"Not bad,"Though Gu Yuan harbored some distaste for Hun Tiandi's ambition, he still nodded in agreement.
Just as Hun Tiandi had said, if the Gu and Hun Clans truly joined forces, the entire continent would fall into their hands.
Hun Tiandi sobered up from his excitement and said,"Brother Gu, have a seat. We can slowly discuss this cooperation."
Now that he knew Gu Yuan had come with the intention of a powerful alliance, Hun Tiandi's attitude softened considerably.
In the past, just looking at Gu Yuan irritated him, but now, at this very moment, Hun Tiandi inexplicably found him much more agreeable.
"Mhm."Gu Yuan took a seat as well. Since they were going to form a powerful alliance, it made sense to sit down and talk thoroughly.Of course, no need for a whole night's discussion.
"Serve tea!"Seeing Gu Yuan sit down, Hun Tiandi no longer stood on ceremony and shouted toward the door.
That Gu Yuan had been there for quite some time and only now was offered tea clearly reflected the nature of their previous relationship.
But that was in the past.
Now that Gu Yuan had mentioned an alliance, their mutual attitude had shifted significantly and become more tactful.
After all, in this world, there are no eternal enemies—only lasting interests.
Meanwhile...
Hun Xiu had brought Gu Xun'er to the mountaintop behind the main hall.Of course, Hun Xiu still had no idea that the child he was carrying was actually Gu Xun'er.
In his mind, this was Gu Yuan's son, named Gu Xun (寻).
"Xun?"Whenever he heard that name, Hun Xiu would unconsciously think of a certain someone with the surname Qian.
Hun Xiu placed "Xun'er" beneath a large tree and sat down beside him.
He looked around, confirmed no one else was nearby, and with a satisfied smile, pinched the child's soft cheeks:"That texture... so smooth."
Gu Xun'er: "..."
Hun Xiu wasn't satisfied with just one pinch—he did it again. And again. And again...
Eventually, he moved on from pinching to kneading the little one's face.
Gu Xun'er's soft, chubby cheeks were completely helpless under Hun Xiu's "evil claws," manipulated however he pleased.
Gu Xun'er was utterly bewildered.
Weren't they supposed to go out and play?
Why did it feel like she was the one being played with?
Xun'er was not happy.And when Xun'er was unhappy... the consequences could be serious.
"Waaaah—!"
The little one burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Hun Xiu, who had just been gleefully playing with her face, was startled by the sudden crying. Feeling the wetness on his hand, he realized—he had messed up.
"..."
"Xun'er, be good—don't cry…"
Hun Xiu instantly switched to 'big brother' mode, trying to comfort his "little brother."
But this only made things worse—Xun'er cried even louder.
If only he had known...
If only he had not gone overboard with the cheek-pinching...
Now, he had made the child cry, and he had to pay the price.
"Xun'er, don't cry. Big brother will be your horse. Want a ride?"
Saying this, Hun Xiu actually crouched down and let the little one ride on his back, crawling around on the grassy ground.
"Big brother… horse… amazing!"
Sure enough, the child stopped crying, and even beamed with joy, happily shouting in a tender voice.
Since the child was so young and hadn't grown all their teeth, their speech was still a little slurred and broken.
"Sigh..."Hun Xiu, now reduced to being a "horse," looked extremely glum.
He was supposed to be a future Emperor… and now look at him—he had become a mount.
If only he hadn't kneaded that adorable, plump little face so hard.It was just too soft. Too irresistible. He lost control!
So now, here they were—a pair of mismatched kids: one acting as a horse, the other a happy little rider, having the time of their lives.
Of course, Hun Xiu wasn't foolish enough to stay in that role forever.
Once he saw that the child had stopped crying, he flipped around and let the little one tumble onto his chest. Then he reached out with his "evil claws" once more and gave the cute face another gentle pinch.
Seeing that she was about to cry again, he quickly turned back into the horse.
Truly, being a horse is fun once in a while. Being a horse all the time... still fun?
One wonders what Hun Xiu will think of this "day as a horse" when he looks back in the future.
Back in the main hall...
After a brief exchange, Hun Tiandi finally understood what Gu Yuan meant by "a powerful alliance."
He asked,"So… Brother Gu intends to form a marital alliance with the Hun Clan to seal this cooperation?"
"Exactly."Gu Yuan sipped his tea and nodded.
"And how exactly does Brother Gu envision this marital alliance?" Hun Tiandi asked.
Indeed, there was no better method of sealing an alliance than marriage.If both parties didn't completely intertwine their interests, how could it be called a true alliance?
And since they were talking marriage, it couldn't be just any ordinary members from either clan.It had to be the core bloodline—the direct heirs.
Only by doing so could the two clans become truly inseparable and fully invested in each other's future.
"I believe my daughter Gu Xun'er and your son Xiu'er would be an excellent match. What do you think, Brother Hun?"Gu Yuan finally revealed his real intent with a calm smile.
Finally—they had arrived at the real topic.
"Gu Xun'er and Xiu'er?"
Hun Tiandi naturally knew who Gu Xun'er was.Gu Yuan's only daughter—her bloodline certainly wouldn't be weak, considering her father's bloodline was that of a Dou Di.
However… if she was to be wed to his son, Xiu'er…
That made things complicated.
Hun Tiandi felt as though something was being taken away from him—something incredibly precious: Hun Xiu. His Xiu'er.
"Brother Gu… I'm afraid my son Xiu'er may not be worthy of your daughter," Hun Tiandi said with a troubled look.
Who was his Xiu'er?The bearer of an Eleven-Star Bloodline—a bloodline surpassing the divine.
He possessed the potential to become an Emperor—a true Dou Di in the future.
And now you want him to marry into the Gu Clan?
Sorry—Hun Tiandi couldn't agree to that.
Even if it meant offending Gu Yuan… even if he had to give up his position as Clan Chief…
He would never give away his Xiu'er so easily.
That Eleven-Star Bloodline was too valuable to hand over to someone else's family.
A child born of such a bloodline would surely inherit a divine-tier bloodline—there was no doubt about it.
Such a treasure… no, such an exceptional stallion—Hun Tiandi wouldn't just give him away to benefit the Gu Clan.
And so, he changed his tone and said,"I do have another son—Hun Feng. He's also quite talented. I believe he would be a more suitable choice for this marital alliance."
"What do you think, Brother Gu?"