Chapter 47: The Unsettling Arrival of the Pope’s Granddaughter

The following morning, Ouyang Xiyue found himself utterly helpless amidst Shangguan Yun’s incessant nagging.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when this doting guardian departed for school.

Before leaving, Shangguan Yun did not forget to remind Ouyang Xiyue about the distinctions between genders and to mind his boundaries, which only gave him a headache.

Good grief! Alas…

‘I always feel as though she treats me like a child.’

‘I’m not a child anymore, even if I haven’t officially reached adulthood.’

‘I truly am not small; after all, I can live independently now, even if I’m currently drowning in a mountain of debt.’

‘If only I hadn’t been so engrossed in the competition, how could things have ended up like this? Alas…’

‘If I hadn’t agreed to this, I’d still be a rich woman with hundreds of thousands of gold coins, wouldn’t I?’

‘No, no, no, I’m a boy, so I should be… what, a playboy?’

‘Wait, I’m not even sure myself, *cough cough*.’

‘Never mind, none of that matters.’

‘I recall that person I’ve never met before was supposed to arrive at nine, wasn’t it?’

‘The time is almost upon us…’

‘I feel a slight flutter of excitement, though it’s not because I’m thrilled to meet my fiancée.’

‘What if she turns out to be crooked, ugly, or utterly foolish?’

‘Yes, that’s precisely what I’m thinking.’

‘No, no, no, I’m not prejudiced against those who aren’t conventionally attractive, for my own happiness rests entirely in my hands, *cough cough*.’

‘That’s just how it is.’

None of this truly matters, *hmm*.

Watching the seconds tick by, the clock hand finally rested precisely on nine o’clock.

Then, a “knock, knock, knock” echoed from the door.

Gazing at the clock on the wall and hearing the knocking sound from nearby, Ouyang Xiyue thought to himself at that very moment, ‘Well, well, this person is precisely on time; how commendable, how commendable!’

‘After all, they’re far better than their grandfather, who, despite being the Pope, doesn’t lead by example and dares to be late.’

‘Just thinking about it makes me furious.’

‘If I didn’t possess a shred of patience, I would have certainly been bitten back by now.’

‘Alas, what an exhausting predicament.’

Ouyang Xiyue slowly, almost reluctantly, opened the door.

There, standing outside, was a young woman with jade-green hair and violet eyes.

‘Was this hair color natural?’

‘What beautiful eyes… they seemed to possess the captivating allure of a newcomer.’

‘This hair color was also incredibly rare.’

‘It wasn’t a vibrant green, but rather a soft, faint shade, yet still unmistakably green.’

‘How should one describe it? I’m not quite sure myself, *cough cough*.’

The young woman appeared to be roughly the same height as him, making them evenly matched in stature.

‘Wait, for me, a boy, to be evenly matched in height with a girl?’

‘What a disgrace… Alas, it seems my height is a genuine weakness.’

“Hello, may I ask if you are my intended fiancée, the granddaughter of His Holiness the Pope?”

“My name is Ouyang Xiyue; it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Ouyang Xiyue extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill.

Ouyang Xiyue, receiving no immediate reply, grew a little curious.

He lifted his gaze, observing her flushed face and shy demeanor, which left him somewhat perplexed.

‘What kind of reaction is this?’

‘She isn’t saying a word, just creating an awkward silence…’

“Miss?”

“My name is Ouyang Xiyue; may I know yours?”

Ouyang Xiyue repeated, raising his voice slightly.

“Ah, I… I apologize, Xiyue…”

“You’re… you’re simply too beautiful.”

“I found myself utterly captivated by you, and I couldn’t help but admire your exquisite features.”

“I got a little lost in thought… I’m so sorry.”

“My name is Chi Congyu, and I hope we can get along well for the rest of our lives.”

The young woman, Chi Congyu, spoke with a blush.

“Ah… *cough cough*.”

“Hello, Chi Congyu; please, come in.”

Ouyang Xiyue gestured for her to enter, stepping aside to clear the path.

‘This girl, is she overly nervous?’

‘We’ve only just met; why is she already talking about “the rest of our lives” and “getting along well”?’

‘Good grief, never mind, it’s not important, *hmm*.’

Ouyang Xiyue mused, then his gaze fell upon the young woman’s retreating back.

‘*Cough*, her figure is quite good, very nice, *cough cough*.’

The young woman was extraordinarily beautiful, a beauty that, Ouyang Xiyue felt, rivaled even Ling’er’s.

‘Tsk, tsk, quite attractive,’ Ouyang Xiyue thought, stroking his chin.

‘If the two of us were truly forced into this union, it wouldn’t be such a bad deal after all, *hmm*.’

‘After all, with her background, power, wealth, and status, how could he possibly lose out?’

‘It almost feels like she’s throwing herself at him, *cough cough*.’

‘And then there’s her… tsk, tsk, she’s simply too beautiful; it feels quite promising.’

‘No, no, no, what am I even thinking?’

‘Am I also appearing eager?’

‘Certainly not!’

‘I vowed that my own happiness would be in my hands.’

‘Although she is indeed beautiful, compared to her, I still believe I am the more beautiful one as a boy, *bleh*.’

Once they were seated on the sofa, Chi Congyu seemed to fall into a dazed, almost infatuated state.

She stared intently at Ouyang Xiyue’s face, so much so that Ouyang Xiyue himself began to feel a blush creep up.

‘This person, does she have no shame?’

‘To stare at me so constantly… what a character!’

‘I truly concede defeat.’

Just as Ouyang Xiyue was about to break the quiet silence once more, the young woman, who had been sitting motionless on the sofa, her gaze fixed upon him, suddenly stirred.

Chi Congyu, though she had moved, still remained silent.

She simply walked over to Ouyang Xiyue’s side, sat down, then extended her hand and began to stroke his smooth, silken hair.

It was clear that Chi Congyu wasn’t satisfied with just touching; she then brought her nose closer and began to inhale.

She sniffed with an almost obsessive fascination, while Ouyang Xiyue remained beside her, utterly stunned.

He felt his entire body turn to stone.

‘What was he supposed to do?’

‘Push her away, or push her away, or push her away?’

‘No, no, as a gentleman, how could I treat a young woman like this?’

‘Especially one who seems so utterly absorbed.’

‘But still, she’s making me incredibly awkward.’

‘We’ve only just met, and she’s already sniffing my hair?’

‘What does this even mean?’

‘Is she really this open?’

‘Are all girls like this nowadays?’

‘She seems so uninhibited.’

‘Yet, reflecting on it, Ling’er also took the initiative to kiss me.’

‘Wait, wait, wait, that’s not quite right either.’

‘Ling’er and I are childhood sweethearts, innocent and inseparable.’

‘But this person, I’ve only just met her a few minutes ago…’

‘Is she really so familiar so quickly?’

‘Doesn’t this feel like things are progressing far too rapidly?’

‘Aren’t strange and unusual gestures like these typically reserved for couples?’

‘What exactly is this person doing?’

Ouyang Xiyue was just about to gently and tactfully suggest that the young woman move, when Chi Congyu, who had remained silent since entering, suddenly began to speak, seemingly to herself.

“Ah, such fragrant hair!”

“It carries the scent of cherry blossoms, not like shampoo, but as if it’s naturally inherent.”

“I’ve read in my grandfather’s books about such a constitution; it seems your body is also quite fragrant.”

“This is the hair color I’ve always yearned for—a sacred and pure shade.”

“Seeing it makes me think of angels.”

“I long for God, I long for the Holy Light, I long for this pristine white color.”

“How I envy you, Xiyue.”

“But soon, you’ll be mine, so you must stay obediently by my side, alright?”

Chi Congyu uttered these words in a voice that was both incredibly gentle and delicate.

While the first part of her words had been harmless enough, the latter half, for some inexplicable reason, sent shivers down Ouyang Xiyue’s spine, making him feel as though his hair was standing on end.

Without knowing why, Ouyang Xiyue sensed a dangerous aura emanating from the young woman.

At that moment, Ouyang Xiyue could no longer concern himself with formalities.

He forcibly pried the young woman’s hand away, quickly moved to the side, and then, with a chill running down his spine, forced an awkward laugh.

“*Cough cough*, Miss Chi Congyu, this is our first meeting, so please maintain a proper distance.”

“Also, for a young woman, behaving like this is quite dangerous; getting so close to a stranger you’ve just met isn’t safe.”

“Furthermore, I am not ‘yours’ yet.”

“For some reason, I found your recent words rather peculiar.”

“I’m warning you, don’t even think about trying anything with me.”

Ouyang Xiyue spoke with a hint of wariness in his voice.

Chi Congyu merely offered a cryptic, unfathomable smile.

Then, she once again followed Ouyang Xiyue and sat down right beside him.

“Alright, alright, I was just speaking casually.”

“You know how much I adore this pure white color, as pristine as the Holy Light.”

“You must also be aware that ever since the Holy Light Church began, every Saintess has had naturally pure white hair; these are the ones people refer to as ‘chosen by God.'”

“Oh, no, of course, boys too; the Holy Light Church has existed for so many generations, yet only one Saint Son has ever appeared; all the others were Saintesses.”

“I’ve traveled to many places with my grandfather and met countless people, but I truly have never encountered anyone with hair like yours.”

“Initially, I only caught a glimpse of you from afar, but from the very first moment I saw you, I swore to the heavens that I would absolutely bring you back with me.”

“So, I inquired about you, learned your identity, and then had my grandfather set things in motion.”

“I know the King of the Spirit Continent deeply cherishes his daughter, and since I’m also a ‘lily’ [TL Note: A term often used in Chinese web novels to refer to a lesbian or someone attracted to women.], I anticipated he wouldn’t hand over his own daughter.”

“Therefore, you, as the other princess of the Spirit Continent [TL Note: Chi Congyu refers to Ouyang Xiyue as a ‘princess’ despite him identifying as male. This may be a misunderstanding on her part, a deliberate misgendering, or a subtle hint about Ouyang Xiyue’s true identity or a hidden role.], became their substitute.”

“All of this was simply part of my plan, my dear.”

As Chi Congyu spoke, her hand became restless once more.

She reached out directly, climbing onto Ouyang Xiyue’s thigh, then began to slide her hand up and down his thigh, which was clad in white over-the-knee socks.

Listening to the young woman’s words, a chill once again ran down Ouyang Xiyue’s spine.

Then, glancing at her restless hand, Ouyang Xiyue, without a moment’s hesitation, slapped it away.

“Miss Chi Congyu, I’ve already told you to mind your boundaries.”

“I haven’t agreed to this marriage alliance yet; my Royal Father told me he wouldn’t force me and would let me choose for myself.”

“If you continue like this, I consider our discussion over.”

“Please leave!”

Ouyang Xiyue declared firmly, his voice filled with resolve.

Her cunning demeanor made him feel that if his future truly fell into her hands, he would not wish to become a mere puppet, manipulated at her whim.

Even if he couldn’t save Moxuan right away, there had to be other ways.

If all else failed, he would have to find an alternative path, or seek out his Master…

“Hmph, Ouyang Xiyue.”

“My grandfather told me you wish to use the Divine Resurrection Tree to save someone.”

“The Divine Resurrection Art can only be performed by my grandfather, though I am also learning it.”

“If you want to save that person, then obediently agree to this marriage alliance.”

“As long as you serve me well, I will agree to help you save them.”

Chi Congyu stated, her face radiating arrogance.

“What if you know?”

“I do not appreciate being spoken to with such a threatening tone.”

“There’s no need to consider it further; please, leave.”

Ouyang Xiyue reiterated, his gaze once again resolute.

“Oh my, oh my, are you angry now? Hehehe.”

“Do give it some serious thought.”

“I’ll wait for your call once you’ve made up your mind; remember to contact me.”

Chi Congyu waved her hand, and with those words, she departed.

Ouyang Xiyue let out yet another sigh of relief.

He had a distinct feeling that this person was far from simple.