Yan Qing's sudden intrusion seemed to startle both Chen Changsheng and Patriarch Crimson Flame, causing them to turn their gazes toward her simultaneously.
After a few breaths, Patriarch Crimson Flame seemed to snap back to his senses and looked at Yan Qing with a stern expression.
"Qinger, your grandfather has already made the decision and agreed to this. Are you going to refuse? Where would I put my old face if you do?"
Hearing this, a flash of grievance appeared on Yan Qing's face. She was not even fifty years old yet, which was still considered the prime of youth for a Golden Core cultivator. Why would she want to marry anyone?
Furthermore, this Chen Changsheng was over a hundred years older than her.
To the side, seeing Yan Qing looking as if she were about to cry, Chen Changsheng turned to Patriarch Crimson Flame with an awkward expression.
"Senior, since Princess Yan Qing is unwilling, I cannot force the issue. Please cancel this marriage arrangement, Senior."
Hearing this, Yan Qing suddenly felt that Chen Changsheng wasn't so annoying after all, but she was still quite reluctant to marry him.
However, Patriarch Crimson Flame blew his beard and glared.
"Since I have already said I would betroth Qinger to you, how can I tear up the marriage agreement now? The matter is settled!"
"This..."
Chen Changsheng looked deeply troubled. He looked at Patriarch Crimson Flame, then at Yan Qing beside him. Finally, as if he had thought of something, he gritted his teeth and cupped his hands toward Patriarch Crimson Flame.
"Please retract your order, Senior!"
Seeing this, Yan Qing also looked at her grandfather with anticipation.
Patriarch Crimson Flame seemed to be moved by Chen Changsheng's resolute demeanor, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face.
However, he still did not agree, only relenting slightly by saying, "Since that is the case, why don't you spend some time with Qinger first, Changsheng? If you still feel it's inappropriate later, I will treat the previous marriage agreement as if it never existed."
Patriarch Crimson Flame's words made both Chen Changsheng and Yan Qing hesitate.
Yan Qing originally wanted to say that she didn't want to interact with Chen Changsheng at all, let alone marry so early.
But, thinking about how her grandfather had already made such a huge concession, and that Chen Changsheng had been speaking up for her all along, she couldn't bring herself to say it. She could only nod with a rather reluctant look.
Seeing this, Patriarch Crimson Flame nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. Since both of you have agreed, then Qinger, you will follow Changsheng for now. Get to know him better. Even if you two don't become husband and wife in the future, you can still learn a lot."
"Yes, Grandfather."
...
In the main hall of the royal palace, Patriarch Crimson Flame sat alone in the seat of honor, remaining silent.
After a long time, the old man finally let out a soft sigh.
"Alas, I hope Qinger won't blame her grandfather when she learns the truth."
The act he and Chen Changsheng put on earlier was naturally for Yan Qing to see.
After all, the moment Chen Changsheng heard that he was going to betroth Yan Qing to him, he immediately started calling him grandfather. How could he actually be the upright gentleman he appeared to be earlier?
It was just that he genuinely wanted to entrust Yan Qing to Chen Changsheng as well.
At this thought, Patriarch Crimson Flame's back couldn't help but hunch a bit more.
He knew his granddaughter too well. She had displayed formidable talent from a young age, but when he suggested sending her to a true major power in the Eastern Wasteland, she refused, saying she didn't want to leave her family.
But how could he not know that it wasn't because she didn't want to join a major power; she just didn't want to leave the Great Yan Kingdom.
One must know how fierce the competition was among disciples in those major powers of the Eastern Wasteland, which had Soul Formation or even Void Refinement experts standing guard. Furthermore, because Yan Qing had grown up by his side, constantly influenced by what she saw and heard, she had developed too deep an affection for the Great Yan Kingdom.
Moreover, he was actually not at ease letting Yan Qing go out and brave the world all alone.
After all, although a supreme-grade spiritual root was powerful, it was merely an entry ticket to the Nascent Soul realm.
Once one reached the Nascent Soul realm, the spiritual root was no longer as important; what mattered more was one's comprehension of their own Dao.
And Yan Qing's Fire Spirit Body, while being a special constitution, was really nothing much compared to the King Bodies and Dao Bodies possessed by the true prodigies of the Eastern Wasteland.
Therefore, after discovering that this Chen Changsheng was likely no ordinary figure and that the mere Nascent Soul realm could absolutely not contain him...
He came up with such a plan.
Of course, the Black Jade Bell naturally also played a part in making him form this idea.
After all, how great must the fortune be of a person who could casually give away a mid-grade spiritual artifact?
...
At this moment, Yan Qing's mind was a complete mess. She had no idea why things had turned out like this.
She had only returned to the royal palace not long ago, and now she was dazedly following Chen Changsheng, steering a flying boat away from the royal capital.
Yan Qing hesitated for a long time before finally looking at Chen Changsheng. "Changsheng... Patriarch Changsheng, where are we going now?"
"To the Heavenly Luo Kingdom, the Black Jade Sect."
Chen Changsheng explained casually. Following that, with a look of curiosity, he controlled the flying boat beneath his feet, making it fly in an S-shape one moment and drifting the next, leaving trails in the air.
To be honest, even though he was already a Nascent Soul cultivator, this was his first time piloting something like a flying boat.
In the past, he didn't have the spirit stones to buy such a luxury item.
In fact, most rogue Golden Core cultivators didn't have enough wealth to support the use of a magical treasure-level flying boat.
Seeing Chen Changsheng acting like a child who had just received a new toy for the first time, Yan Qing felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
Thinking back to a year ago, when she had just broken through to the Golden Core realm and received this flying boat, she was just as fond of it as Chen Changsheng was now.
Consequently, the look in her eyes as she gazed at Chen Changsheng lost its initial complexity and awe.
Recalling her grandfather's words from earlier, a thought suddenly arose in her mind: perhaps marrying Chen Changsheng wouldn't be such a bad choice after all.
After all, he was actually quite a nice person, even willing to reject her grandfather to help her out of a tight spot.
Chen Changsheng seemed to notice that Yan Qing kept staring at him and turned his head curiously. "What's wrong?"
"No... nothing. I just feel that you, Patriarch Changsheng, don't seem like the other Nascent Soul patriarchs... like..."
"Haha, do you feel that I don't look like I have the imposing aura of an expert, unlike other Nascent Soul experts?"
"No, no, that's not it! I just feel that you look more real, unlike the other Nascent Soul patriarchs I've seen, who treat minor cultivators like me as if they were looking at ants."
Yan Qing felt that the topic was getting more and more off-track, but thinking of the other Nascent Soul experts she had met, she still opened her mouth to explain.
Seeing this, a smile flashed across Chen Changsheng's face.
"Compared to other Nascent Soul experts, I am inherently very young, so it's perfectly normal for my mindset to be different."
"Furthermore, Princess Yan Qing, there's no need for you to always call me Patriarch. Ten thousand years from now, the age difference between us will be nothing more than a tiny fraction."
"Ten thousand years?"
Yan Qing was taken aback by Chen Changsheng's words. It was her first time hearing someone so confident that they could live for ten thousand years.
"That's right, ten thousand years,"
Chen Changsheng said, the smile on his face fading, replaced by a serious and confident expression.
"In the future, I will inevitably break through to the Void Refinement realm. Ten thousand years is merely a short journey in my life."
"So, Princess Yanqing, you don't have to keep calling me Old Ancestor. I am still quite young and I don't want to be made out to be so old. If you'd like, just call me Big Brother Chen, or Big Brother Changsheng."
Hearing this, Yanqing looked at Chen Changsheng's confident and handsome face, subconsciously nodding her head.
Then, as if she had suddenly thought of something, her pretty face flushed slightly red.
"O... okay, Big... Big Brother Chen. And please don't call me Princess Yanqing anymore, Big Brother Chen. Just call me Qing'er. That's what my grandfather and the others call me."
...