"Mm."
Having received an affirmative answer, the smile on Liu Ruyan's face grew even brighter, though it never reached her eyes.
She circled Chen Changqing once, as though admiring a rare and priceless treasure.
"The Third Princess of the Nine Provinces 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 inch.
"She certainly came at just 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 was wondering what sort of person could make you wear such a troubled expression."
"Now it seems I underestimated her."
The once boisterous atmosphere atop Evergreen Peak had fallen silent at some point.
Everyone watched from afar, scarcely daring to breathe.
Though they could not hear what the three were saying, the oppressive low pressure, so heavy it was nearly tangible, made every one of them tremble with fear.
Chen Changqing opened his mouth, intending to explain, only to find that any words would be pale and powerless at this moment.
His marriage pact with Xuanyuan Xiaoyu had been personally arranged by Sect Master Chen Yuan and the Human King. It was a fact known throughout the entire 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 legitimate Dao companion.
And Liu Ruyan, no matter how exceptional she was, how outstanding she was, or even how much she had given for him, in the end... she had neither name nor standing.
"So..."
Liu Ruyan's fingertips lightly brushed across Chen Changqing's chest. Her movements were gentle, yet carried an irresistible force.
"Are you