Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Refusal

Lin Zhao could understand Emperor Lord You Lan’s position.

Back then, when the Lin Family had been forced into surrendering her Phoenix Fortune to the Ji Family, it had been desperation—the ugly kind that came from having no better choice.

In truth, Emperor Lord You Lan had been even more helpless than the Lin Family. No matter how much the Lin Family declined, it was still one of the noble houses. The Ji Family, no matter how strong, was still only ranked among them. The gap between noble house and noble house could be bridged with schemes, alliances, blood.

But a Sacred Land and an Empire? That was a sky above a sky.

How could anyone expect Emperor Lord You Lan to go to war with Yao Chi Sacred Land for a daughter-in-law who had not even crossed the threshold?

“In this matter,” the Emperor Lord said, voice heavy, “the You Lan Empire wronged you. I was the one who broke the promise, so I have no face to resent you. But ever since the engagement ended, Wen Gui has never recovered.”

His throat worked, as if swallowing something bitter.

“That is why I insisted on bringing him to the Imperial Hunting Grounds to choose a consort,” he continued. “I thought he would move on. I never expected…”

Regret tightened his features.

“That child is too stubborn,” he said, “but it became a blessing in disguise. He earned the recognition of a great expert from a superpower. That lord has a way to cure the poison in Wen Gui’s body.”

Lin Zhao’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yet Wen Gui refused to leave,” the Emperor Lord said. “I never understood why—until today, when I saw you walk out of the Crown Prince’s residence with him.”

Lin Zhao’s breath caught.

So Ning Wen Gui had a way to solve his own condition?

“A superpower took a liking to him,” Lin Zhao said slowly. “Is that why you wanted to change the heir?”

Emperor Lord You Lan nodded.

“Compared to that power, the world of You Lan is still too small for Wen Gui,” he said. “Unfortunately, he has no drive. When I realized the reason he has no drive is you… even though the fault lies with me in every way, as a father I still can’t help feeling guilty.”

Disaster falling from the sky, Lin Zhao thought, half amused and half exhausted.

In her Sea of Consciousness, Granny chuckled. “Girl, your romantic luck is truly something.”

Lin Zhao grimaced inwardly. “At a time like this, you’re still joking?”

“I’m stating a fact.”

Lin Zhao rubbed her nose, then looked back up. “Uncle Ning, my heart is set on the Dao now. I have no interest in romance. I’ll make it clear to him.”

The maiden’s eyes were bright and steady. Her blue dress fell in soft folds, and her calm composure made her look like frostlight—untouchable, clean, and sharp.

And yet there was a lively warmth under it, a stubborn spark that did not dim no matter what the world threw at her. The contradiction did not clash. It made her unforgettable.

Emperor Lord You Lan watched her, expression complicated.

He had always harbored resentment toward her. Now, he understood why the Holy Son of Yao Chi Sacred Land had been so obsessively fixated on her, and why his own younger son had clung to her for years.

Even with her Phoenix Fortune stolen in childhood, even with humiliation at her wedding and hardship on her cultivation path, her gaze remained clear and unwavering.

Could Ji Wan Tang—praised by the world, favored at every turn—truly surpass her?

Emperor Lord You Lan let out a long sigh. “You’re very good. If my son is fated with you in the future—”

Lin Zhao laughed, cutting him off without the usual politeness. “Your Highness will find his own beauty.”

The Emperor Lord’s smile turned bitter. Regret flashed through him—regret for the old engagement, regret for the pressure test, regret for being an Emperor Lord before being a father.

Lin Zhao cupped her hands. “I’ve troubled you these past days.”

She stepped out of the private room and found Ning Wen Gui waiting at the door, anxiety carved into the stillness of his posture. Remembering what Emperor Lord You Lan had said, Lin Zhao’s chest tightened. She did not know how to soften this without leaving hope behind.

So she chose honesty.

“Your Highness,” she said, “please return and make preparations. The senior I invited will come tomorrow morning to treat you.”

Ning Wen Gui’s eyes lifted, focused on her like someone clinging to a thin thread.

“And the Emperor Lord told me about these past years,” Lin Zhao continued. “I am devoted to the Dao now. I can’t accept your feelings. Please take them back.”

The color drained from Ning Wen Gui’s face.

His glasslike Purple Pupils lost focus, the edges of his eyes reddening. He held himself together for a few breaths too long, until his restraint snapped and he began coughing—violent, ugly coughs that shook his whole body.

Lin Zhao’s fingers twitched, wanting to reach out. She forced them still.

Comfort would be cruelty now.

She cupped her hands, called for Steward Wang, and watched them wheel him away.

Ning Wen Gui lowered his eyes. A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips, dark against the pale line of his jaw. His body sagged in the wheelchair like a puppet with its strings cut.

In his last clear moment of memory, he was not a Crown Prince or a cultivator. He was a boy who hadn’t even started cultivation yet, laughing too loudly, running too carelessly—and falling through ice into freezing water.

Cold had swallowed him whole.

Only a little girl had found him.

She had ignored the danger, grabbed his hand, and poured the tiny bit of spiritual energy in her body into his.

“Zhao Zhao is a cultivator,” she had said, teeth chattering. “Zhao Zhao isn’t afraid of the cold. Zhao Zhao can protect you.”

The memory blurred. The world faded.

When Ning Wen Gui regained a sliver of awareness, the Python Poison had flared again. Cold ripped through him like knives, dragging him back into that frozen pool, back into the fear that had never left his bones.

He had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator for that girl.

And still, he could not overcome the cold in his heart.

The door burst open.

“Your Highness!” Steward Wang stumbled in, voice hoarse with relief. “The expert Miss Lin invited is here!”

He froze when he saw Ning Wen Gui’s condition. His eyes reddened instantly.

“For Miss Lin’s sake, you have to hold on,” he pleaded. “You can’t give up on yourself!”

Behind him, Lin Zhao stepped in wearing a black cloak. A Human Skin Mask hid her face, reshaping her into Granny’s human form.

Hearing Steward Wang’s words, Lin Zhao’s mouth twitched under the mask.

Ning Wen Gui lifted his eyes.

For the briefest instant, Lin Zhao thought she saw a flash of deeper purple in his gaze—like something cutting through the disguise.

Then the faint sense of distance around him vanished completely.

He swallowed, forced his mouth into something like a smile, and said, “Sorry to trouble you, Senior.”

Lin Zhao’s heart thudded.

In her Sea of Consciousness, she whispered, “Granny… he can’t recognize me, right?”

“Ordinary cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage can’t see through my disguise,” Granny replied with confidence.

Lin Zhao let out a silent breath of relief.

Granny did not add that the Purple Pupils Glazed Body was no ordinary physique. Once awakened, Purple Pupils pierced all obstacles, and the Glazed Body cleaved radiance.

Unless a Spirit Transformation great expert set up a Barrier Domain, all Glamour Arts were useless against Ning Wen Gui.

“Now return your soul to the Sea of Consciousness,” Granny said. “I’ll take control of the body.”

Lin Zhao yielded without hesitation.

At once, an old woman’s hoarse voice came from her mouth. “This old one needs quiet. No one around. A hot spring would be best for washing out the poison.”

Steward Wang nodded rapidly. “There happens to be one in this residence.”

Soon, “Granny” and Ning Wen Gui were taken to the Hot Spring Detached Palace in the back mountains of the Crown Prince’s residence.

Steam curled over dark water, warm and thick in the air.

“Take off your clothes and get in,” Granny ordered.

Ning Wen Gui froze.

Red climbed from his ears down his neck until even his jade-white face flushed.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Lin Zhao went rigid. Even without controlling her body, she could see and hear everything.

“Granny,” Lin Zhao hissed internally, “are you serious?”

“How else do you think you purge Nether Python poison without aftereffects?” Granny snorted. “Feed him pills until the end of time?”

Ning Wen Gui hesitated only a heartbeat longer. Then, with a kind of quiet surrender, he began to undress.

“All right,” Granny said, as if satisfied. “I’ll return control to you. Do exactly what I say. It’s not like you’ll be naked with him. You’ll only look twice.”

Lin Zhao’s scalp felt hot.

“And if it weren’t for your temperament,” Granny added, voice full of regret, “dual cultivation would be faster and more effective. His physique… tsk. If you truly did Dual Cultivation, you’d strike it rich.”

Lin Zhao nearly choked. “Then let’s stick with this method!”