CHAPTER 243: XIRAN’S CHOICE!

She, looking at Ashen with tearful eyes, asked: "Then what do you want me to do, dearest??"

Ashen held her hands more firmly as he spoke determinedly:

"I want you to choose..." Pausing a bit, he continued:

"Think carefully, we can always have a child later. How about you have an abortion?"

Hearing that, Xiran’s eyes opened wide in shock as she asked: "What? How can you even suggest something like this, dearest?"

Ashen shook his head before explaining:

"Xiran, if you do not accept this, then we will have no choice but to hide this child’s identity from the world. Moreover, I will not be able to marry you. You will have to suffer endlessly till all of this is resolved. It may take decades or even a century. Do you really want to suffer that long?"

"I don’t care! I’m not going to give up our child!" Xiran spoke firmly, not hesitating for even a second.

Ashen, caressing her cheeks, tried to persuade in his soft voice:

"Xiran, if you remain stubborn, I’ll not be able to help you get revenge. Don’t you think it would be weird for a prince to search for the killers of a village he had no relation to? Many will be able to deduce that I’m doing this all for you, which would ultimately reveal our relationship, putting our child in danger!"

"B-But..." Xiran was shaken for a moment before clearing her thoughts. Nothing mattered more to her than her child.

She, with a newfound resolve, answered: "Then, I’ll wait for our child to grow strong and take revenge for me!"

"Haa..." Ashen sighed in defeat.

Since she was so determined, Ashen’s worries were put to rest.

He was only testing her resolve to see if she was ready to be a mother.

Xiran was still young, and becoming a mother was no small matter.

Ashen worried for their unborn child. He knew that the mother needed a strong resolve to ensure the child’s safety.

Even though he had devised a plan to keep them safe, it would not succeed if the mother was not determined to endure suffering.

"Since you are so determined, it looks like I have no other choice," Ashen muttered with a gentle smile, gazing softly at her beautiful face.

"Xiran, I will now tell you how you can keep our child safe, so listen closely..."

Xiran nodded in understanding as Ashen began explaining his plan in detail:

"First, we will ensure that the news of you bearing my child remains a secret. Call everyone who knows that you are pregnant to the Shang clan."

"Yes, my dearest. I understand. I’ll tell Chen Jie to call every maid who attended to me in the mansion to the Shang clan."

"Good. Then, I will arrange a mansion for you in the Shang Clan. You can have those maids attend to you in the mansion. I will introduce you as the survivor of the Village massacre whom I have rescued. That way, there will be fewer problems!"

Explaining that, Ashen left to visit his Uncle Shang Jiao.

Shang Jiao was in his study when Ashen found him. Finishing the formal greetings, Ashen explained the reason for his visit:

"Uncle Jiao, I have come to ask of you a small favor!"

"Please ask without hesitation, nephew Ashen. I’ll do everything within my power to fulfill a request from you." Shang Jiao was welcoming of his request, knowing that Ashen held great influence compared to the past.

"Uncle, I rescued a widowed girl survivor of a village massacre two months ago. She is found to be pregnant with her husband’s child. I promised to help her to the best of my abilities." Ashen cupped his hands before bowing to request:

"I request that Uncle give her a mansion in the Shang Clan similar to the palace your concubines have. Additionally, please allow her child to be adopted by the Shang Clan. Let her child be treated the same as the children of the Shang Clan, allowing the child the same education and opportunities!"

Shang Jiao pondered for a moment before coming to a decision. He smiled as he answered:

"Nephew Ashen. It is but a small request. If you want this to be done, it shall be taken care of. We have a number of palaces for concubines that are empty. I will allow her to occupy the Blossom Lotus Palace! You can tell her to move in after an hour. I’ll have some cleaning done at the palace."

"You have my gratitude, Uncle Jiao!"

The remaining time till the Emperor’s Birthday, Ashen spent with Xiran, ensuring that she could live in peace in the Shang Clan.

~

Back to the present,

"Master, we are here," Moyun’s voice jolted Ashen awake from his reminiscing as he realized they were already at their destination.

They were back to Gang Zhao’s lair as Ashen flew down from Moyun’s back.

Ashen turned to the five king realm tigers as he ordered: "You all wait here. I’ll be back in an hour!"

Saying that, he flew away, disappearing from their sight.

A few minutes later, he descended to the ground.

"I greet your highness!"

He was greeted by a man in dark robes covering his face, kneeling in front of him.

~

Eleven days later, Xue Mo Clan, Northern Prefecture,

"Du Ya Fei! Today is the day you’ll meet your end!" A loud voice resounded in the open battlefield. "You’ll pay for what you did to my friend, Lu Shan!!"

The cultivators of the Xue Mo Tribe had gathered in this battlefield for one reason — to fight!

They were standing opposite each other in two groups, led by the strongest king realm experts of the Xue Mo tribe — Du Ya Fei and Qin Feng!

Du Ya Fei was one of the northern prefecture lords and the leader of the group of prefecture lords who opposed Qin Feng!

In appearance, Du Ya Fei was a burly, muscular man with a round beard covering his face. His short brown hair stood straight against the gravity as if defying the forces of natural law. His eyes were similar to a hunter’s looking for a challenge.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)