Sikong Yu turned and left, while Li Feng surveyed the people present.

"Everyone, you've enjoyed enough of a spectacle, so I'll see you off now."

Li Feng swiftly turned around and went back to the main hall, and the crowd that had been enjoying the show were left looking at each other in dismay. They didn't linger at Li Feng's house, utterly baffled by the three-year pact that Sikong Yu had just established.

As they were leaving, Bai Yi's companion Zheng Changge was still frowning: "Bai Yi, I really can't understand what the eldest daughter of the Sikong family is up to."

"If Li Feng denies having a blood relationship with her family, shouldn't she just slap him dead? Why set such a three-year pact? What's this about?"

Bai Yi also furrowed his brow tightly.

Zheng Changge continued: "And she established such a rule, allowing challenges against Li Feng, yet with so many restrictions. It doesn't seem like she wants to kill him, but rather protect him."

"Why would she do that? After all, Li Feng has denied any blood ties, and everyone in Ancestor Dragon City knows that the Vermilion Bird Bloodline is exclusive to the Sikong family, who take pride in their Vermilion Bird heritage."

"If Li Feng lives, isn't that a slap to the Sikong family's face? If it were me, I would stop at nothing to kill him, and certainly not let him live another second."

"Do you think Sikong Yu has maybe fallen for him? Li Feng does seem to have a bit of charm, perhaps reminiscent of my own."

Zheng Changge couldn't figure out the reason and started to speculate wildly, thinking of Sikong Yu's graceful figure. Sikong Yu's domineering and fiery temperament was well known, but her figure was indeed as captivating as her personality.

Moreover, she was rumored to be one of the top ten beauties selected by Fengyun Pavilion, and she still hadn't married yet.

It's not that no one proposed; those brave enough to do so were often beaten to a pulp. In their circles, there was a saying that Sikong Yu had once said: to marry her, you must survive her challenges.

And she wasn't joking; she actually killed a few suitors through combat. Consequently, anyone seeking marriage vanished without a trace, as there were plenty of beauties around, but who would dare marry such a domineering woman?

Bai Yi suddenly had an epiphany and turned to Zheng Changge: "What did you just say?"

"What did I say?"

"Hmm, I said that Li Feng has some of my charm."

"The line before that," Bai Yi said.

"The line before... You said Sikong Yu might have her eyes on Li Feng." Zheng Changge looked at Bai Yi curiously: "Could it be true that Sikong Yu is interested in Li Feng?"

Zheng Changge found it hard to believe. After all, he was joking earlier, considering Li Feng came from the Lower Three Rings and, despite founding a family, it was still insignificant compared to the first-rank Sikong family.

They're not an equal match in any regard.

"Hmm, Sikong Yu might not be interested in Li Feng, but she is definitely interested in the revival of the Vermilion Bird Bloodline within him!"

Bai Yi thought he understood why Sikong Yu didn't eliminate Li Feng straight away but instead set a three-year pact.

"Ah, what does that mean?"

"Stop teasing, just tell me," Zheng Changge urged Bai Yi, questioning him.

"The pride of the Sikong family lies in their Vermilion Bird Bloodline, which has established them as a first-rank family."

"Yes, indeed. The Vermilion Bird Bloodline of the Sikong family is incredibly powerful, inherited from one of the Four Holy Beasts. When the bloodline power awakens, it can cause an immediate qualitative change in strength. Coupled with resource investment, progress is exponential. The Sikong family has thrived for a millennium, greatly owed to the Vermilion Bird Bloodline."

Zheng Changge explained that the strength of the Sikong family was no secret. Within the family, they had taught family history to make their descendants aware of the powerful families in Ancestor Dragon City.

"Exactly, the Vermilion Bird Bloodline is powerful, but the more powerful it is, the harder it is to integrate. Also, due to the Ten Demon Hall, the merging of bloodlines has become taboo. While not specifically prohibited for the Vermilion Bird Bloodline, many families have tried to merge the Four Holy Beasts' bloodlines, but most have failed."

"This is why the Sikong family is the unique Vermilion Bird family, but their bloodline inheritance has been passed down for many generations. Even if descendants of the Sikong family awaken every generation, upon close analysis, the family is in decline over time."

"Oh?"

Zheng Changge hadn't considered this, but Bai Yi's assumptions seemed more certain. The Bai Family needed to pull a first-ranked family down to regain its former glory. They had been watching the 22 first-rank families closely for years.

Looking to ally with family powers below, and timing their move from above, the Sikong family was naturally on Bai Family's research list.

"If Li Feng were part of the Sikong family, they'd have already brought him back. However, even if he's not, it doesn't matter much. The key is that his bloodline is very pure. If two people with the Vermilion Bird Bloodline unite, it will obviously enhance the bloodline in the next generation."

"The Sikong family's biggest issue has been the dilution of their Vermilion Bird Bloodline with every generation, even though the bloodline remains strong."

After listening to Bai Yi, Zheng Changge was utterly speechless: "Could it really be true what I said in jest, that Sikong Yu is interested in Li Feng."

"It all makes sense now. That's probably why she set a three-year pact. Sikong Yu once said that in order to marry her, one must defeat her. Currently, Li Feng clearly doesn't have that capability, so Sikong Yu wants to give him time to grow."

"Moreover, she's worried that Li Feng might get killed, which is why she imposed those restrictions. Li Feng is not weak in battle under these protected terms."

Zheng Changge smacked his lips, realizing that what appeared as protection was indeed protection.

Because Sikong Yu had set her eyes on Li Feng.

"So does this mean that Li Feng has a lucky charm, and we're just going to let him get away with it?" Zheng Changge then raised his head to look at Bai Yi.

Initially, Li Feng wasn't someone they considered, but he defeated the Zeng Family and swallowed half their assets, along with colluding with the Fang Family, thus disrupting their plans.

With the Zeng Family in power, consuming the Fang Family, the Zeng Family would become a vassal family of Bai's, aiding their development. However, Li Feng had ruined their plans, causing a conflict of interest, meaning it was no longer a disregarded issue.

"Li Feng, he's not easy to handle now. Even if we make a move, it can't be us who does it. However, the Fang Family cannot remain."

"As long as Li Feng isn't related to the Sikong family by blood, we have nothing to fear."

"What about Ji Wuyang? He helped him yesterday."

"Hmm, not sure why Ji Wuyang intervened, but as long as we don't target Li Feng directly, Ji Wuyang has no reason to interfere. If Li Feng really troubles the Zeng Family, let them handle it."

"Sometimes rules are rules. Even if he's a Young Master Ji, he can't break the rules every time, especially since these are rules his family set." Bai Yi sneered coldly.

"Alright, then let the Zeng Family take action."