"For the merman to stay in this environment day and night, just going out for rounds and meetings?" Yunhe is shocked as Wu restrains her by speaking, "He has the authority, power and ability to move his office wherever he wishes. After all, he has servants who can quickly tidy up any location. If he does that, you will lose the crumbs of privacy what's left of it."

"He can't do this. He can't." The young girl babbled like a broken record while she was desperate because if the jiaoren moved, she would never be able to talk to her friend again because currently, they just needed to avoid the servants who cleaned and took care of the place daily.

They were able to prevent the servants from witnessing their conversation because Song Wu knew the daily cleaning schedule as she informed Yunhe, meaning that their meetings were planned by Wu.

"Don't try to do anything crazy, it's unlikely to happen."

"I won't do it. I can't lose what little I have left."

"It's a wise decision."

They talk about some topics, with Song Wu talking about what was currently happening, making Yunhe feel alive.

Meanwhile, there are several kilometers from the place where the young woman was kept imprisoned, more precisely in the so-called Royal Hall after modifying the construction of the Demonic Platform to transform it into a palace complex of the newly founded Northern Kingdom whose lands were nicknamed " bitter cold lands of the North", the room was crowded with important people and demons, with many belonging to once small fiefdoms that had to flee their lands with the advance of the Imperial Court through the demonic masters, as well as demons from small fiefdoms of the same North and who were in the past ruthlessly hunted by the demon masters of the Northern Demon Platform, as well as other humans or demons considered powerful, with all of them recognizing the jiaoren as their emperor while the monk Kong Ming was the royal advisor and second in command.

There were also those who held high positions in the newly created kingdom, as well as others whose occupations were of some importance or had very useful skills, such as Luo Jinsang, who entered this last group while Qu Xiaoxing entered the previous group.

Both looked reproachfully at the jiaoren and because of this, their expressions differed from the others who were excited or proud.

After all, it was a very important event because it symbolically formalized the official foundation of the Northern kingdom, with many unaware of the true reason for the foundation and that it was to be an instrument of revenge for Chang Yi while the others mistakenly believed that it was to build a opposition force to the Dacheng court in the south.

Only the jiaoren and Kong Ming knew the truth about the founding of the kingdom because the merman did not lie and therefore, he was honest with the monk who understood and agreed after everything that the crown prince of the ocean suffered and was ready to help him at the same time that it would end up becoming an opposition force as a secondary effect of its foundation.

Jinsang and Xiaoxing wore faces of displeasure because they ardently wanted to see Yunhe and her access was emphatically denied. Everyone understood that she was his prisoner, although they did not accept this condemnation and at the same time they found her total isolation unfair because prisoners had the right to sporadic visits and the young woman did not even have that right.

Furthermore, they also knew what the guardian master of the Demon Valley liked and what she hated the most, with both of them being sad and equally disgusted that Chang Yi had this knowledge, making him able to punish her more efficiently according to their opinion.

Therefore, her situation upset them at the same time that they were saddened by the young woman because the merman was irreducible in his revenge.

Jinsang had the added bonus of feeling immensely guilty because it was her favor that made Qing Ji agree to fight the demon grandmaster, Ning Qing, to drive him away from the sect, thus allowing Chang Yi's invasion because she wrongly judged that it would be his chance to see her again after six years of separation.

However, in the end, she still didn't see her while she had helped throw her into another prison.

After the ceremony ended, everyone was invited to a special dinner, with Jinsang and Xiaoxing refusing to participate in the celebratory banquet because there was nothing to celebrate.

Therefore, they both left after the ceremony ended at the same time as everyone else went to the designated place.

In the room prepared for the abundant and sumptuous banquet, Chang Yi sat at the head of the largest and most imposing table while the monk sat on his right side, with the merman avoiding demonstrating how indifferent he was to this whole ritual while at the same time he understood their importance for humans and even for some species of demons.

Even though the Jiaorens had an underwater empire, they did not have a set of rituals to adopt. Everything was simpler and without the fussy customs according to the merman's vision of the rituals of those who lived on earth. At the bottom of the sea, calm, serenity and simplicity prevailed.

Of course, there were some rituals in their culture, but they didn't involve all that pomp and so many rules involving etiquette and other subjects considered boring.

However, even though he was indifferent to all the luxury and pomp, the jiaoren tried to read human books about ceremonies to exemplarily follow the necessary etiquettes and postures, as well as how to proceed, act and dress, in addition to having the guidance of his best friend.

After all, it was Kong Ming who suggested to the merman that they needed to follow the rituals because there were many humans in the North due to the exodus of people from the capital and who were fleeing their home kingdom because they were dissatisfied with the court. They decided to go to the North in search of a better life despite the adverse weather conditions in that region.

While pleasant conversations reigned in the hall and at other tables in the room next to the Royal Hall and where in the past the demon masters ate as it was formerly the dining hall, the Emperor of the North was thinking about the latest events and the change in Yunhe since the marked him as his companion.

He never imagined that losing control like that would have so many consequences because he blamed her act as being responsible for the change in her behavior due to her reaction to the marking.

After all, he had not found any other reason that could lead to such a drastic change.

After some time, the event ends to Chang Yi's relief and when he was preparing to go to the office to do a final check on the documentation, he ends up surrounded by several females, demons and humans, who, after greeting him, bowing and placing his hand on the chest in accordance with the greeting adopted by the North when greeting the jiaoren for being the emperor, they began to talk animatedly while it was visible to many people that the women were charming the merman because they thought he was beautiful and magnificent.

After all, Chang Yi was in every single female's dream, making him highly desired by all to the helplessness of other men because there was no way to compete with the legendary beauty of the jiaoren, who in addition to being considered the most powerful underwater demons in the world, They were also known for their unattainable beauty and could be equally seductive if they so desired while also being known for their beautiful voices. It was well known to everyone that while the bird demons were famous for being formidable dancers, the jiaoren were unsurpassed in singing because they had beautiful voices and could even cast spells through their voices if they so desired.

These were some of the legends about mermen and mermaids who were considered a species with mysterious powers and abilities, in addition to having several other myths involving them, with Kong Ming questioning himself which myths were true and which were false because they originated from the human imagination.

Wherever he went, Chang Yi drew feminine sighs and longing looks, with the monk being aware of the enormous unconscious attraction that his friend attracted from any female, with him confessing that he expected something like that considering the fame of that species.

Of course, he didn't know other jiaoren to be able to use as a broader base, but, in terms of beauty and in terms of voice, because his friend had used some songs on the battlefields, thus managing to confuse and even subdue or paralyze enemies when exposed to the corner of a jiaoren, thus confirming what the books said about them at the same time that he regretted that his friend only thought about Yunhe, making him indifferent to any other woman who dared to play charm or show any romantic interest in him.

Of course, he was polite and didn't mistreat them.

However, he made it clear and explicit to everyone that they should maintain due distance and respect.

The monk confessed that he was always surprised by the fact that his friend was so patient, even with the most daring women in his approaches, while his discomfort in these moments was visible.

Kong Ming questioned himself if he liked men, thus justifying his refusal towards other females because he could not find any other reason for his refusal to get involved with the opposite , although he was aware of the fact that jiaoren only had a single partner for your entire life.

At a certain point when he moved away from the daily female crowd, Chang Yi approaches him and they start to talk about some subjects until the monk asks with obvious curiosity on his face, "Don't you like women?"

Chang Yi is surprised by the unexpected question and showing a mix of confusion and curiosity, he asks, "Why are you asking?"

"Many of them are beautiful. In fact, if I hadn't taken the monks' vows, I would want to date at least one of them."

The jiaoren wonders whether or not he should tell his friend about the fact that he married Yunhe according to the customs of her species and that, therefore, he should be faithful to her by refusing any advances from other females. Her kind only had one life partner and the mark on her ear he left was his promise of fidelity and devotion.

The reason he was thoughtful about whether to tell or not was that he knew his friend's temperament and his opinion of his beloved because he had bitterly recognized that love outweighed the hatred he felt for her.

Certainly, the monk would rave madly upon hearing about the marriage and certainly, he would assault his sensitive hearing with his complaints and even call his act stupidity.

After all, his friend had supported his desire to create a kingdom so he could take revenge, while Kong Ming had repeatedly demonstrated his hatred towards Yunhe, with Chang Yi knowing that the monk mistakenly believed that his actions were motivated by revenge.

At first they were even motivated by hatred, with him wanting to act vengefully after spending six years planning a way to get her out of the prison of the grand master's sect.

However, after bringing her to the North and discovering that she was seriously ill, what he had originally planned fell apart like a house of cards while the feeling of helplessness that arose in him was aggravated by the fact that her health gradually worsened despite medication and his act of ensuring that she ate properly according to medical advice and took the medicine prescribed by the imperial doctors.

In fact, he did not forgive his prisoner, but he recognized that love was stronger than hate when he saw her poor health and that it was this feeling that he tried in vain to suppress that dominated him at that moment.

Her escape only fueled and intensified his possessive desire to keep her with him at all costs, leading him to be overcome by irrational instincts that made him mark her as his lifelong companion and the fact that he made the mark without her approval it only made the mark shameful.

However, even though he knew that he could not reveal about his marriage to Yunhe due to the customs of her species, Chang knew that his friend had the right to have some explanation.

In the end, he sighs and decides to say, "No. I like women."

"So why keep them away?"

"I have my reasons."

"Don't think it will be easy. For all of them, you are single and this realization only encourages them. The fact that your species is famous for its beauty and voice, in addition to its power because you are considered the most powerful demons in the underwater world, only stimulates fascination."

The merman sighs, then says, "I hope they give up at some moment."

"I doubt that will happen. The only way you can try to inhibit it a little is by publicly getting married or dating someone. Of course, there will be those who won't give up, but, it will give you some peace. I understand that you want take revenge on that bastard. After all, he spent six years working on ways to get her out of that place so he could take revenge. But, don't allow your hatred to dominate your life. You must live. Try dating one of them. It will be good. "

Chang Yi massages the back of his neck as he sighs again because Yunhe was the only one for him. Even if there wasn't the mark, the merman would never get involved with another woman. There was no way to do that. His kind only loved one person in his life and his heart had chosen his prisoner who was also his current wife.

In fact, if he lost that person it would be the same as losing half of him. It was something inherent to his species and no matter how much time he spent away from his original home, her heart was that of a jiaoren and would remain so until her death.

He did not condemn his best friend's thoughts because the monk was unaware of his true feelings towards the young woman confined on the island in the frozen lake and even if he did know, he would certainly do everything to make him forget her. Chang Yi does not doubt that the monk would try to do this despite it being impossible.

After all, Kong Ming considered Yunhe as a villain and therefore, he would try to call him the "reason", so to speak, something that was impossible because there was no rationality when it involved such deep feelings at the same time that nothing could be done after his Jiaoren's heart chose her, even marking her as his wife, thus promising devotion and eternal loyalty.

Now, he didn't know how he should treat her when she regained her health because she was his wife while at the same time he thanked himself for not giving in to the intense desire to kiss her whenever he was near her while the fact was enough of fighting with himself to keep his distance and continue treating her coldly even though couples in his species stayed together after marking each other.

In fact, he always had to fight against the irrational desires that wanted to take over him when he was in Yunhe's presence, with him using the fact that she was sick to contain them along with his intense self-control, knowing that if he showed any weakness for just a few seconds, He would end up giving in to his desires because Mark only strengthened those feelings.

At that moment, he decides not to dwell on it because she was still sick.

"What about Luo Jinsang?"

"What about her?" The monk displays confusion on his face.

"You said that if you hadn't taken your vows, you would date one of those females who approached me. What about her? She always tries to be with you and there were those two times in the snowy fields that you."

"Don't mention these events!" He exclaims desperately as he struggles to control the blush on his cheeks at the memory of the event, "Speaking a second time is embarrassing. Luo Jinsang lived up to being that bastard's adoptive sister because he inherited her deceit while also trying to manipulate others by using the same vulgar methods as her despicable sister. It's no wonder that that bastard managed to manipulate his heart to the point of making him lose his tail by allowing it to be cut in half. What that young woman demonstrates is pretense. Certainly, her approach has ulterior motives."

"She managed to convince Qing Ji to help us at the same time as she managed to convince the jade phoenix to live in this realm instead of returning to the territory it was in before. Furthermore, she informed enemies to the realm by using her invisibility to approach them without being noticed."

"But, that doesn't mean the absence of some ulterior motive, especially with you punishing her bastard sister by confining and isolating her. We're lucky that you know what that scoundrel likes most and can use that information to punish her more effectively. I bet that bastard never realized that she provided such an effective weapon to be used against her."

"She never revealed it. I found out through observation." He spoke as he struggled to contain the intense anger that arose in him at the successive insults to his wife for the customs of her species while stoically trying to ignore the memory of the punishment he meted out to her by isolating her.