Xihe thought Zu An would find a reason to postpone the wedding, but he accepted it right away. “Alright!”

She stared at him with widened eyes. Had they been alone, she would have confronted him over that right away. I accompanied you here to help you steal the immortal medicine, but you’re taking advantage of me?

The atmosphere lightened up, and the celestial guards offered their congratulations. Zu An and Xihe were escorted into the Celestial Palace.

Looking at the red lanterns hanging around, Donghuang Taiyi roared in laughter. “Big brother, the Celestial Court was in chaos when both you and sister-in-law disappeared several days ago. Even our frontline against Xuanyuan wavered. Since we’re gathered here today, why don’t we proceed with the marriage and let the word out, to ease the people’s minds?”

“Yes, many rumors have been floating around recently. Everyone is feeling uneasy.”

“Xuanyuan’s side has been spreading rumors about your death. Many powers are beginning to stir due to those rumors.”

...

The Fiend Generals approved of the immediate wedding as well. Clearly, the Celestial Court was in an extremely precarious situation at the moment.

Xihe panicked. She hadn’t expected such a situation to happen.

But Zu An remained perfectly calm. He wrapped his arm around her waist and roared, “That would be for the best!”

Xihe was stunned as cheers erupted from the crowd. Fairies escorted her away to dress her up. She was dazed for the entire duration. It was only when they put a phoenix robe and a coronet on her, and she saw her dress up in the mirror, that she finally snapped out of it.

“You’re gorgeous, Celestial Empress. No goddess in heaven can compete with you,” one of the fairies complimented her.

Xihe abruptly stood up. This isn’t right! How can I marry him just like that?

This flustered the fairies dolling her up. “Celestial Empress, where are you going? We haven’t finished your makeup yet!”

“I’m going to look for the Celestial Emperor!” Xihe gnashed her teeth. She suspected that the fellow was making use of the situation to take advantage of her.

The fairies chuckled. “Celestial Empress, there is no rush. There is plenty of time for you to exchange sweet nothings after the wedding.”

The teasing remarks made Xihe blush furiously. She wanted to throw a tantrum, but she couldn’t find the right words to do so.

Just then, the door opened, and Zu An walked in.

The fairies hurriedly bowed to him. “Paying respects to the Celestial Emperor!”

“Step out for a moment. I need to talk to her.” Zu An waved them off.

The fairies exchanged looks. This defied convention, but the Celestial Emperor’s words were the law here. No one dared to refute him. So, they quickly left the room with suppressed smiles. The lady can’t wait to meet her man, and the man can’t wait to meet the lady, too. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Xihe noticed their reactions, and that made her face burn even redder. “It’s all your fault! Who knows how they're going to talk about me behind my back!”

“There’s no point paying too much attention to what others say.”

“Easier said than done!” Xihe was irked. “What are you scheming? We’re supposed to be here for the immortal medicine, so why am I getting married to you now?”

“You also saw the situation earlier. Everyone is hoping to push through with our marriage, so we might as well play along.” Zu An chuckled.

“What do you mean, play along?” Xihe nearly fainted from anger. “How can you take marriage so lightly?”

Zu An looked her in the eye. “I met you too late. You said that I owed you a wedding. This is my chance to make it up to you.”

“Is this even considered as making it up to me?” Xihe was infuriated. “Didn’t you say that I became Emperor Jun’s wife in the future?”

“I am Emperor Jun now.” Zu An looked at her with tender eyes.

Xihe blinked. She felt as if he was running circles around her, so much so that the logic was getting all muddled up. It took a moment before she recovered. “But you aren’t Emperor Jun!”

“If everyone thinks I'm the real Emperor Jun, even the fake can become real,” Zu An calmly said. He had been thinking a lot in the meantime, and he vaguely sensed that he had caught onto something.

“Aren’t you worried that interfering with the past will change the future?” Xihe was confused.

“History is forged and written by humans.” Zu An was accustomed to this as a Time Scribe.

“What if Emperor Jun returns?” Xihe huffed. Does he think it's that easy to impersonate a Celestial Emperor?

“The Celestial Emperor abruptly disappears, and no one can find him at all. Isn’t there also a chance that he might never return?” Zu An replied contemplatively.

“How can that be? He’s the strongest individual in the world, the Celestial Emperor! Who can possibly harm him?” As much as Xihe disliked Emperor Jun, she didn’t think that a mishap could befall someone as strong as him.

“Strongest? Not necessarily.” Zu An remembered how Emperor Jun had become Zhuanxu’s successor in the future. This showed that Emperor Jun had failed in this era, and that someone had altered history. Otherwise, who would dare to put down the lofty Emperor Jun?

Now that I think about it, is the future Emperor Jun the real Emperor Jun? And who’s the one who altered history?

Xihe was oblivious to Zu An’s thoughts. “I’m only helping you out of goodwill. I don’t intend to marry you... Wuuu...”

Zu An pulled her into his embrace and kissed her before she could finish saying her piece.

Xihe’s eyes widened. She tried to push him aside, but his arms were as firm as metal bars. She felt as if she had been electrocuted. Is this what kissing feels like...

She soon recovered and gathered a mini sun in her palm, but Zu An continued sealing her lips as if he was oblivious to her actions. A searing flame blazed in her hand for a long time, but in the end, she didn’t attack him. Am I out of my mind? Why am I letting him trample all over me?!

Some time later, Zu An finally loosened his grip and looked at her with a smile.

Xihe’s face reddened. She explained in a fluster, “Don’t think too much into it! The only reason I didn’t attack you is to avoid bringing attention to us here, lest it expose this sham.”

Zu An gently touched her cheek and said, “Marry me.”

Xihe bit her slightly swollen lips. How can this fellow be so domineering and shameless? But what flustered her more was the fact that she wasn’t averse to him at all. She subconsciously blurted out, “But I don’t even know your name!”

Zu An chuckled. “I am Zu An.”

“What a horrible name.” Xihe quietly marked that name down in her heart. She worriedly asked, “Didn’t you say that I don’t know you in the future?”

“Something must have happened in between.” Zu An gently held her hand. “I've missed out on too much. It wasn’t easy for me to find you, so I don’t want to leave any regrets behind.”

Xihe’s lips curled up, but she retorted, “You’re only thinking about me now? I feel like I’m only a substitute.”

Zu An shook his head. “I was worried about influencing history before. I thought that you were different from the you whom I met in the future. But I've thought things through now. Are you willing to marry me?”

Xihe’s heart pounded furiously. She knew that this was an outrageous act, but she could no longer ignore the adrenaline running through her veins. “Alright!”