Chapter 106: Do You Want to Break the Engagement with Sen Ji?
“Of course… I was very, very sad! So sad that if I hadn’t been forbidden from disturbing your training, I would have gone to the Third Combat Zone to find you long ago!”
Xie Qiang sounded somewhat moved. “I was just afraid that if Imperial Brother saw the messages I sent, he would want to rush to the Third Combat Zone even more. Thatâs why I blacklisted you!”
Xie Kong lowered the arm he used to wipe his tears, a look of doubt on his face. “Really?”
“Of course. I removed Imperial Brother from the blacklist a long time ago.” Xie Qiang blinked her feline eyes and nodded earnestly. “Does Imperial Brother not believe me?”
She lowered her gaze, looking a bit hurt. “I thought that even if I blacklisted you, Imperial Brother would still send me messages every day. But I waited for so long and never received a single message from you…”
As she spoke, she let out a small sob. “As I thought, Imperial Brother has grown distant. Youâre no longer the brother who used to dote on me…”
This string of counter-questions left Xie Kong speechless. Just as he was about to say something else, an authoritative and dissatisfied voice rang out from behind him.
“Qiang’er, do you only have eyes for your Imperial Brother?”
Hearing this voice, Xie Qiang leaned to the side and finally saw the Emperor of the Sea of Stars standing not far away.
He had the appearance of a middle-aged man with a broad, full forehead and graying hair. Within his deep blue eyes was a sense of gravity settled by time, much like his White Lion spirit body. His entire being radiated the aura of an authoritative ruler.
She immediately ran over and threw her arms around the Emperor. “Father! I missed you so much!”
Golden thigh, golden thigh, here I come!
After acting spoiled for a while, mimicking the original hostâs behavior, she finally let go of the Emperor and claimed her credit. “Father, I destroyed the Zerg wormhole in the Third Combat Zone. Am I impressive?”
“Hahaha! My Qiang’er truly has the makings of a sovereign!”
Emperor Xie laughed thunderously, resting his large hand on the girlâs head and rubbing it dotingly. “What reward do you want? Just tell me!”
“I don’t want any reward!” Xie Qiang said sweetly. “My achievements are all thanks to Father! If Father hadn’t put so much effort into nurturing me, how could I have achieved what I have today!”
“You little rascal. Youâve been out training for three years, and your tongue has certainly grown more silver-tongued!” Emperor Xie laughed with relief. “But business is business; there must be a reward.”
He hummed in thought, then gave the blond man behind the girl a half-smile. “How about I allow you to break your engagement with Sen Ji?”
The air fell silent for several seconds.
Hong Queâs eyes widened instantly, his face immediately filled with uncontainable joy and schadenfreude. Cang Jiu stood lazily to the side with his arms behind his head, watching the scene play out with amusement. Mo Yin, on the other hand, held his sword with indifference, his gaze fixed tightly on the girlâs face.
Meanwhile, a visible flash of panic crossed Sen Jiâs face.
He looked at the smiling Emperor, then pursed his lips as he looked at the silent Xie Qiang, waiting nervously for her answer.
If she agreed… what should he do?
A sense of resentment inevitably rose in his heart. He had already been permanently marked by her, placing his life and dignity entirely in her hands. Why did she still treat him like worn-out shoes, cold and neglected?
To her, was he really just a tool for compensation and political maneuvering?
Xie Qiang completely hadn’t expected the Emperorâs reward to be a broken engagement.
Strange…
Looking at the smiling Emperor Xie and catching Xie Kongâs encouraging and supportive gaze from the corner of her eye, Xie Qiang narrowed her feline eyes. Then, an arrogant and proud smile appeared on her face.
She adopted a lazy attitude and said, “Father, Sen Ji is already my Sentinel!”
“Oh?” Emperor Xie said with surprise. “He has already marked you?”
“Thatâs right.” Xie Qiang didn’t offer much explanation but continued, “Iâm sure Father is aware that a Sentinel can only permanently mark one Guide in their lifetime. If the engagement is broken, Commander Sen will have to remain a widower for the rest of his life.”
“How could I bear to let the Empire’s hero suffer such a grievance? If the Sentinels in the combat zones found out, wouldn’t they think our Royal Family is cold-blooded and unrighteous?”
“For the sake of the Royal Familyâs reputation, I am willing to suffer a little.”
Xie Qiang turned sideways and pointed to Hong Que and Mo Yin behind her, saying openly, “Instead of rewarding me with a broken engagement, Father might as well allow me to take in the two legitimate sons of the Vermillion Bird family.”
Hong Que immediately puffed out his chest. “Your Majesty! I am willing!”
After saying that, he realized heâd missed something and quickly added, “My younger brother is also willing!”
Beside him, the silver-haired youth also took a step forward, stroking the light blue silk ribbon in his hair near his neck. He looked at Xie Qiang with deep affection. “Your Majesty, I have feelings for the Princess. I hope that when Your Majesty grants the marriage, you can include me as well~”
He was clearly trying to stir up trouble because the situation wasn’t chaotic enough. Xie Qiang couldn’t help but glare at him, but she had no choice but to keep acting. “Thatâs right, Father. Thereâs also Cang Jiu of the Heavenly Fox family!”
“Mhm, mhm.” Emperor Xie stroked his chin. “Taking four Imperial Husbands all at once?”
“Does Father think itâs too many?” Seeing Emperor Xieâs difficult expression, Xie Qiang was about to act spoiled when she heard him say calmly, “Since they will be Imperial Husbands and future Consorts of the State, they must be carefully selected. They must be able to withstand the Trial of the Imperial Husbands.”
The Trial of the Imperial Husbands?
Xie Qiang flipped through her memories and found it was a test similar to a pre-marital ordeal. Only after completing the tasks assigned by the Emperor would they be considered qualified Imperial Husbands.
“And I feel the number four is quite unlucky. Why don’t we add one more?”
Emperor Xie turned slightly and beckoned toward the noble officials in the distance. “Wanyan Jin, come here.”
Hearing that name, Xie Qiangâs figure froze slightly. Memories of Wanyan Jin came rushing back.
In the massive palace, a young boy with soft, blue-gray hair cautiously called her “Sister,” approaching “her” with a plate of pastries, only for “her” to flip the plate and stomp the pastries into the ground.
She heard “her” own disgusted voice: “Lowborn! You think youâre worthy of being my brother?”
She couldn’t help but look behind Emperor Xie, only to see a young man stepping out from among the noble officials.
Under a simple white silk shirt, the manâs skin was a pale, porcelain-like white. His lips were thin and light, and his narrow, upturned snake-like eyesâgray-blue vertical pupilsâwere hidden behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, giving him the air of a refined scoundrel.
He walked over unhurriedly. When his gaze met hers, those snake-like eyes swept coldly over her face, giving Xie Qiang an instantaneous, chilling sensation of being watched by a venomous serpent.
“Itâs been a while since youâve seen Wanyan Jin, hasn’t it?” Emperor Xie smiled. “Do you want to catch up?”
Catch up?
Xie Qiang searched her memories and didn’t think there was anything for her and Wanyan Jin to catch up on.
All the memories concerning Wanyan Jin were about how much the original host loathed him, saying he wasn’t worthy of being her brother, that he was a thief who stole the Royal Familyâs genes, and…
What else did she say?
Xie Qiang racked her brain for the memory, only to discover that a piece of her memory concerning Wanyan Jin was also missing.
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