In the days that followed, the sense of bewilderment and confusion in Zhang Lexuan's heart did not dissipate with the passage of time; instead, it grew thicker, like the rising tide.
From the very beginning, she had prepared for the worst.
She thought Xu Tianran would push her step by step, using his status, power, bloodline, and even Kong Deming's family affection to pressure her.
He would force her to choose between Shrek and the Sun Moon Empire, forcing her to stand on the opposite side of her past.
She had even rehearsed countless responses in her mind—whether to refuse firmly, to play along, to argue her case, or to compromise temporarily...
She had repeatedly deliberated on every possibility.
Yet, unexpectedly, Xu Tianran did nothing.
There was no questioning, no coercion, no probing; he didn't even mention a word about the future or her stance.
With just a casual "Rest well," he turned and left, so cleanly and decisively that it caught her off guard.
This way of doing things, completely defying common sense, was more unsettling than a direct interrogation.
Over these past few days, apart from cultivating, Zhang Lexuan had spent her time pacing slowly in the hall.
The sunlight outside the window slanted, stretching her shadow long; despite being in a luxurious and comfortable palace, she felt completely uneasy.
It was as if countless invisible threads were gently Binding her—not causing pain, yet impossible to break free from.
Kong Deming would come to see her whenever he had time these past few days, but he mostly just sat to the side, resting with his eyes closed.
Zhang Lexuan turned to look at this nominal great-grandfather, opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed the question that had reached her lips.
What could she ask?
Ask Kong Deming what exactly Xu Tianran was planning?
Ask him where she should go from here?
She couldn't even figure out these questions herself, so why bother an elder who had just saved her life?
During this time, Xu Tianzhen and Meng Hongchen both came to see Zhang Lexuan, and she took the opportunity to try and probe for some information indirectly.
However, the two little girls were not stupid; they only answered questions they were allowed to answer.
The questions Zhang Lexuan tried to ask by beating around the bush were basically met with evasive answers.
Zhang Lexuan was quite helpless about this, but being here, she had no other choice.
Escaping was definitely impossible, and as for taking her own life, Zhang Lexuan was not foolish enough to go that far.
But now she really wanted to go back to Shrek, go back to question Elder Mu and Elder Xuan whether what Xu Tianran said was truly the truth.
Yet she hadn't realized that from the moment she wavered, she had already subconsciously accepted it all as the truth in her heart.
As time passed little by little, the more Zhang Lexuan thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
The calmer Xu Tianran was, the more she felt that beneath this calmness hid an unfathomable scheme.
In her eyes, Xu Tianran was the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, deep in thought and ruthless in his methods.
Back at the Spirit Fighting Tournament, she had already experienced how terrifying this person was.
Such abnormal tolerance and patience now could absolutely not be kindness without reason.
Was it playing hard to get?
Was it retreating to advance?
Or was he waiting for her to lose her composure?
One thought after another swirled in her mind, making her unable to sit or stand in peace.
Rather than letting her imagination run wild here and being slowly consumed by the fear of the unknown, it was better to take the initiative and ask for clarity.
Thinking of this, Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath, the confusion in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a determination akin to burning one's bridges.
She turned to look at Kong Deming, who was still resting with his eyes closed, and bowed slightly: "Elder Kong, I wish to see the Crown Prince."
Kong Deming slowly opened his eyes, looked at her with a deep gaze for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded, his tone calm yet meaningful:
"Go ahead. Some things are better cleared up early than hidden in your heart."
There was no guidance, no obstruction, and certainly no unnecessary admonitions.
Zhang Lexuan felt a chill in her heart, becoming even more certain that all of this was within everyone's expectations.
From the moment Xu Tianran turned and left, they had been waiting—waiting for her to take this step on her own.
She no longer hesitated, turned, and walked toward the direction of the Crown Prince's study as indicated by the servants.
Along the way, the palace corridors were twisting, and guards stood everywhere; every gaze that fell upon her carried respect and inquiry.
It made her clearly realize that this was no longer Shrek, but the heart of the Sun Moon Empire.
Arriving outside the door of Xu Tianran's study, she stopped, raised her hand, and knocked gently on the door.
"Enter."
From inside came Xu Tianran's steady and calm voice, devoid of any emotion.
Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.
Inside the study, the lights were bright, the furnishings simple yet grand; the bookshelves were filled with scrolls and spirit tool blueprints, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ink and metal.
Xu Tianran was sitting behind the desk, holding a scroll of blueprints, seemingly inspecting something. Seeing her enter, he slowly put down what was in his hand and looked up.
Their eyes met.
His gaze remained deep and calm, without a ripple, revealing neither joy nor anger, nor calculation; it was as if her arrival had been expected all along.
Zhang Lexuan closed the door, walked step by step to the front of the desk, and stopped. She did not bow as she had before, but instead looked up and stared directly at Xu Tianran, her voice calm yet carrying a trace of long-suppressed persistence:
"Crown Prince, I have something I want to ask you."
Xu Tianran nodded slightly and gestured with his hand: "Sit, speak slowly."
Zhang Lexuan did not sit; she remained standing where she was, her gaze firm: "No need, I just want to ask clearly."
"What do you want to ask?" Xu Tianran's tone was indifferent.
Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips and poured out the questions that had been accumulating in her heart for several days:
"Crown Prince, you went to great lengths to bring me here, and Elder Kong saved me—isn't everything you have done just to force me to make a choice?"
"I am already prepared. No matter what you want me to do, no matter which side you want me to stand on, I can give you an answer."
"But why don't you ask? Why do you say nothing and only tell me to rest?"
Her voice rose slightly, the long-suppressed confusion and anxiety erupting at this moment.
"What exactly are you thinking? What on earth do you want from me?"
Facing her barrage of questions, Xu Tianran was not angry at all; instead, he laughed softly.
The smile was faint but carried a sense of composure that saw through everything.
He slowly stood up, walked around the desk, and approached her step by step.
The distance between the two was extremely close; his faint scent enveloped her, making Zhang Lexuan subconsciously want to retreat, but she forced herself to stand her ground.
"What do you think I want?" Xu Tianran asked in return.
Zhang Lexuan gritted her teeth: "You want me to submit to the Sun Moon Empire, you want me to betray Shrek, you want me to become one of your people."
Once these words were spoken, the study instantly fell silent.
Xu Tianran looked at her, his gaze earnest and serious. After a moment of silence, he slowly said: "You are wrong."
Zhang Lexuan was stunned: "I am wrong?"
"From the very beginning, I never thought about forcing you to betray anything." Xu Tianran's voice was calm, yet every word was clear.
"I am simply giving you a choice, a choice to survive and to live even better."
"You are Elder Kong's descendant, and you have the bloodline of the Sun Moon Empire flowing in you; this point cannot be changed."
"If you go back to Shrek now, all that awaits you will be suspicion, scrutiny, and perhaps even being ostracized with no hope of ever succeeding."
"But if you stay by my side, you can possess status, power, respect, and everything you deserve."
"I am not forcing you because what I, Xu Tianran, want has never been forced obedience."
His gaze fell deeply on her face, his tone carrying an unquestionable strength, yet hiding a rare trace of sincerity:
"What I want is for you to be willing."
Zhang Lexuan's heart trembled violently.
Willing...
These four words were more powerful than any coercion or temptation, and they left one's heart in even greater turmoil.
She stared blankly at the man before her, suddenly not knowing how to respond.
Xu Tianran watched her dazed appearance, did not continue to press her, but slowly stepped back, restoring that sense of composure and distance befitting a Crown Prince.
"You don't need to answer me now."
"Go back and think it over well. Think clearly about what you want and how you want to walk your future path. Once you have figured it out, come find me again."
"Before that, this place will always be a refuge for you."
As his voice fell, he no longer looked at her, turned and walked back behind the desk, picked up the blueprints on the table again, leaving behind a steady and upright back, and also leaving behind a night that Zhang Lexuan would never forget for the rest of her life.
She stood in place, not moving for a long time.
This night, she finally understood.
The most terrifying thing about Xu Tianran was never his strength or power.
It was that even though he held everything in his grasp, he still left you room to make a choice.
And this room for choice was the most irresistible cage of all.