358: Chapter 358 Protecting You

King Haoyue looked at Luo Yuan with a heavy gaze, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger: "Luo Yuan, do you know what you are saying? If you change your mind now, I can suppress all rumors and ensure your safety."

Xun Luoyuan looked up, her eyes firm without the slightest hesitation, and spoke clearly word by word: "There is no need. I, Xun Luoyuan, have already given myself to Young Master Feng, and my heart belongs entirely to him. I ask Your Majesty to fulfill our wishes."

"You!" King Haoyue's chest rose and fell with anger, and the surrounding pressure dropped sharply; he clearly hadn't expected her to be so resolute.

Feng Ming, who had long since given up struggling, stared blankly at the woman before him, and everything suddenly became clear in his mind.

No wonder when they were discussing strategies at the Commandery Princesss Mansion earlier, she had repeatedly reminded him that the outcome might not be what he desired. It turned out she had already set this move in motion.

The Third Prince set a trap, and he could turn the tables; Xun Luoyuan, who was in the middle of it, could naturally seek a way out for herself. Forcibly binding herself to him was the key to breaking the deadlock.

She staked her reputation as a woman, and with one sentence, she blocked everyone's path to rebuttal.

Even if the traces of the Entangling Love Threads remaining in him and Xun Luoyuan had not yet dissipated, and even if he had sworn a Blood Oath to prove his innocence, it was all useless now.

That evidence could only prove they hadn't crossed the line, but it couldn't change the fact that Xun Luoyuan insisted she was already his.

She was making her stance clear—she would rather die than marry the Second Prince. King Haoyue understood this perfectly, which was why he gave her a chance to retract her words. He didn't want this to become a reality. Once it did, Xun Luoyuan would completely escape the marriage trap with the Second Prince, with no room for reversal.

As for whether the two were truly innocent, even if those present saw the clues, no one cared. They only cared that Xun Luoyuan had used this to completely rid herself of the Crown Prince's entanglement, and the people of the world would only believe the surface appearance they saw.

Just as Yang Chenyu had said, after he and Xun Luoyuan spent a night together in the room, innocence was no longer important.

Public opinion was fickle. Even if King Haoyue's strength was godlike, he could only make people afraid to speak openly, but he couldn't stop what they thought in their hearts.

Feng Ming closed his eyes and let out a long, helpless sigh. Although the situation before him was unexpected, it was also within the realm of reason.

He had calculated everything but failed to anticipate that Xun Luoyuan would be so fierce as to sacrifice her own reputation just to reject the marriage.

"This woman is not only smart, but she's also truly ruthless." Feng Ming marveled secretly, but then worry filled his heart. "But this makes things hard for me. How should I explain this to Shuwan when I get back? Should I say I went to court to receive a title and picked up a wife along the way? Not only would Shuwan not believe it, I find it absurd myself."

King Haoyue remained silent for a long time before finally giving up. He slowly opened his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of exhaustion and compromise: "Since your mind is made up, I will not persuade you further. You need not worry about Yang Chenyu's matter; I will personally interrogate and punish him. If the Moon Enthalpy truly instigated it behind the scenes, I will surely give you justice."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xun Luoyuan bowed, but she knew in her heart that these were just polite words.

Even if it really was the Third Prince behind the scenes, how could King Haoyue truly take action against his own son? At most, the investigation would stop at Yang Chenyu's level.

Feng Ming was well aware of this. He couldn't afford to offend either the Second Prince or the Third Prince. From beginning to end, he only wanted to deal with the lackey who set the trap to show others he wasn't someone to be trifled with, but he never thought he could bring down an imperial prince because of this.

Unless King Haoyue decided to depose them, no one could shake the status of the two princes. This was the harshest reality of the imperial city.

King Haoyue spoke again, his majestic voice echoing throughout the area: "Pass down the order: no one is to spread word of today's events."

After saying that, his gaze fell back on Xun Luoyuan, and he said in a deep voice: "I will grant your wish and bestow a marriage contract upon you two. You will leave the capital in three days and return to Xun Prefecture to be wed. Feng Ming, after the wedding, proceed to Qian Prefecture to take up your post."

As his voice fell, King Haoyue waved his hand, and a bright yellow imperial decree scroll flew through the air to land before Xun Luoyuan.

Almost at the same moment, the System's notification sound suddenly rang in Feng Ming's mind: [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for taking Xun Luoyuan as his wife. Current favorability is 30%!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining rewards: Inverting Dragon and Phoenix Art third-layer cultivation speed increased to 33 times, immortal grade fist technique Heaven-Shaking Punch, and 2 cultivation spirit fruits!]

Feng Ming was completely stunned and complained frantically in his heart: "Good grief, I didn't even say a word, and my wife is already decided? It's one thing for King Haoyue and Xun Luoyuan to act recklessly, but why is the System joining in the fun? He didn't get a reward for sleeping with Hua Dieer, but it's recognized as soon as Xun Luoyuan was granted marriage? Is this King Haoyue in charge of the world's marriages? His words are as good as a marriage certificate?"

After a few curses, Feng Ming finally gave up helplessly and turned to look at the System rewards. [Heaven-Shaking Punch]: An immortal grade fist technique. One punch can shake the heavens and move the earth. The stronger the Physical Body, the greater its power.

Seeing this, Feng Ming couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. With the feedback from the chaos tree, his physical strength far exceeded that of Cultivators of the same level. This fist technique was practically tailor-made for him.

"I suppose it's some consolation. For the sake of the Heaven-Shaking Punch, I'll just have to put some effort into thinking about how to explain this to Shuwan." Feng Ming sighed softly and turned his gaze to the final reward, the cultivation spirit fruits.

He knew the System's patterns well; it would issue rewards based on the wife's characteristics and the Host's situation. Jiang Shuwan corresponds to Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Pills, Lu An'an to Pill Formulas and business, and Lu Qianqian to divine weapon forging and Physique cultivation. He wondered what the use of Xun Luoyuan's cultivation spirit fruits was.

[cultivation spirit fruit]: Can directly increase cultivation level. The effect is fixed and does not change with the Host's strength.

Feng Ming frowned slightly, feeling that these spirit fruits were a bit mediocre. A fixed increase meant that the stronger he was, the weaker the effect. The specific utility would depend on the base increase. He didn't think further and tossed both spirit fruits into his mouth.

In the next second, extremely dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi exploded within his body. His cultivation surged like a tide. In just a few breaths, a strong aura fluctuation emanated from Feng Ming, causing an uproar throughout the venue.

"He's actually having a Breakthrough now?"

"It's the aura of the third layer of the Mahayana Realm!"

"After such a big event, he still has the mind to Cultivate and Breakthrough. This composure is simply terrifying!"

Lu Qianqian and Zhang Bai watched from the crowd with looks of approval. Zhang Bai sighed, "I truly admire Brother Feng's mindset. Even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, his face would change—I mean, I could never learn this in my lifetime."

Lu Qianqian rolled her eyes at him. "Do you even know how to speak? It's called 'remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapses before him.' Unlike you, who loses his composure as soon as he sees the Xun Luoyuan."

Zhang Bai smiled bitterly. "Now that the Xun Luoyuan is Brother Feng's wife, and the marriage was bestowed by His Majesty, it's set in stone. I should give up too."

Lu Qianqian's heart tightened upon hearing this, and she quickly asked, "Is there really no way out once His Majesty bestows a marriage? What if King Xibei doesn't approve of this marriage?"

"His Majesty's words are final; how could they be retracted?" Zhang Bai shook his head, full of regret. "It's a pity I won't even be able to drink their wedding wine."