Beauty Like Jade

A beauty like jade stirs the imagination. It must be said that the pursuit of beauty is human nature. Beauty is indeed a form of capital, and Hai Yunxue's peerless grace gave her considerable influence among the young noblewomen of her circle. Wherever she passed, she drew every eye. In the small world of aristocratic maidens, she was unquestionably a powerful figure, someone around whom many of her peers gathered.

Hai Yunxue moved with a lightness, approaching with graceful, languid steps. A gentle smile revealed teeth like white jade, and her voice was very pleasant. "Brother Zhuge, don't be late for your visit to my home as well." Then she turned to Xiao Chen, smiling faintly. "Brother Xiao, we've never had a proper conversation. Would you be willing to visit the Hai estate today?"

Apart from one brief encounter at the hot spring paradise, they had never interacted. Yet Hai Yunxue seemed to have already forgotten that incident—there was not a trace of awkwardness in her manner; she appeared completely calm and composed.

Xiao Chen had intended to decline, but he thought that even if he refused the Hai family, other clans would come to court him. Besides, the Hai and Zhuge families had invited him several times in a row; to refuse again would be unreasonable.

"All right, I've been wanting to pay a visit for some time, but I felt it might be too presumptuous."

"Thank you, Brother Xiao." Seeing that he had agreed readily, Hai Yunxue smiled warmly and earnestly. "I know you might feel a little displeased. Several major families inviting you on the same day does seem rather mercenary. You surely understand the reason behind it, but I want to say—this is simply how life is. The world is very realistic. There is no love or hate, no closeness or pulling away without cause. Strip away the bright exterior of many things, and they are revealed as pale and helpless. Now that you possess this kind of attention-grabbing strength, the great families will naturally respond with corresponding 'warmth.'"

At this point, Hai Yunxue—a woman of extraordinary beauty, incomparably lovely—laughed self-deprecatingly. "Are you also despising me in your heart? Don't answer, because you would surely say something insincere. Regardless, I am just carrying out my family's orders; there is some helplessness in that as well. But reality is simply like this. Heh... to speak honestly, when my family sent me here, I wasn't really opposed to it. I feel no repulsion toward being with you—that is the truth."

Hai Yunxue's bright eyes were full of charm; her beauty was unparalleled. She was known as one of the Twin Pearls of the Southern Wastes, a woman whose grace could topple cities. The fact that she had so openly stated her intentions, directly pulling aside the veil that the great families all wished to keep drawn, made Xiao Chen look at her with new respect. Some things, once spoken plainly, actually made one feel more at ease.

As for Hai Yuntian, who had been standing nearby for a while, he excused himself with some embarrassment. This time he did not try to stop Xiao Chen from spending time with Hai Yunxue as he had in the past.

"I've said a lot of helpless things, probably rather dampened the mood. Would Brother Xiao be willing to take a stroll with me on Wangdi Mountain?" Hai Yunxue smiled lightly, seeming a little embarrassed. It was not an act; it felt very genuine.

Wangdi Mountain was a low hill within Heavenly Emperor City. Legend had it that after the city appeared in the Southern Wastes, this mountain had flown in from beyond the heavens and landed within the city. There were many versions of the tale, but the most widely spread was this: a woman, longing for the Heavenly Emperor, had transformed herself into a divine mountain, forever settling within the imperial city.

The mountain was no more than three hundred meters high and did not cover a large area. Ancient trees towered on its slopes—all precious varieties—and rare flowers and exotic grasses of extremely uncommon species lined the path. A cobblestone trail wound up Wangdi Mountain, from which one could gaze upon the entire city.

It was the most famous scenic spot in Heavenly Emperor City.

Night fell. Hai Yunxue and Xiao Chen stood at the summit, looking down at the blaze of lights below. They had stood there since afternoon, neither speaking a word.

With a silent sigh, Hai Yunxue's voice carried a hint of bitterness. "Everyone has their troubles. As the daughter of the master of the Primordial Beast-Fighting Palace, I may seem infinitely glorious on the surface, but only I know the true flavor of that life. I cannot even decide my own marriage; I have to wait for my family to arrange it."

She gave a desolate laugh. "Isn't it pitiful? That is my fate."

Xiao Chen gazed out at the boundless Southern Wastes beyond the city wall. He nodded, then shook his head. "It depends on how you look at it. When the lowest of the low cannot even solve the problem of food and clothing, the worries of a noble lady are already a happiness they can only dream of."

"Heh..." Hai Yunxue laughed. "Am I really being too greedy? But what I want is truly not this. Wealth and poverty don't matter. I only wish to walk my own path, without anyone else forcing me to change direction."

"Has my appearance increased the pressure on you?" Xiao Chen smiled. "It's all right. Do you need me to help? They don't have to go about it this way."

Hai Yunxue smiled lightly. "Forgive me for being so forward. Just now I was only speaking from feeling. There are no outsiders here; I want to let myself go and say something bold, without worrying about anything."

Xiao Chen leaned against an ancient ginkgo tree, chewing on a blade of grass. "Go ahead."

"I know my family wants me to win you over. They wish for you to pledge your allegiance to the Hai family. This so-called Pearl of the Southern Wastes, who has been 'carefully nurtured,' has reached the time to be sold off. They intend to bind you through marriage. Every maiden dreams of a heroic prince, hopes to meet someone truly worthy of entrusting her life to. When I learned of their intentions, I was filled with revulsion and anger. I even considered running away from home. But on second thought, I let it go. Every great family does this. Besides, your appearance does not put pressure on me—quite the opposite; it brings some relief and ease."

"Relief and ease?"

"Yes. At the very least, you are not a scoundrel and rogue like Hoffman, nor are you as sleazy as those young men of the Zhuge family."

Xiao Chen laughed despite himself. "So that's my advantage. It seems I'm only a little better than Hoffman and Zhuge Kun."

Hai Yunxue laughed lightly as well, relaxing. "That's just a comparison. It doesn't mean you're in the same league as them. In my eyes, your potential is enormous and your prospects seem very bright. If my family arranges for me to marry someone who might one day shake the world, what more could I ask for? Such a marriage may have no love at first, but I know you are not a heartless man. I can see that from the way you treat the little white beast and the Little Defiant Dragon. I am not afraid of being cold-shouldered in the future. What I resent is my family's heavy-handed arrangement. But once I untie that knot in my heart, there is nothing left to reject. Otherwise, my fate might turn out like my aunt's—forced to marry a dissolute son of a wealthy house and die of melancholy."

Xiao Chen could feel the conflicting emotions in Hai Yunxue's heart. She had probably asked him here to unburden herself by speaking all this out, to set down the weight in her heart, and also to smooth over the trace of displeasure he might feel.

Hai Yunxue's words did seem sincere. Xiao Chen sensed what appeared to be genuine emotion. If it were not, then Hai Yunxue was terrifying indeed—to act to such a degree would require a depth of cunning far beyond the ordinary.

Xiao Chen did not respond to the matter of marriage; he only smiled and said he would help her. In truth, that was how it was. Right now he was being ardently courted, but three days later, when everyone's illusions shattered, everything would naturally come to nothing.

But... things would not turn out as he expected. In this world, there were always many surprises.

That evening, Xiao Chen went to the Hai family estate. This greatly displeased several major powers, but there was nothing they could do. Who could match the Hai family, who had a young scion like Hai Yuntian to build a rapport with Xiao Chen first? Moreover, what woman in the Southern Wastes could compare with Hai Yunxue?

The Zhuge family was naturally very dissatisfied. Their family's Zhuge Liang also had a decent relationship with Xiao Chen, but in their view, the only reason the Hai family had gained the advantage was that they lacked a woman as stunningly beautiful as Hai Yunxue.

The Undying Sect also felt a growing sense of crisis. Although Xiao Chen was relatively close to them and had some friendship with the Undying Sect Leader, the Hai family's aggressive move—clearly determined to succeed—made them uneasy. Hai Yunxue was the most beautiful woman in the Southern Wastes, and Xiao Chen was at the passionate age of youth; he would surely be easily tempted. But although the Undying Sect had a Yan Qingcheng who could rival Hai Yunxue, she and Xiao Chen had been through too much. Her emotional knot would not be easily untied.

Over the next three days, Long Teng did not disappear. On the contrary, he appeared in Heavenly Emperor City every day and visited Xiao Chen's home many times. On several occasions, he was seen warmly dragging Xiao Chen out for drinks, treating him like a favored nephew. This sent a very strong signal, further convincing the great families that Xiao Chen was deeply connected to the inner Southern Wastes.

During these three days, so many people stepped over Xiao Chen's threshold that it was practically worn away. He could only sigh with emotion.

Leaving Heavenly Emperor City was out of the question. Long Teng had clearly told him that if he went outside, he would surely die. If not for Long Teng sitting here in the city, the master outside would have already entered.

For three days, undercurrents seethed. The Undying Sect's Liu Qingfeng invited Xiao Chen over and told him plainly that he had agreed to the marriage proposal Xiao Chen had made earlier—the wedding would take place in one month, uniting him with Yan Qingcheng.

Xiao Chen was caught completely off guard. He tried to explain seriously, but only annoyed Liu Qingfeng, who left in a huff. The news that he would marry Yan Qingcheng in one month spread like wildfire through Heavenly Emperor City.

The Hai family reacted quickly. They actively mobilized their family's influence to make people believe that Xiao Chen had long had a prior betrothal with the Hai family and would marry Hai Yunxue in half a month.

Faced with all this, Xiao Chen wanted to laugh but could not. He felt a chill in his heart.