"A family heirloom treasure?"
Emperor Xia took a deep breath and nodded silently.
No wonder!
You're just a good-for-nothing, with no background, no cultivation.
Your family's heirloom treasure being a stone ring is actually quite fitting.
That ancestor!
What on earth were you thinking, arranging such a humiliating marriage for Yanran?!
Whatever. This is a good opportunity to get rid of this good-for-nothing son-in-law.
Then Yanran will probably give up, right?
"Huu." Emperor Xia took a deep breath, a flicker of killing intent passing through his eyes.
As if sensing her father's thoughts, Xia Yanran's pretty face stiffened. She quickly walked to Jiang Yu's side and slapped him hard across the face.
Slap!
The entire hall fell silent.
Jiang Yu's eyes also held a trace of shock. "Yanran, you..."
"I told you! Don't come here to embarrass us. Why do you never listen? Do you have to drag me down with you before you'll stop? Jiang Yu!! I'm truly very disappointed in you!" Tears welled in Xia Yanran's eyes, mixed with despair.
Her anger at this moment was real.
If you're a good-for-nothing, why can't you just be a good-for-nothing quietly? Why do you have to try to show off like others?
A family heirloom treasure?
A stone ring?
But...
She also understood clearly that this ring might genuinely be very precious to Jiang Yu.
Otherwise, he wouldn't often hold it, lost in thought.
Offering it to the Empress Dowager now was just because he didn't want to be looked down upon, didn't want her to be despised with him.
Xia Yanran understood. Even if it were a dog that had accompanied her meticulously for three years, how could she not see it, not feel heartache?
I'm sorry, Jiang Yu!
I know you love me, but we... are really not suitable.
"No, Yanran... this ring... is..."
"Tch, do you think we're blind? What's there to explain? A family heirloom treasure? Did you pick it up off the street?"
"Hahahaha! Not necessarily. Maybe he bought it with money saved from selling his blood."
"And it's made of stone, too. Pfft, it looks really ancient."
Qi Deqiang and the others immediately started mocking him. The aggrieved look on Xia Yanran's face at this moment gave him an indescribable sense of pleasure.
"Humph! Jiang Yu, you dare to mock this Emperor! If not for the Empress Dowager's birthday today, I would have your dog head! Guards, take him out, administer five hundred cane strikes, and expel him from the palace! From today onward, he is no longer the Royal Son-in-Lief of Great Xia!!" Emperor Xia snorted coldly, a hint of delight flashing in his eyes.
If Yanran is smart enough, she'll understand that me not killing him is already a mercy.
If she still doesn't obediently agree to the marriage with Qi Deqiang...
"No... Your Majesty! I..." Jiang Yu's face paled, a flash of hatred instantly appearing in his eyes!
The seal within his body was set to be released today.
The Heaven and Earth Spirit Flame, his late Breakthrough Realm cultivation, and his identity as an alchemy prodigy gave him enough confidence to become the pride of Great Xia.
But now... if he were expelled, Yanran would likely immediately fall into the hands of that beast Qi Deqiang!!
"Yanran, do you believe me?! If you believe me, wait for me outside the Xia palace. Even without the status of a princess, I can still make you respected by the world!" Jiang Yu took a deep breath, his tone suddenly becoming strangely deep.
Seeing his eyes, which seemed to have become infinitely profound, Xia Yanran actually... wavered for a moment.
But in the next instant, she shook her head with a bitter smile.
No matter what secrets you're hiding, how could you possibly stand against two imperial dynasties?
"Go, Jiang Yu. Leave Great Xia. Find a quiet ancient city... far away from this place of trouble." Xia Yanran smiled, but her expression was sorrowful.
Originally, I thought I hadn't developed feelings. So why does the thought of a future without him bring such an indescribable sense of loss?
Although sometimes I thought Jiang Yu might have some physical defect, otherwise why would he... have no needs these past three years.
But his thoughtfulness, his care, his meticulous attention had gradually, subtly made her somewhat dependent on him.
"No, Yanran. If you don't leave, I won't go anywhere. No one can separate us." Jiang Yu seemed like a different person, coldly staring at Emperor Xia on the throne. "Your Majesty, the marriage contract between Yanran and me was established by my ancestor and the Xia family ancestor. How can you disregard the agreement between our two families..."
"Silence! Drag him out now!" Emperor Xia's eyes flashed with gloom.
Dammit!!
I'm a usurper, and you're talking to me about agreements?
I think you're deliberately trying to humiliate me!
No!
I need to find an opportunity to kill this bastard and sever Yanran's attachment.
"A toad lusting after swan flesh. Princess Yanran, my wine has gone cold. Aren't you coming back to warm it for me?" Qi Deqiang grinned sinisterly, clearly intentionally humiliating Jiang Yu.
"Wait a moment!"
But...
Just as the guards in the hall moved towards Jiang Yu, Ling Xiao, who had been sitting silently on the imperial throne, suddenly spoke softly.
"Hmm?" Emperor Xia's eyelids twitched as he turned his head, bewildered. "Esteemed Lord... you..."
"Bring that ring here for me to see." Ling Xiao stared at the stone ring in Emperor Xia's hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.
An ancient object hailed as a family heirloom treasure by a Son of Fate could never be an ordinary stone ring.
After all, while this Son of Fate might be useless now, his Luck Points are right there.
This ring most likely has some connection to his identity and the Spirit Flame sealed within his body.
The reason Jiang Yu brought it out was probably... that he genuinely didn't know its purpose.
After all, an unintentionally revealed display of power is the most satisfying kind!
What!!
That ring has appeared in the world? The Young Master is still alive!!
Pfft!
He's alive now, but we'll see about later.
"Huh? Esteemed Lord... this... it's just a..." Emperor Xia seemed hesitant, but a mere glint of soul light in Ling Xiao's eyes sent a tremor through the Great Xia Emperor's body, nearly making him collapse on the spot.
He was already filled with fear towards the ancestor.
Moreover, his imperial position was... utterly illegitimate.
This ancestor had even killed the legitimate Xia Yong, clearly not placing much importance on bloodlines or legitimacy. If he were to anger him...
But... why would the ancestor be interested in such an ordinary ring?
Did I misjudge it?
Is the ring actually a supreme treasure?
Suddenly, Emperor Xia felt very panicked.
"Esteemed Lord." Emperor Xia bowed and handed the stone ring to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it, but no change occurred. The same happened with soul force.
It wasn't until a trace of Spirit Flame power coiled around Ling Xiao's fingertip that the dragon head carved on the stone ring suddenly lit up with a faint, obscure blood-red glow.
But before it could fully brighten, the wisp of Spirit Flame power at Ling Xiao's fingertip instantly dissipated.
"Oh, so it really is just an ordinary stone ring." Ling Xiao nodded, and the suppressed anger on Emperor Xia and the others' faces finally broke free.
Damn this Jiang Yu, making me lose face in front of the ancestor again!!
"Guards!!!! Take Jiang Yu and..."
"However..." Before Emperor Xia could finish, a cold intent suddenly spread across Ling Xiao's face.
"So what if it's an ordinary stone ring? Since this young man says this object is his family's heirloom treasure, I believe it must contain a spirit, a symbol, a kind of perseverance. What, do you think such a treasure doesn't count as a treasure?"
"Huh?" To be honest, Emperor Xia was utterly confused.
After all that, isn't the ancestor still saying... the ring is trash?
What spirit, what symbol?
What fucking use is that?
"So, you think... this talisman is useless too?" Ling Xiao casually tossed the golden dragon talisman in front of Emperor Xia, a flowing killing intent in his eyes.
Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, countless sounds of people collapsing to their knees echoed through the great hall.