63 Lingling 2

I found myself in a room surrounded by the clan's elder and Yuan who had some maid around him, all the gazes focused on me.

Seeing Yuan, I couldn't help to think of Haotian. Both of them were like two peas in a pod, they could be easily confused as twins. Without taking into consideration their different hair color, Yuan was an exact copy of a little younger Haotian.

However, not even for a moment, I confused Yuan and Haotian as their simple temperament and aura were too different.

Haotian was calmer and more contained, all his movements seemed to be previously prepared and he carried an air of dignity and nobility around him. However, under that facade, I could feel something powerful inside him.

On the other hand, Yuan's aura was overbearing and unruly. His demeanor shouted arrogance as he seemed to look down on the world, and by the strength that leaked around him, he had some reasons for that.

If Haotian was a sheathed sword waiting for the kill, Yuan was a sharp sword bathed in blood.

"I greet master Tè. I'm Xie Lingling. It's an honor to finally meet you." I knelt on the floor, showing my respects while keeping my head lowered and unable to see his expression as I had been taught before.

"So you are my girl now" I could feel Yuan approaching me, circling around me while muttering something.

Finally, he stopped in front of me and lowered his body. I felt his hand over my chin as he lifted my face, our eyes meeting each other.

That piercing shining purple eyes weren't ones looking at a person, they were looking at me as property, analyzing me if I fulfilled his demands. It was the eyes of someone who compares fruits over the market.

Of course, I wasn't upset or offended by him. That was normal as I was only an object for him to take.

"Not bad" Yuan nodded as his eyes undressed me, a grin appearing over his face "Let's see if you meet up my expectations."

Yuan took out his shirt, showing his bare upper body. His body was quite muscular while keeping his lean figure. Also, a lot of scratches and pass injuries could be seen over his body showing the effort that he had put over his body, stressing it over his own limit to obtain a strong body.

The thing that caught the most attention was a big scar that started over his left shoulder and going down to his right leg. That plus the piercing scar extremely near his heart showed that he had almost died, the wounds being severe enough to kill a person if not instantly treated.

"Heal it" He ordered me with a commanding voice while pointed at his scars.

I nodded, invoking my Nine Heart Flowering Apple surrounded by two yellow and two purple spirit rings. The wounds were already long healed so I knew that I won't require much strength to make them disappear so only my first spirit ring shined.

"Heal!" Blue flowers started blooming around me, directing over Yuan's body and disappearing inside him.

Yuan's body glowed with a green light and quickly his scars and injuries started closing under everyone's eyes. I was already used to heal such injuries on myself, so it was nothing much.

"Great" Seeing his upper body devoid of any injury, Yuan smiled.

"Does our young lady meet the young master's demands?" Xie Xiu's father asked very respectfully.

"Yes. She would be a great help for my clan's strength." Yuan nodded "The deal is accepted, we will have the wedding ceremony next month and your clan would become under our protection."

"We are very thankful" The elders bowed towards Yuan "We will make sure everything is ready and perfect for that date."

"You better do it" Yuan said threateningly. Then he turned one last time to me "I look forward to our time together." He said licking his lips before he turned away and without even saying goodbye, left the room with his maids.

"Don't dare to do anything that could break this contract" Xie Xiu spatted at me, kicking my stomach.

I quickly healed any possible internal injury and answered "I won't"

...

The preparations went full speed, all needing to be perfect by the time the Tè Clan's reception in our clan and for the wedding ceremony.

Of course, I was taught about Tè Clan, preparing myself to be Yuan's perfect wife. But not a lot of information was known about them as they kept most of it away.

About the Tè Clan preferences, I discovered that they bet for polygamy. Their members, especially the head and heirs, having multiples wives in search of strong descendants, the one with the greatest potential and strongest strength becoming the heir. The wives being treated as a little more than breeders, clearly under their husband as I always expected my marriage to be.

From what I was told, the Tè Clan was one of that secret clan that preferred to hide away from the world. But their strength couldn't be ignored, the head of the clan and Yuan's father had recently broken through the Spirit Douluo realm, showing the capabilities to be the future master of the Xie Clan.

However, what make the elders of my clan very eager to accept them was their future potential. They were quite strong now, but it wasn't anything comparing with Yuan's talent.

He was 13 years old and was already a Spirit Ancestor. Moreover, I was told that his spirit was incredibly strong, being enough to defeat spirit masters of higher realms. Overwhelming, they called it and it would only become better in the future.

The Tè Clan could become one of the strongest clans of the continent and with me at Yuan's side, the Xie Clan would benefit tremendously from it, I myself become his queen.

I didn't really doubt their future, Yuan clearly seemed strong and I had already seen Haotian's strength as it was clear that Haotian was also from the Tè Clan. That would be Haotian's group secret. He, Biyun and Meijing should be all part of the Tè Clan.

But I found something suspicious about it. Why the three of them went out of the clan and attended Heaven Dou Academy?

The Tè Clan was a hidden clan that usually hid and even if they were preparing for the future where they would be able to show their strength, it didn't have any sense for Haotian to show his face rather than Yuan as the heir.

Moreover, if Yuan was the heir, it meant that he was stronger or at least had better potential than Haotian. Why such strong, beautiful and talented girls such as Biyun and Meijing were with Haotian instead of with the heir?

Learning about Yuan's family, I was told that he had only one big brother, Tè Huoyi, and that he was six years his senior and a Spirit King. There was no trace of Haotian as it was clear that Huoyi wasn't him.

Had Haotian's group escaped or been abandoned by the Tè Clan? It seemed unlikely, they weren't strong enough to escape and the Tè Clan wouldn't abandon such talents.

I really couldn't discover the truth, but it didn't matter much. My fate was already written, I was mean to marry Yuan and serve the Tè Clan.

I knew that that was what I was mean to do, but somehow I couldn't forget two things. One was the warmth of the Ice and Fire Well that now resided in Haotian and the other were Biyun's words "Love".

Could that warm over my body be considered love? Could it be possible for me to experiment with happiness and recover my emotions like Biyun with Haotian?

I knew that I, as a doll, shouldn't think about this, but I wanted to try it at least one time and for that, I would need to return to Heaven Dou Academy.

Now that my clan had found a backing, there wasn't any need to show off me over the world, so there wasn't any meaning in continue attending Heaven Dou Academy. However, I convinced my elders to go myself one last time, personally presenting my resignation to my teachers as to not taint the honor of the clan.

The elders accepted it and I gained the opportunity to return one last time and finally solving my doubts.

Arriving at the academy, I meet the board of education and explain to them my decision of leaving the academy for family reasons. The board quickly accepting. Even if they were very regretful of losing such a talent, especially when she was part of the Emperor Team that would compete shortly at the Continental Tournament, they didn't try to stop her, knowing better than go against the clan's decisions being common in nobility.

After finishing that, I met Haotian, trying to find the answer to my doubts. Then, I kissed him.

Kissing him, I felt... nothing. Like I expected, my feelings had been already long lost, my body unable to feel anything and the kiss wasn't any different. Yes, my spirit was happy to being close to Haotian but nothing else.

There wasn't any 'love'. I thanked Haotian for his help and left. Finally, to end my visit, I prepared a letter to Biyun telling her about my wedding with the Tè Clan and that I wouldn't return. She had been the closest to me and even if I wouldn't call her a friend, she was my partner.

After letting the letter over her room, I took my carriage and returned to my clan, prepared for my fate. I was a doll and I would be owned by the Tè Clan.