Teasing

Princess Mingyue stood frozen for quite a while before finally leaving her bedchamber. Only after stepping outside did she discover that Qi Bei had been waiting there.

"Let's go." Qi Bei smiled faintly and extended his hand again.

Princess Mingyue did not ignore him this time. She placed her delicate hand in Qi Bei's palm, where it was enveloped by his large hand, and let him lead her outside.

In the garden of Sleeping Moon Palace, two rows of gorgeously dressed palace maids had already taken their places under the ceremonial official's direction. When the maids from the Nord Family who had come with Qi Bei saw him and Princess Mingyue appear hand in hand, they stepped forward and draped over the two of them a resplendent concentric sash dozens of meters long. Their main role was to pull the sash from both sides, making it look like drifting neon.

It had to be said: standing together, Qi Bei and Princess Mingyue truly were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven.

Qi Bei led Princess Mingyue into the carriage. By then, the carriage's roof and side panels had been lowered flat, forming a huge platform. It had changed from enclosed to open-top so that the watching commoners could see them, all under the grand name of "sharing joy with the people!"

At a command, the carriage began moving slowly and left the palace gates.

By then, the crowds watching along Golden Leaf First Avenue were several times larger than when they had arrived. As far as the eye could see, there were only densely packed heads.

"Mingyue, are you nervous? Your palm is sweating." Qi Bei paid no attention to the tidal waves of cheering and jeering. Feeling Princess Mingyue's palm damp with sweat, he asked with a smile.

"Your hand is too warm." Princess Mingyue answered coolly. She tugged, trying to pull her little hand back, but Qi Bei held it tightly, and she could not break free.

"Don't move, or I'll kiss you in front of everyone. These people are waiting for a good show." Qi Bei spoke shamelessly.

Princess Mingyue dared not move again. She believed that if Qi Bei said he would do it, he would. If the two of them started fighting on the carriage, the entire Golden Leaf Dynasty would become a laughingstock among the neighboring countries.

"I heard your senior brother has arrived." Qi Bei spoke casually.

"That's right." Princess Mingyue nodded.

"I feel like thorns are pricking my back. See if your senior brother is trying to kill me with his eyes." Qi Bei glanced toward the left rear, then leaned his head beside Princess Mingyue's ear and whispered.

The warm breath from Qi Bei's mouth brushed against Princess Mingyue's exquisite earlobe, bringing a tingling sensation. A blush instinctively spread from the base of her ear.

"Can you move farther away from me?" Princess Mingyue ground out angrily. She was truly afraid she might lose control and kick him off the carriage. Letting him hold her hand was already the limit of her tolerance.

"Oh, I see him. It's that guy. He looks quite the gentleman—wait, why are his eyes red? Could he have pinkeye?" Qi Bei completely treated Princess Mingyue's words as wind passing through his ears and continued speaking to himself.

Princess Mingyue's brows drew together. Her senior brother would not be so foolish as to attack at a time like this.

"He's raised a fire poker and is chanting a magic spell." Qi Bei's voice suddenly turned cold.

Princess Mingyue's heart jumped, and she turned to look.

Just then, Qi Bei's lips quickly brushed a kiss against the base of Princess Mingyue's ear.

Princess Mingyue felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Her delicate body stiffened, and she turned around to stare at Qi Bei. Her beautiful eyes seemed to erupt with stormy waves in an instant, while her pretty face flushed crimson with fury.

"Very fragrant." Qi Bei grinned shamelessly.

Princess Mingyue shot to her feet, on the verge of exploding.

"We're here. Let's get down. Your status as the imperial princess carries quite enough weight—the entire Nord Family has come out to welcome you." Qi Bei spoke up.

The fury on the verge of erupting from Princess Mingyue was doused as though a basin of cold water had been poured over it. She looked ahead and saw that they had indeed reached the entrance of the Nord Family estate. Qi Bei's father, several uncles, and more than a dozen younger members had all come out one after another.

Princess Mingyue glared daggers at Qi Bei, took a deep breath to calm herself, and forced a smile onto her lips. It looked somewhat stiff...

Standing among the crowd like a crane among chickens, Fentian, a disciple of Tongtian Mountain, held a purple magic staff. The fury on his face had frozen there, for a powerful killing intent had locked onto him, leaving him afraid to move. He was a King Grade Mage, an existence incomparably powerful in the eyes of the world, but the person hidden in the darkness was at least an Earth Grade powerhouse.

Only after Princess Mingyue and Qi Bei entered the Nord estate did that killing intent withdraw.

Fentian's expression shifted unpredictably, but inwardly he felt fortunate. Just now, Qi Bei's intimacy with Princess Mingyue had nearly provoked him into losing his reason. If he had made a move, there was likely no way to end things peacefully.

After Qi Bei and Princess Mingyue finished the early banquet at the Nord estate, they set off in grand procession with the Nord Family members qualified to attend the engagement ceremony, heading toward the Temple of the Goddess of Life in the southern part of the Imperial Capital.

The Goddess of Life and the God of Light were the two chief gods worshiped by the greatest number of races in this world. That was only because, a hundred thousand years ago, they had saved this world and resealed the Nether Gate.

Almost every city had a Temple of the Goddess of Life and a Temple of the God of Light, with believers streaming endlessly to worship every day.

The Temple of the Goddess of Life in the Golden Leaf Imperial Capital was magnificent in scale. The plaza alone could accommodate ten thousand people. The statue of the Goddess of Life stood in the center of the plaza, a full ten zhang tall. She held the Staff of Life and wore a pure, holy smile that made one feel as though a spring breeze were brushing over them.

By then, the Temple of the Goddess of Life had long since been decorated. Flowers bloomed in profusion, guests gathered from every direction, and all that remained was for the two main characters to appear.

Emperor Hanmos was dressed in plain clothes and was speaking amiably with Kodi, the Nord Family Head. The sovereign and his subject appeared to be enjoying their conversation immensely. For old foxes like them, even if hatred had seeped into their very bones, their warm smiles on the surface still came effortlessly, without the slightest trace.

"Ruoyu, what are you thinking about?" Feng Ruoyun patted her little sister, who was resting her head on one hand in a daze, and asked.

"I feel so bored." Feng Ruoyu answered listlessly.

"Bored? Even you, little rascal, have times when you feel bored? Didn't you used to love occasions like this? And weren't those several little boys just following you around? Did you chase them away?" Feng Ruoyun asked a string of questions with great interest.

"Ah, sis, I don't know either. Those little brats do nothing but brag, one after another. They're so childish!" Feng Ruoyu said disdainfully.

Feng Ruoyun could not help laughing. She sat down, wrapped her jade-like arm around Feng Ruoyu's fragrant shoulder, and asked teasingly, "Then who does my little girl think isn't childish?"

Feng Ruoyu blinked her large lake-green eyes and blurted out, "Of course... my brother-in-law."

Feng Ruoyun tapped her little sister on the head and said, "Who knows what's inside that little head of yours? You may be young, but you're already quite the old soul."

"Sis, after we attend the engagement, are we going back?" Feng Ruoyu asked.

"Of course. We've been out long enough." Feng Ruoyun nodded.

"But Brother Qi Bei hasn't finished telling his story yet." Feng Ruoyu pouted.

Feng Ruoyun froze for a moment and stared straight at her little sister with her beautiful eyes, as though she wanted to find flowers growing on that little face.