesterday!"
"As the daughter of the family, BingYan can naturally sacrifice anything. It was the same back then even if I had to become someone else's concubine. However, the BingYan today isn't the BingYan from yesterday and I am already the daughter-in-law of the Ling Family. If the Ling Family wants me to sacrifice myself, I can only sacrifice myself for the Ling Family! I hope that First Uncle will remember this. A woman who marries out is like a tub of water being spilled out. I, BingYan, am already a member of the Ling Family!"
PA!! Yu ManLou had no retort to Yu BingYan's words and swung his arm out to give her a tight slap.