Chapter 1496: Most Handsome in the World

Zu An nodded. They were pressed for time, so he quickly explained the purpose of their visit.

The Great Elf King initially gave the impression of being the quiet, handsome type. However, when he heard what Zu An said, his expression dramatically brightened. His ‘cool, handsome older man’ demeanor suddenly gave way to looking like a drama actor.

“So we are going to assist the young prince…” the Great Elf King trailed off after hearing the explanation, not expressing any strong opinion on the matter. Instead, he said to the Second Empress’ group, “Can I talk to Zu An alone for a bit?”

“Of course,” the Second Empress replied. His reaction was within her expectations. She nodded toward the others, then walked away.

The Great Elf King didn’t feel any strong emotions when he saw her flirtatious smile or beautiful figure. The Elf Race didn’t lack handsome men and beautiful women, after all. It wasn’t as stunning as what he saw when he looked in the mirror every morning.

The others quickly followed the Second Empress into an outside room. Qiao Xueying wanted to stay behind, but the Great Elf King said, “Snow, you should go as well.”

Qiao Xueying jumped in fright, exclaiming, “Dad, you can’t bully Ah Zu!”

The Great Elf King had grandmaster rank cultivation. It was still a bit dangerous for Zu An to be alone with him.

The Great Elf King glowered. As expected, when a girl is of age, she must be married off. He replied, “He just saved me. Is your dad the type of person who turns his back on his benefactors?”

Qiao Xueyeing stuck out her tongue, then left while pouting. She kept looking back as she left; it was unclear whether it was because she hadn’t seen her father for a long time, or because she didn’t want to be separated from her lover again.

When the others left, Zu An cupped his hands toward the Great Elf King and said, “Respected uncle, I wonder what you want to talk to me about.”

The Great Elf King coldly said, “You have already tricked my daughter into bed, and yet you are still calling me uncle?”

Zu An was speechless. Snow actually told her father about that?

As if seeing through his thoughts, the Great Elf King said, “Snow shared half of her lifespan with you, and as the Elf King, I naturally know the conditions needed for that to happen. Since ancient times, not many elves have been willing to give up half of their life to use that skill. I initially thought that she must have found the most excellent young man in the entire world…” He trailed off as he inspected Zu An closely, before continuing, “But now that I look at you, you don’t seem like anything special.”

Zu An was speechless.

The Great Elf King then said, “Forget it. Even though you are pretty ordinary, you are better looking than most of the other ugly bastards out there. If Snow has already shared half her lifespan with you, you are probably not that bad. I trust my daughter’s judgment.”

“Thank you, father-in-law,” Zu An said, sighing in relief. I guess this issue has finally been dealt with. As expected, no matter what world it is, meeting your girlfriend’s parents isn’t an easy matter.

The Great Elf King’s eyelids twitched when he heard Zu An call him ‘father-in-law’. He replied, “You have not officially wed yet. Just call me uncle for now.”

Zu An was speechless. Didn’t you just complain about me calling you that?

“We can talk about you and Snow later,” the Great Elf King said, his expression suddenly turning serious. He continued, “You said you were going to support the young prince. Were you serious?”

When he saw Zu An nod, he raised his voice somewhat, continuing, “That is not a wise choice. The prince is still so young; how can he become the Fiend Emperor? Asking me to gather the entire Elf race for this cause is practically the same as asking them all to perish.”

Zu An explained, “The Golden Crow Crown Prince and I share a grudge that can’t be resolved. If he becomes the Fiend Emperor, he’ll never let me go. Similarly, it would be unfavorable for your Elf Race.”

The Great Elf King knew about the Golden Crow Crown Prince pursuing his daughter. Many people had advised him to agree to it, because it would bring tremendous glory. If Snow became the empress, the Elf race would share in her glory and rise above the other two king races.

However, he alone knew that Snow had already shared half of her life with another man, and that she wasn’t a virgin anymore. If she married into the royal family, it would be impossible to hide that fact. At that point, it wouldn’t be a blessing for the Elf race, but rather a disaster.

That was why he hadn’t agreed to the marriage from the start. The ‘Half-Life Destiny’ was the Elf King race’s greatest secret, so he couldn't talk about it either. The Fiend Emperor had just taken it as a challenge to his authority and found a pretext to throw him into prison.

However, even if he didn’t support the crown prince, it didn’t mean he absolutely had to support the Second Empress and her son.

Zu An explained his reasoning and added, “Supporting the young prince was because I had no other choice. Furthermore, the youngest prince’s age is both a disadvantage as well as an advantage!”

“Advantage?” the Great Elf King asked with a frown. “I cannot see any advantages.”

Zu An said, “If a young emperor rose to the throne, he would have to rely on the assistance of virtuous and wise elder ministers. At that time, who else would be more suited to that role than you?”

The Great Elf King said with a hint of dissatisfaction, “Working with the court’s politics would only make me grow wrinkles faster and ruin my stunning features.”

Zu An was stunned. He really hadn’t expected the Elf King to give that kind of reply! Even at the other man’s age, he was still a freaking narcissist?!

He could only approach the situation from a different angle and say, “Respected uncle, even if you don’t care much about political power, you must consider the interests of the Elf race! I don’t believe you would be willing to be thrown into prison again, causing the entire Elf race to suffer instability, right?”

Seeing as the Elf King still seemed rather indifferent, Zu An thought of something and said, “Furthermore, if you really become the most powerful minister in the Fiend races, together with your mighty cultivation, you’ll have the entire Fiend race territory to supply you with the treasures you need. You can even search the treasury of the Imperial Palace, and you’ll be the first to enjoy the precious items traded from the human side. There are many skin care products that have miraculous effects, you know?”

The Great Elf King’s eyes lit up when he heard that. He said, “Hm, I must indeed consider things for the Elf race. Then we will support the youngest prince.”

Zu An was speechless. He seemed to have found some way of dealing with this narcissistic father-in-law of his.

The two of them walked out while chatting with each other joyfully. When she saw their smiles, the nervous Second Empress sighed in relief. At the same time, she was curious as to just how the normally aloof and proud Great Elf King had ended up becoming so comfortable with Zu An. Just how had Zu An done it? After all, this matter was of vital importance. Even if he had a close relationship with the Elf Princess, the Great Elf King wouldn’t be convinced so easily, right?

I have to properly thank Zu An afterward. He’s helped me so much.

When he emerged, the Great Elf King’s eyes landed on Yu Yanluo. He exclaimed in surprise, “Hm? How extremely beautiful. Could this be the new Medusa Queen?”

Yu Yanluo nodded with a smile, saying, “I greet the Great Elf King.”

The Great Elf King sighed and remarked, “You really look like your mother. Your mother was one of the very few whom I felt was as beautiful as myself.”

The others present were speechless.

Qiao Xueying was stupefied. Was my dad also a pursuer of Yu Yanluo’s mother?

Ah, that’s so freaking embarrassing!

Fortunately, the Great Elf King quickly recovered from his daze and said to the Second Empress, “I plan to sort things out back in the clan first. That will take a bit of time. Try to see if you can rope in some more forces. Our two clans alone might not be enough to affect the current Fiend King Court’s situation.”

“Thank you, Great Elf King!” the Second Empress replied with a nod. Inwardly, however, she felt quite hard-pressed. Who could she even rope in now?

Her eyes shifted to Zu An. When she saw his confident appearance, her anxious heart gradually calmed a bit.

“Snow, follow dad back. Dad needs your help.” the Great Elf King said, waving toward Qiao Xueying. He had been locked in the Imperial Prison for so long and didn’t know the recent developments in the clan. He needed his daughter by his side.

Qiao Xueying was a bit unwilling to separate from her lover, but she knew how important the situation was. She could only reluctantly follow her father.

After they exited through the Imperial Prison’s gate, the Great Elf King was stunned to see Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue. He exclaimed, “Huh? The human race actually had beauties comparable to us Elves? Snow, are you not embarrassed?”

Qiao Xueying was stunned, asking, “What does this have to do with me?”

“Elves were a bit more beautiful than other races to begin with, and you had the world’s most handsome man as your father, and yet your appearance is only on par with them. This really does leave your father a bit ashamed!” the Great Elf King remarked in dissatisfaction.

When she saw Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue look at him as if they were looking at someone with mental deficiencies, Qiao Xueying covered her face. She really wanted to say ‘I don’t know this man!’