Chapter 256: Marriage-! No, It's Business Engagement!
(AN: Second upload because I forgot to schedule the Thursday's upload)
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--- Chapter 253 ---
Heavenly Demon Cult, Inner Garden.
Yu Long sat on the luxurious jade sofa and frowned slightly because of a black-dressed girl before him.
The girl is none other than Little Demon Empress.
Also known as Huan Caiyi, the only remaining member of the Illusory Demon Royal Family.
Yu Long must admit that Huan Caiyi's backstory is sad.
But that doesn't mean this girl could demand a marriage from him!They stared at each other silently.
Beside them, Yun Canghai appeared out of nowhere and served tea to Huan Caiyi. He looks excited for some reason.
Well, it was understandable.
Yun Canghai was one of the Illusory Demon Royal Family's vassals.
The Yun Family and Yun Canghai have served the Huan Family for years and generations, so seeing Huan Caiyi like this makes Yun Canghai recall his good old days with the late Demon Emperor.
However, Yun Canghai also felt conflicted. He didn't know what to think about the unexpected marriage declaration made by the Little Demon Empress within the Demon Star Secret Realm.
It was just too sudden.
Still, the most annoyed person is probably Chu Yueli. She was ready to throw her hand and put the Little Demon Empress in her place because how dare a random woman as her handsome master for marriage.
Even then, Chu Yueli calmed down. She's standing behind Yu Long and glaring at the Little Demon Empress with obvious displeasure on her beautiful face.
"Your Majesty." Yun Canghai placed the teacup down for Little Demon Empress.
Huan Caiyi stared at Yun Canghai and said, "Thank you, Canghai."
"After this, you must have something to be given to me, right?"
Yun Canghai was stunned before nodding his head solemnly, "Yes."
"Thank you for everything." Huan Caiyi's expression mellowed a little, though she wasn't smiling.
She grabbed the teacup and sipped the tea calmly. After that, she looked up at Yu Long and said, "As I declared before..."
"You must marry me."
"You've seen me bare, and that's enough offense to be responsible for."
Yu Long leaned on his sofa casually, "I don't owe you anything."
"You're the one who consumed Evergreen Tree's Dew and caused your clothes to burn entirely. It wasn't my mistake that my eyes accidentally saw some skins."
"So, you're admitting that you saw my body." Huan Caiyi smiled faintly at Yu Long.
Yu Long smirked, "That's where you are wrong."
"You're the one who told me not to move from my position. If I moved a muscle, you'd kill me, no?"
Huan Caiyi rolled her eyes, "That's because you're concealing your strength, acting like a miserable alchemist."
"In these days and ages, who doesn't have a secret identity?" Yu Long argued with her.
"Aren't men supposed to be gentlemen?" Huan Caiyi struck the cord decisively.
Yu Long scoffed, "I'm a gentleman to my women, which you aren't."
None of them wanted to retreat.
Yun Canghai broke a cold sweat because the Little Demon Empress was testing Yu Long's limit. She should have seen how powerful the golden-eyed young man is, but she still is stubborn.
Even Chu Yueli was a little speechless.
Huan Caiyi sighed, "You're not giving up, huh?"
"Why should I?" Yu Long straightforwardly gazed at Huan Caiyi's eyes.
"It seems I really have no other choice..." Huan Caiyi stood up, making Chu Yueli frown.
'What is this crazy girl trying to do?' Chu Yueli thought weirdly.
Huan Caiyi stretched her hand to Yun Canghai, and the latter immediately understood the assignment.
Yun Canghai reached for his sleeve and showed a small jade seal with a three-legged fiery bird carved at the top. The seal glowed with a fiery red aura.
He handed the seal to Huan Caiyi, the rightful owner of the seal.
Chu Yueli narrowed her eyes a little because she felt an intense bloodline reaction from the jade seal. Her bloodline is that of Altered Fire Phoenix's bloodline, which makes her sure the seal is related to mythical beasts similar to phoenixes.
Yu Long, who has read Against the God, recognizes this seal.
It is the infamous Demon Emperor's Seal, which Yun Canghai well-hid in the original story until his unfortunate death.
Huan Caiyi stared at the fiery Demon Emperor's Seal with an emotional look because this was supposed to be her inheritance upon taking the throne.
But it disappeared alongside Yun Canghai for hundreds of years.
Demon Emperor and Little Demon Emperor shouldn't have left this world that early, but fate really works differently than one's belief.
Huan Caiyi felt a connection between her bloodline and the seal.
She stared at Yu Long and said, "I know you're coming here intending to take over the Illusory Demon Realm."
"As the ruler of this continent, I won't give up my homeland."
"But we can make it easier through marriage. Even if it's just for the sake of formality."
"Unless you're choosing the difficult and tiresome path where both sides fought till the end. From Canghai's words, you appreciated not wasting your time on useless things."
"Marrying me will make things easier..." She smiled at Yu Long.
Yu Long's eyelid twitches, 'What a fox.'
What Huan Caiyi said is indeed correct.
Yu Long prefers not to waste his time, especially when threats like the Church of Khaos and Olympus have shown themselves in the Primal Chaos Dimension.
But Yu Long is also a man with principles.
He breathed in and said, "Not enough."
"I don't know why you're so indigent in marrying me, but you must have ulterior motives."
"In these days and ages, who doesn't have ulterior motives?" Huan Caiyi used Yu Long's words to rebuke him.
Yun Canghai was speechless.
Is this the Little Demon Empress he knew?
If the situation weren't so tense, Yun Canghai would rub his eyes and pinch his cheek to see if this was real.
"Cheeky, aren't you?" Yu Long commented lightly.
Huan Caiyi maintained a calm and amused look, "I'm learning a lot from you."
"We can lower the stake since you're so adamant."
"You only have to be engaged with me."
"You're really looking for a loophole, huh?" Yu Long pinched the bridge of his nose.
"On top of that, I will allow you to enter Golden Crow's Lightning Flame Valley with me." Huan Caiyi finally dropped her best offer. She knew Yu Long wouldn't be interested in anything other than this.
Yu Long closed his eyes, thinking about the pros and cons of accepting Huan Caiyi's relentless attempts to marry him.
Golden Crow, though.
It's a Divine Beast at the same level as Yuyan.
A few seconds later, Yu Long opened his eyes and said, "Before I agree, you must answer this question."
Huan Caiyi's eyes lit up, "Sure."
"You know you won't love my affection with this trick, right?"
"I know. I'm not trying to win your affection because I know you have many women, some even more beautiful and stronger than me."
"What I want is prosperity and serenity for my homeland."
Yu Long nodded understandingly because a ruler like Huan Caiyi must prioritize her people. They called her a tyrant but didn't understand the very position she was in.
The pressure she endured for hundreds of years.
"You can think of this as a diplomatic business relationship." Huan Caiyi said all of a sudden.
Yu Long was stunned and then laughed, "What a weird way of saying it."
"Still, you're right. It is a business."
"So, it's a deal?" Huan Caiyi calmly stared at Yu Long, asking for confirmation.
Yu Long smiled helplessly, "Yes."
"You've got yourself a deal."
"..." Yun Canghai.
"..." Chu Yueli.
'How did it end up like this?' Chu Yueli was baffled.