Chapter 47: Transaction.

The night was deep, silence enveloping all.
The stone house was quiet, save for the faint crackle of the red candle burning.

Xie Qiyang slipped off her shoes, sitting cross-legged on the bed draped in crimson brocade, her head weighed down by the heavy red veil that blocked her sight, leaving only a suffocating sea of red.

Ye Zhuxian’s words echoed in her ears: “This red veil is tradition, but also the thread of the contract. Only when your ‘husband’ lifts it with his own hands, witnessed by the Heavenly Dao, will the contract be sealed. The one reflected in your eyes will be your lawful Dao companion for life.”

She felt like a meticulously wrapped gift, awaiting unwrapping, her heart numb.
This was likely… the calm before the storm.

Ye Zhuxian was gone—perhaps off to stir up trouble or simply watching the drama unfold from somewhere.
Xie Qiyang, sleepless and restless, fidgeted with the wide sleeves of her wedding dress, the cool fabric brushing her fingertips.

If only someone could talk to me…
The thought barely surfaced before she squashed it.
In this den of wolves, what could she say? To whom?

Just then—

Thud, thud…

Clear footsteps approached, stopping at the door.

Xie Qiyang’s heart sank, her body tensing instinctively.
It was Li Tianze’s footsteps—she recognized the rhythm from earlier, brimming with his usual swagger and pressure.

Oh no…
Her inner voice wailed.
Is my mouth cursed? Thinking of something and it happens? And it’s the last person I want to see!
She could almost picture Li Tianze’s smug, victorious grin.

What’s the point of resisting? Here I am, sitting quietly, waiting for him.

The door creaked open gently, not the rough barge she’d expected.

A figure paused at the threshold, not entering immediately.
The flickering candlelight cast a long shadow at the edge of her veiled vision.

No gloating words came.

After a brief silence, a voice spoke, making Xie Qiyang think she was hallucinating:

“Sorry.”

The voice was low, soft, even tinged with a faint… unease, completely unlike the arrogant, aggressive tone from earlier.

“I was out of line during the day,” Li Tianze’s voice came again, clear and sincere.
“Visiting you at night, I’ve disturbed your peace.”

Xie Qiyang froze on the bed’s edge, stunned.
Under the veil, her brows furrowed tightly.

What’s going on? An apology?
In her mind, Li Tianze was a brainless villain straight out of a novel, destined to be crushed by Li Tianxing.
Why was he here, apologizing so politely at midnight?
This was more unnerving than Ye Zhuxian turning from a chaos-loving spectator into a genuinely kind grandma.

Footsteps resumed, entering the room, deliberately light as if avoiding startling her.
He stopped a few steps from the bed, not approaching closer.

“I know you must be… deeply unwilling right now,” Li Tianze’s voice was clear in the quiet night, oddly calm and lucid.

“My behavior today was crude and reckless, likely frightening you.”
He paused, choosing his words.
“That wasn’t… my true intent.”

Not his intent?
Xie Qiyang’s confusion deepened.
Wasn’t that beast ready to pounce earlier?

“The village elders,” his voice carried a complex mix of helplessness, self-mockery, and a heavy burden, “have placed too many expectations on me. And I…”

He took a soft breath.
“I’ve failed them, yet I rushed to prove myself, only to make a mess of things.”

“I know you may have someone in your heart—or perhaps no one at all.
Today’s scene was just me testing my brother.
He’s changed, terrifyingly so, like the reincarnation of our ancestor.”

“I’m not here to justify myself or beg forgiveness.
I just wanted to speak to you with a face… perhaps less repulsive to you. That’s all.”

He fell silent, the room returning to quiet, broken only by the candle’s faint crackle.

“So…”
Li Tianze’s voice broke the silence, now carrying a resolute, all-in determination, his words shocking:

“Want to cooperate?”

“?!”
Under the veil, Xie Qiyang’s body jolted.

Cooperate? With who? Li Tianze?!
This sudden proposal was so absurd it left her reeling.

As if anticipating her shock and disbelief, his voice carried a bitter self-mockery, continuing clearly:

“Grandma… has likely given up on me.”
His tone was eerily calm.
“Though I’m her blood grandson, I can feel… she doesn’t truly care for me.”

He paused, his voice lowering:

“She only cares about the one with the Solar Saint Body—‘him.’
Tomorrow, the one sharing your wedding night and sealing the contract will surely be Li Tianxing.
I suspect… Old Man Chen, even the village’s old monsters, have all tacitly agreed.
After all…”

“That guy’s changed too much.
Is he hiding too well, or is he truly our ancestor reborn?”

“I’ve likely been abandoned.
He’s too freakish, like an old monster reincarnated.”

“Even if Big Brother’s strange now, the Li Clan desperately needs a true Solar Saint Body.
Only a pure one can wield our ancestor’s imperial weapon without cost!”

“Especially the day after tomorrow, when the Netherancient Heavenly Venerable’s imperial weapon and inheritance unseal, we need our ancestor’s weapon to secure the clan’s future.”

“And my fate… is to be a carefree stud, breeding heirs to maybe awaken the Saint Body, fulfilling my duty as the direct grandson.”

Xie Qiyang processed the massive information, her voice dry.
“And this ‘cooperation’ you speak of… how does it relate?”

“It’s everything!”
Li Tianze’s voice flared with passion.
“I’m not resigned! I refuse to accept being a caged breeding tool for the clan.
In this grand era of prodigies and opportunities, how can I, Li Tianze, be trapped in this tiny place?”

“The cooperation is simple.”
His tone grew urgent, fervent.
“Tomorrow, during your wedding night with Li Tianxing, don’t submit! Resist him with everything you’ve got, every method you can think of.”

Xie Qiyang fell silent, her brows knitting under the veil.
Resist Li Tianxing?

Sensing her hesitation, Li Tianze grew anxious.
Gritting his teeth, his face contorted with reluctance, he reached into his robe and carefully produced two items.

Instantly, a dense, overwhelming Dao charm filled the room, tinting the candlelight with an ethereal glow.

Though the veil blocked her sight, Xie Qiyang’s sharp spiritual sense “saw” them clearly: two extraordinary fruits!

One was golden-red, its surface etched with mystical soaring serpent runes, shaped like a coiled ancient serpent, radiating fierce energy—a Soaring Serpent Fruit!

The other was deep blue, covered in ancient, heavy tortoise-shell patterns, round and weighty, exuding a vast, profound Dao charm—a Black Tortoise Fruit!

These divine fruits were clearly rare treasures, brimming with supreme fortune, valuable enough to make great powers fight to the death.

Li Tianze, with pained reluctance, placed the fruits on a table near the bed, their glowing charm illuminating a small area.

“They’re yours!”
He forced the words out, voice thick with anguish.
“As long as you agree to resist with all your strength tomorrow.”

Feeling the precious Dao charm of the fruits even through the veil, Xie Qiyang’s internal scales tipped instantly.

Heaven-sent elixirs?
She desperately needed such treasures.

Her inner joy drowned out all doubts.
Without hesitation, her clear voice rang out, barely containing her excitement:

“Deal!”