"About this person..."
The Sea God drew out his words, speaking at an unhurried pace:
"Far away, at the edge of the world..."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over Bo Saixi's stunning face and graceful figure before he delivered the rest:
"...yet right before your eyes."
Bo Saixi: "...?"
She was stunned at first, not understanding what he meant.
But when she followed the Sea God's undisguised gaze, which clearly said, "It's you,"...
An absurd thought, one that made her very soul tremble, struck her mind like a bolt of lightning!
"Boom—!!!"
Bo Saixi's pupils contracted sharply. Her delicate body shuddered violently, and then she stumbled backward several steps, completely against her will.
She raised a hand and pointed at herself in disbelief, her voice turning shrill with shock and panic:
"L-L-Lord Sea God! You... you don't mean... you really want to... marry me off... to Ye Qing... as his wife?!"
How could this be possible?
This was madness!
Even more outrageous than the Angel God's behavior!
At least the Angel God and Ye Qing had the pretext of Godhood Inheritance between them.
But Bo Saixi...
She was the Grand Pontiff of Sea God Island, an old woman nearing a hundred who had served the Sea God her entire life!
Seeing Bo Saixi's intense reaction, Poseidon's expression darkened slightly.
A hint of displeasure flashed through his sea-blue eyes, and his tone took on the authority and oppressive weight of a deity:
"What?"
"Is that not allowed?"
His voice rose abruptly, edged with accusation:
"Or do you think the successor I, Poseidon, chose—a being destined to become a god in the future—is not worthy of you?"
He spoke the last few words one at a time, each as heavy as a thousand jun, pressing down on Bo Saixi until she could hardly breathe.
Bo Saixi went deathly pale and hurriedly shook her head, trying to explain in a rush. "No! Lord Sea God, that's not what I meant! Ye Qing's talent is peerless, and his future limitless. To become his... would be my good fortune. How could I possibly look down on him? I... I didn't mean that!"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
Then she lowered her head, her hands unconsciously clutching the sleeves of her luxurious dress. Her fingertips turned faintly white from the force of her grip.
The next moment, rare embarrassment and awkwardness, like that of a shy young girl, appeared on her face. Her voice dropped to a whisper:
"Lord Sea God... you understand my age... I'm almost a hundred years old..."
She raised her head, her eyes filled with helplessness and self-mockery:
"And Ye Qing is only six... The age difference between us is simply too great. Even if... even if I were willing, how could Ye Qing possibly... be interested in an... old woman like me?"
In her mind, Ye Qing was young and had a limitless future. Naturally, his future partner ought to be a young, vibrant, spirited genius girl.
How could he possibly choose an old woman old enough to be his great-grandmother?
Unless Ye Qing had some unusual preferences, but the chances of that were vanishingly small.
At any rate, if she were Ye Qing, she would never choose herself.
Hearing Bo Saixi's entirely reasonable refusal, Poseidon was not convinced in the slightest. Instead, he looked as though he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world.
He rolled his eyes dramatically, his voice brimming with exasperation and frustration:
"You're old..."
He looked sidelong at Bo Saixi and asked in a tone that seemed to say, "Are you stupid?":
"But are you older than that Angel God, that old woman who's lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years?"
Bo Saixi was at a loss for words.
Well, that was true.
The Angel God had lived in the same era as the Sea God.
Ten thousand years had passed since then.
Compared to that, she was actually pretty young.
The Sea God continued his full-on attack, his tone carrying a peculiar note of encouragement:
"If that Angel bitch dares to shamelessly claim that Ye Qing could be interested in her, then why couldn't you, Bo Saixi?"
His gaze once again appraised Bo Saixi carefully, as if evaluating a precious treasure waiting to be sold. Then he gave his entirely objective assessment:
"I've looked you over. Your figure, your face, your bearing, your strength, your status, your loyalty to Sea God Island—which of those makes you inferior to the Angel God? Hm? In some respects, you're even better! At least you're not as shameless as she is!"
He paused, then dangled an extremely tempting, tangible benefit before her:
"And think about it: if you marry Ye Qing and become his wife... would you still have to sacrifice yourself for the Sea God Godhood?"
Bo Saixi's delicate body trembled!
Sacrifice was the ultimate fate awaiting her as Grand Pontiff.
It was also the shadow deep within her heart, something she had always refused to think about but could never escape.
"And you wouldn't just avoid the sacrifice!"
The Sea God's voice turned persuasive as he reminded her, "Once he inherits the godhood and ascends to the Divine Realm, you could naturally ascend with him as his divine wife, sharing in a god's eternal life and living as long as heaven and earth! Wouldn't that be ten thousand times better than remaining all alone in the human world, guarding this Sea God Inheritance forever beyond your reach, only to give your life for it in the end?"
At those words, Bo Saixi fell completely silent.
The Sea God's words struck her defenses like a heavy hammer.
No sacrifice...
Eternal life...
These were hopes that had surfaced only occasionally in the depths of the night over her long life.
Now they were laid before her in such a sudden, absurd, yet utterly realistic way.
She wanted to argue, to loudly refuse this ridiculous assignment.
She wanted to say that she cared for Ye Qing only as an elder cared for a younger person, and had no romantic feelings for him at all.
She also wanted to say that the age gap was impossible to bridge...
But in the face of the two blows—that even the Angel God could do it, and that she could avoid sacrifice and live forever—all her reasons seemed painfully feeble.
Watching her struggle in silence, the Sea God knew the moment was right.
He gave Bo Saixi no more chance to hesitate or object. In an imperious tone that brooked no argument, he brought the matter to a final decision:
"Enough! No more discussion!"
"It's settled!"
"Bo Saixi, make your preparations."
"From today onward, your top priority is to find a way to get close to Ye Qing. Then take care of him, keep him company, make him grow accustomed to your presence, and even... depend on you and fall for you."
"I don't care whether you do it with an elder's affection or a woman's tenderness. In short, you must keep him on Sea God Island! You must make him willingly inherit my godhood!"
The Sea God's voice echoed through the vast hall, carrying his final command and expectation:
"Bo Saixi, remember: this is your one and only, and most important, mission right now!"
"You must succeed. You must not fail!"
With that, the curtain of water gave a soft pop and dissolved into flecks of blue light that scattered through the air.
The Sea God's divine sense had departed, leaving Bo Saixi alone, standing dazed in the middle of the cold, empty hall.
She leaned against a pillar and slowly slid to the floor.
Her stunning face was blank. She stared into the distance, her eyes hollow, while only one voice echoed madly in her mind:
Marry... Ye Qing?
Become his... wife?
What in the world... had happened?