“Meng!“
A shout interrupted the oath, but this voice was too familiar, and Meng immediately turned her head and shouted loudly, “Sword Spirit?”
What she saw, however, wasn’t a sword at all, but a man who was almost transparent. The sight shocked everyone there—he looked exactly like Prince Edward, and also exactly like Lin Jian Yin.
Meng was confused as well. Who is this? Is he my Sword Spirit? Or, or is he Lin Jian Yin?
“Meng, don’t marry someone else.” Lin Jian Yin rushed over worriedly.
“You evil demon, you actually dare to interrupt this wedding!”
The priest dressed in black cried out. Suddenly, Lin Jian Yin found himself unable to move at all. He couldn’t even open his mouth. He tried hard to make “uh, oh” sounds for a long time, but couldn’t make any noise. After a gush of air suddenly cleared his throat, Lin Jian Yin found his voice again. Inside his mind, he made a guess and said, Thank you, G.o.d Charity…
Lin Jian Yin immediately shouted, “Meng, hurry up and come to my side.”
“Who, who are you?” Meng was startled. She wasn’t able to determine who the person in front of her was, yet.
“It’s me, Sword Spirit!” Although Lin Jian Yin found his voice again, his body still couldn’t move. At the same time, he noticed that the antique store’s other owner was actually the one standing behind the podium as the witness. Lin Jian Yin felt so anxious that his face flushed red.
Meng was still doubtful. “Why does your appearance look exactly like Prince Edward’s?”
“What are you saying about me looking like him!” Lin Jian Yin said, fl.u.s.tered and exasperated, “He’s the one who looks like me. I’m Lin Jian Yin, and you’re my manager, Ye Meng Ling!”
Meng blanked out for a moment, saying with trembling lips, “Lin Jian Yin? You’re really Lin Jian Yin?”
“I’m Lin Jian Yin, but also your Sword Spirit.” Lin Jian Yin kept his tone as gentle as possible. He didn’t want to frighten Meng, and he hadn’t wanted to announce the truth at this occasion, but if he didn’t say it now, he was afraid that Meng wouldn’t come with him.
Meng covered her face and didn’t say anything for a long, long time. Yet, you could tell that she was very emotional from the way her chest was heaving.
When he saw no response from Meng, Lin Jian Yin started to feel more anxious. “Meng, listen to me. You can’t marry Edward. If you marry him, you won’t ever be able to leave this game. You have to choose me to be able to leave this place.”
Meng still didn’t say anything.
“Leave? Why would she want to leave this place?” Devil Chaos lazily said, “Just by staying here, she will have a perfect husband. As the princess of the kingdom, no one will make fun of her, and she won’t have to endure a very successful singer’s nonsense, or a sword’s malicious words.”
Devil Chaos’s words made Meng’s body start to tremble.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense anymore!” Lin Jian Yin bellowed, “Meng, Meng, you don’t want to stay in this game forever, right?”
Meng slowly lowered her hands. Her eyes were full of grief and indignation. “What do you want? You already knew that I was Ye Meng Ling but didn’t tell me, and you even played the role of Sword Spirit all this time. Did you think it was amusing lying to me like this?”
Hearing Meng’s criticism, Lin Jian Yin grew frenetic and didn’t know what would be for the best. “No, no, it’s not like that. I only wanted to help you change.”
“I waited beside the furnace for a very long time and thought you died for real.” Meng’s tears were swirling in her eyes, but she tried hard to hold them back, stubbornly not letting them roll down.
Seeing Meng putting up a front, keeping her tears back, Lin Jian Yin’s heart hurt. He barely squeezed out, “It hasn’t actually been that long outside…”
“Do you still remember, how I told you before the ball that I didn’t want to go anymore?”
Meng looked straight at Lin Jian Yin. “At that time, I was very serious about it. I really didn’t want to attend the ball anymore. I was very happy spending the days together with Sword Spirit. If it were possible, I would’ve wanted to always and always be together with Sword Spirit, even if he didn’t have a body and didn’t have a face. The only thing he had, was a mouth, which was also so malicious… yet sincere.”
Lin Jian Yin almost wasn’t able to say anything. When he interrupted Meng back then, what had he told her?
“You told me not to be stupid anymore and to quickly go and catch the prince.” The corner of Meng’s eye glistened, but she immediately swiped it away.
“I…” Never before did Lin Jian Yin want to curse his own mouth as much as now.
“I’ve caught him now. You’re supposed to be happy for me. Why have you come to stop me?” Meng smiled, like she was trying to persuade everyone else and also herself. She said, “Edward is the most perfect man I have ever met. He’s gentle, considerate, has the elegance of a gentleman, and also knows how to value others. With this kind of man, what’s there to be picky about?”
Meng turned around and said to Devil Chaos, “Will you ask me again, please?”
Devil Chaos glanced at the frenetic-looking Lin Jian Yin and said, satisfied, “Of course, no problem. Meng, do you take Edward to be your wedded husband, in sickness and in health, and pledge yourself only to him until death do you part?”
Meng took a deep breath. “I do—”
“But I love you!” Lin Jian Yin yelled, nearly hysterical, “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou… I’m asking you, I’m begging you, don’t get married to someone else. Don’t be anywhere I can’t reach you. Don’t give up on me!”
Meng’s back stiffened.