Chapter 1714: Love in the Air
Zu An was stunned, saying, “The king must be telling jokes. Your respected self is an important part of the imperial family, while I’m just a commoner. No matter how great our relationship is, it isn’t to the point that we can be considered one family, right?”
He wondered whether King Qi had lost his mind a bit from urgency. It’s one thing to try to rope me in, but this kind of messed-up excuse really is going a bit too far…
Even if the two of them became allies, they would definitely each have their own ulterior motives. They couldn't even be said to have a good relationship then, let alone becoming one family.
King Qi remained unfazed. He said with a smile, “This king has a beloved daughter named Xiaodie. She’s always been pretty since she was little and is quite adorable. When she was older, I sent her to the classical daoist sect, the Heavenly Sorrow Sect, to cultivate. Her cultivation talent is outstanding too. It isn’t that I am flattering her on purpose; she really is talented and good-looking.”
He paused for a moment, and suddenly thought of something. He said with a smile, “Sir Zu has spent quite a bit of time on Violet Mountain as of late. I’m sure you’ve already met her.”
Zu An reflexively nodded and said, “I have. Your esteemed daughter is indeed beautiful.”
But her personality is a bit strange. She seems to lean toward M… he thought. Of course, there was no way he would dare to say that out loud to King Qi. Otherwise, if he found out that Zu An had previously whipped his precious daughter, he could immediately become hostile.
King Qi had a proud father’s expression when he heard Zu An’s praise. He said, “She is of age now, too. According to what I‘ve heard, Sir Zu is unmarried. I believe the two of you would make a great pair, a match made in heaven…”
Zu An was stunned when he heard that. He had never expected King Qi to make such a suggestion.
Mi Li laughed in his mind and remarked, “Not bad, not bad! It seems your livelihood is getting better and better! Even that king wants you as a son-in-law.”
Zu An replied in annoyance, “Stop making fun of me already and help me figure out what King Qi is really thinking.”
Their souls were tied together, so speaking mentally was much easier. They could have an entire conversation without even a second passing in the real world.
“What else? He’s trying to rope you in,” Mi Li said casually. “You are the Fiend races’ Regent now, and you have extraordinary status. After weighing his interests, he’s decided that roping you in is much better than making you his enemy.”
“But isn’t he investing a bit too much? His eagerness is definitely abnormal,” Zu An said doubtfully. “The two of us have had our share of interactions, and because of our previous conflicts, we share quite the grudge…”
“There’s no need for you to worry about that,” Mi Li explained. “He doesn’t have many ulterior motives right now, and he wouldn’t offer his daughter if he weren’t serious. He likely keenly sensed that there’s actually a rift between you and Zhao Han. He knows that you’re someone he can fight for, so he went as far as to seek you out.
“Furthermore, judging from his urgency and how he’s proposing such generous conditions, it doesn’t seem to only be because of your identity as the Regent. He probably has another huge plan against the emperor in motion and needs your support. As such, all the rest doesn’t matter.”
Zu An was startled. Could it be something on Violet Mountain?
Even though he knew that King Qi carried some sincerity this time, he still said apologetically, “Thank you for your generous intentions, but I already have a wife. Furthermore, I already have many sweethearts too…”
“You are talking about the Qin clan’s granddaughter, right?” King Qi replied, seemingly unbothered. “From what I know, you’ve already divorced and she isn’t actually your wife. If it’s just sweethearts, what’s the big deal for a great man to have many concubines? Xiaodie is from the imperial clan and isn’t someone who would easily get jealous. She won’t stop you from having your sweethearts then.”
Zu An was speechless.
Mi Li said, “Agree to it. If you refuse this condition, you’ll have thoroughly offended him. At that point, if both Zhao Han and King Qi want to get rid of you, do you really think you’re so awesome that you can fight both of them off?”
Zu An shivered. Taking both of those parties as enemies really wasn’t a wise choice. However, he wasn’t willing to give up on his marriage for that. Thus, he said, “I wish to say thanks for the king’s good intentions. The young lady and I have encountered each other on Violet Mountain and experienced some interesting events.”
“Oh? There was something like that?” King Qi replied in surprise. He hadn’t expected his precious daughter to actually have a good relationship with Zu An. He thought to himself, How is this kid that good at getting the attention of pretty girls?
Zu An nodded and said, “It’s because I am familiar with the young lady that I can’t hurt her feelings through a transactional relationship. It would be better if things happened naturally.” He didn’t agree, nor did he refuse. Instead, he provided an ambiguous reply.
“Hm…” King Qi muttered with a frown. He was a bit dissatisfied with the result.
Zu An said, “King, there’s no harm in telling the truth. In the past, it wasn’t that I intentionally wanted to make you my enemy, but rather that it was just the result of fate. There’s no clash of interests between us that can’t be overlooked. Furthermore, considering my friendship with the princess, we can naturally grow our relationship from here. I hope that the king doesn’t still harbor former hatred.”
King Qi’s worry turned to happiness as he said, “Haha, but of course.”
…
When King Qi left, Zu An sighed deeply and said, “Big sis master, I feel as if something really big has happened! Even though I can vaguely sense it, I don’t know exactly what happened. I can’t help but feel a bit uneasy somehow.”
“What is there to worry about?” Mi Li replied, sounding relaxed. “Either way, even if the worst happens, you’ll have someone above you as a shield. You should actually be grateful that there’s someone like King Qi to draw Zhao Han’s attention away from you. Otherwise, he would have already found out and destroyed all of those plans of yours.”
Zu An chuckled in embarrassment and asked, “It’s not that serious, right? He doesn’t know many of the things I’ve done.”
“You haven’t experienced the imperial family’s education and don’t know how they think,” Mi Li said, shaking her head, “For example, the emperor doesn’t like you, so you won’t come to a good end. It’s just that you still have a bit of use left for him.
“Furthermore, after he lost his split soul in the Westhound Tomb Secret Dungeon, though he doesn’t know what happened inside, it was just your group that emerged. For the emperor, he would rather kill you than leave even a chance for the perpetrator to escape. Once he deals with King Qi, you’ll be next.”
“So that’s why you told me to agree to King Qi’s arranged marriage,” Zu An said with a sigh.
“Aren’t you usually a huge pervert? Is there something wrong with you today? I’ve seen that Zhao Xiaodie before. Even though she isn’t as good as that Chu girl, she’s still an incredible beauty in her own right. It’s not as if you’re losing out,” Mi Li said, a bit annoyed at Zu An’s behavior in this situation.
“That woman is a bit weird… And I don’t have to sell my body, do I?” Zu An grumbled unhappily.
Mi Li laughed. She reached out a slender finger and hooked it around his chin, saying, “Tsk tsk tsk, I didn’t expect you to have a bit of a backbone!”
Zu An suddenly realized something and asked, “You saw Zhao Xiaodie before? Then doesn’t that mean you were awake a long time ago?”
“Yup, or else I would have missed a spectacular sight,” Mi Li said with a sigh. “Kid, you really are quite the charmer! You actually even got together with their masters. Even though those two women are both extremely beautiful, who knows how much older they are than you. It seems you have quite the unique taste…”
Her expression suddenly changed when she said that. She snapped, “Brat, you don’t have such thoughts about me too, do you?”
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