Settling for Second Best
His cultivation is absolutely terrifying—when he wants to fight, the demonic aura flares, the devil mark deepens, and even the divine soldiers are too scared to tremble.
And his speed? Out of this world. If he doesn't feel like fighting, he just vanishes in a flash—thousands of miles away before you can blink. Good luck catching him.
Rumor has it, Lady Wynn Drake started out crying at the Divine Hall, then moved on to the Azure Dragon Lord's Manor, and now the poor Azure Dragon Lord doesn't even dare go home...
...
Over the past few years, Jumin Jing has finally figured it out: no matter how he schemes, marrying his gorgeous cousin is just not in the cards.
Last time he went home, after a little family pow-wow, he decided to settle for second best—he'd just marry Luna Lian instead.
Sure, she's only the adopted daughter, but from the looks of it, once she's married, High God Quentin Lian and High Goddess Vivian Lu aren't about to just ignore her.
So, on a rest day, he got all dressed up, marched over to Luna Lian's door, and knocked, saying he had something important to discuss.
Luna Lian, ever cautious, braced the door so he couldn't get in and asked right through the crack what he wanted.
"Let me in so I can talk," Jumin Jing complained. "Isn't it rude to make me stand out here in the hallway?"
Honestly, Jumin Jing had never once given Luna Lian a kind look since they were kids. What could he possibly want to say to her now? Luna found the whole thing pretty weird.
She was worried he might be plotting something shady toward her sister again, so better to face him head-on and get the facts.
So Luna Lian stepped outside, slammed the door shut, and said briskly, "If you've got something to say, say it here—otherwise, just leave."
Jumin Jing frowned, pulled out a Phoenix Hairpin from his robe, and said, "This is for you."
"Want me to pass it on to my sister?" Luna Lian shook her head. "High God Jumin, you'd better give up on that dream!"
"It's not for her—it's for you!"
"For me?" Luna Lian blinked. "Why are you suddenly giving me a hairpin?"
"This isn't some ordinary hairpin—it's a Celestial Relic!" Jumin Jing looked smug. "I know you can't compare to Lucia, and you don't have much good stuff anyway, so just take this."
Luna Lian was speechless. She handed the hairpin back and said coolly, "Sorry, I may not have a lot of treasures, but I actually have a whole warehouse of Celestial Relics like this gathering dust! I'm really not interested."
Jumin Jing's anger shot straight to his forehead.
It's one thing for Lucia to reject him, but Luna Lian? Who did she think she was, daring to turn him down too?
But his Mother Goddess had warned him a thousand times not to mess this up, so he swallowed his anger and said, "Guess I didn't explain it clearly! Actually, my Mother Goddess wants me to marry you!"
Luna Lian's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What? Marry?"
"Exactly! So quit with the talk about warehouses full of Celestial Relics—who'd believe that? Just take this one for now. If I get something better later, I'll give it to you then." He tried to shove the hairpin into Luna's hands again.
"Hold up!" Luna Lian shot back. "Even His Majesty the Celestial Emperor asks his kids if they want to get married—how come your family thinks it's even grander than the Celestial Palace?" She tossed the hairpin right back at him.
Jumin Jing couldn't hold back anymore. "Luna Lian! Don't be so ungrateful! Who do you think you are? You're just the daughter of my uncle's deputy general! I'm Jumin Jing, High God Quentin Lian's own nephew and a High God myself—how could I possibly not be worthy of you?"
"Who could possibly be worthy of you, my goodness! I'm just a low-born, plain-faced, weak little goddess—wouldn't dare even dream!" Luna Lian turned and headed inside. "Take care—the road's slippery!"