Chapter 5 — Freedom in Love and Marriage!
Su Cheng froze completely.
She could hear the man inhale softly, like a hunting hound tracking prey. His lips hovered so close they were almost brushing the hollow of her shoulder.
Beastkin naturally ran warm, and his steady breaths rolled over her in waves of heat, searing through the fabric against her wound.
Instinctively, Su Cheng tried to pull away.
But he caught her other shoulder at once. His gloved hand pressed firmly against her shoulder blade, pinning her in place so thoroughly she couldn’t move at all.
They were far too close.
The ears atop his head were long, twitching now and then, the soft fur at the tips trembling with each movement.
They were practically brushing her face.
Su Cheng: “…”
As if possessed, she reached out and pinched one lightly.
So soft!
The fur at the tip was even softer than she’d imagined—like silk wrapped around cotton. As her fingertips brushed over it, she could feel the delicate fluff grazing against her skin.
Without thinking, she rubbed the cartilage behind the ear.
A low, suppressed breath escaped the man’s throat.
The hand gripping her shoulder tightened abruptly.
“You—”
Su Cheng: “…”
She suddenly felt like she might actually die here.
But since she’d already touched it anyway…
She shamelessly rubbed it again.
Ling Yang: “…”
The holy knights in the courtyard: “…………”
Their expressions were hidden beneath their helmets, impossible to read, but several of them stopped breathing for a solid few seconds.
Clearly, plenty of people had seen that.
Su Cheng coughed awkwardly and let go, putting on a perfectly serious face.
“There was… a mosquito on your ear just now.”
The red-haired man straightened slowly and looked at her with an amused half-smile.
“Why would there be—”
Su Cheng wanted to strangle herself.
She couldn’t exactly say, Because I really like puppies!
“—mosquitoes this early in spring?”
The legion commander sounded genuinely puzzled.
Su Cheng blinked.
Then she immediately seized the opportunity to change the subject.
“The weather here is weird! Totally weird!”
Without warning, Ling Yang placed a hand against her forehead.
Su Cheng instantly went still.
A legion commander of the Church—when it came to combat ability, he was unquestionably among the strongest of the holy knights.
Someone on his level could probably turn her into paste with a single finger.
Cool leather brushed against her skin.
A gentle white glow spread beneath his palm, followed by warm currents flowing through her body. The swelling on her forehead disappeared almost instantly.
“Feel better?”
His fingertips slid slowly along her temple, pausing there for a moment before lazily tracing a small circle.
Then his fingers hooked lightly around her earlobe.
He lowered his head closer.
“That must’ve hurt back then, hm?”
He seemed to be talking about her forehead.
But his eyes were fixed on her shoulder.
Su Cheng opened her mouth to answer—
Then Ling Yang suddenly pinched her burning earlobe.
His index finger slid slowly down the curve behind her ear, trailing along the sensitive hollow there until it reached the back of her neck.
He looked thoroughly satisfied when the girl stiffened completely.
A moment later, that same soothing warmth spread again, flowing into her injured shoulder and quickly easing the dull ache there.
Su Cheng met his gaze.
The legion commander still wore that smiling expression.
“No need to thank me.”
“…Thank you.”
Su Cheng tried to nod politely, only to realize he was still holding the back of her neck. She could only remain there with her face tilted up toward him.
“As an apology for disturbing you so abruptly,” Ling Yang said softly, looking down at her, “though to be fair, I came because I heard about you and got curious enough to take a look myself.”
“What?” Su Cheng looked confused. “You mean the broken engagement? Even you heard about that?”
Ling Yang burst out laughing.
“Of course not. Your uncle turned in that bracelet to the local temple yesterday. Since it may be tied to something significant, it’s already been sent back to Solan, the Holy City. It’s caused quite a stir among some very important people.”
Su Cheng: “?”
“I just happened to be passing through, so I came to see who had submitted something that interesting.” He smiled lazily. “Unfortunately, I still have work to do. We’ll chat another time, dear lady.”
Ling Yang finally released her and extended his hand again.
Su Cheng stiffly lifted her arm.
The red-haired man chuckled under his breath, grabbed her hand himself, and gently shook it inside his warm palm.
“Until next time.”
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished.
A few seconds later, the giant dragon overhead let out a thunderous roar and shot into the clouds with one powerful beat of its wings.
The holy knights quickly withdrew from the courtyard as well. Their captain even apologized to her before leaving.
Only after everyone had gone did Lin Zhen finally approach her, looking deeply relieved.
He assumed his niece had simply been caught up in an unfortunate incident and immediately urged her to relax and get some rest.
Su Cheng hesitated before asking, “Uncle… what exactly is going on with that bracelet?”
“You forgot?” Lin Zhen looked surprised. “Your father’s relic. You said before that you thought something was wrong with it, so you gave it to me. I tried to destroy it but couldn’t, so I handed it over to the temple priests instead.”
Su Cheng: “???”
How had the plot stitched itself together like this?!
Even after Lin Yun’s role got cut out, the rest of the storyline still connected?!
According to the novel’s setting, the soul inside the bracelet came from a kingdom destroyed by the Church over two thousand years ago—a kingdom that supposedly worshipped the Dark God.
The soul had once belonged to a living person. After their body was destroyed, they ended up trapped inside the bracelet.
The original story never revealed many more details. Maybe it did later on, but she’d skipped chapters and missed it.
She hadn’t expected the Church to take it this seriously—to the point of sending it all the way to the Holy City itself, the headquarters of the Light God’s followers.
And Ling Yang had said it had alarmed some major figures.
He himself was already a legion commander. Across the entire Church, there really weren’t many people with higher authority than him.
“Who would’ve thought…” Lin Zhen muttered uneasily. “Good thing we handed it over early.”
He’d stayed outside the courtyard earlier and hadn’t dared come in, so he’d completely missed his niece boldly fondling the legion commander’s ears.
Su Cheng forced a smile.
“It was my father’s keepsake. I just hope they don’t think I’m connected to heretics or something.”
“You were the one who voluntarily handed it over,” Lin Zhen reassured her. “Besides, if they truly suspected you, you’d already have been arrested.”
He shook his head.
“The current Pope is close to ascending to the divine realm, and the Holy Selection ceremony is about to begin. The Church factions are all busy fighting each other right now. The real power players don’t have time to care about small matters. Besides, people submit heretical artifacts all the time. If everyone got dragged off for interrogation, who’d dare turn anything in anymore?”
He waved her off.
“Stop worrying and get some sleep. Your fiancé arrives tomorrow.”
Su Cheng: “…”
Only then did she remember that both the future Pope and the future Saintess were apparently supposed to become romantically entangled with her at some point.
And after everything that had happened tonight, her headache only got worse.
“Uncle,” Su Cheng said quietly, “could you help me find a few books? Just send them to me before I wake up tomorrow morning.”
Lin Zhen told her to list whatever she needed and readily agreed.
Early the next morning, the servants knocked on her door with breakfast and several thick books.
“The master requests that you head over early,” they informed her.
Su Cheng flipped through the books, thanked them, washed up, and headed out.
After passing through a bamboo grove, crossing a man-made lake, and walking through two covered corridors, she ran into a group of young masters and ladies from the Lin family.
They were obviously there to watch the spectacle.
Some looked sympathetic. Others sneered openly. Quite a few were enjoying her humiliation.
“Tsk tsk, heard your fiancé’s already reached fifth rank, nine stars. Same level as the family head!”
“He’s the son of a marquis, after all. His father commands the Imperial Guard, and his mother’s an elder of the Warrior’s Guild—”
“And a nineteen-year-old battle master? There are barely any in the whole empire!”
“I even heard South River Academy wants to recommend him for the Dragon Knight trials!”
“No wonder he doesn’t want to marry trash like you—”
Su Cheng walked past them expressionlessly.
Dragon Knight?
So what?
If she’d gotten Lin Yun’s protagonist treatment, she’d eventually end up with an Ancient Dragon King as both mount and wife.
“HAHAHA, weren’t you so arrog—”
The loudest mockery was abruptly cut off by a blade of wind flying straight at him.
The boy sucked in a sharp breath and wiped blood from his cheek, staring at the crimson staining his fingers.
“What the hell?!”
Everyone froze.
“What was that?!”
“She condensed battle aura? No, wait—that wasn’t—”
“Magic?!”
They stared at her in shock.
Su Cheng casually formed a second wind blade and twirled it lazily in her hand as if she might throw it again at any moment.
“…That’s a wind blade spell. A second-tier spell?!”
Casting second-tier magic instantly and without chanting either meant she was an absurd genius—
Or she’d already been studying magic for quite some time.
The crowd scattered immediately.
Only a few gossip-hungry relatives remained behind, rushing over to congratulate her on becoming a mage before eagerly questioning her about the dragon rider from last night.
The commotion had been impossible to miss. Even people far from the courtyard had been awakened by the dragon’s roar and seen the enormous shadow blotting out the sky.
Su Cheng waved dismissively.
“He was investigating heretics. Just passing through.”
Seeing how impatient she looked, they wisely stopped asking questions.
She headed straight for the manor’s main reception hall.
The moment she stepped inside, every gaze in the room locked onto her.
The atmosphere instantly stiffened.
Several guests were openly evaluating her, though some quickly showed surprise.
They were all dressed elegantly and carried matching crests, clearly people from South River Academy.
One of the finest warrior academies in the Silver Moon Empire, South River had produced countless high-ranking fighters over the centuries. Since it stood near the imperial capital, the school was filled with nobles.
“Miss Su Cheng—”
A young man rose from his seat.
He looked to be in his early twenties, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a short white coat that emphasized his narrow waist and long legs.
His black hair was tied into a high ponytail. His pale, handsome face carried an aloof expression, while his dark eyes shone like cold stars.
He inclined his head politely, though a trace of pride lingered in his bearing—like a jade tree standing untouched in snow.
Su Cheng looked him over.
Honestly, the guy was handsome.
But compared to last night’s little— ahem, beastman…
Her tastes were pretty obvious.
So she felt absolutely no regret whatsoever.
“Hello, Young Marquis,” she said briskly. “Let’s keep this short. You came to break off the engagement, I agree, bring me the contract and I’ll sign immediately.”
“Please don’t address me like that.” The young man paused briefly. “Contract?”
“For dissolving the engagement. We need two copies, signed and written clearly in black and white. After that, dating, hookups, marriage—whatever either of us does is none of the other’s business. Right, Mister Murong?”
As she spoke, Su Cheng pulled out the fountain pen she’d prepared in advance.
The reception hall fell deathly silent.
“You misunderstand.” Murong Yue frowned slightly. “I’m not ending the engagement for… those reasons. I simply intend to devote the coming decades entirely to cultivation. I don’t want to waste your time.”
“Great, great, thanks,” Su Cheng nodded immediately. “Any reason is fine. I agree either way. I just want the contract. If you won’t write it, I will.”
Murong Yue looked like he wanted to explain further.
“The engagement back then was only verbal, so now there’s really no need—”
“That’s not ideal,” Su Cheng interrupted again. “Better to put everything clearly in writing. Otherwise what happens if someone refuses to admit it later?”
An elder suddenly slammed his hand down, shattering the tea table beside him.
“How ridiculous!” he snapped coldly. “Who do you think you are? Don’t flatter yourself.”
Su Cheng looked at him in surprise.
“I said someone. Why did you immediately assume Mister Murong would refuse to honor the agreement?” She tilted her head. “Also, who exactly are you? What does our engagement have to do with you? Are you his guardian? That can’t be right—Mister Murong is already an adult. He should be able to make his own decisions.”
“You—!”
“Ahem!” Lin Zhen hurriedly interrupted. “This is Elder Li of South River’s Sword Martial Academy.”
As he spoke, he kept frantically signaling at his niece with his eyes.
The warrior insignia on the man’s chest was a magnificent golden sword decorated with intricate patterns.
A seventh-rank warrior.
A Battle Sovereign.
A fighter of that level could erase this entire estate—or even the whole street—in the blink of an eye.
Maybe even reduce the entire city to rubble.
But Su Cheng wasn’t especially afraid.
After meeting succubi and dragon riders last night—and remembering she’d eventually end up tangled with literal gods—her standards for intimidation had risen dramatically.
“…Mister Murong,” Su Cheng continued, turning back toward him. “Your father and my father arranged this engagement. My father has passed away, but yours is still alive. So does your father know you came here to break it off?”
Murong Yue’s expression darkened.
“It’s my engagement,” he said coldly. “I believe this matter concerns no one else.”
Su Cheng clapped loudly.
“Exactly! I completely agree!”
Everyone stared at her.
“Freedom in love and marriage! Parents and outsiders have no right to interfere! Even the Empire’s laws and the Church’s holy canon explicitly state that every imperial citizen has the sole right to decide whom they marry.”
She raised her voice proudly while patting the stack of books she’d brought along.
“If anyone has doubts, feel free to read these. Silver Moon Empire Marriage Code, General Imperial Civil Law, Behind the Marriage Courts: Shocking Real Cases, and Breaking the Chains: The Road to Marital Freedom. The case studies are all explained very clearly!”
Silence filled the hall.
Even several of the academy elders looked uncomfortable.
Some of them had already arranged marriages for their children. Others planned to. Some even hoped to marry their daughters into Murong Yue’s family.
Naturally, they didn’t agree with her at all.
But they also couldn’t openly refute her—
Because Murong Yue himself was defying his father’s wishes.
Murong Yue had performed exceptionally well at the academy. In just three years, he’d advanced repeatedly and even received praise from the head of the Sword Martial Academy, who intended to recommend him for the Dragon Knight trials.
If things continued this way, he might eventually become the dean’s direct disciple.
That was a Battle Emperor-level powerhouse—one of the strongest fighters in the entire Silver Moon Empire.
Countless people at the academy were already trying to curry favor with Murong Yue.
Some even wanted to secure marriage ties with him.
“So,” Su Cheng said sweetly, tilting her head, “since this is between you and me… then these people have nothing to do with it, right?”
She glanced deliberately toward the elders.
Their expressions became even uglier.
Murong Yue was extremely strong. In the entire Lin estate, only Lin Zhen shared his rank. They weren’t worried he’d be harmed.
But he was young and obsessed with cultivation, with little real-world experience. They were afraid he’d lose face or get manipulated by the Lin family.
Of course, they couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
Now that Su Cheng had pointed it out directly, they wanted to scold her for being rude—but couldn’t do so without embarrassing themselves further.
Murong Yue fell silent for two seconds.
“The enrollment conference for the southern provinces has already begun,” he said at last. “The instructors came to Golden Amber City because of that matter. And now…”
He looked up at Su Cheng.
“They’re also interested in evaluating you. I heard you’ve never been able to condense battle aura. Perhaps you simply lacked a suitable cultivation manual.”
Su Cheng nearly rolled her eyes.
Whether he was making excuses, trying to pressure her, or both—it meant absolutely nothing to her.
She shook her head.
“No thanks. I don’t practice battle aura because I don’t like it.”
Elder Li sneered.
“How shameless. Everyone knows you’re—”
Su Cheng raised her hand.
A pale green wind spirit suddenly appeared.
Wind currents swirled around her fingertips, lifting the loose strands of hair beside her face.
“I prefer magic,” she said lazily. “And I’m not interested in your academy either.”
South River Academy was full of elites, but its primary focus was training warriors. Though it did teach magic, it couldn’t compare to the empire’s established arcane institutions.
The entire room fell silent.
Elder Li stared at her, speechless.
He was a pure warrior and knew nothing about magic. Until this very moment, he hadn’t even sensed the elemental spirit around her.
She was actually a mage?!
Su Cheng lowered her hand.
“Mister Murong, our engagement was arranged by our parents. Legally speaking, it was never binding. But a lot of people—especially your relatives and friends—know about it. If I ever go to the imperial capital in the future, I’ll definitely have to deal with gossip. So it’s better to write everything down clearly now. Saves trouble later.”
In the original novel, there had even been a scene where the villainess’s father personally apologized to Lin Yun, insisting the engagement nonsense had only been his daughter’s idea and didn’t count.
Whether he’d been sincere or just pretending, Su Cheng wanted absolutely no part of that mess.
Without waiting for anyone’s approval, she immediately began writing.
She flipped through legal texts and case collections as she wrote, pages rustling noisily.
The other elders were still too stunned to interrupt her.
They exchanged bewildered looks.
Every rumor they’d heard claimed the Lin family head’s niece was useless—a sixteen or seventeen-year-old incapable of cultivating battle aura.
…Technically, that part was true.
Murong Yue rubbed his temples and stepped closer, trying to see what exactly she was writing.
“Party A and Party B entered into an engagement agreement in the Year 699 of the White Moon Calendar through arrangements made by both fathers, with the understanding that both parties would fulfill marital obligations upon reaching adulthood and when conditions became appropriate. Due to changes in personal intentions and actual circumstances, both parties have mutually agreed to dissolve said engagement.”
Murong Yue: “…”
“From the effective date of this contract onward, neither Party A nor Party B may interfere in any form—including but not limited to verbal or written means—with the other party’s romantic relationships, marriage, or any other personal intimate activities under the pretense of the former engagement. Both parties further agree not to spread or imply to any third party—including but not limited to relatives, friends, classmates, or the general public—that an engagement relationship still exists between them, nor may either party harass, threaten, mock, or exert pressure upon the other under the name of said engagement…”
Su Cheng paused briefly.
Since magical truth-verification existed within the Empire’s judicial system, some sections could probably be simplified.
She tapped the pen lightly against the table.
“…Following the signing of this contract, both parties shall notify all relevant acquaintances—including direct relatives, teachers, friends, and any other informed individuals—of the contract’s core terms through written notice, public announcement, or any mutually recognized method. Upon receiving notice, said individuals shall be considered bound by this agreement. Should either Party A or Party B violate the above terms, the offending party shall pay the compliant party a penalty of one million gold coins. Should any informed third party violate the agreement, either Party A or Party B reserves the right to hold said individual jointly liable for the same penalty amount. In addition to financial compensation, the violating party shall also compensate the compliant party for emotional distress in the amount of one million gold coins. If the violation damages the compliant party’s reputation or social standing, additional compensation for reputational harm shall also apply—”
Murong Yue: “???”
His brain was now filled entirely with the phrase one million gold coins.
He genuinely felt like he’d forgotten how to think.
