“Greetings, Phoenix King.” Liuying curtsied, her demeanor respectful and humble, yet her gaze flitted about, not daring to meet the slightly loose and languid attire of the Phoenix King at this moment.
Even without looking, two faint blushes crept onto Liuying’s cheeks. She felt her heart racing uncontrollably, as if bewitched, no matter how hard she tried to steady herself.
“Have you seen the Flower King?” Feng Zihuang lifted his head, his phoenix eyes slightly upturned as they turned toward Liuying, his voice clear and gentle.
“Yes, I have.” The moment Feng Zihuang’s shimmering gaze, brimming with endless charm, fell upon her, Liuying’s heart fluttered like a startled fawn. She could only muster all her strength to suppress the uncontrollable pounding and feign calm as she replied with three simple words.
“What did she say?” Feng Zihuang smiled, warm and mesmerizing.
Liuying struggled to avert her gaze. Every time she saw Feng Zihuang’s smile, she would unconsciously lose herself, even forgetting to breathe!
“The Flower King is not willingly marrying the Beast King. That marriage contract was unilaterally imposed by the Beast King with sheer force!”
Liuying spoke each word clearly, her expression icy calm. At this moment, she seemed like a completely different person from the naive girl she had appeared to be in front of Yun Qingxue.
“Did the Flower King tell you this?” Feng Zihuang set down the scroll in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as his expression turned serious.
“No,” Liuying replied. “But though the Flower King didn’t say it outright, she asked me to help her escape the Beast Clan. From this, I deduced that she is being forced to marry Beast King Cang Yan—otherwise, why would she want to flee?!”
“How did you respond?” Feng Zihuang asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.
Liuying lightly bit her lip. “I told the Flower King that the Beast King’s palace is heavily guarded, and I cannot take her away myself. But I promised to return and seek Your Majesty’s assistance. By now, the Flower King should be waiting for my message.”
Feng Zihuang pondered for a moment before saying, “Find an opportunity to tell the Flower King that I am willing to help her!”
“Yes.” Liuying bowed her head in acknowledgment. Seizing a moment when Feng Zihuang wasn’t looking, she stole a few more glances at him, her face filled with infatuation.
“Is there anything else?” Feng Zihuang noticed Liuying hadn’t left after her report and asked with patient amusement.
Liuying’s gaze immediately became evasive, as if caught doing something wrong, a flustered feeling washing over her.
“Phoenix King, I have received news that the Dragon King of the Water Clan is on his way to the Beast Clan and should arrive by tomorrow morning!” Liuying’s voice trembled slightly.
“I am already aware of this,” Feng Zihuang said indifferently. “I suppose the Dragon King, like me, must have learned of the Flower King’s presence in the Beast Clan from that mysterious informant.”
At the mention of the mysterious informant, Liuying’s expression turned serious. “That informant deliberately spread the news of the Flower King being in the Beast Clan—who knows what their true intentions are!”
“For now, we’ll take it one step at a time,” Feng Zihuang said calmly, waving a hand at Liuying. “It’s late. You may retire for the night.”
“I will stand guard outside for Your Majesty.” Liuying stole one last glance at Feng Zihuang before transforming back into her true form, fluttering her wings as she alighted on the phoenix tree in the courtyard.
Phoenixes perch on phoenix trees. In her true form, Liuying faced the direction of Feng Zihuang’s chamber, her round eyes filled with infinite sorrow and melancholy.
Time slipped away unnoticed, the pitch-black night gradually replaced by the dawn’s light. The sun peeked through the clouds, its golden rays warm and bright.
Outside the Beast Clan’s Palace of Ten Thousand Beasts, a majestic procession approached from afar. Beyond the palace’s barrier, the Beast Clan’s elders, led by Elder Leopard, stood in orderly formation, waiting.
The procession drew nearer until it finally halted at the palace gates. Elder Leopard stepped forward and bowed toward the carriage at the center of the entourage. “Elder Shouyang of the Beast Clan, by order of our esteemed ruler, greets the arrival of the Dragon King of the Water Clan!”
Inside the carriage, Dragon King Jin Lin sat across from his trusted aide, Shui Liu.
Hearing Elder Leopard’s words, Shui Liu’s face darkened with displeasure. “Your Majesty, you are the mighty Dragon King of the Water Clan! How dare Cang Yan, a usurper who seized the Beast Clan’s throne, not come out to greet you in person!”
Jin Lin, however, raised an eyebrow and smiled nonchalantly. “That’s not the point—it doesn’t matter! I didn’t come to the Beast Clan just to see Cang Yan anyway! Go tell that Elder Leopard or whatever his name is that I’m tired from the journey and don’t need any formalities. All that fuss would just waste my time!”
“Yes.”
Jin Lin’s reaction only deepened Shui Liu’s frustration. Before stepping out of the carriage, he couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Rushing here the moment you got the news, but who knows if she’ll even appreciate it? Xuexue, Xuexue—what’s so great about that woman? Back in the Water Clan, Your Majesty treated her with nothing but sincerity, yet she still insisted on leaving. I don’t understand what’s so lovable about such an ungrateful woman—other than that ridiculously beautiful face of hers!”
Despite his grievances, Shui Liu composed himself the moment he stepped out, adopting a solemn expression as he faced Elder Leopard, forcing a semblance of friendliness. “My king has instructed that Elder Leopard need not stand on ceremony. All welcoming formalities may be dispensed with.”
As Shui Liu finished speaking, Elder Leopard couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly: The Dragon King’s entourage is telling us to skip the welcome ceremony, but our esteemed ruler never even ordered one prepared in the first place!
Of course, Elder Leopard kept these thoughts to himself. Since the other side had brought it up, he wouldn’t embarrass them by revealing the truth—that the Dragon King had overestimated their hospitality.
Thus, Elder Leopard maintained a courteous smile and replied diplomatically, “Then we shall abide by the Dragon King’s wishes. Since Your Majesty has endured a long journey, perhaps you would like to disembark and rest within the palace.”
As Elder Leopard finished, Shui Liu turned to open the carriage door for Jin Lin, intending to orchestrate a grand entrance that would showcase the Water Clan king’s majesty before the Beast Clan’s representatives.
But Jin Lin, it seemed, had no patience for such formalities.
Shui Liu turned back just in time to nearly collide with Jin Lin, who had already pushed the door open himself and was stepping out. Thankfully, Shui Liu reacted swiftly, stepping aside to avoid him.
“Lead the way!” Jin Lin hopped down from the carriage without a shred of regal decorum, addressing Elder Leopard directly.
Elder Leopard hastily took a step back and bowed. “This way, Your Majesty.”
With that, he turned to guide them, though inwardly puzzled by the Dragon King’s unorthodox behavior.
Shui Liu frowned in frustration. All his carefully planned displays of grandeur for the Beast Clan’s welcoming party had been tragically thwarted by Jin Lin’s impulsiveness.
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