Chapter 160 - The Princess"s Decision
Translator: Enrei
Editor: Master Shadow
Though this feeling included the stubbornness and unyieldingness of a teenage boy, Xiao Yun harbored feelings for Ling Xi too. She was his first woman, and the first to make him feel such a rush and desire to protect her. Ling Xi’s silhouette was destined to leave a lasting mark in Xiao Yun’s mind.
Seeing that Xiao Yun’s expression had changed, Feng Yu Yao blinked, as if she’d realized something. She narrowed her eyes in a smile and asked, “Is it that you already have a woman?” She’d found an indication of such in Xiao Yun’s eyes; women’s intuition was very sharp, after all.
“I guess you could say that,” Xiao Yun said, as if he was recollecting a memory and couldn’t entirely pull himself out of it.
“Oh.” Feng Yu Yao’s face fell, and she blinked again, her mouth twisting as if she was at a loss.
Xiao Yun didn’t detect the change in Feng Yu Yao’s mood. In his heart, Ling Xi was not only a worry and an obsession, she was also a target for him to work towards. No matter what, he wanted to go to the Heavenly Capital Domain to prove to this girl that he, Xiao Yun, had the ability to soar in the highest of the heavens and stand side by side with her.
But now Xiao Yun knew in his heart how difficult it would be to be on an equal level to Ling Xi, who was as elegant and refined as a heavenly fairy. Ling Xi was no older than he was, yet her cultivation was extraordinarily high, and she’d even forced the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow to destroy its physical body in a fight.
Now that he thought about it, she’d had to have already entered the Essence Core realm by then.
“I just don’t know which level of the Essence Core realm she’s at,” Xiao Yun thought, a bitter smile absentmindedly appearing on his lips. Immediately after, he shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts. Overthinking things now would only add to his troubles; focusing on cultivating was the way to go.
“Is she beautiful?” Feng Yu Yao watched Xiao Yun intently, seeing that he had come back to his senses.
“Yeah.” Xiao Yun nodded.
“So which one of us is the prettier?” Feng Yu Yao smiled coyly, her eyebrows curving into twin crescents.
“You each have your qualities,” Xiao Yun said, peering at Feng Yu Yao. “It would be impossible to truly compare you two.”
“Don’t you know how to lie to make a girl happy?” Feng Yu Yao pouted unhappily.
“Well…” Xiao Yun was at a loss for words.
“Is she in Nanjiang?” Feng Yu Yao saw the wooden look on Xiao Yun’s face and hid her grin. She loved the helpless look on young men’s faces, and in her eyes, Xiao Yun was much better than those who would try to brown-nose her to curry favor.
“She’s not in Nanjiang.” Xiao Yun shook his head. For some reason, whenever Ling Xi was brought up, his feelings would get heavier, and the pa.s.sion that he usually had seemed to be curbed, or else he would never be so stunned by such questions. It was just a different circ.u.mstance right now.
Or maybe it was just a sign of his maturity.
“She’s not in Nanjiang?” Feng Yu Yao was surprised. She hummed, and then suddenly she raised her eyebrows, and asked, “Is she in the Heavenly Capital Domain?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Yun answered. He was surprised, and even impressed, that this Princess had managed to guess it.
“So she’s from the Heavenly Capital Domain,” Feng Yu Yao mumbled to herself, but she said, “So she’s from the Heavenly Capital Domain, so what? I’ll be going to the Heavenly Capital Domain too, and I can take the chance to see what kind of person she is that she could make you so attached.”
Seeing that Princess Yu Yao was so deadset on this matter, Xiao Yun couldn’t help but smile bitterly. This woman’s thoughts were so enigmatic. Even though at first she was so adamant that he not help her extract her poison, she had turned out like this.
But Xiao Yun wasn’t aware that as Feng Yu Yao was preparing to confess her feelings to him, she had thrown away all her reservedness, so of course she wouldn’t give up so easily. That’s why she’d displayed such a domineering face. If it was anyone else, would Feng Yu Yao act like this?
Naturally not - no matter who it was, it was only when they were faced with their closest, most trusted person that they would slip out of their usual pretenses and lower their guard. Feng Yu Yao was barely eighteen, and she had her own inner personality.
“If there’s nothing else you want of me, I’ll be taking my leave now,” Xiao Yun said as he lowered his gaze to avoid Feng Yu Yao’s.
“What are you in such a hurry for?” Feng Yu Yao voice was soft, and it held hints of resentment. “I don’t bite.”
Xiao Yun stopped in his tracks, unsure how to reply. If this situation continued, it would be hard to resolve.
“You haven’t even told me whether you like me.” Feng Yu Yao’s eyes were very bright, and it was like beams of light were blossoming out of them. Her gaze was filled with determination, and some expectation, but most of all, tenderness.
She knew that after this farewell, there would be no telling when they would meet again, so she needed to be sure of his feelings. It was precisely this thought that led Feng Yu Yao to abandon all her pretenses and to confess her love to Xiao Yun as a woman. With her unrivalled beauty, she had countless admirers in the Moonwind Kingdom, and even more so the entirety of Nanjiang. It was clearly difficult for her to get to this step, and it was just as hard for her to make the decision to do so.
But Feng Yu Yao didn’t care about any of this, because she knew what she wanted.
Since she wanted it so much, what was stopping her from bravely pursuing it?
She was a warrior, and she needed to have boundless energy and be fearless, cutting down everything that barred her from reaching the highest peaks of the mountains.
“Well…” Xiao Yun’s heart skipped a beat, and he said, “If the Princess insists, then how can I refuse?” Xiao Yun felt overwhelmed by the affection he was receiving. He knew clearly how extraordinary Feng Yu Yao was, and if any of the countless eminent young men knew that she had confessed her love to him, they would go crazy. Similarly, he knew how unrealistic and impossible this entire situation was.
After all, there was someone in his heart who he wanted to protect, and, disregarding Ling Xi, even Yan Shi Fei he couldn’t forsake. He’d made a promise to Yan Shi Fei, and besides, he had a deep connection with her as well.
But was it possible to make Feng Yu Yao accept this?
That was why Xiao Yun didn’t want to dwell on the topic too much, so he could avoid trouble in the future. Right now, the most important thing was to cultivate and improve his abilities. When he was stronger, he’d be able to have anything he wanted.
“What do you mean ‘refuse’?” Seeing that Xiao Yun was dodging her question, Feng Yu Yao grit her teeth. “All I’m asking is whether you like me. Why are you so scared? Are you even a man still?” All her grievances could be clearly read on her face.
The Princess had lowered herself to this level; what more did he want? Did he want her to jump him?
“Your Highness is an unparalleled beauty capable of bringing ruin to this kingdom, who wouldn’t like you?” Xiao Yun smiled, fl.u.s.tered.
“What’s this about unparalleled beauty? I’m just asking if you like me or not!” Feng Yu Yao finally released a breath at Xiao Yun’s reply, and she felt less like she’d been wronged. Immediately she followed up with more questions, determined not to let Xiao Yun get away with such a simple answer.
Under the unwavering gaze of Feng Yu Yao, Xiao Yun had to admit defeat. He took a deep breath, then said, “I like you.”
At this, Feng Yu Yao’s demeanor became even more radiant, and even more alluring.
“I’ll make you fall in love with me,” Feng Yu Yao said confidently, with a glowing smile.
“If fate allows it,” Xiao Yun said lightly, pursing his lips together. He didn’t want to get distracted. He wasn’t even close to entering the Heavenly Capital Domain, and he had no clue what lay in his future, so there was no use deciding anything now. It was all in the hands of the G.o.ds. “I’ll be going into closed door training for some time, and as soon as I return I’ll be heading to the Heavenly Capital Domain.”
Feng Yu Yao’s smile gradually dimmed, and she returned to her usual cool elegance, though her eyes betrayed her unwavering determination. The Heavenly Capital Domain was not only Xiao Yun’s goal, but also an unforgettable memory in Feng Yu Yao’s mind.
There, she would not only be able to be reborn as a phoenix, but also find her personal enemy. A personal enemy who, for two years, had made her suffer greatly and hold a grudge.
“Let’s hope we’ll be able to reunite there.”
Xiao Yun couldn’t help but take pity on Feng Yu Yao. He knew what the Princess was thinking, and he knew that the past two years had been harsher on her than the past six years had been to him. Xiao Yun at least had hope of improvement after his cultivating stopped progressing, and he hadn’t been at risk of death. Feng Yu Yao, on the other hand, was all but waiting to die.
The difference between the two was glaringly apparent.
After Xiao Yun confessed his feelings to the Princess, Emperor Feng came to find him. Xiao Yun asked about the Heavenly Capital Domain Emissary, but Emperor Feng merely smiled wordlessly.
“If you enter the Heavenly Capital Domain in the future, it would be best for you not to reveal your Martial Spirit lightly. You’ll avoid a lot of trouble that way.” Emperor Feng was dead serious, and he cautioned, “Even in Nanjiang you had better watch out, because this will impact your future.”
“Martial Spirit?” Xiao Yun gaped, then came to a sudden realization. Emperor Feng knew that he’d been using his Martial Spirit to extract the poison from Feng Yu Yao, but he was still confused, and asked, “I’m not sure why Your Majesty would bring up such a topic; could it be that you know the origins of my Martial Spirit?”
Even Xiao Yun himself was uncertain about his own Martial Spirit, and he certainly didn’t know anything about his origins, but in his heart he knew that once his Martial Spirit developed, it would bring a lot more surprises to him. The only problem now was figuring out just what kind of Martial Spirit it was, and Xiao Yun hadn’t the foggiest clue about the matter.
Generally speaking, Martial Spirits were gained through inheritance.
The only way for a clan’s descendants to have a chance of inheriting a Martial Spirit was if that clan’s ancestor had developed the Martial Spirit. But the Xiao clan had never had such a strange Martial Spirit!
“You’ll have to forgive me for being unable to elaborate further,” Emperor Feng said solemnly. “As long as you remember what I said, you’ll be fine.”
“Is it that serious?” At the sight of Emperor Feng’s face, Xiao Yun got the faint feeling that this was indeed a serious matter, with many implications. Why else would Emperor Feng sound like he had so many inner qualms?
“This Martial Spirit is linked to your past. When you’re strong enough, you’ll naturally learn everything you need to know.” Emperor Feng continued, “Right now, you’re too weak. If you reveal your Martial Spirit too soon, you’ll attract a disaster, as well as endanger those around you.”