Against Heaven's Will

"Pearl, what are you doing?" Golden Queen questioned suspiciously as she pulled her cousin back. "If you are trying to flirt with him, I will save you the trouble. He is not interested." 

"Huh? Cousin? You can't be serious, right? It's not flirting. I'm just being friendly to the person who saved my life," Pearl defended, sounding overly offended by her words. "Isn't that normal behavior?" 

"I know you well, so spare me your poor acting," Golden Queen rolled her eyes. "I would like to remind you that you have a fiance waiting for you in the Dragon Realm."

'Here we go again…' Xuefeng muttered in his mind, contemplating if he should stop them but decided to let it be for now. There was something about women arguing that made it entertaining to watch. 

"Tsk, don't mention him," Pearl snickered, rolling her clear black eyes. "That's already in the past. We broke up a few months ago. How else would I be allowed to travel around Heaven Realm on my own? Right now I'm looking for a new chapter in my life. Maybe I can find love in here? Who knows."

Pearled ignored Golden Queen and gazed back at Xuefeng, repeating a question from earlier. "So can I call you Xuefeng? It's okay if you prefer Sir." 

"Sure, I don't mind. Friends of my friends are my friends. I actually prefer being called by my name," Xuefeng replied casually, causing her to brighten. 

"Alright! Xuefeng it is!" Pearl announced happily. "My offer from before still stands. If there is anything I can do for you, I will do it with no questions asked. That's the least I can do to repay you." 

Xuefeng scratched his head, knowing exactly what she meant. Her look of interest was enough to tell him she wanted him. Too bad, telling women he is not interested didn't really work well. It only makes them even more eager to chase him. 

'It starts to be annoying that all women want our husband. Don't you think we should do something about it Ling?' Ming questioned, scaring him. 

'Yes, I fully agree. The game has been too easy for him lately,' Ling confirmed, scaring him even more. Who knew what would happen if those two got involved. 

'Hey, hey, don't worry. I'm in full control right now. I'm happy with what I have and the love I receive,' Xuefeng assured. 'All my focus is on improving my Cultivation Base and breaking through together with my wives. We don't really have much time.' 

'It's good you know that. It's not like we forbid you from loving other people, but everything comes down to merits. I doubt she would provide us any value,' Ming commented with brutal honesty but Xuefeng had to disagree. 

'Sometimes it's not all about value. Love doesn't happen based on how much one can provide. You just love without looking at anything else, wanting the person to stay by your side and just her presence alone is enough.'

"Xuefeng?" Pearl asked, making him realize he just went silent for a while. He opened his mouth to speak but Golden Queen commented first on his place. 

"He already said it's fine. You don't owe him anything so you are free to go. Xuefeng already has multiple beautiful wives by his side, so it's a lost battle for you."

"Hey, even Miss Wu is not saying anything, because she knows I'm just trying to be nice. Why are you getting so defensive? He is not your husband, so you can't speak for him," Pearl countered annoyed, causing Xuefeng to finally react. 

"I'm sorry, I was talking with my Fate Spirits about something," Xuefeng admitted as he gazed at the two cousins. "Anyway, what is this argument even about? I didn't want anything from you but I got an idea now. Pearl, how about you repay me by not reacting to your cousin's provocation? This way we can focus on what's at hand." 

Pearl smiled at that. "Sure! She always teases me so I couldn't help but fight back. If that disturbs you I will just ignore her." 

"Hey—" Golden Queen protested but Xuefeng cut her off, gently holding onto her chin. 

"I don't want to hear any arguments. Be a good girl and don't fight with her. Got it?"

His firmness worked like magic, causing Golden Queen to give in unhappily. 

"Ugh, fine," Golden Queen pouted as she demanded in return, "but I want to talk to you about something later."

"Sure, once we are done here," Xuefeng agreed casually, not really putting too much thought into it. "We still need to wait for my wives to arrive before we move, so we can take it easy. We will probably stay here overnight." 

Golden Queen's eyes brightened and she pulled away with a smile. "Alright, we can talk during our session later." 

Pearl, on the other hand, squinted her eyes as she observed the two suspiciously. She was about to speak up when Wu finally moved, flying up to Xuefeng's arms. 

"I want to make an offer to the Dwarfs. How long do you think they will take to get back to us?" Wu questioned curiously as she looked down at the Dwarf Kingdom. Dwarfs were still raging down below but they were too high to be threatened with any attack. 

"What do you plan to offer?" Xuefeng wondered. "Since they have no King now, the strongest fighters will probably fight to become the new leader. If you can strike a deal with them, you should create nice cooperation for Trade Union." 

"Well, I will probably begin the negotiations but leave the rest to my Grandpa. Since we are back together, I don't think I can take care of Trade Union's business anymore. I will naturally stay and travel with you," Wu informed. 

One look into her eyes and he knew she already decided on it a long time ago. Even though she loved managing companies, he still preferred her to stay by his side. 

"Alright, let's hope the Dwarfs won't take too long," Xuefeng nodded, kissing her gently in front of everyone. She was his wife, getting the most privileges. 

"Xuefeng?" Pearl suddenly called out once they finished. "Do you mind if I stay with you for a while?"