If he let go of Liu Ruyan's hand and walked over by himself, then the words he had spoken atop Evergreen Peak—"You are the mistress of my Evergreen Peak"—would become a colossal joke.
But if he did not go, then humiliating Xuanyuan Xiaoyu before so many people would not merely cost him face—it would also damage the delicate relationship between Mount Shu and the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty.
Liu Ruyan's fingers moved gently in his palm.
Rather than pulling free, she clasped his hand even tighter.
Feeling her support, the irritation in Chen Changqing's heart suddenly subsided.
What was there to fear?
A true man acted only to keep his conscience clear.
He took a deep breath and made a move no one had expected.
He did not let go. Instead, he held Liu Ruyan's hand and, step by step, met Xuanyuan Xiaoyu's gaze as he walked toward that magnificent golden flying vessel.
He walked steadily, every step seeming to land upon everyone's heartbeat.
Liu Ruyan walked shoulder to shoulder with him, her white dress and his white robes intertwining in the mountain wind like a perfect pair.
This scene was undoubtedly a silent declaration.
Before the mountain gate, the disciples guarding the mountain were all left dumbfounded.
The Holy Son... was this not too fierce?
At the prow of the flying vessel, not a trace of emotion could be seen on Xuanyuan Xiaoyu's flawless face.
Yet the air around her seemed to freeze into ice because of her silence.
Holding Liu Ruyan's hand, Chen Changqing stopped only when he was thirty meters beneath the flying vessel.
He looked up at Xuanyuan Xiaoyu on the prow, forcing what he considered a fairly friendly smile onto his face.
"Third Princess, you have come from afar. If there is something you need,