Beastmaster of the Ages

Some other Suishen eminents also nodded in agreement. However, others asked, ”The problem is, how can you ensure that the kid will prioritize the interests of the Three Exalted Houses? He didn’t grow up in Myriadpath Valley, so his thoughts aren’t something we can control. If he decides to turn against us, it’ll be over for House Suishen.”

Suishen Cang said, ”We still can’t ignore the recognition he’s obtained from the ancestors’ legacies. He isn’t even a hundred years old, so he’s young enough that his worldview hasn’t fully formed. As long as we treat him well and consider him one of us, he’ll become one of us.”

”He, Suishen Yao, and Eminent Jiguang have a really good rapport. Those two have protected and cared for him. As long as we don’t oppose him and work with Eminent Jiguang to give him some benefits, I believe the child can easily be controlled by us. I looked into him a while ago and noticed that he’s a really sentimental person,” Suishen Ling said.

Suishen Yuan didn’t think that his parents, who had treated Tianming with contempt before, would actually change their views so drastically. He couldn’t help but say, ”He also has a rather decent character. When Little Zhao was bullied by Yumo Yuanni, he fought back without a word. Even though we may suspect him of trying to curry favor with House Suishen, he did offend House Yumo and suffered a real cost for his camaraderie.”

”You, stay quiet,” Suishen Cang said. He had already said a lot, but Eminent Ranxing hadn’t shown any reaction. It meant he was still feeling rather perplexed about the matter.

”I believe Suishen Cang speaks sense. House Yumo and House Qitian are constantly trying to frame that child as a potential traitor. They want us to limit his growth, but they’re also afraid he’ll cause our influence to rise.”

”They’re already used to being the boss.”

”I believe we should take him into our house, but we don’t have to make our decision right away. Instead, we can slowly observe him and make an evaluation later.”

”Let’s all not forget that totemancy is only one of the things he cultivates. If we don’t want him, House Qitian will take him in. If they gain even more power because of him, we’ll have been made a fool.”

”We should all not let the matter of the previous valley lord scare us. He’s just a young child and we can still tempt him with benefits. Not to mention, he’s a totemancer with relatively low simulacra. House Suishen should be a natural fit to him in that regard. He can just naturalize as one of us.”

The other eminents were heatedly discussing the matter, which was a rather uncommon sight. If Tianming hadn’t obtained those two legacies, they wouldn’t even be talking about him. Apart from Eminent Jiguang, most other eminents would normally consider Tianming a potential traitor that was unsuited to the Three Exalted Houses whose nurture should be regarded with utmost care.

However, the eminents had been swayed. Everything in the Three Exalted Houses had been passed down from the ancestors long ago, and their choices had shaken the eminents’ preconceptions.

”What do you mean by naturalize?” Suishen Cang asked.

”Obviously, he’ll join us and have children with our surname, becoming one of us for good. Won’t that keep him fully in line with us?”

”Makes sense.”

”That’s definitely one way. Even though he’s obtained the legacies, his path is still long. We can judge him based on what he does in the next few centuries.”

”From now on, things will proceed in a good direction. We have to protect and nurture him! Naturally, letting him form a family with us and giving him a good career can help show him our sincerity.”

”I wonder whose daughter will match well with him.”

”Let’s make it happen soon. We’ll just hold the wedding together with Suishen Yao and Suishen Yue! It’ll be a double celebration!”

”Hahaha!”

The eminents seemed rather optimistic about Tianming and were already trying to matchmake him.

”By the way, Suishen Cang, Suishen Ling, your daughter, Suishen Xue, is just a little over a hundred years old, right? She’s still young, but she’s basically the same age as he is. We can still raise them to be childhood friends.”

”My little sister?” Suishen Yuan was a little shocked, but gave it some thought. One of his sisters would marry Suishen Zhao, while the youngest would marry Tianming, making him an elder-brother-in-law. That didn’t sound too bad.

However, Suishen Cang shook his head. ”Little Xue’s too young. Even though she’s about Li Tianming’s age, her mental state is far from comparable with his. I believe they have nothing in common. Not to mention, Li Tianming seems to urgently require Suishen Blood to unlock more simulacra. Little Xue is too young and wouldn’t work for him.”

Suishen Ling said, ”Perhaps there’s a better candidate for that.”

It wasn’t that the couple was against the idea. If Eminent Ranxing was enthusiastic about it, they would be too. However, they noticed that he seemed a little solemn and hadn’t said anything. It was a clear sign of him holding back; perhaps there was even some displeasure behind his stony expression.

As such, the couple decided to pull back a little, lest they go too far against Eminent Ranxing’s unspoken wishes, something the other eminents hadn’t remotely considered. They already considered Tianming as one of their own.

”Speaking of Suishen Blood, I know someone. If she’s willing to lower her stature, she’d be the perfect match for Li Tianming,” another eminent said with a smile.

”I know who you’re talking about. Honestly, I believe her to be a great candidate as well. Li Tianming’s a young and hot-blooded youth. With a mature lady who can double as his master and also his wife, there’d be no need for us to doubt his loyalty to House Suishen at all.”

The mere notion of a master-wife made all the eminents laugh. They knew who that referred to, but didn’t mention her by name.

”The elder’s been worried about his daughter’s marriage for around two thousand years, so everyone thinks she’ll probably stay unmarried forever. Maybe this has been a destined encounter all along. Perhaps she’s finally met a perfect match for her.”

”Even though House Suishen’s core bloodline has never accepted any outsiders, Li Tianming’s someone who’s obtained the recognition of our ancestors. He’s no longer an outsider.”

”It’s perfect! They’re a perfect match!”