Watching Mr. Guan leave, Du Zundaoâs gaze gradually turned cold, his expression increasingly hostile.
This Duozhi Fox is certainly not a good subordinate; if it werenât for the severe shortage of talent in the Zoroastrian Sect, this Duozhi Fox should have been swept into the dustbin of history along with Liu Futong.
Either cripple or kill.
Du Zundao surely does not favor disobedient subordinates; he demands absolute control.
After Mr. Guan left the room, Du Zundao spoke, "Let Ah Xiong come in."
"Yes!"
As soon as he spoke, those outside immediately brought Du Xiong in; as soon as Du Xiong entered, he skillfully knelt and said, "Father."
Du Zundao asked, "Do you know where you went wrong?"
"I know."
Du Xiong replied, bowing his head, and upon hearing this, Du Zundao said, "Then I donât need to teach you what to do, right?"
Du Xiong said, "I will take the punishment myself."
Du Zundao sighed, looked at Du Xiong, and said, "Stop thinking about Caidie, that girl is no longer worthy of you; once this event is over, I will have you marry Lingâer."
"No, Father, I donât want to marry Han Lingâer; itâs Caidie whom I love, and I am engaged to her."
Du Xiong said, Du Zundao hearing this replied, "I already told you she is not worthy of you, listen to your father and leave her."
"But Father, I love Caidie! I will marry no one but Caidie."
Du Xiong stubbornly said, Du Zundaoâs gaze grew cold as he said, "This is an order, not a discussion; just follow the command."
"Father, I?"
"Do you intend to defy the order?"
Du Xiongâs face went dark as he said, "I will marry Caidie regardless; if I cannot marry her, I would rather grow old alone, never marrying in this life."
"You!"
Du Zundao was furious at Du Xiong, glaring at him, "You want our Du family to have no descendants, is that it?"
Du Xiong turned his head, ignoring his father, seeing Du Xiong so resistant, Du Zundao sighed, "Ah Xiong, how can you be so naive? This marriage is merely an appendage to power. Han Lingâer is the daughter of the Sect Hierarch. Marrying her ensures the continuation of the Ming Kingâs bloodline. Should a son be born, our Du familyâs status will be even more secure, greatly assisting you in succeeding my position as Sect Hierarch; this is called resource, understand?"
Du Xiong replied, "But, but Caidie is no ordinary girl either; she is the only grandson of Yushan Shangren. Marrying her would also benefit us, as Masterâs status in the sect is far more valuable than the deceased Ming Kingâs, right?"
Du Zundao said, "Ha, naive, Du Xiong. Let me tell you the truth, Liu Futong is already under my control; his life and death are but a word away, so Caidieâs help is basically negligible. But Han Lingâer is different; having Ming Kingâs bloodline makes our Du family even more legitimate!"
"It also makes it easier for us to gain the support of the sectâs members, do you understand?"
Du Xiong listened, his eyes widening, staring blankly at Du Zundao, unable to believe that Du Zundao had controlled Liu Futong, controlling life and deathâit seemed impossible, truly impossible in Du Xiongâs mind; after all, Liu Futong has always appeared to him as a very formidable elder.
He can never forget the excitement of his father when he asked Yushan Shangren to agree to marry his granddaughter off; it was like it was Du marrying rather than himself, and at that time, he was just as genuinely happy as his father.
However, as time passed, he found everything changed, becoming increasingly disdainful of the arranged marriage.
But has he truly forgotten?
Back then, the marriage to Caidie was entirely his doing; during his pursuit of Caidie, facing rejection and feeling defeated, his father would always persuade him that girls were meant to be wooed, not to give up due to minor setbacks.
But now, when he is willing to give everything for love, in his fatherâs eyes, everything has changed, everything has transformed.
He hasnât changed; Caidie hasnât changed. Yet now, pursuing Caidie seems lowly to his father, but this was how he taught him to pursue girls originally!
But now you disagree, why, why?
Du Xiong couldnât understand, he just couldnât understand.
What he didnât know was that he thought nothing changed, but it was merely his perception, and ever since the White Deer Village Wending Mountain battle that could alter the realm, everything has changed.
Firstly, thereâs Du Zundaoâs ambition; it has multiplied.
Secondly, Liu Futongâs standing; though outwardly the uncrowned king of the Zoroastrian Sect, his actual authority has diminished.
During Han Shantongâs time, the control over the sectâs Five Elements Flag was solely his; Liu Futong was always Han Shantongâs best deputy, perfectly complementing each other.
But now, Han Shantong died in battle, Liu Futong seems the leader, yet lacks control over the Five Elements Flag, precisely due to Han Shantongâs decentralization of the Flagâs authority thereby inflating Du Zundaoâs ambition, leading to todayâs situation.
And importantly, he and Mr. Guan recently subdued Liu Futong; now Liu Futongâs life is at his whim, under such circumstances, his granddaughter is irrelevant, and watching his son fawn over Liu Caidie like a puppy, he could no longer stand it.
To put it bluntly, Du Zundao is extremely pragmatic, with morality and conscience both low enough.