Bai Lingling breathed in slowly before Xiaoyu embarrassed her further.
Yun Haisheng further smoothed his robes and finally continued speaking. "Qingqing, it must have been a difficult journey for you. Today, I have brought Yan Hai here for two reasons. One is to welcome you back. The other… naturally… is to discuss your marriage with him."
At that line, the four guards in the room stiffened instantly.
Marriage?
To this cold-faced man who could not even look their young miss in the eye without flinching? They almost pulled their young miss away because this was too much for them to witness.
Their hearts suddenly ached for their miss.
Miss must truly like him. Why else would she not notice how he looks at her? She is so innocent… she cannot tell good from bad at all…
Meanwhile Bai Lingling stared at them all with a polite expression while her thoughts were nowhere near polite.
Oh.
So this was where they finally break off the engagement.
Is that girl by his side a princess then?
If so… the gift she prepared last night would be very useful.
Whoever dared participate in her kidnapping would certainly be receiving it today.
She almost smiled.
But she kept her face still and waited for Yun Haisheng's next words, already imagining how she would nod graciously when they finally let her go.
But instead...
"Yan Hai is no longer young this year. Although Qingqing is still underage, you also know that the Heavenly Phoenix Bearer who has inherited the Phoenix Vein Fragment must wear the armour and enter battle after turning eighteen. Therefore, I intend to let Yan Hai and you marry within this month, so that your days before deployment will be peaceful."
Bai Lingling's expression instantly darkened.
Peaceful?
Which part of this sounded peaceful?
Yun Haisheng continued, looking proud of himself. "After all, once you enter the battlefield to fight the demon clan, you will not have time to return. And since you are now the City Lord of Yunhe City, if you were to leave without a husband to manage affairs for you, the city would certainly fall into chaos. So it is best to complete the marriage now. Yan Hai is willing, and you have a prior agreement."
Bai Lingling's face twitched.
She wanted to pick up the entire dusty chair and smash it over his head.
They were not cancelling the engagement at all. They were here to chain her down and slowly take everything from her!
In the corner, the black beast lifted its head slowly, golden eyes staring directly at her.
Unlike the humans, he saw everything clearly.
She was weak physically. But she wasn't human, she had a spiritual core similar to that of a demon. And her core was damaged.
Her body was human. But the more he focused, the more he sensed something...
wrong. Something ancient. Something demonic. Something barely suppressed.
The Phoenix Vein Fragment… It was hidden.
Hidden so deeply even he couldn't detect it at first. Impossible. No human girl should have been able to conceal an artifact like that.
And that energy rising from her...
In the past he easily sensed any of these Relic owners that were trained to fight his people at war. But hers was the first time he couldn't sense it.
And the most interesting part was this was the first time he had ever sensed a Phoenix vein fragment that had a bit of demonic energy in it.
A demon bearing a heavenly relic? In his lifetime Mo Lingxu had never seen anything like this before. So now he realized this little weakling might not be a weakling at all.
Since the energy from her...
It was not human at all. A low hum filled his chest.
Interesting… very interesting… perhaps fate had thrown him at the feet of someone far more dangerous than she looked.
He watched her closely.
Even a single breath she took was becoming entertaining.
Yun Haisheng continued speaking as if his tongue was dipped in honey, but Bai Lingling could hear all the poison behind it.
"Now that Qingqing is already the City Lord of Yunhe City," he said with a smile so wide it looked painful, "it is truly a heavy responsibility for someone so young. If you leave for battle one day, this city will become chaotic without proper guidance. So we should settle your marriage with Yan Hai quickly. Since your families already agreed long ago, it is better to complete it now, so that in the future when you are sent to fight the demon clan, Yan Hai can stay behind and help manage Yunhe City on your behalf."
He finished speaking and that fake gentle smile stayed glued to his face, as if he had just solved every disaster in the world.
Bai Lingling almost choked on her own breath.
Help her?
Help her with what?
Stealing the roof over her head? Stealing her title? Stealing her food?
Lin Xiaoyu, standing at Bai Lingling's side, gasped quietly and grabbed her sleeve again. "Young miss… your uncle is too thoughtful…" she whispered, but her little voice trembled, because even she did not believe her own words. Her eyes darted to Yan Hai's face, then back to Bai Lingling's scarred cheek, and then she straightened timidly as if preparing to defend Bai Lingling with her entire tiny body.
Meanwhile, the four guards exchanged heavy looks, but this time there was not a whisper of pity between them. Instead, a quiet fury settled in their eyes, the kind of anger men trained for war could only express in silence.
They all saw it clearly now.
These people standing before their young miss were not here out of kindness.
They were here to take advantage of her title, her status, and the innocence she had been known for since childhood.
One guard clenched his jaw so hard a vein appeared on his neck.
How dare they speak so gently while plotting something so filthy?
Another guard drew a slow breath to steady himself.
Young miss must not see their true intentions. She is too kind… she may agree without realizing the trap behind their smiles…
A third guard shifted his stance, looking ready to step forward and speak up on her behalf. He inhaled sharply, determination rising in his chest.
But just as he opened his mouth, Bai Lingling turned her head slightly. Nothing more.
Just the smallest turn. Her eyes were calm, but the coldness inside them held enough warning to freeze a river.
The guard shut his mouth instantly. The others stiffened in place. She knows, they realized. She sees everything. This is not the same easily-bullied young miss from before.
Their anger did not vanish, but it quieted, settling deep in their chests like coiled steel. They could only stand by her side, unable to openly challenge these high-class visitors, yet unwilling to bow their heads to such shameless intentions.
Bai Lingling, who could feel all their stifled rage at her back, kept her expression smooth. In her heart, she was already lifting Yun Haisheng by his collar and dropping him off the nearest cliff.
He was not here to break off the engagement.
No.
He was here to chain her more tightly than ever, smiling as if he was doing her a favor.
And as his voice filled the room, explaining how she must marry quickly, how Yan Hai would "help manage" Yunhe City during her absence, Bai Lingling felt that familiar heat crawl up her spine again...her demonic instincts rising, whispering, urging.
Ever since she had awakened in this body, that cold voice had followed her everywhere:
Strike. End them. Stop the noise. Remove the disrespect.
If she still had her full cultivation she wouldn't be worried about her demon side taking over and, she would have snatched Yun Haisheng by his ankle and dragged him outside like a sack of old rotten vegetables.
Because even though she was really weak when it came to her cultivation right now. Her demonic side was no where near weak.
So she could not make any mistakes now because of some dumb humans.