82. Falling into Demonic Possession!
"In short, this matter is settled for now, and you will choose a date for your wedding." Emperor Ming displayed his imperial authority.
"...Yes, Father." Yun Ling looked at his earnest father and knew that he was doing this for his own good.
In this era, the concept that "there are three unfilial acts, and the greatest is having no offspring" is deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Yun Ling truly failed in his duty as a descendant. This action was taken by Emperor Ming to clear Yun Ling's name, at least so that he wouldn't be criticized within the court.
He could be indifferent to the court's opinion of him, but Emperor Ming couldn't be indifferent to it.
This grand wedding can silence any gossip, and if children are born, there will be even less to worry about.
As for what will happen next, there's no need to elaborate.
The following day, to Prime Minister Rita's utter bewilderment, she was betrothed to Yun Ling...
She never intended to get married.
Moreover, she had never met this crown prince. Although there were rumors in the palace that he was a child prodigy, that was more than twenty years ago.
And then there was the battle report that came in yesterday: one person wiped out the entire invading army.
It's hard not to suspect that Emperor Ming is trying to promote him.
She knew nothing about his appearance, his talent, or anything else.
But since the emperor had personally issued the decree, what could she do?
That night, Yun Ling found her.
"You mean the Crown Prince has arrived?"
Rita, who was writing at her desk, heard the news that made her somewhat unhappy.
"Let him wait a bit, I'll take some time to get ready." Rita rubbed her temples and turned to go back to her room.
Her short, soft, gray-gold hair covered her left eye, revealing a right eye that resembled a magnificent ruby. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye made the already pretty girl even more charming.
"Prime Minister Rita, hello." Yun Ling's eyes showed no emotion as he greeted her casually.
"Hehe, Your Highness, you may call me Rita... May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?" Rita secretly sized up Yun Ling.
Although he was handsome, his lips were slightly pale, and he coughed occasionally. He was not particularly robust and looked more like a young master who indulged in excessive pleasure than a cultivator.
Just because he can wipe out an entire enemy force by himself?
Rita definitely didn't believe it.
"Of course, I have something to discuss with Miss Rita." Yun Ling clearly caught the slight disdain in her eyes, but didn't care.
"Your Highness, please speak frankly." Rita calmly refilled Yun Ling's teacup.
"First of all, I must apologize to you for my father's actions. He forced you into an engagement without your permission, Miss Rita."
Rita was slightly surprised, but she didn't interrupt and continued to listen attentively.
"Secondly, I hope you will cooperate with me in putting on a show."
"Show?" Rita asked, puzzled.
"Father's actions were merely to help me clear my name, but only you and I know what actually happened. I have no intention of staying in the capital, nor do I want to be emperor," Yun Ling said earnestly.
Since Rita was able to rise to the position of prime minister, she could certainly understand the unspoken meaning behind Yun Ling's words.
This arranged marriage is just a formality. Afterward, Yun Ling will return to Mount Taixu, and nothing will happen between him and Rita.
In exchange, her position as prime minister would be incredibly secure, since she was, after all, the rightful wife of the crown prince.
"I see…" Rita looked at Yun Ling, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"It seems I'm not charming enough to attract His Highness the Crown Prince," Rita said, feigning sadness.
"Why are you putting on airs, you old woman in your twenties? If you really want something to happen, I'm not entirely against making myself suffer a little," Yun Ling continued, following her lead.
Rita's lips twitched slightly. This person...
"Alright, enough joking with Miss Rita. Now that I've said that, Miss Rita need not worry about her future. Please take care." Yun Ling bowed slightly and left.
"A husband in name only...that's interesting." Rita watched Yun Ling's departing figure.
The wedding took place as scheduled. Yun Ling kept his promise and didn't do anything out of line to her. A week later, he left and returned to Mount Taixu.
Yun Ling's marriage wasn't kept secret and quickly spread to Taixu Mountain.
Jingwei felt a strange tightness in her chest, but also a sense of relief. At the same time, she was slightly puzzled as to why Yun Ling had returned to Taixu Mountain so quickly.
"Now that you're married, why not spend more time with your wife?" Jingwei asked.
"Although she is my wife, we are only husband and wife in name. My heart has always belonged only to my master. If my master does not believe me, he can use the Fenghuang Down..."
"Alright, you can leave now," Jingwei said coldly.
"Yes, Master." Yun Ling quietly left.
Jingwei's thoughts became chaotic again, and she only calmed down after silently reciting the Sword Heart Mantra several times.
Since confessing his feelings, Yun Ling has become increasingly blatant in expressing his love for Jingwei, persisting no matter how coldly she treats him.
During dinner that night, the junior students were all curious about Yun Ling's wedding.
After Yun Ling explained, they realized that it was just a staged performance.
"Senior Sister Chaoyu, can you finally breathe a sigh of relief?"
"Yeah, I noticed that Senior Sister Chaoyu seemed distracted all day today."
Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru, the twin sisters, jokingly said to Lin Chaoyu.
"You two, stop talking nonsense!" Lin Chaoyu blushed from the teasing and stuffed a chicken leg into each of their mouths to shut them up.
After doing all this, she glanced at Yun Ling again, and seeing that Yun Ling did not react, her expression dimmed considerably.
Yun Ling returned to his leisurely routine of slacking off, spending his days basking in the sun, practicing his swordsmanship, and occasionally going down the mountain to exorcise demons. He was quite happy with his life.
Being an emperor means being busy with official duties every day; there's no time for such leisure.
During this period, Cheng Lingshuang also comprehended the Divine Essence, becoming the third person to do it.
However, she's still far from being as good as Yun Ling and Jingwei...
"Wanru, what's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?" Yun Ling looked at Jiang Wanru, who was tiptoeing beside him, with a puzzled expression.
"N-nothing!" Jiang Wanru immediately hid her hands behind her back, cold sweat pouring down her face.
"Is she planning to play tricks on Lingshuang and Su Yi again?" Yun Ling looked at her suspiciously.
"How could I... ha... hahaha..."
Jiang Wanru immediately laughed it off.
"Goodbye, Senior Brother!"
Jiang Wanru filled a basin with water and returned to her room.
She rolled up her left sleeve and frantically scrubbed the disgusting purple lines on her arm.
"Why...why...why did this happen..." Jiang Wanru's eyes were filled with tears.
Her face was filled with fear and despair.
She kept scrubbing until the skin was torn and the flesh began to blur, turning the entire basin of water bright red, while the purple veins remained clearly visible.
With a loud crash, the basin of water was overturned, and she sat down on the ground.
As a disciple of the Taixu Sect, she knew all too well about such matters...
She's falling into demonic possesion!
...