He still wasn't saying anything.

"It's not that I don't want a baby after marriage but I am not sure I will be a good mom if I don't have enough time to spend with my child because of my job," she explained.

"I would never force you if you feel you are not ready yet but if it is because of your job then you should know that even in ten years you will still be as busy as you are or even more and I don't mind it,"

She pondered on his words for a while then she realised he is right.

"I guess you are right," she muttered with a smile.

He pulled her to where the boxes are.

"Why don't you take a look at them and tell me if you like them?"

He couldn't help smiling, she doesn't know if every groom is like this before the wedding but these past few days he has been very hyper-active even more than she the bride, she even compared him with Ji Chen who seems to be led by whatever Jia Yu wants and giving him only little decision making power.

****

The Other world.

The three days she gave him has already passed but she didn't go to meet him because she wanted to give him more time to ponder on it, she spent so much effort to make the sect leader give him this chance and she doesn't plan on letting him throw it away.

The emperor only said he was going to reward Bohai if he succeeds but she suggested the sect leader request he is made a prince and still be allowed to keep his position in the martial circle.

She made her way through the rows of cells until she got to the cell where he is being kept, she opened the door only to find he has gotten worse than he was before, his hair was looking even more dishevelled than before and his body more sickly.

"Bohai," she called.

He slowly raised his head to see who it is and the moment he saw her and the rays of light in the cell his eyes shone with hope again. He already lost track of time while in the cell so he couldn't tell if three days had just passed or she didn't come.

"Water, did you come with water?"

She shook her head.

She figured it is better she let him suffer so he can make up his mind sooner.

"Have you made up your mind?" she asked.

"About what?" ever since he left, his mind has been muddled because of the whispers, hallucinations and images flashing in his head.

"You know very well what I am talking about,"

"If it is about hurting Huo Lan then my answer remains the same, I will never absorb the power of the woman I love no matter how greedy I am," the volume of his voice is very low but she could still make out what he is saying.

She bit her lips and sent a slap across his face.

"Do you really plan to die here because of that lowly witch?!" she yelled at him.

"She is not a witch but a young girl who just lost her freedom unjustly," he retorted.

"No," she took a step closer to him. "The moment she was born she lost every right to her freedom just like you don't have a choice but to kill her,"

"If that is what you came to say then you should leave," he turned his head away from her but she suddenly held his chin and empties a pill bottle into his mouth then she forced him to swallow, after she let go of his chin he tried to spit it out but it has gone down his throat.

"What did you feed me?" He yelled

"Something to motivate you, if the starvation and lack of light won't work on you then this should,"

He was still trying to understand what she means when he felt a twisting pain in his stomach.

"W-what is this?" He felt like his intestines were being intertwined.

"Very soon you will feel as though bugs are crawling around your body into your head but don't worry, you won't die," she lifted his chin and whispered into his ear.

"It will only help you realise your deepest desires and discover your greed," she moved away then smiled evilly before leaving the cell and subjecting him to total darkness again.

She knows he is just trying to fool himself, he is just like his father and the both of them can do anything for power just like the sect leader killed his own wife and framed the flame sect for his wife's death.

She only found out recently when she heard him talking to her father in secret.

She has seen the look of envy on his face during the competition so she doesn't believe he won't come around.

Aargh!!!

He screamed in pain as a strong sensation travelled around his body forcing the whispers to return again.

He couldn't imagine enduring this for another day.

"Come back here, Xiaomeng, I said come back here!" He screamed even though he knows his voice won't even travel past the cell door.

Her heart wrenches at her cruelty towards him but she knows this is the only way she can save him and also help him realise his ambition at the same time, by the time she exited the entrapment the sect leader and her father were already waiting for her.

She slowly walked towards them then bowed her head to greet them.

"Has he accepted?" the sect leader questioned with his back turned to her.

"N-not yet but I am very sure he will come around soon as long as the pill works effectively," she was scared he will take back his word, she already finds it suspicious he is letting Bohai absorb Huo Lan's spiritual power when he can just take it for himself and become unrivalled.

"It will,"

"You can leave now,"

She bowed then took her leave.

They watched her until she was out of sight then her father cleared his throat to speak.

"Is sect leader really going to let young master absorb her power?" He couldn't understand why he would want his son to be greater than him and this is also unexpected of someone like him.

"Bohai has an emotional connection to her so it will be better for him to absorb it then..."

He moved to stand in front of him.

"He won't be able to survive with such huge conflicting power inside him so I will absorb it from his body,"

He eyes widened.

"Sect leader, young master Bohai might not be able to survive before he returns to the sect,"

"If he can't even do something so simple then he is better dead," He responded then he turned to leave, the first elder watched him as he walked away with mixed feelings.

On one hand, the plan is a smart one but considering that he is putting his own son in danger just to get power...

His heart is entirely loyal to the sect leader but he doesn't want Meng Hui to be hurt by what is going on.

She covered her mouth in shock of what she just heard, she pretended to leave then hid behind the rock to listen to their conversation but she couldn't believe the sect leader is so cruel, if something goes wrong while Bohai is absorbing the power or when his father takes it out of him then he might die.

She couldn't believe her father not only helped him kill his wife but also knows about this yet he didn't tell her.

She decided she won't tell Bohai about this but she will never let the sect leader put him in succeed in his plan.

*********

She is seated in front of the mirror while the lady helping her with her veil stood behind her to give her time to see if she is happy with the result.

Her eyes shone with brightness at the image in the mirror, she has always thought all brides look beautiful but she never knew she could look this beautiful, her lashes fluttered for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.

"It is very beautiful," she said in a sentimental tone, the lady smiled satisfactorily then she left the dressing room to check on Jia Yu who is seated in another dressing room.

Her wedding dress spreads across the seat and her veil is almost touching the ground since she is seated but she can't take her eyes off the mirror, she could feel tears pooling in her eyes and she now understands why Han Chen was so emotional when he saw her in the wedding dress.

She was still admiring herself when the guests started trooping in to see her with greetings and good wishes for her marriage, they kept coming one after the other and she was now finding it tiring especially since she has to keep smiling.