Chapter 115: Completing the World (Seventeen)
"The missing fiancé of Princess Lu An, the one who's most likely already dead?" The people standing around the speaker immediately became unsettled.
"Wasn't he missing? Why did he suddenly appear here?" someone murmured. "And specifically at... this time."
"Do you think we're about to witness a scene of抢亲 today?"
[An'an, it's Zhang Zhaoqi!] Just as Qi An was walking, the system's voice suddenly rang out loudly.
Feeling Lu Wuyi's expression shift slightly, Qi An looked toward the crowd. Zhang Zhaoqi's location was easy to identify—because no one dared stand beside him. Within a three-li radius, there was no one near the young man. Among the densely packed crowd, Zhang Zhaoqi was particularly conspicuous. His expression was cold and indifferent, making it completely impossible to discern what was truly going through his mind.
"You really did come after all." Lu Wuyi's voice turned cold.
"Of course I had to come." Zhang Zhaoqi's gaze left Qi An and coolly swept toward Lu Wuyi. "She's my... fiancée."
With that, Zhang Zhaoqi leaped into the air, moving toward Lu Wuyi like a shadow.
His attack came swiftly, but Lu Wuyi's reaction was equally fast. The two of them quickly became two afterimages suspended in mid-air.
"Don't watch."
Just as Qi An was watching Zhang Zhaoqi, the latter's voice rang in Qi An's ear. Qi An hesitated for a moment before finally closing his eyes.
[An'an, what's wrong?] The system noticed something was off with Qi An and immediately asked.
[...Something's strange.] After thinking for a long while, Qi An finally used this description.
[What seems strange?]
[Zhang Zhaoqi.] Qi An thought of the image of Zhang Zhaoqi in his mind and gently furrowed his brow. [An unexplainable sense of wrongness.]
[Maybe it's because you haven't seen Zhang Zhaoqi for a while?] The system carefully considered this but couldn't find anything particularly different. Finally, it spoke with a questioning tone.
[...Perhaps.]
Most people couldn't clearly see the exchanges between Lu Wuyi and Zhang Zhaoqi—they could only sense the massive energy fluctuations in mid-air and the two silhouettes constantly darting past. When the outcome of the fight finally emerged, they were shocked to discover, "Did the Warrior... lose?"
"The one who falls in love first has already lost. You... won't fare any better either." Lu Wuyi wiped his lips with his sleeve, smiling as he always did. "This is a... battle royale mode I specially chose."
A battle royale mode where only one person could survive.
This news spread throughout the entire world in an instant. Everyone knew that at the engagement banquet between the Warrior and Princess Lu An, the princess's fiancé had come to steal the bride. This Prince Tommy, who had been missing for years, demonstrated his strength to the world once again—he had defeated and... killed the rising star Warrior.
People both admired Tommy's strength and were even more amazed and curious about Princess Lu An's beauty. That she could cause such upheaval despite her frail, helpless body.
"Don't like it?" Zhang Zhaoqi looked at the young man and asked quietly.
"No." Just as Qi An shook his head, Zhang Zhaoqi had already taken away those dishes and brought some new ones up.
The young man's expression remained as calm as always, and whatever he did gave people a sense of reliability and security.
Qi An's gaze once again fell on the black-haired, black-eyed young man. When the latter noticed Qi An's gaze, he immediately looked up at him, as if asking if something was wrong.
Taking a spoonful of soup and drinking it, Qi An's eyes drooped slightly. According to Zhang Zhaoqi's account, all these years he had been fighting the wizard atop the tower. Because the wizard's power was formidable, it had taken him quite some time. And since it was at the top of the tower, others couldn't sense his presence.
"Your Highness the Princess, Prince Tommy, His Majesty requests your presence."
Qi An and Zhang Zhaoqi followed the guard to the rear garden of the palace. The monarch they were to meet was none other than the King of Gode Kingdom—Qi An's father in this world.
The moment the king saw Zhang Zhaoqi, his smile brightened considerably. "An'an, Tommy, I've called you here today to discuss your marriage. Although the world knows about your engagement, it hasn't yet become an official arrangement. Since the two of you are in love, perhaps you should hold the wedding ceremony sooner rather than later."
"Thank you, Father King." Zhang Zhaoqi naturally performed a junior's bow toward him.
Everything proceeded smoothly. The king invited the most renowned tailor in the world to design their wedding attire, and hired the finest chefs to handle the food for the wedding day. Invitations were sent to every important figure.
Just as they were viewing the completed wedding dress, a soft thudding sound came from the entrance.
Someone had slipped past the guards and maids and snuck in. When Qi An clearly saw who had entered, his expression shifted.
The person who had entered was... Si Mao.
But his condition was terrible. His body was covered with wounds, blood continuously flowing from them. The young man was gasping for breath, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "Qi An, this Zhang Zhaoqi has a problem."
"Problem?" Qi An took a healing pill from the system space and fed it to the young man. Although it was a highly effective pill from the system space, Si Mao's injuries were simply too severe. Even after taking it, the young man continued to vomit blood.
"He's not... the real Zhang Zhaoqi. He wants to trap you... in this world..."
The young man's voice stopped here. He shifted his head to one side, only moving his lips without sound. "The priestess of your country is the only other transmigrator besides Zhang Zhaoqi. You need to... find her..."
"So you actually made it here." A familiar figure appeared at the doorway. Zhang Zhaoqi coolly glanced at Si Mao on the ground. The latter's eyes suddenly flew open—his words would never be spoken again. After finishing this, Zhang Zhaoqi raised his head and spoke in a somewhat tender tone, "An'an, you believe me, don't you?"