Chapter 145

They looked each other in the eye. For the moment, time seemed to stagnate. They could see nothing but each other.

“Ahem… Um…” Looking at their affectionate eyes, Huangfu Cang was a bit disgruntled with his dark eyes slightly glittering. He put his fist at his lips and coughed twice.

Hearing Huangfu Cang’s cough, the two of them turned their gaze away. Duanmu Xi blushed and lowered her head, not daring to take another glance at Xuanyuan Mo anymore.

Xuanyuan Mo also blushed a bit. At the thought of her bashful appearance, he felt a heat in his body.

Huangfu Cang looked at Duanmu Xi’s bashful bearing and sighed inwardly. Then, he glanced at Xuanyuan Mo again.

“Since Xi likes you, I will acknowledge you as my grandson-in-law then. However, the wedding mustn’t be held in Baihu but Qinglong. Everything is ready in Qinglong. You shall return to Qinglong with us tomorrow.”

He talked in such a majestic manner. Clearly, he was not negotiating with Xuanyuan Mo at all. Instead, he was ordering.

Everyone present understood what Huangfu Cang meant. He agreed on their marriage but Duanmu Xi couldn’t marry into Baihu.

Duanmu Xue’s mouth twitched in secret. Father just acted on his own. The wedding must be held in Qinglong? Xi was the crown princess of the Zhuque Empire. Of course the wedding must be held in Zhuque. How could the wedding be held in Qinglong?

Duanmu Xue disagreed with Huangfu Cang but she didn’t say anything. She knew that the current focus was not whether the wedding should be held in Qinglong or Zhuque but the wedding couldn’t be held in Baihu.

Xuanyuan Mo stared at Huangfu Cang with a shimmer of malice flashing across his amber eyes. Was Huangfu Cang ordering him? He had lived for hundreds of thousands of years. No one had ever dared to talk to him like this. Huangfu Cang was the first one. Given that Huangfu Cang was her grandpa, he could let it go this time.

Xuanyuan Mo’s arrogant eyes made a rush of fury well up in Huangfu Cang’s heart. How dared this brat look at him like this? If it were not because Xi liked this brat, Huangfu Cang wouldn’t accept the brat as his grandson-in-law.

Their sharp gazes met and the two rushes of fierceness collided. For the moment, the grim atmosphere spread in the whole imperial study as if a storm arose.

Looking at the two of them clashing intangibly, Duanmu Xi was the most anxious one. She knew that her grandpa just couldn’t bear to let her marry into a faraway family. And now, Snow had lost his memory about her. They were both her most important people. She really didn’t want to see them in a conflict.

As Xuanyuan Lie felt the tense atmosphere, his forehead was beaded with sweat.

He thought, “You stupid brat! Since you want to marry his granddaughter, you should just lie low and talk sweetly. How can you make the atmosphere so tense? Do you want to marry his granddaughter or not?”

He kept winking at his son but Xuanyuan Mo just didn’t take a look at him at all. Xuanyuan Lie had no choice but to brace himself to get between them, “Emperor of Qinglong, the wedding will be held tomorrow. I’m afraid that it will be too late to change the place so hastily.”

Huangfu Cang turned his gaze away to look at Xuanyuan Lie and narrowed his dark eyes, “If it is too late, just change the date.”

His harsh tone contained deep disgruntlement. If it were not for Xi’s insistence on marrying Xuanyuan Mo, he would definitely cancel the wedding.

Huangfu Cang’s angry words made Xuanyuan Lie stiffen and speechless for the moment.

Seeing Huangfu Cang fly into a rage, Duanmu Xi hastened to go forward and dragged him to sit on the chair aside.

“Grandpa, don’t be mad.” Duanmu Xi helped soothe Huangfu Cang’s breath and meanwhile cast a glance at Xuanyuan Mo.

Upon meeting Duanmu Xi’s glance, Xuanyuan Mo immediately turned his face aside with a guilty conscience.

Duanmu Xi stroked Huangfu Cang gently again and again, which finally made Huangfu Cang less angry. Huangfu Cang grabbed Duanmu Xi’s hand and said softly, “Xi, would you not marry him? Just go back home with me, okay?”

Hearing that, Xuanyuan Mo was flustered and subconsciously turned to look at Duanmu Xi. He was afraid of hearing her say yes. He was afraid that she would leave him. He was afraid that she would disappear from his world. At the thought that he would never meet her again, he started to feel flurried and agitated. He even couldn’t breathe smoothly.

Suddenly, he figured out how he felt for her. He liked her. He had never cared about romantic feelings before but now, he had fallen in love with a woman.

Looking at Huangfu Cang’s imploring eyes, Duanmu Xi felt her heart aching. Deep guilt and self-condemnation welled up in her heart. Her dark purple eyes were also filled with tears.

She really wanted to say, “Okay, let’s go back home.”

However, she couldn’t. She couldn’t go back home with him yet. She must help Snow retrieve his memory. She couldn’t leave Snow like this. Duanmu Xi knelt with a thump, making all the people present feel pity for her.

“Xi…” They all shouted anxiously.

Xuanyuan Mo rushed to Duanmu Xi and wanted to drag her up. Yet, he didn’t find it appropriate so he held back his impulse to carry her in his arms and leave. Then, he turned his face away pitifully and couldn’t bear to see her.

“Xi, you…”

Huangfu Cang hastened to help Duanmu Xi up in astonishment but she was unwilling to rise and then gave him a kowtow, sobbing, “Grandpa, I’m sorry.”

When Duanmu Xi raised her head, her face was covered with tears.

Seeing that Duanmu Xi shed tears, Huangfu Cang felt his heart was almost broken. There seemed to be tears in his eyes.

“Xi, get up,” Huangfu Cang said while helping Duanmu Xi up affectionately.

Duanmu Xi shook her head and still didn’t want to rise. She said to Huangfu Cang, “Grandpa, I have something to say.”

“Get up first.” Huangfu Cang insisted. Seeing his precious granddaughter kneeling like this, he felt a pricking pain in his heart.

Staring at her grandpa who adored her so much, Duanmu Xi really hated to say the following words. Even more tears rolled down her face.

“Xi, don’t cry. My heart is almost broken.” With a worried face, Huangfu Cang wiped the tears off Duanmu Xi with his sleeve clumsily.

Grandpa…

Duanmu Xi closed her eyes and kowtowed again, saying sobbingly, “Grandpa, I demand resigning as the crown princess.”

Her sobbing voice was full of sorrow and self-condemnation.

“What… What did you say?” Huangfu Cang widened his eyes in shock and stared at his precious granddaughter in disbelief.

Not only Huangfu Cang but all the people present were astounded by Duanmu Xi’s words.

Duanmu Xue and Huangfu Che stared at Duanmu Xi pitifully. They knew their daughter well. They knew that she was determined to marry into Xuanyuan Mo’s family.

Xuanyuan Lie was also very shocked. He didn’t expect that she would demand abolishing her position as the crown princess. This must take a lot of courage. She really didn’t care about the power and status that everyone strived for in the Hantian Continent at all. Mo did have a good eye. She was a woman who deserved his love.

Xuanyuan Mo had complicated feelings now. He was happy that she could stay for his sake; he was grieved that she had to sacrifice so much for him; he was also guilty that he had asked her to marry into his family without thinking for her. On second thought, it didn’t matter that much whether she married into his family or he married to hers. As long as they could be together, other things just wouldn’t matter.

“Grandpa, I want to marry Snow. I will marry into Baihu, making it no longer appropriate for me to be the crown princess. Hence, I demand abolishing my position as the crown princess. Please grant my request!” After saying that, Duanmu Xi just bent down to kowtow again with tears on her face.

“Grandpa, I’m sorry.” Duanmu Xi’s eyes were full of self-condemnation and guilt.

Looking at his daughter, Huangfu Che seemed to see the old him back then. He was also so stubborn and reckless. He understood her and supported her. Yet, he just felt sorry for his father, who had to suffer the pain again.

“You…” Huangfu Cang looked at Duanmu Xi staggeringly, his dark eyes filled with agony. Xi was as stubborn and spoony as her father. He didn’t expect that what happened 16 years ago would repeat itself.

Seeing Huangfu Cang who was about to collapse, Duanmu Xi just kept shedding her tears and strived to keep herself from making any sound.

Seeing Duanmu Xi like this, Xuanyuan Mo felt so suffocatingly painful. He went forward to half kneel by Duanmu Xi and then held her into his arms gently.

Duanmu Xi sobbed quietly in Xuanyuan Mo’s arms. Her tears wetted his clothes and also burned his heart.

He turned to face Huangfu Cang and knelt on two knees, staring into Huangfu Cang’s eyes and saying seriously, “I will always love her. Please grant us your permission.”

His words were simple yet sincere.

Duanmu Xi raised her head to look at Xuanyuan Mo in shock. He was such a proud man. Now, he was kneeling in front of her grandpa to ask for permission for her sake.

Huangfu Cang glimpsed Xuanyuan Mo and saw that there was no arrogance and unyieldingness in his eyes anymore. His eyes only contained sincerity and deep grief. It must be due to Xi that he reluctantly put aside his pride and bowed to Huangfu Cang.

“Rise. Fine, you have my permission.”

Hearing that, Xuanyuan Mo helped Duanmu Xi up.

Huangfu Cang looked at the tearful Duanmu Xi and said seriously, “I can approve of your marriage but I won’t agree to abolish your position of the crown princess. Whether you are in Baihu or Zhuque, you are always the crown princess of the Qinglong Empire.”

“Grandpa…” Hearing that, Duanmu Xi looked up at Huangfu Cang in shock.

“Enough. I’ve made up my mind.” He picked her not only because she had contracted with the mythical creature of the Qinglong Empire but also because of her own temperament and decency as well as her exceptionally vigorous way of acting. She was the best candidate for being a monarch. She was even more suitable than her father for governing an empire. His choice wouldn’t be wrong.

Duanmu Xi was so touched. She knew that it must be really hard for her grandpa to make such a decision. She was Huangfu Cang’s granddaughter indeed but her family name was Duanmu. Back then, he had taken great pains to make her the crown princess. Now, she was going to marry into the Baihu Empire, which made the situation even worse. Although he was the emperor of the Qinglong Empire who had the right to decide his heir, the empire didn’t belong to him only. He still had to appease the folks, the civil and military officials, and his sons and grandsons.