Princess's Consort, Marriage Contract

As the heart of a kingdom, Bian Kingdom's Capital City was immense, with Vermilion Bird Avenue, more than a hundred paces wide, running through it from north to south.

As two unregistered residents of Bian Kingdom, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun had no travel permits and could only use a divine ability once again to sneak into the Capital City.

"Bian Kingdom's Capital City is pretty nice. It's much more prosperous than the capitals of the other kingdoms."

Xiao Yuanjun looked around as she spoke.

Kingdoms, too, differed in strength and wealth.

Among the Azure Sky's Thirteen Kingdoms, Bian Kingdom was clearly one of the strongest.

Zhang Yuan felt little about it. Bian Kingdom's Capital City was indeed prosperous, but not enough to make his eyes light up.

"Master, have you been to the other twelve kingdoms?" Zhang Yuan asked curiously.

"I was born in Wen Kingdom. Since setting out to seek the Dao, I've traveled through four kingdoms in search of heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces: Jing Kingdom, Ling Kingdom, Ya Kingdom, and Bian Kingdom," Xiao Yuanjun said with a nod.

Heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces were unevenly scattered. What cultivator of the Gang Sha Path did not spend their Qi Refining stage crossing mountains and rivers, traveling through several kingdoms?

Even disciples of great aristocratic clans were no exception. After all, some heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces were quite unusual and had to be subdued by the cultivators themselves; no one else could do it for them.

Zhang Yuan committed the kingdoms Xiao Yuanjun had mentioned to memory, then prepared to get down to business.

Bian Kingdom's Capital City was certainly prosperous, but they had not come here to have fun.

Xiao Yuanjun understood that as well. She stopped looking around and said, "First, try to pinpoint the [golden carriage baleful intent]."

Zhang Yuan nodded and sensed heaven and earth, preparing to pinpoint the [golden carriage baleful intent] in one go.

But after probing for a while, he found no movement from the [golden carriage baleful intent] at all. He could not sense where in the Capital City it was.

Zhang Yuan frowned and told Xiao Yuanjun what had happened.

"You can't sense it? Then the time must not have come yet. The [golden carriage baleful intent] hasn't emerged. Never mind, we'll stay in the city for a while," Xiao Yuanjun said, unsurprised.

Heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces were not present at all times. Many remained hidden from the world, and cultivators of the Gang Sha Path could only subdue them once they manifested.

Still, since Zhang Yuan could sense it, that meant the [golden carriage baleful intent] would emerge soon. They would not have to wait too long.

With no other choice, Zhang Yuan nodded and prepared to find a cheap inn to stay in.

"Have you heard? His Majesty is seeking a consort for his favorite daughter, the Third Princess. Anyone with a bone age under twenty has a chance!"

"A bone age of twenty? Damn! I'm thirty-nine this year! Why couldn't they have started looking for a consort nineteen years earlier?"

"Get the hell out of here! Nineteen years earlier, the Third Princess hadn't even been born!"

"Besides, they're recruiting at the Third Princess's Residence in the Inner City. Could a mud-footed peasant like you even get into the Inner City?"

Zhang Yuan's ears twitched as he heard the passersby discussing it.

[Golden carriage baleful intent] was connected to those in high positions. What dignitaries could compare to a kingdom's royal family?

"The Third Princess is seeking a consort? Interesting. Let's go have a look."

Before Zhang Yuan could speak, Xiao Yuanjun made the decision.

The Capital City was divided into the Inner City, the Outer City, and the central Imperial City.

Naturally, the search for the Third Princess's consort took place in the Inner City.

Using their old method to sneak into the Inner City, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun arrived at the Third Princess's Residence, where consorts were being recruited.

They called it recruiting a consort, but when they actually arrived, it was really just a registration desk.

Zhang Yuan looked over.

Rather than the bustling scene he had imagined for a princess seeking a consort, the place was deserted. Even passing pedestrians took a detour around it.

"A princess of an entire kingdom is seeking a consort, so why isn't there a single soul at the entrance?"

Puzzled, Zhang Yuan grew suspicious. "When things stray from the ordinary, something sinister must be at work. How about we ask around first..."

"Who knows! Come on, let's take a look first." Unconcerned, Xiao Yuanjun grabbed Zhang Yuan and pulled him forward.

A cultivator at tenth-level Qi Refinement had tremendous strength in her arms. Before Zhang Yuan could react, he was dragged over.

He was pulled all the way into the residence.

A wooden table stood at the entrance to the residence, with an old steward sitting behind it, nodding off.

"Sir, I heard the Third Princess is recruiting a consort today?" Xiao Yuanjun asked.

The old steward jumped in fright. He had just begun to feel annoyed when he heard Xiao Yuanjun ask about the consort, and his face immediately broke into a delighted smile.

"Indeed! Would you two like to register?"

"Wait!"

Seeing the old steward pick up his brush to write, Zhang Yuan immediately stopped him.

Having just survived a brush with death, he had no desire to become some princess's consort. Who knew what traps lay within? What if his body ended up missing another part?

The old steward paused, sighed, then looked at Xiao Yuanjun, his meaning plain in his eyes.

What about you, then?

The corner of Xiao Yuanjun's eye twitched. "How about checking whether I'm a man or a woman first?"

The old steward laughed. "Oh! None of that matters. What is your full name, miss? I'll write it down for you right away."

Xiao Yuanjun's brows immediately drew together. Without the slightest hesitation, she grabbed Zhang Yuan and fled.

"I knew something was wrong the moment I looked. Zhang Yuan, let's get out of here."

Watching the two retreating figures, the old steward recalled what Xiao Yuanjun had said as she left, and a shrewd glint flashed in his eyes.

"Heh heh, finally, someone."

The old steward picked up his brush and swiftly wrote two large characters in the first entry of the Register of Names.

Zhang Yuan.

They stopped at a street corner in the Inner City.

"Well? Your master ran fast enough this time, didn't she?" Xiao Yuanjun said.

They were recruiting a consort without even restricting it to men. One listen was enough to know something was seriously wrong.

Something was wrong, and there was nothing to gain. Only a fool would stay instead of running!

When Zhang Yuan failed to respond for some time, Xiao Yuanjun turned back in confusion and found that his expression was rather grim.

[Heavenly Vision]

[1. The old steward learns your true name, binding you in a marriage agreement with the Third Princess of Bian Kingdom's royal family. After you arrive, an expert from the royal family divines that you still have an unresolved marriage agreement with the Li Clan Daughter. Enraged, the emperor has you publicly beheaded for deceiving the sovereign.]

[2. You enter a marriage agreement with the Third Princess. After receiving the Marriage Contract, you do not honor the appointment. In the end, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the royal family kills you.]

[3. You uncover the inside story and learn why the Third Princess is seeking a consort. In the end, you successfully resolve every problem and become a consort of Bian Kingdom's royal family.]

"Zhang Yuan, what's wrong?" Xiao Yuanjun asked in puzzlement, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

Zhang Yuan's eyelids twitched.

Two futures ending in death, and one ending as a princess's consort.

Xiao Yuanjun truly had a talent for screwing over her disciple.

"Master, I have some bad news. I can vaguely sense that I've entered a marriage agreement with that Third Princess."

Zhang Yuan's gaze was grave. The moment his words fell,

a Marriage Contract appeared out of thin air, flowing with red light and interwoven karma, and landed in Zhang Yuan's hands.

[A marriage contract, submitted to the nine heavens. The cultivator of the Outer Heavens, "Zhang Yuan," and "Dongfang Caibai," the Third Princess of Bian Kingdom's royal family in the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm, share mutual affection and wish to build a harmonious household, their zither and lute sounding as one. Made by heaven's decree, blessed by earth's harmony. Let heaven and earth bear witness to this pledge: love for a lifetime, harmony for ten thousand years. Should the marriage agreement be broken, body and soul shall both be annihilated.]

"Huh?"

Xiao Yuanjun froze.

They had not even stepped through the main gates of the Third Princess's Residence, yet Zhang Yuan had already entered a marriage agreement with the Third Princess?

Oh, I get it. The [red phoenix baleful intent] inside Zhang Yuan must have acted up again. This definitely wasn't my fault.