The "negotiations" took place in the Heaven-Viewing Pavilion. I say negotiations, but it was mostly five adults drinking tea and arguing over my future like I was a high-value piece of real estate.
"She needs to see him," Empress Liu of the Han Empire said, her voice soft but firm. "Tianyin has been told about Lu Xian her entire life. She believes he is the 'Ocean' to her 'Resonance.' If we don't let them meet, her cultivation heart might fluctuate."
I was sitting on a stool, swinging my legs and trying to figure out if I could "Liquidate" a marriage contract. (Result: Unlikely. Marriage contracts in the Divine Realm are tied to Soul Oaths. Breaking one is the spiritual equivalent of jumping into a woodchipper.)
The curtains of the Han palanquin finally parted.
Out stepped a girl who looked like she was made of moonlight. Han Tianyin was four, a year younger than me, but she possessed a stillness that was unnerving. Unlike Tian Lingyue, who felt like a "Hole in the Universe," Tianyin felt like the "Pulse of the World." Every breath she took seemed to synchronize with the swaying of the trees outside.
She walked up to me, her steps silent on the jade floor. She didn't poke my cheek. Instead, she sat down on the floor in front of me, crossed her legs, and stared into my eyes.
"You're very busy," she said. Her voice was like the sound of a silver bell submerged in water.
"I try not to be," I replied honestly. "It's a full-time job."
"Your soul is tired," she continued, tilting her head. "It feels like a shark that has forgotten how to sleep. My father says I am the 'Resonance.' If I stay near you, I can make the water quiet. Do you want the water to be quiet, Lu Xian?"
I looked at her. For the first time since I was reborn, someone wasn't talking about my "Monster" potential or my "Liquidation" tactics. She was talking about... quiet.
"Yes," I whispered. "I would very much like the water to be quiet."
She reached out and took my hand. A ripple of cool, soothing energy flowed through my meridians. It wasn't the explosive "Interest" of my own breakthrough; it was a stabilizer. It felt like the perfect "Control Variable" for my chaotic Origin Dao Body.
"She stays," I said, looking at my parents.
The Han Emperor let out a triumphant laugh. "There! The boy has spoken! The Pact is reaffirmed! Han Tianyin is the First Wife. The Tian girl can have the second spot if she wants to bring her ducks over later."
My siblings, who were peering through the window, began whispering frantically.
"He chose the quiet one!" Lingshu hissed. "Do you know what this does to the Han Empire's stock? It's going to skyrocket! I need to buy more medicinal herb farms immediately!"
"He didn't choose her for the stock, Lingshu," Yueran sighed, though she was smiling. "She's the only one who can actually keep him from exploding into the next realm every time he takes a nap."
I sat there, holding hands with a four-year-old "Resonance" prodigy, realizing that my life had just become twice as complicated. I had two "Wives," a Golden Immortal father, and an empire to "not govern."
"Quiet," I reminded myself. "Focus on the quiet."
But the quiet didn't last long. Because while the Lu and Han were celebrating, a shadow was moving through the Abyssal border.