Liu Erlong frowned tightly. "This matter likely really does have something to do with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Husband, what do you plan to do about them? How dare they try to trip you up. How about you just…"
Zhao Ling gently flicked Liu Erlong on the forehead and smiled tenderly.
"Long'er, if I remember correctly, you're related to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, aren't you? Why do I get the feeling that you're really hoping I go after them hard and teach them a lesson?"
After being flicked, Liu Erlong quickly covered her smooth forehead and replied irritably.
"Don't slander me! I'm just upset that those people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan are using such shameless tactics against you. I'm just standing up for you..."
"Hehe…" Zhao Ling gave her an ambiguous smile. Whatever this girl's real intentions were, only she herself knew.
Seeing Zhao Ling's strange smile, Liu Erlong turned her head guiltily, not daring to meet his eyes.
Just as Zhao Ling suspected, although she carried the bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, her father had never accepted her or her mother into the clan. He mostly ignored them.
Since her mother's death, she had lived a life where—though she technically had a father—she was basically no different from an orphan.
Therefore, she held no affection for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. In fact, she harbored deep resentment. If Zhao Ling could help her take them down, that would be perfect.
But doing so would be like using her own husband for revenge, and that made her feel a little guilty.
Zhao Ling didn't call her out directly. Instead, he leaned close and kissed the spot on her forehead where he had flicked earlier, now slightly blushing.
"Alright, Long'er, I know you care about me. But this matter involving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—maybe it's just our speculation. That military officer named Zhang might just have old ties with the clan.
Besides, I was never thrilled about becoming a royal protector and the Crown Prince's adoptive father. I only agreed for Xi'er's chance to become a god. Now, this situation gives me a legitimate reason to take action—I should thank them, really."
"I see… then let's let them off for now," Liu Erlong replied, pouting slightly. Clearly, she wasn't happy about not being able to watch Zhao Ling teach the clan a lesson.
Seeing her expression, Zhao Ling fell into thought. Maybe he should find another opportunity to handle them—make his wife happy?
However, he figured he shouldn't do it himself. Long'er was still a blood relative of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and her father was the second patriarch of the clan.
He couldn't just go all out and wreck the clan in front of his future father-in-law—that would create a major conflict.
And if he accidentally harmed Yu Luomian, her father, who knows how Long'er would react? After all, that guy was her biological father.
If he could somehow separate Yu Luomian from the clan, then he'd have nothing to worry about when dealing with the rest.
Suddenly, Zhao Ling felt that his system was kind of useless without a store function. If only there was a system shop—he could find something useful there.
After mentally grumbling, Zhao Ling got back on topic and asked Liu Erlong again whether she knew of any suitable houses for sale.
Liu Erlong fell silent and started thinking hard.
There were plenty of luxurious houses in Heaven Dou Imperial City, but most were either near the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Several of her sisters had taken human form from soul beasts. According to her husband's diary, they were at high risk of exposure when facing Titled Douluo.
So the house needed to be far from both the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but also not too remote.
After thinking carefully, Liu Erlong looked up and smiled at Zhao Ling.
"Husband, I do know of a suitable place. It's in the northern part of the city. The house is quite big and decently decorated, but no one has lived there in a long time. Buying it and fixing it up would take a lot of time and money..."
"Oh? Time and money aren't a problem, as long as the house is big and grand enough. No time to waste—let's go check it out tomorrow."
Zhao Ling nodded without hesitation. He had already made up his mind: the bigger the house, the better.
Not only should it house his people, but ideally it would also serve as a future base for manufacturing hidden weapons.
As long as he could quickly rope in those blacksmiths from the Blacksmith Association and recreate all the hidden weapons from the Tang Sect, branding them as his own...
Even if Tang San crossed over like in the original story, when he saw those weapons, he'd probably die from sheer frustration.
"Alright then. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see it," Liu Erlong agreed with a nod.
Zhao Ling turned his gaze to Xiao Rou and Xiao Wu, the mother and daughter pair. He realized they hadn't said a word since his return, acting like none of this concerned them.
If anything, they just quietly ate candied hawthorns. And in perfect sync, they swayed their ears as they ate—clearly in a good mood.
Meanwhile, by an artificial lake at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a girl who looked around eleven or twelve with long pink-blue hair lay there.
Several female students from the academy saw this beautiful girl lying by the lake and hurried over to wake her up.
After some calls, the girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of stunningly beautiful eyes, momentarily filled with confusion.
She looked around before fixing her gaze on the faces of the girls around her, asking in a tentative tone:
"Sisters, where is this place? And who are you?"
The academy girls saw her confused expression and assumed she had lost her memory. They all started talking at once:
"Little sister, this is Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Why were you lying here by the lake? Are you here to enroll? Or are you already a student here?"
"Yeah, little sister, did you get separated from your parents? It's dangerous to lie alone by the lake like that."
"Little sister, you're so pretty… if the wrong kind of boy saw you here alone, who knows what might've happened…"
They didn't say anything more, but their meaning was already crystal clear…