Chapter 272

Chapter 272

In this confrontation between the two sides, the warriors of the Twelve Dragon Guard Corps fought with unmatched intensity, fulfilling a long-awaited dream, even an ancestral aspiration.

The original Twelve Dragon Guards were inexplicably replaced and abandoned by the royal family due to their excessively high demands on the monarch. Of course, there might have been other reasons unknown to them, but they had always waited for the day of their return.

Now marks a new beginning.

The Twelve Dragon Clans witnessed their high spirits and, in the end, smiled and blessed them, sending them off.

Until their carrier ships disappeared from view, Admiral Huang Meng looked towards the distant spies of various forces.

The news had probably already spread, and they wondered how much impact it would have on the noble families of Imperial Star.

They were eager to find out.

Three days later, the news of the long-sealed twelve carrier ships making a grand appearance dominated the headlines of major news outlets.

Just as the dragon clans had anticipated, the emergence of the carrier ships, almost exclusively belonging to the Twelve Dragon Guards, caused a stir among both the royal family and the noble families of Imperial Star.

Bai Qing was the first to receive the news, even watching a high-definition live broadcast.

When he saw the little white tiger wearing a crown and looking so spirited, he bolted out of bed.

While other noble families were puzzled by the identity of the little white tiger, even suspecting it to be Little 193 Bai Ji, Bai Qing had already recognized him as Little Hundred, his son who was born with a congenital defect and was famously known as a "waste" in Imperial Star.

As expected of twins, if he had golden fur, he would look exactly like his younger brother, the little golden tiger, when wearing a crown.

But now, he was a white tiger.

Bai Qing's expression changed repeatedly. He should have realized sooner; intelligence reports mentioned that Little Hundred had silver beast ears and a tail.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Qing sat on the bed, suddenly lighting a cigarette, the flame flickering in the dark.

He fixed his gaze on the little white tiger. The twelve carrier ships of the Dragon Guards had resurfaced, and Little Hundred truly had great capabilities.

Back then, when he led the current guard team to charge in, they were beaten back.

The White Tiger clan had always been uniquely favored, easily gaining the recognition of the dragon clans.

As if sensing his thoughts, the long-uncontacted headmaster of the Dragon Clan Military Academy suddenly sent him a compiled video of Little Hundred's experiences in the Dragon Cave.

Recalling the defiant questioning of the past, he suddenly laughed after watching the video.

Before gaining the recognition of the dragon clans, Little Hundred had always been an ordinary half-beast. It was only after receiving their acknowledgment that he evolved and awakened into a white tiger.

It wasn't because the dragon clans favored the White Tiger clan. Looking at the ancient stone tablet, he extinguished his cigarette.

Feng Shuang'er was startled when she walked in, "Why is it so hazy in here?"

Bai Qing: "Little Hundred has transformed into a white tiger."

"What?"

Feng Shuang'er was shocked, seeing the spirited little white tiger in the live broadcast, surrounded by a crowd of supporters.

This son, who had always been delicate and weak, had grown into the person she had always hoped for after leaving Imperial Star, even surpassing her expectations.

Bai Qing: "The noble families of Imperial Star are on the brink of chaos. I'll send you to his side, and we can also check on 101 and 193. Don't worry, he won't refuse."

Little 100's integrity is assured; perhaps he doesn't welcome her, but safety is not an issue.

Feng Shuang'er smiled, "None of the three need me—or, more accurately, neither of us. We were never exactly parent-of-the-year material. Now there's no need to disturb them. Whatever you want to do, I'll accompany you."

At this moment, the noble families were in an uproar.

They looked at the little white tiger with suspicion, thinking it was the young Bai Ji, but upon closer inspection, the size didn't match, as Bai Ji was much larger.

They even suspected it was a new genius offspring of the Bai family, but what about those dragon guard carriers?

Could it be because of Bai Chen?

Impossible, unless Bai Chen rebelled, he couldn't possibly touch the dragon guard carriers that belong exclusively to the royal family.

But soon they learned the identity of the little white tiger—it was intelligence secretly released by Bai Qing, and the noble families were completely stunned.

Afterwards, images of the crowned little white tiger flanked by twelve carriers spread rapidly across the star system.

The noble families slapped a hefty accusation on Bai Xiaoyu, accusing him of colluding with the dragon clans, intending to usurp power.

Their intention was clear: to stir up hatred against Bai Xiaoyu, push the matter to the forefront, and test Bai Qing's attitude.

After all, Bai Qing has many offspring, but none have been groomed as successors.

Bai Xiaoyu has now passed the dragon clans' trials, and according to the royal family's regulations through the ages, a royal bloodline that gains the recognition and following of the twelve dragon guards is the next royal successor.

But how could the noble families be willing to acknowledge this?

Even as Bai Xiaoyu was still navigating the dragon clans' trials, he had people break through the noble families' sniping and blockades on the star network, teaching a lesson to the noble families' peers.

Now, without their knowledge, he has officially qualified as the royal successor.

After years of preparation, someone else is now poised to leapfrog them and claim the prize—how could they tolerate that?

Moreover, Bai Qing is in his prime; he didn't capture the dragon guards back then, and now Bai Xiaoyu, who has captured them, is in the limelight. Wouldn't that tick him off?

So they embellished and spread this intelligence.

"Shocking, the next generation successor of the star system is actually a little white tiger!"

"The dragon guards' chosen emperor has emerged?"

"The dragon clans and Marshal Bai are suspected of siding with Bai Xiaoyu?"

Such headlines spread across all major sections of the star system, making a big fuss, as if afraid Bai Qing wouldn't see it.

Now it was the turn of the entire star system to be in an uproar.

"What's going on? This little white tiger is actually Bai Xiaoyu?"

"The dinosaur species thought to have vanished from history have reappeared? Weren't they supposed to be extinct?"

"The dragon clans have always been there, their traces erased for political reasons over thousands of years. Well, my account is gone."

Everyone clicked on that comment only to find the account had been wiped out.

This... the account really is gone.

Next, those who popularized the dragon clans were either banned or sent to the black room, and everyone turned their attention back to Bai Xiaoyu. To the noble families' surprise, the star system's populace embraced Bai Xiaoyu's moves with enthusiasm.

"At last, our empire will have an heir!"

"Given the emperor's reputation for being a womanizer, I didn’t have much hope for any of the nearly two hundred royal family members. But now, it seems Breeder Bai is the right choice. Who would have thought he would look so majestic wearing a crown!"

"If it's him, I can rest easy."

The noble families were baffled: "What just happened?"

They had been stirring the pot, but instead of figuring out Bai Qing’s stance, they ended up boosting Bai Xiaoyu’s reputation.

The noble families were livid, and the higher-ups called an emergency meeting that lasted all night.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoyu looked at the photos of himself in the news, both amused and exasperated. The projected little golden tiger beside him played with the small crown on its head, standing next to the little white tiger and making constant gestures.

"It looks just like me, but brother, aren’t we twins? Why are you a little white tiger? And you’re even smaller than me, so that makes me the older brother."

The little golden tiger grumbled. If both he and his brother were little golden tigers, he couldn’t imagine how awesome they’d look walking side by side.

The little one next to the golden tiger swiped at him with a paw, "Keep dreaming. Brother will bounce back eventually. Besides, the white tiger is way more majestic."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the golden and silver little tigers started brawling.

Bai Xiaoyu watched the two cubs fighting in the projection and didn’t intervene.

Right now, he was looking at the message Lou Hao had sent him. It seemed the noble families had begun targeting his interstellar pharmaceutical supply business, Spark, with suppression tactics.

The herbs they needed were either snatched up at inflated prices or deliberately overpriced by competitors.

He also owned a Herb Base, but Spark was already the primary supplier for cultivation centers in the outer star systems near D36. As more and more planets were being developed, the supply from the Herb Base and the herb procurement chain was barely enough.

The Huang Family had done this before, but the cost became too high, and they eventually gave up on the suppression.

Now, they were making a comeback, and it wasn’t just the Huang Family behind this; other noble families were involved as well.

It wasn’t just pharmaceuticals; all their procurements, across all industries, whether for daily life or military supplies, were being blocked and suppressed.

They had infiltrated every sector, and except for the royal family's industries, the presence of noble families was everywhere.

Suppressing a young man with a weak maternal family, even with the backing of the twelve dragon guards and multiple military legions, was still a military issue. And now, with the legions fully occupied by the aggressive Bug threat, dealing with Bai Xiaoyu, who was just starting his career, was a piece of cake for the noble families.

In some ways, the all-powerful noble families were indeed a nuisance.

Bai Xiaoyu thought for a moment and then dialed a number for the first time.

On the other end, Bai Qing propped his chin on his hand and looked over, "Well, isn’t this my Little Hundred, who just made a grand exit from the dragon clans? This is the first time you’ve reached out to me on your own."

He was telling the truth; the times the little golden tiger had contacted him while in this body didn’t count.

This son’s spirit had followed Bai Chen before, and even after returning to his body, he hadn’t reached out to him on his own.

Apart from their blood ties, they were more like strangers than family.

Bai Qing looked at the little white tiger. If he didn’t know this was his own flesh and blood, he would have thought it was Bai Chen’s son.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Weren’t you waiting for me?"

Bai Qing raised an eyebrow, "Boring. Go on, what do you want?"

The little white tiger pulled out a few books, "I’ll trade these for some access to the royal family’s industries."

The little golden tiger and the little white tiger stopped fighting as soon as Bai Qing appeared, and they cautiously approached their cheap deadbeat dad.

This scene made Bai Qing laugh.

He was their father, not some villain. Was it really necessary for them to be so wary of him?

The little golden tiger pouted, "Brother, remember how all those golden tiger uncles gave us gifts, but this old man didn’t give us squat? Don't you remember?"

Bai Qing snorted, ignoring the little golden tiger, and turned his attention to the books.

He already knew what they were. This was everything Little Hundred had learned, and the old principal of the Dragon Clan Military Academy had already shown off to him.

Bai Qing: "You’ve got a deal."

Bai Xiaoyu was stunned. Was it really that easy? He wasn't surprised that Bai Qing knew about these things, but the other's attitude was clearly off.

The little golden tiger: "Old man, you’re up to something."

Bai Qing let out an exasperated laugh. He lazily twirled a pen, ignoring the little golden tiger who was getting on his nerves, and directly addressed Bai Xiaoyu: "Don’t you know that coming out of the Dragon Cave with the Twelve Dragon Guards made you the empire’s official heir?"

"I told you before, if you want something from me, you need to do it in a specific way. It seems you've taken the right step. As the heir to the empire, you have one-third of the empire's industries at your disposal."

Bai Xiaoyu was stunned, his beast ears twitching. He extended a paw and slapped it down, "That’s enough. Let’s get this done."

Bai Qing narrowed his eyes at him, "Do you know what you'll have to face after taking this step?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Haven't I already taken this step? Besides, isn't this the result you wanted?"

The two of them stared at each other through the optical brain.

Finally, Bai Qing laughed, "Don’t get yourself killed again."

Then, amidst the simultaneous fur-raising and teeth-baring of the little golden tiger and the little white tiger, he ended the call.

The little golden tiger: "This old man’s a real piece of work, and he’s got a nasty mouth too."

Big Black walked in, "Decided?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. Whether his deadbeat dad was using him to take on the noble families or not, once he took this path, it was only a matter of time before he clashed with them. He was also using the royal family's power to weaken the noble families and strengthen himself.

Those things of his were nothing but profit for Bai Qing and the royal family.

After Bai Qing ended the call, he received something from Bai Xiaoyu. The more he looked at it, the harder his expression was to read.

Was this really a son he could have fathered?

He notified the elders, and the royal family's high-ranking members gathered for a meeting.

The elders didn't look too pleased. Throughout history, the golden tiger had always been the heir. How could a white tiger take the throne?

Bai Yin, who was usually always sleepy, was unusually alert this time and sarcastically remarked, "You don’t get a say in this. He has already earned the right to inherit by emerging from the Dragon Cave."

The elders scowled, "After he inherits, it will be easy for us to do something."

Bai Yin: "Enough nonsense. State your conditions."

The elders exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward, "As long as Bai Xiaoyu ascends the throne, he must appoint his younger brother, the little golden tiger, as the next heir."

"I agree."

A voice came through, and the elders were stunned, all staring at Bai Yin's communication device, "When did you start the call?"

Bai Yin: "From the very beginning."

The elders collectively cursed, this old fox is being sneaky.

Would Bai Xiaoyu make things difficult for them in the future?

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the little golden tiger and the little white tiger beside him. The little golden tiger kept insisting he was destined to be the emperor of the galaxy, while the little white tiger clearly stated that he wanted to go to the battlefield with Big Black and had no interest in the throne.

Given this, he had no reason to object.

It's just that the little guy is a bit of a free spirit, and as the next next heir to the empire, he needs comprehensive training.

The little golden tiger was still excited about the news he heard, he truly believed he was destined to be a super invincible emperor.

Little did he know, his days of leisurely patrolling the mountains with small animals were over.

His brother would hit him with a bombshell, with a packed schedule of all the courses an imperial heir must master.

To wear the crown, one must shoulder its burden. The little golden tiger was in for a world of trouble.