Su Qianyu walked forward with long strides.
Today he had changed into a festive red robe, with a large red flower pinned to his chest and a faint smile on his face.
Behind him came a wedding procession beating gongs and drums.
The entire street was packed to the point of impenetrability, and everyone cast their gazes upon Su Qianyu, their eyes filled with astonishment.
News of Su Qianyu's intent to marry Chu Yanran had spread throughout the imperial capital since yesterday, and many people had hurried over to watch the spectacle.
"You actually dare to come?"
Chu Mengyao immediately stepped out and glared furiously at Su Qianyu.
Hearing this, Su Qianyu glanced at her.
"Why wouldn't I dare come? But I'm not here to marry you today. A good dog doesn't block the path, so hurry up and move aside."
Though he was itching to strike Chu Mengyao down right this instant to exact his revenge, Chu Mengyao had now been accepted as a disciple by Elder Zhao of the Heavenly Sword Sect. If he were to kill her just like that, it would likely bring catastrophic disaster upon the entire Tianwu Dynasty, and that was not an outcome he wished to see.
"You are delusional!"
Chu Mengyao stared fixedly at Su Qianyu, trembling with rage. Could this fellow actually be trying to become her ancestor?
Simply damned!
Chu Hong, standing nearby, also said in a deep voice, "Ninth Prince, you'd better turn back. Our family ancestor will never agree to this."
If Su Qianyu truly succeeded, wouldn't his seniority surpass his own?
When the time came, someone who ought to be his "son" would abruptly become his "ancestor"—the mere thought of it was terrifying!
He would never allow such a thing to happen!
Su Qianyu completely ignored the two of them, instead fixing his gaze upon the graceful figure standing ahead.
Her curves were extraordinarily alluring!
Her slender waist bore lush fruit!
She was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
"As expected of the number one beauty in the Tianwu Dynasty!"
The moment he laid eyes on Chu Yanran, Su Qianyu couldn't help marveling inwardly.
Whether it was her figure, her appearance, or that immensely mature temperament, she was simply peerless and incomparable to anyone else.
Furthermore, Chu Yanran's skin was as white as snow, and her temperament was icy and aloof. Even though she was approaching two hundred years of age, her charm remained undiminished, and she even outshone Chu Mengyao standing beside her.
Only to see Chu Yanran say expressionlessly, "Ninth Prince, please forgive me for being unable to comply with His Majesty's decree. I must trouble you to relay a message to him on my behalf."
She was clearly refusing.
If things were calculated strictly by seniority, even Su Longyuan would have to address her as an elder sister; how could she possibly agree to such an absurd matter?
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.
"She really refused!"
"But Chu Yanran is truly too breathtaking. It's only human nature for the Ninth Prince to be captivated by her!"
"What use is that? He came here so ostentatiously to propose, but in the end he'll just have to slink away in defeat, completely losing face."
"..."
Hearing Chu Yanran's refusal, Su Qianyu was not surprised at all.
He looked at her and spoke, "Aren't you afraid that my father will fly into a rage and make the entire Chu Family run red with blood?"
Chu Yanran's expression did not change.
"I believe His Majesty would not do such a thing."
The more critical the moment, the more composed she had to appear.
Chu Mengyao also looked at Su Qianyu and mocked, "I advise you not to humiliate yourself further. If you can actually manage to marry our ancestor, I'll become your concubine, serving you like an ox or a horse without a single complaint!"
With her hands on her hips, she spoke with absolute confidence, her tone dripping with ridicule and an air of supreme condescension.
But Su Qianyu completely ignored her.
With a half-smile, he looked at Chu Yanran: "Even if my father doesn't make a move, how much longer can that body of yours hold out?"
Hearing this, Chu Yanran frowned slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
Su Qianyu smiled faintly. He walked in a circle around Chu Yanran, then leaned close to her ear.
How fragrant!
The ancients truly did not deceive me; women are just like aged wine—the older they get, the more flavorful they are!
Seeing Su Qianyu's frivolous demeanor, Chu Yanran arched her brows in anger, but before she could react, Su Qianyu whispered softly in her ear.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are already finding it difficult to suppress the chill within your body, aren't you? If you keep dragging this out, I'm afraid your life will be in mortal danger!"
Of course he knew Chu Yanran would never agree.
Yet based on his memories from his past life, he knew that although Chu Yanran possessed the extreme yin and freezing Xuanyin Physique, because the cold qi within her had never been released, it had now reached a critical tipping point.
If things followed their normal course, it wouldn't be long before Chu Yanran would be ruptured from within by her own cold qi, perishing in her prime.
And this was precisely what he intended to exploit to make Chu Yanran submit obediently!
"Su Qianyu, you have some nerve, how dare you desecrate our ancestor!" Chu Mengyao shouted angrily at the sight.
Although she hadn't caught what Su Qianyu said, seeing him get so close to Chu Yanran and act with such intimacy made her blood boil with rage.
"Ninth Prince, you are not welcome here. If you dare show disrespect to our ancestor again, don't blame me for being discourteous." Chu Hong was likewise furious in his heart and immediately spoke in a stern voice.
"Wait!"
Just at that moment, Chu Yanran suddenly spoke up.
Chu Hong and Chu Mengyao froze simultaneously, then turned to look at Chu Yanran with faces full of bewilderment.
Chu Yanran, however, had no intention of explaining. She looked at Su Qianyu with disbelief and asked in a low voice, "How do you know about this?"
Recently, she had indeed sensed that the cold qi within her was growing increasingly dense, to the point where she could barely suppress it any longer.
Yet because she wanted to avoid causing panic within the Chu Family, she hadn't revealed a single word of it.
Yet now, Su Qianyu had somehow spoken of it aloud, which caught her completely off guard.
"How I know doesn't matter. What matters is that I have a way to help you resolve it." A smile played at the corner of Su Qianyu's mouth.
He walked right up to Chu Yanran. At this moment their faces were extremely close; Su Qianyu could even clearly see every single inch of white skin on her face.
"However, I certainly won't help a complete stranger for nothing. But if you are willing to marry me, then naturally you will become my wife."
Hearing this, Chu Yanran furrowed her brows deeply. Su Qianyu's words were nothing short of barefaced blackmail.
Yet she did not refuse him immediately!
If Su Qianyu had used any other matter to threaten her, she would never have compromised.
Yet this concerned her very life, and would furthermore impact the future of the entire Chu Family, forcing her to take it with utmost seriousness.
Chu Yanran fell into deep contemplation.
Seeing this, Su Qianyu smiled faintly and continued, "Besides, you probably don't want anyone else to find out about this secret either, do you?"
Hearing this, Chu Yanran bit her red lips hard.
After a moment, she looked at Su Qianyu: "I can agree to marry you, but I have a condition as well. You must help me resolve this within three days, otherwise I will definitely kill you!"
Su Qianyu chuckled.
"Naturally, no problem!"
With that, he extended his hand toward Chu Yanran.
Seeing this, Chu Yanran's body stiffened as internal struggle raged within her.
Chu Mengyao, standing to the side, immediately cried out in fury, "You dissolute scoundrel, pull away your dirty hands right now and don't you dare take advantage of our ancestor!"
Yet Su Qianyu continued to ignore Chu Mengyao, focusing instead on Chu Yanran, who was still hesitating.
"My bride, since you've agreed, come away with me."
Hearing these words, Chu Yanran let out an inward sigh.
Then, she actually extended a slender, snow-white jade hand and offered it right before Su Qianyu.
Su Qianyu didn't stand on ceremony in the slightest; he grabbed her palm in a firm grip and began gently rubbing it.
So smooth!
So tender!
Just like an untouched maiden!
"Ancestor, you..."
Seeing this unbelievable sight, Chu Hong and Chu Mengyao were completely dumbfounded, their eyeballs nearly popping right out of their heads.
"I have already agreed to marry him."
The next second, Chu Yanran's words left everyone present stunned into absolute petrification, their hearts trembling violently...