Chapter 192: Token of Love

Chapter 192: Token of Affection

Damn! No wonder this thing lit up as soon as I came in; it must be the Heavenly Soul Pearl's reaction.

"Cough... Well, that's not entirely out of the question!" Old Wang's eyes went wide.

Money was certainly attractive to him, but the allure of the Heavenly Soul Pearl was deadly. One Heavenly Soul Pearl might be a bit slow for soul cultivation, but two?

Oscar smiled, and the moment he stopped rubbing the pearl, Wang Feng's感应 disappeared.

Old Wang couldn't keep calm: "Elder, actually, I'm a man with a strong sense of justice! Saving the world is my duty! So, if you give me this, I promise that as long as it's within my capabilities, I will do everything in my power to protect Ice Spirit!"

The previously agitated old man suddenly became calm, saying with a composed air: "No, this is a treasure passed down by our two tribes. It must be given to Zhiyu..."

Any verbal promise is just talk; only a marriage alliance can be somewhat reliable. Just like the Supreme Saint and the Queen in the past, and how the Ice Spirit Clan and the Winter Chill Tribe have maintained their marriage traditions over the years, no one can resist the tenderness of an Ice Spirit woman.

"Brother, we're negotiating here, and negotiation means give and take. There's no such thing as a fixed price," Old Wang said earnestly. "Besides, Zhiyu isn't an object. She has her own love, right?"

Oscar chuckled but remained silent, watching him put on a show.

Old Wang continued to plead earnestly, "Let's not beat around the bush. All you want is to protect Bingling. I value righteousness above all else in my life! Whatever I promise, I will keep. If I said I would protect Bingling, I would do so even if it means climbing a mountain of knives or descending into a sea of fire. I swear by my brother Fantasi’s head!"

Once Old Wang started talking, his eloquence was no less formidable than Oscar’s. His lengthy speech went on and on, babbling incessantly...

*Hush...*

The wind at the foot of the mountain was quite strong, and the three figures were leaning in, listening intently to something.

Dongbuluo frowned, while Badeluo and Aota looked rather anxious: "Damn it, what did you hear? Tell us!"

"Shh..." Dongbuluo pressed his ear against the mountain wall, trying to adjust his soul power frequency. Unfortunately, the icy night wind was too strong, causing interference. Even with the ground-listening technique, he could only catch bits and pieces: "It sounds like they’re talking about a marriage... I heard the name of Her Highness Zhiyu."

Aota’s spirits lifted, and he wore a pleased expression: "It must be Grandfather trying to persuade Wang Feng to back off! After all, why should an outsider like him even think about it? He doesn’t deserve to!"

Badeluo, however, stroked his chin thoughtfully: "No, no, no. It might also be about Wang Feng and Sister-in-law’s marriage. Come to think of it, you always guess wrong about Grandfather’s intentions..."

Before he could finish, Badeluo shivered inexplicably and glanced up at the sky: "Why is it suddenly so cold?"

*Bang!*

A massive kick sent Badeluo’s mountain-like body flying several meters away, and Aota’s face turned dark with annoyance. "Get the hell out of here!"

...

In the ice cave, Old Wang finally concluded his lengthy speech. In truth, he could have continued for another two hours, but Oscar wasn’t buying it. That playful smile on Oscar’s face made Old Wang feel like he had wasted his breath.

"Your Highness, you don’t need to fool me," Oscar said with a smile, deliberately placing the bronze lamp where Old Wang could see it clearly. "If you want this, you must marry Zhiyu. No matter how you argue, that’s my final word. At the very least, you need to get engaged!"

"No room for negotiation?"

"Final offer!"

"Come on, doing business isn’t like this. You don’t even give me a chance to haggle..."

"This isn’t about business; it’s your own words, Your Highness."

Damn it, this old fox is impossible to reason with. Am I Old Wang, someone who can be forced into things?

Old Wang decisively turned to leave, but as he reached the cave entrance, he remembered the cable basket wasn’t there. "Have them bring the basket up first!"

"Unless the Highness agrees to the engagement first."

"Eh!" Old Wang's eyes widened: "Old man, I'm telling you, don't push me! Right now, it's you not letting me leave, but if I really decide to stay here, you won't be able to get rid of me!"

"I have been sitting here in solitude for over two hundred years, and I was just worried about having no one to talk to. If the Highness is willing to stay, that would be more than welcome."

"I'll take your bed and make you sleep on the floor, freezing you to death, you old coot!"

"Good things should naturally be given to the Highness; it's only right," Oscar said with a smile: "Besides, the floor is cool, and I've long gotten used to it."

"Damn..." Old Wang was at a loss. He had been in the Nine Heavens Continent for almost half a year, and even Dage's tough stance had been softened by him, but this old man's soft approach was something he found hard to handle.

Truly, a monster who has lived for over two hundred years, his skills run deep. Once he got Old Wang up here, there was no way down.

Old Wang stared at him for a long while, and Oscar leisurely played with the copper lamp in his hand, sighing: "After guarding it for over two hundred years, I never thought I'd see it truly shine when I'm so close to death. This is truly a wonderful thing... I have no regrets in this life, no regrets at all!"

"Fine, you win!" Old Wang conceded, feeling that if they were to compare patience, this crazy man who could sit in a cave for two hundred years would definitely make him doubt his own existence. There was no need to test it; it was wise to know when to yield to save time: "We can agree to the engagement, but let me make it clear: I am not some savior. If you find out later that you made a mistake, don't come crying to me."

"Highness, rest assured, we Winterfolk keep our word!" Oscar laughed heartily: "No one can escape their fate!"

"Alright, no more nonsense. I’ll agree, but give me the copper lamp first!" Old Wang extended his hand, knowing that once he had the item in his possession, he would have the upper hand.

However, Oscar calmly placed the copper lamp back where it was and smiled at Wang Feng: "Your Highness, an engagement should always include a token of affection. While our Ice Spirit Kingdom is wealthy, there’s nothing more suitable for this purpose than this item. Rest assured, on the day you and Zhiyu officially become engaged, I will naturally ensure that she presents this to you as part of her dowry, personally!"

His words were… simply irrefutable.

A large ‘服’ (服 means 'to be convinced') appeared on Old Wang’s forehead. This was truly the first time since arriving in this world that he had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by this old fox, leaving him completely powerless to retaliate.

Impressive!

Old Wang was genuinely a bit helpless. Compromise wasn’t really about losing face; it was mainly about the Soul Core Pearl. That was something he absolutely had to obtain. Getting it for free would be ideal, but if not, making some sacrifices was inevitable.

As for the rest, one could always find a way when faced with difficulties. Besides, it didn’t seem like he was really losing anything.

By the time they descended from the ice cave, it was already deep into the night. Old Wang clearly saw Aota and the other two guys sneaking back to the Silver Ice Gathering, standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up at the cave entrance. It was so high up; who could possibly eavesdrop?

At this point, the Silver Ice Gathering was almost over, with many members of the Winter Chill Clan already drunk and heading home. The crowd had thinned considerably, and Oscar, that old fox, had really dragged things out.

The others clearly hadn’t expected Wang Feng to stay up there for so long. In fact, even for an outsider, let alone the chieftain of the Winter Chill Clan or even King Xue Cangbo of the Ice Spirit Kingdom, meetings with the elders never lasted more than half an hour. For younger generations, it was usually just a few words and they were dismissed. Yet, Wang Feng had stayed up there for nearly two hours.

What... what did you all talk about?

Not only the most gossipy Xuecai, but even Xue Zhiyu and Jina gathered around out of curiosity.

"Nothing much," Old Wang said calmly. "The elder just admired my rune skills and asked me a few questions. Oh, the old man is still eager to learn. As they say, it’s never too late to learn..."

How shameless.

"......"

Everyone exchanged glances. No one would believe such a story, let alone them. But since no one had seen it with their own eyes, there was no way to refute it convincingly.

Aota's eyes widened. He didn't really care if Wang Feng was boasting. His ears had been the most alert earlier, and Dongbuluo had only caught a few keywords in his sporadic eavesdropping, which only made him more curious. He couldn't help but ask, "Wang Feng, did Grandfather mention Zhiyu?"

"A bit about marriage customs," Old Wang glanced at him, feeling a bit sympathetic. What an innocent child, so simple-minded and strong, it was hard to bear to hurt him. "He said that the alliance between your Lin Dong clan and the Bing Ling lineage has been going on for many generations, it’s an old tradition..."

Jina and the others frowned, unsure of what to make of it. Only Aota listened with delight. The tone sounded just like Grandfather's—always hinting without fully explaining.

See, Grandfather still cares for me. While telling me not to worry too much, he must have already arranged everything, mentioning the alliance to Wang Feng. Isn’t that a way of telling him to back off? I wonder if this southern barbarian understands the deeper meaning in Grandfather’s words, or if he’s pretending not to understand?

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothing more." Old Wang spread his hands: "The rest was all about asking for advice on runes. Tsk, tsk, tsk, talking so much has dried my mouth and made me hungry..."

Aota laughed heartily and said generously: "Don't worry, we may not have much here, but we have plenty to eat and drink!"

In fact, Aota was being 'modest'; there was more than just food and drink here...

It was certain that they would be staying overnight. Each person had a designated room, and the one assigned to Wang Feng was particularly large, as he wasn't the only one in the room.

There were two delicate beauties from the Frost Winter... the same two dancers who had danced with Wang Feng earlier. When Old Wang returned to the Silver Ice Hall, the two were already gone, and he thought they had left. But unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, he saw them smiling and coming forward, taking his arms on either side. They spoke softly and sweetly: "Brother Wang Feng hit it off with us sisters at first sight. According to our Frost Winter custom, you can choose one of us."

The people of Frost Winter and the Bing Ling tribe lived in icy and snowy environments, naturally fair-skinned with high cheekbones, voluptuous figures, and tender dispositions.

These two sisters were exceptionally beautiful, and the softness of their bodies pressing against him felt like water. The scent of their breath was like fragrant flowers, making even a gentleman struggle to maintain his composure, let alone Old Wang. This treatment... it was clear that Aota had arranged it. Such 'vices' wouldn't normally be offered to someone like himself.

This young man was always trying to highlight his scoundrel nature. Could such a clumsy trick really fool Old Wang?

Drinking and chatting, flirting and playing a bit of ambiguity was fine, but to suggest something more intimate was a step too far. Not to mention that Xue Zhiyu was a princess; even if Old Wang were a woman, he couldn't tolerate this.

So, "Why choose at all? The long night is ahead with no sleep in sight, and I’m feeling quite bored. Two people can get lonely; three would be much more fun!"

The two women exchanged a smile. With the sparse population of Lingdong, they weren’t particularly concerned about such matters. Although Wang Feng had his motives, he didn’t repel them.

They reached out to undo Old Wang’s clothes, but Wang Feng waved his hands hurriedly, "Hold on, haste makes waste. The mood is everything." As he spoke, Old Wang magically pulled out a deck of colorful cards from his pocket. These were from Fu Liye, and he said excitedly, "Come on, come on, let’s play some cards! Got any money? If not, I’ll lend you some! Don’t worry, I just learned, so I’m pretty weak. You’re sure to win!"

The two Lingdong girls glanced at each other. Southerners really know how to have fun. If it’s a game, then let’s play. Who’s afraid of who?