"Mm."
At the affirmative reply, Liu Ruyan's smile only grew brighter, though it never reached her eyes.
She circled Chen Changqing once, as if admiring a priceless treasure.
"The Third Princess of the Jiuzhou Divine Dynasty, daughter of the Human King, a leading candidate for the future empress of the Divine Dynasty—your rightful fiancée."
With every title she named, Chen Changqing's heart sank another notch.
"She certainly came at the right time."
Liu Ruyan stopped before Chen Changqing. They stood so close that he could clearly catch the faint fragrance drifting from her hair.
"I had been wondering what sort of person could make you wear such a troubled expression."
"Now it seems I underestimated her."
The once boisterous atmosphere atop Changqing Peak had fallen silent at some point.
Everyone watched from afar, scarcely daring to breathe.
Though they could not make out what the three were saying, the heavy pressure in the air, so dense it seemed almost tangible, made every one of them tremble in fear.
Chen Changqing opened his mouth, intending to offer an explanation, only to find that any words would seem pale and powerless at a time like this.
His engagement to Xuanyuan Xiaoyu had been personally arranged by Sect Leader Chen Yuan and the Human King. It was a fact known throughout the cultivation world of the Nine Provinces.
Whether he acknowledged it himself or not, in the eyes of the world, Xuanyuan Xiaoyu was Chen Changqing's rightful dao companion.
And Liu Ruyan—no matter how exceptional she was, how outstanding, or how much she had given for him—was ultimately... without a proper name or justification.
"So..."
Liu Ruyan's fingertips lightly traced across Chen Changqing's chest. The movement was gentle, yet carried an irresistible force.
"Are you planning to go see your fiancée now, leaving