Chapter 188: Senior Brother, is that a Photoshopped image?
In the early morning, on the peak of Yi Shui Peak north of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, light snow was falling, accompanied by melodious and pleasant zither music that echoed among the mountain peaks.
Beneath a solitary pavilion on the cliff, a woman with golden hair cascading to her knees was kneeling before a Guqin. Her slender, jade-like fingers moved among the strings, plucking or pressing them lightly.
She wore a close-fitting, gold-embroidered long gown, with a feather belt on her shoulders moving with the wind. The attire was both luxurious and ethereal, accentuating her slender waist and full chest. Despite the outfit making her appear more mature, a glance at her face revealed a gentle and youthful innocence.
This peerless beauty was the Eldest Miss of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Yiyi.
Atop the pavilion’s beam hung an exquisite portrait of a youth. After playing a few notes, Yun Yiyi would lift her head to gaze at the youth in the portrait, as if she were playing the Guqin for him.
After a long while, a maidservant-like figure walked over from a nearby path.
Yun Yiyi glanced at her, stopped playing, and asked, “Huang Quan, what is it?”
“Eldest Miss, there are two pieces of bad news.”
“Speak.”
“The heavy snow three days ago collapsed our Pill Room. The icy spiritual energy infiltrated the pill furnaces, turning six Mystic Crystal pill furnaces into scrap metal.”
“Hmm, what’s the second piece of bad news?”
“Third Miss returned to the sect yesterday, accompanied by a female cultivator of unknown origin. Her Sword Art is very powerful.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Yiyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She waved her hand, indicating she understood. She looked into the distance at the thousand-foot stone sword sculpture standing in the Central Peak of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, thinking—in a few months, her father, Yun Tianchong, would emerge from seclusion.
Before her father’s last seclusion, he had spoken to her, Yun Jiujiu, and Yun Xi: “From today on, I entrust Yi Shui Peak, Jian Jiu Peak, and Xi Ri Peak to the three of you. When I emerge from seclusion, the sect master position will go to whoever’s peak is most prosperous.”
“Amongst the three of you, you may compete, you may seize, you may scheme and fight, but you must never take each other’s lives.”
…
Therefore, the elders erected a ranking board on the thousand-foot stone sword sculpture in the Central Peak, recording the positions of their three branch peaks.
A year ago, Yun Xi occupied the top spot and then left the sect for Chi Long Mansion. If she could successfully establish cooperation between Moon Shadow Sword Sect and Chi Long Mansion, she would have been guaranteed victory, and neither Yun Jiujiu nor Yun Yiyi could have challenged her.
However, there were demonic cultivators in Chi Long Mansion. Li Feng perished, and she lost eleven Sword Sect disciples. This was not only a mistake but a fruitless endeavor. Thus, she still had a chance.
And this chance was— Yun Yiyi looked up at the youth in the scroll painting, biting her lip slightly. As long as she made no major mistakes in the remaining few months and managed to have this Young Master of Hundred Lotus Sect marry her, her Yi Shui Peak could overtake Yun Xi’s Xi Ri Peak on the ranking board and secure the top position.
After all, Hundred Lotus Sect had recently acquired a spiritual stone mine gifted by Xuan Xing Sect. Their Sect Master had only one son, Ye Anping. If this young master were to marry into her family, Hundred Lotus Sect would essentially be her dowry.
However, while the logic held, Yun Yiyi still hesitated. If she had to marry, she wanted to be Dao Companions with someone willing to listen to her play the Guqin for the rest of their lives, not a stranger she had never met.
Furthermore, she doubted if Ye Anping truly looked like the youth in the portrait before her. The youth in the portrait was too handsome and spirited, perfectly matching her ideal appearance for a Dao Companion, as if the artist had painted her dream lover. He was handsome with a touch of elegant aloofness, his features were lively, and he even possessed a unique childishness and cuteness. How could such a handsome person exist in this world?
Yun Yiyi paused, then smiled and asked the maidservant beside her, “Huang Quan, do you think this portrait is real or fake?”
Huang Quan glanced at it and shook her head. “Eldest Miss, this servant believes it is fake. I once heard an interesting anecdote. Would Eldest Miss like to hear it?”
“Tell me.”
“It’s about a young master in Huilong Town, Southern Domain, who corresponded with a young lady thousands of li away for decades. They each sent portraits of themselves and finally agreed to meet in Nanyang Immortal City to seal their union.”
Yun Yiyi raised an eyebrow, curiously asking, “Oh, and then?”
“Then, upon arriving at Nanyang Immortal City, the young master and the young lady waited for each other at the appointed restaurant for half a month. Finally, after inadvertently asking a question, they recognized each other. After recognizing each other, both were aghast and pointed at each other, saying, ‘Why are you covered in pockmarks?’ and ‘Why are you so fat and big-eared?'”
“Pfft—”
Yun Yiyi covered her mouth and chuckled. She then looked at the portrait again, propped her chin on her hand, and tilted her head, saying, “Am I to marry the person in the painting or Ye Anping? If I break off the engagement, I’ll still be inferior to Yun Xi.”
“Hmm…” Huang Quan mused for a moment and said, “When the time comes, this servant can stand in for Eldest Miss at the wedding ceremony and consummation. After all, on the wedding night, it’s dark, and you can’t see faces.”
Yun Yiyi looked at her, her lips pouting slightly with reluctance. Huang Quan was her closest maidservant, and she couldn’t bear for Huang Quan to sacrifice herself for her. However, she remembered her mother’s teachings from when she was young: “Yiyi, you must shed your current innocence. The immortal path is fraught with danger. If you want to go far, you must treat everyone as your tool. Besides, your father has too many Dao Companions, and he only focuses on cultivation, neglecting household matters. Not long ago, your eleventh brother died on the day he was born, likely because your fourth mother drugged your seventh mother…” Thinking of this, Yun Yiyi sighed deeply. She looked at Huang Quan beside her, who seemed indignant and ready to offer herself, and shook her head. “Huang Quan, we’ll discuss this later. Hundred Lotus Sect hasn’t replied yet… How about this, go and draft a Jade Slip and send it urgently to Hundred Lotus Sect. I’ll offer them some additional benefits…”
Just as she was speaking, another maidservant walked up the path and stopped outside the pavilion, bowing her head.
Yun Yiyi paused and asked, “What is it?”
“Replying to Eldest Miss, Young Master Ye Anping of Hundred Lotus Sect requests an audience.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Yiyi and Huang Quan exchanged glances, then both looked at the youth in the portrait. After a long hesitation, Yun Yiyi asked, “How many people came?”
“Only Young Master Ye Anping, it seems he came alone.”
“Is that so…” Yun Yiyi pondered for a moment and said, “Help me bring a curtain, prepare some tea, and invite him up the mountain.”
“Yes.” The young maidservant nodded in response and then went down the mountain to inform them.
A few maidservants brought a pink silk curtain, shrouding the pavilion, while Yun Yiyi quickly put the scroll painting into her Storage Bag and began playing the Guqin before her. The lingering notes were melodious and pleasing to the ear.
A short while later, two sets of footsteps approached from the path. A maidservant from Yi Shui Peak led a youth in brocade clothing to the front of the pavilion and announced, “Young Master Ye, Eldest Miss is in the pavilion.”
Ye Anping nodded but did not bow first. After Yun Yiyi’s music stopped, he took out his Identity Token, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, “I apologize for disturbing you during your busy schedule. I am Ye Anping, the Young Master of Hundred Lotus Sect.”
…
