Qian Renxue looked at Bai Ye's face, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Having once served as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, she had seen countless men-every kind imaginable, one could say-but not one of them could rival Bai Ye in looks.
Moreover, Bai Ye radiated an air that utterly captivated her.
She knew her heart was fluttering for him.
Marrying someone like him would be no loss to her.
"Good, good, good." Qian Daoliu repeated the word with a smile. He was in excellent spirits; the hardest hurdle was already behind them.
"Grandpa." Qian Renxue came back to her senses and looked at Qian Daoliu, deeply embarrassed.
"Great Enshrined, what is this...?" Bai Ye had a suspicion, but he dared not be certain. This was a serious matter. If he guessed wrong and angered Qian Daoliu, even Divine Light's damage reduction might not keep him alive.
After all, Qian Daoliu was half human, half god. Divine Light's damage reduction was absurdly powerful, but no matter how powerful it was, Bai Ye still had little confidence that he could withstand such an attack even after it had been weakened.
A demigod's attacks were an unknown quantity to him.
However, if he successfully obtained two more Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings and reached the Soul Sage realm, he was confident he could take Qian Daoliu's full-strength attack head-on without a scratch.
By then, his physical strength would have improved enormously again, and the effects of his various Soul Skills and his Apocalypse Domain would also have grown stronger.
Once weakened by Divine Light, a demigod's attack would feel like little more than a tickle to him.
Of course, these were all Bai Ye's conjectures. No one knew how things would actually turn out.
But Bai Ye did know one thing: if his current guess was correct, Qian Daoliu would not attack him. He would even offer his wholehearted support.
"Xue'er, would you like to say it yourself, or shall Grandpa say it?" Qian Daoliu teased.
"You say it, Grandpa," Qian Renxue replied.
Qian Daoliu turned to Bai Ye and finally explained why he had come.
"I wonder whether the Holy Son would be willing?" Qian Daoliu asked with a faint smile, quietly awaiting Bai Ye's answer.
He believed Bai Ye was a clever man who knew which choice to make. Besides, Qian Renxue's looks and figure were both outstanding.
Qian Renxue was also watching Bai Ye. Though she said nothing, she was visibly growing nervous. Deep down, she felt she would not be losing out, which meant Bai Ye might be.
Since he might be losing out, he might refuse.
Being rejected was something Qian Renxue could not accept.
She was nervous and uneasy. After all, this was the first time her grandfather had brought her to someone's door to propose a marriage alliance. If she was rejected, she would be heartbroken.
At the same time, she dearly hoped Bai Ye would agree.
"Of course I'm willing." Bai Ye smiled faintly. How could he refuse a little angel delivered right to his door? It was not as though he had never thought about fathering a little angel.
"Great!" Qian Renxue's tense expression instantly relaxed, and she actually cried out in delight. Her reaction stunned not only Bai Ye but even her own grandfather, Qian Daoliu.
Still, this was good news for him too.
With both of them in agreement, Spirit Hall would naturally have the final say over the Douluo Continent in the future.
"Good. There's no time like the present-why not hold the engagement today?" Qian Daoliu was in wonderful spirits. Having settled his granddaughter's lifelong marriage prospects, he was happy from the bottom of his heart and looked years younger.
After all, he had been somewhat reluctant to eliminate Bai Ye as a potential threat. Bai Ye's support abilities were tremendously powerful. With his help, there was no doubt that Qian Renxue could unify the continent after becoming a god.
If Bai Ye became a god as well, the couple would be all but invincible even after entering the Divine Realm.
Qian Daoliu began imagining the future. As he thought about it, tears fell from his eyes, for he was destined to sacrifice himself to help Qian Renxue become a god and would never witness any of those future scenes.
What a pity that I'll never see it, Qian Daoliu lamented inwardly.
"Grandpa, why are you crying?" Qian Renxue reached out to wipe away his tears, puzzled.
"It's nothing. Grandpa is just too happy." Qian Daoliu smiled.
Qian Renxue did not object to holding the engagement today. Bai Ye knew that objecting would most likely be useless, but he still wanted to make his case.
After all, this was their first engagement, and the two people involved were the Holy Son and the divine maiden. If it was held in a rush, not only would everyone else have regrets, but they would too.
Bai Ye immediately laid out all his thoughts.
The Qian grandfather and granddaughter found his reasoning sound, so Qian Daoliu made the final decision.
First, Qian Renxue would resume her true identity, and the Heaven Dou Empire would be renamed the Spirit Hall Empire. Naturally, Qian Renxue would become the Spirit Empress.
Next, they would announce it to the world and begin the preparations.
Once everything was ready, they could proceed.
Half a year should be enough, Qian Daoliu considered. Since both sides had already agreed, what did it matter whether it happened a little sooner or later?
And so, Qian Daoliu left Qian Renxue there to accompany Bai Ye and deepen their feelings, while he returned to handle the important matters.
After Qian Daoliu left, Qian Renxue came to Bai Ye's side. She wanted to link arms with him like a couple, but she did not know how.
Of course, shyness was the main reason.
As a girl, she could not be too forward.
Bai Ye saw through Qian Renxue's thoughts at a glance. Since she would not take the initiative, he would.
"Come on, don't be nervous." As he spoke, Bai Ye reached for Qian Renxue's snow-white arm, personally showing her how to link arms with her lover.
Qian Renxue did not refuse, but the moment Bai Ye touched her, her body shuddered as though she had been shocked, and she instinctively pulled her arm back.
Qian Renxue's face flushed crimson. It hardly counted as intimate contact, yet her heart was already in turmoil, a little deer leaping wildly within her chest.
Bai Ye had not expected such a strong reaction from Qian Renxue. He simply chose not to push her, and the two walked side by side along the street.
Their conversation wandered from one topic to another, covering whatever came to mind.
Whatever happened, they could not let the conversation drop to the ground.
As they talked, their feelings gradually began to warm.
To Bai Ye's surprise, Qian Renxue actually took the initiative to link arms with him. Though her body still visibly shuddered at the contact, she had finally overcome her hesitation.
Only then did the two stroll through Star Luo City like a real couple.
As wonderful as Qian Renxue was, Bai Ye had no intention of spending his life with only one woman.
"Xue'er, may I call you that?" Bai Ye asked softly.
"Yes." Qian Renxue nodded, her face red.
"Xue'er, you know that a man like me can't have only you as his woman. Three wives and four concubines would be perfectly normal. You saw those women earlier too." Bai Ye chose to tell her the truth.
Qian Renxue stopped walking and looked at Bai Ye, tears glimmering in her eyes.
She naturally understood that Bai Ye meant every word. She also understood that men liked having multiple women; almost everyone in the imperial family was like that. But having the man who truly moved her heart belong to other women besides herself was something Qian Renxue found difficult to accept.
She was very conservative and felt that Bai Ye should belong to her alone.
Yet she also understood that this was unrealistic.
And so, after hearing Bai Ye's words, she fell silent.
Bai Ye understood, but that did not mean he would compromise.
After all, once he became a Soul Sage, he would no longer need to fear even Qian Daoliu. By then, he could act without any restraints whatsoever.
"All right, I understand how you feel. I believe you'll accept it one day."
Qian Renxue: "???"
Bai Ye firmly believed Qian Renxue would brainwash herself into accepting it. After all, in the original story, she had fantasized about Tang San. She had multiple opportunities to kill him, yet those fantasies made her unwilling to act. Even at the end, she grieved over Tang San's death.
With a personality like hers, Qian Renxue would have no trouble convincing herself to accept sharing one husband with many women.