Chapter 412: The Zhao clan exerts its strength, joy and inferiority, deep love for the daughter

With Chief Justice Xia Chuan issuing the mobilization order to the fifteen military commanders, the entire Hong Sect City matter came to an end.

Xia Chuan left the troop mobilization for last. The more than six hundred people from various departments of Great Xia left the main hall half an hour early, so they had long since started packing their luggage, preparing to return to their jurisdictions to continue their duties.

"The Falcon Army is ready, return to Longshan in an hour and a half!"

Zhao Long, the commander of the Falcon Army, was the last batch to walk out of the office building. After leaving the hall, he headed straight to the barracks in the North City, immediately starting to assemble all the soldiers of the Falcon Army, preparing to return to Longshan.

Normally, it wouldn't take that long for a large army to get ready.

It was mainly because the number of people leaving Hong Sect City tonight was a bit large. There were twelve large armies alone, plus more than 20,000 other people who had to leave simultaneously. If so many people left in a swarm, the straight road would inevitably be overcrowded. To avoid problems, the twelve military commanders had agreed to stagger their departure times.

There were eight large armies that had to go through Hongguan to return to the west, with an average of one army leaving every half hour. The Falcon Army happened to be the third, so the time for the soldiers to assemble was slightly more generous, with an hour and a half.

"The Shanhe Army is ready, depart in half an hour!"

"The Xiongwu Army is ready, depart in an hour!"

"The Dongyang Army is ready, depart in two hours!"

………………

Sure enough, as soon as Zhao Long finished speaking, the sounds of various armies getting ready to depart continued to come from around the barracks.

Zhao Long also returned to the Falcon Army's main tent and started packing his luggage.

He didn't have much luggage. He wore his battle armor directly, and with his weapons, strong bow, arrow quiver, and a water bag, he was packed very quickly.

However, he hadn't been packed for long when Lu Sheng, the deputy commander of the Falcon Army, walked over quickly from outside the door.

"Commander, the two lords Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao are here to see you!"

Hearing that his two younger brothers had come to see him, Zhao Long frowned slightly, but still nodded quickly and replied: "Bring them here."

The Military Department had strict regulations that no one other than military personnel was allowed to break into the barracks, so even though Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao held important positions and were his own younger brothers, they had to report first if they wanted to enter the barracks.

Soon, Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao were brought in by Lu Sheng.

"Big Brother!"

"Big Brother."

"Commander, this subordinate will go and see how the brothers are packing!"

Lu Sheng knew at a glance that the three brothers had family matters to discuss. He hurriedly bowed to Zhao Long, nodded to Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao, and left directly.

"Why haven't you left Hong Sect yet? Do you have something to see me about?"

Although the three brothers had already gathered at the office building last night, Zhao Long couldn't help but smile when he saw his two younger brothers again.

Great Xia had developed to this day, and there were already many famous families formed within it, but Zhao Long had the confidence to say that the weight of the Zhao clan was definitely among the best among many famous families.

In terms of seniority, the three brothers had followed the lord Xia Hong since the Shuanglong Valley period, and they were also among the first batch of hunting team members in Great Xia. Annexing the various families in the Red Wood Ridge, conquering the Mirror Valley, attacking the Beehive, conquering Longyou... Great Xia had developed from a humble beginning to today's prestige in the Mo'ao region. The three brothers were not only witnesses but also deep participants. Not to mention their merits, in terms of seniority, no one could compare to them except for the old people from the Great Xia slope period;

In terms of status, he was the commander of the Falcon Army, holding a fourth-rank position; his second brother Zhao Hu was the Mountain Commissioner of the East Ridge Hunting Department, and his third brother Zhao Bao was the Military Equipment Commissioner of the Five Plains Logistics Department. Their ranks were the same as his. The key was that all three of them were among the first batch of ninth-rank Ying Xuan Ling Viscounts conferred in the third year of Great Xia, and his own title had been promoted to the eighth rank early this year. You must know that there were only thirty-odd eighth-rank Chixiao Viscounts in the entire Great Xia;

In terms of strength, the three brothers were all at the peak of the Cold-Resisting Realm, and he and his second brother Zhao Hu were both superior-grade battle bodies. He had 29 bristles, Zhao Hu had 27 bristles, and his third brother Zhao Bao had slightly worse aptitude and was only a medium-grade battle body, but his current strength was also 21 bristles.

The reputation of the Zhao clan having three pillars and three titles had spread in Great Xia years ago. Moreover, because there were many direct descendants of the Zhao clan, in terms of incense, no family in Great Xia could compare to them yet. In this way, the weight of the Zhao clan naturally became heavier and heavier.

The most critical thing was that the three brothers were not very old!

Zhao Long himself was only 47 years old this year, the second was 45, and the third was 44. Compared with the Lord, the Chief Justice, and the top batch of people in Great Xia, they were of course considered old, but looking at Great Xia or even the entire nine towns, they were definitely in their prime.

The lifespan of the Cold-Resisting Realm is one hundred, which means that the three of them could at least protect the Zhao clan for another forty or fifty years. Not to mention which of the three had the luck to break through to the Radiant Sun Realm, just with Great Xia's current thriving state, forty or fifty years later, the large number of direct descendants of the Zhao clan would have long since grown up.

Therefore, as long as there were no moths, the Zhao clan would continue to develop and inherit like this. No matter what degree Great Xia developed to in the future, the Zhao clan would inevitably have a place in the core top-tier wealthy families.

From the precariousness of the Luo Ge camp in the valley to the beautiful life of comfort, wealth, and hope today; from the Woodcutting Realm with a base strength of less than 10,000 jin to the Cold-Resisting Realm cultivation with nearly 30 bristles today; from the small family in the valley to the Zhao clan, a wealthy family with nearly thirty direct descendants and flourishing incense today...

Zhao Long often felt that he was dreaming, fearing that he would wake up one day. And when he realized that it was all real, infinite gratitude toward the lord Xia Hong and deep belonging to Great Xia naturally welled up in his heart.

Zhao Long's thoughts were thousands, but it was only for a moment.

Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao stood there hesitating for a while. Finally, Zhao Bao stood out, his face full of worry: "Big Brother, Yuanxiu's marriage might have problems. Lord Xu seems to want to go back on his word."

Hearing this, Zhao Long was stunned, his brows furrowed: "Might have problems, seems to want to go back on his word—your words don't match your logic. Explain it clearly!"

Zhao Long had personally taken Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao to Bashang to find Xu Ning in early August to finalize the marriage between his eldest niece Zhao Yuanxiu and Xu An. He naturally knew about it, but Zhao Bao's words were logically incoherent, so he naturally had to ask clearly first.

"After leaving the main hall just now, Lord Xu suddenly called me and apologized, saying that his brother Xu An's marriage might change, and he had to find Xu An to ask clearly before giving me an answer."

Hearing Zhao Bao's explanation, Zhao Long's brows locked even tighter.

He and Xu Ning were not acquaintances for the first day, and he knew very well that Xu Ning was also a man of his word. He had clearly agreed last month, so how could he suddenly go back on his word voluntarily after only one month?

No!

Zhao Long quickly grasped the problem in Zhao Bao's words: "Lord Xu only said to find his brother Xu An to ask clearly before giving you an answer, and didn't directly say he was going back on his word. Just let him ask. Xu An is indeed not bad, but our Yuanxiu is not bad either. Could it be that she is still not worthy..."

Speaking of this, seeing Zhao Bao's slightly awkward expression, Zhao Long stopped immediately, and then sensed something, frowning and asking: "Are you hiding something from me?"

Xu Ning hadn't gone back on his word, just said he would find his brother to ask clearly before deciding. Zhao Bao had come to find him in such a hurry and directly said that his eldest niece's marriage would have problems. This was clearly problematic.

The problem clearly lay in what Xu Ning was going to ask clearly!

Seeing that Zhao Bao was still stuttering and couldn't speak, Zhao Hu, who was beside him, flashed his brows a few times and stood out, whispering: "Big Brother, Lord Xu's brother Xu An had previously taken a fancy to a little girl named Ji Jiang. Yuanxiu had several conflicts with this Ji Jiang when she was in Wuyuan. The third brother might be worried that Xu An would refuse the marriage with Yuanxiu because of this Ji Jiang."

Zhao Bao immediately nodded repeatedly on the side: "Yes, Big Brother, that's exactly what happened. Xu An..."

But before he could finish speaking, he was glared at by Zhao Long until he closed his mouth.

"Are you treating me like a fool? Since he only took a fancy to her, how could Xu An push away the marriage with Yuanxiu for Ji Jiang?"

Zhao Long's voice was clearly already filled with anger. After speaking, he glared at his second brother Zhao Hu again and asked Zhao Bao in a deep voice: "Tell me clearly about Yuanxiu and Xu An's affairs. What exactly is going on? If you hide anything again, I will take the initiative to find Lord Xu and call off the marriage!"

Zhao Hu was still a bit afraid of his big brother, so he shrank his neck after being glared at and stopped talking.

Zhao Bao was in a difficult situation, but thinking of his eldest daughter's marriage, he gritted his teeth and finally explained the whole story clearly.

The more Zhao Long listened, the darker his face became. By the time Zhao Bao finished speaking, he finally understood what was going on with his eldest niece's marriage.

"So, Xu An and Ji Jiang were actually in love with each other long ago, and Yuanxiu is the one who intruded. No wonder... no wonder you sent a letter to me and the second brother in July, asking us to go to Bashang to propose marriage together. Third brother, oh third brother, what do you want me to say about you..."

Hearing Zhao Long's words, Zhao Hu immediately couldn't help but retort: "Big Brother is exaggerating, right? Xu An and Ji Jiang didn't make a marriage contract. Yuanxiu stayed with the third brother in Wuyuan for a long time and got along with Xu An day and night. It's not a crime to develop feelings over time!"

Hearing this, Zhao Long's expression stagnated slightly. First, it was inappropriate for him, the uncle, to say that his eldest niece was an intruder. Second, it was difficult to clarify the affairs between men and women. Zhao Hu's words were really something he couldn't pick any faults with for a while.

But he reacted quickly. After thinking for a moment, he immediately sneered: "Since there is no crime, why are you coming to find me now?"

Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao's expressions froze upon hearing this.

"You both know that Xu An will most likely choose Ji Jiang in the end, and Yuanxiu's marriage will most likely fail. Is that what's happening?"

Hearing this, Zhao Bao's expression tightened immediately, his voice pleading: "Big Brother, Yuanxiu told me in Wuyuan that she would not marry anyone but Xu An in this life. I heard her words and had no choice but to send a letter to you and the second brother in July, thinking of finding Xu Ning to finalize it first. If this marriage really has problems, she will probably hate me for the rest of her life."

Zhao Hu also said in a deep voice beside him: "Big Brother, this marriage really cannot have problems. First, it is Yuanxiu's lifelong event. Second, Yuanxiu and Xu An's marriage contract is already known to many people in Xia City. If it is actively pushed away by Xu An, not only will Yuanxiu have no face to see people in the future, but our Zhao clan's face will also be damaged!"

Hearing these words, Zhao Long angrily asked the two: "Even if the Zhao clan's face is big, can it be bigger than the Xu clan's?"

Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao were startled and didn't dare to answer.

Although the Xu clan had few people, they couldn't help but have the two brothers, Xu Ning and Xu An, who had followed Xia Hong since the slope period. Xu Ning was harmed while spying on the Great Awakening Temple in September last year and had been a useless person for more than half a year. At that time, everyone in Great Xia thought he was definitely hopeless, but Xia Hong used the organs of the master without life to not only cure him but also help him achieve superior-grade battle body aptitude. This one thing alone was enough to show how high his status was in Xia Hong's heart.

It's fine for the Zhao clan to compare with others, but comparing with Xu Ning is just asking for humiliation.

Zhao Long's first reaction was to just let it go, let his eldest niece suffer a little, and find another good match in the future. But seeing the pleading on Zhao Bao's face, he finally softened his heart. After calming down for a while with his eyes closed, he looked up and asked the two: "What's going on with that little girl named Ji Jiang? You haven't looked for her. Can you think of a way from her?"

Trying to think of a way from Xu Ning and Xu An definitely wouldn't work, so he could only start from Ji Jiang.

But as soon as Zhao Long asked, seeing the difficult expressions on Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao's faces, he immediately guessed that the two had long thought of finding a way from Ji Jiang.

In other words, they couldn't handle this Ji Jiang either, so they came to find him, the big brother, for a countermeasure.

"Ji Jiang... Ji Jiang..."

He lowered his head and thought for a while. After reciting Ji Jiang's name several times, he suddenly thought of something, looked up with a look of shock: "This Ji Jiang, could it be related to that Ji Hong who just broke through in Bashang recently?"

Seeing the expressions of the two, Zhao Long's eyes immediately darkened.

Superior-grade battle body aptitude is too rare in Great Xia. There are not even 20 confirmed ones in total, so when one appeared in Bashang City in early September, the news spread immediately. Even Zhao Long, who was far away in Longshan at the time, had heard of it.

"That Ji Jiang is Ji Hong's own younger sister."

"You guys have caused me a hot potato! A newly broken-through superior-grade battle body, and she was just recruited as a reservist by the Long Wu Army. Third brother, what do you want me to do, force his sister to leave Xu An?"

Hearing Zhao Long's rhetorical question, Zhao Bao didn't speak, just looked at his big brother with hope in his eyes. The meaning was already quite obvious.

Zhao Long laughed in anger, not knowing what to say.

"Big Brother, it's just a newly broken-through superior-grade battle body. Whether she can grow up is still a question. We don't need to be so afraid, right? Although the Ji Hong siblings are old people from the slope period, their parents died early and they have no foundation. You can see from the fact that they only broke through to the Cold-Resisting Realm in the last two years that their lives are not very well-off..."

Although Zhao Hu had a bad temper, his mind was relatively delicate. He had long since conducted an investigation into the Ji Hong siblings. After finishing his words, seeing that the anger on his big brother Zhao Long's face had dissipated a lot, he hurriedly continued: "Forcing directly definitely won't work. If it really goes to the top, we won't be able to stand firm. But promising heavy profits to persuade him to give up voluntarily still has hope. Although Ji Hong has good aptitude, he just broke through and has no one to support him. As long as we can take out a contribution value that is enough to make him excited, are we afraid he won't agree?"

Spend money!

Zhao Long felt a hint of movement on his face when he heard his second brother's opinion.

Don't say, this method is indeed feasible.

Just as Zhao Hu said, no matter how good the talent is, it needs resources to cultivate. Even to a certain extent, people with better talent have higher requirements for resources. If the Ji Hong siblings really have no one to help, they must be short of contribution value now.

Seeing the movement on Zhao Long's face, Zhao Bao immediately said: "Big Brother, as long as this Ji Hong agrees to let his sister not ruin Yuanxiu's marriage, I am willing to take out 500,000 contribution points and pay it off at once!"

Hearing his third brother's words, Zhao Long fell into silence.

500,000 contribution points, even for the three brothers, is an extremely astonishing number. The key is that this number can also reflect how much Zhao Bao cares about his daughter's marriage.

Zhao Yuanxiu is not only Zhao Bao's daughter but also his eldest niece. If he, the uncle, doesn't contribute, it really doesn't make sense.

"Okay, let's try it. But don't speak during the whole process, let me communicate with this Ji Hong, understand?"

"Okay, Big Brother!"

Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao answered in unison, their faces full of joy.

"I have to depart in more than an hour. That Ji Hong is a reservist of the Long Wu Army and should be departing soon. Let's go directly to the Long Wu Army barracks to find him."

"No need, Big Brother. I saw it when I came. He left the barracks and went to the Nancheng. Let's just go to the Nancheng to find him!"

Hearing this, Zhao Long understood that the two were clearly prepared. But since he had decided to come forward, he didn't say much. After explaining to Deputy Commander Lu Sheng, he followed Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao straight to the Nancheng.

Nancheng, Zengji Xia Clothing Workshop.

In the quiet room at the back of the shop, Ji Hong, wearing golden armor, was sitting. Ji Jiang, who was sitting next to him, was holding a crescent-shaped blood-colored jade pendant and giggling, occasionally looking down at the small "Jiang" character on the front of the blood jade, her face full of joy and pride.

Watching his sister full of intoxication, Ji Hong couldn't help but feel a bit jealous: "You can finally be beautiful in your heart now. This blood-colored jade requires 2,000 contribution points to exchange for 1 tael at the Logistics Department. The one in your hand is almost half a catty. It was specially customized by the Craftsman Department. It's worth at least 15,000. Xu An has a heart."

"Hahahaha, I knew it, Brother Xu wouldn't let me down!"

Hearing his sister's joyful laughter, Ji Hong couldn't help but laugh, raised his hand to pinch her cheek, and pretended to be in a posture: "Don't look at who my sister is. Such a beautiful and powerful wife, if Xu An missed it, he wouldn't be able to find it even if he held a lantern in the future."

"Hahahaha..."

Hearing his brother's words, Ji Jiang's laughter became even happier.

It was a coincidence. Just as Ji Hong was saying goodbye to Ji Jiang, Xu An actually rushed over in a hurry.

"A'Jiang, I have already explained clearly to my brother just now. He will help me call off the marriage with the Zhao clan immediately."

At that time, hearing Xu An's words, Ji Jiang was almost crazy with joy. Ji Hong estimated that if it weren't for his big light bulb, his sister would have just thrown herself into his arms.

By the time Xu An took out the jade pendant engraved with Ji Jiang's name, Ji Jiang was even more overjoyed and didn't know what to do. Xu An had been gone for so long, and she was still holding the jade pendant and giggling there.

This worthless appearance made Ji Hong feel both jealous and angry.

Of course, he was more happy that his sister had found a belonging.

He, the older brother, knew best about his sister's feelings for Xu An. Yesterday, when he learned from Zeng Rou about Zhao Yuanxiu's snatching of love, the reason he reacted so strongly was because he knew that his sister's feelings for Xu An had gone deep into her bones.

If Xu An really chose to marry Zhao Yuanxiu, Ji Jiang would probably find it very difficult to walk out for the rest of her life.

It was precisely because he knew this that he naturally wouldn't sit idly by and watch his sister be bullied by the Zhao clan. Therefore, as soon as he left the Zhao clan restaurant yesterday, he immediately mustered up the courage to go to the office building, wanting to find Xu Ning directly to explain clearly.

The ending was no surprise; he was blocked out before he even entered.

Although Ji Hong had superior-grade battle body aptitude, he was ultimately just an ordinary Cold-Resisting Realm warrior. It was naturally impossible to enter the office building casually.

Fortunately, he happened to run into Lin Kai, who was coming out of the office building.

He didn't know if Xu An's coming today had anything to do with his finding Lin Kai yesterday. In short, his sister Ji Jiang was very happy now, so he was satisfied.

Ji Hong stood up, rubbed his sister's head, and smiled: "Alright, A'Jiang, the Long Wu Army is about to depart, and I'm about to leave too."

Ji Jiang knew that her brother was going to Bashang today. Although she wasn't surprised, after putting away the jade pendant, a look of sadness still appeared on her face: "Brother, you must take good care of yourself in Bashang."

Hearing his sister's words, Ji Hong raised his brows and smiled: "When is it your turn to worry about your brother? Hong Sect City is a mixed bag of fish and dragons, and there are all kinds of people from the eight towns. You should take good care of yourself here. I have already become a reservist of the Long Wu Army. As long as there is a vacancy, I can become an official member of the Long Wu Army. You just wait to live a good life with your brother!"

A look of unwillingness to lose appeared on Ji Jiang's face, and she hummed: "Brother, don't look down on people. My shop is making a lot of money every day now. Maybe your cultivation resources in the future will have to rely on your sister!"

"Hahahaha, okay, okay, okay, rely on you, rely on you, I'm leaving first!"

Ji Hong laughed a few times, put away his weapons, and walked out.

Ji Jiang sent him to the door all the way, watching him walk out of the Nancheng archway until she could only see her brother's back, and her eyes turned slightly red.

Ji Hong, who walked out of the archway, also felt a slight ache in his nose.

The siblings had depended on each other for nearly ten years. Only they knew how deep their feelings were. Every separation, no matter the distance or time, was not easy for both of them. ===== CHAPTER 413 =====