Chapter 183: Beyond Redemption

Although the guests around had witnessed the entire process of the incident, they actually had no idea what exactly had transpired between Rayan and Phoenix Lady. They truly believed Phoenix Lady wanted to help Rayan, and they themselves wanted to curry favor with Rayan. So, when faced with Phoenix Lady's inquiry, they all responded:

"Whatever the lady decides, we support Lord Rayan."

"You… all think this way?"

"Yes, we all do!"

Phoenix Lady did not expect such a unanimous turn of events. Even if one person had objected, she could have leveraged that, but in the large banquet hall, half of the people pretended to be drunk, lying on the tables, some were genuinely intoxicated and could barely speak clearly, and the remaining ones were hopelessly stupid.

It would have been better if Redwood patriarch or Holy Light envoy Eileen were present. They would surely have spoken up in opposition, but unfortunately, they too had been cleared out of the banquet by Phoenix Lady. Who could she now expect to oppose her?

Thinking about how she came full of enthusiasm and cunning to hunt the "beast," yet accidentally stepped into her own carefully laid trap, Phoenix Lady felt a surge of annoyance. She turned her head and asked her nephew, "What does the Firebird patriarch think?"

Although she had little hope for Marquis Hart, Phoenix Lady still blinked suggestively, "What do you think, Firebird patriarch?"

"My thoughts are—"

Marquis Hart seriously declared his loyalty, "Whatever my aunt says is right! The Firebird family always prides itself on my aunt!"

Phoenix Lady slightly pursed her lips, but this almost imperceptible expression of disappointment quickly vanished. She turned to look at Black Armor Commander Trevor, "Commander, what is your opinion?"

"I am not a noble, it's not my place to point fingers." Trevor responded coolly.

Phoenix Lady seemed to grasp a lifeline, hurriedly and encouragingly said, "Lord Trevor, though you are not a noble, you are familiar with the law and are also the adjudicator of this tournament. Your status and position are surely sufficient, please speak freely, whatever you say, it doesn't matter."

Trevor no longer demurred. After a detached glance at Rayan, he said, "The law does not forbid a Gold-edged noble from becoming a Silver-edged noble's Oath Knight. Therefore, as long as Lord Rayan volunteers, and the oath recipient Lady Spring Rain agrees as well, then others have no right to interfere."

Phoenix Lady involuntarily clenched her fist, her nails piercing through the silk handkerchief in her hand and deeply embedding into the flesh of her palm.

Trevor's answer made things even worse. Phoenix Lady's look towards Trevor carried an added layer of venom, but Trevor just acted as if he saw nothing, his expression still stern as he stood in place.

Now, Phoenix Lady was left with one last hope. She gently combed her fingers through her hair and turned around with a doting smile, "Then, my dear Spring Rain, what do you think? Becoming an Oath Knight is not a trivial matter; I think you should consider it carefully, at least think about it a bit longer—"

"I have already considered it."

Spring Rain answered without hesitation: "Logically, as a Silver-edged noble, I really shouldn't accept Lord Rayan's gracious offer, but if I truly refused, I'd be a complete fool, so my answer is: I am willing."

Phoenix Lady's face turned pale as if she had applied too much powder today, and at that moment, it seemed like the powder couldn't hold on and was about to fall off her face.

Spring Rain's words undoubtedly ended her schemes but did not end her desire for Rayan. She stared intently at Rayan, asking slowly, "I am curious, Lord Rayan, why must you become the Oath Knight for my deceased nephew's widow?"

"Protect her."

Rayan knew in his heart that if he answered it was to participate in the tournament, then Phoenix Lady would surely say he was not qualified to be an Oath Knight. "Please witness our oath."

"Don't rush."

Lady Phoenix suddenly stood up, her laughter chillingly out of character, "Lord Rayan, you must understand, Lady Spring Rain is my treasured possession, so I must ask clearly, there are too many people here, please come with me to the inner hall, I need to talk to you alone."

This request sounded very gracious, but Rayan knew that a private conversation would definitely not be the same as the current scene. He frowned, sitting in his seat without moving. "Can't you ask here?"

"Come or not, up to you."

Phoenix Lady dropped these words and walked off toward the inner hall on her own.

Rayan knew it was inevitable, so he didn't think too much about it anymore, only giving Lady Spring Rain a reassuring look before following Phoenix Lady into the inner hall.

Once inside, Phoenix Lady's fury erupted unchecked. She almost pounced on Rayan, beating his chest with clenched fists like iron, cursing while hitting, "You heartless dead man, I treated you so well, yet you flirt with that pretending-to-be-pure young widow! Flirting is one thing, but to become her Oath Knight! Do you want to sleep with her? Are the grapes on her chest sweet? Or does she have gold between her legs? She—ah!"

Rayan, disgusted, grabbed her arms, causing her to cry out in pain before he threw them off, "I've spared you this time, but once I become Spring Rain's Oath Knight, if you dare insult her again in my presence, I will thrust the Crow Sword into your mouth."

Phoenix Lady rubbed her arms, annoyed, and reached for Rayan's groin, only to be coldly rebuffed. She bitterly said, "In what ways am I inferior to Spring Rain? In terms of intelligence, a hundred Spring Rains would not match me, in terms of appearance and body, I have everything she has and more, and can give you more pleasure, why are you so unromantic?"

Rayan coldly said, "It's not that I am unromantic, it's that you harbor desires you shouldn't. You do indeed match Spring Rain in looks, and are indeed a hundred times smarter, but in my eyes, Spring Rain is a pure and flawless snow lotus, while you, are just a vicious beast."

Phoenix Lady felt like she had been punched, the makeup on her face nearly all fallen off. Unable to restrain her anger, she threatened, "Rayan, do you realize, once you step out of this inner hall, I just need to say one word, and I can have you killed."

"Try it." Rayan coolly responded.

Phoenix Lady swallowed hard, her tone softening, "Alright, I admit, I behave like this, purely because of desire. I truly do not love you, nor do I care about you, I just want to possess you, like a piece of jewelry. I know, this is not love, just desire. But who doesn't have desires? I don't believe you have no reaction to my body! Desire is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when you are so wild and attractive, is it my fault?"

"So it's my fault," Rayan said, his cold laugh tinged with irony.

"We are both not at fault."

Phoenix Lady stepped closer to Rayan, her arm tentatively resting on his shoulder, her voice soft, "You and I could each get what we want, I just need to have you, and whoever you want to get, I won't stop you, even if you want Spring Rain, I won't stop you, just don't take her away."

Rayan disgustedly glanced at Phoenix Lady, shrugged his shoulder, and shook her hand off, "You are beyond redemption."

"At least I am still alive, vividly alive."

Phoenix Lady then wrapped her snake-like slender hands around Rayan's neck, "Don't push me away anymore, you've already reached my limit of endurance. I ask for nothing else, just to quietly hold you for a while, let our heartbeats sync. I've done so much, thought through so many schemes, yet still couldn't have you, you at least owe me some sweetness. As long as you don't push me away, I promise to make you Spring Rain's Oath Knight—after all, she's just a fool, such a good man delivered to her lips, and she doesn't know how to savor."

Rayan, suppressing the urge to push Phoenix Lady away, pretended the entity coiled around him was just a venomous snake, thinking that if he remained still, the snake would eventually leave.

"If someone sees, your reputation as Phoenix Lady could be ruined."

"To burst into the inner hall, they'd have to kill my dogs first."

Phoenix Lady breathed out a scent of orchids, "It's just the two of us here, we can do anything, Rayan, I guess you are a man who likes excitement, in this regard, your previous women definitely couldn't satisfy you…"

Rayan just felt an itch in his ear, wanting to scratch but couldn't. "Enough, Phoenix Lady."

"Call me Kiana, and I'll be satisfied."

Phoenix Lady pressed her full chest against Rayan's chest as hard as steel, like an octopus caressing Rayan's muscles with her arms.

Even the sharpest swords in the world couldn't make Rayan submit, but in front of this dangerous woman, Rayan had to play along.

"Kia...na..."

He barely managed to utter Phoenix Lady's name, then quickly pushed her away, sternly saying, "That's enough, I've done what you asked me to do, don't forget your promise."

"Alright."

Phoenix Lady, clearly unsatisfied, but knowing that things must proceed step by step, nodded and said, "I agree to you becoming Spring Rain's Oath Knight. But, Rayan, don't celebrate too early. Next time you need something from me, my demands won't be just this—I'll treat you like candy, licking every inch of your body..."

She laughed heartily, flipped her skirt, and stepped out of the inner hall. Rayan immediately followed her out.

The banquet hall was filled with a buzz of discussion, but as soon as the guests saw Phoenix Lady and Rayan appear, they immediately quieted down.

Lady Spring Rain looked anxiously at Rayan, whose grim expression relaxed slightly. He nodded subtly to Lady Spring Rain, signaling her to be at ease.

Phoenix Lady walked to the very center of the banquet hall and then stopped. After settling, with a face glowing red, she announced, "Honored guests, Kiana is very proud to announce a piece of news to everyone. Our distinguished guest from afar, Lord Rayan of The Indestructible Flame family, will today become a new member of our Firebird family. He will become Lady Spring Rain's Oath Knight and participate in tomorrow's tournament."

The guests immediately began whispering among themselves.

Someone quietly asked, "Does that mean the Firebird family now has two slots in the tournament?"

As soon as this was said, Marquis Hart became nervous, "Aunt, this might not be appropriate. I've been preparing for this tournament for a very long time..."