After a long morning of silence, the two of them had completed a basic self-introduction while walking.
Of course, that was only what Blair believed. To Wu Ling, he already knew her inside and out.
Still, the introduction did help the present situation somewhat. For example, Wu Ling learned that she was only eight years old and had already reached level sixteen Spirit Power. For someone without innate full Spirit Power, that level was already rather good.
When Blair learned that Wu Ling was already a Spirit Leader, her mind kept drifting. She could not stop comparing Wu Ling with Alban.
"Alban is eleven this year and level twenty-two. In four years... whether he can even reach Spirit Meister is unknown, let alone Spirit Leader. So this is what a real genius looks like."
Wu Ling understood Blair's reaction, so he simply continued wandering with her. By the time Blair came back to herself and planned to say something to draw closer to Wu Ling, she suddenly realized they had already arrived at the entrance of House Lockehart.
Blair's expression dimmed. She had been about to speak, but the elder who had put out the fire suddenly walked out through the doors. The moment he saw Wu Ling, he came forward to greet him.
"Welcome, Your Highness, Holy Son. Our clan head and the emperor have been waiting for some time. Please enter the banquet hall and take your seat."
"As for Blair, it is not suitable for her to enter. She can follow me from here."
"The Star Stripe emperor? So they want to borrow his weight. It seems the House Lockehart clan head has some self-awareness."
Wu Ling instantly saw through the clan head's little plan. He did not mind. In fact, having the emperor as the trading partner suited him better.
Under Blair's faintly pleading gaze, Wu Ling entered the manor without even looking at her.
That direct disregard turned Blair's expression into disappointment.
"Blair, come with me. We prepared food for you as well. While we are at it, you can tell me what happened between you and His Highness this morning."
Blair looked at the elder before her. This was someone who had not shown her a kind face in years, yet now the elder was smiling warmly at her.
She understood. The reason for all of this was that man.
She looked toward the direction Wu Ling had left and pressed her lips together slightly. In the end, she could only obey the elder and follow her away.
After entering the banquet hall, Wu Ling immediately saw the Star Stripe emperor sitting in the main seat. The man's imposing face showed no trace of worry or anxiety over his runaway son. Beside him sat an elderly woman. Wu Ling did not need to think to know that she was the clan head of House Lockehart.
"Ahahaha. I originally came here to discuss the marriage agreement with Juxing. I did not expect to meet Your Highness here again. What fate!"
Facing the enthusiastic Star Stripe emperor, Wu Ling politely exchanged a few words while seeing through the performance without exposing it. He also met the current House Lockehart clan head, Juxing Lockehart.
As dishes were served one after another, this three-person banquet entered the meal stage.
After several rounds of wine and a table full of food, people were at their most relaxed and comfortable. That made it the perfect time to discuss a transaction.
"Your Highness," Juxing Lockehart said, looking at the pleased Wu Ling, "it seems you are rather interested in one of my clan's younger members."
"The one named Blair Lockehart? She is fairly good."
Hearing Wu Ling's answer, Juxing and the emperor silently exchanged a glance. Both had already confirmed Wu Ling's intentions. After all, if he even knew her name, then it was not merely a matter of her being fairly good.
"Your Highness may not know this, but that child is actually the third prince's fiancée. The engagement was arranged before birth. The two have never truly met."
"This time, His Majesty came to our clan because of that matter. After all, since her fiancé ran away, she will certainly be implicated."
After Juxing finished, the emperor also spoke.
"Sigh. Your Highness may not know this, but I do not want this either. Still, these are rules set by the ancestors. I am caught between both sides."
As soon as the emperor finished, Juxing said in a trembling voice, "Oh, my poor child. She is not even ten and must suffer such grievance. I raised her with my own hands. If only some kind person could help her."
"Kind person."
Wu Ling looked at Juxing, whose tearful performance discarded even the last bit of an old woman's dignity for the sake of raising the price. His expression tightened slightly.
He was certain that both people in front of him understood what he wanted. Their call-and-response act, along with that exaggerated performance, existed for only two words.
Raise price.
Wu Ling took a sip of digestive tea, utterly unmoved.
"Fine. Since the two of you want to play, I will play along."
He set down the teacup and spoke with sympathy on his face.
"Sigh. How could such a good child be so unfortunate? In that case, tell me how I can help her."
"Cough, cough. This matter requires a detailed discussion, Your Highness..."
While Wu Ling and the two people opposite him discussed how much it would take to "help" Blair, Blair herself was already eating under the eager attention of many elders.
Listening to those elders, whom she had not seen in a long time, mention Wu Ling every three sentences, Blair saw this place more and more clearly.
She said nothing. She only silently ate the many delicacies she had not been allowed to eat for a long time.
Several years ago, after her fiancé Alban lost his first challenge, Blair's quality of life and cultivation resources had begun to decrease little by little. Two months ago, after Alban's twenty-ninth defeat, the resources she received for both life and cultivation had already dropped to the level of an ordinary clan member.
That meant the clan's hope in her had nearly fallen to the bottom.
That was right. Her fate inside the clan was decided by an outsider, or rather, by a familiar stranger. Even though her own talent ranked in the top three of the entire clan, that could not cover up the fact that her fiancé kept losing.
Her fiancé's failure meant a death sentence, because that was the tradition handed down by the ancestors. Since she had already been marked as someone destined to die, the clan had effectively abandoned her.
But now, as gentle greetings surrounded her, as she tasted one delicious dish after another, she, who had experienced the low point, could feel how hard-earned all of this was. She also understood exactly where all of it came from.
Even with Blair's cold personality, a thought still rose uncontrollably in her heart.
"So this is the benefit of depending on the right person. If... if my fiancé were him..."
The scene returned to the banquet hall.
"Purchase rights at original price for two hundred Spirit Elite-level Soulcraft tools and fifty Spirit Meister-level Soulcraft tools per month. That is the bottom line."
At this point, Juxing Lockehart could no longer get a word in. Cold sweat ran down her face as she watched the two people's "exchange." Inwardly, she sighed again.
"Calling the emperor was the right decision. If I had talked to him alone, I might not even have been able to argue properly. I might have given her away for free, then paid him on top of it."
Let alone Juxing, the head of a clan. Even the Star Stripe emperor, the ruler of a nation, was somewhat shocked. Yesterday, he had not spoken with Wu Ling in detail. Now that they had talked properly, he discovered that the Holy Son's mind was just as unfathomable as his strength.
At the very end, Wu Ling asked one last question.
"Right. One final thing. If I do not help, what would Blair Lockehart's ending be?"
Juxing, finally able to speak again, answered, "Only death."
"Then let her try this path first," Wu Ling said with interest.