Chapter 27: Fated

"You said you were raised by the Fire Wolf Tribe? Who found you? Who brought you home?"

"Brother Hai'er, Brother Hu and Brother Junjie found me. I ran into them fighting Brother Gong in 10 Thousand Beast Forrest and rescued them. I resolved the fight and they haven't stopped followed me since."

"Brother Gong? Who is that? Why were you fighting with him?"

"Um Uncle Bai, the Brother Gong Ling'er is referring to is a Supreme Level White Snae from the Snow Snake Tribe. We needed the Holly Berry Fruit from them and Brother Gong was trying to protect it.

Ling'er was on her way for that same item and heard our fight. She stopped the fight, healed everyone and then led us into the Snow Snake Tribe before making the elixir we needed while there.

After hearing that she was preparing to leave the Forrest shortly afterwards, we decided to tag along with her and we've been together ever since."

Fu Bai was both stunned and amazed.

"Ling'er, you're an alchemist?"

The others laughed as Leng Ling began blushing. Hu Feng spoke up then to explain causing Fu Bai to stumble back in shock.

"Alchemist, artificer and now array master as well."

"Your Mother was an amazing alchemist and artificer as well. But array master? I don't think she ever learnt that. You are very talented Ling'er. Even more so than your Mother."

"Thank you Father."

Leng Ling replied softly. She wasn't used to compliments and receiving too many of them made her feel uncomfortable.

"I think it's time I return home however. My adoptive siblings should be getting worried."

"Home? You aren't staying here at the Fu Family Residence?"

"No Father, I'm sorry. I was only here to set up an array for Brother Bohai and Brother Ru this time. I bought the old Mo Residence for myself and my adoptive siblings and our friends. It's late and they will be waiting for me for dinner now."

"I'm surprised Brother Bo hasn't contacted you already, Ling Ling. He's usually quite strict."

Fu Bai stared wide eyed at Long Junjie when he spoke in such a soft warm tone as Leng Ling rolled her eyes back at him. He had received too many shocks in such a short amount of time.

"Don't curse me, Brother Junjie. Now that you've said it, he bound to call me!"

The others laughed knowing how true her statement was. Within minutes a holographic image popped up on Leng Ling's bracelet and spoke, scaring her father.

"Ling'er, are you finished yet? Why aren't you heading home? Did you run into trouble? Do you need us to come and get you?"

"Relax Bo'er. We're finished now and I'll be home again shortly. We were just leaving now."

"Alright Ling'er. Hurry home quickly. Um... By the way... Who is that?"

Leng Bo nodded at Fu Bai in curiosity. He looked vaguely similar to Leng Ling so he assumed the man was related to her in some way.

"Oh... This is my biological father, Fu Bai. Father, this is my oldest adoptive brother Leng Bo. Bo'er is the new Fire Wolf Tribe King now that our parents have transcended."

The two men nodded to each other in greeting.

"Transcended? Your parents have reached Immortal Level?"

"They transcended almost a year ago." (Leng Bo)

"That's amazing. I wonder what the next continent is like? They must be enjoying it."

"Hmmm, they do love it there. Cultivation is much easier there and apparently there is a whole new level abover Immortal up there that we don't know anything about down here. They send us news and interesting plants, recipes and equipment to study regularly." (Leng Ling)

"Se... send you news regularly....? You're able to communicate with them while they're transcended?" (Tang Tao)

Fu Bai wasn't the only one stunned at that statement. Fu Ru and Tang Tao were also surprised.

"Oh, you didn't know yet, Brother Tang? The bracelet works in the next continent as well." (Leng Ling)

"Wait... Isn't your bracelet just a communication device? It's a rather special one, I admit since it can produce a holographic image. But it's just a communication device surely?" (Fu Bai)

"Father, watch closely."

Fu Ru took out a scroll and opened it showing his Father the contents. Slowly under his father's wide eyed stare, he placed it in the bracelet before gesturing to his cousin.

"Hai'er please?"

Fu Bohai in turn pulled a scroll out of his own bracelet and opened it to show the exact some contents Fu Ru had held before.

Fu Bai seemed to have turned to stone in his shock. His eyes kept moving between his son's bracelet to his nephew's once while he tried to process exactly what happened.

"This... This... This bracelet is Immortal grade?! Where did you get it?"

"Ling Ling made it. Her alchemy and arrays are also of the same grade."

Long Junjie wrapped an arm around Leng Ling's waist as he looked down proudly at his fiance as he spoke. She glared at him in annoyance before removing it since they were in the presence of her Father who's eyes had suddenly darkened at the Crown Prince's actions.

"Your... Your Highness... Unmarried men and women should keep their distance from each other."

"Ling Ling is my fiance. My future Crown Princess Consort. Why should I keep my distance from her?"

Long Junjie's expression turned cold as he stared at his future Father-in-law.

"Fiance?! What?! Oh... The marriage agreement between your Empress Mother and Li'er. But still, engagement is not yet marriage, Your Highness. Please don't touch Ling'er so easily. If anything happens to break that contract, her reputation would be left in ruins."

"Who dares to break our marriage agreement?! Ling'er will be of marriageable age in only a few months time. We will marry then. I'd like to see who'd try to separate us then!"

"But... Your Highness hates women getting close to you."

Fu Bai looked confused. Long Junjie was known as a cold frightening man. He had been known the chop the hand off of any woman who tried to touch him and if one dared to enter his residence, they were usually returned in a casket.

"Those women weren't my fiance. How would I be able to face Ling Ling if I let another woman into my presence so easily?"

"That's funny. You were harassing me long before you remembered the marriage agreement between us existed. I had taken you as a player until I saw you throw the Li Family Miss to the ground in the Forrest."

Leng Ling's tone was cold and sarcastic as she spoke. It sent shivers down Long Junjie's spine as he quickly turned to her with a pleading expression, grabbing her hands as he spoke.

"Ling Ling. Ling Ling. I didn't mean to forget about it. I was just too amazed at your beauty and talent at the time. The fact that I was so distracted by you already before remembering it, just means we're fated to be together."

"You also said we have 5 years before the marriage contract has to be fulfilled. Why the rush as soon as I'm of marriageable age? Have you asked my opinion of the matter? I don't agree to marrying so young!"

"Ling Ling, I don't want to be separated from you much longer. It's already taken us 15 years to meet."

"So? Why does that mean we need to rush it? I think we should wait the full 5 years. I hardly know you. Who knows if you will betray me once we get married? I don't want to marry only for you to throw a pile of concubines at me. I refuse to share my husband with anyone else. It's bad enough I've been hearing my so called cousin claiming to be your fiance. Who knows how many others will come out of the woodwork claiming the same."

Leng Ling pulled her hands out of his and began walking away.

"I'm going home. For once, don't follow me. I want to be alone."

Before anyone could blink, the girl was gone.

"You rushed too fast Jun'er. Ling'er isn't ready yet. You know how long it took just to get her used to our presence let alone for her to let you touch her."

Fu Bohai patted Long Junjie's shoulder in sympathy.

"Let her be for tonight. Go see her tomorrow. Take it slowly."

Hu Feng patted his other shoulder. The others may not be aware, but these two friends knew exactly how much effort Long Junjie had put in just to get to the level of relationship the couple had. Leng Ling has always kept a certain distance from them, no matter how close they seemed.

Long Junjie was even more aware then they are at how stiff she was whenever he held her waist. Her hands usually felt cold when he held them. She had slowly been softening up to his touch during the time she had been living his residence but she seems to have put the barrier back up now that she was living in her own residence. He clenched his fists. His mind was full of the strange pain he had seen in his fiance's eyes before she left. 'It looks like I will have to step up my persistence in breaking down Ling Ling's barriers.'

"At least I can reassure Ling Ling of one thing. She will be my only wife. There will be no concubines. There will only be her."

Fu Bai looked stunned at His Highness's statement. He'd never seen anyone talk back to him let alone a woman refuse him and storm off. It was usually the other way around. Never mind the unusual idea of no concubines. It was normal for a man to have concubines. Even the Emperor had many concubines let alone himself. His current wife was a concubine previously before her disappearance.

"Your Highness, you are both still young. Ling'er is unreasonable to demand such a thing from yourself, the Crown Prince. You will be Emperor after your Father. It is unheard of for a man to not have several concubines along with his wife. She will mature as she gets older and become more understanding of the situation."

"What's unreasonable about Ling Ling not wanting to share her husband? I don't want to share my wife, so why shouldn't she want the same. It's not unreasonable to want a one life, one love relationship to me. All other women but her disgust me anyway so it's not such a hardship to give up the harem for a single wife."

Long Junjie had had enough of the Fu Family Residence by now and left straight after that. Tang Tao and Hu Feng followed him after saying their good-byes.