123: What goes around comes around; the retribution for leaving an IOU is having your fiancée come knocking on your door!

Divine Son Peak, the back garden.

Su Chen was slumped in a rocking chair crafted from ten-thousand-year-old wutong wood, looking as lazy as a puddle of a melted cat.

The warm sunlight spilled over him, so comfortable that he just wanted to doze off.

The small table was piled high with colorful spirit fruits and pastries overflowing with Spiritual Qi.

Spring Flower was on his left, her slender fingers kneading his legs with just the right amount of pressure.

Qiu Yue was on his right, using a jade pick to carefully bring a perfectly peeled amethyst grape to his lips.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes contentedly and lazily opened his mouth to take it.

The sweet juice burst on the tip of his tongue.

"Mhm, not bad."

"The vintage of these grapes is just right—sweet but not cloying. Reward!"

He waved his hand grandly, putting on more of an air than a decadent monarch of a secular Imperial Dynasty.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!"

A beautiful yet helpless smile played on Qiu Yue's face as she pulled a blank IOU and a brush from her Storage Pouch.

Her movements were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

Su Chen took them and signed his name with a flourish, adding a string of Spirit Stone debts that would bankrupt even a Great Saint, before finally stamping it with his Shenzi seal with a 'thud'.

"Here, take it."

"When This Divine Son remembers one day, I'll go to the treasury and withdraw it for you."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Qiu Yue carefully tucked away the freshly minted 'sky-high IOU,' secretly rejoicing.

Spring Flower, watching from the side, twitched her lips and ultimately couldn't hold back.

She whispered, "Your Highness, the Spirit Stones you lost to us playing cards last time are enough to buy half of the Eastern Wasteland. When will you pay us back?"

"Cough, cough!"

Upon hearing this, Su Chen's outrageously handsome face turned a rare shade of red.

He immediately straightened his face and spoke with righteous indignation.

"Spring Flower, how can you besmirch someone's reputation out of thin air?"

"What do you mean 'lost'?"

"As for a scholar, can it really be called 'losing'?"

"That’s called 'academic exchange'! It’s to train your mental arithmetic and financial management skills! I'm doing this for your own good, don't you understand?"

[Damn, this little brat—bringing up exactly what shouldn't be mentioned! I'm definitely docking your wages this month!]

Su Chen made a mental note of the grudge, yet his face wore a look of earnest concern as if saying, 'I'm doing this for your own good.'

Spring Flower curled her lip, not daring to talk back further.

Last night, she and Qiu Yue had joined forces, using the supreme Divine Ability bestowed by the Mistress to drag that Demoness's Divine Soul into a dream for interrogation.

Naturally, they wouldn't tell Su Chen about this.

In their eyes, clearing all obstacles for His Highness was their sacred duty as Dao Protectors.

Seeing that the two maids were no longer dwelling on the 'debt' issue, Su Chen nodded in satisfaction and shifted into a more comfortable position, ready to continue enjoying his hard-earned salted fish time.

The sun was just right, and the breeze was mild.

Without that Crazy Woman watching him like a hawk, even the air felt a few degrees sweeter.

[Ah, this is the life!]

[When there's work, the secretary does it; when there's no work, the secretary... ahem, this is truly a god-like existence!]

Su Chen hummed a little tune happily in his heart, feeling as though his life had reached its Peak.

However, he hadn't even enjoyed this divine life for fifteen minutes.

When a streak of light rushed frantically in from outside Divine Son Peak, its aura in disarray as if being chased by a dog.

The newcomer was an outer court deacon of Divine Son Peak, his face pale and covered in sweat.

He couldn't even steady himself, stumbling and crawling until he threw himself before Su Chen.

With a 'thud,' he fell straight to his knees.

His voice was already tinged with a sob.

"Your... Your Highness! It's... it's bad! Something huge has happened!"

Su Chen was startled by his mournful expression, his enjoyment instantly interrupted as he frowned in displeasure.

"What's the panic?"

"Has the sky fallen?"

[Damn it, do you have no situational awareness? Can't you see This Divine Son is enjoying afternoon tea? No sense of etiquette at all.]

"No... it's more serious than the sky falling!"

The deacon had a long face, gasping for breath.

"The... the Phoenix Carriage of the Yaochi Holy Land has... has arrived at our mountain gate!"

"Yaochi Holy Land?"

Su Chen froze for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively.

"So what if they're here? They're probably here to deliver gifts. You're bothering me with such a small matter?"

[The Yaochi Holy Land is also something else; every time they send gifts to their son-in-law, they're so stingy. They should learn to send more.]

"That's not it, Your Highness!"

The deacon was so anxious he was almost in tears.

"The person... who stepped off the Phoenix Carriage... is the Yaochi Saintess, Ling Qingzhu!"

"She... she specifically named you, saying she's here to see you!"

"Pfft—"

The mouthful of spiritual tea Su Chen had just taken instantly turned into a sharp water arrow, accurately plastering the deacon's face.

As if struck by lightning, he sprang straight out of the rocking chair.

The leisure and ease on his face evaporated instantly, replaced by a horror and panic as if he had seen the King of Hell himself.

[Holy crap?!]

[Ling Qingzhu?! Why is she here again?!]

Inside Su Chen's brain, alarms blared through the clouds.

He and Ling Qingzhu were actually engaged!

Because he resisted this kind of old-world arranged marriage, he had always wanted to break the engagement, but unfortunately, those old fogies of the Su Family refused to agree no matter what.

Now that the Crazy Woman Ye Linghan had just left and he hadn't even warmed his seat, one of his legitimate Fiancées was already at his door!

If she found out that Su Chen had not only 'hidden a Mistress in a golden house' outside but had also 'shared a bed' with a Demoness for a night... Su Chen shuddered violently.

He didn't even dare to imagine that scene.

Given Ling Qingzhu's cold and aloof personality, which couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in her eye, she would likely draw her sword on the spot and level Divine Son Peak to the ground!

[No way! I absolutely cannot let her see me!]

[I have to run away immediately!]

The first thought in Su Chen's mind was to tear through the Void Realm and slip away.

But on second thought, you can run, but you can't hide forever.

Where could he even go?

[I've got it!]

Su Chen's eyes darted around as a brilliant idea, or so he thought, came to mind.

He grabbed the deacon's collar, his face instantly switching to an expression of profound 'grief'.

His voice was so weak it sounded like he might drop dead the next second.

"Quick! Go tell the people outside!"

"Say that This Divine Son was observing the stars and comprehending the Dao last night, gained some insights, but accidentally triggered a Great Dao injury. I am now in secluded meditation and will see no one!"

"Especially the Yaochi Saintess! Say that my injuries are too severe and my appearance is haggard, so I don't want her to see me in such a pathetic state to avoid worrying her!"

[Hehe, I really am a Genius!]

[This excuse is absolutely seamless! Not only does it avoid her, but it also makes me look deeply affectionate. It's killing two birds with one stone!]

Su Chen frantically gave himself a thumbs-up in his heart.

The deacon was stunned by this sudden change of face but nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! Yes! This servant will go right away!"

With that, he scrambled out as fast as his legs could carry him.

Watching his departing figure, Su Chen let out a long sigh of relief and slumped back into the rocking chair, patting his chest with lingering fear.

[That was close, so close. I finally managed to fool them.]

However, he hadn't even finished exhaling.

The booming voice of Seventh Elder Su Qi, filled with surprise and excitement, suddenly exploded in his ears via the transmission Jade Slip!

"Chener! Great news!"

"The Yaochi Saintess has come to visit you in person again! This shows that she has you in her heart!"

"Don't worry! I'll bring her over to you right now!!"

"Hurry up and prepare yourself, perform well! Let's try to finalize the marriage today!"

Su Chen: "..."