A spiritual attack.
The instant the vicious beast shattered, Ye Zichen realized that the middle-aged man had used a spiritual-based attack.
It assaulted the sea of consciousness directly, creating visions in the opponent’s consciousness. These would then cause the victim’s mind to collapse.
The vicious beast in front of him had disappeared, but Ye Zichen was still gasping for breath.
He hadn’t realized it until now, but in that instant alone, he’d drenched his shirt in sweat.
“Are you okay?” A gentle voice drifted past his ears. At the same time, Ye Zichen felt warm divine power pouring into him and calming his taut nerves.
He turned around and saw an exquisitely beautiful yet reproachful face staring back at him….
“Lady Providence.” Ye Zichen hurriedly bowed to her. This was none other than the head of the Profound Pavillion, the Lady Providence, Xuan Ji.
And it wasn’t just her either. The two who’d escorted him into the city, the mustached man and the God of Fire were here too, as well as a few others he didn’t recognize. Although he hadn’t seen them from before, based on the pressure they emanated, all of them were peerless experts.
They stood behind Xuan Ji scrupulously. Their appearance changed the atmosphere on the street, filling the air with tension.
“That…. Isn’t that the Lady Providence?” When the onlookers saw Xuan Ji, they were so shocked they could barely speak.
After that, although none of them knew who was the first to bow, all of them knelt to the ground. Some knelt on one knee, while others knelt on two and put their hands over their hearts.
“Greetings, Lady Providence.”
This time, the middle-aged man and the youth beside him were scared out of their wits. Xuan Ji simply smiled calmly, ignoring the onlookers, and reached out to tousle Ye Zichen’s hair. “Little guy, you sure know how to worry people! Fortunately, you’re all in one piece.”
She sighed and visibly relaxed, then gestured for Ye Zichen to stand beside her. She raised her lands, lifting the kneeling onlookers to their feet, then narrowed her eyes at the middle-aged man who’d just hit Ye Zichen.
“Are you trying to help me educate my nephew?”
“I wouldn’t dare. How could someone like me possess the qualifications to discipline the Lady Providence’s nephew? Please, Lady Providence, have mercy and let me go.”
On the Central Divine Mountain, only two people possessed this kind of presence and authority. The first was the God Emperor, Zhou Wu, while the other was Lady Providence.
The instance she appeared, that diviner realized they were in trouble. He never in a million years would have guessed Ye Zichen was Xuan Ji’s nephew.
Rumor had it Xuan Ji had no siblings, so where did this nephew come from, exactly?
He didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. All he knew was that he’d kicked an iron wall. Even if he had the Four Directions Academy backing him, and even if Bi’an was backing the academy, he was in for it.
“Whether I let you go or not is up to my nephew,” said Ye Zichen.
Not even Ye Zichen knew why he’d become Xuan Ji’s nephew all of a sudden. However, he at the very least could tell that this diviner’s life was firmly in his hands.
It’s worth noting that this old diviner was a bully, relying on his power to abuse the weak. If you gave him an inch, he’d take a mile. Ye Zichen hated guys like him.
But…. he didn’t want to trouble Liu Qing.
“I think….” Ye Zichen started to speak, but before he could, the youth cut him off.
“Brother, I had eyes but didn’t recognize Mount Tai. Please, for my Junior Apprentice Sister’s sake, let me go just this once. You’re old acquaintances, right?”
A hint of clear disdain flashed across Liu Qing’s face. Xuan Ji smiled an unnatural smile, then scanned both Liu Qing and the youth. Hidden in her sleeves, her fists clenched, but before long, she smiled despite herself.
She glanced pointedly at the mustached man, who nodded and disappeared in a flash.
Bang!
A loud boom soon followed. It was only then that the crowd saw that the begging youth’s legs were distorted at unnatural, irregular angles, and he seemed to have fallen unconscious.
The mustached man was still in his original location. It was as if he’d never moved; no one could even tell it was him.
“Wah, what happened to that boy? I’m afraid he said something to displease the Master of the Laws and suffered divine punishment. Look at how pitiful he is! Alright, since he’s so pathetic, I’ll make this choice on my nephew’s behalf; we won’t pursue this matter. Hurry up and take him home.”
Xuan Ji’s smile was full of surprise and pity. The mustached man who’d done the deed put his hand to his nose as if he felt ashamed on her behalf. He coughed lightly.
However, Xuan Ji just glanced at him, and he returned to his scrupulous, at-attention posture.
“Hurry up and leave. If you delay any longer, that kid’s leg might be crippled permanently.”
“Thank you for your leniency, Lady Providence.” The middle-aged man suppressed his bitter anger, hefted the youth onto his back, and left.
Before he’d taken more than a few steps, though, a crafty smile flashed across Xuan Ji’s face.
“Right, that girl beside you is Bi’an’s twelfth highness, right? When you go back, tell Bi’an I’ve taken a fancy to her. I want her as my nephew’s wife.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone, from Ye Zichen to Liu Qing and even that diviner froze, unsure of how to react.
“Lady Providence, I’m unwilling.” Liu Qing refused outright. Although the one standing before her was the Lady Providence, an expert whose every move filled the people’s hearts with terror, she showed no signs of fear. She expressed her displeasure openly.
“Who cares what you want?” Xuan Ji snorted. “When it comes to marriage, you must listen to your parents. My nephew is right here, so I can take responsibility for his side. As for you, you must naturally listen to Bi’an. If you want to know whether you’ll marry my nephew or not, we’ll have to ask Bi’an.”
“His Majesty won’t possibly agree,” Liu Qing said confidently.
“Is that the case? Then why don’t you contact him and ask?” Xuan Ji laughed.
“Alright.” Liu Qing nodded.
“Lady Providence.” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but speak up. This was all developing too quickly. How could they arrange a marriage just like that?
Besides, Ye Zichen didn’t want other people interfering with his love life.
His love life was complicated enough. Why did Lady Providence have to make it even more complicated?
“That’s a good boy, my dear nephew. Aunty knows you’re shy, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll agree to this marriage on your behalf. I quite like the look of this girl, so let’s bring her into the family. Do as I say.” Xuan Ji gently patted Ye Zichen on the shoulder, then shockingly, sent some inexplicable runes into the sky.
No one knew what they were for, so they just watched in a daze as the marks darkened against the sky.
Quite some time passed, but nothing happened. Finally, Xuan Ji put her hands on her hips and shouted, “Bi’an, do you agree or not? Say something!”
After a brief silence, a piece of golden paper floated down from the heavens. On its surface was a single character written in black ink.
It said….
“Approved!”
