---
"YOU WHAT?!"
Nia nearly choked on her tea.
Across from her, Luan looked confused. "It's not like I meant to marry her. She just… said the words. I thought it was a prayer."
Zurok sighed dramatically in the corner. "You accidentally married a princess, you pyromaniac donkey."
---
Let's rewind.
After the duel and the mysterious vision, Luan got restless.
He left the Jade Cicada Sect at dawn, chasing whispers of an ancient ruin in the northern gorge—something about an 'invisible staircase made of forgotten sins'.
What he didn't expect was a full-blown marriage ritual going on there.
And the bride?
A veiled warrior priestess named Sayra.
Her eyes glowed violet.
Her sword was older than most mountains.
Her attitude? Deadly.
But when a giant spider-beast attacked mid-ceremony, Luan leapt in to save her.
He roasted the monster with a flick of black fire—
accidentally triggering the "Hero-Bride Binding Oath" that she'd been reciting mid-battle.
Which, as you guessed, was a legally binding marriage contract in her tribe.
---
Now Sayra followed Luan everywhere.
> Sayra: "Husband. I will protect you with my life."
> Luan: "I don't need protection."
> Sayra: "That's cute."
> Nia (watching from behind a pillar): "I will murder her."
---
But drama wasn't done cooking.
In the city of Dazong, Luan entered a marketplace to stock up on supplies.
He met Yuu, a trickster girl with amber eyes and a mouth faster than lightning.
She pickpocketed him, flirted with him, then dragged him into a gambling den.
There, she lost him in a bet.
Yes. She wagered him like a potato.
> "He's got no Qi," Yuu said. "But look at that hair. Worth at least a spirit stone or two."
Now Luan had to fight his way out of a den full of Qi-thirsty gamblers.
He didn't even use his black fire this time—he just used traps, misdirection, and a lot of angry insults.
Yuu: impressed.
Sayra: furious.
Nia (who tracked them with Giri): livid.
---
Meanwhile, something darker stirred.
A masked cultivator with a crescent blade was sent from the Veil Dominion, one of the top-class world's old hands.
> "Target: Luan.
Status: Zero cultivation.
Threat level: Unreadable."
> "Eliminate quietly."
But when he faced Luan…
His blade melted before it touched him.
And behind Luan, a shadow flared for a split second—
A crown of black fire floating above it.
> The assassin's last words: "He is… unforged chaos…"
---
Back at the inn…
Luan nursed a bruised face and a very flustered heart.
Nia was ranting. Sayra was meditating while sharpening her sword. Yuu was counting stolen coins on his bed.
> "What are you all doing in my room?"
All three answered at once:
> "Protecting you."
"Watching you."
"Looting you."
---
End of Chapter 13
Ready for Chapter 14?
Because next, we're going underground, where cursed cities sleep…
…and ancient ghosts want to claim their king back.
Also… there might be a fourth girl.
Oops.