Boom—!!!
Ye Qing felt as if ten thousand bees were beating their wings inside his head, buzzing away. He had no idea what the Angel God meant.
Qian Daoliu, meanwhile, went blank and nearly lost his footing.
What had he just heard?
What had he just heard?
Choose to inherit the divine position... and marry her?
A god was personally stepping in, putting herself up as the stakes to compete for an inheritor?
Was this for real?
This was insane, people!
Not only was she giving away a divine position for free, she even wanted to give herself to the inheritor.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes—and heard it straight from the Angel God herself—he wouldn't have believed it even if someone told him.
The Angel God seemed not to notice either of their expressions or reactions. She said nonchalantly, "As for the age difference you're worried about... there's no need to worry at all."
"Once you become a god, you'll live as long as heaven and earth. Time is the one thing we'll never lack. I have plenty of patience, and all the time in the world to wait for you to grow up."
"Then..."
"We can make a sacred vow before all the gods of the Divine Realm and officially become husband and wife."
"Well? Do you like this gift?"
Ye Qing: ...
He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't get a single word out.
Like it?
How was he supposed to like it?
There was just too much information. His six-year-old brain couldn't process it all!
He instinctively turned to look at the only familiar person beside him, Qian Daoliu, and sent him a pleading glance.
When Qian Daoliu met Ye Qing's gaze, he jolted all over and barely managed to regain a sliver of reason amid his shock.
His face was pale, and cold sweat even beaded at his temples. His throat was dry as he bowed deeply to the Angel God, his voice hoarse and trembling. "A-Angel God... this matter... this matter is of the utmost importance. Could we... could we give it more consideration...?"
Give it more consideration?
Consider what?
How?
Qian Daoliu himself had no idea what he was saying anymore.
He only knew that this was terrifying. If word got out, it wouldn't just be Spirit Hall and Sea God Island in an uproar. The entire Divine Realm might explode!
Especially Sea God Island.
If Poseidon found out, he'd come charging over with his trident and fight to the death!
Yet the Angel God didn't seem to think her proposal was all that shocking.
She simply watched Ye Qing in silence, waiting for his answer.
Holy light flowed around her, making her seem incomparably sacred, yet also impossibly distant. No one could guess what she was truly thinking.
The Angel God watched Ye Qing's reaction and nodded with satisfaction.
The bright smile at the corner of her lips deepened. She spoke again, her voice still pleasant, but now with a coaxing lilt:
"Of course, Big Sister knows you're still young. You might feel that a beauty like me isn't quite right for you..."
She deliberately paused. When she saw Ye Qing's little head instinctively nod, she almost burst out laughing, but held it in and continued:
"So, if you really don't want to marry me, if you think a great beauty like me isn't suitable... Big Sister actually has another, even more suitable candidate in mind."
She raised a hand. A strand of gentle golden light curled around her fingertip, sketching a faint outline in the air: a little girl with six wings growing from her back.
"What do you think of that little girl, Qian Renxue?"
"She's the same age as you, and she awakened the purest Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul from my angelic lineage. Her talent is... passable, I suppose. As for her looks, she certainly won't disappoint. And her status as Spirit Hall's young mistress, combined with yours as the inheritor of the Sea God Inheritance, makes you... more or less a suitable match, wouldn't you say?"
"Well? Doesn't this option sound a lot more normal?"
"Phew—"
Almost at the same time, Ye Qing and Qian Daoliu let out long, unspoken sighs of relief.
The idea of a political marriage was still a tremendous shock, but at least the Angel God's target had shifted from herself to Qian Renxue.
For a moment, the two felt as if they'd gone from a horror movie about a god forcing someone into marriage straight into a domestic drama about a family-arranged blind date.
It was still tricky, but at least it wasn't quite so soul-shattering.
At the very least, this proved that the Angel God's shocking offer to give herself to him had probably been more of a...
Well, an exaggerated figure of speech?
Or some sort of test?
In any case, she wasn't actually going to marry him herself, right away, this instant.
With that thought, Ye Qing's little heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally dropped halfway back down.
"Angel God, what you're suggesting... is a very big matter. I can't decide on my own."
He spoke softly. "I'd like... I'd like to return to Sea God Island first and ask Big Sister Xixi... I mean, the Grand Pontiff, Bo Saixi. If she agrees, and I... don't object either..."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, then continued, "I'll have Big Sister Xixi, or another suitable elder from Sea God Island, formally come to Spirit Hall... to ask for her hand."
At Ye Qing's words, Qian Daoliu's eyes lit up at once!
There was a chance!
The child might be young, but he was thinking clearly. He hadn't been scared senseless, and he'd tossed the decision straight back to Sea God Island, to Bo Saixi!
That way, whether the marriage went ahead or not, the pressure would be on Sea God Island.
Their angelic lineage would at least have the advantage of being the ones asked for their daughter's hand, and they'd save face.
Better still, Ye Qing hadn't completely ruled out the possibility of a political marriage!
He hurried forward and bowed in agreement, his tone urgent and reassuring. "Exactly, exactly! Angel God, please rest assured! This matter concerns the futures of two divine inheritors, as well as the future balance of power between two major factions—and even the entire continent. We must treat it with the utmost care! With your subordinate here in Spirit Hall, I'll do everything in my power to make this happen and negotiate properly with Sea God Island. We'll be sure to come up with an arrangement that satisfies both sides—especially you and the Sea God!"
At that moment, all Qian Daoliu could think about was how to maximize the benefits of this potential marriage alliance and secure Ye Qing as their future godly son-in-law.
He was already calculating the proper scale of the proposal, the dowry, and how to use this opportunity to tie Sea God Island firmly to them.
The Angel God shot the visibly excited Qian Daoliu a cool glance. A flicker of barely perceptible disdain passed through her golden eyes.
Her gaze seemed to say: Look at you, getting excited over this. Can't you think of anything besides tying people together for the sake of mutual interests?
Then she turned her attention back to Ye Qing, instantly putting on a pitiful, heart-wrenching expression. She even sighed softly, her tone filled with disappointment and "heartbreak":
"Alas... Little one, won't you at least consider me? Is Big Sister... not pretty?"
She tilted her head slightly. Holy light flowed across her flawless profile, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
"Although... I am just a little older than you..."
She held up her fingers to show just how little, though that "little" was probably measured in tens of thousands of years.
"But older women know how to cherish you!"