I meet all the requirements for becoming a god in this world!

Chapter 229 It's not about marrying into the family, it's about taking a wife.

Good news doesn't travel far.

Bad news travels fast.

The news of the Zhenbei King's martial arts dharma image descending upon the capital city spread throughout the capital within just half an hour.

By the time Cheng Laiyun finished his work at the Imperial Household Department and returned home, three hours had already passed.

"Phew~".

Cheng Laiyun pushed open the courtyard gate.

On the stone table under the familiar old locust tree, there was a dish of caramelized melon seeds, a teacup, and a cup of tea.

The tea had stopped steaming, but not a single melon seed was missing.

Xu Jiayin sat on a stone bench, holding a melon seed in her hand. She didn't crack it open, but just rubbed it back and forth with her thumb and forefinger, crushing the sugar frosting on the shell into fine powder that fell softly onto her skirt.

She heard the door open, looked up at Cheng Laiyun, then lowered her head again to continue rubbing the melon seed.

Cheng Laiyun paused for a moment. He closed the door and sat down opposite her.

Xu Jiayin didn't say anything, but simply placed the sunflower seed she had rubbed into a mess on the table, picked up another one from the plate, and continued rubbing it.

Cheng Laiyun reached for the teapot, only to find it empty—she had been sitting there for so long without even refilling the pot of tea.

He put down the teapot, leaned back on the stone bench, and didn't say anything.

The two remained silent, with only the night wind rustling through the leaves of the old locust tree.

After a long while, Xu Jiayin spoke.

She kept her head down, her fingers still rubbing the sunflower seed, her voice muffled, as if squeezed from her throat:

"It's being said everywhere."

"They say the Prince of Zhenbei's image covered half the sky of the entire capital, that Grand Tutor Xie shielded you, that Prime Minister Zhang shielded you, that even your Grand Uncle shielded you. They also say—"

She slammed the melon seeds on the table. "The Prince of Zhenbei wants you to marry into the Gao family."

"Cheng Laiyun, the whole capital knows about this. I was the last to find out."

She looked up, her eyes slightly red, but her voice remained clear and bright, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself: "Can you tell me, is this true or false?"

Cheng Laiyun looked at her reddened eyes, and his lips twitched slightly.

He didn't expect the news to spread so quickly.

After sighing, he recounted everything that had happened at the Regent's Office that day.

From how Han Zhizhou carried Gao Heyun back, to how the elder of the Medical Sect shook his head and said that there was no cure.

From how the hundred-foot-tall Dharma image of the Prince of Zhenbei descended from the sky, to how Yu Qingzheng, Zhang Linzheng, and Xie Yuheng blocked his way one after another.

From how he used the Pure Heart Glaze to repair Gao Heyun's soul piece by piece, to how she clung to him in her unconscious state, murmuring his name.

Then, in front of everyone, the Prince of Zhenbei said, "I will marry into the Gao family."

He didn't hide anything, he didn't beat around the bush, he told everything.

As Xu Jiayin listened, the expression on her face changed from aggrieved to surprised, from surprised to fearful, and finally all expression faded away, leaving only a seriousness that rarely appeared on her face.

She put the sunflower seed she had been rubbing for so long back into the dish, her voice lowering:

"Sister Gao... was she that badly injured?" "Her soul shattered... how painful must that be? The Spirit Fox... was she really injured while investigating the Spirit Fox?"

"Her deputy carried her back, saying she was ambushed in Langzhou."

"A powerful demon used its natal demonic energy to attack her soul. If it weren't for the protective artifact left to her by the King of Zhenbei, she wouldn't have made it to the capital."

Xu Jiayin was silent for a while, then lowered her head, placed the melon seed in her hand on the table, and spoke again after a long time:

"So... what are you planning to do? I mean, about the Prince of Zhenbei proposing marriage."

"He said it in front of so many people. If you refuse, where will he put his face? But if you agree..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Cheng Laiyun did not answer immediately.

He simply reached out, picked up the sunflower seed that Xu Jiayin had placed on the table, which was now in terrible condition, placed it in his palm, and gently rubbed it twice with his thumb.

The sugar coating on the sunflower seeds had been completely rubbed off, leaving only dry shells. He placed the seeds on the table, looked up at Xu Jiayin, and said:

"No matter what the Prince of Zhenbei thinks, no matter what rumors circulate, I will not agree."

"It's not because Master Gao is bad, it's because you and Master are already here, and I can't marry into the family." "You can marry him, and even if you have children in the future, they can be adopted."

"But marrying into the family is not an option."

Cheng Laiyun's gaze was indifferent.

His voice was earnest.

Xu Jiayin looked at him, the redness in her eyes hadn't completely faded, but the corners of her mouth had already curved up.

She picked up the sunflower seed that had been crumpled into a mess on the table and threw it at Cheng Laiyun. The seed hit his chest, bounced once, and spun twice on the table before stopping.

She stood up, patted the sunflower seed shells off her skirt, and her voice regained some of its usual crispness:

"At least you still have some conscience."

"I left some food for you in the kitchen, go heat it up yourself. We're out of braised pork hock—I wasn't in the mood to leave any for you today."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the house, but stopped at the door without looking back. She simply turned her face to the side, the moonlight illuminating half of her cheek.

"Cheng Laiyun, if anyone tries to get you to marry into the Cheng family again—just say that the Cheng family already has a mistress."

Before Cheng Laiyun could answer, she had already pushed open the door and entered the house, closing it behind her with a soft click. The courtyard fell silent again, with only the leaves of the old locust tree rustling in the wind.

Cheng Laiyun looked down at the sunflower seed on the table that had been crumpled into a mess, picked it up, and put it in his pocket.

Just as he was about to go to the kitchen, he saw Xu Miaozhen push open the door of the main room, carrying a pot of freshly brewed tea.

"Master," Cheng Laiyun said with a smile.

"Um."

Xu Miaozhen smiled and nodded.

She changed into a moon-white casual dress, her hair loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, a few strands of hair hanging down beside her ears, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

She sat down on the stone bench, placed the teapot on the table, and flipped over two upside-down teacups. She pushed one towards Cheng Laiyun and kept the other for herself.

The tea was poured into the cup, and the steam rose and dissipated in the moonlight. She picked up her own cup, took a sip, and then put it down.

"I heard what Jiayin said."

Her voice remained in that unhurried tone, revealing no particular emotion.

"What do you think about the marriage proposal from the Prince of Zhenbei?" Cheng Laiyun picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it; he just twirled it in his hand.

He was silent for a moment, then recounted what had happened at the Regent's Office.

This time I spoke more concisely than when I spoke to Xu Jiayin earlier, omitting many details but making the key points clear.

Xu Miaozhen held her teacup, listened to the conversation, remained silent for a while, and then put down her teacup.

"I've known He Yun longer than I've known you."

"She may seem cold by nature, but she is not cold at heart. The fact that she gave you the protective jade pendant that her grandfather gave her shows that she places you above herself."

"She called your name while she was unconscious, which means she considered you the person she trusted most. Such a person should not be let down."

She paused, then raised her head. Her eyes, like autumn water, showed no emotion in the moonlight, but Cheng Laiyun could sense the weight of her gaze—deep and steady.

It was like putting a stone down on him and then placing a brick under him:

"As for whether or not you marry into the family—I don't care whether your surname is Cheng or Gao; what I care about is what you think."

"If you truly want to be with her, then be with her openly and honestly."

"If you don't like her, don't compromise yourself for power, and don't compromise hers either." "Our relationship won't be bound by these worldly rules; just keep that in mind."

Cheng Laiyun never expected his master to be so magnanimous.

He picked up his teacup and clinked it against Xu Miaozhen's. The tea rippled slightly in the cup, creating silvery waves in the moonlight.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then put down the teacup and smiled.

"I see."

……

When Cheng Laiyun arrived at Feihetang, it was already completely dark.

The lanterns under the eaves swayed slightly in the wind, their orange light flickering on the blue brick floor.

The night watchman had changed shifts, and the new guard didn't recognize him. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword and was about to speak.

The old guard next to him grabbed him and whispered, "It's Lord Cheng."

Then he nodded to Cheng Laiyun and stepped aside to make way for him.

The courtyard was quiet. Cheng Laiyun walked through the passageway and saw the lights still on in the main hall in the distance.

He walked to the door, raised his hand to knock, and the door was pulled open from the inside.

Gao Heyun stood inside the door, having changed back into her black outfit, with a long sword at her waist and her hair neatly tied back.

Apart from her slightly pale complexion, she was no different from usual—her back was straight, her gaze was indifferent, and her expression was perfectly controlled.

But Cheng Laiyun noticed that she gripped the knife harder than usual, her knuckles turning slightly white, as if she were holding onto a piece of driftwood that wouldn't let go.

The two met.

Cheng Laiyun spoke first:

"Why aren't you resting properly?"

"It's all over now."

Gao Heyun stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in, and then sat down at the table.

On the table lay an official document, its handwriting neat and elegant; it was the Langzhou investigation report she had just written that afternoon.

She hadn't fully recovered when she wrote this report, and some of the strokes trembled slightly. But she enunciated each word tightly, as if she wanted to engrave her experiences onto the paper word for word.

"You're writing a report right after your injury heals? Aren't you planning to give yourself a day to rest?"

"Rest is something only idle people do."

Gao Heyun didn't even look up.

Cheng Laiyun sat down opposite her, his gaze falling on the tip of her ear—it was no longer red, but her hand holding the knife was still not loose.

He smiled inwardly, but didn't expose him. He simply took the report, flipped through it, and read it over.

The report was concise, just like her personality, with not a single superfluous word—the fox spirit had been lurking in an abandoned temple west of Langzhou City. She led a team to track it for three days, and just as they were about to encircle it, they were suddenly ambushed.

The opponent was not just the spirit fox; there were at least two other demons of rank five or above attacking at the same time.

One of the demons used its life essence to attack her sea of ​​consciousness, and she couldn't remember what happened after that.

But these are not the main points.

Cheng Laiyun came today for Gao Heyun herself.

"Master Gao," Cheng Laiyun said.

Gao Heyun raised her eyes and looked at him.

Cheng Laiyun did not avoid her gaze, and the two stared at each other for a moment across a desk.

Gao Heyun was the first to look away. She lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously resting on the hilt of the knife, her thumb gently tracing the fine lines on the guard.

I'm sorry for troubling you today.

She spoke, her voice still in its usual indifferent tone, but every word seemed to have been carefully chosen before being uttered.

"I was injured at the time, and my words and actions were inappropriate. Please don't take it to heart."

"My grandfather was straightforward; once he made up his mind, he never changed it."

"Just listen to what he said about marrying into the family. If you don't want to get married, I won't force you. I'll talk to my grandfather."

Her wording was very thorough, even watertight.

"If you are unwilling, you will not be forced."

She handed all the initiative to Cheng Laiyun, leaving herself a way to escape unscathed at any time. As she spoke, her fingers were still resting on the hilt of the knife, her knuckles slightly white.

Cheng Laiyun did not respond immediately.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Gao Heyun for a long while.

Gao Heyun didn't look at him, but pushed the half-written document on the table forward and then pulled it back, as if she was looking for a suitable place to put it.

"Lord Gao," Cheng Laiyun began, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing:

"Are you asking me to choose, or are you offering me a lower position?"

Gao Heyun's fingers paused for a moment on the hilt of the knife.

Cheng Laiyun didn't have to wait long. He leaned forward slightly, his voice a bit more serious than before.

"If I had said I didn't want to, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you all this time."

"If I only wanted to give the Prince of Zhenbei an explanation, I would have written a letter to politely decline, and then used official business as an excuse to avoid you."

"Let you rest and recover in peace. We'll discuss the spirit fox with you once you've healed."

"But I didn't avoid you; I came here on my own initiative." Gao Heyun raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

She didn't speak, but her lips moved slightly.

Cheng Laiyun smiled, stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to her, giving Gao Heyun some space where she didn't have to face him directly.

Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell on his shoulders. He stood there and slowly began to speak:

"From Yong'an County to Qingzhou, and from Qingzhou to the capital, you saved my life, helped me, gave me martial arts techniques, and even gave me the protective jade pendant that your grandfather left you."

"Today your grandfather wants me to marry into his family, and I said I need to return to my master's school. That was the truth, not an excuse—I can't just agree without even saying hello."

"But...you know I have a stubborn personality."

"I will not marry into the family."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and looked at Gao Heyun:

"I have to marry you."

The moonlight fell on her, illuminating her pale, almost bloodless face.

The light revealed the turmoil in her phoenix eyes, something she tried so hard to suppress but couldn't. Gao Heyun's fingers were still on the hilt of the knife, but the hand that was used to holding a knife was trembling slightly.

"You..." She stopped after saying only one word.

She's still the same person.

Even if a huge storm is raging in your heart.

On the surface, things remained calm and composed.

"Lord Gao," Cheng Laiyun took a deep breath, "when my voice was poisoned and I lost my voice in the Yong'an County prison, the first voice I heard was yours."

"You saved me. At that moment, I thought to myself that I could never repay your kindness in this lifetime."

He took two steps forward, looked down at her across the desk, and blinked gently.

"If you can't repay my kindness now, then repay me with your body. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Gao Heyun did not answer. She just looked at him, the light in her phoenix eyes growing brighter and brighter, yet refusing to look down.

Then she looked away, her tone returning to its usual indifference, but a trace of hoarseness lingered in her voice:

"Um."