That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Storm and Lin Zhifeng stepped into the bedroom of Jiang Liu, the city lord of Zhaixing City.

Just as they had predicted, Jiang Liu was not only ill, but seriously ill—he was now bedridden.

Jiang Yu said apologetically, "I apologize for concealing the fact that my father was seriously ill. Please don't mind. Zhaixing City is now at a critical moment of life and death. If the news of my father's serious illness were to leak out, we fear that Zhaixing City would be divided and devoured."

The storm said, "It's alright."

Lin Zhifeng thought to himself, "My uncle really doesn't talk much! No wonder my father was able to steal my mother away back then."

Lin Zhifeng asked with concern, "What ailment is the city lord suffering from?"

Jiang Yu said, "My father already had some unhealed injuries, and two years ago he had another accident while practicing martial arts. Now he is paralyzed in bed and even his mobility is a problem."

After saying this, she couldn't help but sigh: "We've been keeping the news under wraps since the incident, and we've been trying to find someone to treat him in private, but it hasn't worked. In the past six months, my father's condition has only gotten worse. With my current abilities, if I wanted to take over Star-Picking City, let alone whether I could gain the people's approval; I don't even know if I could withstand the annexation of those ten main cities outside..."

It really is a situation beset by both internal and external troubles!

Lin Zhifeng couldn't help but feel sorry for Jiang Yu. She was still just a child, yet she had to shoulder such a heavy burden.

Storm said, "Doesn't your Star-Picking City have any elders or retainers who can help you share the burden?"

Jiang Yu looked slightly embarrassed after hearing her words and said, "Of course there are, but..."

"But what?" Lin Zhifeng immediately became interested when he heard that there was something going on.

Jiang Yu said, "This is a long story. My father was arranged to marry a woman by his family. The woman was the daughter of the city lord of Lanyue City, one of the eleven main cities. However, my father and my mother grew up together and had already pledged their lives to each other. He did not want to accept the family's arrangement for a marriage alliance. At the time, the matter caused quite a stir and almost made Zhaixing City and Lanyue City turn against each other."

"And then?" Lin Zhifeng pressed.

"Later, when there was really no other way, my father compromised and married the daughter of the Lord of Lanyue City, while my mother became my father's concubine."

“My father was very sentimental when he was young. Although he married the matriarch of the family according to the family’s arrangement, he only gave her the title of legal wife. He never went to her room, but he doted on my mother.”

Lin Zhifeng shook his head in disapproval, saying, "This approach is inappropriate! It might cause trouble."

Jiang Yu said, "When Grandpa was still alive, he was able to keep everyone in check. Whether it was my father or the mistress, they were always able to maintain a semblance of decorum."

"Later, when my grandfather got old, he passed the position of city lord to my father. My father was very strong and managed Star Picking City quite well."

"How did things come to this? The city lord is ill and there's no one available?" Lin Zhifeng went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Because my father only spent the night in my mother's room, the mistress was left alone for many years without children, while my mother gave birth to three sons and one daughter. How could the mistress tolerate such humiliation? Moreover, she had been in the household for many years and, with the support of my grandfather and her own methods, had gained the support of most of the elders and the household guards. With her status and methods, it would be easy for her to make several illegitimate sons die quietly."

"So my brothers all died before reaching adulthood. My father, of course, would not tolerate this repeated provocation, and wanted to divorce the mistress and make my mother the legal wife. At that time, my grandfather could no longer control my father, and with the deaths of his three heirs, he also harbored some resentment towards the mistress. In the end, he acquiesced to my father's decision."

"But the mistress is backed by Lanyue City. Although she was ruthless and killed her father's three illegitimate sons, she has suffered too many grievances over the years. In addition, Lanyue City may have had the intention of taking this opportunity to annex Zhaixing City. So, war eventually broke out between the two main cities."

"You must have lost?" Lin Zhifeng guessed.

Jiang Yu said proudly, "My father was indeed exceptionally skilled in martial arts back then, and in the end, our Zhaixing City emerged victorious."

After saying this, she paused for a long time before continuing, "Unfortunately, it was a Pyrrhic victory. The mistress bribed some of the elders and retainers of Zhaixing City. Because of these traitors, Zhaixing City suffered heavy losses, and my father also sustained many hidden injuries. If it weren't for what happened back then, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to break through the year before last."

She finished speaking with a heavy heart, and Lin Zhifeng and Fengbao were at a loss for words.

You mortals may not be very capable, but your ability to cause trouble is top-notch. We cultivators are still too naive; we can't compete with you.

Wasn't my parents and uncle in a similar situation back then? In the end, all my uncle had to do was back out and never speak to my parents again. Look at the trouble you've caused!

In this whole affair, the daughter of Lanyue City is both the victim and the perpetrator. And isn't Zhaixing City also at fault? You wanted to use the girl's family's influence, yet you forced her to live a life of widowhood while you yourself enjoyed the benefits of having two wives?

In conclusion, Lin Zhifeng sighed, "Indeed, matters of love and romance are the most misleading!"

"So what are your plans now?" Storm, who had been silent until now, asked.

“Of course, I must find a way to keep Zhaixing City going no matter what. The only way I can think of right now is to find a powerful main city for a marriage alliance, and then make a comeback with the help of my husband’s family,” Jiang Yu said.

"But have you considered that what you're doing might be inviting trouble? What if your husband's family uses this to annex Star City? Wouldn't your actions just hasten Star City's demise? So, is it really worth it to put yourself in this situation?" Storm pressed.

"Then what should I do? Please teach me, you two immortals!" Jiang Yu said, then knelt down and began to kowtow to Feng Bao and Lin Zhifeng.

Lin Zhifeng screamed in fright and dodged far away, but Feng Bao quickly pulled her up.

Jiang Yu stubbornly insisted on kneeling again, and Feng Bao had no choice but to say, "Don't do this, I'll help you think of a way."

Jiang Yu stopped crying and smiled, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

Lin Zhifeng never expected that his mother's reincarnation would be such a person; she was quite cunning! He took the opportunity to slip back and interjected with dissatisfaction, "Uncle, aren't you interfering with her karma by doing this? I'm afraid it will be detrimental to your future cultivation!"

The storm said, "It's alright!"