The engagement had been settled between the two of them, but Nan Shan still found it difficult to figure out how to explain it to Yan Yue.
She couldn’t just tell him the truth, could she?
Ling Ye, however, didn’t seem to be concerned with this.
After discussing the matter with her, he opened the door and stood by it.
Yan Yue, who had been trying to eavesdrop and had heard nothing, burst into the room, stumbling a few steps before using his spiritual power to stabilize himself.
Ling Ye: “She can’t be your adopted daughter anymore.”
Yan Yue looked at Nan Shan carefully, concern written all over his face.
“Are you okay? Has he bullied you again?”
If not for her being a young lady, he would have examined her himself.
Feeling guilty for changing her mind so quickly, Nan Shan was very obedient, and she responded with a soft voice, “I’m fine, the young master just spoke to me for a while, he didn’t bully me.”
Ling Ye frowned.
“Just call me by my name.”
“Really?”
Yan Yue once again ignored his son.
Nan Shan sincerely nodded.
“Yes, really.”
Yan Yue sighed in relief but quickly recalled what Ling Ye had said when he first entered.
“What do you mean by ‘she can’t be my adopted daughter anymore?’”
Yan Yue suddenly turned to confront his son.
Ling Ye answered calmly:
“Because I’m marrying her.”
Yan Yue raised his voice in disbelief:
“You can’t accept this marriage, but now you can’t even accept a small adopted sister? How could you… wait, what did you just say?”
Ling Ye didn’t repeat his words but let his expression speak for itself.
Yan Yue, who was normally calm and wise, showed rare confusion.
After a long silence, he turned to Nan Shan.
Nan Shan cleared her throat lightly.
“I agreed.”
“……… If you were threatened, just blink your eyes,” Yan Yue said, furrowing his brow.
Nan Shan couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving into crescent moons. Ling Ye looked at her, intrigued.
“I wasn’t threatened, I did it willingly,” Nan Shan explained.
“Impossible,” Yan Yue immediately countered.
“You just said you had no feelings for him, and when I mentioned breaking the engagement, you were happy. How is it that you’re now voluntarily marrying him?”
Though the truth was obvious, hearing it stated so bluntly, especially in front of Ling Ye, made Nan Shan embarrassed.
In contrast, Ling Ye remained much calmer. “You believe her insincere words?”
Yan Yue: “?”
“On the snowfield, she and I already had feelings for each other, but we didn’t have the chance to confess. When you brought up breaking the engagement, she thought I didn’t care for her, so she said she didn’t like me. But now we’ve cleared everything up, and of course, we’re getting married,” Ling Ye said, looking at Nan Shan.
“Right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Nan Shan snapped out of her daze, suddenly in awe of Ling Ye.
The way he carried himself with such aloofness made her realize his skills in lying surpassed hers.
Ling Ye was slightly displeased by her slow reaction, but he figured it was natural for her to be caught off guard by her dream coming true, so he let it slide.
“If you truly want to adopt a daughter, go find someone else,” Ling Ye concluded.
“Do I have a screw loose? Why would I adopt a daughter?”
Yan Yue shot him a look before turning back to Nan Shan.
“Is everything he said true?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
Nan Shan, feeling guilty under Yan Yue’s concerned gaze, finally said, “I’m sorry, Immortal Uncle, but I can’t adopt you as my father anymore.”
Yan Yue stroked his beard.
“If you’ve made up your mind, then fine. But if we can’t be father and daughter, you can still call me ‘father’.”
“Immortal Father!”
Nan Shan obediently called out.
Yan Yue was pleased and asked again, “Are you sure? Do you really want to marry him? Are you sure you don’t want to think about it again, to see if your feelings for him are genuine or just out of a sense of camaraderie after going through hardships together?”
Ling Ye, who didn’t even get a proper name from his father, was visibly displeased.
“?”
“Of course, it’s love,” Nan Shan answered nonchalantly.
Ling Ye shot a glance at Yan Yue but didn’t speak.
His pride was evident.
“Are you sure you’ve thought it through?” Yan Yue ignored his son again.
Nan Shan chuckled.
“Immortal Father, weren’t you the one who most wanted Ling Ye and me to marry? Why, now that it’s about to happen, are you suddenly not so willing?”
“Well, things have changed,” Yan Yue muttered.
“I never thought he’d be so bullying.”
Ling Ye: “Didn’t you just ask for a punishment?”
“What you did to Nan Shan, just asking for a punishment is not enough,” Yan Yue retorted.
Ling Ye pressed his lips together, not saying anything further.
“I won’t hold on to the past, so Immortal Father shouldn’t either.”
Nan Shan quickly intervened to smooth things over.
Yan Yue snorted, about to say something when he suddenly looked up at the sky.
Nan Shan followed his gaze and saw purple and white clouds forming in the previously overcast sky.
It looked like a field of unknown wildflowers, large and beautiful.
“What’s that?”
Nan Shan asked curiously.
Ling Ye: “People from Kunlun have arrived.”
Yan Yue immediately turned to him, his expression serious.
“How do you know? Can your spiritual sense detect them?”
Ling Ye remained calm.
“My spiritual sense is long gone, you know that. But Kunlun always likes to make a show of things, so I guessed.”
Yan Yue thought about it and didn’t press the issue.
Before long, the guards reported, “The ancestor of Kunlun seeks an audience with the King of the Underworld, claiming there is urgent business to discuss.”
“The ancestor of Kunlun?” Yan Yue was surprised.
“Isn’t he in seclusion? Why is he suddenly here?”
Ling Ye: “Maybe something happened in Kunlun.”
Yan Yue nodded and rushed out.
The small courtyard was left with only Nan Shan and Ling Ye.
Nan Shan stood still, distracted, thinking that once Ling Ye left, she could catch up on her sleep.
But as she waited, the people around her made no move. She looked up, just as her gaze met his steady one.
Nan Shan hesitated:
“That…”
She suddenly didn’t know what to say.
“There’s still half an hour before dinner,” Ling Ye said suddenly.
Nan Shan: “You eat so early.” She preferred to have dinner after it was completely dark.
Surprised by her response, Ling Ye paused, then added, “The menu for today includes crystal shrimp, Dragon Well roasted pork, Wensi tofu, and shiitake mushrooms with vegetables. There are still four more dishes to decide on.”
Nan Shan wasn’t sure why he was telling her this, so she thought for a moment and responded, “Eight dishes for one meal? That’s pretty extravagant.”
Then, there was silence again.
Ling Ye could tell that she was trying hard to please him.
Since he had accepted the engagement, he felt she should no longer act coldly toward her like before.
Occasionally, he should show concern for his fiancée, like right now.
“You call your father ‘A’pa,’ won’t your real father be upset?”
Nan Shan froze, realizing that the pointless chatter was just him trying to make a point.
“We have a saying where I come from: children with godparents are noble. The more godparents they have, the healthier they will be. My adoptive father arranged for many godparents for me to ensure I grew up safely, and I call them all ‘A’pa’ and ‘A’ma,'” Nan Shan replied thoughtfully, trying to make him understand that she wasn’t vying for attention. “It’s just a form of address, nothing more. My adoptive father won’t mind.”
Ling Ye responded with an indifferent “Oh.”
‘What does “Oh” mean? If you’re unhappy, just say it!’ Nan Shan thought, feeling speechless.
“If you’re upset, I can change it back,” she said.
“No need,” Ling Ye refused.
Nan Shan nodded.
“True, even if I change it back now, I’ll have to change it again once we marry.”
Unexpectedly, after only a brief moment, she brought up the engagement again.
Ling Ye glanced at her and said calmly, “Don’t worry.”
“Hmm?” Nan Shan looked up.
Ling Ye didn’t elaborate and just left.
So what should she be reassured about?
Nan Shan returned to her room in a daze and lay down, still puzzled about what Ling Ye meant by “don’t worry.”
She thought maybe she should speak to her adoptive father and have him send for a doctor to check Ling Ye’s health—perhaps his mind had been damaged.
Unfortunately, that opportunity never came.
Since her adoptive father went to meet the Kunlun ancestor, he hadn’t come to see her again.
The entire Canglan Palace became more guarded, with additional guards stationed outside her small courtyard.
Though she was alone in the courtyard, she could sense the tension in the air—something significant seemed to be happening.
Nan Shan wanted to know what was going on, but no matter how much she asked the bull-horned servant or the patrolling guards, they all acted mysteriously and refused to tell her anything.
She figured the only way to find out would be if her adoptive father came back.
Nan Shan waited day after day in the small courtyard, but instead of her adoptive father, she saw Zhi Can, who was walking strangely.
“What do you want now?”
She asked, her face wary.
Zhi Can smirked slightly.
“I came to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
Nan Shan was taken aback.
Zhi Can’s expression turned wooden.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you into the water that day. You almost died. I was wrong, really wrong. I won’t bully you again, please forgive me…”
“Did your family force you to come?”
Nan Shan asked cautiously.
Zhi Can was surprised.
“How did you know?”
“Because your unwillingness is so obvious.”
Nan Shan straightened her back after hearing his indirect confession.
“If this is how you’re apologizing, do you think I’ll forgive you? Keep dreaming.”
With that, she turned and walked away, like a proud little goose.
Zhi Can quickly grabbed her arm and pleaded, “Don’t, Nan Shan. I really know I was wrong. Please forgive me. Look at it from another perspective—I actually helped you! If I hadn’t thrown you into the water, how would you have experienced hardship with the Young Master? How would he have agreed to the marriage?”
Nan Shan snorted inwardly, thinking how ridiculous that sounded.
“I’m really here to apologize, and I even brought you a gift!” Zhi Can said, taking out a thumb-sized object from his pocket.
“You’re stuck here all day, bored to death, right? This thing can conceal your soul’s aura and protect you from the cursed fog. With it, you can move freely around the Canglan Palace.”
Nan Shan almost said, “Who cares about your useless thing?” But the next moment, her eyes widened. “Is this made of pure gold?”
“Of course.”
Zhi Can immediately handed it over.
Nan Shan really needed it.
When she first arrived, she tried to escape once but almost got swallowed by a strange white fog.
The next day, she learned that the fog was a collection of resentment, common in the Netherworld.
It would swarm around a living person like hyenas.
Her escape that time had been pure luck, which is why she hadn’t dared to leave the courtyard since then… except for when Zhi Can took her away, of course.
Moreover, it was pure gold.
Nan Shan weighed the object in her hand, confirming it wasn’t light, and smiled.
But when she met Zhi Can’s eyes again, she stiffened.
“What is this called?”
“Devil-Slaying Mace,” Zhi Can suggested.
“You can put a string on it and wear it around your neck.”
Nan Shan’s expression was indifferent.
“Oh.”
“So… will you forgive me now?” Zhi Can asked eagerly.
Nan Shan glanced at him.
“This alone doesn’t make up for the pain you caused me.”
Zhi Can blinked.
“What else do you want?”
“Nothing really,” Nan Shan gave him a quick glance.
“I just want the people who bullied me to go to the Muyi Lake for three days.”
Zhi Can: “…”
“Well, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”
Nan Shan pretended to return the object to him.
Zhi Can hurriedly said, “I’ll do it! I’ll go right now!”
Nan Shan smiled in satisfaction.
Zhi Can sighed in relief, ready to jump into the lake. But Nan Shan quickly stopped him.
“Wait.”
Zhi Can turned around warily.
“What now?”
Nan Shan pointed to the guards patrolling outside.
“What’s going on? Why are there so many people around lately?”
“Oh, the Kunlun Wansheng Cauldron is missing. The Kunlun ancestor said its aura was detected here in Canglan Palace a couple of days ago. Now the Lord of the Underworld is helping to search for it,” Zhi Can didn’t play any games and told her everything.
“Now, not just Canglan Palace, the entire Netherworld is on high alert. The Young Master is busy day and night and hasn’t even had time for a medicinal bath.”
“He’s strong enough, doesn’t need a medicinal bath,” Nan Shan muttered, then asked, concerned about something else, “With the search so strict, can I still go for a walk?”
“You’re not leaving the palace, why can’t you?”
Zhi Can retorted.
Nan Shan thought about it, then decided to go for a walk right after dinner.
It was the first time she openly walked out of the small courtyard.
When she stepped outside, she felt nervous and stood at the door for a while, making sure no strange things were surrounding her before her steps became lighter.
It was late at night, and the lantern flowers were blooming, their petals glowing like fireflies.
Canglan Palace was made up of different courtyards, and in one, it was snowing, while in the next, it was summer.
The only similarity was the low-hanging night sky.
Walking through, one moment, she was surrounded by towering mountains and seas of clouds, and the next, she was in a vast plain and desert.
Before coming to the Netherworld, Nan Shan’s farthest trip had been to the county town, which had two-story taverns and neatly arranged houses.
It was the most magnificent place she had ever seen.
But compared to what she was seeing now, the county town felt as small as a speck of dust.
“It’s so beautiful…”
Nan Shan joyfully wandered through the beautiful scenery, the Devil-Slaying Mace hanging from her neck, swaying with her jumps.
The pure gold object was luxurious and stunning, and every time she looked down at it, she felt double the joy—both from the scenery and the gold.
At this moment, nothing could ruin her good mood… just as Nan Shan had this thought, she rounded a corner and came face to face with Ling Ye, riding a demonic horse.
The demonic horse was large and powerful, with wings spreading four meters wide.
Ling Ye, clad in silver armor, sat atop it, looking like a deity descending from the sky.
Nan Shan always knew Ling Ye was tall and handsome, but seeing him like this made her freeze in place.
Ling Ye saw her too. After locking eyes, he furrowed his brows, dismounted in front of all the guards, and walked straight toward her.
Nan Shan watched him approach, and although she didn’t have any feelings for him, her heartbeat still quickened uncontrollably.
It must be said, everyone loves beauty.
Seeing him so imposing and handsome, Nan Shan’s expression brightened. She was about to greet him when she saw him walk up, reach out, and take the pure gold Devil-Slaying Mace off her neck.
“This isn’t good,” he said, easily removing the mace from the string, pulling out a small gray stone the size of a thumbnail, and replacing it around her neck.
“Wear this.”
With that, he tucked the mace back into his pocket and walked off.
Nan Shan: ..