I am scared.
I regret it.
I want Qianfan to live!
This was Su Ziyu's heartfelt confession to Yang Xiao, spoken with an air of impatience.
Fear and regret are useless.
Su Ziyu knew this well, so she only begged Yang Xiao to find a way to keep Li Qianfan alive.
As long as he could live—
Even if he was half-dead, she would serve him with unwavering devotion for the rest of her life!
A couple who always argued and threatened divorce would only truly realize what they desired most when facing the threat of death.
How could Yang Xiao, who had seen countless storms in her life, not understand Su Ziyu's true feelings at this moment?
"Ziyu, calm down first."
Yang Xiao wiped Su Ziyu's tears again and, taking her hand, led her to the sofa to sit down.
Even as she sat, Su Ziyu's body trembled uncontrollably, as if electric shocks were passing through her.
Death.
It was still an invisible hand, gripping her throat tightly!
Yang Xiao raised her hand and lightly tapped Su Ziyu's body a few times with her index and middle fingers.
Su Ziyu's uncontrollable, electric-like tremors quickly subsided.
"Ziyu."
After helping Su Ziyu calm down completely, Yang Xiao said kindly, "Do you still remember what I told you when I decided to activate 209?"
Before Su Ziyu could answer—
Yang Xiao said calmly, "Even without the Black Water Forest incident, Qianfan would have had to activate 209. Because only by breaking through the constraints of 209 could he truly be reborn. If he were a child from an ordinary family, his life would only need to be safe and sound."
But Li Qianfan was not from an ordinary family!
He was the young master of Kunlun's Blazing Flame Valley.
He was the village chief of Li Family Village.
And he had been designated as the heir shortly after the Dragon Ruins were established, twenty years ago!
If Li Qianfan were merely the village chief of Li Family Village, or the young master of Blazing Flame Valley, he could have coasted through life.
After all, this was the prosperous Eastern Land.
The empire his parents had built for him, even if he squandered it in various ways, would not be depleted before his death.
"But he is, unfortunately, also the future heir of the Dragon Ruins."
Yang Xiao said this and then asked Su Ziyu, "Do you have any concept of the Dragon Ruins?"
Su Ziyu looked at her blankly, unable to respond.
All she knew now was that the Dragon Ruins were very powerful, one of the four major global powers.
But just how powerful the Dragon Ruins were, Su Ziyu had no idea.
"When you have time, I will take you to the Dragon Ruins so you can see for yourself how astonishing the empire your father-in-law built for Qianfan is."
As Yang Xiao said this, she unconsciously tilted her head back.
Her face was filled with a defiant arrogance, looking down upon the mortal world!
"Qianfan, as the future heir of the Dragon Ruins,"
Yang Xiao continued, "To safeguard the ancestral business and keep the proud generals in line, especially to excel among dozens of siblings, he must break through the constraints and become an absolute king."
She was right.
After twenty years of long development, the Dragon Ruins had already become one of the four major global powers.
The new Dragon Lord after Li Xiao must deal with "internal and external troubles" to secure his reign.
External troubles—
Not to mention the Marco family, led by Lu Ziqi, who was "reigning from behind the curtain," but just the Moses family and the Royal Palace.
Either of these two forces alone possessed a deeper foundation than the Dragon Ruins, and their current strength was on par with the Dragon Ruins.
If the Dragon Ruins weakened, the Moses family and the Royal Palace would pounce like hyenas, tearing at their flesh and blood in a brutal manner.
Internal troubles—
Li Xiao's subordinates, such as Grey Phantom, Xue Zhantian, Qin Zongheng, and Gao Lie, were all heroes of the era!
Jin Ta Qin Yujie, De Zhan Su Ri Na, Australian Shangguan Rourou, the Athena of the War God Temple, Big White's Katelia, and others, were none of them easy to deal with!
Jing Ran, Li Yan, Yu Minmin, Helan Xuejing, Xiao Bai, Roman, and Julie, who served at the Dragon Ruins headquarters, all had descendants within the Dragon Ruins.
Let alone Gao Lie and others, or Qin Yujie and others who had "established their own fiefdoms."
Just among the three women within the Dragon Ruins: Jing Ran, Yu Minmin, and Roman.
They all dreamed of their children replacing Li Qianfan!!
However, at present, no one dared to show such intentions.
"Because your father-in-law, Li Xiao, and mother-in-law, Li Wujiang, are still in their prime and are powerful and unconquerable."
Yang Xiao's tone was serious. "Therefore, for the twenty years the Dragon Ruins have been established, everyone has remained united. No one dared to overstep their bounds, nor did anyone covet Qianfan's position as heir to the Dragon Ruins. However."
However—
Li Xiao and Li Wujiang could not remain young, powerful, and unconquerable forever.
One day, they too would reach the end of their lives.
"When your father-in-law and mother-in-law grow old, if Qianfan is still as ordinary as he is now,"
Yang Xiao asked Su Ziyu in a low voice, "What do you think will happen?"
Su Ziyu's eyebrows and the corners of her eyes began to tremble again uncontrollably.
She thought of the most famous incident in history.
Brothers killing each other, the Xuanwu Rebellion!!
"My Qianfan and I have no grand ambitions,"
Su Ziyu said tremulously, "We can give up the position of Dragon Ruins heir and live a simple, peaceful life in Qingyun for the rest of our lives."
Yang Xiao smiled.
A particularly cruel smile.
"What you say doesn't count," she said. "Because in the face of absolute power, all emotions, including maternal and filial affection, are pale and powerless, unable to withstand a single blow. If Qianfan is not strong, if he cannot secure his heir position, then you and he will have only one outcome."
That is death!!!
Because Li Qianfan was the "Young Master of the Dragon Ruins" in everyone's eyes, anyone who wanted to replace him had to eliminate him first.
Only by sending Li Qianfan to another world could the person who replaced him truly secure that throne.
What Yang Xiao said was indeed cruel.
But for thousands of years, whether in the East or the West.
Whether it was royal succession or the succession of wealthy families, the basic principle followed this iron rule.
Even among ordinary people, siblings often took each other to court to fight over inheritance.
Let alone the Dragon Ruins!?
A look of horror appeared in Su Ziyu's eyes.
She could see that Yang Xiao was by no means trying to scare her.
Because Yang Xiao was stating an ironclad fact from an objective perspective.
"Moreover, I have always been traditional in my thinking."
Yang Xiao's tone softened. "If Li Xiao had not founded the Dragon Ruins, it would be one thing. But since he has founded the Dragon Ruins, then I must consider the matter of the heir for him in advance."
Establishing the eldest son, or establishing the legitimate son.
Yang Xiao's legitimate grandson was the son of Li Xiao and Lu Ziqi.
Yang Xiao's eldest grandson was naturally the son of Li Xiao and Li Wujiang.
Lu Ziqi herself was the head of the Marco family, one of the four major powers, and her son would only inherit the Marco family.
Therefore.
Yang Xiao, with "no other choice," could only establish the eldest grandson.
"If I don't establish the eldest grandson,"
Yang Xiao said softly, "Then the Dragon Ruins will fall into chaos over the succession. The sons of Jing Ran, Yu Minmin, and Roman will definitely fight for the throne first. Because these three women crave power the most, all wanting their sons to become the future master of the Dragon Ruins."
Therefore—
When the Dragon Ruins were founded and Lu Ziqi took charge of the Marco family, Li Wujiang's only son, Li Qianfan, automatically became the heir to the Dragon Ruins.
This was also why Yang Xiao doted on Li Qianfan so much among her many grandchildren.
She was helping the Dragon Ruins cultivate the next generation of heirs.
"Qianfan will either be as powerful and unconquerable as his father, or he will die in obscurity."
Yang Xiao raised her hands and placed them on Su Ziyu's shoulders, asking, "Do you want Qianfan to die in obscurity? Or do you want you and Qianfan's child, decades from now, to inherit the empire you have firmly guarded and become the third Dragon Lord of the Dragon Ruins?"
This question—
Was it a multiple-choice question?
If so!
Even if Su Ziyu were an idiot, she would know which one to choose.
"Therefore, Qianfan must become strong."
Yang Xiao withdrew her hands and said indifferently, "For him to become strong, he must break through the constraints of 209. If Qianfan must die, then would he die looking ordinary, at the hands of his own brothers? Or would he activate 209 and fight his hardest before dying?"
This question—
Again, even if Su Ziyu were an idiot, she would know which to choose.
"Some people, from the very moment they are born, are endowed with the mission to become strong."
"Qianfan is such a person."
"Ziyu."
"You can either divorce him now, while you and Qianfan have no children."
"Otherwise, you must face the challenge of his survival and death together!"
Yang Xiao stood up, her hands behind her back, and walked to the window.
"Ziyu, I will give you three days."
Yang Xiao looked out the window and said calmly, "Think carefully about whether you will face life and death with Qianfan, or leave him and live a peaceful life. Whatever you choose, I will not object and will support you."
(Noble families are never simple, nor do they lack internal strife; it all depends on whether the patriarch can suppress them!)