Dongfang Caibai

After bidding farewell to Li Houxuan, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun walked out of the Clear Shore Teahouse.

"With the two great aristocratic clans joining forces, the Empress and the Third Princess are certain to die. But in that case, where's the key to breaking out of this trap...?"

Zhang Yuan pondered the three predetermined futures revealed by [Heavenly Vision].

In the first, the imperial family discovered his marriage agreement with the Li Clan after he arrived and executed him on the spot.

Now that he thought about it, that first future of death had some suspicious points.

On such a joyous wedding day, even if they discovered his existing marriage agreement, they should not have killed him outright. At most, they should have thrown him into prison.

For them to kill him so decisively, they must have believed he was a Li Clan spy and executed him to be safe.

In the second future of death, he was slain by an imperial Foundation-Building Heavenly Being because he failed to attend.

He drew his conclusions from the information Li Houxuan had provided.

If the Princess’s Consort, an unpredictable variable, attended the wedding, the "Demon Empress" could make use of him. If he was absent, however, that variable would not merely be useless—it would become a liability.

Having deduced the causes of those two fatal futures, Zhang Yuan began to see the third future, in which he became the Princess’s Consort, more clearly.

As long as he could resolve his marriage agreement with the Li Clan Daughter and then attend on the wedding day, he could successfully reach that future and survive.

At this thought, Zhang Yuan could not help feeling troubled.

Attending on the wedding day would be easy enough, but resolving his marriage agreement with the Li Clan Daughter was beyond his power.

Besides, the Marriage Contract was still inside the Li Residence in Cloud Province City.

He had only come here to seek [golden carriage baleful intent]. How had he ended up caught in a struggle between the Bian Empress, the Eastern Bian Li, and the Western Bian Chu?

"Master, what do you think?" Zhang Yuan asked with a sigh.

He could not think of any good solution.

Xiao Yuanjun frowned slightly. "Li Houxuan was wrong about one thing. The Bian Kingdom's Demon Empress is definitely not merely a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being. She is very likely a Golden Core True Lord. Even if she isn't, she certainly has some means of wielding a Golden Core True Lord's tremendous power."

That much was evident from the Marriage Contract between Zhang Yuan and the Third Princess.

The Eastern Bian Li and the Western Bian Chu both believed the Demon Empress was a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being, so they would surely send Foundation-Building Heavenly Beings to surround and kill her.

If the two clans failed to recognize the problem, they would suffer devastating losses this time.

"Master, are you saying...?" Zhang Yuan raised an eyebrow.

The Bian Kingdom's imperial family had someone at Golden Core, while the Li and Chu Clans did not.

Since he had to choose a side, the best course was to cling to the Bian Kingdom's Demon Empress's thigh.

"Come on. We're going to the Third Princess’s Residence." Xiao Yuanjun smiled confidently.

She already had a way to break out of the trap.

The Third Princess’s Residence.

The registration table and Register of Names at the entrance were gone, but the old steward remained, standing outside the residence as though waiting for someone.

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun returned.

The old steward's eyes immediately lit up when he saw them. "Your Lordship, you're here! Please, come inside. My mistress has been waiting in the tea room for quite some time."

Just as expected.

Ever since the Marriage Contract appeared, everything had been part of the Bian Kingdom's Demon... Empress's scheme.

"Lead the way," Zhang Yuan said in a low voice, neither servile nor overbearing.

The more precarious the situation, the more important it was to remain calm. He absolutely could not show fear.

He was useful to the Bian Empress. Since he was useful, that meant he had some leverage when speaking with her.

He simply did not know whether the mistress the old steward mentioned was the Bian Empress herself or the Third Princess named Dongfang Caibai.

The residence was quiet and deserted. Along the way, they saw no maids or servants apart from the old steward guiding them.

The tea room stood amid a Bamboo Grove, where bamboo shadows swayed and the fragrance of tea hung in the air.

Xiao Yuanjun suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuan asked quietly.

"A Celestial," Xiao Yuanjun said, offering only those two words.

Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted. There was a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being inside the tea room.

He had witnessed the Li Clan's Foundation-Building Heavenly Being and knew that someone at Qi Refining could never compare. Once they entered the tea room, their lives would hang in the balance.

No, they did not even need to enter. At such close range, it was already too late to run.

Zhang Yuan's heart sank, and he instinctively looked toward the old steward leading them.

The old steward smiled faintly and cupped his hands. His figure dissolved, turning into an old bamboo stalk.

Zhang Yuan stared in astonishment.

How had a living, breathing person just turned into a stalk of bamboo?

"He was awakened by a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being," Xiao Yuanjun explained before turning her gaze toward the tea room.

Displaying her cultivation this way—she was trying to put them in their place.

"Come on, Zhang Yuan. Let's meet this Foundation-Building Heavenly Being."

Xiao Yuanjun was not flustered. It was not as though she had never faced a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being before, and besides, she still had a trump card she had yet to play.

They stepped into the tea room.

A young woman in pale blue and white robes sat upright inside.

She was exceptionally beautiful, with exquisite features, rosy lips, and a shapely, curvaceous figure. Her bearing was pure and otherworldly, yet as her eyes shifted, they held an alluring charm that could seize the soul.

This woman was none other than Dongfang Caibai, the Bian Kingdom's Third Princess—a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being at just nineteen years old.

Dongfang Caibai watched Zhang Yuan with a smile. "My Princess’s Consort has arrived. I wonder, did you enjoy your tea at the Clear Shore Teahouse?"

"Greetings, Third Princess." Zhang Yuan cupped his hands slightly and spoke in a subdued voice.

"We're already betrothed. Why address me so distantly? Just call me Caibai." Dongfang Caibai's alluring gaze was soft as silk.

That's right. We're about to get married. Why call her Third Princess? I could even call her my wife!

"Cai..." Zhang Yuan instinctively began.

No!

He had never wanted to become the Princess’s Consort. Why would he have such thoughts? Something was wrong with this woman.

Very wrong!

Zhang Yuan cut himself off. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and a chill ran through him.

The woman before him was no ordinary young girl, but a genuine Foundation-Building Heavenly Being!

Li Houjin had been terrifying and intimidating, impossible for ordinary mortals to look at directly.

Looking directly at Dongfang Caibai caused no such sensation, but she could influence his mind without him even noticing. She was equally terrifying.

Dongfang Caibai narrowed her eyes slightly.

She had not used any divine ability or spell, nor wielded any of a Celestial's tremendous power. She had merely relied on her own influence and casually offered a few prompting words.

Even so, Zhang Yuan's ability to regain clarity at the first revolution of Qi Refining surprised her.

No, Zhang Yuan had not regained clarity on his own. Someone was helping him.

Dongfang Caibai shifted her gaze toward the rather inconspicuous Xiao Yuanjun beside him.

So he was being supported by a Qi Refining Divine Ability.

Xiao Yuanjun wore a loose Daoist robe and stood with her arms folded across her chest. She showed not a trace of fear beneath Dongfang Caibai's gaze.

No cause, no effect. I can't divine her origins. Does she have a magical treasure that conceals heavenly secrets?

"Princess’s Consort, who is this?" Dongfang Caibai withdrew her gaze and asked softly.

"My honored master," Zhang Yuan replied succinctly.

"So you are my consort's master. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you. Please, take the seat of honor." Dongfang Caibai smiled, showing none of a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being's haughtiness.

Xiao Yuanjun shook her head and said evenly, "Senior, speak plainly. What do you need us to do?"

"You certainly are impatient."

Dongfang Caibai chuckled. "Very well, very well. I won't beat around the bush. On the wedding day, Princess’s Consort need only attend in person. As for everything else, you won't have to do a thing."

As she finished speaking, Dongfang Caibai's eyes shimmered, brimming with autumn waters. "You will come, won't you, Princess’s Consort?"

"What do I get out of it?" Zhang Yuan remained unmoved, his face expressionless.

"Isn't becoming Princess’s Consort a benefit in itself?" Dongfang Caibai asked, blinking.

"Heh..."

Zhang Yuan sneered and quietly watched her performance.

Trying to snare a white wolf with empty hands? Not a chance!