Zi Mo woke slowly, letting out an undignified yawn as she sat up in bed. It wasn't often that she indulged herself by sleeping on a bed, like mortals. Usually, she simply cultivated throughout the night. But after her recent breakthrough, she decided to give herself a small treat.
She took a deep breath and felt ambient Qi in the air enter her body where it got assimilated into her meridians. Meridians that were smoother, deeper, and stronger than they had been just a few days ago.
The feeling of her improved strength drew a faint smile from her.
Even now, several days later, the change within her body still felt surreal. After all, had she remained within the Snow Peak and cultivated as usual, it would've taken her another decade to make that breakthrough. Perhaps longer.
She opened her eyes and raised a hand before her face, slowly clenching and unclenching her fingers as she once again felt her improved strength. She knew that this feeling would eventually leave her as she got used to her improved strength. So she wanted to indulge in it while she still could.
Closing her eyes again, she turned her senses inward. The core in her dantian pulsed slow and steadily. Visibly much larger than it had been up until a while ago. And to think that she would've missed out on this great opportunity, if not for her teacher.
When her teacher had ordered her to divine the potential of a certain young cultivator, it hadn't surprised her. Her teacher often asked her to divine the future of young cultivators across the entire sect or even outside of it, taking in or befriending any who showed immense potential.
Except, the disciples worthy of such attention from her were usually Inner or Core sect Disciples. Yet, the one she had been sent out to examine this time was merely an Outer sect disciple. And a man at that.
That detail had surprised her.
Snow Peak did not forbid interaction or even relations with men but most of its disciples rarely concerned themselves with them, unless those men showed immense potential, and allying without them could help the Snow Peak in some manner.
Still, once she learned that the young man in question was already a Tier-2 Formation Master, the situation had begun to make more sense. While talents in formations were not rare within the Nine Peak Sect. A young cultivator reaching such a level while still in the 7th Stage of Qi Condensation was worth examining.
So, after spending some time in his vicinity and getting a good feel of his Qi, she finally divined his potential.
Like most disciples of Snow Peak, Zi Mo possessed a special Yin physique. Her own was known as the Stellar Yin Body.
Unlike some of the more famous Yin physiques that granted overwhelming advantages in battle or cultivation speed, like that of her own teacher, the Stellar Yin Body was subtler in its effects.
It resonated with the stars themselves, granting its wielder an unusually deep comprehension of celestial patterns. Through meditation beneath the night sky, she could observe the invisible threads of fate and glimpse fragments of a person's future potential.
The visions were never perfect. But they were rarely wrong.
Throughout her life she had seen many geniuses. Snow Peak itself gathered prodigies from across dozens of prefectures, and among them she had witnessed talents that ordinary cultivators could scarcely imagine.
The greatest of them all had been Xu Chen.
When she first divined him years ago, what she saw had stunned her. His future had appeared as a crimson dragon, vast and radiant, its brilliance stretching across the heavens as it soared in the open sky, high above everyone else. Just one look and she knew he would someday shake the entire sect.
What had surprised her even more was what happened after his fall.
When she divined him again later, after he started losing his cultivation, she found that instead of disappearing, his potential has instead only grown stronger.
The crimson brilliance had begun to shift slowly toward gold, a colour she had never witnessed in any of her divinations before.
Her divination was the only reason her teacher had shown mercy and spared Xu Chen's life after the terrible transgression he had nearly committed, merely expelling him from the Snow Peak.
After Xu Chen had been expelled from the Sect, and her divination of him abruptly ceased to work, revealing his death, she believed she would never see anyone with a destiny greater than him,
Until she divined Li Yuan.
Even now, remembering the vision made her heart tremble slightly.
It was of a golden dragon of impossible scale, buried beneath countless mountain ranges. Its body stretched so far that even flying high up in the sky and gazing from horizon to horizon, she still could not see its end.
The divination had been so overwhelming and terrifying, she almost suffered a Qi Deviation then and there, only surviving the experience by sheer luck.
How someone possessing such immense destiny could remain a mere outer sect disciple had baffled her at the time, and for a while, she even wondered if her vision had somehow been mistaken.
Then she watched him. She watched him as he trained in his family's training yard. Watched, as with just a simple suggestion from her, he grasped upon Sword Intent. And by nightfall… he had already mastered it.
That single event had erased any lingering doubt she possessed regarding her own divination of Li Yuan's potential.
Even the greatest sword geniuses within the Nine Peak Sect would require decades, perhaps a century, to achieve what Li Yuan had accomplished within a single day.
Yet that was not the only thing that impressed her.
Li Yuan possessed astonishing combat instincts. And had mastered techniques to such a great extent, it would take other talented disciple within the sect decades to match his level of skill.
In fact, his stealth technique was so extraordinary that even she, a Golden Core cultivator, found difficult to perceive him unless she concentrated carefully.
If she had not known of his presence beforehand, she was certain he could have slipped past her senses entirely. Imagine that. A Qi Condensation disciple escaping the senses of a Golden Core elder.
Confirming the truth of his potential had changed everything. And her attitude toward him shifted entirely. The cold, distant demeanour she normal maintained vanished entirely, and was replaced by an honest-to-god attempt at seduction.
Well, seduction was one way to put it.
In truth, she had nearly thrown herself at him. And only her dignity as a Golden Core cultivator had prevented her from doing so outright.
Even so, she had been anything but subtle.
She had attempted to stimulate his desire using her Yin Qi, hoping the natural reaction would push him into 'taking her' then and there. The idea had seemed perfectly reasonable at the time.
The memory made her lips twitch in embarrassment.
Not only had the attempt failed… but he even chastised her for it.
A Qi Condensation disciple had reprimanded a Golden Core elder. The memory embarrassed and aroused her in equal measure.
That Li Yuan, at mere 7th Stage of Qi Condensation had resisted her charms only reinforced what she already knew about him. Not only was his potential immense, his will was also strong. Stronger than most cultivators many decades older than him.
Afterward she had respected his request and stopped using Yin Qi to influence him. And in the end, honesty had worked far better.
Instead of subtle manipulation, she began expressing her interest through ordinary means. Conversations, tight clothings, a touch here and there to show her interest. And slowly… he begun to respond.
The memory of their kiss surfaced in her thoughts, warming her cheeks slightly despite her composed expression. Even more significant was the gift he had offered afterward.
The Heavenfall Core Lotus.
The mere thought of it made her chest fill with quiet excitement all over again. Without that treasure, advancing from the Third Layer of Golden Core to the Fourth so swiftly would not have been possible. It was difficult not to feel gratitude toward Li Yuan for that.
Which made it even more disappointing that he has been slumped with clan affairs recently. Though, he did promise to show her around today, which excited her to no end.
She had no interest in seeing the ordinary sights of this backwater province. But she could feign interest if it meant she could spend more time with Li Yuan and carve her name deeper in his heart.
Zi Mo rose from the bed and moved toward the window, warm sunlight spilling across the floor as she gazed outside. The Li family estate was peaceful this early in the morning, the servants already beginning their daily routines.
She looked to the other side of the courtyard where Rou Lin sat within an enclosed Formation, having cultivated the entire night under the Moon, and felt a small measure of guilt in her heart. Her junior sister had clearly developed feelings for Li Yuan as well. And she had met him first. Yet, the path of cultivation rarely rewarded those that hesitated and fell into indecision.
If Rou Lin wanted Li Yuan, then she should've acted first. Though knowing what she knew of Rou Lin's history, she could guess why the girl would find such a thing difficult.
Still, they were fellow disciples, so if Rou Lin ever showed interest in becoming Dao partner with Li Yuan, she decided that she would not oppose it. In fact, she would even support it, as absorbing a physique like Rou Lin's would be of immense benefit to Li Yuan.
After all, a man like Li Yuan was destined for heights far beyond what most people could imagine. And if she wished to walk beside him on that path, then clinging to petty jealousy would only make her appear small.
And Zi Mo had never intended to be small.
—————
Zi Mo walked hand in hand beside Li Yuan as he led her down a narrow winding path through a gentle slope. The morning sun had climbed high enough that its light shimmered across a nearby river while the air smelled faintly of wet earth and wild grass.
Li Yuan slowed as they reached the riverbank. His gaze drifted across the water before lifting toward the a mountain in the distance.
"That cliff," he said, pointing toward a jagged wall of rock rising above the trees. "When I was younger and had only recently begun cultivating, the other clan kids and I used to climb up there. Then we'd jump."
Zi Mo followed his gesture, her eyes tracing the sheer drop. It was high enough that any mortal who attempted such a thing would shatter quite a few bones upon impact.
"You jumped from there?" she asked.
"After I started cultivating, yes." Li Yuan replied casually. "First time I nearly passed out from fear halfway down. After that it got easier."
There was a strange melancholy about Li Yuan as he talked about the past, though she couldn't guess why. She simply watched as he stared up at the cliff for a long moment, looking thoughtful.
She reached over and slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently. "What is it?"
Li Yuan exhaled slowly. "Just thinking… being a cultivator really is a blessing. Even someone in Body Tempering, who's not even considered a true cultivator, can jump from that height and walk away without a scratch."
Zi Mo nodded without hesitation. "Of course it is a blessing. It allows us to stand above mortals," she said calmly. "Above those who can only live in the dirt their entire lives. Short and meaningless as they are.
Li Yuan turned his head slowly to look at her. And the expression he wore made her pause. She wondered if she'd said something that offended him.
"Meaningless?" he repeated.
"Yes," Zi Mo said simply. "Their lives may feel meaningful to them, of course. But aside from a rare few… mortal lives amount to very little."
Li Yuan studied her in silence for several seconds. Then he asked quietly, "And our lives?"
She blinked. "What about our lives?"
"If cultivators look down on mortals the way you described," he said, "then what about those above us? The gap between a Void Refining cultivator and us is probably larger than the gap between us and mortals. What the mortals are to us, we are to them. And no doubt there are cultivation realms far beyond that. Does that mean our lives are meaningless as well?"
She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "That is where you are mistaken." She replied firmly, needing him to understand this lesson. "Mortals accept their fate. They live and die within the limits Heaven assigns them. Cultivators are different. We rebel against those limits. We struggle against Heaven itself to become stronger and live longer."
She met his gaze steadily. "That pursuit for eternal life is what gives our lives meaning."
Li Yuan listened quietly. Then he shook his head. "There's no such thing as eternal life," he said.
Zi Mo raised an eyebrow at his words. Words that would see him mocked and derided by any other cultivator. After all, if not for eternal life, then what were you cultivating for?
"What do you mean?" She asked still. Curious about his thoughts, bizarre as they were.
"Even the strongest cultivators eventually die," Li Yuan continued. "Their lifespan may stretch thousands or even tens of thousands of years, but it still ends eventually."
Zi Mo did not argue that point.
"Which is precisely why for them, the journey never ends," she replied. "A true cultivator seeks greater heights until the very moment death arrives."
Their eyes met again and neither spoke for several seconds. Finally, she sighed softly.
"Perhaps we will have to agree to disagree." She said. She was not here to argue with him after all.
Li Yuan chuckled faintly, but then nodded and they resumed walking along the riverbank.
As they followed the curve of the river, several large barges came into view, drifting slowly downstream. The vessels were wide and flat-bottomed, their decks decorated with colourful banners and silk canopies that fluttered gently in the wind. They looked primitive to her but were no doubt impressive to the people who lived in this backwater prefecture.
Li Yuan gestured toward them. "Those are pleasure barges," he explained as if she hadn't seen countless others like these in her long lifetime. "One will probably be reserved for Li Ming's upcoming wedding."
"Li Ming?" Zi Mo asked.
"My cousin," he said. "He's marrying Qin Ling next month."
Zi Mo glanced sideways at him and noticed the strange expression on his face. It wasn't quite envy but it was close.
"You fancy her?" she asked bluntly.
Li Yuan blinked and looked at her in confusion.
"Qin Ling," Zi Mo clarified. "If you want her, you could simply ask."
Li Yuan shook his head immediately.
"Even if I did want her, doing so would be impolite. After all, the betrothal has already been decided upon by both families. It would be wrong for me to interfere."
Zi Mo almost laughed.
"With your current strength and contributions to the clan?" she said. "If Li Ming has any sense, he would break the betrothal himself. And if that Qin Ling girl has any smarts about her, she would come to you herself, kneeling and begging you to take her."
Li Yuan shrugged. "Maybe. But it doesn't change that fact that it would still be wrong for me to ask."
Zi Mo studied him with faint amusement. "You care far too much about right and wrong," she said. "Strength determines everything in this world." She paused. "Well… not everything. But most things."
Li Yuan shook his head. "No. Wrong is wrong. Whether committed by the strong or weak. And besides, it's not like I even want Qin Ling."
Zi Mo raised an eyebrow. "You don't? She's rather pretty from what I've seen."
"That she is," he admitted. "And she did try to seduce me during that banquet."
"And?"
Li Yuan sighed. "There's a gap between us. Between our talents. So even though I desire her, I wouldn't want her as my wife."
Zi Mo shrugged. "Then take her as a concubine. Or if even that feels improper, make her a maid that you have relations with." She said casually.
Li Yuan shook his head again and she gave up on saying anything further lest it lead to another argument between them. Plus, if Li Yuan didn't want other girls in his bed, then all the better for her.
They walked on in silence after that, until the river path merged with a dirt road that went toward the main Li family estate.
A small group of mortals struggled beside the road, gathered around a wooden cart heavily laden with sacks and crates. One wheel had sunk deep into the mud, and despite their combined effort, the cart refused to budge.
Zi Mo barely spared them a glance.
Li Yuan did.
Before she could say anything, he had already walked over. And she watched as he bent slightly, placed one hand beneath the cart, and lifted the entire structure effortlessly.
The mortals froze in shock as he shifted the cart forward and set it down on solid ground. Then, as was their want, they immediately began bowing and thanking him profusely.
Li Yuan waved dismissively and returned to her side, his robes still spotless thanks to the thin layer of Qi protecting them.
Zi Mo stared at him. "Why did you bother with that?" she asked. Not because she was bothered by the trivial waste of time but because she wanted to understand him better.
Li Yuan looked genuinely confused at her question. "They needed help." He replied simply.
She blinked at those words.
"Mortals always need help," she pointed out incredulously. "There are tens of millions of them in Nine Peak City alone. Of them, millions require help with something every day. Will you help them all?"
Most cultivators would have scoffed at the question or dismissed it outright. Instead, Li Yuan looked thoughtful.
"I can't help them all," he admitted. "But if I can help some of them… then why not?"
Zi Mo frowned.
"Because their affairs are beneath us," she said. "You must understand, Li Yuan, mortals are like ants compared to us cultivators. Helping one is like giving a grain of rice to an ant. It might make the ant happy, but in the end your action means nothing."
Li Yuan smiled faintly. "Good deeds are never meaningless," he said softly. "No matter how small."
Zi Mo did not believe that but she chose not to argue further. After all, she was here to leave a good impression on him and arguing with him half the time was definitely not going to accomplish that.
The day passed quietly after that as they wandered along the riverbanks, through fields and small roads, speaking occasionally as they enjoyed the calm weather.
By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, they finally returned to the Li clan estate. They had barely stepped through the main gate when Li Yuan suddenly stopped.
His body froze mid-step and as Zi Mo looked at him in confusion, she saw him looking a group of girls in the family courtyard.
Then she saw his face.
The warmth that had filled it moments earlier had vanished completely, and his expression darkened in a rage that she hadn't believed him capable of possessing.
"Li Yuan?" she asked carefully.
He took a slow and deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was calm. Too calm. "Elder Zi Mo, please excuse me." He said, cupping his hands. And before she could respond, he turned and strode toward the main building. Servants scattered as he passed, similarly noticing the look of anger on his face.
Zi Mo watched as he issued several rapid orders.
"Summon the elders," he said to his family members. "All of them. Immediately." Then he disappeared inside the hall.
'What was that about?' She wondered.
—————
"Prostitutes?" One of the elders asked in disbelief, and others wore similar looks on their faces, her divine sense allowing Zi Mo to watch all this despite being on the other side of the Estate. "You call an emergency meeting, because you wanted to hire some prostitutes?"
"Yes." Li Yuan replied, his dark expression and his prestige in the clan being the only reason the meeting hadn't already descended into disorder. "And not just any kind. But the highest quality ones. And I want them brought in before Li Ming's wedding. It would be preferable if they're beautiful and have some measure of cultivation. Hire them from all over the Redleaf Prefecture, or even outside of it if necessary. Money does not matter as I'll pay for this from my own pockets."
"Um… Yuan'er. If you want some… company then we could simply arrange for it discreetly." Li Yuan's father spoke up, looking mildly embarrassed. "Is there really a need for… all this?"
"Indeed." Li Tian replied, looking faintly exasperated. "Nephew. If it's just some whore then–"
Li Yuan raised a hand and silenced the clan head. "They are not for me. And this is not a simple matter. This matter concerns the very survival of his clan."
That got him confused glances from the rest of the elders but at least they become somewhat serious. After all that Li Yuan had done for the clan, none believed that he would waste their time for nothing.
After that, Li Yuan gave an increasingly bizarre set of orders that confused and bewildered the elders just as much as they did her.
By the end, one elder could take it no longer and stood up. "This is nonsense! If you want to destroy Li Ming's wedding with all this then why not just say so. Why make a mockery out of– eek!"
The elder, and everyone else in the hall suddenly fell silent as Li Yuan suddenly released his killing intent. It was unimpressive to her, having been born from the death a hundred or so 1st and 2nd grade Spirit Beasts. But to the cultivators in that hall, it was probably quite oppressive.
"Do you believe that I'm asking for you permission Uncle Zhu? Let me assure you, I am not." Li Yuan replied, not longer pretending with appearances, and Zi Mo bit her lips and gulped, a fire lighting up in her core at the wonderful sight of Li Yuan being so domineering. "As the Grand Elder of the Li clan, this is my order, and so it'll be. If anyone has a problem, then they can erase their name from the clan Stele and banish themselves from the Redleaf Prefecture. Is that clear?"
No one replied.
"I ASKED. IS THAT CLEAR?" Li Yuan shouted and everyone hurried to nod and agree with him, which finally lessoned some of the anger and tension within Li Yuan.
There was a long moment of silence after that before Li Yuan's father finally spoke up.
"Um… Yuan'er. When did you become the Grand Elder?" He asked, a confused and bewildered look on his face.
"Just now. I made myself one." Li Yuan said before turning to face the Clan head. "Is that a problem uncle Tian?"
The clan head opened his mouth to speak but no words came out at first. Then, he let out a cough and spoke up hoarsely. "Of… of course not. I'm sure your grandfather would agree with the decision as well. And I doubt anyone else will disagree either after having witnessed your strength at the banquet."
The clan head glared at the rest of the elders in the hall as he said those final words, reminding them of Li Yuan's one-sided battle with Qin Long.
After all, many in the clan didn't know of Li Yuan's true strength and still believed that it was her who had done a majority of the work in destroying the Qin family. And while they were not completely wrong, it was also clear to her that had Li Yuan desired it, he could've destroyed the Qin family on his lonesome.
"In that case. Follow the orders I've given." Li Yuan said, his expression finally calming a bit.
"All of them?" The family head asked and Li Yuan nodded.
"All of them."
—————
She watched as the sham of a marriage proceeded. With all the men in the crowd having a bizarre expression on their face. As if even they were confused by everything going on around them, and wondered why any of this was happening.
Well, the answer was obviously because Li Yuan had ordered it. But there seemed to be no rhyme or reason for Li Yuan's orders this time, so bizarre they were.
Even she found herself confused by the entire display. But upon asking him about it, Li Yuan had simply asked her and Rou Lin to remain within the Main Courtyard and not come out no matter what happens. He had been unwilling to explain further, and despite her reservations, she decided to believe in him and remained there.
The marriage ceremony progressed and Li Ming's face went uglier and uglier as time passed. The boy probably believed that Li Yuan held a grudge against him for something, and this was his way of taking revenge.
After all, why else would Li Yuan have him marry a whore instead of Qin Ling.
The vows were given, and Li Ming and the 'bride' finally bowed in front of his parents, about to finish the entire ceremony when suddenly, a powerful presence descended into the Li family estate.
Her own eyes widened at the presence. Because it was the presence of a Golden Core cultivator. Though this one was only at the 1st stage of Golden Core unlike her who had reached 4th Stage by this point.
Still, the arrival of a Golden Core in the clan all of a sudden was still concerning.
"Such a beautiful wedding and I wasn't even invited. Heh!" An arrogant, mocking voice rang out as three people descended from the sky, two of them standing upon a flying sword while one flew freely.
Her own eyes widening a fraction as she noticed that the rotund man in the middle who just spoke wore the sigil of the Golden Sun Empire.
The clan head quickly rushed to the front of the three descending people and bowed deeply in greeting. "You're grace. Forgive this fool for not preparing in advance. We did not know that we would be honoured by the arrival of a member of the royal family."
The rest of the Li family followed Li clan head's lead and quickly bowed as well. She noticed Li Yuan in the group, bowing similarly though his eyes remained on the rotund man, his fists clenched tightly, his expression terrifyingly blank.
"Hehe. How could you have known when I didn't announce my arrival." The rotund man said, his gaze moving lecherously over the women in the hall, his eyes widening a fraction as he noticed that all of them were rather beautiful and shapely. "As for the reason for my arrival… oi, why were we here again?"
"To give the 9th prince's reward for the Li family's contribution of a hundred year Lifespan Gu, your grace." The man in court official robes said in a respectful manner as he took out a bottle of pills and offered it to the rotund man.
"Ah, yes, yes. That Gu for my grandfather. I remember now." The rotund man said as he took the bottle of pills and threw it carelessly at the Li clan head. "Anyway, here. The pills."
The clan head quickly caught the pills and then bowed again. "Thank you, your grace. We Li family will forever remember the 9th Prince's grace and generosity." The clan head said, only to get backhanded the very next moment.
The slap had come from the rotund man himself who glared at the Li clan head with a frown. "You're grateful, I get that. But would merely saying it be enough? Do you know how far this shithole is from my palace? Any idea how long I had to wait in that flying ship just to get here?"
The Li clan head quickly got up from where he had fallen from the slap, a red handprint swelling on his cheeks as he bowed to the rotund man once again, not even daring to show any anger due to the Golden Core cultivator standing silently behind the rotund man. Likely his body guard.
"Of course, your grace. Please forgive my foolishness." Li clan head said with a forced smile. "How may I show my gratitude?"
"Well. the women of your clan are all quite beautiful." The rotund man said as his eyes gazed over all the women present in a leacherous manner. Then, his eyes settled upon one of that. "That one. Is that your wife?"
The clan head turned to look at the woman who had been standing beside him throughout the entire ceremony, wearing robes that could only belong to the clan head's wife. For a moment, he looked confused, then an expression of understanding dawned on his face, followed by shame.
He quickly hid his expressions and turned to face the rotund man, bowing even lower this time. "Reporting to your grace. That she is." He lied.
"Excellent. Prepare a guest quarter for me. Bring her over to serve my needs. Also send over your best food and wine. I doubt you've got anything decent in this shithole but I'm quite famished and would eat literally anything." He said, his eyes boring onto the clan head's wife before it shifted onto the bride. "And you. Are you the bride?"
The whore they had hired to serve as the bride nodded, pretending to be timid and shy as she bowed deeply, inadvertently showing her cleavage to the rotund man. "Yes, your grace."
"You'll have the honour of joining me in my bedchamber as well. Learn what it's like to be fucked by a prince." The rotund man said before turning to look at the groom, an amused and mocking smile on his face. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
Li Ming also seemed to have realised what was happening by now and gulped before he lowered his head, pretending to be angry but helpless. "No, your grace." He replied.
"Good, good. It's good that you bumpkins are so understanding. The last clan that tried to defy me... Heh!" The rotund man chuckled before his gaze slid over to the other women in the crowd. "You, you, you and you. And you as well. All of you will be honoured by me today. And if you're lucky, maybe Li family will be blessed by a royal bastard by the time I leave. Aren't you happy, Li clan head?"
The Li clan head bowed even lower to hide his expression and nodded. "It is our honour, your grace."
The rotund man raised an eyebrow and chuckled. Then, he lowered his flying sword until he was right in front of the clan head. "Honor is it? I'm going to fuck your wife till she squeals, and fill her cunt with my seed. And you believe I'm honouring you?"
The Li clan head was silent for much longer this time. Then, slowly, he nodded and spoke with gritted teeth, his voice sounding hoarse as if he was about to cry. "Yes, your grace."
The rotund man chuckle. "Heh. Seems like you Li clan members are not as stupid as I thought you to be. Very well. What are you waiting for? Go and prepare my guest room. Or do you want me to fuck all of your wives in the middle of the courtyard?"
His words had the intended effect as everyone in the courtyard quickly dispersed and went on to prepare a guest room worthy of the royal family member.
The rotund man watched all this with a highly amused smile before he was eventually led away by the Li clan head. The Golden core bodyguard floating behind them vigilantly before he finally turned to look in her direction with his Divine sense.
The two of them exchanged a silent glance, and the man gave her a wary look before he cupped his hand in her direction and followed the rotund prince inside the guest room.
Zi Mo scoffed and looked at Li Yuan who hadn't moved from his place. Carrying that same blank look from before as he watched the proceedings in silence. And she just knew that the rotund man had signed his death warrant today.
Good. Hopefully a moment like this would finally make Li Yuan realise the cruelty of this world and turn him more ruthless.
Though, she couldn't help but wonder how Li Yuan could've possibly known about the Royal member's arrival and prepared in advance.
Could it be… that he also has a special physique like hers that allowed him to divine the future, but with a far greater clearity? Knowing what she knew of his potential, it would not even surprise her.
A smile lit up on her face at that realisation.
'How amazing. With this, our children would have the chance to be doubly blessed.' She thought, her core heating up at the thought of bearing Li Yuan's child. She could not wait for it to happen sooner.
—————
Author's Note
Li Yuan encounters a Wild Young Master.