Chapter 278: Nervousness
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“Lady Ling is right.”
Liu Jin glances at Lu Mei out of the corner of his eyes. She is not wearing her disciple robes today, a privilege afforded to her by her position as a Core Disciple. Instead, she is dressed in a too-thin white dress with gold accents and a red sash around her waist. While the sight is undeniably pleasing, the circumstances make Liu Jin enjoy it less than he should.
“Somehow, I am not surprised you think that,” he says, bringing back his attention to the materials he is working with: phoenix feathers, blood of a mantis snake, and stoic jellyfish venom. All are highly volatile items and need to be handled with care. Most people would not dare have them so close together, but for someone as skilled as Liu Jin, working with them to create medicine is simply a way to relax his mind.
“Whether you like it or not, she speaks the truth,” Lu Mei says, sitting on his bed. “You may be the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire, but your country is still unstable. As much as I’d like to keep you all to myself, you need alliances to solidify your position. That means marriages. Might as well get used to the idea that you will have to let your future wives settle things between themselves.”
“That’s not the issue,” Liu Jin says. The mantis snake blood glows ominously on his table. Liu Jin takes a deep breath and mixes it in. “If it was just you and Xiao Shuang, I would not worry.” Much. “However, it is not just the two of you. It will never be just the two of you.”
It would always be Lu Mei and the Eternal Flame Clan and Xiao Shuang and the Divine Frozen Palace. The Sects would try to work their will on him through the two of them and might even try to poison them against each other. The same went for any other prospective concubines he might end up with, an eventuality that Liu Jin would rather not focus on right now.
“That is a valid concern,” Lu Mei admits, “especially considering how many gifts I have received lately.”
Liu Jin stops working and turns his head to the side.