Exclusive Possession – CH 057

Chapter 57.

Flowers covered the steps of the main hall, and the white-clad maids smiled like angels. Mu Xian led me up the steps, and we were greeted by a sunlit hall that was already full of people.

The group was impeccably dressed, chatting and laughing. Many were in military uniforms and wearing badges; they must have been high-ranking military and political officials of the empire. Under their gaze, my cheeks flushed slightly.

The emperor sat back on the ancient white stone couch in the innermost part of the room. He was also wearing a white military uniform today, his face still haggard, but his gaze still sharp.

Soft music began to play, and Mu Xian knelt on one knee. I curtsied in return. The emperor smiled with pleasure and beckoned to me. I rose and walked to him.

He actually took out a red envelope with the character “囍” (double happiness) printed on it in gold foil.

“Following Earth’s customs,” he said with a laugh, lowering his voice to my ear, “half of my private property.”

I was flattered and thought to myself that the emperor really knew everything, including our family’s dire financial situation. Moreover, he really liked his youngest son, Mu Xian.

“May you be happy forever,” the emperor said with a smile.

Our second audience was with His Highness, the First Prince, Tarui. He was a gentle, handsome blond young man who patted Mu Xian on the shoulder and said, “A good man must treat his wife unconditionally well.” Mu Xian nodded, smiled, and hugged him—it seemed they had a good relationship.

Prince Tarui looked at me again and, surprisingly, took out a red envelope with the inscription “May you have a long and happy marriage” from his suit pocket. His smile was slightly shy: “I didn’t know what you liked; these are some of my personal books.”

I was a little surprised. But his gentle and sincere expression was so comforting that I thought he was indeed a simple and honest person. Touched, I accepted the gift and said, “Thank you.”

A few days later, however, when Morin took the safe key from the red envelope to the rare books section of the Imperial Library and retrieved the books, I was even more moved after the monetary value was estimated.

The other royals—dukes, earls, princesses… all “followed Earth’s customs” and gave me red envelopes, and the ministers also presented gifts. A huge, heavy pile; Morin followed behind us, carrying a full armful. When no one was looking, Morin and I exchanged a glance, both seeing the smile in each other’s eyes—if we had known the wedding would bring in so much money, we wouldn’t have been racking our brains trying to find ways to make money these past few days.

After paying our respects to the Emperor, we proceeded with the ancient wedding ceremony of the Stan royal family. The eldest prince, Tarui, accompanied by his ministers and officials, led the two of us to the very center of the palace.

It was a white, rocky mountain.

The entire palace was surrounded by green trees and buildings, but here alone lies a vast, crystalline stone mountain. From a distance, it looks like a white behemoth, lying prostrate in the sunlight, its entire body translucent and gleaming.

This was an ancient energy mineral called “Yu.” It was said that long ago, the Stan aliens refined this “Yu” to obtain the energy they needed for life. Now, with the discovery of many other high-energy minerals, mining of Yu had ceased, and it had been protected.

This mineral vein was said to be very, very deep, extending all the way to the Earth’s core. Therefore, the Stan aliens regard this place as their “roots.”

Tarui and the others stopped at the edge of the rocky mountain. Mu Xian and I had to climb the mountain on foot, without using our mental powers or tools.

When we reached the mountaintop, as the sun rose to its highest point in the sky, Mu Xian, being a member of the royal family, was to use his spiritual power to activate the energy of the stone mountain. It was said that the stone mountain would then radiate a very beautiful glow. According to the beliefs of the Stan people, the brighter the glow and the wider the area it illuminates, the more “blessings of the true god” the newlyweds receive, foreshadowing an even happier future for them.

However, the brightness of the light emitted by the Stone Mountain wasn’t necessarily related to the strength of the royal family’s spiritual power. In the past, some members of the royal family had very weak spiritual power, yet their light was very bright; similarly, there were also some members of the royal family with very strong spiritual power who couldn’t emit any light at all.

The sun was blazing, and the surface of the rocky mountain was uneven. Mu Xian walked as if on flat ground, but I struggled. Before long, a layer of sweat appeared on my forehead.

Seeing my appearance, Mu Xian frowned and said, “I will carry you up.”

“No.” I brushed his hand away. “Prince Tare said we must walk up to receive the ‘blessing of the true god.'”

He smiled slightly: “You believe me?”

I laughed too: “Whether you believe it or not isn’t important. Today’s our wedding, and everything’s meaningful. I want to do my best so that when I’m old, I can look back and feel satisfied.”

His eyes deepened, and he took my hand and gently kissed it.

Finally, we reached the highest point. Mu Xian held me and waited quietly.

“Mu Xian, I’m a little nervous…” I whispered, “It’s okay if it doesn’t ignite any light, right…”

“Impossible,” he interrupted me, his tone calm yet firm.

I was slightly taken aback, and then I gripped his hand tightly.

Just then, the deep, resonant tolling of bells filled the air, signifying that the sun had reached its highest point in the sky. Mu Xian lowered his head and kissed me, his dark eyes as deep as the sea. His entire body began to emanate a pale blue glow, slowly spreading across the surface of the stone mountain. We were immersed in this blue light, feeling as ethereal as if in a dream.

He kept kissing me, the blue light emanating from his body intensifying. He shone like a sphere of light. Gazing at his serene face, so divine in the dazzling light, my eyes slowly welled up with tears.

Suddenly, the stone mountain beneath our feet began to glow.

It was a pure, white luster, unlike any other spiritual power. It seemed to emanate from the depths of a crystal-clear mountain, initially like a hazy mist, gradually becoming whiter, thicker, and brighter.

Only then did Mu Xian release me and look at the stone mountain. My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and I looked at the spectacular sight before me with curiosity.

Gradually, the white luster merged with the pale blue luster. They were like a blanket of deep blue snow, obscuring the palace before us and the distant capital city. We were enveloped within it, unable to see anything clearly.

It was a truly magical feeling. The whole world seemed to shrink to just this beautiful glow and just the two of us.

My heart, too, seemed to be immersed in this clear radiance, becoming peaceful, soft, and content.

“Mu Xian, I love you.” I hugged his neck, my voice trembling.

He suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

Suddenly, the soft light beside us abruptly became blazing and blinding. I squinted and saw that the light seemed to come alive, suddenly rising higher and becoming a bright pillar of light that shot towards the sky above us.

We stood at the base of the beam of light, and everything around us paled in comparison. The beam shot higher and higher, piercing the blue sky, breaking through the clouds, and reaching towards infinity.

Suddenly, I felt the air around me tremble violently, like invisible ripples in the void. The pillar of light above my head burst open, like a vast and silent shockwave, sweeping out in all directions at incredible speed.

The entire sky was instantly enveloped by a smooth, translucent, and boundless film. Palaces, lakes, tall buildings, and distant mountains were all bathed in the thin light.

Then I heard cheers rising and falling throughout the city. The cheers grew louder and more frequent, eventually merging into a continuous roar, turning the entire capital into a boiling sea of ​​excitement.

I was stunned: “Mu Xian, this is…?”

In the dazzling light, his features appeared blurred, but his voice was low and gentle, captivating: “Hua Yao, this is a blessing from God.”

As we descended the rocky hill, the light hadn’t yet faded, casting a soft glow on everyone’s faces. Tarui, looking visibly excited, rushed forward and exclaimed, “This is an unprecedented miracle—the entire capital’s bathed in holy light!”

***

As we left the palace and got into the car, heading towards Peace Square in the capital, the sunlight still lingered in the sky. I held Mu Xian’s arm, my heart still pounding with excitement. Though I wasn’t superstitious, I would remember for the rest of my life how our love illuminated the entire capital.

Is it possible for us to be unhappy?

Absolutely impossible.

The car was still traveling on the suspended highway, and in the distance, one could see the plaza below teeming with people, filled with flowers and fluttering ribbons. The roar of the crowd seemed to threaten to lift the sky.

Our car slowly came to a stop below the high platform in the center of the square, and the crowd roared like a tidal wave: “Divine Light! Divine Light!” I looked at the vast sea of ​​people; my palms were sweaty, and my gloves were soaked through.

According to the procedure, Mu Xian would first give a wedding speech to the crowd, and then we would take our vows in front of the people, which would complete the ceremony. He glanced at me sideways: “Wait for me.” I nodded, and the guards had already opened the car door.

“Wait, this.” Morin pulled a piece of paper from his uniform pocket and handed it to Mu Xian. Mu Xian glanced at it, took it, put it in his jacket pocket, and walked out.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, the crowd’s volume rose again, almost bursting eardrums. But as he walked step by step onto the flower-strewn stage, the crowd gradually quieted down.

I stared at his retreating figure and asked Morin curiously, “What did you give him?”

Morin smiled smugly: “A wedding speech! It’s a very important speech, a statement from him as a man, a husband, and a member of the royal family. Historically, several royal wedding speeches have been quite brilliant and moving and are still recited today. But if it isn’t well said, the entire galaxy will laugh at the Stan royal family for being uncultured. But as you know, the Commander’s really not good at this… so I specially researched a lot of information and wrote it for him. Do you want to see it? I have a copy.”

I understand—Morin ghostwrote it. That was normal; the only thing Mu Xian ever wrote was probably military orders.

I took it and looked at it:

“Your Majesty the Emperor, my dear compatriots:”

On the distant third planet of our solar system, there was a saying: “Until the mountains crumble, the rivers run dry, winter thunder roars, summer snow falls, and heaven and earth unite, only then will I part from you.” This means that love would only end when a star becomes a red giant and devours the planet.

I had such great and noble feelings for my wife, Hua Yao.

Although she was merely a pure-blooded human with near-zero combat power, in my eyes, she was incredibly beautiful, kind, and adorable. There was a poem on Earth that says, “Beauty doesn’t bewitch; it’s people who bewitch. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,” which perfectly describes my feelings towards her…

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this part. And as I read on, I couldn’t help but chuckle even more.

After piling up some poetic lines, it becomes a Qiong Yao-style psychological monologue, such as “Love makes me like a helpless puppet, suffering and tormented” and “Love also transforms me into an invincible warrior, clearing away all difficulties and obstacles for her and creating a new world for her.”

…

I looked at Morin helplessly: “Is this really okay?”

Morin nodded: “Of course! The commander saw it yesterday and said it was very good.”

“I also think it’s good; the writing’s excellent,” Mop, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

Me: “Love makes me feel like a helpless puppet.”

The crowd grew quieter. Mu Xian looked down at the manuscript for a while, then suddenly folded it and put it back in his pocket.

I was taken aback, and Morin beside me was already clicking his tongue in admiration: “Wow! Without a script! He memorized it!”

At this moment, Mu Xian looked up at the audience, his handsome and fair face appearing exceptionally gentle and calm. After a brief silence, his deep and gentle voice rang out from the loudspeakers above the square.

“I’m very happy to marry Hua Yao today.”

I was taken aback, and so were Morin and Mop. The square was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a brief pause, he continued:

“Hua Yao’s the only woman I want to marry. Marriage means she officially belongs to me, she promises to be with me for life, and she will bear our children. This means a lot to me.

“For a long time, I didn’t think I needed a lover. For me, a wife was merely a necessity for reproduction and sex.

“When I expressed this view to my mother, she didn’t refute it.

“She simply said: ‘In this universe, there would be a woman who would make you let go of your pride.’

“I scoffed at the time.

“Until Hua Yao shed tears in front of me.

“She said she wouldn’t willingly be my woman without equality and respect. She said I couldn’t have her if she weren’t a princess.

“Of course, even if she weren’t a princess, I would definitely overcome any obstacle to win her over. But the way she cried reminded me of my mother’s words—

“In this universe, there would be a woman who made me put down my pride.

“That woman is Hua Yao.

“Hua Yao is wonderful. Gentle, beautiful, kind, and stubborn—she fulfills all my needs for a wife and for a woman.

“But she gave me even more.

“I have to admit that I wasn’t good at dealing with women. But she forgave my mistakes and tolerated my arrogance. In her own way, she helped me rediscover the responsibilities and obligations of a husband.

“She also helped me on many occasions during military operations.

“It’s particularly important to point out that during the last space disaster, when I was in a state of confusion and immersed in the virtual world, she chose to stay with me, whether in the virtual world or in reality—my woman chose to stay with me, whether in life or death, whether in the virtual world or in reality.

“Therefore, she is the most suitable woman for me in this universe. She is also the woman I want to protect for the rest of my life.

“Finally, I would like to conclude my remarks by quoting an ancient poem from Earth:

“Even if mountains crumble, rivers run dry, winter thunder roars, summer snow falls, and heaven and earth unite, I will never part from you.

“This means: Hua Yao, my wife, even if the stars cease to shine, even if planets were mercilessly swallowed by black holes, we would never be apart.”