Chapter 244 - 243: Bluffing 2

Duan Feiye smiled without mirth. "Ayan won’t be back for a few more days. If you miss him, you can send him a message."

As for whether Ling Yanzhi would reply?

That was none of his business.

Si Yan’s face was pale. "Ayan is probably busy. He hasn’t been replying to my messages much lately."

In fact, in the past five years, he had never once replied to her.

Before, when Si Xu was around, everyone could at least maintain a semblance of harmony.

But after Si Xu had a falling out with her father, Ayan stopped paying attention to her as well.

She was confined at home, recuperating from an illness, and was recently kicked out of the Si Family’s main residence over a bracelet.

After a great deal of begging, she had promised her father she would try to get along with Xi Yu. Only then did he agree to send her to Weis Lan.

Si Yan frowned. "I like Brother Ayan, so why won’t Father agree?"

"..." Duan Feiye had no desire to listen to Si Yan pour out her grievances.

After some thought, he steered the conversation toward his true purpose, deciding to drop a bombshell. "Ah Xu knows you like Ayan. He plans to rebind your marriage line to his in the name of the Feather Clan, but..."

The upward curve of Si Yan’s lips flattened.

She looked at Duan Feiye in a panic. "But what?"

Duan Feiye shrugged. "The High Priest won’t agree, so there’s nothing Ah Xu can do."

Si Yan looked anxious. "Cousin Ah Xu is already the Feather Clan’s Saint Heir. He doesn’t have to listen to my father."

Her father did indeed want her to be with Xi Yu, because he believed a bond with the Xi Family was far more valuable than one with the Ling Family.

Most importantly, the men of the Xi Family were known to listen to their wives, and their bloodline inheritance was notoriously stable.

But she didn’t like Xi Yu.

Si Yan’s eyes were resolute. "As long as the Saint Heir agrees, my father can’t force him! It’s just a matter of changing a marriage line. I can convince Father to accept Ayan!"

Duan Feiye’s mouth twitched.

Feeling uncharacteristically nervous, he glanced around, half-afraid Ling Yanzhi would suddenly appear and score a double kill.

"Is that so?" Duan Feiye asked, lowering his gaze.

He stared at Si Yan with a puzzled expression. "But I remember Ah Xu saying that binding marriage lines requires a special item. I don’t know what it is, but Ah Xu said that without the High Priest’s permission, he really can’t do anything—even though he feels terrible for you, his little sister."

Si Yan’s gaze froze. Hearing he felt terrible for her, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She quickly cut in, "I know, it’s the Holy Pearl! The ancestors of the Feather Clan poured all their power into the Holy Pearl after their deaths. You have to use it to change marriage lines."

Only her father and the Saint Heir knew how to use the Holy Pearl.

But only her father knew how to retrieve it.

Anyone who tried to take it by force without knowing the method would die a horrible death.

Si Yan’s marriage line was bound to an A-class Awakener.

She had always wanted to change who she was bound to, but her father couldn’t do it. Only the Saint Heir could change the marriage lines of their clan members.

The stalemate between her father and her cousin meant her issue had been dragged out until now.

She was twenty this year, and Ayan was twenty-two. A union at their ages was most likely to produce a child with a pure bloodline.

Her father had said, "If not for Xi Yu, I would rather you be with that A-class Awakener. At least he’s obedient!"

Si Yan didn’t want to wait any longer. "So, I want to have Xi Yu pretend to be with me. That will make Father lower his guard, and then Cousin Ah Xu can just go ahead and change my marriage line to Ayan’s."

She looked at Duan Feiye expectantly.

Duan Feiye’s expression turned cold. "Ayue and Ayan both like Jian Yu. It’s not a rumor, it’s true. Ayan likes Jian Yu a lot. You’d better not let Ayue hear you say that, or even I won’t be able to save you."

Si Yan looked dazed, a ferocious glint in her eyes. "How is that possible!?"

Her mind was in chaos.

Si Yan snapped her head up. "We can’t let her be with Ayan! I’ve seen the livestream, and I’m a very good judge of character. That Jian Yu is fundamentally a callous, heartless woman."

As she spoke, her voice rose to a shriek.

Duan Feiye: "..."

Si Yan’s gaze filled with contempt. "We can’t let her stay by Ayan’s side. Brother Duan Fei, you have to believe me. You must stop them, or you’ll regret it later."

Duan Feiye’s expression softened. "I know, and Ah Xu knows too. I’m well aware of the Feather Clan’s sharp judgment. Ah Xu feels for you, and that’s why he wants to secretly help you change your marriage line. That way, Ayan can escape this disaster as well."

Si Yan calmed down.

Her voice was choked with sobs. "Okay! I’ll go steal the Holy Pearl. Then Cousin Ah Xu can bind me to Ayan."

Duan Feiye shook his head. "If you try to steal it, how could the High Priest possibly not know? He’ll never tell you how to retrieve the Holy Pearl."

"Then what should I do?" Si Yan pleaded.

Her eyes reddened in an instant, and fresh tears began to fall.

Duan Feiye whispered, "Here’s what you do..."

Si Yan listened intently.

She rejected the first method.

’How could I poison my own father?’

’Still, I can understand Duan Feiye’s reasoning. The poison isn’t fatal, after all. Back when Cousin Ah Xu was poisoned, he was so dazed that he almost revealed the secret to activating the Holy Pearl to my father.’

The second method was to wait for the next full moon, when the Feather Clan would take out the Holy Pearl to bathe it in moonlight. She would have to secretly follow her father and watch how he retrieved it.

Si Yan was filled with anxiety.

’Do I really have to do this?’

Si Yan didn’t want to. Her mind was a mess, and her intuition screamed that this plan would definitely lead to disaster.

’I’d much rather Cousin Ah Xu just teach me how to activate the Holy Pearl himself. That way, I wouldn’t have to involve my father.’

And that was what Si Yan decided to do. "I’ll go beg Cousin Ah Xu to tell me the secret."

This was the first time Duan Feiye had encountered such a character—so easy to fool, yet so hard to steer.

He suspected Si Yan was messing with him on purpose.

’So after all my effort, the High Priest and his daughter are going to reap all the benefits?’

Seeing the ugly look on Duan Feiye’s face, Si Yan asked cautiously, "Brother Duan Fei, what’s wrong? Is my plan no good?"

Duan Feiye smiled, his eyes gentle. "It’ll be difficult. After everything that’s happened, especially the poisoning incident where Ah Xu almost died... even if Ah Xu pities you, there’s no way he could ever trust your father again."

’If this allows the High Priest to gain full control over the Holy Pearl, Ah Xu will be in deep trouble.’

Si Yan muttered, "Cousin Ah Xu is so powerful now anyway. He’s the Saint Heir with or without the Holy Pearl. Besides, he has Admiral Si Ji on his side."

Duan Feiye was at a loss for words.

He feigned surprise. "Have I said too much?"

His gaze faltered, and he quickly turned to leave. "Forget it. Just pretend I was never here. Jian Yu’s marriage line is already linked to Ayan’s; there’s no need to force them apart."

Si Yan froze.

She let out another shriek. "No! How could Ayan possibly fall for a woman like that? She’s just a low-class commoner! The inferiority of her bloodline is seeped into her very bones. How is she worthy of Ayan?!"

Subconsciously, Si Yan didn’t quite believe Duan Feiye’s words.

But she couldn’t dwell on that. "Marriage lines can be unbound! Without its interference, Ayan will come to his senses. You tell my cousin that once I steal the Holy Pearl, I’ll give it to him."