[Golden Carriage Baleful Intent]

Two people in the Qi Refinement Realm were asking a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being for benefits.

It had to be said that both Zhang Yuan and his Master had enough gall to blot out the sky. They really weren't afraid of a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being glaring them to death.

Zhang Yuan's reasoning was simple.

Though he advocated cautious cultivation, caution did not mean refusing to compete, nor did it mean having no need for resources.

If cultivators did not compete and had no resources, how could they break through to higher realms?

And if their realms were too low, wouldn't they only die sooner?

Before coming here, he had discussed it with Xiao Yuanjun. He was now a very important pawn for the Bian Empress. As long as his demands were not excessive, asking for a few benefits was perfectly reasonable.

Dongfang Caibai's gaze returned to normal, and she said calmly, "What do you want?"

She was a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being, after all. If Zhang Yuan dared to take this opportunity to open his lion's maw and demand too much, she would not mind teaching him a little lesson.

"I need an earthly baleful force," Zhang Yuan said.

One earthly baleful force. That was not much to ask for. He still knew his limits.

Dongfang Caibai asked with a smile, "[Golden Carriage Baleful Intent]?"

Zhang Yuan secretly frowned and gave Xiao Yuanjun beside him a meaningful look.

His second heavenly dipper and earthly baleful force was [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent]. Only the two of them should have known that. Even if Dongfang Caibai was a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being, she should not have known it so precisely, should she?

Xiao Yuanjun shook her head.

"Precisely, [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent]," Zhang Yuan said with a nod.

"Very well."

With a wave of her delicate hand, Dongfang Caibai produced a strip of red cloth that looked as though it had been cut from a wedding gown.

The red strip was made from the finest fabric, exquisitely textured and embellished with gold thread. It fluttered in the breeze, carrying a subtle fragrance.

Zhang Yuan caught the strip of red cloth and raised his brows slightly.

For some reason, the sight of it gave him an inexplicable sense of being bound.

[Golden Carriage Baleful Intent] brought assistance from someone of high standing, but at the cost of freedom. This strip of red cloth was clearly a manifestation of its imago.

His original purpose in coming to the Bian Kingdom's Capital City had been to find [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent] and break through to the third Qi Refinement layer in one stroke.

He had never expected to obtain it from Dongfang Caibai within half a day of arriving in the Capital City, before he had even properly begun searching.

If he called it smooth sailing, it truly had been.

If he called it anything but, he had inadvertently stumbled onto a True Lord's chessboard, caught between the Eastern Bian Li Clan, Western Bian Chu, and the Bian Kingdom's imperial family.

Zhang Yuan frowned. Everything had seemingly unfolded naturally, yet certain details gave him the feeling that it had all been meticulously designed.

It was as though an invisible hand were slowly pushing him forward from behind.

Dongfang Caibai blinked and asked with a smile, "What is it? Is my consort dissatisfied with this [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent]?"

Zhang Yuan's intuition was correct.

Her Empress Mother had used the imperial family's treasured [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent] as bait, drawing Qi Refining cultivators who needed it into the city to become her pawns. All of this had indeed been carefully designed.

"I'm satisfied."

Zhang Yuan exhaled, temporarily putting the thoughts in his head aside.

He had spoken with the Third Princess and obtained [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent], but there was still one matter he needed to mention. Otherwise, he would still end up dying when the time came.

"However, Third Princess, before coming to the Capital City, I entered into a marriage agreement with a daughter of the Eastern Bian Li Clan. Though the wedding never took place, the agreement does exist."

Dongfang Caibai froze slightly.

Zhang Yuan's words had clearly caught her off guard.

A marriage agreement with a daughter of the Eastern Bian Li Clan?

How was that possible? The Eastern Bian Li Clan was an enormous power, ranked among the Five Surnames and Seven Houses. Even across the entire Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm, it carried tremendous weight.

What qualifications did Zhang Yuan, a mere first-revolution Qi Refining cultivator, have to enter into a marriage agreement with a Li Clan Daughter?

After pondering briefly, Dongfang Caibai asked with a frown, "What is the name of the Li Clan Daughter betrothed to you? Which branch is she from?"

"I don't know." Zhang Yuan shook his head.

He only knew that he had entered into a marriage agreement with a daughter of the Li Clan. The Li Clan had refused to let him see the Marriage Contract, so he genuinely did not know who she was.

"The Eastern Bian Li Clan has a heritage spanning thousands of years, and its internal lineages are incredibly complex. As long as the Li Clan Daughter betrothed to you is not from the main branch or one of the other important branches, it will not be a problem."

"This is no obstacle. On the day of our wedding, I will ask my Empress Mother to sever that marriage bond for you. Rest assured," Dongfang Caibai said.

Zhang Yuan had neither cultivation nor backing. The Li Clan Daughter betrothed to him could, at most, belong to a collateral branch. She might even be no more than a distant relative of the Li Clan.

"That's good, then." Zhang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, his spirits lifting.

Everything was within his grasp. If things continued at this pace, he would surely bring the future of becoming the third princess's consort to full fruition and preserve his life.

"If there is nothing else, Third Princess, we will take our leave."

With that, Zhang Yuan prepared to leave with Xiao Yuanjun.

But just as they were about to step out of the tearoom, Dongfang Caibai's voice came from behind them.

"Wait a moment, my consort."

Zhang Yuan turned his head. "Do you have any further instructions, Third Princess?"

Dongfang Caibai said gently, "You have only just arrived, my consort, and I imagine you have nowhere to stay yet. My residence is fairly spacious. Why not stay here? I can also look after you, lest some villain try to harm you."

Dongfang Caibai seemed to be making a suggestion, but Zhang Yuan knew he had to stay today—and that he would not be able to leave until the wedding.

[Golden Carriage Baleful Intent] really had not come free.

"Look after you" was just another way of saying, "I can keep you under surveillance, so you won't run off after taking the benefits."

The eastern guest room.

Dongfang Caibai had been right. The Third Princess's Residence was indeed spacious. Even the guest room measured over a hundred square meters. Including the courtyard, it occupied a full two or three hundred.

"Excellent, excellent! This saves your Master a tidy sum."

Xiao Yuanjun laughed heartily.

After ordering a pot of tea at the Clear Shore Teahouse, she had actually been left penniless. She had planned to take Zhang Yuan to sleep on the streets, but who would have thought Dongfang Caibai would deliver a pillow just as she grew sleepy?

What a good person.

Watching Xiao Yuanjun's cheerful expression, Zhang Yuan rubbed his temples.

Still laughing? Your disciple is about to get married and be imprisoned by the Third Princess in her residence, never to see daylight again.

A Master picked up by the roadside really is a little unreliable.

Forget it. I'll refine both [Golden Carriage Baleful Intent] and [Red Phoenix Baleful Intent] first, then see whether I can rewrite the future.

Since a single sentence from Xiao Yuanjun had rewritten the future last time, there was no reason it couldn't work this time.

He truly did not want to become a princess's consort.

Meanwhile.

Not long after Dongfang Caibai saw Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun off, a figure whose features could not be discerned appeared before the tea table.

The figure was indistinct, like mist or an illusion, though her outline suggested a woman.

"Empress Mother."

Dongfang Caibai rose and bowed.

"No need for formalities. Have you secured the variable?" the woman's voice rang out.

"In answer to Empress Mother, the variable has been confined within the residence," Dongfang Caibai said.

"Mm."

The woman's tone was cool, betraying neither joy nor anger, sorrow nor pleasure. Then she said, "Li Houjin and Chu Miaofu have arrived in the Capital City. The two clans intend to eliminate the variable tonight. Make your preparations."

Li Houjin, whose Daoist Name was [True Jade], belonged to the Eastern Bian Li Clan. He had attained Heavenly Being status a hundred and sixty years ago and was now at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Chu Miaofu, whose Daoist Name was [Wondrous Existence], belonged to Western Bian Chu. She had attained Heavenly Being status thirty years ago and was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Neither was an ordinary figure.

Dongfang Caibai's expression turned solemn, and she nodded. "Rest assured, Empress Mother. I will protect the variable."