Chapter 642: Man's Dignity
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Xiao Yaohou and Yun Che in the Yaohuang Palace. Xiao Yaohou remained standing by the imperial throne, her back to Yun Che. Both of them stood motionless, silent.
This strange state persisted for a long time until finally Xiao Yaohou turned around, gave Yun Che a faint glare, then quickly averted her gaze. "Are you satisfied now?"
"What is there to be satisfied about!" Yun Che stood up, exasperated. "Such a huge matter... something that affects my entire life! And you didn't even discuss it with me, not even a word in advance!! In Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, you forcing yourself on me was one thing, but when it comes to a matter as major as marriage, you still resort to forcing your way!! You, you, you... even if you are the Xiao Yaohou, you can't be this domineering and unreasonable!"
"...Hmph! Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Xiao Yaohou turned her face away, her gaze evasive.
Though it truly caught him off guard... even now, he was still somewhat dazed.
After all—from her being cold and emotionless toward him, never revealing the slightest hint... to suddenly proclaiming to the entire world that she would marry him, and in just seven days—even with Yun Che's strong nerves, he couldn't wrap his head around it for quite a while.
He was certain that under heaven, there would never be a second woman like Xiao Yaohou.
At this moment, Xiao Yaohou's heart was clearly in turmoil, and she had already acknowledged her feelings for him, yet she still forced herself to maintain a cold, aloof monarch's demeanor... but her evasive gaze, wandering eyes, and slightly erratic breathing allowed Yun Che to clearly see a trace of maidenly shyness in her. He smiled faintly, then put on an indignant expression and shouted, "At least you've honestly admitted that you like me. As your future husband, I should certainly praise you for that. But a couple should at least respect each other, tolerate each other, cherish each other, be inseparable, intimately close..."
"...What exactly are you trying to say!" Yun Che's words made Xiao Yaohou's breathing even more disordered, and she cut him off directly.
"I'm saying that after you marry me, you can't keep pretending to be cold and indifferent to me like before and now. Instead, you should..."
"You seem to have misunderstood one thing." Xiao Yaohou interrupted Yun Che again, speaking solemnly. "It's not that I marry you—it's that you marry me!"
"Huh?" Yun Che was momentarily stunned.
"Hmph!" Xiao Yaohou turned her cheek, speaking coldly, "I made it very clear just now. In seven days, you will join my Demon Emperor Clan! From then on, you will be a member of the Demon Emperor Clan. The children we... bear in the future must also take 'Huan' as their surname. Did you really think that when I marry you, I would be marrying into your Yun Clan?"
"..." Yun Che's mind rapidly filtered through everything Xiao Yaohou had said to Langxun Wang earlier. His expression changed slightly as he stepped forward, resolute. "No!"
"What do you mean by 'no'?" Xiao Yaohou glanced sidelong at him.
"Because I am a man!" Yun Che said heavily. "Even the most ordinary man, even if he cannot fully hold up half the sky, if he marries into his wife's family, he will be looked down upon by others and be a disgrace to his ancestors. I, Yun Che, although I have no achievements to speak of, am still the son of Yun Qinghong, the blood of my father Yun Canghai... how could I marry into your family!"
The more Yun Che spoke, the more agitated he became. "Moreover, I am the only son of my father's line. If I marry into your Demon Emperor Clan, what will happen to the Yun Clan? What's more, my grandfather has passed away—are you asking me to make him unable to rest in peace even in the grave!"
Yun Che's words were somewhat intense, but Xiao Yaohou was not at all surprised. She had already anticipated this. She calmly said, "Whether it's marriage or uxorilocal union, it's just a name. As long as we both know it in our hearts, why be imprisoned by these empty titles? And I have already made it clear: while you join the Demon Emperor Clan, your name will not change. Even the 'Yun' Clan in my decree remains unchanged. Over time, the Yun Clan will still be the Yun Clan, and the Demon Emperor Clan will be the Demon Emperor Clan. The children born to you and me will bear the 'Huan' surname, but no matter how many children you have with your other women, they will all take the 'Yun' surname and belong to the Yun Clan. Nothing could be fairer than this. As for the dignity of the Yun Clan and the dignity of Yun Canghai and Yun Qinghong... shouldn't it be enough as long as your bloodline remains unbroken?"
Yun Che: "..."
"What else do you find difficult to accept?" Xiao Yaohou slightly raised her chin. "In this entire Huan Yao Realm, I have only ever set my eyes on you alone. Now that I am proclaiming our marriage to the world, it shows just how highly I regard you. Do you not understand how many women of the Twelve Guardian Clans would give anything to marry into the Demon Emperor Clan? Now you have that opportunity, yet you are unwilling!"
"This is completely different!" Yun Che shook his head without yielding. "If it were any other clan, it might be acceptable, but the Demon Emperor Clan is the royal clan of the Huan Yao Realm. The former Demon Emperor, the Xiao Yaohou, and even the long-deceased ancestors of the Demon Emperor Clan... if I were to marry into the Demon Emperor Clan, I would be an intruder! Your Xiao Yaohou is the eternal monarch of the Huan Yao Realm—what man of the Huan Yao Realm would dare to have you marry into his family? And what man would be worthy? But if you ask me to marry into your clan... to be honest, I find it very difficult to accept!"
The more he thought about it, the more troubled Yun Che's expression became. "Even if you are willing to allow me to have other women, and even if you are willing to let all children born of other women take the 'Yun' surname, on the surface, I, Yun Che, have still married into the demon clan. Is my father's and my mother's face to be lost? Do you expect me to face the ridicule of the entire realm for the rest of my life? Granted, with your Xiao Yaohou's authority, you can silence anyone who dares to mock, but can you stop the thoughts in their hearts?"
"Ridicule?" Xiao Yaohou looked at Yun Che with a strange expression. "Do you think I have ever cared about the gossip of others? Do you?"
"..." Yun Che was momentarily speechless.
"If you do not care about the gossip of others, then what you call 'ridicule' is nothing more than the self-inflicted torment of your own 'man's dignity'." Xiao Yaohou's voice gradually became colder. "You just said that you want me to stop pretending to be indifferent to you. But now, are you not being willfully stubborn and arrogant in front of me? We clearly have feelings for each other—what does it matter who marries whom? I am Xiao Yaohou. From the moment I was born, I was destined never to marry down. Ask yourself, is there any other way? That was the only way I could think of!"
As she spoke, the chill between her brows faded, and her tone softened slightly. "Moreover... am I not the one making the greater sacrifice? I thought you would understand... but I never expected you to cling to such trivial matters. If... if that is truly the case, then we will call off the marriage. I will announce that the sacred will of the Golden Crow has changed, that our marriage is void, and there will be no need for the grand ceremony in seven days."
After saying this, Xiao Yaohou turned away, her back to Yun Che. Her expression was complex, but it was no longer visible to him.
The imperial hall was silent. Neither spoke for a long time. Yun Che stared at Xiao Yaohou's back, his brows tightly knit, his heart in turmoil. The pride of a man... the dignity of a man... marrying into the wife's family... these words were like thorns that kept stabbing at his heart. But Xiao Yaohou's words, which she had buried beneath the surface, were like a great bell tolling in his mind.
The Xiao Yaohou of this world, her power, her status, her appearance...
And she had never once asked him to divorce his existing wives.
After a long time, Yun Che spoke softly, "Can you... give me three days to think it over?"
"Three days?" Xiao Yaohou did not turn around.
"In three days, I will give you an answer."
"Good. I will wait for your answer for three days." Xiao Yaohou's voice was calm, carrying no emotional fluctuations. "You may leave."
"..."
Yun Che let out a quiet sigh. He was silent for a moment, then turned and left the Yaohuang Palace. As his figure vanished, Xiao Yaohou slowly turned around, her eyes complex, a dazed gaze that lingered as if she were in a dream.
After much thought, clouded with confusion, Yun Che returned to his new residence in the Yun Clan. There, he found Yun Qinghong waiting for him by the small pavilion. Yun Qinghong smiled, a knowing look in his eyes, and asked, "Have you seen Xiao Yaohou?"
"You already knew, Father?" Yun Che asked in surprise.
"I guessed," Yun Qinghong nodded. "Langxun Wang sent people to the mansion to notify me. He probably wanted to inform us in advance so that we could prepare ourselves. Now, I have already learned some things. The entire Huan Yao Realm is in an uproar—perhaps only you, who was at the center of it, were the last to know."
Yun Che sighed again, then said to Yun Qinghong, "Father, Xiao Yaohou wants me to join the Demon Emperor Clan, not for her to marry into our Yun Clan."
Yun Qinghong: "..."
"But don't worry, Father, I won't allow this to happen," Yun Che quickly added. "Even though she is Xiao Yaohou, whether for myself or for our family, I absolutely cannot accept this. However, Xiao Yaohou's attitude is equally resolute, and she has already announced it to the entire world... after all, there are still seven days left. Perhaps that's enough time for me to think of a perfect solution."
Yun Qinghong's reaction to Yun Che's words was not particularly strong. Because when Xiao Yaohou commanded Langxun Wang, the words "join my Demon Emperor Clan" were already stated very clearly. And even if she hadn't said that, the only possibility would be Yun Che joining the Demon Emperor Clan, not Xiao Yaohou marrying into the Yun Clan.
Regarding this matter, Yun Qinghong had already thought a great deal while waiting for Yun Che to return.
"Che'er," Yun Qinghong did not express approval or disapproval of Yun Che's decision, but was instead extremely calm. "Tell me, Father, how many more years can Xiao Yaohou live?"
Yun Che's gaze trembled sharply. The words in his throat rose halfway before he forcibly suppressed them.
"If it's something you promised Xiao Yaohou not to reveal, then don't say it." Yun Qinghong smiled faintly, but inside he let out a long sigh. He didn't need Yun Che's answer—from his reaction alone, he confirmed what he had suspected.
"Father, why do you... ask that?" Yun Che said.
Yun Qinghong said with a melancholy tone, "Because Xiao Yaohou's increase in strength over the past few months has been too great, to an abnormal degree. Do you still remember that two months ago, on the day Ming Wang appeared, he shouted at Xiao Yaohou that her power increase was too exaggerated and impossible without side effects... I kept those words firmly in mind."
Yun Che: "..."
"A while ago, I suddenly recalled something your grandfather said to me over a hundred years ago. At that time, your mother and I were not yet married. While instructing me in the cultivation of the Purple Cloud Art, he sighed that the Huan Yao Realm had been peaceful for too long, and that prolonged peace was gradually eroding the loyalty and cohesion of the Twelve Guardian Clans—which was not a good thing. Then he suddenly laughed loudly and said that even without the Twelve Guardian Clans, the Demon Emperor Clan, once they revealed their final trump card, could still dominate everything... but the price paid would be too tragic."
"I pressed him further, but your grandfather did not elaborate. Because that was a secret he guarded alongside the former Demon Emperor, for the Demon Emperor Clan." Yun Qinghong gave Yun Che a deep look. "And that secret, when you met him in the Tian Xuan Continent, he should have passed on to you along with the Clan Head Token and the Demon Emperor Seal."
"...Yes." Yun Che slowly nodded.
"Xiao Yaohou's excessively abnormal profound strength, Ming Wang's shout that day... and the 'tragic price' your grandfather mentioned by chance—all of it forces me to think in that pessimistic direction. If it really is true... then she has truly suffered." Yun Qinghong sighed softly.
"Father, is there something you want to say to me?" Yun Che sensed that Yun Qinghong had been waiting here for him, and not merely to confirm this matter.
Yun Qinghong nodded slightly, meeting Yun Che's gaze, and asked, "Che'er, given your temperament, it doesn't surprise me at all that you cannot accept joining the Demon Emperor Clan. But there is a question you must answer me seriously... Is your marriage to Xiao Yaohou something you truly desire? Or, let me ask you another way—between you and Xiao Yaohou, have there long been romantic feelings? Is your desire to marry born of mutual affection, and certainly not the so-called 'sacred will of the Golden Crow'?"
Yun Che looked at Yun Qinghong in surprise. The latter smiled faintly and said, "Don't find it strange. Over the past two months, I actually had some faint suspicions, but I kept dismissing them. A month ago, you went to see Xiao Yaohou almost every day. Back then, when your mother and I returned severely injured from the Tian Xuan Continent, Xiao Yaohou would come to visit us roughly once a month. My current blood essence injury is far lighter than that injury from years ago, and it can even be healed. Yet Xiao Yaohou visits me far more frequently than she did back then, and every time before she leaves, she deliberately or unintentionally asks about your whereabouts... This past month, you haven't seemed to actively seek out Xiao Yaohou, but every time I meet her, she always asks about you..."
"If we're just talking about Xiao Yaohou's appearance, there are few men in this world who can resist her. And my son is the most outstanding man in all of Huan Yao Realm. The two of you shared hardships in Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley for four whole months. It would be only natural for you to be attracted to each other and develop feelings. When I think about it now, I can even say it's within reason."
Yun Che pondered silently for a moment, then said, "She has indeed carved an indelible place in my heart. Ever since we came out of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, I think about her every day. It's just that I'm too weak, and she—in every aspect—is far too powerful. Even if I want to protect her, help her, or share her burdens, I simply can't. So I've always felt somewhat at a loss. Today, when she suddenly announced our marriage... I was as surprised as you were."
"If you want to help her, to share her burdens, then this is the best opportunity, right now." Yun Qinghong smiled.
Yun Che was startled.
"If you are marrying Xiao Yaohou only because of her decree, then I would support your decision just now. But if you truly love her and want her to be your wife... then I hope you can follow her wishes and join the Demon Emperor Clan." Yun Qinghong said calmly. "And your mother feels the same way."
Yun Che showed surprise. Part of the reason he couldn't accept joining the Demon Emperor Clan was out of consideration for his parents and his deceased grandfather's feelings. For parents, who would want their son—their only son—to marry into another family, especially one as exalted as the Yun Clan? Yet here was his father saying such things. "You and mother... you truly don't mind at all?"
"If it were any other woman, no matter who, at the very least I would not be able to fully accept it. But Xiao Yaohou alone... I will never oppose it." Yun Qinghong said with utmost frankness. "Though she still bears the title of 'Xiao Yaohou,' she is in fact the supreme sovereign of the Huan Yao Realm. If she were merely a princess of the Demon Emperor Clan, she might be able to marry down into a Guardian Clan. But she is an emperor who looks down upon the world... how could she marry down? Otherwise, where would the dignity of the emperor be? Moreover, she is the last of the Demon Emperor Clan. As long as she sits on the throne, the Demon Emperor Clan still retains its glory for one more day. But if she were to marry into our Yun Clan... the Demon Emperor Clan would be truly and completely extinguished, vanishing forever from the Huan Yao Realm."
"And if you join the Demon Emperor Clan and have descendants with her, at least in name, they will be the offspring of the Demon Emperor Clan. The bloodline of the Demon Emperor Clan can thus be continued..."
"The latter represents the continuation of the Demon Emperor Clan's bloodline and glory. The former represents the annihilation of the Demon Emperor Clan! How could Xiao Yaohou possibly choose that?"
Yun Che: "!!!!"
"And you, Che'er, are entirely different," Yun Qinghong continued. "Though you join the Demon Emperor Clan, and the children you have with Xiao Yaohou bear the 'Huan' surname, you still have two other wives, and may yet take more in the future. The children you have with them will all be children of the Yun Clan. The bloodline of the Yun Clan's main family will never be severed. Xiao Yaohou has known for a long time that you were already married in the Tian Xuan Continent, but she has never brought it up to you, nor has she ever demanded that you divorce your current wives in order to marry her."
"She, as Xiao Yaohou, yet grants you the title of 'husband'—these two words are ordinary to common people, but for Xiao Yaohou, it is a sign of extreme importance she places on you, and a declaration to the world that you will be her only one, and after you, no other. Moreover, she silently allows you to have other wives... Even a woman from a moderately powerful family would find this nearly impossible to accept, yet she, Xiao Yaohou, has done this. Even I cannot help but be moved. She is accustomed to coldness and indifference, but these actions are more precious than any passionate expression. Her feelings for you may run far deeper than you imagine."
"..." Yun Che's breathing began to grow erratic, and his eyes churned with emotion.
"And you, if you truly love Xiao Yaohou and want her to be your woman, then... is it too much to ask of you to make such a simple compromise as joining the Demon Emperor Clan? To fulfill her long-cherished wish, to prevent her from becoming the eternal sinner of the Demon Emperor Clan?" Yun Qinghong's tone grew heavier. "Or, in your world, is that bit of man's dignity far more important than the woman you love?"
"Of course not!" Yun Che raised his head sharply. He slammed his fist against his chest, saying bitterly, "I let the words 'uxorilocal marriage' prick my nerves, blind my eyes, and send me headlong into a ridiculous dead end... Father, rest assured, I know what to do now!"
Yun Che grinned at Yun Qinghong, then quickly turned and "whoosh"—transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight back toward the Yaohuang Palace.