Chapter 345 Protagonist, Yu Die’s Dream (5000)
The silver-winged butterfly flapped its wings and landed on a willow branch in the small courtyard.
Inside an ancient cave dwelling on the side of Jade Void Mountain, the aroma of roasted chicken filled the air. A large round table was laden with a dozen steaming roasted chickens, and everyone sat around it, chatting merrily.
Feng Yu Die stood dumbly on the ceremonial stage, looking down at the crowd. Her head felt muddled. She didn’t know why she was standing there, nor why she was wearing a bright red robe.
Suddenly, Grand Void True Person’s voice came from behind her:
“Yu Die, why are you still standing there? Quickly go and bring the bride over to pay respects.”
Feng Yu Die turned her head and saw her Master, clad in an Immortal Robe, seated in the high position. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but she quickly composed herself and asked softly, lowering her head:
“Mas… Master?! Aren’t you… already… ascended to the heavens?”
Grand Void True Person frowned at her words. He grabbed a red date from the table and threw it right at the center of her forehead:
“You little rascal, you’re cursing your Master to death, are you? I should have sold you for wine money.”
“Ah…” Feng Yu Die covered her forehead and rubbed it, her lips pressed together in a timid bow. “But, I remember you, Master…”
“Forget it.” Grand Void True Person waved his hand, shook his head helplessly, and then pointed with his chin behind her. “The bride is still waiting for you there. Quickly go and fetch her. The celestial crane will be here to deliver the child shortly.”
“…”
Feng Yu Die fell silent for a moment, then slowly followed Grand Void True Person’s gaze and turned her head. She saw a young woman wearing a red veil standing at the front door of the courtyard.
She paused, then glanced back at the high seat, at the other person sitting beside Grand Void True Person.
Seeing that it was the Sect Master of Hundred Lotus Sect, she immediately realized who the veiled woman was…
“Junior Sister Pei… Junior Sister Pei?”
“…”
A flicker of surprise flashed in Feng Yu Die’s eyes. She no longer questioned the scene unfolding before her and quickly ran over. Gently, she took hold of the sleeve of the bride’s wedding dress and led her back to the ceremonial stage.
Grand Void True Person nodded at them with a smile and flicked his whisk. Immediately, “pu pu” wing-flapping sounds echoed from the sky above.
A celestial crane, carrying a basket in its beak, descended from the sky and stopped before the two women.
Inside the basket, a baby with only a few silver hairs on its head was sleeping sweetly, sucking on its right thumb.
Grand Void True Person stood up with a smile, extended his hands, and said:
“Yu Die, this is your child… Hurry and take them.”
“Take… take them? Oh…”
Feng Yu Die paused slightly at his words, glancing at the bride beside her. She pursed her lips as if shy, then finally mustered her courage, took a deep breath, turned, and gently placed her hands on the bride’s shoulders.
“Junior Sister Pei… I will treat you well for the rest of my life.”
She cupped her lips, moistened them with saliva, lifted a corner of the red veil, and pushed it upwards. Then, beneath the veil, she saw Ye Anping’s face.
Ye Anping, with a light touch of rouge on his face, looked at her with his deep purple eyes, calmly.
Calmly looking at her.
Calmly looking at her.
Calmly…
“Haaa—!”
A sharp intake of breath broke the silence in the room.
Feng Yu Die sat up abruptly, gasping for air. Realizing it was a dream, she felt a slight sense of relief and sighed, clutching her chest.
“… Hooo—”
She closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself. Then, she turned to look at the window, seeing moonlight streaming through. After a period of daze, she remembered what had happened earlier.
“I seem to have… with the Demon Emperor…”
Feng Yu Die murmured, slowly lowering her gaze to her collar. She assumed Junior Sister Pei or Senior Sister Xiao must have changed her clothes while she was asleep. She was now wearing a loose, pure white robe.
Pulling open the collar, she saw a bandage stained with a bit of blood wrapped around her chest.
And beneath the bandage were the words “Blessing of Heaven” and “Ye Anping” in seven characters.
These seven characters looked as if they had been stamped on by a branding iron, not printed on the skin, but rather embedded beneath it.
Feng Yu Die tried to scratch them off with her fingers but found they wouldn’t budge. A streak of black lines appeared on her face. She looked around and called out:
“Xiao Tian.”
“…”
“Xiao Tian!!”
“…”
Xiao Tian did not respond.
Feng Yu Die pouted slightly, looked around, and then got out of bed. Barefoot, she went outside the room and pushed the door open by two inches.
The private rooms on the second floor of the inn were all dark, indicating that Pei Lianxue and the others had already retired.
Feng Yu Die hesitated as she looked at Pei Lianxue’s room door. She tiptoed to the door, pondered what to say, and raised her hand to knock. But just as her hand touched the door, she suddenly heard a flute melody coming from the roof above.
Woo woo— woo—
The flute’s melody was elegant and clear. Though it was late at night, it wasn’t annoying. Instead, it perfectly complemented the moonlit night.
Feng Yu Die’s ears twitched slightly. After listening for a moment, her eyes widened. She looked around, saw a ladder leading to the roof around the corner, and quickly went to it.
This tune was composed by her Master.
When she was young, on every bright moonlit night, her Master would go to the mountaintop and play this tune on a jade flute.
Feng Yu Die didn’t believe it was her Master, but this tune, besides her Master and herself, should not have been heard by anyone else.
Following the ladder, she slowly pushed open the skylight leading to the roof. Feng Yu Die cautiously poked her head out and saw a handsome youth in green robes sitting on the roof tiles, holding a jade flute and playing it leisurely.
The moonlight shone on Ye Anping, making him seem to radiate a faint halo, ethereal and dreamlike. Feng Yu Die was so captivated that she remained on the stairs, her head still sticking out of the skylight.
Soon, the melody ended.
Ye Anping lowered the jade flute from his lips. Xiao Tian, who had been perched on his head, clapped enthusiastically:
“Anping, you play so beautifully! I only taught you the music score once, and you remembered it all!”
“Heh heh…”
Ye Anping chuckled wryly, finding a strange sense of nostalgia.
He had been idle and found a jade flute. He had asked Xiao Tian to teach him a tune to show off to Junior Sister, but he hadn’t expected that the tune Xiao Tian taught him was the login screen background music from the game “Heaven Sword Wonder Tale”.
Xiao Tian blinked, sensing someone watching them. He turned his head and saw Feng Yu Die peeking out of the skylight, caught in the act. His eyes lit up, and he quickly flew over:
“Yu Die?! You’re awake?!”
“Mm, I’m awake…”
Feng Yu Die nodded slightly and climbed the ladder to the roof. She carefully stepped on the roof tiles and walked beside Ye Anping, staring intently at his face.
Moonlight bathed Feng Yu Die, now dressed in white, making her glow. The autumn wind in the night stirred her silken hair, making it flutter slightly.
Ye Anping felt a prickle of unease under her gaze and asked, somewhat confused:
“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
Feng Yu Die was silent for a moment. She smoothed down the back of her skirt and sat down, hugging her knees. “I had a dream.”
“Mm… what kind of dream?”
“I dreamed that you were wearing a wedding dress and a red veil and married me.”
?
Ye Anping stared blankly for a long time and then asked, “… So?”
Feng Yu Die rested her face on her knees, turned to look at Ye Anping, blinked, and giggled, “You look quite pretty in a wedding dress, heh heh…”
Ye Anping raised his hand in resignation and grabbed her face, twisting it hard:
“You want a beating, don’t you? I even prepared roasted chicken for you, but you don’t want it anymore?”
“Ah?! Roasted chicken…” Feng Yu Die’s eyes lit up at the mention of roasted chicken, and she quickly smiled sheepishly, “… Just kidding, I didn’t say anything, didn’t say anything.”
Ye Anping gave her a look and sighed lightly. He withdrew his hand, took out a piece of roasted chicken wrapped in oil-paper from his Storage Bag, and handed it over:
“Here.”
“Heh heh…”
Feng Yu Die’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the roasted chicken. She took it, tore open the oil-paper, and, without caring if grease dripped onto her white robe, began to devour it.
Ye Anping watched her eat for a while, then rested the back of his head on his hand, lying on the roof and gazing at the Eastern mountains, waiting for the sunrise.
After Feng Yu Die had gnawed the roasted chicken down to the bone, she also lay down beside him with a contented sigh, patting her slightly bulging belly. A small, cute burp escaped her.
“Burrrp~~~”
She turned her head slightly to look at Ye Anping’s profile as he gazed intently into the distance. She drifted off for a moment, then suddenly snapped back to reality and instinctively threw a punch at Ye Anping’s face.
?
Ye Anping hadn’t anticipated her sudden punch and quickly raised his hand to block, but it was too late. The punch landed directly on his nose bone.
*Crack—*
Ye Anping’s eye twitched as he rolled his eyes to look at Feng Yu Die and gritted his teeth, asking:
“What— are— you— doing? Hmm?”
“Ah…”
Feng Yu Die snapped back to her senses at his voice. She shrunk her neck timidly, waving her hand as if to help him rub it, and asked:
“Ah… sorry. Young Master Ye, are… are you alright?”
“…”
Ye Anping looked at her flustered appearance and remained silent for a while. However, he didn’t bother with her. It wasn’t the first time she’d acted strangely. He held his breath and twisted his crooked nose bone back into place with a “crack.”
Then, he grabbed Feng Yu Die’s right cheek and twisted it into a knot.
Feng Yu Die quickly pleaded for mercy, her cheeks slightly flushed. She lowered her head and said:
“Ouch ouch ouch… I’m sorry, I just… I felt like you were seducing me… or something…”
?
Ye Anping stared at her for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand and changed the subject, saying:
“The Demon Emperor wants the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao, so he will surely come after both of us. This matter cannot be settled without a fight. I have no chance of survival against him, but you at least can keep your life. The Xuan Yin Art can draw Spiritual Energy from Tianan City’s spiritual脉 with the Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal. As long as it’s not a fatal injury, you can be saved.”
“Why does he want the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao?”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly and replied:
“That fox is quite devoted. Thousands of years ago, his cultivation partner died, but her body was not intact. He never knew where she died or who killed her. For the past thousand years, he has been searching for the answer to this question, but to no avail. In the end, he placed his hope in the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao.”
Feng Yu Die seemed surprised and asked with a frown, “Then why doesn’t he just ask? I can help him investigate, can’t I? Why would he just draw his sword without a word…”
“You are a human cultivator. Do you think he would believe your word?”
“… That’s true.”
Ye Anping shook his head and sighed, “For the past thousand years, Hu Mu has asked many people, but most of those who told him the answer only wanted to use him to get rid of someone else.”
Feng Yu Die pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand, and nodded, “To drive a tiger to swallow a wolf?”
“Hu Mu’s cultivation partner has been dead for so many years. The clues and evidence are long gone. If he wants to investigate the murderer now, he can only rely on the ‘Heavenly Scroll of the Dao, which records all events, known to heaven and earth.'”
Feng Yu Die turned to look at Xiao Tian and found it hiding far away. She suddenly felt puzzled and asked, “Xiao Tian, why are you hiding so far away?”
“Ah… heh heh.” Xiao Tian wanted to give the two of them some privacy. Hearing Feng Yu Die call it, it flew over and asked, “Nothing, nothing. Yu Die, what do you need me for?”
“Investigate the matter of Hu Mu’s cultivation partner.”
“I already investigated when Anping told me before. His cultivation partner was killed by the Sect Master of Tian Mo Sect. That fox demon was named Hu Yulan. While accompanying a cultivator named ‘Bai Yurou’ to the Eastern Domain, she sacrificed herself to block the Tian Mo Sect Master to save Bai Yurou.”
“Bai Yurou? Who is that?”
Ye Anping picked up the conversation, saying:
“The previous person who held the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao was a disciple of Taibai Sect, and Hu Mu’s close friend. Unfortunately, even though Hu Yulan blocked the Tian Mo Sect Master for her, she still did not escape from the Eastern Domain alive, dying from poison in the Eastern Domain.”
“I see…”
Feng Yu Die listened, and a touch of pity appeared in her eyes. After thinking for a moment, she said:
“Then how should we tell the Demon Emperor?”
“You can tell him exactly that later. He’ll probably come looking for us again with that seductive fox in a while.”
“Seductive fox?”
“The little fox demon who followed him before, don’t you remember? Her name is Xue Tian Qiao. She was born with a very sensitive nose and could smell the scent of the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao. And because her appearance was very similar to Hu Yulan, Hu Mu couldn’t get angry with her.”
“Oh…”
Feng Yu Die nodded and then, like Ye Anping, lay down on the roof tiles.
She turned her head again to look at Ye Anping’s face, narrowed her eyes, and smiled.
“Young Master Ye.”
“What?”
“You’re much more useful than Xiao Tian, hee hee—”
?
Ye Anping glanced at her and retorted:
“Are you praising me or insulting me?”
“Of course, I’m praising you.” Feng Yu Die relaxed, stretched, and said, “Every time I encounter something, Xiao Tian just cries and makes a fuss in my ear, completely useless.”
Xiao Tian heard this, its cheeks puffed out. It immediately rushed over and grabbed Feng Yu Die’s head, kicking her, then bit down on her head.
“Yu Die! Who are you calling useless?! Aow—!!”
Feng Yu Die smiled helplessly, sat up, and looked at Ye Anping beside her, smiling with narrowed eyes.
At this moment, the sun peeked its head from behind the Eastern mountains, dyeing the horizon red. The dawn light shone on Feng Yu Die’s fair face, shedding some of her silliness and replacing it with a touch of sweetness.
Her beauty was charming, her heart captivating. Ye Anping was lost in thought.
At this moment, Feng Yu Die lowered her eyes to avoid Ye Anping’s gaze, a hint of blush appearing on her cheeks. She said tenderly:
“Young Master Ye…”
Feng Yu Die fidgeted for a moment, pursed her lips, and after gathering her thoughts, said:
“Can I sleep with Junior Sister Pei tonight? I want to repay her kindness by having a child for her… Junior Sister Pei saved me, and also… can you lend us Que Que for a while, Young Master Ye?”
Ye Anping, who had been lost in thought, instantly snapped back to attention upon hearing this. He gently lifted his foot and kicked her in the back expressionlessly.
“Ah?!”
Feng Yu Die’s backside slid off the roof tiles. Before she could react, she smashed into the chicken coop below from the third floor of the inn, scattering feathers everywhere.
Cluck cluck cluck—
Ye Anping sat up and peered down at Feng Yu Die, raising an eyebrow and saying:
“This is out of the question.”
Then he lay back down, relaxed, and welcomed the arrival of the new day.
