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墨書 Inktalez
Li Qing approached and directly set Mi Xiaonan aside for questioning. Mi Xiaonan looked at Cui Ming with innocent eyes and asked, "You can say it, why do I have to betray the Balance Sect once more?"
Cui Ming smiled, gazing up at the soaring eagle in the sky, and continued grilling meat. Dina walked over, sitting by the fire and said, "Our people are already in position."
"They won't come."
Dina remained noncommittal, picking up a piece of meat that had been grilled to the side, taking a bite, and spitting it out. "It's raw."
"What you ate is medium rare; it's from my senior brother. Eat this plate; it's medium." Cui Ming pointed to the plate in front of him.
Dina chuckled, eating as she spoke. "I remember the first time I went to eat Western food; I asked for it well done... Later I realized I should have ordered it fully cooked."
"The standard is set by people. If you're going out for Western food, I suggest you go for fully cooked. Eating raw or undercooked steak has two basic requirements: first, top-quality beef with zero contamination and additives; second, the most professional marination. Many Western restaurants fail to meet these standards, leading to an increase in parasites within diners' bodies." Cui Ming shifted the topic. "Dina, you seem quite free? As far as I know, the Ding Family Lineage and the Ding Family's collateral branches are about to engage in arbitration competitions. You are currently acting as the head of the family."
Dina sighed helplessly. "The collateral branches of the Ding Family dare to make a move now because they know that there aren't many outstanding talents in the Ding Family Lineage at this stage. The people from the Ding Family Lineage have actually tacitly agreed to the suggestions from the collateral branches; now it's just a matter of stepping down. I'm a woman; it doesn't matter to me. According to the Ding Family's ancestral teachings, women cannot be heads of the family. I'm just worried that Ding Nuo and the others have ulterior motives; they're after the Hextech Twelve Blueprints."
"Does the Ding Family really possess the Hextech Twelve Blueprints?" This was classified information.
"Indeed they do, but not in the way outsiders think." Dina replied nonchalantly. "Creating a piece of Hex Equipment requires unimaginable time and effort, and it demands very high standards from the craftsmen. Over all these years, the Ding Family has only managed to forge two pieces of Hex Equipment. One was made over three hundred years ago, and another was given to the prospective head of the Ding Family Lineage many years ago; that weapon could be said to be tailor-made for him."
Cui Ming questioned, "Ding Ze?"
"No. The Amulet that Ding Ze possesses was obtained during his childhood adventures. You all, including many in the League, don't know this. At that time, the head of the family had a younger brother who had a child named Ding Wen—a prospective practitioner with inheritance qualifications. He began practicing Force at eight years old with exceptional talent and a remarkably mature perspective on situations. During an internal martial arts competition hosted by the Ding Family Head, he triumphed over everyone at thirteen years old, even defeating a young Ding Nuo back then. As a reward, he had the right to choose one piece of Hex Equipment."
In crafting circles back then, there was a saying about southern craftsmen and northern masters; Northern Master referred to Beiyue's father, Master Bei. Southern Craftsman was an elderly master named Master Nan who spent two and a half years creating this piece of Hex Equipment. After its completion, he passed away from exhaustion because it was his most proud work.
This weapon resembled both a knife and a sword but was referred to as a sword in Hex crafting diagrams. The blade was entirely green; Ding Family Head named it Green Smoke Sword, which naturally went to Ding Wen. Ding Wen did not reside within the Ding Family and rarely showed himself; he had his own secret dwelling. Thus outsiders knew there was a genius in the Ding Family but did not know who it was. At seventeen years old, Ding Wen was about to become the prospective head of the family. There is an order among prospective heads: when one passes away, the first prospective head takes over as head of the family; if there are changes, then it goes to the second prospective head. Ding Ze is the second prospective head while Ding Wen is designated as first prospective head.
At that moment, a significant change occurred during the internal ritual of the prospective family head. Someone leaked the information that Ding Wen was a woman who had been disguising herself as a man. Ding Wen's father admitted to this on the spot. Normally, such matters would be overlooked, but Ding Wen, with her strong personality, countered the family head's authority, questioning why a woman could not assume the role of family head. She asserted that she was more capable than anyone in the Ding Family and was loyal to it, expressing her ambition and ability to elevate the Ding Family to new heights.
Defying ancestral teachings was considered a grave sin, and the elders rebuked Ding Wen vehemently. However, she argued her case passionately, and in her youth, she let slip some inappropriate remarks. Essentially, she accused the older generation of being shortsighted, claiming that the Ding Family had declined over generations. She questioned why women from their lineage could not inherit the position of family head. The family head was furious and ordered her to be taken away.
In the following days, it was expected that Ding Wen would apologize and let the matter drop. However, after being confined for several days, she remained steadfast in her views. During a private meeting, she compared the Ye Family with the Ding Family, stating that the Ye Family had already become the foremost clan while the Ding Family was following in the footsteps of the Cao Liu Family. When she was scolded and dragged away, Ding Wen angrily declared that it was precisely because of these old fossils that the Ding Family was failing.
Ultimately, Ding Wen was exiled. Unlike Ding Ze's exile, hers was of a more severe nature; she could not disclose her relationship with the Ding Family to outsiders, hold any official positions, or join any alliances. The term of her exile was twelve years, with two years still remaining. For ten years, it was as if Ding Wen had vanished completely; she did not make any public appearances, and even when Ding Nuo and others sought her out specifically, they found no trace of her. Ding Nuo subtly indicated in a Force Report that the Ding Family would soon allow women and collateral branches to become family heads.
Just a month ago, however, Ding Wen's name appeared on the registration list for the new round of alliance assessments. No one knew where she had been; it turned out that she had written to Gold Medal Broadcaster Ding Dewen, who paid ten million to register her. Ding Dewen had been Ding Wen's closest friend during her childhood and had helped keep her gender secret.
At twenty-seven years old, Ding Wen was two years older than Ding Ze. She had been exiled at seventeen, while sixteen-year-old Ding Ze followed a year later. What was happening with the family head of the Ding Family? Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done; true members of the Ding Family were female and did not conform to ancestral teachings. Males lacked the Bloodline of the Ding Family. In recent years, misfortune had plagued them; even their family head had been assassinated.
The story of noble families was more complex than Cui Ming had imagined. What he did not know was that the assassination attempt on the Ding Family Head had been anticipated by him and privately coordinated with Ding Nuo. Naturally, they had hired Raefus and Eva for this task; Eva used a Spectral Cloak to carry out the assassination. Why would the family head choose death? Because he felt cornered by his deteriorating health and faced an embarrassing situation where no one from his lineage could succeed him; he chose to end his own life. The day before his death, he had made his intentions clear to Dina. After his demise, it would be Dina and Ding Nuo who staged a performance to ease up on the rules governing the Ding Family.
Cui Ming pondered for a moment: "If I’m not mistaken, once Ding Nuo and other collateral branches take office, they will surely plan a friendly Competition Match with the Ye Family."
Dina was taken aback: "How do you know?"
"It’s just common sense; they’ll likely agree on a best-of-three format where each side wins one match first to save face before engaging in a real contest for the final round. The Ye Family is quite pragmatic; if the Ding Family collapses while they remain high above it all, they will definitely agree. This way, they can justify reforming the Ding Family with everyone’s support—including that of the alliance—thus restoring its noble status." Cui Ming sighed: "No wonder when Ding Ze talks about noble families he seems so troubled; it’s complicated indeed. But I’m curious, Dina—how did we end up discussing all this?"
Dina laughed heartily: "Didn’t you realize you’re quite clever?"
"I didn’t," he replied honestly.
"The Ding Family can also recruit sons-in-law besides marrying off their daughters. Ding Nuo has already drawn up a list; you’re ranked fourth on it. There are plenty of female practitioners in the Ding Family… Don’t look at me; I’m not on that list! You have decent strength and intelligence and are one in five hundred thousand chances! Think about it—joining the Ding Family would elevate your status significantly; if you want an alliance seat or Force Stone, no problem! You could become someone influential who decides many people's fates. Plus, your benefits remain unchanged; aside from marrying female practitioners from their ranks, you can freely choose two unmarried women from the Ding Family as concubines."
"Now that you mention it," Cui Ming said with a wry smile, "I feel like I’m being treated like a breeding pig."
"Don't be too quick to dismiss it; think about it. First, ask yourself what you really want," Dina said.
Cui Ming asked, "What rank is my senior brother?"
"Li Qing, third place."
"Who are the first and second?" It was normal for Li Qing to be third; he had a stronger sense of responsibility and justice than Cui Ming, making him a potential figurehead. Moreover, he had gained recognition from Wandering and was currently being evaluated as a hunter.
"Cao Yi and Yellen," Dina replied. "Ye Wen, the head of the Ye Family, is definitely the first choice, but his status is too high. Aside from me and Ding Wen, there are no other female practitioners who can match him."
Cui Ming smiled slyly, "You think too highly of yourself."
Dina's face turned red instantly. Cui Ming hurriedly added, "Just kidding, just kidding. Dina, you would definitely be a supportive wife. With you by my side, I could achieve success and save thirty years of hard work. Plus, you're so beautiful, with a great figure, good skin, intelligence, charm, culture, and a broad perspective..."
"Alright, alright." Seeing Cui Ming getting flustered, Dina changed the subject. "What we least want is for Ye Wen and Liu Meier to get married. That scenario could lead to an alliance between the Ye and Liu factions, while the Ding Family would have to align with the Cao Family. Both sides would inevitably engage in open and covert struggles."
Cui Ming said, "Simple; just kill Liu Meier."
"..." Dina was stunned for a moment. "Are you joking?"
"I'm joking." Cui Ming hadn't even met Liu Meier yet and couldn't confirm what her situation was. Even if he sensed that something was off about her, without evidence, no one would believe him. At this point, it would require using someone else's hand to eliminate her through manipulation and sowing discord. There was a story about an antique enthusiast who obtained a beloved vase. Some experts claimed it was genuine while others said it was fake, but neither side could provide proof. The enthusiast was troubled by this dilemma every day—unable to eat or sleep—causing great concern for his family. Eventually, he fell ill but continued to obsess over the vase. In the end, his wife took the vase to the hospital and smashed it right in front of him. The enthusiast fainted from anger but felt relieved upon waking up; whether it was real or fake no longer mattered since it was gone. Within a week, he recovered and was discharged from the hospital. (To be continued.)
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