However, faced with Ivy Shen's shy and blushing face, Eli Crane quickly looked away, afraid he might lose control and kiss her again.
Yvonne Li saw this and couldn't help but secretly giggle. This brother-in-law always acts so chill, like nothing ever bothers him, but who knew he was actually so passionate?
"Ahem, ahem!" Elder Hua, the top leader hosting the Martial Conference, coughed a few times. No one else noticed what just happened, but this old man saw everything crystal clear. Young people these days—do they all have no shame?
"Elder Hua, the duel's over—shouldn't you announce the birth of our new Martial Alliance Leader?" Yvonne Li turned to Elder Hua and asked.
Hearing this, Elder Hua frowned slightly. These two mysterious figures really were impressive, but...
Their style seems a bit questionable. Should we really hand over the Martial Alliance Leader title to them?
"Don't worry, Elder Hua. I'm sure you saw Silver Consort's injuries perfectly from your seat. No matter how deep her cultivation, she probably won't last much longer. Didn't you all say the Alliance Leader's job is to help everyone get rid of this villain? Well, she's basically done for—barely hanging on. Are you satisfied now?"
No wonder Yvonne Li's cut out to be a city mistress—every word goes straight to the heart.
"And anyway, you all saw our sect master's skills. If anyone's not convinced, feel free to come up and challenge her!" Yvonne Li shouted.
Hearing this, the crowd quickly lowered their heads and kept silent. She even beat Silver Consort, and none of them saw what move she used—Silver Consort was already badly injured. No way were they going to act cocky now.
"Dad, if you ask me, these two are really something," Papa Hua couldn't help but step forward and mutter to Grandpa Hua.
"Well..." Grandpa Hua was still a bit hesitant. After all, their sect's location was a total mystery, and their identities were even more of a riddle. What, are we supposed to have a Martial Alliance Leader nobody knows the home of, or even their real name?
"May I ask how we should address you two heroes?" A few elders hurried over, respectfully asking for their names.
Ivy paused, then flashed a dazzling smile and announced, "Divine Crane Couple!"
As soon as Ivy finished speaking, Little White the crane let out a crisp cry, then swooped down from the sky, rubbing its head against her leg.
"Good bird, go play!" Ivy patted Little White's head, and the crane happily flapped its wings and flew off.
The crowd immediately started buzzing again. Are they even human? How does a white crane obey them like that?
They have to be immortals, right? Otherwise, how could they be so powerful? How else could all this be possible, and so on, and so on...
"Greetings, Martial Alliance Leader!" Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. The next second, a figure flashed across the sky and landed on the stage, bowing deeply. "Descendant of the Hua clan, here to greet the new Martial Alliance Leader!"
"San Hua!" Grandpa Hua and Papa Hua were both shocked to see Butterfly Rogue appear out of nowhere. What the heck is this kid doing here?
"Greetings, Martial Alliance Leader!" With the Hua clan leading the way, everyone else dropped to their knees and shouted in unison.
"San Hua!" Grandpa Hua frowned, scolding Butterfly Rogue for barging in. Did this kid really think he could just show up anywhere?
Right then, Butterfly Rogue straightened up and sidled over to Grandpa Hua. "Grandpa, she's totally one of us! She's your granddaughter-in-law!"
"Huh?" Both Grandpa Hua and Papa Hua were stunned at that.
"But she..." Grandpa Hua glanced at the handsome man in white standing next to her, looking totally confused.
"Oh, that's our Old Seven," Butterfly Rogue said proudly, totally missing the look on his dad and grandpa's faces.
Old Seven? What did he mean by that? Did this kid's family have seven men or something?
"Grandpa, this was found by your granddaughter-in-law! Here, you should be the one to present it to her!" Butterfly Rogue sneakily handed the box to Elder Hua, then bowed respectfully again.
"Everyone, you may rise," Ivy said softly, but her voice carried an irresistible authority.
At her words, everyone stood up at once.
At that moment, Grandpa Hua puzzledly opened the box in his hands. Instantly, a deep blue light shot straight into the sky, leaving everyone stunned. The next second, the crowd erupted—anyone who's ever set foot in Jianghu knows there's only one treasure that shines with that kind of blue light: the legendary Storm Command Token!
Grandpa Hua shakily took out the Storm Command Token from the box, his hands trembling. Seeing the token, everyone knelt down again, showing deep respect for its power.
Grandpa Hua looked at Ivy in shock, but even through her veil he could see her smile. Suddenly, he understood—she was helping the Hua clan regain their reputation by letting the Storm Command Token choose a new master right in front of everyone. Now the Hua clan wouldn't have to bear the blame for its disappearance anymore.
In that instant, Grandpa Hua decided his granddaughter-in-law was actually pretty great. Sure, she had a bunch of husbands, but seeing his grandson so happy—well, whatever! At least she kept him out of trouble and stopped him from being a playboy thief.
"I, Elder Hua, sixteenth-generation guardian of the Storm Command Token, hereby present this token to the new Martial Alliance Leader. All of Jianghu, upon seeing this token, shall treat it as seeing the Alliance Leader and swear loyalty unto death!" Elder Hua declared solemnly.
Then Elder Hua bowed deeply and respectfully handed over the Storm Command Token. Instantly, the crowd shouted, "Greetings, Martial Alliance Leader! We pledge our loyalty!"
"Everyone, rise," Ivy said, still not quite used to all this grand ceremony.
And so, the martial arts conference that rocked every nation came to a close. In the days that followed, rumors spread everywhere about the new Martial Alliance Leader: the men were powerful, but the woman was even more terrifying. Even crazier, she had a white crane at her side—and the crane seemed to understand human speech! Most outrageous of all, they could stand on the crane as if they weighed nothing. How much inner power did that take?
Soon, the mysterious Hunks Sect became the hottest topic around. How many gorgeous men did it really have? Was every guy as magical as that one in white? Some bold souls even tried to seek out the sect, hoping to join up. Before long, Hunks Sect was the most sought-after place in all Jianghu.
This tournament turned out to be a gold mine for storytellers. The martial arts conference lasted seven whole days, but the tales spun about it could fill a year or more. Versions of the story spread everywhere, and every tavern with a storyteller was packed to the rafters by people who hadn't seen the fights themselves.
The shop owners were happy, the waiters were happy, and the storytellers were the happiest of all.
Even funnier, the Divine Crane Couple turned into a brand name—Divine Crane Couple Inn, Divine Crane Couple Tofu, Divine Crane Couple Rouge, you name it...
After the conference ended, Butterfly Rogue solemnly introduced Ivy to his dad, grandpa, and brothers. Only his mom couldn't make it—too far to travel, and too much going on at home—so just a few brothers tagged along.
The moment Ivy revealed her true face, they instantly understood why their son, grandson, and brother was so obsessed.
"Grandpa, um, Uncle, brothers," Ivy said, a little embarrassed. She might be a queen on the battlefield, but she still got shy around elders.
All the brothers chuckled, each one secretly impressed with Butterfly Rogue—this guy was seriously blessed!
"Wife, don't call him 'Uncle,' you should call him 'Dad!'" Butterfly Rogue grabbed Ivy's hand, anxiously correcting her.
"Hey, slow down, kid! You haven't even had a proper wedding yet," Lan Moxuan laughed, reminding him that only four of them had actually had a ceremony so far. Ivy could call any of their parents 'Mom' or 'Dad,' but Butterfly Rogue was getting ahead of himself—he hadn't even tied the knot yet! Dream on!
"How are you this clueless? Still no wedding, while the others all had theirs. You're making our Hua family look bad!" Grandpa Hua said, clearly fond of Ivy as she called him 'Grandpa.'
"I... I..." Flustered by the teasing, Butterfly Rogue shook Ivy's hand and pleaded, "Wife, when are we getting married?"
"Yeah, you still owe three of us a wedding," Ethan Chu said, arms crossed with a grin.
"Heh," Nina Xu and Yvonne Li couldn't help but laugh—this family was just too entertaining.
Grandpa Hua looked at the other extraordinary men, then at his own grandson, and couldn't help but wrinkle his white brows—his grandson was definitely under pressure now!
"Xin'er," Grandpa Hua stepped forward, took Ivy's hand, and smiled, "I'm counting on you to take care of Butterfly Rogue."
"Grandpa!"
"Honestly, Butterfly Rogue is a good kid. Once he sets his mind to something, he'll see it through. If he's chosen you, it'll be for life. Grandpa just has one little request."
"Please, Grandpa, go ahead," Ivy said, never one to refuse a reasonable request from an elder.
"Hurry up and give Butterfly Rogue a baby, so he'll finally settle down and raise a kid!" Grandpa Hua said with a sly grin.
"Grandpa, you're the best!" Butterfly Rogue grinned from ear to ear.
Everyone else just gave Grandpa Hua a look of pure disdain—their goodwill for him plummeting. What a sly old fox!