Chapter 38: Offering One's Body in Marriage

"Lord Wei, do you have any other business?" I forced a smile.

Wei Lingfeng smiled at me, then his gaze fell on Wu Ye and said lightly, "Miss Lan wishes to leave, and I naturally won't stop her, but this person must stay."

I could feel Wu Ye's body convulse sharply, his hands clenched into fists without a word. My mind went blank; I glanced at Wei Lingfeng, then turned back to Wu Ye... they had known each other all along?

"Miss Lan, isn't that strange?" Wei Lingfeng's eyes landed on me, a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth, "Even a child knows I am the emperor of Qi Nation, your guard—why has no one ever reminded you?"

I suddenly recalled the day I first heard Wei Lingfeng's name; Wu Ye's expression was indeed odd—he must have known then, right? But why didn't he tell me?

"Then I'll make it clear," Wei Lingfeng saw my shocked face, a cold smile slowly appearing in his eyes, "His identity is not as simple as you think." Before I could answer, his blazing gaze fell on Wu Ye, and he said coldly, "Mo Jin, even after seeing me you still don't know how to pay your respects?"

I stared wide-eyed at Wu Ye's struggling eyes; finally he knelt respectfully, his voice flat, "Third-generation 'Lord of the Flying Eagle' Mo Jin, I present myself to His Majesty."

"What? You're the Flying Eagle..." the handsome subordinate shouted, but Wen Xiu gave him a tug, his face reddening as he stared at Wu Ye and dared not speak again.

"Didn't you refuse to admit it even if it meant death that day?" Wei Lingfeng slowly sat upright, a seemingly harmless smile still at the corner of his mouth, "What? Have you come to understand today?"

"Wu Ye?" I half-crouched, looking at him, "What's going on?"

Wu Ye looked at me, a flicker of light flashing repeatedly in his eyes, as if desperately trying to ignite a leaping flame, yet ultimately succumbing to dead silence. His Adam's apple moved, and his voice was flat as water: "I am the current 'Lord of the Flying Eagle' of Qi Nation, the head of the 'Hidden Guard' serving each generation of the Qi King. My lifelong mission is to be loyal to the Qi King and give my life for Qi Nation."

"Then the past you mentioned and the words you want to follow me..."

Wu Ye lowered his head, saying lightly, "It was just a joke."

I inhaled deeply, propping myself on one hand while kneeling on one foot, frowned at Wei Lingfeng, and said, "In summary, you're telling me: First, Wu Ye was originally your subordinate; second, Wu Ye swore lifelong loyalty to you; third, I was merely tricked by him?"

Wu Ye, kneeling beside me, trembled; Wei Lingfeng smiled at me, his gaze seeming to say, "You're not foolish, that aura is supreme no matter how you look at it."

I abruptly lifted my body, using a surge of inner strength like nine oxen and two tigers to pull the kneeling Wu Ye up as well. After finally steadying myself, I clutched Wu Ye's arm tightly, turned and glared at Wei Lingfeng with furrowed brows, shouting, "Hey! You're at least the emperor of a nation; your subordinates are countless talents. Don't be so shameless as to fight me over a mere Wu Ye!"

The atmosphere was... bizarre.

I looked forward; Wei Lingfeng hadn't recovered his senses, while the literary and martial types were already completely petrified; I looked back, Wu Ye and Xin Hui stared with widened eyes, as if frozen. It was Xin Luo and Xiao Yin from our family who remained the calmest, merely staring at me with their dark, beautiful eyes in bewilderment.

"Ha—" The first laugh to break the eerie atmosphere was Wei Lingfeng's. I've known him for so long... actually, not long; I've never seen him smile like this. How to put it? It felt as if many long-suppressed emotions were suddenly released—some relief, some relaxation, some comfort... alright, I'll take back the last part.

"What if I insist on taking him?" He forced a stop to his laugh, his long ten fingers resting on the table edge, asking calmly.

"Wei Lingfeng!" I raged to the point of madness, my words a terrifying tirade, "I saved your life; I didn't even let you offer yourself in marriage, and you still have the nerve to snatch someone from me?"

￥#%*-￥#——

The room fell silent for a moment, the sound of a needle dropping audible. No, why do I feel crows flying overhead? PAI fly, illusion, definitely an illusion.

Did I just say something?

Why does Wei Lingfeng's eternally unchanged face flush red and white, his hand on the table edge throbbing with veins? That literary and martial pair stare at me like they've seen a ghost. Wu Ye! Why did you suddenly lower your head and shake your shoulders? And Xin Hui, why are you frantically covering your mouth with a handkerchief?

What did I say, that... can we rewind?

I cursed that troublemaker Xiao Yu, who for no reason drowns my mind in a pile of melodramatic novels—what's this "offering one's body in marriage"? Seeing him on the verge of a rampage, I thought "offering one's life to the nation" would be more fitting.

I sneered, "Um, I just misspoke, no! I spoke without thinking... you... don't take it seriously!"

Wei Lingfeng finally regained his composure; his upbringing was impeccable, his self‑restraint top‑notch. Though his temples still throbed and veins hadn't subsided, he could still speak to me with a smile.

"Miss Lan is right; you are my... (why does his mouth seem to twitch) lifesaver, so any request I shall fulfill. If you want to take this person away, that's fine."

So there are conditions, then? I leisurely pulled a chair over and sat down.

Wei Lingfeng's smile widened, his already strikingly handsome face seeming to glow. Yet his gaze made me tremble, because it was familiar—the confident, intrigued look one has in a cave while eyeing prey.

He suddenly reached for his neck, tore off a pure white jade pendant and tossed it to me; I fumbled and caught it quickly. Boss, if this breaks it's all money, and though you rule a nation, it's not something to waste!

If I had known then that catching it would bring so much trouble and harm to me, Wu Ye, Xin Hui and the others, I would have rather watched it shatter on the ground than foolishly seize this burdensome future.

Unfortunately, I didn't look back then, so I couldn't see Wu Ye's widened eyes behind me, nor the hand that had started to stretch out and then abruptly retracted. Wu Ye understood that Wei Lingfeng, the most enigmatic emperor of the Tianhe Continent, was now sending a message with his gaze: if anyone dared speak, he would without hesitation kill the four people here.

The two people behind Wei Lingfeng wore shocked faces; before they could heed the imperial command and step forward, Wei Lingfeng's cold stare forced them back. Their four eyes fixed on me, as if ready to devour me alive.

I picked up the jade, examined it up and down for a while; it looked familiar. Oh right! Didn't he give this to me as a token in the cave? Later, because Wu Ye objected, I returned it to him, and it hurt like a bruise then!

"Keep this jade; don't discard it," he said calmly, "Then you can take him with it."

I admit I'm not clever, but I'm certainly not a fool. When he gave me the jade, Wu Ye was very nervous. At that time Wu Ye knew he was the Qi King, his lord, yet he still risked the penalty of death to stubbornly refuse to let me take it. This shows that the jade's significance is far more than just a piece of jade.

I placed the jade on the table, looking at him calmly.

Wei Lingfeng showed an understanding smile, gracefully lifted a cup of tea, and said, "This jade isn't for you yet; in ten days I'll return, and if you still bring this jade here, we'll settle the matter then."

When he said that, I was actually a bit confused; I had always thought he was scheming to give me the jade, and I could have simply refused. But now that he says it's not a gift, it's hard for me to decline.

Although only three people seemed present, he is nonetheless the emperor of the most powerful nation; who can guarantee there are no 'Hidden Guard' nearby? If he stubbornly refuses to release Wu Ye, whether we can escape is truly uncertain.

After hesitantly looking at him for a while, he still wore a good‑natured smile, nodded, indicating I should just take the jade. Sigh! As they say, one shouldn't rely on luck; in my panic, I ultimately picked up the jade, completely missing the 'temporarily' he implied, truly sealing my fate.

Fine! Ten days later then! If I must die, it'll be in ten days; I thought resentfully.

After we left, only Wei Lingfeng and two others remained in the elegant room; with a slight gesture, he signaled the two behind him to sit respectfully by his side.

"Wen Ce, Xuan Tian, if you have any questions, just ask."

The scholarly‑looking one, holding a folding fan, named Wen Ce, is Qi Nation's newly appointed youthful prime minister. The handsome, somewhat reckless one is the national guardian general Xuan Tian.

Wen Ce remained composed, but Xuan Tian's face flushed red as he shouted, yet his expression stayed deeply respectful: "Your Majesty, how could you give 'Zi Feng'... to that crazy girl?"

"Crazy girl?" Wei Lingfeng couldn't help laughing, "Indeed, she is a crazy girl."

"Your Majesty," Wen Ce's calm, steady voice rang out, "Is it because she is from the Lan family?"

Wei Lingfeng sipped his tea, saying lightly, "I truly hadn't realized she was from the Lan family. However..." His eyes narrowed slightly, "Whether she is truly a Miss Lan, Cheng You, you should send someone to investigate thoroughly."

"Yes!" In the previously empty room, a voice responded from nowhere, then fell silent again. The three inside remained natural, continuing the original discussion.

"The Lan family's shipbuilding and navigation technology is strong, but unfortunately it's already been targeted by the Yao Nation. Whether it's me or Yin Tian'ao, that old fox, any move would be a step too late."

"Your Majesty..." Wen Ce suddenly had an inconceivable thought and blurted out, "Your Majesty, aren't you because of that Miss Lan...?"

Realizing I'd spoken out of turn, I flushed and hurried, "I misspoke!"

Wei Lingfeng paused briefly while sipping tea, the smile spreading from his mouth to his entire handsome, noble face; he seemed in a good mood today, and Wen Ce felt secretly lucky.

He said, "I wanted to give 'Zi Feng' to her back then, but Mo Jin blocked it; perhaps I actually liked her a bit."

Wen Ce felt a sudden pang in his long‑neglected stomach, and said nothing.

The emperor, whom I was willing to devote my life to from the first glance, the emperor with strategic brilliance and inscrutable thoughts, the emperor I could only look up to with admiration—why is he always intrigued by some inexplicable things?

"Your Majesty, is that masked man truly the Lord of the Flying Eagles?" Xuan Tian could not understand what the two of them were circling around saying, so he directly raised his own question.

Wei Lingfeng nodded, but said nothing further.

"No wonder you could block my blade earlier; your martial skill is damn high." As soon as the profanity left his mouth, he remembered the Emperor was right there, his face flushed, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, forgive me, I slipped up…"

That slip made him recall that girl just now, who actually… actually demanded the Emperor to pledge herself. Truly a great rebellion, but… but Xuan Tian quickly composed himself, unable to laugh—he had never seen the lofty Emperor being teased like that.

"Ahem…" He wanted to laugh, but even if given a hundred heads he lacked the courage to burst out laughing; he stifled it until his face turned bright red, his features twisted, looking oddly cute.

Wei Lingfeng saw Xuan Tian's expression and understood his thoughts; his face remained calmly indifferent to this blunt‑tongued, somewhat reckless warrior. Yet recalling Lan Yingruo's words—"to pledge herself"—he couldn't help a helpless laugh; the girl was indeed unusually bold.

The Emperor sipped his tea, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips: "Since she has spoken of pledging herself, shall I grant her that wish?"

Wen Ce forced a wry smile, thinking to himself: You've even given the "Purple Phoenix"; does anyone still have room to back out?

Upon returning to the Lan Residence, he found the situation oddly strange; at this precarious time of war, the Lan Residence seemed to have become bustling within a day. Red brocade and large red lanterns hung at the entrance, servants came and went, everyone's face radiated thick joy, and they whispered to each other intermittently.

As he stepped through the main gate, he noticed the servants' glances at him were strange, half pity, half regret, but only brief looks, not daring to meet his eyes.

I was puzzling to myself when the meticulously dressed Lan Yingyu slipped away from her attendant and floated gracefully toward me. Perhaps due to genetics, she was already a few shades more beautiful than I and Lan Yingyue; now, in splendid attire, her radiance was overwhelming, her whole being exuded joy and youthful aura, undeniably a stunning beauty.

"Fourth Sister, what a refined hobby— a young lady of wealth strolling every day; any gains?" Her tone was overtly provocative and contemptuous, and she couldn't hide the smug smile at the corner of her mouth.

Thinking of the white jade still in my arms, I forced a bitter smile; indeed, I can't say there were no gains.

"I asked you a question, didn't you hear?"

I forced a smile and replied evenly, "Third Sister, your voice is so thunderous, your aura so imposing, it's hard for even me, the younger sister, to pretend I didn't hear!"

"You!" Lan Yingyue's face twisted briefly, then regained composure, sneering, "Do you really think you can enchant all the men of the world? Do you think that leaning on your older brother and Young Master Feng will make Father ignore your elopement and continue to cherish you? Stop dreaming!"

"You're the one dreaming!" I thought coldly to myself, "When did that Lan ever hold Lan Yingruo in the palm of his hand? What a joke."

Lan Yingyu, seeing I did not answer, gave a sudden eerie smile, leaned close to my ear and said, "Young Master Feng has officially come on behalf of the Key Kingdom Crown Prince to propose marriage; Fourth Sister, don't you want to know whom he is proposing to?"

Proposal? Why was Fu Junmo's move so swift? Logically, now is still not the best timing… but what does it matter to me? I gave a faint smile, met her mocking, sneering phoenix‑like eyes, and replied, "Seeing Third Sister so delighted she can barely tell east from west, surely Young Master Feng… no, that Crown Prince must be intending to marry you, right?"

She was startled, perhaps not expecting my reply, and grew angry and embarrassed, saying, "Who did you say is so happy they can't find east or west?"

"Naturally it's you, Third Sister!" I said seriously, "You are a bride-to-be, shouldn't you be hiding in your room, obediently thinking of your future husband and preparing a dowry? Now you run to this gate where a young lady of wealth shouldn't be, haven't you lost your sense of direction?"

"Could it be that Third Sister came intentionally to greet the younger sister, just to humiliate her?"

"You bitch!" Lan Yingyu raised her hand to deliver a slap. Not that I didn't want to show my martial skill, but before I could act, Wu Ye had already seized the hand she held aloft, and Xin Hui, like an old hen, shielded me behind her. Sigh! Poor Xin Hui—was she frightened because I was slapped by her last time?

Wu Ye gave a casual push, released his grip, and Lan Yingyu fell heavily to the ground, a pity for her exquisite, beautiful garments.

Seeing her stare blankly at me, Wu Ye, and the others, clearly not understanding why a grand display of power turned out like this.

Thinking of this arrogant, willful miss who has been like this for over a decade, now about to be abandoned by all, likely never to have a good day again, I sighed inwardly, crouched, and gently said, "From now on, no matter what happens, remember: to live in this world, relying on anyone is useless; only you can control your destiny."

"However," I stood, glanced at her still dazed, and laughed, "I truly doubt you understood. Even the language for insulting is so poor; it's always just the word 'bitch'."

I walked a long way, and unsurprisingly, a roar erupted behind me.

"Lan Yingruo, you bitch!!"

Xin Hui let out a 'pfft' laugh and said, "Miss, today you've already turned four people's faces green with anger!"

I didn't find it funny; after a moment's thought, my smile cooled, and I said calmly, "Do you believe there will be a fifth one any moment?"

Xin Hui's smile stiffened, her expression shrinking, and she stammered, "Little… Miss…"

"Xin Hui, I have only one question for you." I kept walking forward without looking back, "Do you want to return to the Key Kingdom?"

Behind me, for half a moment there was silence; Xin Luo, gripping my hand, was drenched in cold sweat, and I couldn't help tightening my own grip.

"I want to stay by the Miss's side." Though the voice was soft, it was unwaveringly firm.

I smiled and said, "Then that's settled."

In truth, I wasn't clear why I kept Wu Ye and Xin Hui by my side. Because my desire to return never changed; no matter how hard, I would definitely find a way to traverse back.

Speaking of that, from the instant I fell off the cliff, I seemed to recall something. It was like a dazzling light flashed in my mind, yet I couldn't grasp anything; perhaps that was the key to temporal‑spatial transformation.

Returning to the immediate question, although keeping them by my side was neither wise nor kind, because when I could leave, I would certainly abandon them without looking back.

Yet… deep in my heart I sighed heavily; each of them was stubbornly defiant. But at that time…

Xiao Yin clearly could no longer endure the torment of loneliness, yet still could not let go of the beautiful memories.

Wu Ye almost had no desire to live, nor any reason to stay alive, yet he kept struggling desperately.

Xin Hui outwardly appeared gentle and kind, yet she turned all conspiratorial bloodshed into shackles she bore on her back.

Xin Luo was cold and aloof, indifferent and distant to others, yet she couldn't hide the youthful yearning within her heart for protection, a painful longing.

When I was at my weakest, they showed no hesitation, tightly surrounding me…

I don't wish to worry about the future; for now, since they refuse to abandon me and I refuse to abandon them, then whatever road lies ahead, regardless of length, we shall support each other and walk forward together!

(End of Chapter)