Zhao Min, standing to the side, had a fleeting look of astonishment in her eyes. The aura Song Qingshu exuded just now reminded her of only one other person—the greatest figure in Mongolian history, Genghis Khan.
Though she had always considered Song Qingshu to be a remarkable individual, she never imagined his ambitions would reach such heights. However, his aspirations would inevitably sh with Mongolian interests, and it was likely that the two of them would one day meet on the battlefield.
The discussion about the arranged marriage only added to Zhao Min’s inner turmoil. Earlier, she had imed that Ren Yingying and Song Qingshu had a private engagement merely to unsettle the Sun Moon Holy Cult and create an opportunity for the three of them to escape. Yet, she hadn’t expected things to develop into their current state.
Ren Woxing knew full well that there was nothing between Song Qingshu and Ren Yingying; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sealed her mute acupoint at the critical moment.
Initially taken aback, Song Qingshu quickly grasped Ren Woxing’s intentions and yed along. One was an old fox, the other a young one, and with just a few words, they finalized the marriage.
Zhao Min cast aplicated nce at Song Qingshu. It was only then she realized that she had been underestimating him all along. She had only seen him as a top-notch martial artist and had overlooked the fact that he was the leader of a faction.
Although there didn’t seem to be any love between him and Ren Yingying, he had agreed to the marriage without hesitation for the sake of strengthening his influence.
Ren Woxing’s eyes lit up but quickly regained their calm. “Hmph, such grand words, but you currently control only a small territory. Your forces are not even on par with my Sun Moon Holy Cult. What right do you have to talk about the world?”
Song Qingshu smiled faintly. “A few months ago, I was merely a solitary wanderer.” Ren Woxing fell silent. He understood the implication—if Song Qingshu could go from nothing to ruling over a vast territory with tens of thousands of elite soldiers in just a few months, who could predict how much he would grow in a few years?
“Fine. I trust you to keep your promises in the future.” Ren Woxing finally made his decision. With those few words, the marriage was settled.
Song Qingshu smiled and bowed respectfully. “This son-inw greets his father-inw.”
Ren Woxingughed heartily and enthusiastically helped him up. “No need for formalities! From now on, we are allies. Who in this world could stand against us?”
Throughout the process, neither the elder nor the younger bothered to ask Ren Yingying, the person in question, for her opinion.
Ren Yingying stood to the side, her face filled with despair as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Ren Woxing noticed and felt a twinge of guilt. He hurriedly released her acupoint. “Yingying, this is a great event! Why are you crying?”
As soon as she was freed, Ren Yingying cried out, “Father, I will never marry that scoundrel! My heart belongs to Brother Chong…”
“Silence!” Ren Woxing’s face darkened, and he bellowed, “Guards!”
“What are your orders, Sect Master?” A personal guard quickly entered the room.
“Spread the ckwood Order. Whether it is someone from within our sect or another faction, anyone who kills Linghu Chong will be richly rewarded,” Ren Woxingmanded coldly.
“What?” The guard couldn’t help but nce at Ren Yingying. Everyone in the sect knew about her rtionship with Linghu Chong.
“Did you not understand my order?” Ren Woxing’s voice carried a chilling edge.
“Yes!” The guard, drenched in cold sweat, was about to leave when Ren Yingying frantically cried out, “Wait!”
She rushed to her father, her expression a mix of panic and anger. “Father, Brother Chong saved you and helped you regain your position. You even promised him the role of Bright Right Envoy. How can you go back on your word and repay kindness with betrayal?”
“Our sect members act on our own terms. If we repaid every favor, how would we differ from those self-proimed righteous hypocrites?” Ren Woxing replied sternly.
Seeing her daughter’s anguish, Ren Woxing softened slightly. “Yingying, this is for your own good. You’re about to be someone else’s wife. If your heart remains with Linghu Chong, how will your future husband view you?”
Ren Yingying red at Song Qingshu. “That scoundrel is not my husband! My husband can only be… only be…”
“Yingying!” Ren Woxing snapped. “Throughout history, parents have arranged their children’s marriages. Song Qingshu is the husband I’ve chosen for you, so he is your husband. If you don’t want Linghu Chong to die, you can ask your husband to spare him. If he agrees, I will naturally not pursue this further.”
Ren Yingying’s face turned pale, and she trembled as she stood rooted to the spot. She knew that pleading with Song Qingshu would be akin to acknowledging him as her husband. Yet, if she didn’t, Linghu Chong would not survive the ckwood Order.
On the other hand, Song Qingshu remainedposed, as ifpletely detached from the drama unfolding before him.
Ren Woxing’s ruthless demeanor sent a chill down Li Mochou’s spine. She thought to herself, <em>‘I once believed myself to be ruthless, butpared to a true tyrant, I am far inferior.’ </em>
Zhao Min, observing from the side, concluded, <em>‘I underestimated Ren Woxing. He is truly a formidable figure.’ </em>
She noted his calcted moves to sever Ren Yingying’s lingering hopes and force her to ept the marriage. Unlike Li Mochou, Zhao Min felt indifferent to his cold-blooded tactics; her own experiences in the political sphere had made her numb to such struggles.
When Ren Yingying remained silent, Ren Woxing turned to the guard. “Why are you still here? Did I not order you to deliver the ck Wood Order?”
“Wait!” Ren Yingying finally broke down, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she turned to Song Qingshu. “I beg you, please spare Brother Chong.”
Song Qingshu didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he asked indifferently, “Who is Brother Chong?”
Ren Yingying’s face turned even paler as she clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. “I beg you to spare Linghu Chong.”
“Ah, so it’s Brother Linghu,” Song Qingshu said with feigned realization. “I’ve always admired his carefree and gant nature.” He then turned to Ren Woxing. “Father-inw, could I ask for a favor to spare Brother Linghu?”
Ren Woxing’s face darkened as he said unhappily, “What did you just call me?”
Song Qingshu was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on. “Dear Father-inw, could you spare Brother Linghu for my sake?”
Hearing this, Ren Woxing’s anger turned to delight. “Since my dear son-inw has spoken, how could I continue to trouble that rascal Linghu Chong?” With a wave of his hand, he ordered the guard, “You may leave. Let the matter of the ckwood Order rest.”
“Yes, sir!” The guard discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly retreated outside.
On the side, Zhao Min and Li Mochou stared in astonishment at the two men, one ying the good cop and the other the bad cop. Inwardly, they couldn’t help but curse their shamelessness.
However, Ren Yingying herself remained unresponsive, standing there in a daze, as if she had lost the most important thing in her life.
Ren Woxing nodded in satisfaction. “It’s alreadyte. My dear son-inw, rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I have many matters to discuss with you.”
Song Qingshu nodded, fully aware of what Ren Woxing intended to discuss.
Ren Yingying’s marriage was secondary; the more pressing matter was the details of the alliance between the Sun Moon Holy Cult and the Golden Serpent Camp.
A hesitant expression flickered across Ren Woxing’s face before he finally spoke. “Since you and Yingying have privately pledged yourselves to each other, you are no longer outsiders. Tonight, you should stay in Yingying’s room. As for these twodies, I’ll arrange for them to stay in a nearby courtyard to recuperate peacefully.”
The Sun Moon Holy Cult was facing internal and external crises, and Ren Woxing needed the strong support of Song Qingshu. While he wasn’t entirely certain if his daughter and Song Qingshu had been intimate, he knew his daughter’s heart was set on Linghu Chong. To prevent any unforeseenplications, he thought it better to make the arrangement irreversible.
Another crucial reason was that Ren Woxing realized he had pushed his daughter too far today. He worried she might do something drastic in despair. Since he couldn’t watch over her constantly, having Song Qingshu by her side would at least ensure someone could care for her.
As for her chastity, the two were bound to be married eventually, so it was of no consequence.
Hearing her father’s decision, Ren Yingying snapped out of her daze. “No! I won’t stay with him!”
Even Zhao Min, who had seen much in her time, was stunned by the bizarre turn of events. Realizing that she had instigated this chain of events, she felt even more irritable and said expressionlessly, “Take your time to sort this out. I’m gravely injured and need to rest.” She turned and walked out, preferring not to see or think about the situation any further.
Li Mochou also found the atmosphere unsettling and didn’t want to stay any longer. “I’ll rest as well,” she said, quickly following Zhao Min out.
Ren Woxing called out to someone outside, “Find a quiet and peaceful ce near the Saintess’s courtyard for the twodies to rest, and treat them with the utmost courtesy.”
“Understood!”
“This way,dies!”
Now, only three people remained in the room.
Faced with his daughter’s heartbroken expression, Ren Woxing felt a twinge of awkwardness and hastily said, “I’ll be off for now. You two should spend some time getting to know each other.”
Before Ren Yingying could protest, he shed out of the room, disappearing in an instant.
<em>‘That cunning old fox!’ </em>Song Qingshu cursed inwardly. Turning his gaze back, he saw Ren Yingying leaning against a pir, staring in the direction Ren Woxing had vanished. Her delicate figure seemed fragile, her brows slightly furrowed with a mix of deep worry and utter confusion.
“Miss Ren, we truly are fated, aren’t we?” Song Qingshu coughed lightly on purpose.
Ren Yingying snapped out of her thoughts, ring at him with disgust. “Who would be fated with a despicable, shameless scoundrel like you?”
“Back then, when you wanted to k!ll me for seeing your b0dy, could you have imagined that one day you’d be my wife? If this isn’t fate, what is?” Song Qingshu said with a faint smile.
Ren Yingying’s face turned deathly pale. After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice firm. “I will never agree to this marriage!”<hr>
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