Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Long Long quietly left Jianmu, secretly calculating the upcoming situation.

Previously, everyone, himself included, thought that the Feathered Clan of South State would definitely react against Central State without thinking, the reason being that the Feathered Clan's combat style was too intense, leading everyone to regard them as mindless brutes.

It was just like how if a cultivator from Shushan caused trouble outside, the first reaction would be that a brute from Shushan had struck first.

Stereotypes indeed help quickly identify groups of people, but of course, they also mean missing out on some unique individuals, such as Her Highness Feng Yan, who was a rare strategic mind within the Feathered Clan.

Based on Long Long's observations of Qin Beiwang and the Ancestral Azure Dragon, those two were definitely liable to be swayed.

This meant that the three camps in the coming days in the Eastern Emperor Realm would be Xuanwu, Qilin/White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird/Azure Dragon.

If it were simply a situation of three powers standing together, it would be relatively easy to analyze… Basically, two would join forces to attack one, forming a group when in a disadvantaged position, and defecting when in an advantageous position.

But in reality, these alliances were not stable.

The Qilin and White Tiger loathed each other, and the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird were also reluctantly allied. Far from being solid as steel, it would be good enough if they didn't drag each other down. What's more troublesome was that other factions could offer "higher bids" at any time, and then allies in a previously established alliance might suddenly turn against you in secret without your knowledge...

Long Long was keenly aware of the danger of traitorous behavior, and the difficulty in this game lay in the fact that everyone was capable of betrayal. The intricate relationships were complex even for him to figure out, let alone pass judgment on the situation.

Sigh, what trouble!

Upon reaching the seaside, Long Long saw Long Hu and Qin Ye whispering together in a huddle, sometimes gritting their teeth, with no clue about what they were plotting.

Huh, when did their relationship become so close?

Long Long was somewhat perplexed. Just as he was about to step forward and ask, he suddenly had an instinctual feeling of foreboding and immediately decided to flee.

"What are you doing here?" Gui Ling'er's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Long Long's body jolted, and then he saw Long Hu and Qin Ye turn their heads, looking at him with peculiar gazes.

Calm down, stay calm! Long Long quickly held his breath and concentrated, beginning to swiftly brainwash himself.

Firstly, Qin Ye and Gui Ling'er are just elders match-making, I never directly agreed, and there's no marriage contract signed between us, so we're still just ordinary friends, what's there to be afraid of?

Secondly, Long Hu was entrusted by elders as well, and we also had mutual affection, but the fox never said she wanted to be my girlfriend.

Although this world does not have the concept of boyfriends and girlfriends, not having said it means it hasn't been said!

Since it's only a relationship with a confidante, what's there to be embarrassed about?

With these thoughts, he put on an open expression and asked curiously,

"What are you two chatting about here?"

"Long Long." Long Hu smiled gently, but somehow, this smile was extremely similar to Feng Yan's forced smile in the reception hall, giving off a vibe of smiling on the surface but not in the heart, "What do you think of the Feathered Clan girls?"

"What do you mean, 'what's the matter'?" Long Long was puzzled.

"You know, those kind of tiny, soft, and squeaky-voiced girls," Long Hu asked with a smile.

"...Not great," Long Long, after a long silence, let the desire to survive overcome his pride and pretended to be serious as he said, "Being delicate means being weak, being soft means being too easy to bully, and a clear voice that's squeaky when speaking can be headache-inducing if you listen to it too much."

"Oh?" a cold voice that seemed to laugh but not laugh came from behind, "Weak and easy to bully, with a voice that gives you a headache, is that right?"

She had originally just wanted to come over to chat with Long Long and show some of the high-status friendliness, as well as to probe his personality... but then she heard Long Long's blatantly racist remarks, and instantly flew into a rage with murderous intent spilling out.

The girls were so scared they scattered like birds and animals, only Long Hu, trembling with fear, remained, withstanding Feng Yan's icy murderous intent and still stubbornly making eye contact:

"Your Highness, everyone has their own unique perspective on things. There's no right or wrong. Besides, Long Long wasn't criticizing you, so why are you getting so furiously embarrassed?"

"How cleverly sharp-tongued of you, little fox!" Feng Yan said with a sneer, "Your acerbic way of speaking really resembles your mother, but in terms of strength, you're far from your father!"

"Ahem, Your Highness," Long Long quickly attempted to rectify the situation, "I was just joking a moment ago, and I didn't mean to criticize the Feathered Clan..."

"Exactly," Long Hu lightly retorted, "If my parents were still here, how would you dare to speak to me in such a manner?"

"Even during Emperor Ying Long's reign, my Feathered Clan never bowed to Central State!" Feng Yan declared with a sharp tone.

"Enough!" Long Long had to step in front of them both, "Your Highness, this is the Dragon Clan's territory. Your actions here represent the Feathered Clan. If you make a scene here, it'll damage the hard-earned friendly relations between our two clans!"

Feng Yan looked down on him from her lofty height. This Vermilion Bird Highness had a very tall stature, half a head taller than Long Long.

Suddenly, she reached out with her right hand, painted with bright red nail polish, and provocatively lifted Long Long's chin.

"What do you think the relationship between our two clans is, little dragon?" she said seductively, bringing her lips close to Long Long's ear and whispering like a fragrant breeze, "There has never been a 'friendly relationship,' only manipulations based on interests."

"If you really want to talk about feelings, it's simple. Just marry into our Vermilion Bird clan. If you can please me, perhaps the Feathered Clan and the Scaled Clan could establish some sort of stronger relationship that goes beyond interests... Hmph."

Ignoring the almost fiery gaze from Long Hu, she withdrew her slender hand, regaining her usual composed and easygoing demeanor:
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"But if you still can't tell right from wrong and want to keep your uncertain ties with this former princess, you will eventually realize the cruelty of this world. It never pities such naively ludicrous love..."

After dropping these words, Feng Yan turned and left.

Only when this Vermilion Bird Highness had completely disappeared from their sight did Long Hu collapse directly into Long Long's arms—just speaking to a High Rank Great Demon and resisting the aura emanating from her, along with the innate fear from deep within, had exhausted most of her strength.

Long Long gently held her, feeling her petite body tremble slightly.

Yes, my own fox is also delicate, soft, with a clear and chirpy voice.

But when she stands up for herself, even in the face of a Great Demon who could crush us both with a single finger, she can muster all her courage to stop them... Such a Long Hu, in my heart, is towering, resilient, and a good fox that brings a sense of security.

Yes, if I were indeed a demon, she would definitely be the one I'd marry.