Chapter 5: The Arrival of the Marriage Alliance Delegation from the Wu Nation, Prince Hun Tian of the Holy Demon Empire
The next day, at noon.
“Hey, look! The marriage delegation is here!”
“Wow~ Even though we can’t see the Saintess, all the ladies in attendance are so beautiful! I bet the Saintess is even more stunning.”
“This is the future princess. Let’s not get lost in fantasy.”
“Once the marriage goes through, the Great Xia Empire will be the absolute overlord of the Cangzhou Continent!”
…
The marriage delegation is quite large, with the Saintess’s sedan chair at the center, being pulled by four seventh-level demon beasts that could easily rival those in the Tribulation Realm.
Inside the sedan chair.
The Saintess of the Wu Nation and her personal maid gazed at the enthusiastic citizens of the Great Xia outside.
They had passed through numerous cities in the Great Xia, truly observing the power of this generation’s Emperor Xia.
Even the citizens of the border cities may have never seen the Emperor in their lives, but the praises for him flowed freely from these commoners, who admired him from the depths of their hearts.
“Saintess, the people from the Great Xia Empire have arrived.”
“Please move forward, esteemed Saintess of your country.”
Foreign sedan chairs are not permitted to enter the palace; even the Saintess must change to a different one.
The veiled Saintess stepped out of the sedan chair, her maid beside her, also obscured by a veil, making it hard to discern their appearances. However, their alluring figures and the portions of exposed faces clearly hinted at two stunning beauties.
“Thank you,” said the Saintess, her voice clear and cold like a hidden valley, yet exceptionally pleasant to listen to.
“Please!”
…
Within the palace.
“His Majesty has decreed that all princes in the palace must go to the Golden Luan Hall.”
An oral command echoed across every training area of the princes, prompting some who were in secluded meditation to be called out.
…
“I wonder what Father is thinking. We’re all being summoned to the court to meet that Saintess.”
“I heard it was Qin Bei who suggested this to Father, saying something about arranged marriages being unhappy and that love should be reciprocated.”
“What does that even mean? I don’t understand a word!”
“I don’t get it either, but Qin Bei seems to have a point.”
“Come on, we’ve been around for hundreds of years, and now we have to go? Once this is done, I’m definitely going to make Qin Bei regret planting this idea!”
“Come on! That kid seems to have hit a jackpot. Father mentioned him multiple times during morning court.”
“Well, I better deal with him while I have the chance, otherwise he gets stronger and I can’t do anything with him.”
…
These conversations revolved around princes heading to court.
Some of them are hundreds of years old, already immortal, while others are only a few decades, having undergone tribulations several times, and some are even toddlers bouncing around.
All this fuss is because of Qin Bei; everyone has to show up for an awkward blind date.
Meanwhile, Qin Bei, who was also on his path, hurriedly dodged, silently thinking this place wasn’t suitable for extended stay.
He initially thought there would be beauties for everyone to ogle, but alas, everyone seemed disinterested, like a bunch of monks.
At the court.
All the princes have arrived. Qin Bei roughly counted, noting at least a hundred. He sincerely admired his old man’s ability to gather so many.
And this is just the princes; he wondered how many princesses were lurking around.
“Your son pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
All the princes knelt down, bowing in unison.
“Rise.”
Emperor Xia waved from his dragon throne, and the princes stood up involuntarily.
“All the princes are here, let the delegation from the Wu Nation enter.”
“Yes.”
“Announce! The Wu Nation delegation enters the hall.”
Only the Saintess and a few officials from the Wu Nation are allowed into the court; everyone else is left out. Naturally, the empress Qin Bei is daydreaming about remains absent.
The delegation maneuvered through the ministers, finally stopping behind the princes.
“Mu Zhaoxue pays her respects to Emperor Xia!”
“Envoy Huan Ming pays his respects to Emperor Xia!”
…
“Stand.”
“Your Majesty, we encountered members of the Holy Demon Empire who came to offer congratulations on our journey here; they also entered the palace with our delegation,” reported Envoy Huan Ming.
Once this statement dropped, the court fell silent.
It’s no secret that a war between the Holy Demon Empire and the Great Xia Empire is inevitable. Having someone come to congratulate this sounds suspiciously shifty; they are clearly here to stir up trouble.
“Announce!”
Though aware they’re up to no good, Emperor Xia still permitted their entry.
“Summon the Holy Demon Empire delegation.”
Soon, an old and a young man walked into the grand hall.
“Hun Tian pays his respects to Emperor Xia!”
“Wu You pays his respects to Emperor Xia!”
Emperor Xia waved his hand, allowing the two to rise.
“The Demon Emperor is thoughtful.”
Hun Tian frowned; in the Holy Demon Empire, everyone referred to his father as the Holy Emperor, but in Emperor Xia’s eyes, he’s now the Demon Emperor.
“In truth, it was not my father who sent me. I have a fondness for the first Saintess of the Wu Nation, so I wanted to see what kind of people in the Great Xia are worthy of marrying her. If you don’t mind, I’d like to gauge the gap between us to motivate myself to practice harder.”
Hun Tian’s words were pointedly clear—he’s here to stir the pot.
Emperor Xia frowned. He had never heard of this Hun Tian and it’s evident he’s not a valued prince; now he dares to provoke him directly in the Great Xia court.
“Very well, you have my consent.”
In the Immortal Dynasty, talent and strength reign supreme. Given others have come forward for the challenge, the Great Xia should not shy away from confrontation; it’s also a chance for the Wu Nation to understand their choice wasn’t a blunder.
Having received permission, Hun Tian moved aside with his entourage, waiting.
“Your Majesty, can we begin signing the soul contract?” Envoy Huan Ming inquired.
Marriage in the Immortal Dynasty is not merely a casual agreement; the most crucial stage is when the marriage parties sign a soul contract.
“Ahem~ Chen’er has encountered some issues in his cultivation recently, and the individual who was promised to your nation may need to be replaced.”
Even Emperor Xia found this excuse too far-fetched.
Qin Chen is a famous cultivation prodigy; if his training was going haywire, the whole world would’ve known by now.
Promptly, the smile on Envoy Huan Ming’s face froze.
“What’s going on? Does Great Xia not want to marry? That can’t be! The biggest beneficiary of this marriage is Great Xia; they can’t just unilaterally break the contract.” Huan Ming thought to himself.
Hun Tian, who’d already stepped aside, also frowned. He came specifically to challenge Qin Chen, and now they want to change!?
“Your Majesty, although I’m here for marriage, before becoming a prince’s consort, I remain the first Saintess of the Wu Nation. If Great Xia is unwilling to proceed with the marriage, feel free to say so; I’ll return to the Wu Nation now.” Mu Zhaoxue’s cold voice rang out.
She unapologetically punctured Emperor Xia’s flimsy lie.
“Saintess, you misunderstood. I value this marriage greatly! I called upon all my princes just to select the most suitable candidate for you.”
“Your Majesty, I chose Prince Qin Chen, not out of affection for him, but because of his exceptional talent; he is undoubtedly a candidate for the next Emperor Xia,” Mu Zhaoxue stated bluntly.
“Damn, that woman really is fierce; she just says whatever she thinks.” Qin Bei muttered under his breath.
“Xiao Bei, what does ‘damn’ mean?” A prince next to Qin Bei asked with curiosity.
“Eh… a type of plant.”
Cough! Emperor Xia on the throne cleared his throat, eyeing Qin Bei.
What does this brat think this is, a place for gossip?
“Saintess, each of my princes is extraordinarily talented and has a chance at becoming the future Emperor Xia. Though Chen’er has excellent cultivation talent, he is solely focused on cultivation; he cannot become the next Emperor.” Emperor Xia also bluntly expressed his opinion.
Mu Zhaoxue frowned. She had always heeded the commands of the empress, and with this unexpected turn, she found herself at a loss.
“Your Majesty, given that Prince Qin Chen is unwilling to marry, perhaps we should postpone the marriage discussion,” said Envoy Huan Ming, needing to take a stand as the lead envoy this time.
Since the Great Xia Empire showed a lack of sincerity, the Wu Nation also needed to assert its own stance.
As tension built and discussions threatened to break down, Emperor Xia interjected suddenly: “Saintess, to be frank, before you arrived, one of my princes already harbored feelings for you, and his talent is not significantly inferior to Chen’er’s. However, this prince expressed that he only wishes to marry if the Saintess also feels a connection with him. That’s why I summoned all my princes here—to allow you to select the one you find most appealing. If by chance you pick him, it would be a splendid tale.”
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