Chapter 4653 — Seeking a Son-in-Law

Wei Zhao rubbed his head in some puzzlement. What did she mean by "have that kind of strength"? And for some inexplicable reason, he kept feeling that Ning Xuefei's gaze had been a little odd. What were those two, mother and daughter, trying to convey?

Ning Shanghe and Ning Xuefei departed, but Shangguan Lan'er and Han Jingyi stayed behind. Rather than trailing after Ning Shanghe to offer toasts from table to table, they preferred to remain at Wei Zhao's side—it was far more comfortable that way.

"Do you two get the feeling that Feifei's expression was a bit strange?" Wei Zhao could not help asking. Shangguan Lan'er and Han Jingyi had been with Ning Xuefei all along, so they ought to know a thing or two.

"Strange? Not at all!" The two answered in perfect unison. Then, after a brief pause, Han Jingyi said thoughtfully, "Though now that you mention it, I do think Feifei has something weighing on her mind. She just won't tell us..."

"She's always been like that. On the surface she seems carefree, but when something is truly bothering her, she carries it all on her own shoulders and never takes the initiative to confide in us. I'm quite used to it by now." Shangguan Lan'er shook her head helplessly.

Carefree? Wei Zhao could not help glancing at Shangguan Lan'er. That description seemed rather better suited to her, didn't it? Though Ning Xuefei's rank and standing were not vastly different from hers, the circumstances the two found themselves in were in truth entirely distinct.

Shangguan Lan'er was the precious pearl in Shangguan Tianxia's palm, cherished and protected in every way. She had never known any pressure since childhood, had never once spoken of succeeding to the Chongtian Pavilion—and besides, being a woman, it would be very difficult to achieve such a thing on North Island anyway. That was why she could remain so utterly without care.

But Ning Xuefei was different. Though her temperament was not far removed from Shangguan Lan'er's, she was the future heir to West Island. To claim she bore no pressure would be pure self-deception. However lenient Ning Shanghe might be with her, she would never relax her comprehensive training of the girl. A princess of West Island raised in such an environment had to be, at her core, an exceedingly resolute being—otherwise how could she one day bear the whole of West Island upon her shoulders?

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere had settled fully into its proper course. The various masters, who had been somewhat reserved at first, now moved among one another with noticeably greater frequency. Ning Xuefei's birthday banquet was merely the occasion; the real reason these great personages had traveled ten thousand li to West Island was to cultivate connections.

And in a setting such as this, they had the chance not only to foster good relations with West Island, but even more to make contact with other great figures of the Cloud-Tier Islands! Under ordinary circumstances, so many eminent personages would never gather in one place—and in particular, one could never hope to encounter a top elder of the spirit beast clan.

As cups crossed and toasts flew, and the mood was at its warmest, Ning Shanghe, who had returned to the seat of honor, suddenly rose to her feet once more. The crowd fell silent of its own accord in an instant—out of courtesy to their host, yes, but even more out of awe for this mistress of West Island. Even Qinglong, that unruly spirit beast elder whose strength defied the heavens, now looked at Ning Shanghe with great tact, waiting for her to speak.

"Friends from the five great Heaven-Tier Islands, on behalf of all of West Island I thank you once again for coming. Taking this rare opportunity, I wish to announce an important matter to you all." Ning Shanghe's gaze swept slowly across the hall. Seeing that everyone was waiting with bated breath, she continued: "As you all know, today is not only my daughter's eighteenth birthday, but also her coming-of-age ceremony. According to the customs of West Island, I am to choose a husband for her."

At these words, an uproar instantly swept the hall. Wei Zhao and his companions had never heard of such a custom and were each taken aback—though some present were clearly prepared for it, making plain that this was already a tradition of long standing on West Island.

For some reason, Wei Zhao suddenly felt a sense of loss in his heart. Strictly speaking, his relationship with Ning Xuefei went no further than good friends, far short of anything romantic—yet now, hearing all at once that she was to be married, that hollow, empty feeling in his chest was unmistakably real.

Wei Zhao gave his head a fierce shake. Ning Xuefei's marriage was only a matter of time; after all, she was the heir to West Island, and her choice of husband bore directly on the overall situation and stability of the entire island. Such a thing inevitably had to be placed on the agenda early—he simply hadn't expected it to come so suddenly.

Just then, as though she understood the troubles weighing on Wei Zhao's heart, Han Jingyi suddenly tightened her grip on his hand. Her big, glistening eyes fluttered as she said softly, "Brother Wei Zhao, Jingjing and Feifei are the best of friends. We don't want to be separated."

"Right, me neither," Shangguan Lan'er blurted out beside her. But no sooner had she spoken than her pretty face flushed red, and feeling something amiss, she hastily added, "I... I mean, we have to go back to North Island, and we hardly get any chance to see each other as it is. If Feifei gets married, there'll be even fewer. But if only she married our little junior brother, then everything would be fine—that way, even as a princess of West Island, she could still come to North Island often to play with us!"

"This..." Wei Zhao was speechless for a moment. Shangguan Lan'er had been even more blunt than Han Jingyi—simply because they wanted more chances to be together, they were egging him on to court Ning Xuefei. The logic of these two girls was truly simple, straightforward, and endearing.

But the two of them were being far too naive. Ning Xuefei was a princess of West Island, a figure destined one day to take command of the whole of it. Even if he truly harbored such a notion, it would absolutely be no easy matter.

However much Ning Shanghe doted on Ning Xuefei, in a matter such as this the first thing she must consider was inevitably the interests of all West Island! Without question, this was no time for Ning Xuefei to pursue happiness—it was purely a marriage of alliance. Whoever would become the princess's husband must either possess a status to match hers or wield absolutely overwhelming strength; one of the two was indispensable.

And as for Wei Zhao now, by strength he was merely at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage; by status, nothing more than the second senior brother and inner sect steward of the Azure Cloud Pavilion!

Such qualifications were already beyond the reach of the vast majority of ordinary cultivators—but to presume upon them to grasp at the high branch of a West Island princess would, if not a fool's dream, be a feat of exceedingly great difficulty.

Suddenly, Wei Zhao understood what Ning Shanghe had meant by those words to him earlier. It could be seen as an expression of expectation—and more than that, as a way of making Wei Zhao face squarely his present strength and standing!

Wei Zhao was quietly shaking his head when Ning Shanghe's next words roused both him and everyone in the hall to full attention: "To become the husband of the West Island princess, the foremost prerequisite is to possess the greatest potential and strength. This is the greatest requirement—and the only requirement."

One and all held their breath, waiting for Ning Shanghe's next announcement. Everyone wanted to know just what sort of threshold this so-called potential and strength actually was! (To be continued..) R752