Chapter 241: A Marriage Alliance
An emerald portal slowly blossomed beneath Meishan’s feet.
Ningyan immediately noticed. "Lan Meishan?"
The serpent beast said nothing.
The portal widened and his figure slowly began sinking into the emerald light.
"Wait." Panic flashed across Ningyan’s face. "Wait."
He took a step forward. "Why are you apologizing?"
Lan Meishan’s gaze softened, something unbearably sad appeared in those emerald eyes. Then he disappeared.
The portal closed.
The street fell silent.
"Wait!" Ningyan lunged forward, nearly stepping into the fading portal.
But it vanished before he could reach it.
He stopped abruptly.
The night wind swept through the street and only the distant music remained.
Ningyan stood there staring at the empty space. His brows furrowed deeply. "What is wrong with these beasts?"
First the nine-tailed fox. Now the serpent beast.
Both of them spoke as though they knew him. As though they had lost him. As though they were grieving something he could not understand.
And now one of them had apologized to him for reasons he could not even begin to comprehend.
Ningyan rubbed his forehead irritably. His thoughts felt tangled.
Perhaps leaving the Phoenix Clan had been a mistake. Perhaps searching for answers about his past had been a mistake.
The more he learned, the less any of it made sense.
With a heavy sigh, Ningyan turned away.
The lights of Fire City stretched endlessly before him.
Yet for some reason, as he walked back toward the inn, those final emerald eyes refused to leave his mind.
And neither did the apology.
^°^
Arriving back at the inn, Lan Meishan stepped through the emerald portal and into his chamber.
The portal faded behind him.
Immediately, he spotted Su Miao standing by the window.
The young serpent beast turned at the sound of his arrival, his hazel eyes carrying obvious concern.
"Baba Meishan." Su Miao walked toward him. "Did you feel that?"
His expression tightened. "The demonic presence."
Lan Meishan did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked past him and removed his glasses.
"Gather your things." His voice was calm. "We are leaving."
Su Miao blinked. "Leaving?"
"You will be returning to the Azure Dragon Clan."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
Su Miao studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
Without another question, he turned and began collecting his belongings.
The moment he was gone, the composure on Lan Meishan’s face cracked.
He lowered himself into a chair and pressed his fingers against his eyes.
The headache was unbearable.
The ache in his chest even worse.
Slowly, he rubbed his face as though that alone could somehow steady his thoughts and stop the storm raging inside him.
Then the familiar voice came.
His own voice.
’Are you truly leaving?’
Meishan’s jaw tightened.
’You found him. After three hundred years, you finally found him.’
The voice sounded amused and mocking.
’You spoke to him. You ate with him. You sat across from him and listened to him laugh. And now you’re simply going to walk away?’
Lan Meishan remained silent.
’Why? Because he is a demon beast? Because he became exactly what Lan Yunlai always wanted him to become?’
A dangerous chuckle echoed through his mind.
’You are not weak, Meishan. Let me out.’
His fingers tightened against the armrest.
’Let me take control. I can handle him. I can restrain him. Contain him. I can keep him safe.’
The voice softened dangerously.
’And once he remembers... He’ll thank us.’
Lan Meishan closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, the temptation almost overwhelmed him.
The temptation to take Ningyan away. To lock him somewhere safe. To keep him close. To make sure nothing could ever hurt him again.
To never lose him a second time.
His breathing became uneven.
Then he opened his eyes.
"No." The word came out sharper than intended.
The voice fell silent.
Lan Meishan put his glasses back on. "You have no idea how difficult this is for me. So shut up."
At that exact moment, the chamber door opened. Su Miao stepped back inside carrying his things.
The young serpent beast immediately froze. His eyes widened. Because it was rare to see Lan Meishan this shaken.
In fact, Su Miao could count the number of times on one hand and every single one of them involved only one person.
His thoughts halted immediately. He did not dare continue them.
"Father?" The concern in his voice was obvious. "Are you alright?"
Lan Meishan instantly composed himself. The crack disappeared. The mask returned.
"Yes." The answer came too quickly.
Then he adjusted his glasses. "Are you ready?"
Su Miao stared at him for a moment longer before nodding. "Yes."
An emerald glow appeared beneath their feet.
The portal widened.
Lan Meishan stepped forward first. Su Miao followed.
Without another word, both vanished into the emerald light.
^°^
Months passed.
Winter settled over the Phoenix Clan.
Snow blanketed the rooftops, covered the courtyards, and gathered upon the crimson branches that surrounded the restored clan.
Under Ningyan’s rule, the clan had flourished.
The academy was nearing completion. Seasonal festivals had become a regular occurrence.
Children could often be found running through the streets carrying lanterns, laughing as they played in the snow.
The clan felt more alive than it had in centuries.
Yet despite all of this, Ningyan rarely left his chambers.
Since returning from Fire City, he had buried himself in work.
Alliance requests arrived almost daily from frightened clans hoping to secure protection before the Phoenix Clan eventually turned its gaze toward them.
Most were ignored. Others were discarded without being opened.
Ningyan sat behind his desk, reviewing another stack of scrolls while snow drifted quietly beyond the windows.
A knock suddenly echoed through the chamber.
Before Ningyan could answer, the doors opened.
Xie Zhenting entered.
Ningyan did not even bother looking up. "What is it?"
Xie Zhenting bowed. "Your Royal Greatness."
A smile rested upon his face. Though it looked somewhat forced. "You have remained in your chambers for months."
Ningyan continued reading. "And?"
"Perhaps it would be beneficial to step outside."
"I step outside."
"Outside the palace."
Ningyan finally raised his eyes. The look he gave him was unimpressed.
Xie Zhenting immediately coughed into his fist. "Regardless."
He straightened. "I have come because a letter has arrived."
Ningyan returned his attention to the scrolls. "Then add it to the pile."
"I believe this one will interest you."
That finally made Ningyan pause.
Slowly, he looked up. "Why is that?"
Xie Zhenting’s smile widened. "It is a proposal for an alliance."
Ningyan raised a brow. "And what exactly makes you so certain I would accept it?"
"The benefits." Xie Zhenting folded his hands behind his back. "Our ruling bloodlines have always been Su, Xie, and Zhang."
His expression became thoughtful.."A surviving branch of the Zhang bloodline has resurfaced."
Ningyan stared, waiting. "Their eldest son has proposed a marriage alliance."
"..." Ningyan blinked and blinked again. "Excuse me?"
Xie Zhenting maintained a perfectly serious expression. "The young master’s name is Zhang Wangji."
Another silence followed. Longer this time.
Then Ningyan slowly placed the scroll in his hand onto the desk. "You are attempting to arrange a marriage for me."
"It would strengthen our position."
"You are attempting to arrange a marriage for me."
"It would be politically advantageous."
Ningyan stared at him. Xie Zhenting stared back.
Neither moved.
Finally, Ningyan leaned back in his chair. "You have lost your mind."
Xie Zhenting sighed. "Your Greatness—"
"No." Ningyan raised a hand. "I have spent months rebuilding an entire clan."
Another finger lifted. "I am constructing an academy."
A second finger. "I am restructuring our economy."
A third. "I am managing military expansion."
A fourth. "And somehow, in all of this, your conclusion was that what I truly need is a husband?"
Xie Zhenting looked genuinely puzzled. "When you put it that way, it sounds unreasonable."
"It is unreasonable." Ningyan pointed at him.
"You are bringing me a marriage proposal as though you are presenting a military report."
Then his eyes narrowed.."Wait."
A terrible realization struck him. "You all discussed this beforehand, didn’t you?"
Xie Zhenting immediately looked away.
Ningyan slammed both hands onto the desk. "You did!"
Several scrolls flew onto the floor.
Xie Zhenting cleared his throat. "The elders were very enthusiastic."
Ningyan looked horrified. "The elders know about this?"
"The entire council knows."
"The entire council—" His voice broke.
Xie Zhenting finally smiled. "It would be a happy marriage."
Ningyan stared at him for several long moments and pointed toward the door. "Get out."
"Your Greatness—"
"Out."
Xie Zhenting wisely turned and left.
The moment the doors closed, Ningyan rubbed his forehead.
A marriage alliance.
They wanted him married.
A pair of calm emerald eyes suddenly appeared in his thoughts.
Ningyan froze and buried his face in his hands. "...Absolutely not."