Han Fei could sense something unusual about Ying An, and how could Ying An, who knew that Reverse Scale Sword was by Han Fei's side, be unaware?
In fact, the moment Ying An saw Han Fei, he already keenly sensed a strange, cold spiritual aura entanglement around Han Fei.
Of course, this so-called coldness was merely caused by the spiritual yin residue, not actual low temperature. Besides that, Ying An also felt an aura of incense and faith on Han Fei.
This aura was so unique that if Ying An had not first subdued the Black and White Sisters, and then Yan Lingji, experiencing the power of incense and faith multiple times personally, he might not have been able to sense this aura from Han Fei.
"Disciple of Xunzi, Young Master Han Fei?" Ying An cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I have long heard of Han Fei's great name, and it is my honor to meet you today!"
Han Fei laughed heartily, saying with a hint of embarrassment, "I'm afraid I'm going to be my esteemed teacher's most unaccomplished disciple, neither good at literature nor martial arts."
"What are you saying, Young Master Han Fei?" Ying An praised, "Your multiple writings have even astonished my Royal Father. He wishes he could meet you and share a bed with you!"
"Then I see no need for us to be so formal," Han Fei seemed to sense the goodwill from Ying An, and with a smile, he said, "If I remember correctly, Young Master Ying An's mother is my Royal Father's sister, my aunt. In that case, we are cousins! How about we address each other as brothers?"
"Ying An greets older cousin!" Ying An readily cupped his fists slightly towards Han Fei.
The moment his voice fell, before Han Fei could return the greeting, a clear voice interjected.
"What older cousin? Ninth Brother, what are you and Young Master Ying An talking about?"
Following the sound, a young girl wearing a palace dress, with black hair like a waterfall, delicate skin, exquisite features, and a slightly chubby face, came boldly before Ying An and Han Fei.
"Honglian!" Han Fei waved, saying, "Let me introduce you. This is Young Master Ying An of Qin. Do you still remember our aunt who married into Xianyang? That aunt is Young Master Ying An's mother!"
"Ah?" Honglian's cherry lips parted slightly, looking surprised, and she said, "Then, in that case, do I also have to call Young Master Ying An 'older cousin'?"
"That's right! Exactly!" Han Fei looked pleased.
In fact, before the Qin envoy arrived in South Korea, South Korea already knew a little about Qin's intentions.
Even Han Fei held a somewhat favorable attitude towards the alliance between Honglian and Ying An. After all, no one understood the perilous situation of South Korea better than Han Fei, who had established the Quicksand organization.
The struggle between Quicksand and Nightfall had clearly entered a white-hot state, with the two sides on the verge of open conflict.
If Honglian could gain the identity of a Qin Prince's fiancée, then even if Ji Wuye was lawless, he would absolutely not dare to make things difficult for Honglian.
Once something happened to Honglian, it would mean that Qin would have an excuse to intervene in South Korea. Even if Ji Wuye cooperated with Net, he probably wouldn't be willing to see his power usurped.
Ji Wuye knew that his power came from South Korea. On this point, Han Fei would not misjudge.
As for Honglian, if she were truly to marry Ying An, she could only marry into Great Qin as a concubine. Although Han Fei doted on his sister Honglian, he also knew that South Korea, located in a region of four-way conflict, was almost the weakest among the Seven Kingdoms.
In this era of conflict among the Seven Kingdoms, the identity of a princess did not hold as much value as imagined.
This was evident from the fact that after the fall of South Korea, Honglian even wandered the jianghu and became Chi Lian.
One must know that currently, it seemed like the Seven Kingdoms were contending for supremacy. However, in reality, besides Qin, Han, Wei, Chu, Zhao, Yan, and Qi, there were still many vassal states in the world.
The demise of these vassal states would have to wait until Great Qin unified the Six Kingdoms and the First Emperor actively promoted the commandery and county system.
And the identity of a princess, any daughter of a vassal state ruler could be called a princess.
Given the power disparity between Qin and South Korea, although Honglian was a Korean Princess, even if she could marry into Great Qin, she would not be highly valued.
Since that was the case, instead of pursuing an unpredictable future, it was better to let Honglian and Ying An marry. Setting aside other considerations, Ying An's status alone ensured that if Honglian married him, even as a concubine, her future would not be too bad.
This was the only fallback plan Han Fei, as an older brother, could arrange for his sister as he was about to fall out with the great general Ji Wuye!
Honglian looked at Ying An in surprise, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Honglian greets older cousin Ying An!"
"It seems, younger cousin Honglian, you don't seem to like me as an older brother very much!" Ying An naturally could feel Honglian's displeasure towards him.
Frowning, Honglian said, "It's not that I'm displeased with older cousin, it's just that I heard older cousin is the chief envoy of the Qin delegation this time, here to discuss the marriage alliance with South Korea. And…"
Finally, it came to a matter concerning herself. Even though Honglian had a playful and innocent personality, her pretty face couldn't help but flush crimson at this moment.
"And, it's about my marriage alliance with older cousin Ying An. It's just, I heard that older cousin just got married not long ago?"
Ying An chuckled wryly. The Honglian before him was, after all, still just a naive little princess. Within the Han King's Palace, she was greatly favored.
She held great hopes for the future, yet was completely unaware of how perilous South Korea's current situation truly was.
"So, are you planning to refuse?" Ying An replied evasively.
"Yes!" Honglian mustered her courage, nodded, and said, "I want to marry the person I love! Although… although older cousin is also very good. But…"
"Honglian!" Honglian's words were cut off halfway by Han Fei.
With an unprecedentedly serious expression, Han Fei said, "Your marriage concerns the future between our South Korea and Qin. You cannot make such a decision on your own!"
Honglian froze, seemingly not expecting that her Ninth Brother, who had always doted on her, would scold her so sternly.
Her eyes reddened. Honglian loudly declared, "I won't marry, I just won't!"
Before her words finished, Honglian rushed out of the hall with tears in her eyes.
For a moment, the hall, which had maintained a superficial harmony, instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
King An of Han's face turned even more ashen. Just moments ago, he had promised Li Si, the deputy envoy of the delegation, that he would facilitate this Qin-Han marriage alliance.
The result was that before he even finished speaking, he was slapped hard by Honglian.