This ti, there was no pledge between the two, aningless.
There was no need to talk about staying there to start a family and educate children together; Zhao Changhe himself had never planned such things, and roaming together was their chosen path.
When tired of flying, one eventually has to land.
Just like now, resting in his arms, their position hadn’t changed from start to finish.
He held her, his chin resting on her shoulder, listening to her imparting knowledge and ntoring, feeling a sense of peace.
She, leaning in his embrace, felt the sa tranquility.
"This banquet is really not to my liking, shall we go back after eating our fill?" Yue Hongling muttered absent-mindedly as she stared at the bonfire below, curling her lips in disapproval, "Boring, we might as well go back for Dual Cultivation."
It wasn’t clear if she truly found it boring, or if holding on to him for so long had stirred her emotions and made her crave more intimacy but found the occasion inappropriate.
Zhao Changhe grinned, thinking that talking about this now really sounded like paying taxes... But it was still early, and the effect of the pain transference charm had not faded yet, how uninteresting...
Zhao Changhe shifted his gaze and saw Sisi, holding a scepter like Athena, giving orders to her little maids near a statue, seemingly about to form a queen’s guard with clever and trustworthy won. The strict and serious expression on her face as she selected candidates was very unlike Sisi.
Zhao Changhe gave his own buttocks a slap.
Yue Hongling: "?"
Sisi suddenly clutched her behind in the distance and looked around, and the sacred and stern aura instantly dissipated.
Yue Hongling had no idea about these antics and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Zhao Changhe coughed, "There was a mosquito on ," he said and scratched himself.
Sisi nearly jumped up.
Zhao Changhe laughed out loud. He finally understood why San Niang was always seen laughing foolishly; so things are indeed only enjoyable alone.
Yue Hongling didn’t know what he was up to, and thought to herself, "Never mind, we’ve just had Dual Cultivation. I don’t want to seem insatiable. I’m not pretending to be Sisi after all."
Zhao Changhe: "emmmm..."
In fact, it was Zhao Changhe himself who was unsatisfied since the charm had numbed his sensations; if not for the fact that Dual Cultivation indeed helped his injuries, he’d have no idea who he was working for all afternoon.
Yue Hongling turned and left his embrace, smiling, "Thinking about it, it might not be appropriate for you to leave. There might be so matters that need your say, after all, you are the True Saint Envoy. I am clueless about all this, standing and staring here doesn’t matter to , it’s better for to go back and heal, and to consolidate the advances in the Second Layer Secret Treasure."
Zhao Changhe nodded; that made sense. Hongling was fed up with these politically charged ceremonies and would prefer to rest. She could be absent, but his presence was essential to handle any situation that could arise.
For instance, right now, extending his Five Senses, he overheard many discussing the coronation of the Holy Daughter as the Queen, wondering "what instructions the Saint Envoy would have."
Huh, Sisi wanted to be Queen?
Interesting.
After satisfying her appetite, Yue Hongling casual left to heal and rest. The mont she left, Sisi slipped in and glared at him resentfully, "What are you doing?"
"Ah?"
"Ah what?" Sisi bit her lip and moved closer, "All desire, no courage. If you dare, go ahead and scratch."
Zhao Changhe looked skyward.
Sisi purred, "Do you like my outfit today?"
Zhao Changhe sneaked a glance, unable to deny that such attire added an air of authority and nobility, a different feel from the usual half-naked Demoness style.
Especially with a scepter in hand, it did have a certain allure.
"Is that your King’s Robe?"
"Sothing like that... You heard?"
"Hm?"
"What do you think? Do you approve?"
Zhao Changhe was taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh, "Do I really have to permit you... As long as I’ve agreed not to enslave you, whatever you decide to do is fine."
Though his words were ant to reassure Sisi, her eyes oddly filled with a hint of disappointnt. She quickly composed herself and whispered, "But I want to listen to the master."
Zhao Changhe said, "Is that so?"
Sisi sighed, "Yes."
Sisi knew she’d tasted the bitter fruit of her own deception—the backlash of once trying to control him. Now, Zhao Changhe didn’t trust her words completely; he always suspected there was so ulterior motive.
And yet, no other motive remained. No woman could resist a man willing to take on a thousand cuts to save her.
But you couldn’t bla Zhao Changhe for his mistrust—the "boy who cried wolf" was a classic tale.
A woman who had been acting from the mont they t until their reunion... Sisi couldn’t even trust if there were any traces left in her of playing the victim.
"Just do it." Zhao Changhe was saying, "I hadn’t thought about it before, but now, seeing the big picture, it’s a matter of following the trend... And although kingdoms are outdated, compared to tribal governance, it’s a significant advancent in civilization. No reason to hold it back."
Sisi: "?"
His words were puzzling—what advancents, what backwardness?
Zhao Changhe said, "I think I understand why tonight’s banquet is so solemn, it’s actually a prelude to a coronation, isn’t it?"
"Yes, the rituals of ancestor worship, praying to the gods, and petitioning have all been completed, just waiting for the words of the Saint Envoy," Sisi said. "Do you see that statue over there?"
Zhao Changhe nodded. An abstract statue, it was unclear what it represented, felt like a mishmash of various animals. But the statue itself wasn’t anything precious, it must be newly carved; the true statues of the last epoch were probably long destroyed in the collapse of the epoch.
Sisi said, "That’s the image of our Ancestor God, our Holy Temple is right there. If you agree, then let’s go over now, announce it publicly, then create so kind of light or illusion around the god’s statue, and my coronation will be complete. It might seem hasty to the people of Xia?"
"That’s about right, all that tediousness is ridiculous," Zhao Changhe said. "And we still need to concoct an illusion at this point?"
"The stubborn, the conservatives, and those who are unsatisfied always exist. We need sothing to quell them; otherwise, blood might be shed. These illusions, they might not believe in them, but what can they do when their Tribes do?"
"Makes sense," Zhao Changhe shook his head, taking her hand. "Let’s go then. Once the coronation is over, Hongling finds this environnt boring anyway. Isn’t it better to finish early and start celebrating tomorrow with songs and dances?"
Sisi looked at him holding her hand and smiled sweetly.
This wasn’t taking liberties, it had beco a matter of intimacy out of habit.
By the ti they arrived in front of the Holy Temple’s statue, quite a number of tribe mbers were already waiting. Seeing the two of them approach, they all bowed down in worship.
Zhao Changhe indeed noticed so people looking dissatisfied. Perhaps Sisi hadn’t told the whole truth. This dissatisfaction might not necessarily be due to stubborn conservatism or disapproval of Sisi herself. They seed to respect Sisi quite a bit, and it felt like their discontent was rather directed at him, the Saint Envoy... because he was from Xia?
Considering that the people of Xia who had co to aid them were still encamped at the foot of the mountain, with not a single one allowed up, it seed highly likely.
Zhao Changhe felt displeased. Indeed, the matters between tribe and state couldn’t just be resolved with favor alone.
Favors are quickly forgotten, as if they were entitled to them.
Instead, they felt uncomfortable at the thought of being commanded, or perhaps that the Holy Daughter was being propped up by a man of Xia?
Lost in thought, Sisi slowly stepped in front of the statue, raised the Scepter high, and proclaid loudly, "The Saint Envoy conveys the Divine Oracle of the Ancestor God, from this day forth, the Spirit Clan shall be acknowledged as a nation!"
At the sa ti, unbeknownst to what arrangents she had made with so maids on the statue, a brilliant light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the night sky.
Soone frowned slightly, glancing at Zhao Changhe.
What about the promised Divine Oracle?
Such tricks, who would they fool...
Just as he was about to speak up, Zhao Changhe, unfazed, stealthily joined the third page of the Heavenly Book to the statue.
Thereupon, images of dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, Vermilion Birds, Xuanwu, including their Holy Beast, the Blood Turtle, and the primal life and power they represented spread in all directions.
The frowner stood agape, the words he intended to say stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single word.
Before the Holy Temple, silence reigned, then like dominoes being toppled, the quiet started at the mountaintop, down to the middle of the mountain, to the foot of the mountain, a hundred thousand mbers of the Spirit Clan stood speechless, staring at the celestial phenonon above.
Why were the people of the Spirit Clan called so? It wasn’t because of the Blood Turtle, nor because of the gu.
It was also due to their spirit of communication with beasts.
Such a celestial phenonon of all beasts auspiciously appearing was not a sign of the clan’s god, then what else could it be?
After being stunned for the ti it takes to drink half a cup of tea, an elder of the clan, awakened in spirit, shouted loudly, "We heed the Divine Oracle!"
In an instant, there was a roar from the top to the bottom of the Holy Mountain, "We heed the Divine Oracle!"
Sisi raised the Scepter high.
"All hail Your Majesty!"
"All hail Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please enter the Holy Temple!"
"Boom!" The golden doors burst open loudly, revealing a vast hall, with bright pearls dazzling as if it were daylight.
Sisi draped her gown and slowly entered, followed by a crowd who stepped forth with each bow.
Zhao Changhe glanced around, the Holy Temple was surrounded by divine beast statues, with the chief seat in the center crafted out of pure gold, resplendent and shining.
Sisi whispered an explanation, "This Holy Temple was forrly used by the Clan Leader for the main sacrifice. Since the subjugation of the Forbidden Land, the Holy Temple has never been opened... for fear of a misunderstanding with the Forbidden Land."
Zhao Changhe thought to himself that this was not what I wanted to know, but how such a small corner of a clan could indeed indulge in luxury, the gold, these Luminous Pearls, tsk...
Perhaps this is what being a king is.
After pondering, he took bold strides forward, and surprisingly took a seat on the main throne first.
Constantly granting favors will only make them feel entitled, you need to command respect. Pretending back then, these fools’ reverence exceeded even the present, which was laughable.
Indeed, sitting high on the throne, having the Spirit Clan mbers co in one by one, kneeling, actually left them without any argunt, with not one daring to utter a peep.
Sisi was montarily taken aback, then quickly understanding, she smiled slightly and knelt before him, "Please bestow blessings, Saint Envoy."
Zhao Changhe said indifferently, "Have everyone wait outside."
At that ti, only Sisi was inside, while others were still at the threshold of the outer door, and upon hearing this, they looked up in astonishnt.
Zhao Changhe waved his hand, his Control Crane Skill accurately operated the chanism of the Stone Gate.
With a "rumble," the door closed, and while kneeling outside, they watched the man sit upon their sacred throne and the newly-crowned Queen kneel before him as she slowly bowed her head.
"Boom," the Stone Gate shut tightly, cutting off their view.
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