Chapter 161 Annulment of the Engagement

Song Yao never expected that her brother's fiancée would actually be a "vegetative state" patient.

Moreover, according to Zhao Zhigao, her brother was an incurably infatuated fool who insisted on marrying the princess even if she never recovered for the rest of her life.

However, looking at the situation from a player's perspective, Song Yao felt that it was impossible for her brother to truly grow old together with the princess.

After all, her brother could not stay here forever.

In other words, any promise Song Ye made in this world was completely unreliable.

Therefore, unlike Zhao Zhigao, Song Yao was not worried about her brother's future issue of carrying on the family line.

After all, once they detached from the game and returned to the real world, the CP relationship within the game would become nothing more than an illusory dream.

Consequently, she felt that the princess remaining unconscious and unable to marry her brother might actually be a blessing in disguise for her.

If the princess hadn't fallen unconscious and had successfully married her brother, they would probably have children by now. Then, if her brother suddenly got kicked out of this world one day and returned to reality, the young princess would be left to live as a widow while raising children.

Furthermore, since the time flow rates between the two realms differed—one day in the real world equated to a year passing in this world—the poor princess would have to endure an unknown number of years of loneliness in this world before waiting for her brother's return.

Of course, Song Yao couldn't wait to see with her own eyes this vegetative princess who shared the exact same appearance as the female demoness.

Therefore, early the next morning, Song Yao neglected all her quests and clung to Song Ye like a shadow, occasionally whining in his ear in a baby voice, "Brother, won't you just take me to see my future sister-in-law? Please, please!"

Song Ye simply could not handle Song Yao's baby voice.

Besides, having already promised Princess Hansi yesterday that he would visit the princess at the Prince Xiang Manor today, he had no choice but to take Song Yao along with him.

...

Yancheng, Prince Xiang Manor, the Princess's Boudoir.

Bai Ruoling was meditating alone in the room when Qin Xuanxi's spiritual sense suddenly projected onto that humanoid skin and bones.

"Bai Ruoling, have you accomplished what Master instructed you to do yesterday?" Qin Xuanxi asked.

Bai Ruoling walked over to the bed and replied, "Master, this disciple has relayed your words completely to that Song Ye, just as you instructed."

"That's good," Qin Xuanxi said.

By this time, Qin Xuanxi had already returned to Xuyu Mountain, and her eldest disciple, Qi Xinyue, had also brought that journal back to Xuyu Mountain early this morning.

Qin Xuanxi finally saw with her own eyes that the very last line of the journal truly read:

"Kui Ying was born in our village, and this was the beginning of all calamities."

Additionally, after carefully reading through the entire journal, Qin Xuanxi discovered another crucial clue. One short passage within it read:

"Mother brought back many delicious things from outside today. I asked Mother where they came from."

"Mother said A-Yang came back, and these were all given to her by A-Yang."

Qin Xuanxi remembered that the Wine Immortal had once mentioned that in her childhood, her nickname was A-Yang.

This seemed to prove that the Wine Immortal was indeed born in Xiaoyi Village.

Thus, the Wine Immortal was very likely the reincarnation of Kui Ying.

"Master, I have a question I've wanted to ask you for a long time," Bai Ruoling suddenly said to Qin Xuanxi.

"Go ahead and ask," Qin Xuanxi said.

"Master, since your original intention was to punish that Song Ye, to burden him for a lifetime with the skin and bones of this fake princess so he would never be able to marry or have children, why did you tell this disciple to give him the Heart-Nourishing Pill to restore his health?" Bai Ruoling asked, genuinely puzzled.

After all, many of her master's actions seemed contradictory to her.

Qin Xuanxi replied, "Master has her own reasons for doing this. You only need to follow my instructions and stop guessing wildly."

"But Master, this disciple has been stuck in this place for five years and it is utterly suffocating. This disciple feels that you aren't punishing that Song Ye at all; you're punishing me instead," Bai Ruoling complained with a wronged expression.

"Five years ago, you disguised yourself as your master—did you not deserve punishment?" Qin Xuanxi said.

"Deserved. But Master, could you punish this disciple with something else? This disciple really doesn't want to stay in this place anymore," Bai Ruoling said.

"Besides, if Master only wants to punish that Song Ye and prevent him from marrying or having children, there are plenty of ways. A mortal's body is extremely fragile; with just a slight move from this disciple, I could cut off his bloodline entirely."

"Don't you dare do anything reckless!" Qin Xuanxi immediately warned. "What Master means is... this Song Ye is someone I still have great use for. You are not allowed to harm a single hair on his head."

Seeing her master react so intensely, Bai Ruoling could only obediently reply, "Oh, this disciple understands."

However, Bai Ruoling's words reminded Qin Xuanxi that a mortal's body was indeed fragile. If Song Ye were to encounter some minor accident or eat the wrong thing, he might lose his reproductive capacity.

In that case, she needed to implement her plan to "help Kui Ying reincarnate successfully" sooner.

At that moment, Song Ye and Song Yao had already arrived at Prince Xiang Manor. Qin Xuanxi's spiritual sense, attached to the humanoid skin and bones, could also hear the commotion coming from the main hall of the manor.

Princess Hansi, Li Qingying, was entertaining Song Ye in the hall, and Song Ye had brought another woman with him.

Li Qingying glanced at the woman beside Song Ye and asked, "Who is this young lady?"

Song Ye answered, "This is my younger sister. She wanted to come along with me to see the princess."

Li Qingying revealed a meaningful smile. "Song Ye, this princess knows that you have indeed been wronged these past five years."

"And you haven't disappointed this princess either. Over these five years, you have frequently come to Prince Xiang Manor to visit the princess, and you have never openly frequented pleasure quarters or other flashy haunts, thus preserving both your own reputation and that of the princess."

Actually, Song Ye wouldn't have minded visiting a pleasure house to broaden his horizons, but unfortunately, neither Yong'an Ward nor Xuanyang Ward had any pleasure quarters or entertainment districts.

If he wanted to visit a pleasure house, he would have had to go to the neighboring Changle Ward.

"I have always disdained going to such places," Song Ye said with a straight face.

Since he couldn't go anyway, he might as well put on an air of high-minded virtue.

"Neither is this princess a heartless person; I understand your hardships and difficulties," Li Qingying said. "Over the past five years, your dedication to the princess has been more than enough. Besides, no one can possibly know when the princess will ever fully recover."

"In fact, several months ago, this princess already petitioned the Emperor to annul the engagement between the princess and you, returning you to a state of freedom."

"Just yesterday, someone brought the Emperor's verbal decree from Luojing, and His Majesty has already consented to the matter."

"Today, consider this your very last look at the princess. You won't need to come here anymore in the future."

Just then, Qin Xuanxi's spiritual sense happened to overhear these words.

She could not help but sigh that mortal affairs were indeed ever-changing, and human hearts were even harder to fathom.

Who would have thought that Li Qingying would sympathize with Song Ye and thus help him annul his engagement with the princess?

A mortal like Song Ye was liable to meet with an accidental mishap at any moment—at best becoming paralyzed from the waist down, at worst dropping dead on the spot. And right now, his engagement to her was about to be canceled by someone else.

It seemed that the plan to "help Kui Ying reincarnate successfully" must be executed immediately. The arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be fired.