Chapter 473: Yu Die, Military Advisor Becomes a Pair
The great sun sank behind the mountains, leaving the horizon a dim yellow.
Before the Hundred Lotus Sect’s mountain gate, Ye Anping, dressed in the sect uniform of the Hundred Lotus Sect’s Young Master, felt utterly exhausted. He had to maintain a joyous smile on his face to welcome the sect leaders and elders, as well as cultivators from various clans, who were arriving from all over the Western Regions to attend the wedding ceremony.
Marrying his junior sister was a joyous occasion, and he was indeed excited about it.
However, he had truly underestimated how much energy it took to prepare for a wedding. He felt as though he could have written a detailed strategy plan for an event of comparable complexity.
“I, Ye, have been waiting here for a long time. Welcome, esteemed Daoist friends from the Tiger Leap Sect, to the Hundred Lotus Sect.”
“First, I wish Ye Daoist friend and his wife eternal love. Please accept these congratulatory gifts.”
“Thank you…”
… …
Welcoming guests, bowing, exchanging a few pleasantries, accepting gifts, and escorting them through the mountain gate…
After repeating this process several times, the sun on the horizon had barely a sliver left.
Ye Anping crossed off the last line on the list in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sighed deeply:
“Hoo… Except for those who couldn’t come due to other matters, everyone should have arrived by now.”
Liang Zhu, dressed in a golden brocade robe, finished helping the Hundred Lotus Sect disciples tally the congratulatory gifts from various sects and then walked over.
Seeing Ye Anping’s slightly disheveled appearance, Liang Zhu couldn’t help but grin, as if anticipating some amusement. He handed Ye Anping a cup of tea:
“Heh, this grand ceremony is just the beginning. What about the future? Young Master Xiao of Xuan Xing Sect, Young Master Yun of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Master Li of Chi Long Mansion, tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Indeed, he would have to attend four more such weddings, and they would surely be grander, making it even more tiring for him as the groom.
As a mere cannon fodder, how could he possibly have so many celestial beauties and prodigies by his side…
Alas… such a distressing matter.
Ye Anping grinned crookedly:
“Hehe— It truly is distressing, alas—”
?
Liang Zhu was taken aback. Seeing Ye Anping’s smug expression, he twitched his eye and rolled his eyes at him. “I’ve arranged your fiancée’s table directly in front.”
“Don’t worry, Sixth Brother hasn’t prepared any grand spectacle for Brother Liang.”
Liang Zhu pouted and shook his head, “That’s a bit of a shame…”
After a moment of thought, he asked,
“Then why did you have me set up so many restrictions in front of the main hall? Who are you guarding against…”
Ye Anping glanced at Xiao Tian, who was dozing and basking in the sun on his shoulder. He replied,
“Just in case. My junior sister is extraordinarily beautiful. Who knows if some fool might suddenly jump out and try to snatch my bride? Haven’t there been many sect young masters in the Four Domains who have had their weddings disrupted before?”
As soon as he said this, Xiao Tian, who had been dozing on Ye Anping’s shoulder, immediately frowned and lifted its head, quickly defending Feng Yu Die:
“Anping, although Yu Die is usually a bit silly, she understands propriety. How could she do something like snatching a bride?”
Liang Zhu stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. He felt that this was quite in line with his Sixth Brother’s style of meticulousness. After a moment of silence, he inexplicably sighed:
“Alas…”
“What is it?”
“It’s a pity that your Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Brothers couldn’t live to see Sixth Brother’s wedding day.”
?
Ye Anping twitched his lips and smiled,
“Then Sixth Brother will accompany Brother Liang to offer incense to them another day.”
“Happy wedding.” Liang Zhu shook his head and gently patted Ye Anping’s shoulder. “I’m going to see if that girl Ye Wan’er has slacked off and gone to the gambling house again. You, the groom, should go back and rest. We’ll have the ceremony tomorrow night.”
It was rare to hear Liang Zhu say something comforting, and Ye Anping was quite touched:
“Mmm… Thank you, Brother Liang.”
Liang Zhu smiled, waved his hand, and after a few steps, stepped onto his flying sword and elegantly flew towards the marketplace below the Hundred Lotus Sect.
After watching Liang Zhu fly away, Ye Anping turned to look at Xiao Tian on his shoulder. Xiao Tian was still defending Feng Yu Die:
“Anping, how could Yu Die do something like snatching a bride? You and Junior Sister Pei are the two people she cares about the most! Yu Die even said before that she likes you! She wants to marry you…”
Ye Anping remained calm, completely unfazed.
Everyone had heard the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and he had even used it himself.
This wasn’t the first time Xiao Tian had said that Feng Yu Die wanted to marry him.
However, come to think of it, he had originally planned to only invite acquaintances. If Feng Yu Die had truly wanted to snatch him, he was confident he could have defended against it, and the outcome wouldn’t have been a big deal.
But now, the Hundred Lotus Sect was filled with distinguished guests from far and wide.
When he and his junior sister exchanged vows, tens of thousands of cultivators would be watching.
If Feng Yu Die were to rush out and try to snatch him at such an occasion, even if she failed, it would definitely turn him, Feng Yu Die, and his junior sister into a laughingstock that would be talked about for ages in the Western Regions.
“I’d rather she privately tried to snatch me than do it in front of so many people…”
“She won’t! Yu Die understands propriety!”
“… …”
Seeing Xiao Tian earnestly defending Feng Yu Die, Ye Anping fell silent and pondered for a moment. He felt that he should still go and see Feng Yu Die, give her some peace of mind, and warn her not to cause trouble.
Thus, Ye Anping summoned his flying sword, stepped onto it, and flew straight towards the back mountain of the Hundred Lotus Sect.
Upon arriving at the cave dwelling specially prepared for housing poultry, he selected ten plump old hens. He bled and plucked them in one go, then meticulously cooked them with five-spice powder, spirit medicine, and both martial and literary spiritual fires. Before the sun completely set, he had prepared ten fragrant roasted chickens.
He asked Xiao Tian about Feng Yu Die’s current location. Xiao Tian sensed that she was in a waterside pavilion courtyard below the central peak. He then packed the ten roasted chickens in oilcloth and hung them on Gu Mingxin’s finger, heading towards the central peak.
As his footsteps landed in front of the waterside pavilion courtyard, a crescent moon had already poked its tip out from the east.
The courtyard was now lit with lamps, and many guests from outer sects were reminiscing and celebrating in the corridors or rooms.
Ye Anping followed the corridor, politely responded to a few cultivators who came to greet him, and then, guided by Xiao Tian, arrived at the door of a pavilion in the corner.
Bang bang— Creak…
He knocked and pushed the door open. A strong scent of alcohol instantly assailed him from inside.
Ye Anping couldn’t help but fan his nose and look up. He saw Yun Jiujiu and Feng Yu Die sitting opposite each other at a table, drinking wine and playing a leaf game.
Xiao Tian, standing on Ye Anping’s shoulder, shouted:
“Yu Die!! Anping is here to bring you roasted chicken!!”
Feng Yu Die, slightly tipsy, her cheeks flushed red, was startled by Xiao Tian’s voice. However, upon smelling “roasted chicken,” she instantly sobered up and looked towards the door with bright eyes:
Seeing Ye Anping with ten chickens around his waist, Feng Yu Die was overjoyed. She stood up directly, but then paused, remembering the taboo about “rooster.”
“Young Master Ye… didn’t you say there’s a taboo against roasted chicken?”
Not expecting her to remember this, Ye Anping was silent for a moment, shrugged indifferently, and walked into the room, placing the roasted chickens on the table between her and Yun Jiujiu:
“I don’t believe in such things.”
“Heh heh… Young Master Ye is so good to me.” Feng Yu Die blinked shyly, rolled up her silver earlobes, and smiled, “Young Master Ye, do you like me… hehehe…”
?
Ye Anping froze for a long time and immediately rolled his eyes at her:
“You’ve had too much to drink?”
“I haven’t had too much. Young Master Ye, why don’t you marry me too?”
Xiao Tian quickly egged them on: “Okay, okay!! Anping! Good things come in pairs! Double happiness!”
?
Is this the “double happiness” they’re talking about?
Ye Anping felt that Feng Yu Die was either drunk and talking nonsense, or seeing that he and his junior sister were about to get married, she was giving up and acting recklessly.
He glanced at Yun Jiujiu on the side, who was holding a wine jar and gulping, but kept her eyes fixed on him. Ye Anping sighed and rolled his eyes at Feng Yu Die again, saying,
“I’m getting married to my junior sister tomorrow. These ten roasted chickens are specially prepared for you. If it’s not enough, you can ask me for more.”
“Okay!!”
Feng Yu Die immediately reached out to grab a roasted chicken, but as she was about to take it, Ye Anping held her hand and stopped her:
“But! There’s a condition.”
“Uh… What is it?”
“Don’t cause any trouble during the ceremony tomorrow,” Ye Anping said with a frown, extremely seriously. “A wedding only happens once in a lifetime. My junior sister has been looking forward to it for a long time, and now the Hundred Lotus Sect is filled with guests from all over. I will not tolerate anyone ruining tomorrow’s grand ceremony.”
Feng Yu Die looked at Ye Anping’s serious expression and shrank her neck back a little, somewhat afraid:
“I won’t cause trouble, Young Master Ye. What do you think I am…”
“… …”
Looking at Feng Yu Die’s timid appearance, Ye Anping inexplicably felt a sense of relief. She suddenly felt that no matter how foolish Feng Yu Die was, she shouldn’t do something as drastic as trying to snatch his bride in front of thousands of people…
Ye Anping’s serious expression gradually softened.
He released Feng Yu Die’s hand, calmed his tone, and looked at Yun Jiujiu, saying,
“Second Miss Yun, Elder Sister Feng is not you. Don’t let her drink so much.”
“… …”
Yun Jiujiu nodded speechlessly.
“Elder Sister Feng, you too, get some rest early.”
“Oh…”
Feng Yu Die looked at the hand that Ye Anping had held, nodded blankly, and when she came to her senses and looked at Ye Anping again, he had already left the room.
Feng Yu Die pursed her lips, feeling a little dejected, and squeezed her hand. Then she looked at Yun Jiujiu, who was holding the wine jar, and asked:
“Jiujiu, what if Young Master Ye doesn’t believe it?”
“You’re asking me? I only know how to fight!”
Yun Jiujiu rolled her eyes at her, slammed the wine jar onto the table, wiped her mouth, and said,
“If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve always been interested in that other person who has no ‘que que’, why would that Ye surname believe you?”
“Then what should I do…”
Yun Jiujiu stroked her chin and thought for a moment, then said,
“Hmm… Strike first, then aim. You have a greater chance of winning! Why don’t you ‘break him in’ first?”
?
Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment. She leaned forward and asked doubtfully,
“Break… How do I break him in?”
“Tsk… Dual Cultivation!” Yun Jiujiu, feeling a bit ashamed, averted her gaze and said, “Cook the raw rice first, then make the dish, isn’t it different?”
Feng Yu Die blinked her eyes and, after a moment of recollection, took out three books from her storage bag that Xiao Yunluo had given her in the Northern Regions.
The covers of the three books read: “Xuan Nü Sutra,” “Jade Chamber Secret Manual,” and “Immortal Palace Atlas – Deluxe Edition with Color Illustrations.”
“… This kind of dual cultivation?”
“Hiss— Cough, cough, cough…” Yun Jiujiu looked at the covers of the books, and her face immediately turned as red as Guan Yu’s. After coughing for a long time, she asked incredulously, “Where did you get these books?”
“Senior Sister Xiao gave them to me before. I glanced at them and put them in my storage bag.”
“Hiss— Senior Sister Xiao gave them to you? As the Young Master of Xuan Xing Sect, she actually has these kinds of books?!! I heard she was very pure and chaste!”
“Since Senior Sister Xiao gave them to me, is this dual cultivation?”
Yun Jiujiu suppressed the urge to open the books, averted her gaze, and nodded with a blushing face:
“Mm, this is dual cultivation…”
“… …”
After this utterance, the room fell silent.
“… …”
“… …”
Suddenly, with a rustling sound.
Feng Yu Die slowly pushed aside the cover of the “Immortal Palace Atlas” and gazed intently at the two finely drawn figures on it, silently substituting herself and Ye Anping in her mind.
Her ears, behind the silver earlobes, visibly began to turn red.
She hadn’t thought much of it before, but once she substituted herself into it, it was a world of difference!
“… …”
Xiao Tian, hovering above their heads the entire time, was so shocked by Yun Jiujiu and its Yu Die that it couldn’t utter a single word. Now, it finally grasped the logic of their conversation.
When it had heard Yu Die ask Ye Anping to marry her too, it had the same thought as Ye Anping – either its Yu Die was drunk, or its Yu Die was stimulated and acting recklessly…
But now, it seemed.
Its Yu Die had completely understood!!
Although it didn’t know how its Yu Die had suddenly achieved enlightenment, it had indeed completely understood!! It was different from the half-understood state it had been in at the Taibai Sect; it was completely enlightened!!
“Yu…”
Just as Xiao Tian uttered the first syllable, Feng Yu Die slowly looked up and asked softly,
“Would it be bad… if Young Master Ye doesn’t like me, and we still do dual cultivation…”
Yun Jiujiu also withdrew her gaze from the book, paused, and frowned, retorting,
“If he truly didn’t like you, would he risk the ‘taboo against poultry’ to bring you roasted chicken? Didn’t he save you so many times before…”
Feng Yu Die pondered for a moment and nodded, “…That’s true.”
“Besides, I’ll ask you, do you want to marry him?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s settled! ‘Break him in,’ cook the rice first, then make the dish!! I’d love to ‘break someone in’ but can’t find anyone, damn it…”
As Yun Jiujiu spoke, she suddenly recalled the day she had touched “Feng Yu,” and a surge of anger ignited within her.
“Damn it… Hmph!!!”
Cursing, Yun Jiujiu puffed up her cheeks, picked up the wine jar, and stomped heavily across the wooden floor, heading further into the room.
“Ah? Jiujiu, where are you going?”
“To get some fresh air!!”
*Slam*—
Yun Jiujiu slammed the door shut and left the room.
Silence fell again in the room. At this moment, Xiao Tian finally found an opportunity to speak, and it flew closer to Feng Yu Die, asking:
“Yu Die, you want to cultivate with Anping?”
Feng Yu Die glanced at it, then slumped onto the table like a deflated ball. She reached out and poked the backside of a roasted chicken beside her, “A little.”
Xiao Tian’s eyes lit up, and it quickly said,
“I’ll help you! We’ll go tomorrow!!”
“Young Master Ye is getting married to Junior Sister Pei tomorrow. Didn’t you just hear Young Master Ye say? No trouble, or he’ll get angry.”
“Mm…” Xiao Tian propped its chin in its hand and pondered for a moment. It felt that it was indeed not a good idea and nodded, “Indeed, it’s not good to do it in front of so many people. But… Anping said before!! He’d rather you privately tried to snatch him than do it in front of so many people…”
“What about that?”
“You can snatch the wedding chamber! Junior Sister Pei has already had her share of the novelty, so ask her to give you a chance.”
Feng Yu Die looked at Xiao Tian as if it were an idiot, thinking it was talking nonsense. How could she possibly succeed?
If it were Senior Sister Xiao, she could tie Senior Sister Xiao up…
But, tying up Junior Sister Pei? She’d be lucky if Junior Sister Pei didn’t hang her from the eaves.
“There’s no rush.”
Why isn’t there a rush!! I’m in a hurry!!!… Xiao Tian’s eyes widened. It rubbed its temples with its index finger, sat cross-legged in the air, and after a moment of thought, its head suddenly lit up:
“I have a plan!!”
“Oh?”
“Mm… Let’s go! We’ll go to the Hundred Lotus Sect’s marketplace now to prepare.” Xiao Tian tugged on Feng Yu Die’s sleeve and pulled her arm up, “Let’s go, let’s go… Trust me! I can’t help with other things, but I can definitely help with this matter!!”
Feng Yu Die looked at it with doubt, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to trust Xiao Tian for now. She stood up, put the roasted chickens Ye Anping had given her into her storage bag, and asked,
“What are we going to the marketplace for?”
“To buy clothes! We’ll do a ‘Yu Die replaces Lian Xue’ exchange! Hehe…”
“?” How do we change?”
Xiao Tian placed its hands on its hips and smiled, raising its head confidently. It flexed its biceps:
“Reliance on this!”
… …
