Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Freedom of marriage and love!
Su Cheng was completely frozen.
She could hear the man's breath, like a hound searching for its mark, his lips almost touching the hollow of her shoulder.
The orcs also had a high body temperature, and their steady, long breaths surged like scorching heat, burning the wounds through the fabric of their clothes.
Su Cheng subconsciously tried to dodge, but the other party grabbed her other shoulder. The big hand wrapped in a glove pressed tightly against her shoulder blade, nailing her firmly in place.
They were very close, and the long ears on top of his head would shake from time to time, and the soft fur on the tips would tremble together.
It was almost touching her face.
Su Cheng: “…”
She reached out and pinched it as if possessed by some unknown force.
So soft!
The hair on the tip of the ear is softer than you might imagine, like silk wrapped in cotton. When you run your fingertips over it, you can feel the delicate hair brushing across your skin.
Instinctively, she rubbed the cartilage behind her ear.
A suppressed moan suddenly escaped from the man's throat.
The big hand holding her shoulder suddenly tightened, "You——"
Su Cheng: “…”
Su Cheng felt that he might die.
But since she had already touched it, she simply rubbed it again.
Ling Yang: “…”
The Paladins in the yard: “…………”
The expressions of those people were hidden by their masks, and no reaction could be seen, but their breathing stopped for a few seconds.
Apparently many people saw it.
Su Cheng coughed lightly, let go of his hand, and said seriously, "It seems like there was a mosquito on your ear just now."
The red-haired man stood up and looked at her with a half-smile, "Why—"
Su Cheng wanted to beat himself to death.
I can’t just say it’s because I really like puppies!
"—Do you have mosquitoes here in the spring?"
The legion commander spoke slowly, looking a little confused.
Su Cheng: “?”
Su Cheng quickly backed down and said, "The climate here is really weird—"
Ling Yang suddenly raised his hand and pressed it on her forehead.
Su Cheng suddenly didn't dare to move.
The commander of the Holy See's legion must be the best among the paladins in terms of martial arts prowess.
A boss of this level could turn her into a meat paste with just one finger.
The smooth leather leaves a cool touch.
She saw a warm white light, followed by a slowly spreading warmth, and the redness and swelling on her forehead disappeared in an instant.
"Feeling better?"
The man's fingertips slid down slowly along her forehead, paused for a moment at her temples, drew a light circle, and finally hooked her small earlobe.
He leaned forward and said, "It must have been very painful at that time—"
He seemed to be talking about the forehead, but he was looking at her shoulder.
Su Cheng was about to speak.
Ling Yang suddenly pinched her hot earlobe.
His index finger slowly slid down the concave curve behind her ear to the fatal cervical vertebrae, and he looked at the girl with satisfaction as she completely froze.
Then, the comfortable warmth flowed again, rushing to the injured shoulder and quickly soothing the dull pain.
Su Cheng met his gaze.
The legion commander still had a smiling face and said, "You're welcome."
"……Thanks."
Su Cheng wanted to nod in greeting, but he was still holding the back of her neck, so she could only keep her face up.
"As an apology for disturbing you," Ling Yang lowered his eyes and looked at her, "but I also heard about your situation, so I came to see you."
"What?" Su Cheng was bewildered. "About the broken engagement? Even you heard about it?"
"Hahahaha, of course not," Ling Yang couldn't help laughing again, "It's the bracelet your uncle handed over to the temple here yesterday. Because it's of great importance, it has been sent back to the Holy City of Solan, alarming several important figures--"
Su Cheng: “?”
"...I just happened to be passing by here, so I came to see who submitted such an interesting thing. Unfortunately, I have work to do. Let's talk next time, my dear lady."
Ling Yang released his grip on her and reached out to her again.
Su Cheng raised his arms stiffly.
The red-haired man couldn't help laughing, and he grabbed her directly, holding the girl's slender hand in his palm and shaking it gently.
"Goodbye."
After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.
A few seconds later, the giant dragon in the sky roared, spread its wings and soared into the sky.
The paladins in the courtyard also left quickly, and the leading captain even apologized to her.
Only after they had all left the mansion did Lin Zhen come over to comfort her.
He just thought that his niece had suffered an unexpected disaster, and kept telling her to relax and get some rest.
Su Cheng hesitated to speak, "Uncle, what's the matter with the bracelet?"
"You forgot?" Lin Zhen was surprised. "This is your father's relic. You thought there was something wrong with it, so you gave it to me. I tried to destroy it but failed, so I had to give it to the priest of the temple!"
Su Cheng: “???”
How did this plot get spliced together?! Lin Yun's scenes were deleted, but the rest of the story is still connected?
According to the setting in the book, the soul in the bracelet comes from a kingdom destroyed by the Church more than two thousand years ago. That kingdom seems to have inherited the faith in the Dark God.
The soul was originally a living person, but because the body was destroyed, it resided in the bracelet.
No further details were revealed, or maybe they were written later, but she skipped the chapter and didn't see it.
I didn’t expect that the Holy See would attach so much importance to it and even send the things to the Holy City, which is the base camp of the believers of the God of Light.
Ling Yang also said that it had alarmed a big shot.
He himself is the commander of a legion. In such a huge Vatican, there are millions of clergy with titles, but there are not many who have a higher rank than him.
"I didn't expect that," Lin Zhen said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, we handed the things over early!"
He was outside the yard just now and didn't dare to come in. Because of the angle, he didn't see his niece's bold behavior at all.
Su Cheng smiled bitterly, "That was left by my father. I hope they don't think I have anything to do with pagans."
"You were the one who handed over the bracelet voluntarily. Besides, if they really had any suspicions, you would have been arrested long ago."
Lin Zhen shook his head. "The current Pope is about to ascend to the divine realm, and the Holy Election Ceremony is about to begin. There are many factions within the Holy See, and the serious dignitaries are all busy. Moreover, many people have handed in heretical items. If they are arrested and tried at the slightest provocation, who would dare to hand them over? Well, don't worry about it. Go to bed quickly and stay awake. Your fiancé will be here tomorrow."
Su Cheng: “…”
She then realized that the next Pope and the future Saint might have an affair with her, and then she thought about what happened tonight and felt an immense headache.
"Uncle," Su Cheng whispered, "could you help me find a few books and send them to me before I get up tomorrow morning?"
Lin Zhen asked her to speak frankly, and after listening, he agreed readily.
The next morning, the waiter knocked on the door early, brought her breakfast, and handed her a few heavy books, saying that the master of the house asked her to come over early.
Su Cheng took the book, flipped through it, thanked them, washed up and went out.
After passing a bamboo forest and an artificial lake, and then two corridors, we met a group of young masters and young ladies from the Lin family on the road.
They all came to watch the fun, with different expressions on their faces, some showing sympathy, some showing sarcasm, and some showing joy at someone else's misfortune.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I heard that your fiancé is now at the fifth level and ninth star, just like the head of the family!"
"Hey, I'm the young marquis. My father is the commander of the capital's imperial guards, and my mother is an elder of the Warriors' Guild..."
"Besides, there aren't many nineteen-year-old combat masters in the entire empire..."
"Oh, I heard that Nanhe College wants to recommend him to participate in the Dragon Knight Trial!"
"No wonder people don't want to marry a loser like you—"
Su Cheng walked past them with an expressionless face.
What happened to Dragon Rider?
If she had the same treatment as Lin Yun, she would have the Ancient Dragon King as her mount and wife in the future!
"Hahahahaha, aren't you awesome, Su Cheng? Why don't you say it now—"
The loudest laugh was interrupted by a wind blade thrown towards him.
The young man took a deep breath, wiped the blood from his cheek, and looked at his bloody fingers, "This?!"
Everyone was stunned.
"What is that?!"
"She developed Dou Qi? No, that's not—"
"magic?"
They stared at her in confusion.
Su Cheng pinched out the second wind blade, shook it in his hand, and pretended to throw it.
"...That's Wind Blade, a second-level magic?!"
Being able to silently cast a second-level magic instantly, she is either an unparalleled genius, or she has been studying magic for a while!
Everyone immediately dispersed.
The remaining few people were full of gossip. Someone came over to congratulate her on becoming a magician, and then asked about the dragon rider from last night.
The noise was so loud that even though they were not around the yard, they were awakened by the dragon's roar and saw the giant dragon covering the sky from afar.
Su Cheng waved her hand and said that she was investigating heresy and was just passing by. Seeing her impatient look, they knew that she was not in the mood at the moment and did not ask too much.
She went directly to the reception room in the main hall of the mansion.
The moment he walked through the door, everyone in the room immediately focused their attention on him, and the atmosphere froze for a moment.
Several guests were looking at her, and then someone looked surprised.
They were dressed in luxurious clothes, had good temperament, and wore similar emblems on their bodies. It was obvious that they all came from Nanhe College.
It is one of the best warrior academies in the Silver Moon Empire. It has trained countless high-level warriors over the centuries. Because it is located near the imperial capital, the academy is full of nobles.
"Miss Su Cheng——"
A young man stood up from his seat.
He looked to be in his early twenties, tall, wearing a short white windbreaker that made his shoulders look broad and his waist slim, and high boots that highlighted the slender lines of his legs.
The long jet-black hair was tied into a high ponytail. On the fair and handsome face, a pair of black eyes like cold stars were shining with a clear light, and his expression was cold and indifferent.
The young man nodded slightly, his posture was polite yet a bit arrogant, like a jade tree standing in the snow.
Su Cheng looked at him.
In fact, this guy has a good appearance and figure, but in comparison, the little - cough, half-orc from last night is more in line with her sexual preferences than him.
So she had no regrets. "Hello, Young Marquis. To make a long story short, you came to cancel the engagement, and I'm willing. Bring me the contract, and I'll sign it right away."
"Please don't call me that," the young man was slightly startled. "Contract?"
"To break off an engagement, there needs to be a contract, two copies, clearly spelling out that dating and one-night stands are no longer related, right, Mr. Murong?"
As Su Cheng spoke, he took out the prepared feather pen from his pocket.
The living room fell into dead silence.
"You misunderstood."
Murong Yue frowned slightly. "I'm not breaking off the engagement with you for... those reasons. It's just that I have to concentrate on cultivation for the next few decades, and I don't want to delay you."
"Okay, okay, thank you," Su Cheng nodded. "Any reason is fine. I agree. I just want a contract. If you don't write it, I'll write it."
Murong Yue seemed to want to say something, "The engagement back then was just verbal, and now -"
"That's not good," Su Cheng interrupted him again, "It's better to write it down in black and white, otherwise what if someone refuses to pay in the future?"
An elder slammed the coffee table to pieces and snorted coldly, "You're talking nonsense! Who do you think you are? You're overconfident!"
Su Cheng looked at him in surprise. "I said 'someone'. Why did you automatically assume that Mr. Murong was going to default on his debt? And who are you? What does this have to do with our engagement? Are you his guardian? That's not right. Mr. Murong is an adult. He should be able to make his own decisions, right?"
"you!"
"Ahem," Lin Zhen coughed repeatedly, "This is Elder Li from the Nanhe Sword and Martial Arts Academy."
As he spoke, he kept winking at his niece.
The warrior emblem on the middle-aged man’s chest was a golden sword with gorgeous style and intricate patterns, symbolizing a seventh-level warrior.
——Zhan Zong.
A high-level warrior of this level could reduce a mansion or even a street to ashes in the blink of an eye, or even turn an entire city into ruins.
Su Cheng was not very scared.
She had just met the succubus and the dragon knight that night, and then thought about herself as the protagonist who would have to deal with countless gods in the future, so her threshold was severely raised.
"...Um, Mr. Murong."
Su Cheng turned around and said, "It was your father and my father who agreed on the marriage. Now my father has passed away, but your father is still alive. Does your father know that you are here to break off the engagement?"
Murong Yue's face darkened. "Since this is my engagement, I think it's my business and has nothing to do with anyone else."
Su Cheng clapped his hands suddenly, "Yes! I agree too!"
Everyone in the audience couldn't help but look at her.
"Marriage and love are free! It has nothing to do with parents or anyone else! Moreover, the laws of the Empire and the Holy See's canon clearly stipulate this. As long as you are a citizen of the Empire, the power to marry anyone is in your own hands."
Su Cheng said loudly, and patted the book he brought with him.
"If you have any questions, please take a look at these books: 'Silver Moon Empire Marriage Code,' 'Silver Moon Empire General Law,' 'Behind the Marriage Court: Those Shocking Truths,' and 'Breaking the Shackles: Embarking on the Road to Marriage Freedom.' All the cases are clearly explained!"
The whole place was silent.
The expressions of several instructors and elders at Nanhe College were also somewhat subtle.
Among them, some had already arranged their children's marriages, some had not done so yet but had this idea in mind, and some simply wanted to marry Murong Yue, so they did not agree with it in their hearts.
But I can't refute it, otherwise wouldn't it be a slap in Murong Yue's face?
After all, he was going against his father's wishes.
Murong Yue performed extremely well in the academy. Within just three years of enrollment, he had made continuous advancements.
He had previously received praise from the dean of the Sword and Martial Arts Academy, who even said he would recommend him to participate in the Dragon Knight Trial.
Who knows, maybe Murong Yue will be able to become his disciple in the future.
He is an unrivaled warrior at the level of War Emperor, and also the signature of Nanhe Academy. After all, looking at the entire Silver Moon Empire, there are only a handful of tenth-level warriors.
Therefore, many people in the academy have been planning to win over Murong Yue and even want to marry him.
"So," Su Cheng tilted his head, "since this is a matter between you and me, then it has nothing to do with...these people, right?"
She said as she looked towards the elders of the academy.
Their faces also looked a little bad.
Murong Yue is extremely powerful. In the entire Lin family mansion, only Lin Zhen is at the same level as him, so they are not worried that anything will happen to him.
It's just that he is young and focused on cultivation, and he has little experience in his daily life. They are afraid that he will not be able to control the situation and be taken advantage of by the Lin family.
It’s not easy to say this.
When someone said something to their face, they wanted to scold Su Cheng for being rude, but they didn't know how to open their mouths, and they couldn't help but get angry for a moment.
Murong Yue was silent for two seconds. "The recruitment meeting for the southern part of the empire has already begun. The instructors came to Jinpo City just for this matter. Now..."
He looked up at Su Cheng and said, "They also intend to investigate you. I heard that you are unable to condense your fighting spirit, perhaps because you haven't found the right tome."
Su Cheng was speechless.
Whether the other party was making excuses, using threats or inducements, or both, it had no effect on her.
Su Cheng shook his head, "No need, I don't practice fighting spirit because I don't like it."
Elder Li sneered, "How shameless! Everyone knows you are—"
Su Cheng raised his hand, and a light blue wind elf suddenly appeared.
A gust of wind suddenly surged from her fingertips, blowing the loose hair on the side of her face up.
"I like magic," she said lazily, "and I don't care about your school."
Nanhe Academy is a gathering place for elites, but it focuses on training warriors. Although it also has an academy that teaches magic, it is naturally inferior to the old magic schools in the empire.
The whole place was silent.
Elder Li stared at her, speechless.
He was a pure warrior, completely unfamiliar with magic, and was unable to sense the elemental spirits in her.
So until this moment, he didn't know that she was a magician.
...She's actually a magician? !
Su Cheng put down his hand. "Mr. Murong, our engagement was made by our elders. It doesn't actually have any legal effect, but many people, especially your relatives and friends, know about it. If I go to the imperial capital in the future, I'm sure I'll hear rumors. So it's best if we write it down in a contract to avoid confusion later."
There is another passage in the original novel where the father of the female supporting character learns about this and specifically goes to Lin Yun to apologize, saying that this was the female supporting character's own idea and it doesn't count at all.
Whether he was pretending or sincere, Su Cheng didn't want to face this situation.
She didn't ask for their consent and started writing immediately. She read books while writing, and several codes and case books were flipping through them loudly.
The other elders were all immersed in shock and no one interrupted her for a while.
They looked at each other, thinking about the news they had heard before, that the niece of the head of the Lin family was a good-for-nothing, and could not cultivate fighting spirit at the age of sixteen or seventeen.
——The second half of the sentence is not wrong.
Murong Yue stood up with a headache and walked to her side, wanting to see what she had written.
"Party A and Party B entered into a marriage contract in the year 699 of the White Moon Calendar, contracted by their fathers, and agreed to fulfill their marriage obligations upon reaching adulthood when conditions were ripe. Due to changes in both parties' wishes and circumstances, we have mutually agreed to dissolve this contract."
Murong Yue: "..."
"From the date this contract comes into effect, Party A and Party B shall not, in any form (including but not limited to verbal or written) interfere with each other's love, marriage, or any other personal sexual activities under the pretext of a marriage contract. Both parties agree not to disseminate or imply to any third party (including but not limited to relatives, friends, classmates, the general public, etc.) that they are still engaged, and shall not harass, threaten, ridicule, or exert any form of pressure on each other under the pretext of a marriage contract..."
Su Cheng paused for a moment, thinking that the judicial system in the empire had methods such as magic lie detection, so some words could be simplified.
She tapped the table with her pen. "...After signing this contract, Party A and Party B shall fully inform their immediate family members, teachers, friends, and other relevant insiders who may be involved of the core terms of this contract in writing, by public announcement, or other means agreed upon by both parties. Insiders shall be deemed to have accepted the terms of this contract from the time they receive the notification. If Party A or Party B violates the above agreement, the breaching party shall pay a penalty of one million gold coins to the complying party. If an insider violates the above agreement, Party A or Party B shall have the right to require the insider to bear joint and several liability and pay an equal amount of liquidated damages. In addition to liquidated damages, the breaching party shall also compensate the complying party for the mental damages suffered as a result of the breach of contract. The amount of compensation for mental damages is one million gold coins. If the breach of contract damages the reputation of the complying party or reduces its social reputation, the breaching party shall bear additional compensation for reputational damages..."
Murong Yue: “???”
His mind was filled with the thought of one million gold coins, and he felt like he couldn't think anymore.
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