This was a marriage contract.
Looking at the words "marriage contract," Hun Xiu was visibly stunned.
The Gu and Hun Clans… were forming a marriage alliance? In Hun Xiu's eyes, this was almost unimaginable—downright absurd.
After all, as far as he knew, the relationship between the Gu and Hun Clans wasn't exactly friendly. A marriage alliance? That sounded like a fantasy.
"You're surprised?" Hun Tiandi asked, catching the flicker of shock in Hun Xiu's expression, a strange light flashing through his eyes.
"Father, the eight ancient clans are wary of one another, especially the Gu and Hun clans. Their relationship has always been tense. For us to form a marriage alliance now is… completely baffling to me," Hun Xiu said respectfully, regaining his composure.
He was still young, but as the son of the Hun Clan's leader, he knew a fair bit about the Eight Ancient Clans.
Not to mention—he was a transmigrator.
A transmigrator who knew what the future held.
Hun Tiandi nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Hun Xiu's assessment. "You're not wrong. The relationship between the Gu and Hun Clans has been far from friendly. But on this continent, there are no eternal enemies. As long as the benefit is large enough, anything is possible."
"I see," Hun Xiu nodded, feigning understanding.
"You haven't finished reading the contract yet, have you? Keep reading," Hun Tiandi said in a low voice, looking at his son's "little adult" demeanor.
"Oh…" Hun Xiu picked the contract back up and began reading more carefully this time. Earlier, he'd been fixated on the large characters reading "marriage contract" at the top.
But he hadn't yet paid attention to the actual content. Who exactly was getting married?
As he read on, a creeping sense of unease welled up inside him.
And then—he finished.
It felt like a bolt from the blue. He stood there, frozen, as the paper slipped from his fingers and fluttered to the floor.
He instinctively took a few steps back, his tender young face full of shock. Regaining some sense, he looked at Hun Tiandi and said with a trembling voice:
"Father… this marriage contract… is for me?"
He had finished reading it. Originally, he had simply been curious about which unlucky soul was being married off to the Gu Clan.
Never in a thousand years did he expect it would be him.
Wasn't it usually the useless, good-for-nothing members of a clan who got used for political marriages? Just a way to extract some value from them. A way of… recycling trash.
But he was anything but trash—he was talented. A monster genius!
Yet he was still being used for a political marriage? A pawn in the bigger game?
Of course, it wasn't the fact that he was being married off that shocked him the most—it was who he was being married to.
Gu Xun'er.
That part truly stunned him.
Gu Xun'er?! With this marriage contract in place, what did that make Xiao Yan in the future?
The third wheel?
Or was he the third wheel?
Hun Tiandi had no idea what kind of thoughts were racing through Hun Xiu's mind. With a casual wave, the marriage contract on the floor floated back into his hand, and he placed it into his storage ring.
"That's right," Hun Tiandi said. "This marriage contract is yours."
Then, with a slight change in tone, he added, "So? Happy? You've got yourself a child bride—a fiancée. When I was young, I dreamed of that, but never got the chance."
Hun Xiu: "..."
Right now, he had a thousand internal screams of "What the fck!"* bouncing around inside him, and ten thousand stampeding grass-mud horses galloping across his soul.
You couldn't have one when you were young, so now you're dumping it on me without even asking if I agree?
You ask if I'm happy? On behalf of my mother, I thank you.
I don't know if I'm happy—but you sure look ecstatic.
Hun Xiu had sensed something was off with Hun Tiandi from the moment he entered the room. Today, he was in a far better mood than usual.
He hadn't known why at first.
Now he understood: Hun Tiandi had found a child bride—for him.
And that was apparently worth celebrating?
It's not even yours! Why are you so pleased?!
"Father," Hun Xiu asked, struggling to contain his frustration, "Our Hun Clan and the Gu Clan have never gotten along. Why are we forming a marriage alliance now? And why am I being married to Gu Yuan's daughter, Gu Xun'er? What's the reason?"
He knew this was a transaction.
But having his fate decided by others… was still hard to swallow.
Gu Xun'er.
He couldn't deny being attracted to her—her beauty was on another level.
But whenever he thought of her, he also thought of Xiao Yan. And now that he had a marriage contract with Gu Xun'er—
He felt like something on his head had turned green.Love is a light, and green is blinding.
He didn't know what to think anymore.
Right now, Gu Xun'er wasn't cheating on him, per se—but she was on her way to doing so.
How could he not be panicking?
He had done nothing wrong. He was just sitting at home. And then boom—a green hat landed squarely on his head.
Placed there by his own father.
And after putting it on, his father had the gall to ask: "So? Happy?"
The frustration. The injustice. No one would ever understand his suffering.
Hun Tiandi said seriously, "Xiu'er, since you are the protagonist, and also the future young master of our Hun Clan, I suppose it's fine to tell you."
"This marriage alliance with the Gu Clan is something I decided after careful consideration."
[Hun Xiu: "Careful consideration? If the author hadn't told me the truth, I almost would've believed you. You old man—you sold me out for a piece of jade. Just wait until you're old."]Hun Tiandi: "…"
Hun Xiu looked directly at him. "So this is just a transaction, then?"
Their eyes met—there was no fear in Hun Xiu's gaze.
"That's right. It's a transaction," Hun Tiandi replied calmly.
Hun Xiu asked, "What did the Gu Clan offer that made you willing to sell me off?"
Hun Tiandi was a little surprised by the question. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
This child is truly mine—straightforward, just like me.
Hun Tiandi said, "Xiu'er, as my son, you've been exposed to things others can't even imagine. You should know about the Tou She Ancient Emperor's Jade, yes?"
"Hm?"
Hun Xiu's pupils contracted. "You mean the one rumored to be connected to the last Dou Di of the continent?"
"Exactly." Hun Tiandi nodded. "With this marriage, the Gu Clan will hand over the Tou She Ancient Emperor's Jade. And Gu Yuan personally requested you."
"You understand the significance of this jade to our Hun Clan. And so, without losing a single soldier, we acquire it."
"I had no reason to refuse."
"…I understand."
Hun Xiu nodded slowly, clearly resigned.
But beneath his sleeves, his tiny fists clenched tightly.
I'm still too weak, he thought. So weak that I don't even have the power to control my own destiny.
Gu Xun'er… I hope you have some self-respect now. You're a woman with a fiancé. If I find out you put that green hat on my head… I swear, I'll annihilate your entire Gu Clan.