The sky dimmed, and the colorful lanterns around the Flying Immortal Palace revealed its beauty.
The king stood outside of the palace, watching the river flow.
The place was so quiet that he could hear his wife and son chatting clearly.
"This is so tough!" the youngster threw a tantrum.
"Take it slow. It will be easy when you get the hang of it," the woman's gentle and soft voice rang in his ears. She wasn't even forcing the child to learn.
"Mother Queen, doesn't Elder Brother already know all this? Just let him do it!"
The woman kept quiet for a while before responding, "Yu'er, have you forgotten what I've said? Elder Brother is Elder Brother, and you are you."
"Aren't we both your sons though?"
"Yes, but…" the queen lowered her voice, "He's not your father's son."
Silence took over.
"Great, you have done your work. Go and take a rest now. There's much more to do tomorrow."
"Yes, Mother Queen…."
After a few moments, someone walked in. Seeing that he only had a cloak on, the queen looked at him in displeasure, "It's so cold outside, why don't you wear a bit more?"
The king smiled at his wife, "Should I be afraid of getting a cold?"
Martial artists in the Assimilation Realm feared nothing in the world, let alone a bit of cold weather.
The queen stared at him blankly for a while before bursting into laughter, "Forgetful me, I mistook you for Yu'er for a second."
The king smiled and held her hand.
The couple sat together by the window, silently watching the river flow.
The king then broke the silence, "Qing'er, I'm so thankful for you. You have been working hard, helping me maintain Zhongzhou and even taking care of our family. It must have been tough."
The queen giggled. "Isn't that my duty? Or does the king feel that he has mistreated me?" she asked playfully, sending the king into laughter.
He then put his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you confident about the barbarians?" the king broke the warmth by mentioning this topic.
Upon mentioning that topic, the queen put up a serious face.
"It's not our first time interacting with them. Seeing that they've sent their men here, that's a good sign. As long as nothing goes wrong, everything should be fine."
The king nodded, "This is extremely dangerous. If anything happens, tell me immediately."
"Yes," the queen nodded.
The king sighed, "I wanted to stop you, but I know you would never give up something you spent twenty years working on."
The queen remained silent for a while.
"Thank you for being considerate."
The sky turned darker, and the Flying Immortal Palace started to quieten down. Both of them sat at the window that was near the cliff, enjoying the breeze and scenery.
"What about Xing'er? What are you planning to do?"
The queen looked up at him.
The king was expressionless. "Is his condition worsening?"
The queen bit her lower lip and sighed, "It's that obvious, huh?"
"So that's why you're rushing to get him a wife?" the king shook his head in disapproval. "Qing'er, you should be aware of what he's like. He's paranoid and wary of strangers. Forcing someone on him may not be good for him."
"But I'm afraid he'll fall apart soon if this continues…." worry could be seen in the queen's eyes. "If he had a family, a child… maybe he will become stronger for them – the ones he loves."
"Good idea," the king nodded. "What's his opinion though?"
"Of course," the queen smiled bitterly, "he's not willing."
"Then what are you…?"
"I do not want to force him," the queen replied. "But being how he is right now is unhealthy for him. For at least six months out of the year, he'll lock himself up. I was afraid that he wouldn't even be willing to appear for the Qilin Festival."
The king remained silent.
"It's all my fault. I wasn't around when he was young, leaving him to be bullied. On top of that, Master lost his life because of him. Xing'er lived all these years with burden and guilt. I shouldn't have let him succeed as the Alioth Star-Lord."
"You…" the king started softly, "must hate me too, because I prevented you from spending time with him since I wasn't fond of him."
The queen stayed silent for a while, before shaking her head, "It's no one's fault but my own. Maybe it's just that he wasn't that important to me after all."
She could only blame herself for her decisions, and there was no turning back.
"What about that girl?"
The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense, so the king diverted their attention by laughing it off, "Didn't you say only Ling Wuxia would be good enough?"
"She wasn't! She was just a substitute," the queen giggled. "However, I changed my mind two days ago."
"Oh?"
"Jia Yan, that child…. Being impulsive and likes to make a big fuss over a minor issue, she went to make things difficult for that girl. At the same time, Xing'er left and went over."
"Then?"
The queen put up a warm smile on her face, "He told that girl himself that the marriage may not be a bad choice." She then looked over to her husband, "Xing'er being stubborn is a well-known thing, so that showed that he's happy with this girl."
The king nodded, "The most important condition is fulfilled then."
"Indeed!" the queen smiled happily. "Ling Wuxia probably wouldn't be able to meet this criterion."
"But," the king furrowed his brows. "I heard that the girl is unwilling. Jia Yan went to make a bet with her and she agreed immediately."
Upon mentioning this, the atmosphere became tense again. "Really? We are going to marry, not become enemies with her. We can't possibly force her just because of Xing'er's plight."
The king grabbed her hand tightly, "It's okay. There's still time."
...
At the other end of the imperial palace, the hazy candlelight shone onto Xie Lianzhen's flawless face.
In front of the crowd, a smile was always on his face, but now, he sat in a corner and stared blankly into space. He held a piece of jade in his hand tightly.
The door swung open slowly, and a guy around his age came in; "Young Master."
Xie Lianzhen remained silent as the teenager made his way to him and bowed, "The queen has sent someone over to the barbarians. Looking at the view of her back, it should be Emissary Ding."
Xie Lianzhen looked up at the teenager. He stared at him for a moment before replying, "Wow, such an important matter that she actually had to send Ding Qingqing!"
Xie Lianzhen laughed, his sentence filled with sarcasm.
"Young Master…"
Xie Lianzhen raised his hand up as a gesture for him to stop, "Whatever. Your job is done now, you don't need to keep an eye on them anymore."
"Yes."
After a short pause, Xie Lianzhen asked reluctantly, "The queen?"
"The queen has been in her room the whole day. She met no one other than Emissary Ding and Emissary Xiahou," he reported.
"Did she send anyone to the Nine Jade Palace?"
"No."
Xie Lianzhen remained silent. The candlelight cast a shadow on his face, blocking his expression.
The teenager looked at him silently before starting softly, "Young Master, are you really not going to see the State Master?"
"No," Xie Lianzhen said bluntly.
"But she's unwilling to leave until-"
Xie Lianzhen sneered, "Everyone says I'm the sick one, but I think she's the one who's really sick! Does she think I'm her property? Who does she think she is? Preventing me from talking to others or getting close to strangers. If I tolerate any more, the king of Yijun may come after me!"
The teenager kept quiet.
Xie Lianzhen looked at the piece of jade in his hand and sighed, "Relationships in this world are so complicated…."
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