Douluo Continent: Chrysanthemum and Demon Twins, Forced Marriage to Meng Hongchen

"Oh dear, what's going on? I'm getting married so soon."

After declining his teacher Kong Deming's offer to personally protect him, Xia Yu brought the Conferred God Platform to the cultivation room.

Actually, the reason Xia Yu declined Master Kong Deming's offer of protection was because he had other plans.

Before he had awakened his past life memories, he obtained the Holy Spirit Cult's secret method of spiritual ascension through a clandestine channel.

Although the Holy Spirit Cult is a gathering place and stronghold of evil spirit masters, it must be said that they are indeed quite skilled, and their research on the Spirit Ascension Secret Method is quite impressive.

However, for safety reasons, Xia Yu has never tried this so-called spiritual ascension technique.

Instead, he plans to break through to the Title Douluo level and wait until he is strong enough to ensure his safety before trying to use the Spirit Ascension Secret Technique to increase the age of the first eight spirit rings of his Ghostly Martial Soul.

He had made ample preparations for this, and now was the time to give it a try, which was why he hadn't asked his teacher, Kong Deming, to personally protect him.

If Kong Deming found out that he had used the evil secret techniques of the evil spirit master, his teacher would be furious and would personally teach him a lesson.

The thought of the horrific scenes of being taught a lesson by Kong Deming sent chills down Xia Yu's spine.

Because when his teacher disciplined him, he didn't hold back; it was real, tangible harm.

Its main purpose is to help you truly learn from your mistakes.

"Damn it, why think about these things? They're all old news. The most important thing now is to prepare for absorbing the spirit ring."

Shaking his head to clear his mind of distractions, Xia Yu extravagantly pulled out eight level-nine soul tools and began setting them up to absorb the six-tailed fox's soul rings.

……

Mingde Hall.

Inside a tastefully decorated and stylish lounge.

While Xia Yu was devising various methods to absorb the soul ring, a unique conversation was also taking place, fraught with tension.

Jing Hongchen, the current head of Mingde Hall, was sitting behind his desk with a serious expression, rubbing his temples with a headache.

In front of the desk stood a stunningly beautiful young woman with a graceful figure.

The beautiful young woman had long, gorgeous burgundy hair and wore a red and black dress. She exuded a charming and alluring aura, truly a stunning beauty.

However, at this moment, the blue eyes of this stunning beauty were filled with stubbornness and tears, making her look like she was about to cry.

This seemingly pitiful yet stunningly beautiful girl is none other than Jing Hongchen's beloved granddaughter, the jewel of the Hongchen family, Meng Hongchen.

"Grandpa, how could you be so heartless?"

Meng Hongchen stared at Jing Hongchen with reddened eyes and pursed lips, her voice trembling violently.

"I've barely met Xia Yu, we're practically strangers, how am I supposed to marry him?"

"Besides, I already have someone I like. Can't you let me make my own decision? Why do you have to force me?"

After saying this, two lines of clear tears slid down Meng Hongchen's cheeks.

"Dream, Grandpa didn't want it to be like this either."

Faced with Meng Hongchen's piercing gaze, Jing Hongchen, as an elder, surprisingly tried to dodge the gaze.

"But as you know, the Empire's situation is already very dire."

"The one who is in charge of the palace doesn't have much time left, and the crown prince is in such a condition, so it's impossible for the other princes to give up their struggle for that position."

"In other words, the empire is likely to be in turmoil, and Mingde Hall and our Hongchen family will not be able to stay out of it; we will inevitably be drawn into it."

"In order to gain the initiative, I have decided to fully support the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne. If the Crown Prince can suppress the counterattacks of the other princes and secure the throne, that will be fine. If not, our situation will certainly not be much better."

"So I have to arrange everything in advance, to be prepared for any eventuality, and Xia Yu is the solid support I've found for you..."

After listening to her grandfather Jing Hongchen's account of the imperial situation, how could Meng Hongchen not understand the dangers involved?

Under such perilous circumstances, even a powerful family like the Hongchen Clan could be overthrown overnight, and its promising situation could be completely destroyed.

Thinking of this, Meng Hongchen's delicate body trembled violently. She had completely understood her grandfather Jing Hongchen's good intentions.

With the presence of Kong Deming, the strongest soul master, coupled with the special status of the Hall of Worship and Xia Yu's unparalleled talent, no matter how turbulent the empire is, it will not affect him.

Once she becomes his wife, she will naturally be able to enjoy the protection of him and the power behind him.

This move could even provide the Hongchen family with tremendous assistance, enabling them to gain a foothold in this massive political game.

It can be said that this marriage is a win-win situation, and many people are eager to pursue it.

But can things really be calculated that way?

Meng Hongchen was unusually hesitant, unsure of what to do.

Seeing Meng Hongchen like this, how could the shrewd and experienced Jing Hongchen not know what she was thinking? She immediately pressed on.

"Dream, actually, besides political factors, I had another reason for marrying you off to Xia Yu."

"You know Xia Yu's second martial soul, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, right? That martial soul is extraordinary. It's said to be some kind of immortal herb, possessing powerful effects such as improving blood circulation and strengthening meridians..."

"I've already spoken with Master Kong. As long as you get married, Xia Yu can use the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum to perform a baptism for you."

"Think about it, it's a Title Douluo activating a celestial herb to baptize you. Your physique will inevitably undergo a complete transformation, and you might even be able to completely suppress and adapt to the deadly poison brought by your Martial Soul, the Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad?"

"Grandpa!" Meng Hongchen bit her red lips, glaring at Yan Hongchen with some dissatisfaction. "I can definitely get rid of the Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad's cold poison myself, as long as I can find a torso soul bone produced by a top-tier ice-attribute soul beast..."

"Yes, yes, I know you're incredibly talented, Meng. The cold poison of the Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad won't be a problem for you, but having more options is always good." Jing Hongchen interrupted Meng Hongchen rather perfunctorily.

That makes sense. Don't be fooled by how casually Meng Hongchen talks about it; top-tier ice-attribute soul beasts don't produce torso soul bones that are easy to find.

So many years have passed, and the Red Dust Clan has never found the so-called top-tier ice-attribute torso soul bone.

Originally, there were opportunities before; Bi Mingdetang had once obtained a 100,000-soul beast embryo with ice attributes.

Unfortunately, the Body Sect launched a sneak attack, and the 100,000-year-old soul beast self-destructed. They ended up with nothing, having gained nothing at all.

Thinking of this, Jing Hongchen's desire to reduce Poison Undying to ashes burned even more fiercely.

"Alright, I've said enough. What's your opinion, Meng? Do you agree to this marriage?"

After shaking his head slightly to calm his inner turmoil, Jing Hongchen asked Meng Hongchen about her final thoughts.

After all, he had spoken so earnestly and patiently; surely this girl couldn't keep being stubborn, right?

"Grandpa, I..." Meng Hongchen didn't know what to choose.

Actually, she knew that it was probably impossible for Wang Dong to be with her, because there was an insurmountable chasm between them.

As for Xia Yu, she really didn't feel anything.

But after her grandfather Jing Hongchen's persuasion, she realized that she had no choice but to compromise.

The perilous situation of the empire, the development and future of the family, and their own unique circumstances...

These things were like shackles, binding her tightly and forcing her to agree to the marriage with Xia Yu.

After hesitating for a long time, Meng Hongchen finally made her choice.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and she struggled to hold back her tears. She sighed, her voice trembling with emotion, "Grandpa, I...I...I agree to this marriage."

As she finished speaking, the tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her face once more.

However, it also brought an end to the controversy surrounding Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen's marriage, while simultaneously opening a new chapter.