Volume 3 - Chapter 391: The Ancient Betrothal (Part 2)
With those words, the Immortal Lord made a gesture, inviting Li Hao forward.
Li Hao followed him through the grand gates of the estate, and the instant he stepped inside, he felt as though he had entered a celestial paradise. The ambient immortal energy surged, ten times denser than outside.
Even on Gusu Imperial Star, where the spiritual aura rivaled that of the Yan and Chu royal cities, the energy within this estate resembled a divine sanctuary. Immortal power flowed into his pores of its own accord—no cultivation required, and yet one’s realm would still rise, little by little.
Before long, carried by the estate’s rainbow-arched immortal paths, Li Hao arrived at the welcoming hall.
The Immortal Lord, meanwhile, brought the ancient scroll deeper into the Su estate, toward a magnificent and solemn palace of antiquity and grandeur.
After passing through several layers of relay and formal report, the scroll finally made its way into the hands of a noblewoman. She sat poised in her palace, regal and refined.
Her attire was incomparably opulent, the trim of her robes embedded with immortal jade and crystalline gems. Her skin gleamed like snow, her features radiating a rare blend of purity, nobility, and the quiet majesty of one long accustomed to command. Her beauty was nearly irresistible.
The moment her gaze fell on the scroll, her brows twitched slightly. She sensed a faint but unmistakable trace of imperial might emanating from it.
Her heart stirred in surprise. This scroll had once been touched by an Immortal Emperor.
And anything handled by an Immortal Emperor—what weight did such a thing carry?
She set aside the celestial nectar in her hand, picked up the scroll, and slowly unrolled it.
Golden light burst forth from within. As the scroll opened, ancient characters floated into the air, exuding the boundless aura of the Dao—clearly written by no mortal hand.
When her eyes reached the two characters in the top-right corner, the noblewoman's expression changed dramatically. Her fingers trembled. She nearly dropped the scroll.
Very few things in the world could shake her. Even witnessing the fall of an Immortal King wouldn’t have caused her to blink. But just those two characters had rattled her.
Her gaze swept quickly down the lines. When she reached the dragon-phoenix seal near the bottom, coiling and chiming with auspicious resonance, the sound was joyous and divine—but it left her heart sinking into a pit of ice.
Why now, of all times?
Her eyes trembled faintly, lashes quivering in the glow. The two handmaidens beside her exchanged uneasy glances, each seeing alarm in the other’s eyes.
What could possibly cause their mistress to lose composure like this?
At last, the scroll was closed. The noblewoman looked up at the attendant who had brought the report and asked, her voice low and steady:
"Who delivered this scroll? What did he look like? Was he alone?"
The attendant wasn’t the original Immortal Lord who had greeted Li Hao, but as one of the noblewoman’s personal guards, he had already gathered all the details. Bowing respectfully, he answered as though he had seen it himself:
"According to the gatekeeper, the visitor came alone. He appeared to be a young man, simply dressed. His Soul lifespan was not discernible—unclear how many years he’s lived. He arrived without entourage. His cultivation is at the first level of the Immortal Lord realm."
"First level…"
The noblewoman arched a brow ever so slightly. A mere first-level Immortal Lord dared show up with this ancient betrothal scroll? Seeking to attach himself to the Su clan?
She fell silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Summon him to the Jingwei Hall."
"Yes, madam."
…
While waiting in the guest hall, Li Hao saw the Immortal Lord return. His demeanor had clearly changed—now markedly more respectful. He bowed and gestured again.
"Honored guest, this way please. Madam requests your presence in Jingwei Hall."
Li Hao exhaled softly. So the Black Tortoise Emperor Soul hadn’t misled him. The Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor truly had smoothed the path ahead.
He offered a silent word of thanks in his heart, then rose with a slight bow and followed the Immortal Lord down a winding path of immortal light toward an even grander hall.
Before long, they arrived.
The handmaidens at the gate welcomed Li Hao inside and brewed tea for him.
He sat upon a chair carved from divine wood aged over ten thousand years. Fragrance curled up from the steaming cup beside him, gentle and soothing.
But his thoughts weren’t on the tea.
He was wondering—would he finally meet the other reincarnated vessel Ying Xiaoxiao had mentioned?
Yet Ying Xiaoxiao had said that person hadn’t awakened. What did that mean? Had they not been born yet? Or were they like Ying Xiaoxiao had once been, living without memory of their past life?
As he pondered, soft footsteps sounded outside the hall. Leading the group was the noblewoman herself. Her eyes were cool and distant. When one of the maids beside her moved to announce their arrival, she raised her hand, silencing them, and approached soundlessly.
She looked inside.
There sat a plainly dressed youth, eyes flicking nervously around the room, hands occasionally clenching. In those clear, unguarded eyes, there was a hint of anxiousness, and beneath it, a flicker of hope.
The noblewoman’s lips curled ever so slightly.
A cold smile.
He looked honest, clean, earnest on the surface—but eyes never lied.
Already dreaming of basking in the Su clan’s glory, was he? Without even earning her approval?
She stepped forward deliberately, this time allowing her footsteps to be heard.
The youth inside the hall immediately noticed and looked up.
There stood a woman of peerless beauty, adorned in radiant splendor, each step like lotus blossoms blooming in her wake.
Li Hao stared, stunned.
Her face and eyes… bore traces of Ying Xiaoxiao.
How could that be?
His heart quivered. A terrible suspicion formed.
Could it be…
His reaction didn’t escape the noblewoman’s notice. Her serene expression darkened slightly. A frown creased her brow.
Her maid, long familiar with her mistress’s temper, needed no command. She stepped forward and snapped:
"How dare you! To look directly at Madam without permission!"
Though she looked like a maiden in her prime, lips red and teeth white, her voice crackled with frost. Her presence was as intimidating as a clan leader from a lesser family.
Li Hao blinked out of his daze. His heart was already trembling. He stood and said, "You…"
The noblewoman’s frown deepened. Her face turned cold.
"So, you're the one who brought the betrothal contract? Come to marry my daughter?"
Li Hao froze at her icy tone.
"Betrothal… contract?"
The noblewoman raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in her heart, though her face gave nothing away.
"You didn’t know it was a betrothal agreement?"
Only then did Li Hao recall the ancient scroll. He stood dumbfounded, quickly calling out to the Black Tortoise Emperor Soul in his mind—but there was no reply. It truly seemed to be asleep.
"I…"
He was about to explain, but the noblewoman narrowed her eyes.
"Then tell me—where did you get that contract?"
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