Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Breaking Off the Engagement at the Start—Claiming the Female Emperor! The Simulator Evolves!

Xiao Yue-huang, his fiancée?

What was she doing here?

Zhao Jin was utterly baffled.

Xiao Yue-huang—the Ninth Imperial Princess of Great Qian, the foremost prodigy of the current imperial generation.

Not yet 20, she was already a powerhouse at the 4th Realm, the Mystic Core Realm, and ranked 26th on the Thousand Mechanism Tower's Hidden Dragon Rankings of the Wu Nation.

But what astonished people even more was her appearance.

Phrases like "beauty that shames the moon" or "grace that topples kingdoms" were an insult to her.

Only "a face that topples nations" could barely capture a fraction of it.

One needn't wonder why Zhao Jin was so certain.

Because she topped the Thousand Mechanism Tower's Red Beauty Rankings—a presence that made countless beauties look up in reverence!

A prodigy and a peerless beauty of that caliber had suitors swarming like fish crossing a river.

The original soul, as her fiancé, had naturally hoped to take advantage of their proximity—to get a little closer and perhaps steal a moment with her.

The result? He couldn't even get her to agree to meet him.

After failing several times, the original soul had drowned his sorrows in jar after jar of strong liquor.

And then—Zhao Jin of the 21st century had crossed over.

Today, however, Xiao Yue-huang had come to his door on her own initiative. Had the sun risen in the west?

Any other version of the original soul would have practically wagged his tail and sprinted out to meet her.

But Zhao Jin didn't move.

Zhao Jin remained seated in his own bedchamber, holding a cup of wine, and said lightly, "I see. Have her come to me here."

Zhao Jin had come from the 21st century. What kind of beautiful woman hadn't he seen?

Even if Xiao Yue-huang's beauty could topple nations—even if she was a devastating temptress—Zhao Jin was perfectly capable of keeping his heart as still as water.

Upon hearing this, the steward Wang Fu was momentarily stunned.

That was the Young Master's most beloved Ninth Imperial Princess—and yet he was having her come to him instead of going to greet her himself?

Then he noticed Zhao Jin's slightly hunched posture, and realization dawned on him. He hurriedly rushed out.

Shortly after, a breathtaking beauty—like a fairy descended from the Moon Palace—arrived.

The moment she stepped through the doorway, everything in the room seemed to transform into a realm of serene mountains and spiritual rain—illusory and real at once, stirring to the depths of the soul.

Xiao Yue-huang had arrived.

Zhao Jin gave a small nod. Truly worthy of the top spot on the Red Beauty Rankings.

Her beauty was beyond the reach of ink and brush—like a celestial maiden from a painting, no creature of the mortal dust.

Catching sight of Zhao Jin lounging at the table, Xiao Yue-huang bowed even more slightly, and a flicker of disdain crossed her exquisite eyes.

She had no regard whatsoever for this worthless fiancé of hers—Zhao Jin, a man who couldn't cultivate and spent his days seeking nothing but pleasure.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Jin's father, Zhao Wu, had died saving her life—

Even if Zhao Jin were the grandson of the Guardian King—

The Qian Emperor would never have betrothed her to Zhao Jin.

Xiao Yue-huang got straight to the point. "I've come today to break off our engagement!"

Zhao Jin spat out a mouthful of wine. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt.

He had thought the sun actually was rising in the west.

He hadn't expected—she'd come to break off the engagement!

But Zhao Jin would never agree.

Not because he lusted after her.

But because Zhao Jin was a man of principles, and this matter concerned the honor of Guardian King's Manor.

On every count, Zhao Jin couldn't possibly consent.

"Cough, cough……"

Zhao Jin cleared his throat twice and said, "My poor, late father's life……"

Seeing that Zhao Jin was still trying to play the emotional card, Xiao Yue-huang's disdain deepened.

"I know your father died saving me. That is why I'm willing to grant you one request—consider it compensation."

Xiao Yue-huang's words carried an imperious air, yet paired with her beauty that stopped the breath, they somehow aroused no anger in a person.

That was true for other people.

Zhao Jin, being a man of principles and dignity, would naturally feel indignant.

With rage flooding his mind, Zhao Jin did something shocking.

Disregarding the strangeness in his body, he rose to his feet, stepped forward, pinched Xiao Yue-huang's delicate pointed chin, and smiled with wicked charm.

"Unless you spend a night with me—I won't agree to anything."

Faced with such outrageous conduct, Xiao Yue-huang's flawless face flushed crimson—so red it looked about to drip water.

She bit her rosy lips and breathed a barely audible word: "Alright."

"If you don't agree to……wait—you actually agreed?"

Zhao Jin almost thought he'd misheard.

Surely not—a condition that outrageous, and she could agree to it?

What was she playing at?

For a moment, it actually made Zhao Jin feel uncertain of himself.

But looking at that soft, fair, bewitching face right before him, Zhao Jin had no room left for any other thoughts—he leaned in and kissed her, fierce and thorough.

……

Half an hour later.

Xiao Yue-huang's breathtaking face glowed like rose-tinted clouds.

Zhao Jin lay sprawled diagonally across the bed, watching her dress.

Once her composure was restored, Xiao Yue-huang glanced at Zhao Jin and said coolly, "What happened today—do not let it spread. If you do, you'll bring death upon yourself."

"Take it as a dream and forget it."

"The gap between the 2 of us is only destined to grow wider. From now on, do not harbor any improper thoughts."

Watching Xiao Yue-huang's breathtaking silhouette as she departed, Zhao Jin fell into a momentary daze.

Indeed.

Xiao Yue-huang, at such a young age, was already a 4th Realm prodigy.

Zhao Jin was nothing but a worthless man who couldn't cultivate.

She was a phoenix soaring through the nine heavens. Zhao Jin was just a little nobody on the ground.

By all conventional reasoning, the 2 of them would only grow further and further apart.

But Zhao Jin had a golden finger!

That was the capital Zhao Jin would use to turn the tables and sing his triumphant song!

"Simulator—simulate for me with everything you've got!"

[Ding—the host has absorbed the primordial yin of Xiao Yue-huang, the True Phoenix Female Emperor who will one day dominate the cosmos. The Simulator is currently evolving. Please wait……]

"What?"

Zhao Jin's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

The phrase "dominate the cosmos" carried an incomprehensible weight.

Zhao Jin couldn't help but be stunned.

This Xiao Yue-huang—she had such an immense background?

……

On the other side, seated inside the palanquin returning to the Imperial Palace, Xiao Yue-huang's emotions stirred within her. She murmured softly, "This karmic tie is finally settled."

No one knew—she was a person reborn.

In her previous life, she had come within a hair's breadth of entering the Immortal Gate and attaining the Immortal Position that countless Great Emperors spent their lives chasing.

At the critical moment, she had been backstabbed by her closest friend and fellow disciple, and everything had crumbled at the final step.

In this life, she would never repeat the same mistakes. She would reclaim everything she had lost!

And this marriage to Guardian King's Manor was the foremost obstacle on her path to rise.

In her previous life, it was precisely because she had neglected this karmic tie that it had formed into a mental demon—causing her to lose focus for just a moment, which gave her friend and fellow disciple the opening they needed.

Now reborn, she had to resolve it immediately.

Of course, only by having Zhao Jin willingly break off the engagement could the karmic tie truly be considered settled.

And Zhao Jin—he was famously known throughout the capital as that sort of man who was all about women.

Before coming here, Xiao Yue-huang had already mentally prepared herself to make a sacrifice.

In her previous life, she had walked alone.

When one counted it out, this was actually her first man across 2 lifetimes.

It was just a pity—according to the course of history, Zhao Jin didn't have much longer to live.

That was also why, after being reborn, Xiao Yue-huang had rushed here immediately to break off the engagement.

Any later, and Zhao Jin would have already kicked the bucket.

And along with Guardian King's Manor—before long, it too would be reduced to smoke and ash.

……

Guardian King's Manor.

Zhao Jin, who had seen the Simulator's evolution notice, tilted to the side and fell into unconsciousness.

His body had long been running on empty—sustained only by tonics.

Having just faced the devastating beauty that was Xiao Yue-huang, he had forced himself to hold out for a full half hour.

Now—he finally couldn't take it anymore.

But Zhao Jin's sudden loss of consciousness gave his personal handmaid, Zhu Xiang, who had just come to bring him his tonic, quite a fright.

She shook Zhao Jin—when he didn't respond, she screamed and bolted out the door: "Ahhhh! The Young Master has overindulged himself—he's died in his bed!"

Zhao Jin's very last thought before losing consciousness:

"For the love of—my lifelong reputation……"