"You should go. I want to be alone for a while."
Watching Leng Yulai push open the door and walk in, Leng Yaozhu slumped onto the sofa.
At this moment, she didn't want to see anyone or say anything.
She had considered the possibility that Xia Yi might have other women, and since even Gu Yue didn't care, she couldn't be bothered either.
But why did it have to be the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult?
To her, that woman was someone she wished she could slice into a thousand pieces.
She truly couldn't accept it.
"Big sis, I know you're angry. But have you ever thought about it—Xia Yi is different from us." Leng Yulai sat down on the sofa across from her, crossing her long legs as she spoke. "Xia Yi told you himself—he's a transformed soul beast. If we try to bind him with our human sense of good and evil, it's impossible. To us, the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult committed heinous crimes—colluding with human evil soul masters, slaughtering people—but to soul beasts, she's a hero fighting against humans."
"I already know all of this," Leng Yaozhu sighed, looking at Leng Yulai. "You stayed in the Holy Spirit Cult for so long—how much do you know about this so-called cult leader?"
With a wave of her slender fingers, Leng Yulai used her soul power to draw an image in the air—an image of the Demon Empress.
"This is the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult. You've probably heard her other name—Lan Hai-jun. She's the one who dug up the royal tombs of the Star Luo Empire."
"Lan Hai-jun!" Leng Yaozhu let out a bitter laugh. "So that means, starting from the attack on the Sun-Moon Federation's exchange delegation by sea soul beasts, everything has had Xia Yi and the cult leader secretly pulling the strings?"
"No. At that time, Xia Yi probably wasn't that close to her yet," Leng Yulai shook her head. "Sis, I know what you're worried about. But rest assured—Xia Yi isn't what you think he is. Yes, he's a transformed soul beast—but he's also human."
"Xia Yi is a human? What do you mean?" Leng Yaozhu asked in confusion.
"Big sis, have you forgotten everything you learned from cultivating the Huangdi Neijing? That manual is tailored specifically for humans. If Xia Yi can cultivate it, then he must be human," Leng Yulai explained. "Of course, that alone isn't enough to prove he's a good person. But I trust him not just because he can cultivate that manual—when we were in Mingdu, I saw how angry and heartbroken he was over the death of millions of innocent civilians in the Cangshan District. Big sis, anyone who can grieve for the lives of ordinary people can't be inherently bad."
"When did our standards for picking men drop to 'not inherently bad'?" Leng Yaozhu rubbed her temples and gave a bitter smile.
"Come on, sis, don't be unfair. Xia Yi is excellent in every way. The only thing that makes you hesitate is his position and background," Leng Yulai rolled her eyes.
"You're just trying to brainwash me," Leng Yaozhu shot her a glare.
"Well, if you weren't willing, who could brainwash you?" Leng Yulai smiled and added, "Big sis, you should trust Xia Yi. He'll never do anything to put you in a difficult position. He won't force you, just like you won't force him to give up his soul beast identity. You two are the same kind of people—you always consider each other's perspective before making a decision."
"Alright, alright, I give up. I can't win an argument with you. You always gang up on me for some outsider." Leng Yaozhu snorted.
"I'm doing this for your future happiness with your future husband!" Leng Yulai giggled mischievously.
...
While Leng Yulai was "brainwashing" Leng Yaozhu, a soldier suddenly walked in and saluted Xia Yi. "Captain, a soldier outside is asking to see you."
"Let him in," Xia Yi said casually.
Soon, under the soldier's lead, a tall, cold-eyed man in the Blood God Legion's uniform was brought in.
"Man, I'm jealous. You join the army and get to live in a luxury villa with your own training chamber?" said the newcomer—Wu Jin—as he looked around. Even with his icy personality, he couldn't help but joke.
"What can I say? Got a powerful wife," Xia Yi chuckled.
"Looks more like your backyard's on fire," Wu Jin smirked.
"You know telling the truth will get you struck by lightning, right?" Xia Yi scowled.
Wu Jin stopped joking and slowly extended his right hand, revealing a large flower with ten petals—five fiery red, five icy blue. The petals intertwined, forming a pair of phoenixes—one of fire, one of ice—embracing each other.
"This is the Ice Phoenix Flower. Incredible. A ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasure that can take human form. Can she?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
As soon as he spoke, a surge of powerful soul energy radiated from the flower. With the rise of ice and fire elements, a young woman in an ice-blue dress appeared before him.
She looked seventeen or eighteen, with stunning beauty. Her long hair and eyes were each split—half fiery red, half icy blue—radiating a strange, captivating aura.
"Feng'er greets the Lion Emperor. Greets my Lord." The girl bowed respectfully to Wu Jin and Xia Yi.
She seemed obedient, but Xia Yi sharply noticed a flicker of discontent in her eyes when she addressed him.
"Feng'er, this is the Xia Yi I told you about. From now on, you'll follow him. He is your Lord. You are not to show him any disrespect. Understood?" Wu Jin said sternly.
"Yes, Lion Emperor," Feng'er replied reluctantly.
Her eyes, when turned to Xia Yi, were full of blame.
This is so unfair, Xia Yi thought. Why's she mad at me? It was your Lion Emperor who gave you to me!
"Alright, I'm leaving." After handing over Feng'er, Wu Jin got up and left without hesitation.
Feng'er looked sad but didn't follow. Instead, she bowed again to Xia Yi. "My Lord."
"If you call me Lord, does that mean you'll do whatever I say?" Xia Yi asked with a sly smile as he examined her.
Something about Xia Yi's smile made Feng'er uneasy, but she still nodded and said through clenched teeth, "Feng'er's life belongs to the Lion Emperor. Since he ordered me to follow my Lord, Feng'er will obey—if my Lord ever needs me to sacrifice myself, I will do so without hesitation."
"No, no need for that!" Xia Yi waved his hands quickly. Why do you people always jump straight to life and death?
Seeing that he didn't want her to sacrifice herself and catching the mischievous glint in his eye, Feng'er instinctively hugged her chest. "What is it my Lord wants Feng'er to do? No matter what it is, even if it's through fire and blade, I will not refuse."
"Come on, I'm not a demon lord! Why would I send you through fire and blades?" Xia Yi rolled his eyes and gave her a knowing smirk. "What I want is very simple. By the way, you're from the Endless Mountain Range, right?"
"Yes," Feng'er answered respectfully.
"Well then, don't you think you should carry on the legacy of the Endless Mountains?" Xia Yi said meaningfully.
"Please enlighten me, my Lord," Feng'er said hesitantly.
"Ugh, your head... Fine, lean in, I'll tell you directly." Xia Yi moved close and whispered into her ear.
The moment he started speaking, Feng'er's cheeks flushed crimson, her fair skin turning bright red in an instant.
"No way! Absolutely not!" she exclaimed, shaking her head furiously. She was willing to die if necessary—but this? This was way too embarrassing!
"If you recognize me as your Lord, then do what I say. If you don't, then leave. Don't forget—it was your Lion Emperor who gave you to me," Xia Yi said with an indifferent shrug.
"Can I have some time to think? It's really too embarrassing," Feng'er bit her lip.
"No. Decide now. If you can't do it, leave," Xia Yi replied firmly.
This kind of thing had to be handled quickly. The more time you gave someone, the more likely they'd hesitate.
"Whether or not you do it is up to you," Xia Yi said, then turned and walked out.
"HAHAHAHA…" As soon as he left the room, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Inside the room, hearing Xia Yi's smug laughter, Feng'er's face burned even hotter.
"My Lord is right. It was the Lion Emperor who gave me to him. I should listen to my Lord…" she whispered, cheeks still flushed as she got up and chased after the direction Wu Jin had left.
(End of Chapter)