novelraw Chapter 714 - 694: Pursuing Someone
Chapter 714 - 694: Pursuing Someone
When Xie Jue heard about the scuffle between Lan Ningzhen and Dugu Jing in the crowded marketplace, he wasn’t particularly surprised. What did shock him was that Lan Ningzhen had actually managed to beat Dugu Jing. Dugu Jing had emerged like a comet; though only fourteen years old and far from his prime, still growing into his strength, he was already dominating the battlefield with unparalleled ferocity. Generals who had faced him all concurred—Beiman had produced another prodigious talent to rival the ages.
Once, while discussing the Beiman Dugu family’s princes by the Shaling River, Xie Zhang had mentioned Dugu Jing. Xie Jue still remembered his older brother’s faint, melancholic tone—another formidable adversary for Beiman, which boded ill for the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. It seemed as though the Heavenly God had abandoned the Beiman people, condemning them to the snowy wastelands beyond the frostbitten peaks, yet the same god blessed them ceaselessly, ensuring an unbroken lineage of outstanding talents. The Beiman tribe numbered barely a million—a figure comparable to the population of the Capital City—yet it had produced an army renowned for its exceptional bravery and strength, with each soldier purportedly capable of taking on ten foes. After years of grueling battles, the Beiman forces were still unable to cross into Ningzhou, as the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry held the line at great cost. Every inch of their defenses was paid for in blood and bodies, thwarting the Beiman King’s relentless determination.
And now, there was Lan Ningzhen.
Gifted in both civil and martial arts, she could hold her own against Dugu Jing. Should she take to the battlefield, Ningzhou would face a new threat; Beiman would gain a general, while Ningzhou would lose countless soldiers.
Xie Jue’s mood grew especially heavy.
After his defeat, the teenage Dugu Jing—proud and unwilling to concede—repeatedly sought matches with Lan Ningzhen. Their duels were evenly matched, and while Lan Ningzhen didn’t win every time, her prowess was undeniable. Inevitably, this set tongues wagging in Fox City, where rumors began to swirl about the destined connection between Lan Ningzhen and Dugu Jing. People said they had fought themselves into mutual respect, that their meeting was marked by regret for all the lost time, and now they sparred together daily, unable to part.
A prince and a goddess—both favored by the Heavenly God—were naturally seen as a blessed pair, praised by all.
As the rumors multiplied, they gradually came to be believed as truth.
The Second Prince wasn’t worried, but Xie Jue was growing anxious.
Dugu Jing and Lan Ningzhen must not be united. Should they marry, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. And if Lan Ningzhen joined Dugu Jing on the battlefield, she would undoubtedly become an unparalleled weapon of war.
"Helian, has Anning not been to the manor recently?" the Second Prince asked meaningfully.
"No, she hasn’t."
Indeed, Lan Ningzhen hadn’t visited for some time. Rumor had it that she and Dugu Jing were growing closer, meeting daily for training bouts and too preoccupied to come to the Prince Manor.
The Second Prince glanced at Xie Jue with an expression laden with complexity. He knew Xie Jue’s personality—cold and distant—no, one could even call it indifferent. Nothing seemed to spark his interest. When his fellow strategists attended banquets, where ladies would join to provide company, Xie Jue never partook. He had no appetite for beauty, no fondness for wine, and no love for riches. His sole passion was power.
Even someone as warm-hearted and determined as Anning would tire of beating her head against the wall. That kind of boundless enthusiasm could not last when met with Xie Jue’s icy indifference.
"Do you truly feel nothing for Anning?" The Second Prince had recently relied heavily on Xie Jue, winning the support of several tribal generals and steadily infiltrating the Beiman’s supply and logistics networks. He greatly admired Xie Jue’s strategic precision—his moves were decisive and victorious, with no room for failure. As such, he treated Xie Jue with particular respect. Were it someone else, the Second Prince would have directly issued orders, rather than speaking in such conciliatory tones.
The Second Prince’s intent was all too transparent, and Xie Jue saw through it instantly. He wanted Xie Jue to keep Lan Ningzhen in check—at the very least, to ensure she didn’t marry Dugu Jing.
This aligned perfectly with Xie Jue’s own interests, so he certainly couldn’t admit to disliking Lan Ningzhen. Otherwise, how could he maintain the act? "Your Highness, I am but a man from Qianling Town, with neither connections nor wealth nor power. My looks are unremarkable. How could I possibly be worthy of Miss Lan?"
"Don’t sell yourself short. Your talent is rare, and that’s what truly matters. Even if everything you say is true, what can we do if Anning is blind to all that? From what you’ve said, it seems you do harbor some feelings for her. I knew it—Anning is stunning; what man wouldn’t be moved? Helian, you must be bold. Anning likes you, which puts you ahead of Lao Jiu." The Second Prince appeared to be on a winning streak recently. Though Lan Ningzhen’s situation weighed on his mind, he considered it a solvable problem.
"Even if status isn’t an issue for us, would General Lan approve? Surely he’d want to marry Lan Ningzhen off to a prince. And even if General Lan agreed, would the King consent?" Xie Jue feigned unease, a calculated frown gracing his face as though genuinely conflicted.
The Second Prince replied, "There are things you don’t know. General Lan feels deeply indebted to his youngest daughter. Choosing her as the goddess back then was effectively a form of abandonment. Do you think being a goddess among the Beiman is something everyone covets? Despite the high status, it means a childhood spent living alone on Heavenly God Mountain, unable to see one’s parents for over a decade. Worse still, if the Heavenly God becomes angered, the goddess must be sacrificed. Becoming a goddess is tantamount to being forsaken as a daughter."
"The Heavenly God gets angry?"
"That’s a secret kept by generations of Beiman kings. It can’t be revealed. Typically, if the goddess doesn’t encounter an instance of divine wrath, she will end up marrying a prince. The Great Queen, Father’s main consort, was a goddess, as was the Fourth Princess Consort of my eldest brother. But if divine wrath arises, she must be sacrificed. Since the collapse of Heavenly God Mountain, the goddess’s freedom has been restored. General Lan, guilty over his youngest daughter’s fate, dotes on her endlessly. He grants her every request. If Anning truly wished to marry you, the General would not oppose it. As for my father, it’s even simpler. While he does wish for Anning to marry Lao Jiu, the Lan family has already lost too many sons, leaving their lineage thin. The Lan family decides their daughters’ marriages, and Father cannot overrule them." The Second Prince patted Xie Jue’s shoulder. "If you like Anning, don’t overthink it. Be brave. Who knows, you might end up calling me brother-in-law one day."
Xie Jue: "..."
Thus, when Lan Ningzhen saw Xie Jue visiting her residence, she raised an eyebrow slightly, leaning against the railing with a smile as delicate as a painted portrait. "Helian, what a rare guest. Are you here looking for me?"
She stood amidst the wind and snow in her orange riding attire, laughing with abandon, her beauty radiant. Xie Jue couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable, as if he were experiencing a sharp reversal—once, she had offered herself to him wholeheartedly, only to be met with his indifference. Now, he was the one seeking her, and she had become unattainable.
"Yes, I came to find you."
"What for?" Lan Ningzhen and Xie Jue’s conversation took place across a courtyard blanketed in snow. Xie Jue, prideful and unused to chasing after others, found himself at a loss. In his cold and detached experience, simply coming to see her should have been enough to satisfy her—that, in itself, was his version of courtship.
Indeed, Second Young Master Xie was nothing short of a spoiled youth.
Both within the manor—with the likes of Marquis Zhenbei and Xie Zhang—and outside it, with Xie Xun, as soon as Xie Jue flared his temper, they would begin reflecting on themselves, trying to find compromises to appease him. The occasional obstinance from Xie Xun would typically be beaten down into compliance in no time.
Even Fang Chuning outside the manor was no exception. From childhood to adulthood, Xie Jue had rarely needed to console anyone. And if he ever did, it was always in his peculiar, awkward way. Yet others seemed to understand instinctively, quickly seizing any excuse to let matters rest, knowing that was all the Second Young Master was capable of.