Chapter 1078: Chapter 703: Offering the Empire as My Betrothal Gift (Part 2)
Moving forward, she embraced Tang Fei’s arm and consoled him, "Alright, alright, they are just fulfilling their duties and have no choice... How about letting them follow us from a distance?"
Tang Fei looked at Bai Wuxin, who nodded and said, "Okay."
"A bit farther," Tang Fei blinked at Bai Wuxin and pointed towards the pier entrance in the distance: "There."
"No way."
"..."
Once Bai Wuxin dispersed the Ghost members afar, Tang Fei finally looked at Phoenix with a look of helplessness and said, "What a fuss over nothing. I’m a Great Grandmaster, and they say they need to protect me... If there really were an assassination attempt, I wonder who’d be protecting whom."
Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and earnestly admonished him, "Better safe than sorry. A wise person stays clear of danger. The higher you rise, the more you must tread carefully."
"You now represent not just yourself but us, and this country. If anything happens to you, the stability that the Phoenix Empire has struggled to achieve will be broken."
"Sigh." Tang Fei held Phoenix’s small hand tightly and sighed, "This isn’t the life I wanted. What I miss most is when we were back at Henshan, hunting together, barbecuing, lying on the grass watching stars and the moon..."
"I know. Not long ago, New Star’s richest man said he doesn’t care how much money is in his bank account. To him, money is just a number," Phoenix responded.
"..."
This woman... has learned bad habits.
Tonight, Phoenix was dressed in a simple, elegant pale moon-colored long dress, the hem gently swaying in the breeze like a solitary orchid blooming on the seashore.
Hand in hand, they walked side by side, their pace much more relaxed than usual.
Since Tang Fei set foot in New Star, he faced numerous setbacks and hardships.
The situation was fraught with danger and peril at every turn.
Like standing on the edge of an abyss, with peril at every step.
When the Zhong Royal Family collapsed, Tang Fei rallied his forces and challenged Shen Wuxiang.
They hadn’t felt such ease and leisure in a long, long time.
The sea breeze blew, waves rolled.
Every so often, a Silver Fish leapt from the water, tracing a graceful arc in the air before falling back into the sea with a splash.
Tang Fei didn’t want to talk, nor did Phoenix.
Just walking like this made life infinitely beautiful.
The darkness was over, and every day in the future was worth looking forward to.
They kept walking.
Kept walking.
For a long time.
For a long time.
They aimlessly walked to the seaside, to a lighthouse where a section of the breakwater reached deep into the sea.
They walked all the way to the end of the breakwater.
"It’s so nice."
Tang Fei exclaimed.
"Yes, it’s so nice. We’re both still alive."
Phoenix grasped Tang Fei’s hand tightly, her exquisite face slightly tilted up, her beautiful eyes looking at the bright moon in the sky.
A moon in the sky, a moon on the ground.
As one of the Three Bright Moons of the Empire, Phoenix was even more brilliant and dazzling than the moon above.
"There’s nothing more important than being alive," Tang Fei said.
"Indeed, there’s nothing more important than being alive," Phoenix echoed.
She knew this was Tang Fei’s motto, a phrase he often used to encourage those around him.
To the former Tang Fei, living was the most important thing in the world.
"That’s what I used to believe," Tang Fei said.
"What about now?" Phoenix asked, puzzled.
"Now there’s something more important than being alive."
"Like?"
"Like being with you." Tang Fei turned to look at Phoenix, staring into her star-like eyes: "Miss Zhong Yu Xiu Xue, will you marry me?"
"Mr. Tang Fei..." Phoenix’s eyes reddened, her voice soft as she spoke, "Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for those words?"
"How long?"
"Perhaps since the day I left Henshan, or the day I decided to give you the Ya Qun blade... Perhaps... it was when I fell from the high sky, or maybe it was the first moment I saw you..."
"I think, at that moment, it was already destined for us to be together..."
"So, you agreed?" Tang Fei asked gently, worried that his gaze might be too intense, burning her.
"Of course." Phoenix reached out her slender, soft left hand and said, "Mr. Tang Fei, where’s my ring?"
"Oh..." Tang Fei patted his forehead, looking regretful, "I didn’t expect you’d agree so easily; I didn’t have time to prepare a ring."
"..."
Tang Fei reached into his pocket, fumbled for a moment, then said, "Luckily, I have another gift in my pocket..."
Presented in his palm was a piece of jade, white as snow, carved beautifully into the shape of a phoenix and dragon ready to soar.
Under the moonlight, the jade carving emitted a sacred glow and an aura of majesty.
Phoenix’s pupils widened in shock as she looked at Tang Fei.
As the Little Princess of the Zhong Royal Family, she was no stranger to this piece of jade.
On the contrary, she even played with it at her father’s when she was a child.
This was a treasure collected by the founding Emperor Zhong Wushuang during the founding of the Phoenix Empire. Back when he was stationed at Qi Mountain, he accidentally discovered this phoenix-shaped jade. After the founding, he personally carved it into the Imperial Jade Seal.
The Phoenix Country was named after this.
The streak of red rouge on the side of the jade was from the fresh blood that ran from Emperor Zhong Wushuang’s finger while carving it. Absorbed by the jade, it nourished a wisp of spirit that lingered and grew ever more vibrant over time.
"You..."
Tang Fei smiled brightly, filled with endless tenderness, "This is my first proposal, I’m not sure what others give for proposals... I thought I should bring out the most precious thing..."
"After thinking about it, I thought of this... this is the most valuable thing I can offer..."
"Zhong Yu Xiu Xue, I give you this country..."
A kingdom as a bride-price, to not waste your deep love, no regrets even in death.
A kingdom as a bride-price, to not waste your support in standing by me, helping me ascend the throne.
Suddenly.
"Whoosh..."
A clear, solitary, yet incredibly sharp sound of something piercing the air rang out unexpectedly in this peaceful setting.
Everyone’s attention was instantly captured, their gazes turned uniformly towards the source of the sound.
Only to see a slender, bright golden beam of light, like a burning meteor flying upwards, unwavering and resolute, shooting from some ship on the sea.
It soared straight into the deep night sky, moving at great speed, its tail trailing fine golden sparks that carved a short but brilliant arc across the dark sky.
Everyone’s hearts rose with that beam of light, holding their breath in anticipation.
Just as the beam reached its peak, seemingly exhausted and about to fall...
"Boom!"
A deafening, metallic-sounding explosion erupted at the top of the sky.
The next moment...
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..."
Heaven and earth shattered!
Truly a shattering of heaven and earth!
Countless explosive sounds nearly exploded concurrently, as if a thousand giant drums were beaten overhead, and like countless thunderbolts rolled past the ears.
The whole sky, no, the entire visible sky, was instantly ignited, torn apart, and reshaped.
Indescribably brilliant light, like the divine light of creation, burst forth repeatedly.
This is a beautiful fate, and also a celebration.
May lovers find eternal happiness, may the New Dynasty bring peace and prosperity.
