Chapter 2682: Chapter 2682
Hong Ling’s jaw dropped in exaggerated shock the moment she heard Ye Liuyun had seen the princess’s body, and it stayed that way for an uncomfortably long time.
When Liu Yunyao finished recounting the incident, Hong Ling chimed in, "Well, looks like our imperial son-in-law has already been chosen!"
"What can we do? He’s seen everything—it’s not like we can swap him out now!" Liu Yunyao sighed, resigned to the idea.
"Didn’t you at least exchange keepsakes or something?" Hong Ling pressed.
"No!" Liu Yunyao shook her head. "I didn’t even think of that!"
"Then let me deliver something for you. What do you think would be appropriate?" Hong Ling perked up instantly, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Now? Wouldn’t that be too obvious? What do people usually give as keepsakes, anyway?" Liu Yunyao hesitated, momentarily flustered.
"Who cares? We’ll just say it’s a reward from the princess for slaying those beasts. No one will question it—just stash it in a Interspatial Ring."
"As for what to send..." Hong Ling tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It should be something personal, something meaningful to you!"
After a moment’s consideration, Liu Yunyao carefully removed an intricately carved, multicolored metal hairpin from her hair.
"My mother gave this to me. I’ve worn it ever since—does that count as meaningful?" she asked uncertainly.
"Perfect! It’s unique enough," Hong Ling declared, snatching up the pin and tucking it into a Interspatial Ring. Then, with a spring in her step, she bounded off to find Ye Liuyun.
The moment she stepped off the battleship, dozens of eyes locked onto her. Unfazed, she marched straight to Ye Liuyun’s tent and called out, "Master Ye? The princess sent me with some resources to thank you for helping eliminate those beasts. May I come in?"
"Please, enter!" Ye Liuyun rose quickly to usher her inside, though inwardly, he was puzzled.
*Why would Liu Yunyao suddenly send me resources under such a flimsy pretext?*
The moment Hong Ling stepped into the tent, she pressed a finger to her lips, signaling Ye Liuyun to keep silent. Then she transmitted her voice directly to him: "This is a gift from the princess, and she expects one in return! You’d better hurry—I can’t stay here long."
Ye Liuyun was baffled by her cryptic behavior, but seeing her urgent gesture, he knew better than to make a scene. Without hesitation, he tucked the hairpin into his spatial realm and sent his doppelgänger to figure out a suitable return gift.
The doppelgänger examined the hairpin carefully, only to find it utterly ordinary. Stumped, he turned to Liang Xue and the others for advice—after all, matters of etiquette had always been the women’s domain.
But as soon as Liang Xue heard the details, she and Wu Qingcheng exchanged knowing glances.
"Looks like we’re gaining another sister," Liang Xue remarked dryly.
"At this rate, there’s no stopping him," Wu Qingcheng added with a sigh. "Though, to be fair, he’s shown remarkable restraint this time."
Their chatter only made the doppelgänger more frantic. "Hurry up and decide! Time’s running out!"
Meanwhile, Hong Ling grew impatient outside. "Is picking a gift really that hard? If you take any longer, people will start wondering what we’re doing in here!"
Sweat beaded on Ye Liuyun’s forehead. "Uh—right, I’ll hurry. How about this? When you leave, I’ll give you a Tier One Celestial Beast as cover."
Hong Ling smirked, mischief glinting in her eyes. "Now that’s more like it. Consider your bribe accepted."
Finally, inspiration struck.
"Got it!"
Liang Xue had chosen the gift, and Ye Liuyun repeated her instructions word for word when handing it to Hong Ling. Though the choice puzzled him, he trusted Liang Xue implicitly.
"It’s a pair of communication talismans with tracking enchantments," he explained. "I’ll keep one, and please deliver the other to the princess. This way, she can reach me anytime."
After finishing his words, Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but wonder to himself, "Why did I tell her to contact me anytime?" But the words were already out, and the gift had been presented—there was no taking it back now.
"Mmm!" Hong Ling nodded in satisfaction, her eyes gleaming. "This gift of yours is actually quite practical!" Without hesitation, she tucked the communication talisman safely away.
"Let’s go. Hand over the beast now!" she said briskly, already striding toward the exit.
Having spent so much time inside Ye Liuyun’s tent, she knew it would inevitably spark gossip among the onlookers.
Ye Liuyun followed her out and handed over the Crimson-Scaled Python he had won from An Tianxin.
Hong Ling feigned gratitude, accepted it with exaggerated delight, and scampered off cheerfully.
Only after returning to his own tent did Ye Liuyun finally grasp Liang Xue’s underlying meaning.
"A love token?" His eyes widened in disbelief.
"What, you think you can just walk away after seeing the pristine body of a royal princess?" Liang Xue shot back, arms crossed.
"No! I was just trying to explain the difference to her—to avoid misunderstandings. Sure, I saw her, but I didn’t do anything! I made sure not to look where I shouldn’t—"
Before he could finish, Wu Qingcheng cut in with a teasing laugh, "Oh, so you wanted to do more? Then it wouldn’t just be a love token—the royal family would’ve sent troops to drag you straight to the palace as their son-in-law!"
"Since you’ve already seen her, you might as well marry her. It’s not like you’re the one losing out," Fyeng Wanru chimed in, smirking.
"Exactly! Once a princess’s body is seen, her reputation is ruined if she doesn’t marry you. No one else would take her, and she’d end up suffering terribly," added Xia Tianqiong, her tone sympathetic. As a former princess herself, she understood the stakes all too well.
"This guy—always charming another princess. As if having us around isn’t enough!" Jin Yuanhui muttered to the other women, her voice dripping with playful schadenfreude.
Finally, Liang Xue concluded firmly, "From now on, she’s your woman. This isn’t the same as with Meng Qingyin. By giving you a love token, she’s made her choice clear. And let’s face it—you did take advantage. You have to accept responsibility. You’d better start thinking of ways to strengthen her and keep her safe."
"Is there... really no other way?" Liu Yun asked again, seeking confirmation.
The women all shook their heads in unison.
"Alright then," Liu Yun sighed in resignation before retreating into his tent to strategize how best to protect Yun Yao.
After some deliberation, he first consulted with the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon and the Vespera, arranging for them to secretly safeguard Yun Yao. Given her low cultivation level and the perilous situation she was in, she needed all the protection she could get. He even had the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon’s spatial realm stocked with a thousand demon soldiers, equipped with hunting falcons and other gear.
Next, he ensured that those assigned to protect Yun Yao were well-supplied with cultivation resources. He then carefully selected the techniques and materials he would teach her.
Once everything was prepared, he donned his invisibility cloak and slipped out of his tent.
Meanwhile, Yun Yao was still awake, chatting with Hong Ling. She clung to the communication talisman Liu Yun had given her, reluctant to put it away. She even used its tracking function to sense Liu Yun’s whereabouts.
Suddenly, she noticed his position moving closer toward her.
