Chapter 83 - Unlike You, The Rest Mean Nothing

"The three of us decided to go through our tribulation. That's why we are in the mortal realm. Let just say that stopping Empress Dowager from succeeding in her plans is our trial. Once we pass it, we will be given the title of Gods." Qing Shan finally explained the reason behind their presence in the mortal realm.

"Will you become a part of the Heaven Realm after passing the trial?" Jiang Ying Yue asked curiously. There was still a lot to learn about how everything worked in the weird magical world where she had ended up.

Qing Shan shook his head as he patted her head lightly while answering, "Not really. The three of us never wanted to be a part of the rest of the three realms, especially the Heaven Realm. We are going through the Heavenly Tribulation because that's something every Immortal is bound to go through, not because we want to become Gods." 

Jiang Ying Yue felt a small smile appearing on her lips as she finally realized that even though these three Princes seemed arrogant sometimes, they actually had a humble side to them. 

"What do you think then? Will you be able to stop her? And why not just kill her if she's really a threat to all the realms?" She asked him after a couple of seconds. The last question was something she had always wondered about. Since the so-called Empress Dowager was such a great threat to the three realms, why the gods didn't eliminate her for once and all.

"Killing her is the last option we have. For thousands of years, the peace treaty between the Gods and the Demons was never broken because of Empress Dowager. Her people believe in her and the promise that she has made with them. If we kill her now, there's a great chance that there won't be any more peace left in the three realms." Qing Shan answered her question as he finally stepped away from her, taking away the warmth that his body had surrounded her with.

Listening to his words, Jiang Ying Yue suddenly founded herself thinking about the woman, known as the Empress Dowager of the Hyuang Empire, whom she met during the welcome banquet of the Third Prince.

She could not deny that the more she was getting to know about that woman, the more curious she was becoming to know exactly what plans the Empress Dowager had in her bucket.

It was not a common sight to see a single woman fighting with all her might to provide a better future to her entire race. Most importantly, she was doing it in a just way. Though her plans did put the other realms at risk but was she really the only one to be blamed in all this matter?

"What are you thinking about?" The first Prince asked her when he noticed the thoughtful look on her face. 

Jiang Ying Yue looked at her mate and tried to see if she could tell where he stood in all this mess. According to what he just told her, neither he nor his brothers cared about the things going on in the other three realms but they did care about their own realm. Besides, the only reason they were trying to stop their temporary mother was because that's what they were supposed to do to pass their trial.

"You said that killing her is the last resort. Then how are you planning to stop her?" She asked him curiously. Since he seemed to be in a good enough mood to tell her all this information, she wanted to take her chance and get as much information from him as possible.

Qing Shan remained silent as he watched her with a weird look in his eyes. It seemed like he was recalling something while his eyes were staring right into hers.

"We have you." 

"Huh?" Jiang Ying Yue stared at him with a blank expression, not getting the meaning of his words. What did he mean by that they had her? Was she some sort of weapon they were planning to use against their enemy in order to stop her from ruining the world?

She suddenly recalled her previous conversation with him when he told her that she carried the future of their world in her hands. Somehow, she had got the power to decide who would be the winner between the Gods and the Demons.

"What if I ended up siding with the demons? What are the Gods going to do with me then? Will I also become their target along with the Empress Dowager?" She found herself asking, not because she really cared about the consequences of her going against the Heaven Realm but because she wanted to know what he had to say.

She watched as the man took a few steps closer in her direction, coming to stand right in front of her. There was barely any space left between them and once again she felt his warmth surrounding her like a cacoon even though they weren't touching each other at all.

"It's true that we don't want anything to happen to our realm. It's the last and only thing left by our parents for us. But if you really decided to side with the Demon Realm..." 

Jiang Ying Yue found her heart beating at a rapid speed as she waited for him to finish whatever he was about to say next.

"... We will find a way to keep our realm safe..." He stopped before moving, even more, closer to her. One of his hands moved to cup the left side of her face before he spoke, "I won't let anyone hurt you. No matter whom you will decide to help, you will have the support of three of us brothers. Unlike you, the rest of the people in this world mean nothing to us."

This time, her heart literally stopped beating as her ears registered his last sentence. It was such a bold statement but at the same time, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.

She wanted to ask him exactly what she meant to him, but words refused to come out of her mouth as her brain was still busy recalling his last statement over and over again.

"I think this much information is enough for today. How about we head back to enjoy the dinner that others are done preparing? They are waiting for us." Qing Shan offered with a soft smile on his lips that made him look even more handsome than his usual self. It was rare to see him smile. The most he did was to pass a barely noticeable smile every now and then. To see him really smiling was a very rare sight.

"But what about..." She started to say but was stopped by the man who suddenly pulled her back into his arms, probably a place where she actually belonged.

"Let's not make them wait any longer. We will start with your idea after we are done with the dinner." He whispered next to her ear, his warm breath fanning the sensitive skin of her neck that caused electrical sparks to erupt all over her body. It took everything inside her to not shiver as a result.

Jiang Ying Yue slowly nodded her head in agreement and watched as Qing Shan's eyes sparkled brightly for merely a second before they were passing through a teleportation array to return to the secret manor of the Princes.

- - - - - 

"You guys are finally here." Silver was the first one to notice them as Jiang Ying Yue stepped into the garden along with Qing Shan.

She smiled warmly at her mate who immediately took hold of one of her hands as he pulled her towards the table set up in the middle of the garden, loaded with freshly cooked food that was emitting such a strong aroma that it made her mouth watered.

As her eyes looked at the other two Princes, she noticed that all of them had taken a bath and were wearing simple light clothes with their long silky hairs was left loose. How come all four of her mates were so good-looking? She questioned herself as she took a seat beside Wu Xie while Silver sat down on her other side.

"If I'm not wrong then... are you questioning your luck right now for having such handsome mates?" Silver questioned her all of a sudden or more like teased her, bringing the attention of the Princes towards the two of them.

"Stop reading my mind!" She murmured while picking up a pair of chopsticks to start feeding her growling tummy. She could feel her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she realized that all four of her mates were still looking at her. And even though it was the nighttime, the garden was illuminated by nearly two dozen lanterns that were hanging all around the place, making it bask in the light. 

"He can read your mind?"