We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 377: A Wife? A Wife...

Three days had passed since Jin Kingdom's forces reached the capital of Lu Province.

Qin Jingyuan gathered the 150,000 soldiers from his two provincial territories and marched alongside Jin Kingdom's army.

Jin Kingdom marched forward with the grand proclamation: "The Qin ruler is tyrannical and inept, the First Prince lacks ability, and the Second Prince is destined to revive Qin Kingdom's sovereignty and ancestral rites."

Deep down, everyone recognized this as mere pretentious drivel, lofty excuses dressed up in noble words.

What tyranny and incompetence?

What useless First Prince?

It boiled down to naked greed, nothing but the Second Prince's burning craving for Qin Kingdom's supreme throne!

The troops swept through Lu Province before entering Jin Province.

Jin Province served as another fief under Qin Jingyuan's control. He had already swapped out most generals with his own loyalists.

The city lords at present were either talentless nobodies or trusted aides the Second Prince had nurtured over the years.

When the million-strong army loomed near the city gates, particularly with the Second Prince urging them to yield, these commanders surrendered without the slightest delay.

Qin Kingdom prized martial valor above all, and with its power surging stronger than ever, its people brimmed with national pride.

Thus, certain playboys who once squandered their forebears' wealth in pleasure houses turned fiercely steadfast over such vital loyalties, hurling curses at Jin Kingdom and Qin Jingyuan from the battlements.

This defiance utterly caught Qin Jingyuan off guard, yet what difference did it make?

These garrison leaders commanded too few soldiers, and the cities crumbled in no time.

The commanders either perished in battle or scattered in flight.

Since the assaults proved so effortless and Jin Province fell completely in short order, Jin Kingdom's soldiers grew haughty and overconfident.

Even some officers believed that whether the Second Prince tagged along or not hardly mattered.

Conquering Qin Kingdom might demand extra exertion, but their might alone could surely crush it.

Qin Kingdom's famed ferocious tiger-and-wolf legions appeared utterly ordinary after all.

Consequently, within the ranks, fewer and fewer generals held Qin Jingyuan in regard, viewing him as pointless baggage.

This escalated until one victory feast, when a troublemaker challenged Qin Jingyuan to entertain them with a sword dance.

Demands for a man to dance with a sword for amusement—even as a joke—would normally spark drawn blades, but Qin Jingyuan simply chuckled and claimed he knew no such dance.

Witnessing this meek response, the instigator deemed Qin Jingyuan utterly spineless and ramped up his mocking taunts. Right then, Ji Yue rose from beside her husband, offered a formal curtsy to the assembled generals, and declared, "This humble woman lacks skill, yet with everyone's spirits soaring and a desire for a sword dance, this humble woman will oblige and perform one for your amusement."

With those words, Ji Yue drew her husband's blade and launched into an elegant sword dance within the command tent.

Though Ji Yue possessed middling aptitude and lingered at Foundation Building realm in cultivation, she focused mainly on sword arts and had mastered music, chess, calligraphy, painting, plus Jin Kingdom's traditional dances since youth.

Her sword dance thus captivated all, blending power with fluid beauty. But as it reached its climax, Ji Yue slashed downward abruptly.

The deputy general who had proposed Qin Jingyuan's performance recoiled in shock and dodged frantically. Ji Yue's blade shattered the teacup on his table, drenching him in wine and water!

The generals froze in stunned silence, none daring to utter a word.

After all, Ji Yue remained Jin Kingdom's Eldest Princess, embodiment of its royal prestige, and cherished daughter of its sovereign.

For this political union of Jin Kingdom's Eldest Princess with Qin Kingdom's Second Prince, the ruler of Jin Kingdom wrestled with agonizing choice, clashing bitterly with the empress over it.

He still harbored remorse and vowed to make amends for his daughter once victory dawned.

Hence, no one dared slight this exiled princess.

"I wonder how this humble woman's sword dance fared?"

Ji Yue demanded icily.

"Excellent, truly superb..." The deputy general Gai Yan stammered quickly, sweat beading coldly on his brow.

He harbored zero doubt that the Princess's strike had aimed straight for his life.

"Ji Yue, enough playing." Qin Jingyuan rose and bowed deeply to the generals. "My wife got carried away in jest and lost control. Forgive her indiscretion, esteemed generals."

"Hahahaha... What odd words from Prince Jing?" Yan Liuyun laughed heartily. "Beholding the Princess's sword dance is a once-in-a-lifetime honor. How could it be mere play?"

"Marquis Hu shows true generosity!" Qin Jingyuan bowed once more toward Yan Liuyun.

"Come on! Let's keep the wine flowing. Princess, take your seat too." Yan Liuyun grinned.

Ji Yue shot a frosty look around before settling back beside her husband.

Now she appeared tame as a lamb again, far from the fierce edge she displayed mid-dance.

Once the feast ended, Qin Jingyuan pleaded weak from drink and departed the tent with Ji Yue.

After their exit, the deputy general Gai Jing slammed his flask to the ground in fury. "A mere gigolo! Without the Princess's protection, he wouldn't deserve to lick my boots!"

Yan Liuyun stayed silent at the deputy's outburst, merely sipping his wine in quiet contemplation.

Back in their tent, as Ji Yue moved to slip off Qin Jingyuan's boots and prepare his rest, he sidestepped her, removed them himself, and reclined on the bed.

Ji Yue eyed her husband silently. After a curtsy, she withdrew to her own bed nearby.

Though wed and sharing quarters since their union, Ji Yue and Qin Jingyuan had never shared a bed. Just as she settled down, his voice drifted from across the space: "Do you see me as worthless?"

Ji Yue propped herself up to gaze at him.

Qin Jingyuan stared at the tent roof, voice steady as he went on, "In the capital back then, I shone with unmatched glory. Now, chasing that throne, I rely on Jin Kingdom's aid. I endure every slight and jeer, all because I chose this rebel's road. No retreat lies ahead."

"..." Pausing briefly, Ji Yue lifted her gaze earnestly. "This consort has never held such thoughts."

"Hehehe, really?" Qin Jingyuan gave a faint chuckle. Without probing more, he added softly, "From here on, refrain from defending me. No point. Each time you invoke your princess status, it diminishes your own honor."

"But... this consort is your wife..." Ji Yue clutched her quilt tightly.

"I've spoken my piece. We bear the title of spouses, yet lack its substance. Look to your own path. Don't trouble yourself over me." Qin Jingyuan replied.

"This consort..."

"Rest now."

Ji Yue tried to continue, but Qin Jingyuan silenced her and rolled away.

"Yes." Ji Yue nodded softly.

Lying sideways upon his bed, Qin Jingyuan gazed through the window into the endless night.

In his thoughts, Ji Yue's lethal swing at Gai Jing replayed endlessly, echoed by her recent words.

Unbidden, Qin Jingyuan's lips tugged into a subtle smile, tinged though it was with a hint of scorn.

"A wife?"

"A wife..."