Meant What He Said

Zhan Yunge pondered about what he said with her eyes lowered. She turned and went to Mingzhu Garden. "People like me have no right to care."

Initially, Zhan Yunge was just starting to feel confident about their relationship. Today, she finally realized just the two of them alone were not enough to keep their relationship alive. She did not have the time to take care of all these problems.

Nangong Xuan instantly regretted saying it since he was pouring salt on her wounds; he quickly went after her and said, "Yunge, I am sorry. It was my fault. I should have been more careful. I promise never to let this happen again."

Zhan Yunge halted briefly before she turned to say, "I was angry because the empress dowager insulted me thinking I would lower myself. I am not mad at you and I know you care about me a lot. Today, I finally learned something. Outsiders can't stop me from marrying you even if they don't like me. The real troublemakers are the people in your family who keep claiming they are driving us apart for your own good. I want you to know that I do not have time to handle these things. I need to practice cultivation and learn new things. Why don't you go back to the palace and check things out? I reckon your grandmother has already caught wind of this. Since she is your grandmother, I will let her remain in one piece."

Nangong Xuan had done his utmost to bring them closer, but it felt like all his efforts had come undone. He always saw this coming, but he had underestimated what his family was capable of. They had genuinely hurt Zhan Yunge, and she was in a foul mood. He knew it was the wrong time to keep talking about this, so he changed the subject.

"Registration for the Royal Academy starts at 5:00 a.m and the exam starts at 7:00 a.m. The exam consists of a written and a practical section. The written paper starts at 7:00 a.m. The paper will be submitted and graded on the spot. The applicants who pass move on to the practical part of the test. The questions for the practical test are decided through a draw. There are a total of ten questions in the practical test. Eight of the questions are around the same level, while the last two are the hardest. Very few people end up drawing the last two questions, but you should be mentally prepared. I happened to draw the hardest question when I took the exam," said Nangong Xuan explaining how the exam was conducted tomorrow.

Sure enough, Zhan Yunge got distracted.

"How long is the written test?"

"The written test and practical exam are held on the same day. It starts at 7:00 a.m and will go on for 16 hours. This means if you take less time for the written exam, you have more time for your practical exam," explained Nangong Xuan.

"Got it." They had arrived at Mingzhu Garden as they chatted.

Nangong Xuan knew she did not want him there, so he said softly, "Yunge, I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"I am done eating," Zhan Yunge said this deliberately.

"Leftovers are fine too." Nangong Xuan lowered his demands.

"There are no leftovers." Zhan Yunge shook her head.

Nangong Xuan knew she had made up her mind to not let him enter Mingzhu Garden. If he went back to the palace now, it could have devastating effects on their relationship. He said to Wan Yun standing nearby, "Get the kitchen to make me some noodles then."

Wan Yun froze. She looked up at Zhan Yunge. Zhan Yunge knew it was impossible to make him leave, so she gestured for Wan Yun to get the kitchen to send him some food before she went into Mingzhu Garden.

Nangong Xuan managed to have his way and went in with her.

The moment Zhan Yunge entered the room, a red ball of fur leaped into her arms. She caught it and looked at it gently.

Nangong Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Where did this come from?"

"I found it on the way here." Zhan Yunge went to the bedroom.

When it heard Nangong Xuan's voice, the creature looked up at him with its big bright eyes. A red gleam swept across its eyes, before it continued to bury its head in Zhan Yunge's arms.

Nangong Xuan frowned without saying a word.

Registration started at 5:00 a.m. The residence was one hour from the Royal Academy, so she told Wan Yu to wake her up at 5:00 a.m and went to bed with the ball of fur in her arms.

Zhan Yunge did not want to get there too early. She wanted to get there just in time to register and take the exams immediately at 7:00 am since she did not want to draw attention. This way, people would not have time to notice her presence.

After Nangong Xuan got his way and entered Mingzhu Garden, he did not try to do anything else. He simply lay down beside Zhan Yunge after taking his dinner. Her words kept playing back in his mind and he tried to see things from her perspective. The more he knew what she meant, the harder it was for him.

Their families were quite different. The Zhan family did not care about power or wealth. They simply wanted their descendants to live as a tight-knit family peacefully away from politics. He came from the royal family. It was a sheer fantasy to expect the same from his family. Although he was prepared to stop anyone in their way, sometimes things were out of his control. When he found out about the plans the empress dowager had for Zhan Yunge, he came over immediately, but he was too late. If things like this kept happening, or maybe if it happened one more time, Zhan Yunge might never want to be with him again.

After Zhan Yunge had fallen asleep, Nangong Xuan picked up the red furry creature in her arms with two fingers. The red furry creature instantly exploded and glared at him.

"If you want to stay with her, you have to behave and not make trouble. Otherwise, I will strangle you to death even if you have nine lives." Nangong Xuan's voice sounded completely threatening.

The red furry creature stopped acting aggressively and looked at Nangong Xuan ingratiatingly. He flicked his hands and tossed the creature out the window.

The red creature did not even bother screaming. Instead, it lay prone on the windowsill looking at the warm comfortable bed enviously before glancing at the scary man. Then, it finally accepted reality and found a spot to sleep.

After getting rid of the irritating creature, he looked at Zhan Yunge's sleeping face powerlessly. The creature was a Nine Lives Cat and it was the king of cats. Also, it was the finest red cat among the breed. She was very lucky. It was hard to even see a Nine Lives Cat in person, let alone win its complete loyalty. The girl was very fortunate to randomly find it and gain its trust.

Nangong Xuan pulled her into his arms gently. Even though she was right in front of him, it felt as though there was an insurmountable distance between them. He could not help feeling worried he might lose her anytime.

Nangong Xuan had first visited Mount Qingnan 15 years ago when he was only three. He was born an extraordinary cultivator. No matter how people plotted against him, he could see it all.

When he visited Mount Qingnan for the first time, he could sense something waiting for him up ahead. It was directing him toward Mount Qingnan. After he arrived, he found out Madam Xinlan had given birth to the only girl in the family in a thousand years a month ago, so they were just in time for the baby's month-old banquet.

His heart suddenly raced wildly. He could not wait to see the baby girl. The Zhan family mentioned she kept sleeping from the day she was born, but they would carry the baby out later so that everyone could meet her.

Even though he did not wait for long, it felt like forever to him. When her mother finally carried Zhan Yunge out, everyone came over to see her. Everyone kept praising Zhan Yunge for her beauty. They were eager to flatter her.

When Old Master Zhan told everyone only her life soul was activated and she was unable to cultivate, the people who wanted to get linked to the Zhan family through marriage with the baby girl quickly changed their minds. It won't do if she could not cultivate. Even if she was from the Zhan family, they wanted nothing to do with a good for nothing.

After everyone was finally gone, he walked over to see the baby. Zhan Yunge's mother smiled as she sat down so that he could get a close look at the baby in her arms.

The moment he laid eyes on her, he could sense his heart racing. It felt as though he had previously lost something, but he finally found it. He said without hesitation looking at his father stubbornly, "I like her. I want her."

The banquet hall went silent instantly. He could tell his parents disapproved of the girl since she was unable to cultivate. However, he did not care and wanted only her. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. The only way to do this was to make her the crown princess.

Ever since Nangong Xuan was a child, he never wanted anything. Since this was the first time Nangong Xuan did this, his father compromised and decreed her crown princess. The moment his father did, Nangong Xuan was delighted.

From then on, he stubbornly stayed by her side all this time.

He looked at the girl sleeping in his arms intently as thoughts ran through his mind. No matter how scary the heavenly tribulation was, he did not plan on letting her go now that they had met. He could go on without the Shengyu Empire, but he could not survive without her. He was not patronizing her earlier today. He meant every word he said. Did she believe him?

He buried his head in her hair and closed his eyes.

Not before long, Wan Yu shouted from the door softly, "Miss, it's time."