Haitin’s smile widened, relief evident in his eyes.
Siya’s consent, however begrudging, was crucial.
Firstly, Haitin wasn’t sure how the Sun Ocean Lord would react to her daughter getting married to him for the sake of obtaining a just cause to enter the Wild Devil Lands.
Sure, the Sun Ocean Lord was all in when it comes to that mysterious opportunity in the Wild Devil Lands. He was willing to sacrifice her daughter in order to gain what he thought was his. However, what would happen if and when he gained what he wanted to gain?
Would he cause troubles for Haitin’s sect in the future? Would he make use of this incident to gain something more from the demonic sects?
Siya’s approval gave the demonic faction a rightful authority. The Sun Ocean Lord wouldn’t be able to find troubles with them with her consent.
Secondly, Haitin wasn’t sure how the other Core Formation Lords would react. If some other Core Formation Lord were to see that this marriage alliance had a deeper meaning, they could use Siya’s dissent to the marriage as a reason to intervene.
Even though the Sun Ocean Lord would still have the final say in his daughter’s marriage, he wouldn’t be able to stop the other Core Formation Lords from interfering in this matter as a way to probe the situation.
In short, it wasn’t just about securing an alliance between the demonic faction and her father, the Sun Ocean Lord—it was about gaining legitimacy to avoid future troubles.
From the surface, it looked like nothing had changed with Haitin and Aksai’s plan after gaining Siya’s consent. And they even made Siya think that her consent was not that important in the first place. However, both of them knew how important it was.
Why would Aksai go through so much trouble to convince a snotty brat? He feared that any disharmony in the plan would come back to bite him one day. For him, it was better if Siya became Haitin’s legal wife, turning into an actual couple. That way, nobody could find fault in what he had suggested.
This was a small victory, but an important one.
Siya’s consent brought smiles to Haitin and his subordinates.
Aksai, on the other hand, acted like he wasn’t impressed. His expression soured as he looked at Siya, his nose wrinkling in disdain.
“Why does it seem like you’re agreeing to something you don’t actually want?” he asked, his tone laced with irritation.
“I spoke so much that my jaw hurt. I went through all that effort to make you see sense, and you still have the nerve to agree begrudgingly? Why aren’t you happy about this? Is the status of being Haitin’s wife not appealing to you? Or would you rather be his concubine?”
Siya’s face flushed with anger. “You—” she started, raising a finger in accusation, but Aksai cut her off, his words relentless.
“Oh, not even a concubine? Is that beneath you too? How about being his personal maid then? Would that satisfy you?” he taunted, his words harsh and cutting.
Siya’s eyes filled with tears of rage. Whatever fleeting dreams she had clung to—any small hope of a romantic future—were crushed under Aksai’s mocking tone. Her fists clenched tightly, her body trembling as she tried to keep her composure.
Finally, she turned to Haitin, her voice steady but filled with resolve. “Young Master Haitin,” she began, “I want legal status as your wife. Nothing less. If I’m to be part of this marriage alliance, I demand the proper title. Anything less, and I won’t agree. And I’ll make sure my father understands that when he arrives.”
There was steel in her voice now, a determination that hadn’t been there before. The shift was palpable.
If she was going to be forced into this, she might as well secure her future in the process. Being Haitin’s wife wasn’t just about title—it was about power, influence, and survival. As his legal wife, she could position herself in the demonic faction in a way no concubine or glorified personal maid ever could.
She had seen how the world worked. If she was going to live under the rules of power, she would play the game. And more than that—she would play to win.
Siya decided in her heart at this point. She’d outshine Haitin’s other wives, his concubines, and secure resources and influence for herself. The key to her future lay in how well she could adapt to this new reality.
After all, she hadn’t given up as a Spirit cultivator. She still had the dreams of becoming as powerful as her father by forming her Golden Core.
Aksai’s harsh words had forced her to confront the truth. Her immaturity had no place here. She wasn’t a helpless maiden anymore—she was a Spirit cultivator, and cultivators survived by making the best of whatever was thrown at them.
Aksai seemed momentarily satisfied. He had broken Siya’s illusions, and now she was standing before them with a new resolve. “Good. That’s how it should be,” he said, his tone more relaxed.
“Then it’s settled,” Haitin said all of a sudden, his voice calm and assured. “We’ll make the arrangements.”
Haitin gave Aksai a sideways glance, an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Brother Aksai, are you sure you’re not a demonic cultivator like us?,” he said, his tone light but probing.
Aksai chuckled in response, shaking his head. “I’m neither righteous nor demonic,” he replied casually. “I’m just a Spirit farmer who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
His words were laced with a kind of sardonic acceptance of his situation, as if he’d long ago come to terms with the blurry lines of morality he straddled.
Haitin nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Alright,” he said with a grin. “Follow me. Let’s talk about your rewards somewhere a bit more comfortable.”
Haitin’s eyes glinted with the promise of a lavish prize. Aksai had more than earned it.
With a gesture from Haitin, two of his Foundation Building subordinates—a pair of solemn women dressed in dark robes—approached Siya and Lini. One helped Siya onto a large, fierce-looking flying eagle mount, while the other did the same with Lini.
Neither of the women protested, though the tension still hung heavy in the air between them. With a sweep of their arms, the women commanded the eagles to take flight, the massive birds launching into the air with a gust of wind.
Haitin’s gaze shifted momentarily to one of his men, who stepped forward towards the bodies of Aksai’s fallen teammates. A simple flick of the wrist, and a delicate thread of Spirit fire ignited over the corpses, reducing them to ash in mere moments. The flames danced briefly before fizzling out, leaving nothing but smoldering embers behind.
Aksai watched the scene unfold, his expression unreadable. He’d seen death before—it was no stranger to him—and he wasn’t about to mourn the dead when he was the one who killed them. His attention drifted toward Jian, who stood awkwardly to the side, seemingly unsure of his place in all of this.
Haitin followed Aksai’s gaze and smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry about him, brother Aksai,” he said, nodding toward Jian. “He followed you to Jaishin Lake under our agreement, so I won’t trouble him. I’ll even make sure he gets back to Rai City safely, if you wish.”
Aksai pondered for a moment, then looked to Jian. “Jian, you can go back now,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. But he paused, turning back to Haitin with a calculating look. “But first… you’re going to wipe his memories of this, aren’t you?”
Haitin’s smile grew wider, an almost playful glint in his eyes. “Of course,” he said, his tone casual but firm. “Spirit spells that tamper with memories can be tricky and resource-intensive, but I have the means. Do you think I shouldn’t?”
Aksai shook his head, his expression hardening. “On the contrary, I want you to be thorough,” he replied, his voice dropping lower.
“Don’t just erase his memories of this conversation. Wipe everything from the past week. He shouldn’t remember meeting me, our other teammates—none of it.”
Jian’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly realized that Aksai was doing this to protect him. The fewer details he remembered, the safer he would be. In this dangerous world of powerful factions and political maneuvering, ignorance truly was bliss.
One of Haitin’s subordinates approached Jian. With a simple nod of consent, Jian accepted his fate.
The demonic faction also had memory-related spells and abilities. However, they weren’t as effective as the ones Aksai had. Plus, they had a lot of difficulties when it came to execution as well as the side effects.
However, it was better for Aksai if he let Haitin’s men do this work. Since he had Jian’s consent, nothing would go wrong.
The man placed his hand gently on Jian’s forehead, and after a few moments of whispered incantations, a soft glow enveloped Jian’s eyes.
The memory spell was swift, erasing all traces of the past week as if it had never happened. Jian blinked a few times, disoriented, but otherwise unharmed.
With that done, Haitin gestured toward another flying eagle mount that awaited Aksai. He climbed onto it without hesitation, his excitement bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
The thought of receiving rewards from one of the three major demonic sects filled him with a mixture of anticipation and satisfaction.
The Spirit farmer’s Enchanted Everwood Farm had all the potential in the world—top-notch facilities, prime land for Spirit farming—but what he truly lacked were the resources and knowledge to take full advantage of it.
It was finally time for him to make full use of the Everwood Farm using the demonic resources and knowledge.