"Why did Ming choose not to retaliate in wars? I mean, if they were worried about civilian casualties, they could have hired mercenary warriors, right? That would be better than not fighting back at all," Eddie asked, curious about Inan's aunt's perspective.
Inan's aunt:
"Both the monarch and the valley leader of our land were indifferent to fame and fortune, and they were kind and benevolent. "
"They disliked war and believed that every life, whether a citizen or a mercenary, was precious. You are young and might not understand their profound love and care for life. "
"To them, human life was the most important thing, far more significant than the country, honor, or wealth. Our Butterfly Hundred Flowers clans established the country not to dominate but to better continue our lineage."
" If the lineage is doomed, then the nation becomes irrelevant. Whether it disintegrates or is invaded, we leave that to others. If we can't manage it, we'd rather let go. "
"What's the use of having so much land when there are no people left?"
Inan's aunt's response left Eddie sweating.
Eddie was taken aback by her words.
If someone else had said this, he might have thought them hypocritical.
But for Inan's aunt and Mother Grace sitting beside her, it seemed entirely reasonable.
People like Mother Grace, naturally kind-hearted and averse to fighting, would likely govern in the same way.
Eddie wanted to ask about Cup Guy's biological mother's identity but hesitated, fearing Cup Guy already knew, and he didn't want to give himself away.
Besides, with the Old Fox, Rambo, Yehken, Hessian, and others present, it might not be appropriate to ask.
"Since that's the case, if there's anything the younger generation can do to help, please feel free to ask," Eddie said, trying to make a good impression in front of Inan's aunt, who clearly valued Inan's future.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have personally come here and even waited for Eddie to wake up to speak with him.
"You kids just focus on your training and have fun," Inan's aunt replied with a slight smile, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm not here to enlist your labor. I just heard Inan gave you her necklace, so I wanted to see you."
"Does Inan have a sister?" Eddie asked, feigning ignorance.
Inan's aunt explained, leaving Eddie sweating again at the thought of such a low birth rate.
"No, she's an only child, and it was quite a challenge to keep her safe. She's timid and didn't dare to tell you the truth. Both the Butterfly and Hundred Flowers lineages are dwindling. "
"Recently, I discovered that Awen is from the Hundred Flowers lineage, now flourishing with two daughters. It's incredibly moving and unexpected that the Hundred Flowers lineage has descendants."
" It's a blessing from heaven. For the Butterfly Hundred Flowers lineages, you're the only male descendant in a hundred years,"
Despite being a matriarchal society, the lack of male descendants should not have been an issue, right? Eddie pondered but couldn't figure it out.
Inan's aunt didn't specify what she wanted from Eddie and Inan, only suggesting that he should visit the Butterfly Hundred Flowers Valley with Inan sometime, and it would be best to bring Mother Grace, Sophia, and Little Frost along.
Mother Grace and Inan's aunt were conversing in a language unfamiliar to Eddie, occasionally glancing at him as if their discussion involved him.
Suddenly, someone with a loud, booming voice entered the courtyard, exclaiming before even crossing the threshold, "This shabby White-Stone City is worse than where my servants live. It's so boring here. Hey, fourth sister-in-law, is your little third brother still sleeping? Even pigs don't sleep this much. Is he hiding because he knows I'm here? That's not very manly. I despise cowards..."
A man resembling a black strode in, extremely tall, probably close to two meters. He walked with a brisk, forceful pace and accidentally hit the door frame with a loud thud, nearly breaking the door.
Rubbing his forehead nonchalantly, he complained, "Fourth sister-in-law, your house should have taller doors to accommodate guests properly. How are visitors supposed to enter?"
Eddie couldn't help but laugh, "Our family doesn't have much power or influence. If we were nobility, guests would bow and scrape to get in, and door height wouldn't matter."
The black man shook his head and lectured Eddie, "Kid, what do you know? Strength is what matters. Being related to royalty is useless."
" If you want others to fear you, you have to be a strong fighter, stronger than anyone else. "
"Then they will bow to you. In this world, not even emperors matter if they're not strong... "
"Isn't Alexander the emperor of one of the three great nations? "
"A supreme ruler. Sounds impressive, right? But when he meets me, he has to call me 'big brother.' "
"Do you know why? Because I'm stronger than him. If he doesn't call me that, I'll beat him up. Do you understand my point? What I'm saying is the real deal!"
"Listen, you just said you wouldn't show off in front of the younger generation, and now you're calling yourself the big brother. When did you become the big brother? I wasn't aware of that," Alexander, the emperor of Daxia, along with an elderly man, presumably Haye Yew, and two middle-aged men, entered laughing.
Eddie noticed the two men were not ordinary; one was as imposing as a lion, and the other had a hidden depth like a leopard.
He didn't recognize them, but their strength seemed on par with Rambo. Compared to the warriors of the Yew family castle, they were likely slightly below Shawn but definitely stronger than his uncle Benjamin Yew...
This reminded Eddie of Shawn's various signs and demeanor, making him feel that there was something off.
Shawn's strength was probably not just that of a sixth-level mid-tier master, and Eddie's previous ability to gauge strength couldn't detect it. Now, he felt Shawn was indeed a bit mysterious!
Eddie decided to investigate Shawn Yew carefully in the future. His intuition told him that Shawn was more than he seemed.
As for Benjamin Yew, he was just a minor master and not worth much attention.
When Mother Grace saw Elder Haye Yew and Alexander entering the room, she quickly stood up to greet them.
Alexander casually waved off the formalities and made his way to sit by the Old Fox's table.
Rambo promptly stood up to serve him tea, while the Old Fox just nodded, still maintaining his haughty demeanor.
Elder Haye Yew nodded to Mother Grace, gesturing for her to sit, and then turned to Eddie with an excited expression.
He patted Eddie on the shoulder approvingly, saying "Good!" before sitting down beside Alexander.
The black man who had previously lectured Eddie started to inspect Eddie with great interest, as if a farmer inspecting cattle in the market.
Pointing at Eddie, he turned to Elder Haye Yew and asked, "Elder Yue, is this the useless third son of your family? He doesn't look like it. If he's useless, then I might as well give you my eyes…"
"You came here to pick a fight, didn't you? Everyone's lining up to praise him; it's not your turn yet!" the Old Fox sneered, taking the opportunity to get back at Eddie for not flattering him earlier.
"That's enough, don't mention it. It just makes me furious!" The black man suddenly grabbed Eddie's collar in anger.
"Beat him up, and don't worry about my feelings!" the Old Fox added fuel to the fire.
"Slapping him is not a good idea, because Laura might notice. If she gets upset, you're in big trouble. Give him a few hidden punches, she won't notice. Or you could pull down his pants and spank him. Even if it hurts, he won't dare complain to Laura. That's a surefire method!"
Princess Jean, still annoyed with Eddie, eagerly gave the black man some malicious advice, revealing their familial connection.
"I'm strong, but if I punch him, won't he end up spitting blood?" The black man's fists were indeed large and intimidating.
"Nonsense, he's tough and can take a beating!" the Old Fox almost said Eddie was as tough as iron.
"Well, then I won't hold back. I've been holding in my anger, and I need to release it by hitting someone." The black man was about to unleash a punch at Eddie's chest when Eddie suddenly called a halt.
Eddie's shout surprised the black man, who seemed puzzled as to why Eddie stopped him.
Eddie felt that beating him was the black man's natural right. If Eddie objected, it would seem improper, even disrespectful.
The man asked in surprise, "Why are you stopping me? Am I not allowed to hit you?"
Eddie put on a bright smile and nodded affirmatively, "Of course, you are entitled to hit me. But why would a respected and accomplished senior like yourself want to hit me? "
"Everyone knows you're a person of great virtue and kindness, wise and discerning, filial and respectful, honest and polite, and a great teacher. You always win people over with your virtue. "
"Although your fists possess immense power, you never abuse your strength or bully the weak."
"As a towering figure like yourself, you surely wouldn't be swayed by the Old Fox's petty instigations. "
"Would you let his childish schemes, which even a three-year-old could see through, influence someone as astute as you? I'm sure that's absolutely impossible!"
Hearing this, the black man released Eddie and straightened his collar for him, agreeing with a nod.
"Well said. I was just testing your courage. You may not be very powerful, but you have decent guts. Don't worry about others trying to manipulate me. I'm wise enough to see through their tricks. Rest assured, I won't hit you. Although I possess immense strength, I never resort to violence."
The Old Fox collapsed to the ground upon hearing this, astonished at how much the man enjoyed being flattered. He had never seen anyone who relished flattery to such an extent.
Princess Jean was also taken aback. If it weren't for his status as an elder, she would have doused him with hot tea to bring him back to his senses.
"Idiot, you're being played and still counting the money for them. That kid just manipulated you, and you fell for it," she thought, frustrated with the black man's gullibility.
"Right, why should I be reasonable with you!" the black man, known as the Eastern Heavenly King, angrily raised his fist to strike Eddie.
"There's no need to be reasonable, but as a respected senior, you can't wrongfully accuse someone, right? Why do you want to hit me?" Eddie asked calmly.
"Well, I'm a bit confused now, but I'm sure I have a reason to hit you. Let me do it first, and then I'll explain it to you slowly," the Eastern Heavenly King reasoned, his justification a bit muddled after Eddie's speech.
"What if I'm innocent? Will you let me hit you back?" Eddie countered.
"Of course not. I'm a noble lord of Tianluo, a senior. Hitting you is justified, and not hitting you is also reasonable. Even if I'm wrong, it's just your bad luck," the Eastern Heavenly King declared, firmly refusing to allow Eddie to retaliate, whether he was right or wrong.
"You truly are a respected senior," Eddie said with a smile, giving the man a thumbs-up.
"Your words are absolutely correct."
He then cleverly added, "But, honorable senior, we've never met before, and as soon as you entered, you started talking about beating and killing me in front of everyone. If we were alone, you might even kill my whole family. Is this how a noble lord and respected senior should act?"
"I... I've been friends with your grandfather for over a hundred years. Why would I do such a thing? You're slandering me!" the Eastern Heavenly King roared furiously.
"I see, my mistake. Please forgive my error, lord, for your magnanimous and broad-minded nature," Eddie said, bowing respectfully, despite having his collar grabbed.
"It's a trivial matter. My heart is as vast as the ocean, and I forgive you," the Eastern Heavenly King declared, basking in Eddie's flattery.
"He's a trickster who seduced your daughter," the Old Fox quickly reminded him.
"You scoundrel, how dare you seduce my precious daughter? I'll beat you to death!" The Eastern Heavenly King immediately flipped his mood, his fist raised high.
"You're saying I seduced your daughter?" Eddie asked doubtfully.
"Yes," the Eastern Heavenly King confirmed without hesitation.
"Abducting women and children is a serious crime deserving severe punishment. I support that, but did you witness it yourself? Did you find your daughter in this house?"
Eddie asked, leaving the man at a loss for words, as he only had hearsay as evidence.
"Fool, he didn't literally abduct her. He just stole her heart. He's a heartless playboy, a womanizer, a spoiled rich kid. Why aren't you beating him up?" the Old Fox exclaimed impatiently.
Upon hearing this, the Eastern Heavenly King raised his fist again, determined to give Eddie a thorough beating regardless of what he said.
"Before you kill me, I'd like to know your daughter's name, or I won't rest in peace," Eddie sighed deeply.
"My precious daughter is the most obedient, beautiful, and adorable Little Laura. She's been deceived by you and is now hiding in her garden, crying every day, her face washed with tears. I'm beating you for justice!"
The Eastern Heavenly King exclaimed, causing Eddie to sweat profusely.
How could this man be Laura's father?
It seemed Laura's excellent qualities must have come from her mother, or else she would have turned into a wild woman.
"It's a misunderstanding. Actually, I'm Laura's personal guard captain..."
Eddie quickly clarified, with a convincing expression, "Although I haven't received any salary, I can responsibly tell you that I've been on the job for half a month!"
"Personal guard captain?" The Eastern Heavenly King relaxed. "You're Little Laura's personal guard captain?"
"Do you really have nothing to do with her?" the Eastern Heavenly King inquired.
"There's nothing between us. Besides, Princess Jean was there too. If you don't believe me, you can ask her!" Eddie pointed at the smirking Princess Jean. Seeing Eddie's gesture, Princess Jean's expression seemed to say, "If you dare tell, we're both done for," and she stuck out her tongue and huffed, turning away but still listening attentively to Eddie's continued smooth talking.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" The Eastern Heavenly King felt exasperated, realizing he had worried for nothing about a situation involving two women and a man, with the women being rivals, no less.
Alexander and others pretended not to hear but were secretly holding back laughter.
They never expected the Eastern Heavenly King, known for his fiery temper, to be so easily manipulated by Eddie, a junior.
Not only did Eddie prevent the king's temper from flaring up, but he also almost made him collapse in defeat.
The king had boasted about being able to handle the cunning youngster, only to end up swallowing his pride.
Mother Grace, seeing the Eastern Heavenly King's inability to explode in anger, reprimanded Eddie to apologize:
"What a fuss you've made. Apologize to the Eastern Heavenly King right now... This is no place for children. Go play elsewhere; we have matters to discuss."
Princess Jean gestured for Eddie to follow her outside, indicating she needed to speak with him.
Eddie wouldn't normally pay attention to her, especially after her recent troublemaking, but his cousin Rue also stood up and whispered in his ear.
"The subordinates who participated in rescuing Mother Grace almost all sacrificed themselves. Only one survived, severely injured, and may not last through the day. She wishes to see you before she passes."
Subordinates? Eddie didn't recall having any subordinates and was puzzled.