Chapter 524: Jiujiu, We’ll Talk Later!
Chirp chirp…
Birdsong from outside the sleeping quarters was melodious and pleasant to the ears, and a faint floral scent drifted in through the window cracks, seeping into the curtains.
Gu Mingxin lay quietly on the bed, the thin blanket covering her collarbone. After a night’s rest, the blush on her cheeks had faded, but her black hair was spread messily behind her.
“Anping~ I can manage by myself… You go wash up first.”
“I’m not in a rush for that little bit of time, it’s fine… I’ll help you.”
…
A series of faint words reached her ears. Gu Mingxin slowly opened her eyes, staring at the carved wooden ceiling of the bed for a while before turning her head to look outside the curtain.
Ye Anping was currently kneeling on one knee in front of a wheelchair, holding a pair of knee-high cotton socks and helping Yun Yiyi put them on, his eyes showing a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
After helping Yun Yiyi put on her shoes and covering her legs with a velvet blanket, Ye Anping pushed her to the dressing table inside the hall. He picked up a comb and began to tidy her slightly frizzy golden hair.
Hearing a sound from the direction of the bed, Ye Anping glanced back.
Seeing him look over, Gu Mingxin quickly put on a composed demeanor, turned her body, propped up her cheek, and gave him a seductive glance, as if to ask him: Ye Anping, are you satisfied already?
This provocative expression made Ye Anping’s eyes twitch twice. He ignored her and simply took the opportunity to take out a new set of clothes from his storage bag and tossed it over:
“Agou, put on your clothes, we have to hit the road…”
Gu Mingxin caught the clothes and tried to move her legs, but they were completely powerless. After a moment of silence, she asked:
“You helped her get dressed, but you won’t help me?”
“Heh heh… Aren’t you quite capable yourself? Yiyi has low cultivation and her body is quite delicate, she can’t compare to you. I have to take care of her, you can dress yourself.”
Gu Mingxin pouted slightly and glared at him with her eyes, then grabbed the clothes:
“That’s true, with this golden-haired girl, how could she withstand you.”
Yun Yiyi felt inexplicably annoyed by these words. She was about to retort, but seeing Ye Anping shake his head at her, she held back.
After Ye Anping tied Yun Yiyi’s hair with a jade hairpin, he directly pushed the wheelchair towards the hall, turning his head to leave a sentence:
“Hurry up and get dressed, I’ll wait for you at the manor gate, we have to leave.”
With that, he pushed Yun Yiyi out of the sleeping quarters and kindly closed the door for Gu Mingxin.
The moment the two left, Gu Mingxin slumped onto the bed as if all her strength had leaked out, her legs completely unable to move.
“Wuwu~~~ so sore…”
At this moment, Xue E also emerged from her forehead. Like a little adult, she looked at Gu Mingxin’s limp state on the bed, shaking her head and sighing:
“Sigh… Mingxin, you brought this upon yourself…”
“What did I bring upon myself?”
“If you had acted a little softer, Ye Anping would have been gentler with you, and he might have even helped you get dressed like he did for that girl? You insisted on being stubborn… admitting defeat wouldn’t kill you.”
“Admit defeat for what? My legs are just a little sore… That girl is in a wheelchair, isn’t she? I’ll recover after resting for a while.”
Xue E was accustomed to her Mingxin’s strong will, so she stopped trying to persuade her. She landed on the bed, picked up the clothes Ye Anping had thrown over, and walked to Gu Mingxin’s side:
“Alright! Turn over, I’ll help you get dressed…”
“Who wants you to help me… You can barely move the clothes, I’ll do it myself later.”
“Turn over!”
“…”
…
Grumble grumble…
In the garden, the wooden wheels of the wheelchair rumbled over the gravel path.
Ye Anping pushed Yun Yiyi, afraid that the wheelchair’s bumps would make her uncomfortable. He deliberately slowed his pace, strolling with Yun Yiyi along the garden path, using the refreshing floral fragrance to dispel the indescribable aphrodisiac scent from their minds.
“Anping, the killing aura in the Blood River is much heavier than here, and with the current situation, you need to be careful when you go there.”
“Don’t worry, I have my plans.”
“Is there anything I can help you with? Do you want me to send an Immortal Ship to take you near the Blood River?”
“No need, an Immortal Ship is too conspicuous. If I go by Immortal Ship, the demon sect on the other side of the Blood River will be informed immediately…”
Yun Yiyi’s eyes drooped with disappointment as she sighed:
“If only I had good aptitude like Sister Pei, then I could always be by your side to help you.”
“Why are you getting sentimental?” Ye Anping rubbed her head. “Even if you had the aptitude of my junior sister, I wouldn’t take you. It’s life or death near the Blood River. Just stay behind honestly, I don’t want you to experience the same thing as Jiujiu…”
“Speaking of which… in the past month, has Jiujiu come to see you?”
“No, when she occasionally visits, she just goes to drink with Feng Yudie. Every time I go to see her, she leaves. Perhaps she’s very busy with Sword Sect matters? She is the Second Miss of the Sword Sect, after all.”
“I see…”
Yun Yiyi nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.
However, vaguely, she could sense a slight change in her second sister.
In fact, she had also made time to look for Yun Jiujiu, intending to talk to Ye Anping properly. But every time she brought up the matter, Yun Jiujiu would always find an excuse to refuse, either to discipline the disciples of Jian Jiu Peak or to say that an elder was looking for her.
In short, judging by her second sister’s demeanor, she clearly didn’t want to see Ye Anping.
As Yun Yiyi was pondering this matter, Ye Anping pushed her around a corner and saw, not far ahead, Yun Jiujiu and Feng Yudie drinking and playing chess under a bare apricot tree.
As if sensing the sound of the wheelchair, Yun Jiujiu glanced in their direction. Upon seeing Ye Anping, she immediately stood up:
“No Que Que, I have an urgent matter, I’m leaving now!”
“Ah?”
Feng Yudie was in the middle of a chess move, but when she looked up at Yun Jiujiu, Yun Jiujiu turned around and ran away, disappearing down the corridor.
Ye Anping was a little puzzled. He wasn’t blind, and he could clearly tell that Yun Jiujiu was avoiding him recently. He subconsciously wondered if he had been too rough when giving her acupuncture before…
He pushed Yun Yiyi over and asked:
“Yudie, what’s wrong with Jiujiu?”
“Ah? Young Master Ye, you’re up… She said she had an urgent matter and had to leave.”
“I see.”
Feng Yudie’s bangs swayed from side to side as she weakly sized up Yun Yiyi in the wheelchair and asked:
“Eldest Miss Yun, why are you in a wheelchair again? You weren’t yesterday, were you?”
Yun Yiyi looked at Feng Yudie’s innocent and clear eyes, pondered for a moment, covered her mouth, and laughed:
“Pfft— Miss Feng, you’ve been with Anping for so long, don’t you know he’s very fierce in that regard? Once he lets go, no girl in this world can withstand him…”
Feng Yudie shrunk her neck:
“I haven’t dual cultivated with Young Master Ye… hehe…”
“Oh? You haven’t?”
Yun Yiyi seemed slightly surprised and tilted her head to look at Ye Anping behind her:
“I remember Miss Feng has been by Anping’s side for a long time. I thought you two already…”
“Cough cough—”
Ye Anping immediately coughed, interrupting their conversation, and said:
“Yudie, go get ready. We’ll be leaving Tian Bei City soon and heading directly towards the Tian Mo Sect.”
“…Okay.”
Feng Yudie thoughtfully glanced at Ye Anping’s pants, then agreed and went to pack. But after a few steps, she seemed to remember something and took a beautifully wrapped red wooden box from the table with the chess pieces.
“Oh, right! Young Master Ye, Jiujiu asked me to give this to you.”
“Oh?”
Ye Anping took it and unwrapped it. Inside the red wooden box was a small, tightly sealed wine jar, with a delicate double-sword totem carved on it.
If he remembered correctly, this was wine brewed by Yun Jiujiu herself.
In the game, during the Moon Shadow Sword Sect side quest, at the end of triggering the Yun Jiujiu love letter event, she would give the player her homemade wine before dying, as proof of full affection.
The effect of the wine was mediocre, and players would usually sell it to the shop, as it could fetch fifty thousand spirit stones, which was quite a lot in the early game.
So…
By some twist of fate, had he “injected” Yun Jiujiu’s affection to its fullest?
“…”
Ye Anping smiled with a hint of helplessness. He didn’t refuse and put the wine into his storage bag, saying:
“Yiyi, please tell Jiujiu later that I don’t drink, but I accept the gift.”
Yun Yiyi understood the significance of this wine. Her second sister treasured her homemade wine so much that she had never given it to anyone, not even letting them have a sip. The meaning of giving this wine was self-evident.
But hearing Ye Anping’s reply, she understood that it was likely a rejection.
“Aren’t you going to consider it?”
“No need, I’ve always treated her as a sister-in-law.”
“Alright, I’ll tell her later.”
Yun Yiyi sighed slightly. She didn’t mind, but if Ye Anping didn’t agree, she wouldn’t say anything more. After all, she would talk to Yun Jiujiu about it later.
Just then, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the garden.
“Hehehe… Just as I expected.”
The aged voice startled Ye Anping slightly, and he quickly turned his head.
He saw an old man with graying temples and a long beard, accompanied by several disciples of the Taibai Sect, walking in.
Yun Yiyi felt that the old man was an ordinary person, but the Taibai Sect disciples beside him were all Nascent Soul stage inner disciples, which confused her for a moment. Only when Ye Anping cupped his fists in a salute and said, “Junior greets Dao Ancestor,” did she suddenly realize.
“Greetings, Heavenly Rhyme Dao Immortal…”
“Heh heh… What Dao Immortal, I’m just a useless old man now.”
Zu Yuan waved his hand, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and looked at Yun Yiyi and Feng Yudie present. Seeing Yun Yiyi in a wheelchair and looking a bit frail, he immediately saw how she ended up in that state.
Then, he cheerfully waved his hand and said:
“Kid Ye, want to chat?”
“Mm… Yudie, push Yiyi to the back hall.”
Feng Yudie nodded, took Yun Yiyi’s wheelchair, and pushed her towards the corridor. Zu Yuan also signaled the Taibai Sect disciples accompanying him to retreat outside the garden.
The old man and the young man sat on either side of the stone table under the tree.
Ye Anping did not know the reason for Zu Yuan’s personal visit. After sitting down, he respectfully asked:
“Dao Ancestor, you are currently in mortal form, and the killing aura in the Eastern Domain is very heavy… Isn’t it not good for you to come here?”
“I’ve lived for over ten thousand years, this killing aura can’t stop me!” Zu Yuan stroked his beard and smiled. “I heard earlier that your Yun Tianchong boy broke Tian Bei City in one day with the Sword Sect, and I wondered where he got such great ability. Turns out… you’re here, so it makes sense.”
“Uh… I didn’t do much.”
“If you didn’t do much, could Yun Tianchong and a few thousand Sword Sect disciples have taken Tian Bei City?”
“…”
Ye Anping was unaccustomed to being praised like this and felt a little awkward. He cupped his fists, poured him a cup of tea, and asked:
“Then, what is Dao Ancestor’s purpose in coming to Tian Bei City?”
“Crossing the Blood River is the Tian Mo Sect. Once the Tian Mo Sect is destroyed, this war will be over. As the former Sect Master of the Taibai Sect, how could I not come and witness the outcome?”
“I see…”
“And to see how you’re doing. Sun Juehu has ill intentions… You know the relationship between her and your cultivation partner, right?”
Ye Anping thought for a moment and nodded:
“Of course I know, I have a way.”
“That’s good if you have a way. If you need any help from the Taibai Sect, just ask. You took my spiritual root, so you’re considered my successor. Although I can’t give you the Young Sect Master of Taibai Sect, if you ask, Taibai Sect will definitely provide full assistance.”
“I don’t need anything, but thank you for your kindness, Dao Ancestor.”
“Heh heh… I’m really looking forward to seeing that brat Dan Yue in a wheelchair and in a pathetic state. Kid, don’t fall short of expectations.”
“…I will try my best.”
“Then I’ll be waiting with anticipation… Heh heh— Come, play a game with me.”
Ye Anping smiled and nodded, then tidied the chess pieces on the board in front of him:
“I’ll gladly accompany you…”
… …
The rising sun slowly moved from the east to the zenith.
Ye Anping played a game of chess with Zu Yuan in the garden of Blood Prison Manor. Gu Mingxin and Feng Yudie had also finished packing, so they didn’t stay any longer.
The three of them took advantage of noon, walked out of the main gate of Blood Prison Manor, and then summoned their flying swords, stepping onto them.
“Then I’ll take my leave, Dao Ancestor please take care. Yiyi too…”
“Mm.” “Anping, be careful on the road…”
After exchanging pleasantries with those who came to see them off, Ye Anping glanced at the sky, then took Feng Yudie and Gu Mingxin, transforming into three streaks of green light that rose from Tian Bei City. They then made a sharp right turn and headed directly northwest.
However, Ye Anping didn’t notice that in an alley across from Blood Prison Manor.
Yun Jiujiu was peeking out from behind a wall, watching him, Feng Yudie, and the others. Only after the three of them disappeared into the clouds, out of sight, did she let out a frustrated sigh.
“Damn it… sigh…”
She picked up the wine gourd at her waist, took a gulp, then wiped her mouth and turned to head back to the City Lord’s mansion.
However, just as she turned and took a step out of her wooden clogs, the rumbling sound of a wheelchair approached from afar.
Yun Yiyi, pushing her wheelchair, came over with a mischievous smile and looked at her:
“Jiujiu… Do you have a crush on Anping?”
Yun Jiujiu froze for a moment, then her eyebrows knitted and she cursed:
“…A crush on your ass!! He’s my brother-in-law!!”
However, seeing Yun Yiyi in the wheelchair, her eyebrows immediately furrowed, and she pouted, asking:
“Is brother-in-law really that much of a man? You’ve slept with him almost every day for the past month, right?”
“…Anping has too much yang energy, it’s a kind of illness.” Yun Yiyi shrugged slightly and said, “He asked me to tell you that he doesn’t drink, but he accepted the wine you sent.”
Yun Jiujiu squinted her eyebrows as she listened, but she understood. She pouted and said:
“Damn it, so formal. If you don’t like it, just say so, why use such roundabout words…”
“However, if Anping is willing to accept you, I don’t mind. If it doesn’t work out, perhaps you can be my dowry maid and marry him together?”
“Ah?! Who wants to be your dowry maid!! Get lost!”
“With your temper, if you’re not a dowry maid, you won’t be able to get married later.”
Yun Jiujiu rolled her eyes and walked out, shouting:
“So what if I don’t get married!! I’m not getting married! What’s the big deal…”
Yun Yiyi sighed and followed her, pushing her wheelchair:
“If you don’t get married, how will you continue the family line? If Anping and I don’t have heirs, you and Yun Xi must at least have one, otherwise the Yun family will be without descendants. Grandpa’s legacy must be passed down…”
“…Sis, why are you so nagging? What’s the rush? I can live for thousands of years, and I’ll eventually meet someone as pleasing to my eye as brother-in-law…”
“So, you still have a crush on Anping…”
“Hiss— Sis, why are you trying to trick me again?!”
“Mhm~” Yun Yiyi shrugged slightly and walked beside Yun Jiujiu, asking, “Then what if you don’t meet anyone pleasing to your eye after thousands of years?”
“We’ll talk about the future when it comes… If all else fails…”
“…If all else fails?”
“I’ll just borrow brother-in-law’s ‘Que Que’ to have one.”
“?”
“Sis, if you say that again, I’ll hit you!! Brother-in-law and the others have left, we should prepare to cross the river… Where is Dad?”
“…Sigh, he’s probably helping the Taibai Sect besiege the Hehuan Sect… Speaking of which, ‘borrowing Que Que’? Who taught you that phrase?”
“Heh, I won’t tell you!! Nyah…”
… …
