Bai Xinyue stayed quiet, not bothering to respond. In the world of cultivation, the strong devoured the weak.
At the beginning, Bai Xinyue thought that Huang Shi was a useless waste who aimed to take advantage of both her and the Bai Clan, aiming to use their fake relationship to strengthen his foundation within the sect.
For her, that wasn't really a problem; as long as he fulfilled his part of the agreement and openly rejected their engagement—effectively annulling it—she would be willing to give him even more resources so she could safely remove herself from this tricky situation.
After all, it was her late grandfather who had arranged for this marriage, and she still had to respect the wishes of the family.
But now things have become complicated...
I can't believe I started to have these kinds of feelings towards this scoundrel!
Truth be told, Bai Xinyue felt a bit like she was scammed. As a person who didn't have much interaction with people of the opposite sex, she had no experience dealing with womanizers like Huang Shi.
Add to that the fact that she was still around sixteen and had not yet come of age; she was basically a blank canvas in front of a person like him. Against a veteran like Huang Shi, she had absolutely no chance.
From what I know, once you start to develop these kinds of feelings towards another person, you have one of two options!
First, you cut it off completely, nipping it in the bud before it grows. This is the safest path, and a way to make sure that my path to power has the least amount of unstable factors.
Second, you go all in! You protect the seed, nurturing and allowing it to grow into a towering tree. Love and emotions are part of the human experience, and having a person to share the infinite life that cultivators have is a blessing beyond compare!
Bai Xinyue's eyes shone as numerous thoughts ripped through her head before another butted right in, consuming her mind.
However, there is a problem with the way I feel right now, and that is because I am still young! I'm still not completely sure if what I feel is truly that emotion called love or if I'm just experiencing these feelings right now because everything is novel.
Once the novelty fades, it may just disappear on its own; it was therefore not love, but infatuation!
As Bai Xinyue was thinking of these things, Huang Shi also had his own thoughts on the matter.
This woman is fucking dangerous! A woman that is both extremely beautiful and supremely talented! Do I really want to risk dying a miserable death from her innumerable suitors just because I'm a bit interested in her?!
The reason Huang Shi was having second thoughts about the situation was that Bai Xinyue was fundamentally different from all of the women he had met thus far.
First, unlike Li Mei, with whom he already had a deep bond with and thus had a normal transition in their relationship, Bai Xinyue was a person he had met just a couple of days ago at most; thus, they had not yet formed as deep of a bond.
Secondly, unlike Qiao Fenyi, who was a part of the Azure Dragon Sect and had, quite frankly, low status, Bai Xinyue was the only daughter of the current patriarch of the Bai clan—the ruler of the entire eastern prefecture of the empire. One wrong move and it was not only him who would be executed; it could lead to the annihilation of the entire sect!
However, despite all of his doubts, there was a loud, screaming voice deep inside of his heart—a voice that demanded attention and demanded to be heard.
If you give up now, do you dare risk the chances of another scoundrel taking her heart away?! Fuck no! If she can't be mine, then no one can have her!
Even though this was a very arrogant and, quite frankly, irrational statement, it was a voice that roared deep inside of his heart. This was despite the fact that he and Bai Xinyue weren't really even together yet; they had just developed slight positive feelings for each other.
Not to mention that Bai Xinyue doesn't even know that he already has other women in his harem.
Shit... will this woman even allow me to have other women beside her? Aren't I just asking to be a damn eunuch?!
A hint of fear seeped deep into his heart, yet he forcefully pushed it down as he waited for her response.
"So? What now? What do you suggest we do?"
Huang Shi stared into her eyes and saw calm, yet for some reason, he could tell that she was nervous.
Fuck it, aren't I a man? If I like someone, I should pursue her openly!
And he did just that as he reached out toward her hand. He felt goosebumps rise across her skin, and yet she didn't stop him; she just let him be.
"Don't end the engagement. Leave it as it is. When I'm strong enough, I'll marry you and we can be together!"
Bai Xinyue's eyes trembled as she softly held his hands. She then replied with a soft voice, "Alright... but you have to promise that you'll keep up with me. If you're too weak, it will be hard for us to be together."
Huang Shi quickly nodded his head as he gave a solemn vow.
"Don't worry, I'm more than capable of keeping up with you. After all, I'm a genius!
And I have a freaking system merged with my soul!"
However, Bai Xinyue wasn't finished. She looked him in the eye and spoke her mind.
"Second, if we are both being honest, we only just met. I'm not yet sure about my feelings. If I decide to end things because I realize my feelings were just fleeting emotions, what will you do?"
This time, Huang Shi didn't hesitate at all. He tightened his grip on her delicate hand, his eyes burning with a sudden, fierce determination.
"Then I will pursue you! Since you're not yet sure of your feelings, I will make you fall in love with me!"