CHAPTER 1237 PROCLAMATION OF MARRIAGE
After spending several days in the Xi Family's library, Yuan gleaned a profound understanding of why the Xi Family and other dragons had sought refuge within the Ancient Dragon City.
He uncovered accounts of the heinous atrocities and excruciating suffering inflicted upon dragons by humans, delving into the sweeping conflict that had engulfed the entirety of the Divine Heavens in a war between humans and dragons.
Unfortunately, he could not find anything about the Immortal Monarch besides a brief mention of him, just as Xi Mingze had said.
Yuan departed from the library once he was satisfied with his research, and almost as if she had anticipated his exit, Xi Meili appeared at the far end of the hallway at the same time, steadily making her way toward him.
"Excellent timing! I was actually searching for you to let you know that the banquet has been arranged," Xi Meili called out to him from across the hallway as soon as she spotted him.
Yuan nodded and responded with a smile, "Perfect timing indeed. I am starving."
"Hmm? Hold on. You're back to your normal appearance, Yuan. Looks like the transformation was temporary, after all." Xi Meili said.
"Would you have preferred that it was permanent?" Yuan asked in a joking manner.
Xi Meili chuckled, "As handsome as you were in your dragon form, I actually prefer your human appearance. There's just something about it that's very attractive— at least it is to me."
"Anyways, follow me. Everyone is already at the banquet."
After a short while, Yuan and Xi Meili arrived at the designated banquet location, which had been arranged in the front courtyard of the palace.
"There's a lot more people here than I anticipated." Yuan was surprised by the crowd there.
"I also thought it was a private banquet for us, but that wasn't the case. My parents invited pretty much all of their friends and whatnot. Not sure why, though." Xi Meili said.
When Xi Mingze noticed them, she quickly approached them.
"What do you think?" She asked Yuan.
"A little grander than I anticipated," he said with a smile.
"I had initially planned for a private banquet, but upon further consideration, I've chosen to make it public. This gathering is to commemorate your remarkable accomplishments and also serves as a farewell celebration for Meili," Xi Mingze explained with a warm smile.
"I see…"
"Follow me. I'll introduce you to everyone." Xi Mingze suddenly grabbed Yuan's hand and guided him towards a platform.
Once they were standing on the platform, Xi Mingze cleared her throat loudly, her voice rippling throughout the entire courtyard.
The thousands of guests there halted whatever they were doing and turned their attention to her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to our banquet despite the short notice and the evolving situation after our recent incident with the Azure Dragon Family and the Emerald Dragon Family. I would like to take a moment to introduce you to the hero of our city— Yuan!" Xi Mingze introduced him to everyone.
Everyone immediately started cheering, causing the area to tremble with excitement.
Yuan's name had permeated every corner of the Ancient Dragon City and beyond after the resolution of the conflict. Despite wanting to remain low-key, the sheer magnitude of his achievements made it impossible to evade the spotlight. His actions left an indelible mark, and the tales of his accomplishments will be woven into the fabric of the cities and their histories.
The people learned of his unparalleled bravery during the conflict, and they marveled at the depths of his prowess that had thwarted the Azure Dragon Family and the Emerald Dragon Family's audacious schemes to challenge the Xi Family's authority pretty much by himself.
Once the cheering eventually calmed down, Xi Mingze continued, "As you all know by now, if he hadn't stepped in to stop the Azure Dragon Family and ended the war before it even began, our city would've suffered irreparable damage, and thousands would've died." Belonging to .
Meili, has chosen to walk alongside him, so he is no longer just a Xi Mingze proceeded to speak of the incident for a bit before changing the subject.
"Now, as we gather to commemorate Yuan's extraordinary feats, I stand before you with yet another proclamation. My daughter, Xi Meili, has chosen to walk alongside him, so he is no longer just a guest, but now an integral and cherished member of the Xi Family," Xi Meili's mother declared, her words resonating with deep significance and profound emotion.
This announcement, essentially a proclamation of marriage between Yuan and Xi Meili, sent ripples of astonishment cascading through the gathered guests, leaving them profoundly taken aback.
Despite the enormity of Yuan's accomplishments, no one there had anticipated that the Xi Family would allow a human to become part of their lineage, let alone entrust their precious daughter to him. The revelation had defied all expectations and left the assembly deeply stunned.
"M-Mother! Did you really have to announce that to everyone?!" Xi Meili's face was flushed with redness.
Xi Mingze merely responded to her with a profound smile.
Since Yuan would be leaving the Ancient Dragon City soon, she wanted to make sure that nobody would have any funny ideas once he left. The announcement of Yuan's integration into their family served as both a statement of their bond and a stern warning to those with ill intentions, making it abundantly clear that they'd have to deal with him if they were ever to mess with the Xi Family.
When the guests snapped out of their shock, they started cheering for them.
"C-Congratulations, Princess Xi! Congratulations, Yuan!" Someone there suddenly cheered.
"I extend my heartfelt well-wishes for your future together, Princess Xi and Yuan!" Another guest chimed in, offering their blessings to the couple.
'W-We're not even in that kind of relationship— yet!' Xi Meili cried inwardly, and she could feel her entire face smoking from embarrassment.
As for Yuan, he could only stand there with a stiff smile on his face.
Xi Shengmo gave his own speech shortly after.
Eventually, the banquet began, and Yuan immediately started stuffing his face with food. Perhaps it was because of his transformation, but he'd never felt hungrier before.
"Heavens! Despite being a human, his appetite definitely wouldn't lose to any of us!"
The guests were baffled by Yuan's ability to eat, and not wanting to lose to him, they also started stuffing their faces with food.