I Can Give Talent

Chapter 564 – Bardan Buchanan

Southeast of Central Region, Buchanan Family."Barbara, my daughter, you have returned from the institute. Are you here to help your brother prepare for his wedding?"

A middle-aged man happily welcomed his beloved daughter into his office. He was Barbara's father, Bardan Buchanan, the current patriarch of the Buchanan Family.

From their close resemblance, it was obvious that Barbara's brother Barcas had taken after their father in many ways.

"Yes, Dad. I'm done with the Spiritual Cultivation research for now," Barbara said as she took a seat. As usual, she was dressed in her scholarly attire. "I'm sure in a few years we will see significant improvements from the chosen cultivators."

"Bahahaha! That's my daughter!" Bardan laughed proudly. "You went to the Mystic Realm to assist your brother in studying the portal, but you ended up bringing back valuable Spiritual Cultivation knowledge instead. Absolutely amazing. The institute keeps praising your name everywhere. I'm sure you will be included in the Hall of Fame for your great achievement."

"Well… it wouldn't have been possible without him," Barbara said, slightly bashful. "He helped a lot."

Bardan's facial expression immediately changed from smiling to frowning. This was the only thing he could not accept ever since his daughter had returned. She had been completely lovestruck by some random man.

"Hmph! This Leyvi guy. How dare he steal my beloved daughter's heart without my permission!" Bardan crossed his arms. "If I see him, I'll beat him up!"

"Dad, you're a scholar. Why do you want to use violence?" Barbara argued, already accustomed to her father's overprotectiveness.

Her father had no problem at all with Barcas's marriage, but when it came to hers, he became extremely oppositional. Well, she could understand why.

Her brother had always been completely focused on his research and had never shown much interest in women. So when he brought home a woman who was already pregnant with his child, it was naturally seen as great news for the family. After all, it meant the next generation of the Buchanan Family was on the way.

She, on the other hand, would be marrying into another family. Although she was grateful that her father had never tried to use her to strengthen political ties with other families, his deep love for her made him unwilling to let her marry some random man he did not approve of.

So when she brought up Leyvi, he immediately opposed the idea because he did not know him personally. It still annoyed her that her father did not trust her judgment in choosing a man.

"Then is he smart?" Bardan asked. "If he can pass our family's academic test, then I won't say anything more."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "How is that fair? He doesn't have a scholarly background like us. You're such a bully, Dad."

"I am a bully," Bardan replied without shame. "Why should I let some random man marry my precious daughter? I've been investigating him, and let me tell you... that man is lecherous! He's so young but he already has so many wives. How can I let my beloved daughter suffer with someone like that? If you have to marry, you must be the only wife."

"I already know about that, and I'm fine with it," Barbara said calmly and confidently. "It's not even a secret. I get along very well with his wives. We're all like sisters already. I don't think I will suffer at all. We have gone through many life-and-death situations together. I know his character. Leyvi is a man I can entrust my life with."

"Nonsense. I don't believe it," Bardan said firmly. "My daughter, you're just lovestruck and your sense of logic has been compromised. Did you know that he recently married a Soul Formation Realm cultivator? That is a powerhouse on the same level as your dad. How else could a mere Core Formation Realm youngster marry a Soul Formation Realm expert if not by using some kind of wicked trickery? You know what, my daughter Barbara. I suspect you might be under the same trickery. Hmm… I might have to get you checked, actually."

Bardan seemed to be seriously considering it, his fingers tapping on the table thoughtfully.

"Dad! Are you listening to yourself?" Barbara stared at her father in disbelief, a hint of resentment in her eyes. When had she ever made a bad decision that warranted this level of distrust?

How could he make up all these wild speculations just because Leyvi had married Caterina? Didn't that prove how incredible Leyvi was? Could her father do the same? Try making a Soul Transformation Realm expert marry him.

Barbara naturally already knew about Caterina. She knew it was all Anda's doing. After all, she had been keeping in touch with the Leyan Family secretly using the celestial cloud she possessed.

She had never shown the celestial cloud to anyone here in order to keep Senior Lapin's existence a secret. She knew that his unique abilities would definitely be coveted by researchers and treated like an experimental subject.

Bardan was stunned.

Seeing that his daughter was getting quite upset with him, Bardan decided to take a step back. Although he strongly disagreed with her choice, he did not want to have a complete fallout with his beloved daughter. All he wanted was to make sure she did not choose a bad life.

"Alright, alright," Bardan conceded. "Dad just doesn't want you to marry the wrong person. How about this? If he can convince me that he isn't a mediocre person and that he is truly worthy of you, I'll approve of him... reluctantly."

Barbara's smile returned. At least her dad wasn't being completely unreasonable.

"Dad, how can a recipient of the Deed of Sovereignty be mediocre?" Barbara argued. "I already told you that he's the best Spiritual Cultivation talent I've ever seen. You'll definitely approve of him once you meet him."

Bardan shook his head stubbornly. "Barbara, you're a lovestruck woman right now. Your words can't be used as reliable evidence. I'll be the judge when the time comes."

Barbara rolled her eyes. Her father kept using the word "lovestruck" to dismiss everything she said. How unfair.

"Also, nobody can find the real reason why he was given the Deed," Bardan continued. "Maybe he used some kind of devious trickery for that too. I won't let my guard down. Everything will be revealed when I see him in person."

Barbara was speechless. It was obvious her father was treating Leyvi like some kind of villain. She knew some fathers were overly protective when it came to their daughters' relationships, but did it have to come with this level of delusion too?

She stood up abruptly. "Dad. If you want to test him or whatever, you better be fair about it. If you use any underhanded methods just to make him look bad, I won't come visit you anymore!"

Barbara turned around and left the office with puffed cheeks, stomping the floor loudly to show how mad she was. After this, she was going straight to see her mother and complain about her father so that Mom would scold him. She knew her mother was on her side.

Bardan sighed heavily after his daughter left, slumping back into his chair.

"My cute, adorable daughter has really turned rebellious after finding someone she likes," he muttered. "Oh, what a tragedy. I really want to beat this Leyvi up, but my daughter will resent me if I do. Should I use my connections to mess with him? Scare him enough to make him leave my daughter alone?"

Bardan tapped his fingers on the table again, deep in thought.

"No, no. Barbara is not stupid. She will definitely find out if I resort to underhanded methods," Bardan muttered to himself. "It seems I have no choice but to use fair methods…"

He paused for a moment, then a confident smirk slowly formed on his face.

"However, nothing in this world can truly be fair. Even if I use fair methods, I can still make sure the odds overwhelmingly favor me. Just wait, my daughter. Your dad will show you how big the world really is. When he comes to propose to you, other outstanding young talents will help me prove that he's really nothing special. You're just blinded by the desperate situations you went through before. That's all there is to it."

Bardan smiled confidently. He could already picture his daughter apologizing to him one day, admitting that he had been right all along.

---

While a stage was quietly being set up for him in the distance, Leyvi was simply enjoying his peaceful life aboard the airship. Whenever his children were awake, he spent as much time as possible playing with them. He just could not get enough of his three cute babies. The other ladies also loved coming over to play with them whenever they could.

Leyvi knew that they all desired children of their own, so when the babies were asleep, he made sure to distribute his highly sought-after seeds to them.

Caterina had also begun joining these intimate sessions. Whenever Leyana and Leyina fell asleep, Luna would take care of them, letting the twins rest on her soft, comfortable white fur as she curled protectively around them. The white cat treated the twin girls like her own daughters.

The journey continued for another month until the airship finally arrived at the city nearest to the Buchanan Family's territory.