"So that's why! Why did you all come with such fanfare?"
When he had first seen them arriving with bundles large and small,
Shi Xiu had already sensed something was off.
That was why he had sent Shi Hao and Furball out to welcome the guests.
It seemed His Majesty the Fire Emperor finally couldn't hold back anymore.
He must already know that I have the heavenly dao treasure body!
An imperial son-in-law. That was quite an exalted position!
But judging by Huo Ling'er's startled, bewildered expression,
her father must have sold her off without her knowing, too.
Still, as the ruler of a nation, the Fire Emperor's orders were probably not something Huo Ling'er could defy.
In the original timeline,
this princess's fate would have been utterly tragic.
She had thought she could marry Shi Hao.
Yet at her happiest moment, that fellow named An Lan had imprisoned her.
Her true body had been corrupted by darkness, while her spiritual body had been locked in a cage for countless years.
By the time the two met again, the lively, adorable princess she had once been was long gone.
All that remained was a helpless girl worn down by reality.
Utterly miserable!
But marrying this princess to Shi Xiu now might spare her that dreadful fate.
Then there was that boy Shi Hao.
If events followed the original timeline,
after untold ages, he would become the Desolate Heaven Emperor, standing alone as the arbiter of eternity.
Yet he would also be the most wretched man in the entire universe.
Every relative and friend around him would perish, and even Willow Deity would lose her life several times.
It was a road that led straight into darkness, all the way to the end.
Shi Xiu had no desire to see these familiar people ravaged by such a fate.
So perhaps changing the Fire Kingdom Princess's fate could change the tragic futures of everyone present.
But seeing Willow Deity's branches swaying nonstop, Shi Xiu immediately understood.
Last time I carried the Ruthless Great Emperor back to Stone Village, Willow Deity was jealous like this, too!
Now that she's lost to a little human girl, Willow Deity must be feeling pretty miserable, right?
"Sister Willow Deity, I'm going to carry that princess back into the village now. Is there anything you'd like to say?"
After figuring out what was at stake,
a certain someone deliberately approached Willow Deity with a grin.
Her response was noticeably hesitant.
"Me? What would I have to..."
"Huh? Did I misunderstand? Shouldn't Lady Willow Deity be my principal wife?"
"You brat, what are you talking about?"
"Oh dear, did I really get it wrong? Didn't we agree to become cultivation partners?"
"You!"
"Even if Huo Ling'er marries me, she'll only be the second wife! Should I carry her in to pay her respects to the first wife?"
This counted as a confession, didn't it?
It was also the first time he had said anything like this to Willow Deity's face.
For a moment, the Immortal King who had lived for untold ages was left speechless.
"You brat. Do whatever you want!"
"Then can I change what I call you from now on?"
"Hmph, suit yourself. You have no respect for your elders!"
On the surface, Willow Deity sounded somewhat reproachful.
But in truth, this former Immortal King must have been overjoyed.
Even her willow branches swayed more lightly in the breeze. What a sight it would be when Willow Deity took human form someday.
Having received permission,
Shi Xiu swaggered out of the village.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao was busy fanning the flames.
"My big brother's coming out! Is he going to carry my new sister-in-law back to the village?"
Huo Ling'er had just begun to calm down.
But now, hearing Shi Hao say that,
she covered her face with both hands again. Even her neck seemed to have turned red.
She looked rather adorable.
"You brat, go stand somewhere else. Stop talking nonsense!"
After giving Shi Hao a smack on the back of the head,
Shi Xiu strode up to the princess.
"Princess, have you come to invite me to the Heaven Mending Pavilion this time, or...?"
"B-both. Shi Xiu, I... This was all arranged by my father. I knew nothing about it!"
"Then does the princess intend to defy His Majesty the Fire Emperor?"
"Who said that? Ah! You!"
Huo Ling'er had wanted to explain something.
But the words reached her lips and refused to come out.
Then the man before her did something exceedingly rude.
He actually hoisted Huo Ling'er straight onto his shoulder.
This was a tradition in Stone Village.
A bride marrying into their village had to be carried in by her groom.
But doing this also confirmed their relationship.
Though she was terribly embarrassed,
Huo Ling'er tacitly accepted his action.
The ministers who had followed her all breathed sighs of relief.
It seemed the man with the heavenly dao treasure body would not be getting away.
And their princess would surely attain an immortal body in the future.
But why is that boy carrying our princess over to a willow tree?
That willow tree seems to be their sacrificial spirit.
What sort of ceremony is this?
"You... What are you doing?"
As for Shi Xiu's actions,
Huo Ling'er was just as baffled.
But now that the princess had already tacitly accepted their relationship,
it seemed...
"Hahaha, fatty! This is Stone Village's honored sacrificial spirit!"
Seeing Shi Xiu carry Huo Ling'er into the village,
Shi Hao grew more excited than anyone, clapping along with a group of children from the village.
They followed behind, shouting loudly.
Huo Ling'er seemed to be growing impatient, too.
She snapped straight at the little brat!
"You ought to call me sister-in-law from now on!"
"You haven't bowed at the wedding altar with my big brother yet. I'll keep calling you fatty!"
What a brat.
He was clearly here to play the third wheel.
Still, Willow Deity understood social niceties very well.
She lowered her branches at once.
They screened the couple off completely from the outside world.
"My respects, honored sacrificial spi-"
Knowing that the willow tree before her was this place's guardian,
Huo Ling'er hurriedly bowed with great respect.
But Shi Xiu caught her and stopped her.
"Wrong, wrong!"
"What's wrong?"
"You're addressing her wrong. You should call her Madam Willow. She's my principal wife!"
"Huh? You and your sacrificial spirit...?"
Perhaps because she did not know Willow Deity's true identity,
Huo Ling'er's mouth fell open in astonishment.
It looked wide enough to fit two eggs.
An outsider certainly could not understand this situation.
Though this honored being was a sacrificial spirit, she looked like a willow tree!
Just then,
a swath of green light suddenly appeared before them.
Within the glow, a dignified woman with a gentle smile faintly emerged.
She wore a long green gown.
An exquisite hairpin adorned her swept-up hair.
Her face held beauty that could topple cities and kingdoms, and her skin was snowy white.
She was almost too dazzling to look at directly.
This was probably Willow Deity's true form.
Only now, it had to be formed through magical power before it could be seen.
"Huo Ling'er, you needn't be surprised. I was originally an Immortal King of the Upper Realm..."
Willow Deity actually revealed her true appearance today.
Even Shi Xiu probably had not expected this.
In the entire village, the two of them were probably the first to see this mighty deity's true face.
"Is this your true appearance, sister? You're so beautiful. I'm willing to be the secondary wife, but..."
He had thought that when two tigers clashed, there would surely be some turmoil.
Although Willow Deity was an Immortal King,
Huo Ling'er was, after all, a princess.
Pampered since childhood, she surely had some haughty pride in her bones.
Yet he had never expected Huo Ling'er to be so agreeable.
She was willing to be the secondary wife?
But this girl had plans of her own, too.
She laid out her terms right in front of Willow Deity.
As it turned out, the princess did not want to become someone's wife so soon.
She wanted Shi Xiu to go cultivate at the Heaven Mending Pavilion with her first.
Once she had enjoyed herself enough after a few years, then...
This could be considered the Fire Kingdom Princess's final struggle against her own fate!
Before you continue