Chapter 968: Treatment P8: No Strings Attached

Receiving the shocked gazes of the two ladies upon him, Aksai continued.

"The Sun Ocean Lord... sigh.. that man who was really pitiful. I don’t know how he messed up with the imperials or how they messed up with him.

"But I guess one thing led to another and he ended up coming to the island to seek shelter from the imperial cultivators who were after him.

"Unfortunately, there were four of them. We put up a good fight using the formation, but they still managed to kill him before I could neutralize them."

Aksai sighed.

"Make sure you tell this to Haitin. After all, he was Haitin’s father-in-law. He should be in the know."

This time, it was Selene’s turn to be surprised.

Her intelligence report hadn’t contained anything about this incident. From the sound of it, the battle had taken place quite recently.

"Alright," Selene agreed.

Even though she could tell that the Sun Ocean Lord’s death wasn’t as straightforward as Aksai made it out to be, she didn’t press him any further.

This was because she knew that Haitin himself didn’t like his father-in-law very much.

In fact, the Sun Ocean Lord’s own daughter, Siya Solaris, who was married to Haitin, didn’t have many fond feelings for her father anymore.

After all, he had used her as a political tool in the past when arranging her marriage. The fact that the arrangement had turned out to be quite beneficial for her had nothing to do with her feelings of being used by her own father.

As such, Selene excused herself from the hall and stepped outside. She then used a long-distance communication talisman to send a brief report to Haitin.

It didn’t take long.

Selene soon returned to the reception hall with a jade scroll in her hand.

She handed it to Aksai.

"This contains the special route used by the Blackblood Sect to avoid the borders of the five kingdoms and enter the Wild Devil Lands directly."

Aksai raised an eyebrow as he accepted the jade scroll.

It seemed that Selene had already received permission from Haitin to share the route with him.

"The Sect Master also asked me to convey his thanks," Selene continued. "He appreciates you informing him about the Sun Ocean Lord’s death. He also wanted me to tell you that he doesn’t blame you for what happened."

She paused for a moment.

"He knows that the Sun Ocean Lord came to you seeking shelter, and he understands the circumstances. He also thanks you for helping the late Sun Ocean Lord when you could."

Aksai nodded silently. Thankfully, Haitin’s reaction to the Sun Ocean Lord’s death wasn’t out of his expectations.

"Tell Haitin that he doesn’t need to thank me. I only did what I could."

Selene smiled faintly.

"I’ll convey that to him."

She then glanced at Humeyin before turning back toward Aksai.

"I’ll take my leave. You two probably have some things to discuss privately."

Aksai understood what she meant.

Humeyin’s condition was not something they should discuss in front of outsiders.

"Alright. Thank you for your help, Selene. One of the palace guards will lead you to your accommodations. Rest well for the time being."

Selene nodded politely.

Then, without disturbing them any further, she left the reception hall.

The doors closed behind her.

For the first time since the conversation had begun, only Aksai and Humeyin remained inside.

A brief silence settled over the reception hall.

Aksai looked toward Humeyin.

Humeyin lowered her gaze slightly.

It was finally time to talk about her treatment in private.

Aksai looked at Humeyin and smiled.

"How have you been, Lord Humeyin?"

Humeyin returned his gaze with a natural smile.

"I can’t complain, considering how the situation in Orveth is for any native Lord these days."

She hesitated for a moment before her expression became slightly more serious.

"About the deal we had..."

She didn’t finish the sentence.

Instead, she looked at Aksai with a curious gaze, waiting for him to understand what she meant.

Aksai smiled mirthlessly.

"To be honest with you, Lord Humeyin, at that time, I couldn’t foresee today’s circumstances."

He leaned back slightly before continuing.

"Back then, I thought that as long as I played my cards right and limited my interactions with the mainland, my Emerald Cove Island wouldn’t get caught in the conflict between the royal faction and the regional sects."

His expression became thoughtful.

"For that kind of arrangement, I alone as a mid-stage Lord wouldn’t have been enough. I needed a late-stage Lord to act as a deterrent on my island. Someone who wasn’t well known and didn’t have any overt ties with the regional sects. Someone who I could trust and hope to act as a deterrent."

He paused.

"Someone..."

Aksai stopped and looked at Humeyin.

The latter immediately understood what he was trying to say.

"Someone like me."

Humeyin nodded slowly.

She looked at Aksai with a complicated gaze.

"So that was the reason you chose to accept the betrothal."

Her voice became quieter.

"And since you are going to leave the island, there’s no need for you to follow through with our earlier arrangement."

Humeyin clenched her hands into fists before reclining in her chair.

"I... I understand."

For some reason, she suddenly didn’t want to continue the conversation.

In fact, she didn’t even want to remain in the same room as Aksai anymore.

But before she could say anything else, Aksai smiled and reached out.

He gently took Humeyin’s hand between both of his.

"Lord Humeyin, don’t get me wrong."

Humeyin’s body stiffened slightly.

"I never said I wouldn’t look into your situation now that the incentive for doing so is gone."

Aksai’s voice remained calm and sincere.

"On the contrary, I feel more at ease knowing that whatever we achieve toward helping you control your bloodline powers won’t come across as a transaction anymore."

He gently squeezed her hand.

"Let me look into your case without any strings attached."

Humeyin stared at him silently.

"As for the betrothal..."

Aksai smiled.

"I hope it is still in place."

Humeyin’s eyes looked at Aksai with all kinds of emotions.

"During this time, let’s get to know each other better."

His words were confident and straightforward.

A faint blush appeared on Humeyin’s face, though most of it remained hidden beneath the layers of black cloth she wore.

For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Her fingers, which had been clenched tightly moments ago, slowly relaxed within Aksai’s hands.