Chapter 620: Ch 620 - Don’t be angry, brother-in-law~

"Don’t be angry, brother-in-law~"

She smiled with a mischievous, cunning charm. "I was only helping you train! It’d be terrible if you were deceived by wicked women in the Jianghu pretending to be weak and fragile in the future!"

"You certainly worry a lot on your sister’s behalf."

Yino rubbed his neck and cracked his knuckles with a serious intent to fight.

Before he could move, she threw her hands up and crossed her arms to shield her face, looking thoroughly alarmed.

"I admit defeat! I admit defeat! No more fighting!"

"...!"

Just as he prepared to reclaim his dignity, the sudden forfeit left him unsatisfied and frustrated.

Yino stared in disbelief.

She kept her face covered, looking like the delicate, innocent girl whose wrist he had held earlier.

Under such circumstances, delivering a strike was impossible.

"In this round, He Yino wins!"

The presiding Elder announced the result of the match, but Yino felt no joy.

Having built a formidable reputation and even conquered the Demoness Wen Ruzhi, finding himself outsmarted by a minor character who barely existed in the game tasted bitter.

"Liu Yuexin, is it? You have some skill."

Yino grimaced as a name he had previously ignored became firmly etched into his memory.

On the other side of the stage, she lowered her hands with a bright smile. "Don’t be angry, brother-in-law. Next time you visit the Liu mansion to see Sister Ruoning, I’ll serve you tea and apologize properly, alright?"

"Is that so? Then I’ll call for you during my next visit."

With a sigh, Yino waved his hand and turned away.

Since she was merely a junior at the Nascent Soul stage who meant no harm with her teasing, holding a grudge felt petty.

Both left the stage, returning to their respective quarters.

A few rounds later, it was Lin Che’s turn to take the stage.

An awakened Pure Yang Holy Physique allowed Lin Che to easily unleash power equivalent to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and facing opponents other than Wen Ruzhi or Nangong Xi posed no real challenge.

Once Lin Che won his match, Yino chose not to remain at the Immortal Alliance Pavilion.

After speaking briefly with his Senior Sister, Yino rose and made his way to the top floor, lifting the majestic true dragon curtain.

"Senior Sister Nina, it’s been a while."

His familiar smile met only silence. Resting her chin on her hand atop the dragon throne, the White Dragon girl paid him no attention.

Pretending not to hear, she kept her head down to review official documents.

Yunjin sat nearby with an awkward expression before trotting over to stand on her tiptoes, whispering, "You’ve been too busy to visit lately, so Sister Nina is angry..."

"I know," Yino replied.

Gently, Yino pinched Yunjin’s round cheeks.

Ignoring Nina’s glare of resistance, Yino walked forward and squeezed himself onto the dragon throne next to her.

Her petite frame made it impossible to defend the spacious throne against his persistent intrusion.

"What are you doing! If you keep pushing your luck, I’ll have my guards throw you into the dungeon!"

Still sulking, she puffed out her cheeks and glared fiercely.

With a sigh, Yino reached over to take a stack of documents from her desk. "I only wish to ease your majesty’s burdens."

"Where were you earlier..." she grumbled.

Biting her lip, she wanted to continue her tantrum, but staying angry when faced with his smiling face was impossible.

Without another word, Yino lifted her onto his lap.

"I’ve been busy with the tournament. Yesterday, I nearly died on the Dao Testing Pavilion. I only managed to recover my energy today before rushing over to serve your majesty."

"Hmph... at least you still remember me..."

She offered no resistance. During her months at the Dragon Palace, she had grown accustomed to sitting on his lap while reviewing official reports.

Yino rubbed his temples and began looking through the mountain of documents.

"Do you need me to help with your imperial homework? Without my assistance these past few days, I doubt any of your decisions passed master’s scrutiny."

She leaned back against his chest with a proud look, though guilt kept her from meeting his gaze. "They didn’t all fail! I’ve made progress. Last time, my Honored Master gave high marks to at least a third of my decisions!"

Yino listened quietly, looking down at her youthful face with a knowing, amused expression. "High marks?"

She glanced toward him with a reluctant admission. "A sixty..."

"You might as well pass the throne to me and become my consort instead."

Flustered and angry, she pinched his cheek in retaliation. "You traitorous subject! I knew you had designs on me! Back in Western Province City, you tried to take me more than once!"

"Hahaha.... I was only joking..."

Her anger faded into a sudden sense of loneliness and melancholy. "Traitor. And here I was, kindly preparing a grand reward for you when you win the tournament..."

Startled, Yino set the documents aside and spoke with genuine warmth. "What grand reward has your majesty prepared for me?"

"I won’t tell you yet! You’ll find out once you win the championship!"

...

Night fell.

Amidst the snowy landscape, the small study of the Dragon Palace remained brightly lit.

Sitting on his lap in her imperial robes, she drifted off to the rhythmic scratching of his pen and the turning of pages.

She slept soundly against his chest, occasionally drooling onto his robes.

A silent understanding had formed between them over their months together.

Late at night, she would bring her scrolls to ask for his guidance, falling asleep against his shoulder when the lessons grew too long.

As their bond deepened, sitting on his lap while listening to his explanations became her preference.

Whenever fatigue overtook her, she drifted off to sleep in his arms without a trace of fear.

The routine had become entirely natural.

Every morning, she would wake up safely tucked into her own bed, finding the work on her desk fully annotated and organized.

Attending court in the morning required only reading the decisions that Changli and Yino had prepared.

Tonight was no different.

"You... thief... haven’t you always coveted my Imperial Artifact..."

Yino listened to her soft murmurs.

Setting down his pen, Yino looked at her with curiosity, unwilling to disturb her peaceful slumber.

"I heard from my master that you’re traveling to the northern snowy regions in April..."

"I hear those are the Northern Barbarian Lands. You must be careful, little thief..."

"I’ll give you that ancient Imperial Artifact as your reward for winning the tournament..."

She mumbled with a proud smile.

Watching her sleep, Yino could easily picture her standing before him with hands on her hips, looking proud.

"Is it appropriate for someone without royal blood to use such an Imperial Artifact?" Yino whispered to himself.

Miraculously, she seemed to hear him, letting out a silly giggle. "Hehe... don’t worry..."

"The treasury is full of such things anyway. Even though father left it to me... I stay in the Dragon Palace all day and have no need for such powerful relics..."

"An Imperial Artifact is only useful if it protects the nation. Otherwise, it’s just a piece of scrap metal gathering dust in the treasury..."

"Therefore..."

"Little thief... you must not die in the Northern Region!"

Her voice grew slightly anxious.

Yino paused, feeling her small hand tighten around his shirt as if she feared he would vanish as soon as she opened her eyes.

"I’ve given you the True Dragon Command Token and the Imperial Artifact. If you encounter danger, you must use them..."

"For so many years, I’ve only had you and Yunjin as friends... You’re the only ones in this palace who don’t care about imperial power and court struggles, treating me like a normal person..."

"So... you’re not allowed to get hurt. I’m still waiting for you to complete your cultivation and return to become my National Advisor..."

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Gently wiping the tear away in the dim lamplight, Yino softened with resolve.

"I’ll return," Yino murmured.

.....

Jianlan Sect.

Amidst the snow and wind of the night, a slender figure adorned with crimson blood feathers walked along the stone path of the rear mountain.

Carrying a lantern, her footsteps were light and silent.

Spotting a small dog tied up outside the Ji mansion, she knelt down to gently pat its head.

"What a pitiful little creature, tied up outside in the heavy snow, just like I used to be."

Gold cross-pupils reflected in her draconic eyes, making her alluring makeup appear sorrowful and delicate in the dim light.

The front doors of the Ji mansion opened, and several Elders stepped out.

"Miss Su, you’ve arrived."

"I heard Lin Che’s reached the top four in the capital tournament. It seems our Noble Family must cooperate with our demon race after all."

Rising with a light laugh, she unfurled the razor-sharp blood feathers on one side of her body.

With a gentle wave of her hand, countless blood-red feathers coiled around the necks of the Elders.

"Since we can no longer seize the Primordial Sacred Land through legitimate means, and both the eldest young master of the Lin mansion and the Seventh young master of the He mansion are watching us like hawks, our Noble Family must take this risk and cooperate with the demon sovereign to protect the foundation of the Jianlan Sect from being taken."

The leading Elder of the Ji mansion let out a heavy sigh.

Su Yaojin sneered in satisfaction. "Once spring arrives and the Ancient Ruins open, if they dare to come, I’ll slay them all on behalf of the Demon Sovereign!"

"Miss Su, can the Demon Sovereign not act in person?"

"The Demon Sovereign is currently suppressed by the Divine Gate and cannot move freely. Besides, we’re only killing a few young people of the Grand Tutor’s Mansion. I excel at hunting the descendants of these immortal Noble Families."

Intense killing intent flashed in her draconic eyes. Her terrifying bloodline caused cold sweat to break out on the elders’ brows.

"As expected of the Demon Sovereign’s successor. Miss Su possesses the bearing of a demon king at such a young age. You don’t fall short of the Demon Sovereign’s former glory..."

The Elders exchanged uneasy glances. "If the plan succeeds, we’ll follow our agreement. The Primordial inheritance will belong to our Noble Family, and the boy named Lin Che will be handed over to your Northern Region Demon Race. As for the eldest young master of the Lin mansion... if he’s foolish enough to follow us into the Northern Region’s Secret Realm, we’ll leave him to the mercy of fate."

Su Yaojin replied, "Of course."

Gritting her teeth, a manic, vengeful crimson light gleamed in her draconic eyes. "For every descendant of the Grand Tutor’s Mansion who comes, I’ll kill them. None shall escape!"