The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 532: Dugu Nian’s Trouble

In a courtyard within the Pill Alliance, only Dugu Nian and Fang Lin were present.

“I’m sorry.” As soon as Dugu Nian opened her mouth, she apologized to Fang Lin, looking downcast, afraid to meet his eyes.

Fang Lin seemed very calm and asked, “What exactly is the matter?”

Dugu Nian lightly bit her lip, appearing very hesitant, as though she had something difficult to say.

Fang Lin looked at Dugu Nian and said, “If you don’t want to speak, it’s alright.”

Dugu Nian raised her head, her eyes reflecting a hint of sadness. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I don’t want to get you involved.”

Fang Lin indifferently replied, “It seems like I am already involved.”

Dugu Nian was taken aback, but soon came to understand.

Indeed, even if she didn’t tell Fang Lin anything, hoping that he could remain outside of the whirlpool, the Dugu Family still considered Fang Lin as an obstacle and had already implicated him.

Thinking about this, Dugu Nian felt even more saddened. Despite being the young lady of the Dugu Family, being part of such a large family brought troubles beyond her control.

“My Dugu Family is currently experiencing turmoil, the royal family of Xuan Country is pressuring us, and Crown Prince Zhou Yishui wants to marry me as his Crown Princess Consort.” Dugu Nian revealed with a sorrowful expression.

Upon hearing this, Fang Lin expressed surprise. Crown Prince Zhou Yishui wanted to marry Dugu Nian as his Crown Princess Consort? That was something he had never anticipated.

However, this would explain much. No wonder Zhou Yishui rejected him so intensely that day at the crown prince’s mansion. It was because he had grown too close to Dugu Nian.

Moreover, before he came to Xuan Country, Han Luoyun had warned Fang Lin to avoid contact with the Dugu Family.

Thinking about it, Han Luoyun must have already known about this matter. When he warned Fang Lin to avoid contact with the Dugu Family, he was actually trying to tell Fang Lin not to maintain any further contact with Dugu Nian.

The Dugu Family had repeatedly asked him to come over because of this matter as well. Presumably, the Dugu Family wanted him to stay away from Dugu Nian, and might even go to more extreme lengths by getting rid of him directly to satisfy Crown Prince Zhou Yishui.

Fang Lin couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. It seemed the saying, “a beauty brings disaster”, was absolutely accurate. Even though he had nothing to do with Dugu Nian, he was already opposed by many. The crown prince wanted to eliminate him, and the Dugu Family also wanted to do the same. Who had he offended?

Seeing Fang Lin’s bitter smile, Dugu Nian felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart as well.

“Actually, marrying the Crown Prince isn’t that bad. Zhou Yishui is destined to rule Xuan Country in the future, and you’ll be the queen then.” Fang Lin suddenly said with a smile.

Dugu Nian stared blankly at Fang Lin, and then became surprisingly angry.

“You jerk!” Dugu Nian gave Fang Lin a hard kick.

Although the kick wasn’t powerful, Fang Lin still showed an awkward expression, coughing uncomfortably, “I was just joking, if you don’t want to marry him, then don’t.”

But Dugu Nian was very angry, sitting on the stone bench and ignoring Fang Lin completely.

“With your Dugu Family’s power, even if you don’t agree to this engagement, there shouldn’t be any problems, right? Could it be that your Dugu Family is actually afraid of a mere Zhou Yishui?” Fang Lin asked.

Dugu Nian replied irritably, “A single Zhou Yishui means nothing. But almost half of the high-rankings in my Dugu Family have agreed to this engagement. Furthermore, even the Xuan Emperor has mentioned this matter. Although my grandfather is the Family Head, he is also in a very difficult position, trying his best to delay this matter.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Lin understood Dugu Nian’s current situation.

If the Dugu Family was of one heart and mind and resolutely opposed the engagement, then no matter how powerful the royal family was, they could not force the Dugu Family to do anything since, after all, if the relationship were to break down entirely, the royal family would not benefit in any way.

But the problem was that almost half of Dugu Family’s high-ranking officials sided with Zhou Yishui, agreeing to the engagement, and were even actively helping Zhou Yishui to arrange it. This made the situation quite tricky.

Presumably, the Dugu Family’s high-ranking officials who repeatedly wanted to meet Fang Lin were those who agreed to the engagement. They believed Fang Lin’s presence would make Crown Prince Zhou Yishui unhappy and wanted to get rid of him.

At this moment, Fang Lin couldn’t help but sigh. There were indeed many advantages to being in a big power, but there were also many annoyances. This feeling of being out of control was indeed very distressing when thought about.

“Don’t worry, your grandparents should be able to come up with a solution. If all else fails, they can just send you out of Xuan Country, far away from here.” Fang Lin patted Dugu Nian’s shoulder, offering words of comfort.

Dugu Nian shook her head. Hiding was not a realistic option. The royal family’s eyes watched over the entire Xuan Country. As the precious gem of the Dugu Family, if she were to sneak out of Xuan Country, she would definitely be discovered. Moreover, that would cause the royal family to be displeased with the Dugu Family.

The relationship between the Dugu Family and the royal family was complicated. There were previous precedents of the Dugu Family’s daughters marrying into the royal family. Even though she was the granddaughter of the Family Head, she had little say in such matters.

“It seems like a real hassle.” Fang Lin frowned.

Dugu Nian looked at him, “No matter what, you can’t get involved. With the protection of the Pill Alliance, Zhou Yishui can’t do anything to you.”

“What about you?” Fang Lin asked.

Dugu Nian was at a loss for words. The situation at hand did not seem to be something she could influence. She could only leave it up to fate.

Silence fell between the two. Neither knew what to say. Fang Lin sighed inwardly. He wasn’t a fool and could naturally perceive Dugu Nian’s special feelings for him.

However, Fang Lin did not reciprocate. To be precise, Fang Lin’s current focus was not on love. Moreover, he always maintained a respectful distance from it.

Of course, Fang Lin did not wish for Dugu Nian to marry Zhou Yishui either.

“Alright, I need to go back now. Be careful.” Dugu Nian said.

Fang Lin nodded, escorting Dugu Nian to the gate of the Pill Alliance.

Dugu Nian looked back at Fang Lin, her eyes filled with a different kind of affection. However, Fang Lin turned a blind eye to it, smiling in return.

This scene was noticed by several people hiding in the dark.

After Dugu Nian left, Fang Lin could not calm his mood for a long time. Although he could completely detach himself, he felt very uncomfortable at the thought of Dugu Nian marrying Zhou Yishui.

However, he was not yet well-established at Xuan City and was as insignificant as an ant. He was unable to do anything.

The next day, people from the Dugu Family came over again. This time, the visitor was a highly influential figure- Sir Qi, the seventh brother of the current Family Head and the number one figure of the Dugu Family in Xuan City.

He was also one of the firm supporters of Dugu Nian’s marriage to Zhou Yishui.