Considering that Qianye Yingâer had planted the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark in Yun Che, enslavement by slave imprint was almost an unfairly light punishment. If by enslaving Qianye Yingâer, Yun Che would lose a terrible enemy and gain a powerful, loyal protector instead...
Normally, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor would never have allowed something like a slave imprint to exist. But the reason Xia Qingyue gave him was simply too good to deny!
âBrahma Monarch Goddess, youâre surprisingly accepting of this. In fact, you seem to have known that this would happen from the start,â said the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. The way he spoke and looked at Qianye Yingâer had changed slightly since the revelation.
âHeh,â Qianye Yingâer sneered at him, âdid I ever say I refuse to accept this?â
âAre you sure you want to...â
âCut the nonsense!â Qianye Yingâer interrupted him coldly. âFrom the moment I arrived in the Moon God Realm, I already knew what the outcome would be. Just be our witness and keep your comments and unnecessary meddling to yourself!â
Qianye Yingâer didnât care to give face to the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. In fact, she had always scorned him for his righteousness and impartialness. On the other hand, there was literally no one she trusted to become a witness other than him. No one except the Eternal Heaven God Emperor himself could assure her that Xia Qingyue and Yun Che wouldnât break their promise.
âFine...â Instead of getting angry with Qianye Yingâer, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed softly before saying, âThis old one despises the slave imprint, but... just this once, I will be the witness to its ceremony.â
He had never thought that the day he would bear witness to something like this would come. He definitely hadnât predicted the people who would be involved in the ceremony at least...
Let alone mortals, not even Divine Masters or god emperors could imagine something like this happening. But it was the truth, and it was happening right in front of him.
âYou have my early thanks, Eternal Heaven God Emperor.â Xia Qingyue bowed slightly at the Eternal Heaven God Emperor before staring at Qianye Yingâer. âYou may speak of your âconditionsâ now, but I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Donât forget that this king is the one who gets to decide whether your conditions are acceptable, not you.â
Qianye Yingâer coldly snorted in response, but she was no normal person. Most people thought it was better to die than to accept a slave imprint, but Qianye Yingâer was almost inhumanely calm despite her situation. âNumber one, you must cure my father and the Brahma Kingsâ poison in at most ten hours after the ceremony is complete!â
âAgreed.â Xia Qingyue accepted her first condition immediately.
Yun Cheâs mouth twitched once when he heard this. It because the sky poison would fade out swiftly on its own in at most four to six hours. Ten hours? Well...
âNumber two, you are not allowed to harm me or my profound energy.â
âQianye Yingâer, not everyone is as despicable and unprincipled as you are,â Xia Qingyue said with ridicule. âThis king has already given her word that she wouldnât harm you or your profound energy before, and she isnât one to break her promises. After all, youâre required to spend the next couple thousand years as Yun Cheâs most loyal servant and protector. It would be foolish to order you to commit suicide or cripple yourself.â
âI trust no one except the Eternal Heaven God Emperor!â Qianye Yingâer said frigidly.
The Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed quietly before starting, âMoon God Emperor, Yun Che, you are not allowed to order the Brahma Monarch Goddess into self mutiliation or suicide while sheâs enslaved, unless it is an accident caused by external forces. Otherwise, you must protect her life and her profound energy until she completes her servitude... do you have any objections?â
âThank you, Eternal Heaven God Emperor,â Xia Qingyue said. âThis king agrees.â
âNumber three, youâre not allowed to make me do anything that harms the Brahma Monarch God Realm!â Qianye Yingâer emphasized in a cold tone, âThis is my bottomline.â
âAlright.â Again, Xia Qingyue had agreed to her condition without any hesitation. âHowever, this condition doesnât apply if the Brahma Monarch God Realm is the one who attacks us first. Iâm sure you understand, right?â
âHmph!â Qianye Yingâer continued, âNumber four...â
âNumber four?â Xia Qingyue suddenly cut her off and said in an indifferent tone, âYou should know the saying âthere is no fourth timeâ, donât you? This king has already consented to your wish earlier and summoned the Eternal Heaven God Emperor as witness. Then, she accepted all three of your conditions without any alteration. But youâre still asking for more even after this king has given so much? Have you already forgotten whoâs the master and whoâs the beggar here?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Before Qianye Yingâer could give a reply, Xia Qingyue suddenly changed her tune and continued softly, âNever mind. You are the famous Lady Goddess of the Eastern Divine Region, the proud and noble Qianye Yingâer whoâs revered by every man. This king supposes that it is fine for you to enjoy one more condition... speak.â
Qianye Yingâer didnât shoot back a retort. Finally, for the second time of the day, she looked towards Yun Che and uttered with barely suppressed murder, âNo one is allowed to sully my body!â
Yun Che, â...â
This time though, she got a disdainful snort from Xia Qingyue instead of agreement. The woman was even staring at her like she was a hilarious idiot. âThis king didnât realize that Qianye Yingâer, the woman who was feared by all, the enemy who had nearly driven her to the brink of death had such a naive side to her.â
Qianye Yingâer, â...â
âThis king can promise that Yun Che would never allow any man or woman to sully your body, but himself... what would it matter even if this king did agree to your condition? You should know how men are, Qianye Yingâer. I can control his will and action, but do you really think I can control his beastial nature?â
Yun Che: âï¹ââ¥
(Did you seriously just say that, Qingyue!? I didnât even touch a hair on you while we were married for dozens of years... Where is your conscience! Where is it!?)
âAnd let us not forget you are the famous Lady Goddess, countless people would throw their lives away if they could catch even one glimpse of your countenance, and let us not even mention what the god emperor from the Southern Divine Region would do to seize you. But now, youâre telling me you want a man who has total power over you to not lift a finger against you for three thousand years? Qianye Yingâer, are you trying to make me laugh?â
â???â Yun Che was completely dumbstruck by this turn of events. Wait! Somethingâs not right! Nominally, I am Xia Qingyueâs husband, and Qianye Yingâer is her most hated enemy. No matter how you looked at it, she shouldâve ordered me to never touch her, so why...
Is this a conspiracy!?
Or... is she just humiliating Qianye Yingâer?
âVery well...â
Qianye Yingâerâs lips curled icily, but once again Xia Qingyue interrupted her before she could form a full sentence, âQianye Yingâer, you should know that this condition of yours would never come true, so the only reason you mentioned this seemingly reasonable, but really laughable request of yours is so that this king wouldnât be able to turn down your next and final request, correct?â
âYou are disgustingly smart.â The temperature behind Qianye Yingâerâs voice abruptly dropped a few degrees lower.
âHeh, thank you for the praise. Unfortunately for you, you wonât be speaking to me like this for a long time to come very soon.â Xia Qingyue narrowed her eyes. âNow speak and tell me your final request. Donât disappoint me with a boring request!â
Forget Yun Che, not even Qianye Yingâer could equate the Moon God Emperor before her to the delicate and powerless Xia Qingyue at the God Realm of Absolute Beginning several years ago. It was as if there were two completely different people behind that flesh of hers.
Although Qianye Yingâer was driven to this point because of Yun Cheâs Sky Poison Pearl, his mastery of light and darkness profound energy, the might of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, and her one and only weakness, Xia Qingyue was the one who had strung them all together into the perfect trap.
Even their verbal exchange today was completely dominated by Xia Qingyue... It was to the point where Qianye Yingâer felt suffocated like never before.
Ironically, Qianye Yingâer herself was the biggest reason why a lost Xia Qingyue was able to become the Moon God Emperor she was today!
Finally, Qianye Yingâer revealed her last condition slowly, âTwo thousand years of servitude, and no more. This is also my bottomline!â
Her voice was slow and forceful. She sounded like she was warning Xia Qingyue against rejecting her.
If Xia Qingyue agreed to her request, then her period of servitude would be shortened by a third and more.
Qianye Yingâerâs current cultivation gave her a lifespan of around fifty thousand years, meaning that three thousand years was only about a twentieth of her lifespan.
However, time was hardly the thing Qianye Yingâer couldnât accept the most. It was the shame of becoming another personâs slave!
Every day she served under Yun Che was a day of impossible shame!
But there was no escaping her fate. Not only was Yun Che the only one who could cure the Brahma Heaven God Emperor, her failure to drive Yun Che into a dead end when she planted the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark actually came back to bite her and drive herself into a corner today.
There was no sense in regretting at this point. Right now, the only thing she could bargain over was time.
Forget a thousand years, she would accept a reduction of a hundred years, or even a tenth of that.
At first, Qianye Yingâer thought that Xia Qingyue would reject her offer without hesitation. She thought that they would be sparring with words for a bit and arrive at a final âbargainâ in the end. But Xia Qingyueâs reaction once again completely exceeded expectations. When she saw a mechanical, emotionless smile crossing Xia Qingyueâs lips, she immediately had a feeling that Xia Qingyue had predicted what her final request would be a long time ago.
Xia Qingyue opened her mouth and said something that stunned even the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. âOne thousand years.â
Qianye Yingâer immediately frowned at the unexpected reply.
âYun Che,â Xia Qingyue turned slightly, âIs that enough for you?â
Understanding her meaning, Yun Che nodded and replied, âMn. Thatâs enough.â
âGood.â Xia Qingyue continued with a smile that was completely detached and cold, âYou heard him, Qianye Yingâer. You wish to reduce your sentence by a thousand years? This king agrees, and reduces your sentence by another one thousand years. Is there anything else you would like to say?â
âHeh, hehe...â Qianye Yingâer sneered, âYour ability to scheme is far better than that trash Yue Wuya, Xia Qingyue.â
âThis king will take that as a compliment.â Xia Qingyue didnât look angered at all by the comment.
âGood, a thousand years... a thousand years...â Her gaze passed through her mask and fell on Yun Che briefly... The price of saving her father and the eight Brahma Kings was a period of servitude of one thousand years. Since her motherâs death, this was the first time she had sacrificed herself for anyone in countless years. Even âbetterâ, it was a kind of sacrifice that almost no one could accept.
If none of this had happened, Qianye Yingâer herself wouldnât believe that she could go this far.
Just like Xia Qingyue had told Yun Che earlier, when a person was selfish in the extreme, the only familial tie she had left would actually become the one thing she couldnât lose no matter what.
Who knewâwho could even believeâthat Qianye Yingâer, the selfish and almighty Lady Goddess whose only goal in life was the pursuit of ultimate power... would willingly call another person her master to save her fatherâs life?
At the very least, neither Yun Che nor the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had seen this coming. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor thought that he knew the Brahma Monarch Goddess well enough, but her actions today had completely defied his expectations. His shock was at least several times bigger than Yun Cheâs.
âSo, your conditions are to treat the Brahma Monarch God Emperor and the eight Brahma Kingsâ accidental poisoning within ten hours, to not harm your life or your profound energy, to not force you to harm the Brahma Monarch God Realm, and to reduce your sentence from three thousand years to one thousand years,â Xia Qingyue reiterated unhurriedly. âThis king has agreed to all of your requests, and you donât have to worry about us breaking our promise with the Eternal Heaven God Emperor acting as the witness... You still have time to change your mind, you know. After all, how can the life of a god emperor and eight Brahma Kings possibly compare to one thousand years of the Brahma Monarch Goddessâ freedom?â
âHmph! Save your childish provocations for someone else.â Qianye Yingâerâs hands tightened bit by bit as her lipsâa pair of things more perfect that even the prettiest of flowersâtrembled slightly. âXia Qingyue, Yun Che... donât you forget what you said today. Donât you forget... what happened today!â
âOf course. It would be a shame to forget a wonderful day like this, donât you agree?â Xia Qingyue said with a half-smile.
Qianye Yingâer closed her eyes while breathing heavily. Eventually, a slow, desolate voice slipped out of her mouth. âNow... let... us... begin!â
Obviously, Qianye Yingâer would like to push this as far back as possible. However... Qianye Fantianâs condition simply couldnât be delayed any longer.