Editor: Sahloknir
At the end of the golden ship’s deck, the sky extended up high, the rolling clouds reaching vast and high. In the distance, thousands of mountains appeared tiny. The cities and villages slowly receded further back than the eye could see as the ship cruised ahead.
The horizon stretching a thousand miles was reflected in Ying Kai’s deep eyes. He lifted his palm up flatly, his dark blue sleeves fluttered in the wind as he summoned, “Ten Thousand Celestials, come to me! ”
The other great masters were all standing on the deck near the bow right now. At Ying Kai’s voice, an inconspicuous golden light appeared on the distant horizon.
Immediately afterwards, countless spots of light rose from all corners of the land and condensed into meteors, piercing the sky from all directions and converging towards the golden ship!
Changsun Chengfeng took a half step back, “This is…Ten Thousand Celestials—Ding Shan Hai?”
“Brother Ying made an oath when he became the Alliance Master that he would use his own primordial spirit to support those who lack it and to quell the turmoil caused by evil. As such, most of his spiritual power was scattered across the world and singlehandedly fulfilling his promise to bring peace and stability across mountains and seas.” Mu Duozhu looked up and thousands of dazzling meteors were reflected in his eyes. He sighed, “What we see now is the real Ying Chenyuan.”
All of a sudden, the world was lit up in a magnificent glow, and the tens of million fragments of primordial spirit finally returned to Ying Kai. The man was shrouded in invisible billowing flames and a powerful force rushed into the sky.
Boom—
The bow of the ship sank suddenly, the keel made a loud noise, and everyone was forced to stagger forward!
Xu Shuangtze retreated a few steps backwards as spiritual energy rose from the ground in the surroundings.
The keel groaned again, and the slanted hull was forcibly pressed down inch by inch. Many disciples on the deck couldn’t help staggering back and forth. The sounds of them marvelling and yelling swept the cabin. This behemoth sailing in the sky was actually being pressed down by more than ten feet!
Ying Kai closed his eyes and said nothing, his hair and sleeves fluttering gracefully in the air. The primordial spirit which returned to him from the entire land materialised into a map in the depths of Ying Kai’s consciousness. Mountains, rivers, forests and canyons were moulded out as the map slowly rotated with every detail vividly visible.
The plains that were eroded into basins, that city which was drowned by the rivers and the rifts in the ground where that world-annihilating mechanical soldier was buried… Ying Kai meticulously compared these features with the lands under the guardianship of his primordial spirit. Something corresponded and Ying Kai opened his eyes after the time of half an incense. The divine light at the bottom of his pupils shone brightly as he raised his hand.
The unimaginably powerful primordial spirit once again condensed into a meteor. As grand as its entrance, it shot out with magnificence into the vast mountains and rivers under Ying Kai’s feet and disappeared at the end of the horizon.
Ying Kai turned around to everyone, his robe sleeves falling and lying still.
The spiritual pressure that just burst into a ball of flame, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, had dissipated. Ying Kai reverted back into a man dressed in plain robes with a calm expression. His bronze Ding Shan Hai sword hung on his belt by an inconspicuous gold hook. The gentle Lord Ying had returned.
“Found it,” he declared with a smile in his eyes.
* * *
“Hurry up.” “There’s no one! Come here quickly!” “This room! ”
The door was forced open as Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui pushed and squeezed in in unison. They were fearful that just one step later, they would be caught by a random medical disciple passing by. Yuchi Rui stuck his head out and stole a quick glance, making sure that no one was in the corridor before shutting the door with a bang.
The two of them heaved a sigh of relief at the same time. Gong Wei slumped on the chair and spoke in exhaustion, “In summary, that was it. As soon as I woke up, I found myself on the golden ship. The rest is as you know it.”
Standing by the door, Yuchi Rui turned around, his brows tightened and expression heavy. He pointed at Gong Wei, “—Xiang Xiaoyuan?”
“Yes.”
“Mei Demon?”
Xbcu Qfl mbggfmafv, “Ljio vfwbc.”
“We Vtejcuahf’r yfibnfv vlrmlqif?”
Xbcu Qfl revvfcis rajwwfgfv, “Tbe…ktja vlv sbe rjs?”
Temtl Eel wjvf j vfjvqjc ojmf, “We Vtejcuahf qfgrbcjiis fzagjmafv atf rbivlfg rlix bea bo sbe lc Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew. Ktf fcalgf Pwwbgaji Ciiljcmf xcbkr jybea atlr.”
“Lf-tf kjr pera agslcu ab rjnf ws ilof! Wljcu Wljbsejc lr j vlrmlqif bo tlr Jjcu Tjcu Vfma! Ktja lr tlr glutaoei veas!”
“Xu Shuangtze said that he wanted to save time, and shattered all the awakened corpses that escaped the Ding Xian Mausoleum. In the past few days, more than a dozen aggrieved sects have been lining up outside the Correctional Palace, holding up their ancestral tablets and asking for an explanation. ”
“Isn’t Xu Shuangtze always cruel? When had he changed? You forgot that you were strung up by him when you were a kid…”
“He was willing to give Mu Duozhu ten thousand taels of silver for you.” Yuchi Rui answered calmly, “The deal has been made and agreement signed.”
“Hang on…what?” Gong Wei finally squeezed this out with difficulty, “Ten thousand taels?”
Yuchi Rui nodded in all seriousness.
The two looked at each other, and after a deadly silence, Yuchi Rui concluded his statement, “You even dare to pretend to be his beloved disciple. He will definitely slaughter you.”
Gong Wei opened and closed his mouth several times without uttering a word. His head was buzzing and he finally said in a trembling voice, “Give me a handful of melon seeds.”
Yuchi Rui rummaged through his pockets. There were only some peanuts left, but Gong Wei just grabbed a handful. The two sat on the opposite side of the round table and peeled one after another, eating in silence. After a long while Gong Wei calmed down and said, “Even if I don’t pretend to be his beloved—his disciple, once he knows that I’m alive, there is an eighty percent chance that he won’t let me off either.”
Yuchi Rui muttered, “The crime of impersonating his beloved disciple is going to warrant a heavier sentence.”
Gong Wei protested, “Can you not mention beloved…Can you not mention that word? The most pressing matter now is to figure out who impersonated me in Linjiang City and wreaked havoc. Also, who planted soldier silk to manipulate my corpse. What is their objective?”
Yuchi Rui rubbed a peanut between two fingers and the shell fell off. When he repeated the same motion, the red skin of the peanuts was peeled. He was obviously a skilled peanut de-sheller, “It’s either Du Kaixun or Changsun Chengfeng.”
“Let’s not mention Changsun Chengfeng for now. It’s possible that Du Kaixun is the culprit. But why did he kill those twenty-eight people with heavy yin lives in Linjiang City? There shouldn’t be a reason to.”
Yuchi Rui returned the question with his clear, stable, and calm gaze. He meant that he didn’t know either.
It’s not surprising to have no idea. Even if Ying Kai or even Xu Shuangtze joined in the discussion, the results might be the same. Gong Wei sighed and put the situation aside for the time being, “One more thing, can you discuss with Shixiong, and find a way to help me retrieve Xiang Xiaoyuan’s soul? I have kept his body very well… Alright, not very well but at least it can still be used. Maybe there is still a chance to put the real Xiang Xiaoyuan back?”
Yuchi Rui answered blankly, “Then what about you?”
‘Of course I should be heading to wherever I’m supposed to be going.’ Gong Wei thought to himself. But he didn’t say this and only replied, “I’m already dead. I can’t be taking possession of another body and not returning it. If all else fails, ask Ying Kai for a soul container and put me in it.”
Yuchi Rui was happily sending peanuts to his mouth but abruptly halted. He was imagining stuffing Gong Wei’s soul into a small jar and hanging it around his neck. The man gave a terrible expression and spoke with difficulty after some time, “But no one can cross the Ghost Wall of late.”
Gong Wei was surprised, “What?”
“Xu Shuangtze told Ying Kai that there are strange occurrences at the Ghost Wall. Ying Kai went down personally to check it out, and found the bronze door tightly shut, without a single ghost in sight. After returning from Linjiang City, the both of them headed down together once more, but they didn’t smash the door with No Way Out this time. ”
To break through the Ghost Wall is to defy the heavens. Even beings like the grandmasters with such great powers must count their blessings if they were to succeed once or twice out of ten tries. Xu Shuangtze and Ying Kai were the only ones who held the record of splitting open the Ghost Wall unharmed. Now that even those two were prevented from crossing the boundary of life and death, it is certain that no one else could.
“Ying Kai said that there might be something wrong with the Book of Life and Death. In order to cover it up, the Ghost Wall forcibly prevented people from entering to investigate. When the Ding Xian mausoleum matter is settled, he would go down once more to investigate with Xu Shuangtze.” Yuchi Rui shook his head and added, “A soul will return to the mortal realm after seven days before crossing the Naihe Bridge. It has been so long, I’m afraid he has been reincarnated.”
Gong Wei was stunned for a moment. Then, he thought of the instigator for this situation and got annoyed all at once, “It’s all your nephew’s fault! He…”
At this time, the door was knocked upon twice, and Yuchi Xiao’s voice came, “Uncle, are you there? ”
The term ‘uncle’ was no different from addressing the Sword Sect Master as Lord Buddha. It hit his most sensitive nerve at once.
Yuchi Rui bounced off his chair, quickly tidied up the peanut shells on the table, and skilfully took out The Spirit of the Sword manual and opened it on the table. Next, he shoved all the peanuts peeled by Gong Wei into his mouth and tugged him behind a screen, “I’m here!”
“Lord Ying has sent people to look for you, saying that there is something important to discuss!”
Yuchi Rui, “Alright, hold on!”
Gong Wei grabbed Yuchi Rui, gritted his teeth and whispered such that only the two of them could hear, “I am engaged to your nephew.”
“What?”
“His mother made an agreement with the Cang Yang Sect Master. They even matched our four pillars and eight characters and exchanged engagement tokens. That brat looked down on Xiang Xiaoyuan as a Mei Demon and humiliated him in front of everyone before withdrawing from the marriage. Xiang Xiaoyuan was so enraged that he went off the rails right after. And look at me,” Gong Wei pointed to a spot on his neck caused by Gou Chen and covered with a medicated bandage. “This was also his masterpiece. If I hadn’t escaped quickly, I might have had to die again!”
Yuch Rui was shocked, “How can this be?”
“Yeah, so what if he is the Young Master of the Golden Gate. How can he despise a little Mei Demon in this way?” Gong Wei said angrily, “By the way, he scolded me once, calling me an ‘inhuman being’. Do you remember the last person who called me this same thing?”
Yuchi Rui replied without hesitation, “Xu Shuangtze.”
The man was astounded by what he just said.
The Young Master of the Golden Gate was supposed to be dignified. Yet, this boy chose not to behave like a proper gentleman and picked up undesirable traits. He dared to behave the same way as the Cang Yang Sect Master. This will not do!
The mention of this enemy sparked a flame in the Sword Sect Master’s heart at once.
The two glanced at each other, and Yuchi Rui gave a solemn nod before he turned around and straightened his robes. Then, he coughed to clear his throat, and strode forward to open the door.
Yuchi Xiao stood outside the door. He bowed his head and raised his hands in a salute, “Sword Sect Master…”
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Yuchi Xiao was stunned, “What’s the matter?”
This Young Master of the Golden Gate was already very tall, but the Sword Sect Master was an inch taller when they both stood up straight. Perhaps his height had something to do with him being hung upside down as punishment regularly when he was young. His eye sockets and brow bones were deeper and sharper, so when he stiffened his face, Yuchi Rui appeared more severe and oppressive.
He said, “I heard that you sought permission from the Cang Yang Sect Master to break off an engagement.”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly froze.
“Heaven and earth are made up of many living beings. Humans, trees, flowers, grass, each will have their time to bloom and wither, as well as experience happiness and sorrows. Everything has its life and also eventual death. Nature is the way of Dao. Mei Demons are part of the universe. So how are they different from you and me? ”
Yuchi Xiao’s whole body remained frozen and it took a long time for him to gulp with difficulty, seemingly to swallow his regrets “It was my mistake…”
Yuchi Rui added sternly, “You arrogantly broke off the engagement in public. You caused the Mei Demon to go off rails. This behaviour is unbecoming!”
Gong Wei, who stood behind the screen, cupped his hands in silence and thought, ‘Well said!’
“You committed the mistake, yet instead of repenting, you called the innocent Mei Demon an inhuman thing. You have put the decade-old pristine reputation of Golden Gate to shame! You are simply—”
Yuchi Rui continued to search for words to berate him, but suddenly saw his nephew bow deeply, and he interrupted him hoarsely, “I have come to regret my arrogance from before, but I am aware that it is too late. Uncle is right to criticise me. ”
All the Sword Sect Masters from before tend to use actions before words when it came to punishment. Yet, he never expected this prestige to emanate during one of the rare times he reprimanded others with just words. Yuchi Rui continued happily, “So do you know your mistakes?”
“I do.”
“What do you plan to do?”
Yuchi Xiao maintained his posture of a deep bow, and said one word at a time, “I merely broke off the engagement verbally that day. This was not publicly announced to the Immortal Alliance. This nephew is willing to fulfil the marriage contract and cultivate with Xiang Xiaoyuan as my partner. From now on, I will never speak such evil words, nor will I despise or regard his identity as an inhuman being. Everything I speak of today comes from my heart and soul. May the heavens and earth bear witness!”
Yuchi Rui was gratified at once and turned towards Gong Wei triumphantly while raising his eyebrows. He answered, “It’s good to know that you are repentant. If that’s the case, you may choose an auspicious day and hour…”
His voice stopped abruptly.
Gong Wei, “…”
Yuchi Rui, “…”
The two stared at each other from the gap between the screens, each with a thunderstruck expression on their faces.
“No way!” Yuchi Rui suddenly responded angrily, “You can’t fulfil the marriage contract with Xiang Xiaoyuan!”
Yuchi Xiao thought that he had heard wrong, “Why?”
“Xiang Xiaoyuan…he…” The Sword Sect Master was at a loss for words.
Yuchi Xiao urged sincerely, “Sword Sect Master doesn’t have to worry about the differences between our family backgrounds. Although Xiang Xiaoyuan is only an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, he possesses good looks, a kind heart, and extraordinary wisdom. And there is one thing that I have not reported to the Sword Sect Master, if Xiang Xiaoyuan hadn’t disregarded his own life and pushed this nephew away in time, I would be the one implanted with soldier silk at this moment. Every time this nephew recalls this, he has mixed feelings, and is deeply ashamed and regretful.”
At this point, Yuchi Xiao took a deep breath, seemingly having a thousand words at the tip of his tongue, but didn’t know how to articulate them. He gritted his teeth and added, “In any case, Sword Sect Master, please rest assured. This nephew is aware of his mistakes, and he will no longer despise any Mei Demons in the future. Please give me your blessing!”
“…” Yuchi Rui uttered with difficulty, “Absolutely not!”
Yuchi Xiao looked up in amazement, “But why?”
Uncle and nephew faced each other, and the poor Sword Sect Master’s brain was blank at that moment. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly and finally stammered, “Because he is…he is a Mei Demon.”
Editor: Sahloknir
At the end of the golden ship’s deck, the sky extended up high, the rolling clouds reaching vast and high. In the distance, thousands of mountains appeared tiny. The cities and villages slowly receded further back than the eye could see as the ship cruised ahead.
The horizon stretching a thousand miles was reflected in Ying Kai’s deep eyes. He lifted his palm up flatly, his dark blue sleeves fluttered in the wind as he summoned, “Ten Thousand Celestials, come to me! ”
The other great masters were all standing on the deck near the bow right now. At Ying Kai’s voice, an inconspicuous golden light appeared on the distant horizon.
Immediately afterwards, countless spots of light rose from all corners of the land and condensed into meteors, piercing the sky from all directions and converging towards the golden ship!
Changsun Chengfeng took a half step back, “This is…Ten Thousand Celestials—Ding Shan Hai?”
“Brother Ying made an oath when he became the Alliance Master that he would use his own primordial spirit to support those who lack it and to quell the turmoil caused by evil. As such, most of his spiritual power was scattered across the world and singlehandedly fulfilling his promise to bring peace and stability across mountains and seas.” Mu Duozhu looked up and thousands of dazzling meteors were reflected in his eyes. He sighed, “What we see now is the real Ying Chenyuan.”
All of a sudden, the world was lit up in a magnificent glow, and the tens of million fragments of primordial spirit finally returned to Ying Kai. The man was shrouded in invisible billowing flames and a powerful force rushed into the sky.
Boom—
The bow of the ship sank suddenly, the keel made a loud noise, and everyone was forced to stagger forward!
Xu Shuangtze retreated a few steps backwards as spiritual energy rose from the ground in the surroundings.
The keel groaned again, and the slanted hull was forcibly pressed down inch by inch. Many disciples on the deck couldn’t help staggering back and forth. The sounds of them marvelling and yelling swept the cabin. This behemoth sailing in the sky was actually being pressed down by more than ten feet!
Ying Kai closed his eyes and said nothing, his hair and sleeves fluttering gracefully in the air. The primordial spirit which returned to him from the entire land materialised into a map in the depths of Ying Kai’s consciousness. Mountains, rivers, forests and canyons were moulded out as the map slowly rotated with every detail vividly visible.
The plains that were eroded into basins, that city which was drowned by the rivers and the rifts in the ground where that world-annihilating mechanical soldier was buried… Ying Kai meticulously compared these features with the lands under the guardianship of his primordial spirit. Something corresponded and Ying Kai opened his eyes after the time of half an incense. The divine light at the bottom of his pupils shone brightly as he raised his hand.
The unimaginably powerful primordial spirit once again condensed into a meteor. As grand as its entrance, it shot out with magnificence into the vast mountains and rivers under Ying Kai’s feet and disappeared at the end of the horizon.
Ying Kai turned around to everyone, his robe sleeves falling and lying still.
The spiritual pressure that just burst into a ball of flame, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, had dissipated. Ying Kai reverted back into a man dressed in plain robes with a calm expression. His bronze Ding Shan Hai sword hung on his belt by an inconspicuous gold hook. The gentle Lord Ying had returned.
“Found it,” he declared with a smile in his eyes.
* * *
“Hurry up.” “There’s no one! Come here quickly!” “This room! ”
The door was forced open as Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui pushed and squeezed in in unison. They were fearful that just one step later, they would be caught by a random medical disciple passing by. Yuchi Rui stuck his head out and stole a quick glance, making sure that no one was in the corridor before shutting the door with a bang.
The two of them heaved a sigh of relief at the same time. Gong Wei slumped on the chair and spoke in exhaustion, “In summary, that was it. As soon as I woke up, I found myself on the golden ship. The rest is as you know it.”
Standing by the door, Yuchi Rui turned around, his brows tightened and expression heavy. He pointed at Gong Wei, “—Xiang Xiaoyuan?”
“Yes.”
“Mei Demon?”
Xbcu Qfl mbggfmafv, “Ljio vfwbc.”
“We Vtejcuahf’r yfibnfv vlrmlqif?”
Xbcu Qfl revvfcis rajwwfgfv, “Tbe…ktja vlv sbe rjs?”
Temtl Eel wjvf j vfjvqjc ojmf, “We Vtejcuahf qfgrbcjiis fzagjmafv atf rbivlfg rlix bea bo sbe lc Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew. Ktf fcalgf Pwwbgaji Ciiljcmf xcbkr jybea atlr.”
“Lf-tf kjr pera agslcu ab rjnf ws ilof! Wljcu Wljbsejc lr j vlrmlqif bo tlr Jjcu Tjcu Vfma! Ktja lr tlr glutaoei veas!”
“Xu Shuangtze said that he wanted to save time, and shattered all the awakened corpses that escaped the Ding Xian Mausoleum. In the past few days, more than a dozen aggrieved sects have been lining up outside the Correctional Palace, holding up their ancestral tablets and asking for an explanation. ”
“Isn’t Xu Shuangtze always cruel? When had he changed? You forgot that you were strung up by him when you were a kid…”
“He was willing to give Mu Duozhu ten thousand taels of silver for you.” Yuchi Rui answered calmly, “The deal has been made and agreement signed.”
“Hang on…what?” Gong Wei finally squeezed this out with difficulty, “Ten thousand taels?”
Yuchi Rui nodded in all seriousness.
The two looked at each other, and after a deadly silence, Yuchi Rui concluded his statement, “You even dare to pretend to be his beloved disciple. He will definitely slaughter you.”
Gong Wei opened and closed his mouth several times without uttering a word. His head was buzzing and he finally said in a trembling voice, “Give me a handful of melon seeds.”
Yuchi Rui rummaged through his pockets. There were only some peanuts left, but Gong Wei just grabbed a handful. The two sat on the opposite side of the round table and peeled one after another, eating in silence. After a long while Gong Wei calmed down and said, “Even if I don’t pretend to be his beloved—his disciple, once he knows that I’m alive, there is an eighty percent chance that he won’t let me off either.”
Yuchi Rui muttered, “The crime of impersonating his beloved disciple is going to warrant a heavier sentence.”
Gong Wei protested, “Can you not mention beloved…Can you not mention that word? The most pressing matter now is to figure out who impersonated me in Linjiang City and wreaked havoc. Also, who planted soldier silk to manipulate my corpse. What is their objective?”
Yuchi Rui rubbed a peanut between two fingers and the shell fell off. When he repeated the same motion, the red skin of the peanuts was peeled. He was obviously a skilled peanut de-sheller, “It’s either Du Kaixun or Changsun Chengfeng.”
“Let’s not mention Changsun Chengfeng for now. It’s possible that Du Kaixun is the culprit. But why did he kill those twenty-eight people with heavy yin lives in Linjiang City? There shouldn’t be a reason to.”
Yuchi Rui returned the question with his clear, stable, and calm gaze. He meant that he didn’t know either.
It’s not surprising to have no idea. Even if Ying Kai or even Xu Shuangtze joined in the discussion, the results might be the same. Gong Wei sighed and put the situation aside for the time being, “One more thing, can you discuss with Shixiong, and find a way to help me retrieve Xiang Xiaoyuan’s soul? I have kept his body very well… Alright, not very well but at least it can still be used. Maybe there is still a chance to put the real Xiang Xiaoyuan back?”
Yuchi Rui answered blankly, “Then what about you?”
‘Of course I should be heading to wherever I’m supposed to be going.’ Gong Wei thought to himself. But he didn’t say this and only replied, “I’m already dead. I can’t be taking possession of another body and not returning it. If all else fails, ask Ying Kai for a soul container and put me in it.”
Yuchi Rui was happily sending peanuts to his mouth but abruptly halted. He was imagining stuffing Gong Wei’s soul into a small jar and hanging it around his neck. The man gave a terrible expression and spoke with difficulty after some time, “But no one can cross the Ghost Wall of late.”
Gong Wei was surprised, “What?”
“Xu Shuangtze told Ying Kai that there are strange occurrences at the Ghost Wall. Ying Kai went down personally to check it out, and found the bronze door tightly shut, without a single ghost in sight. After returning from Linjiang City, the both of them headed down together once more, but they didn’t smash the door with No Way Out this time. ”
To break through the Ghost Wall is to defy the heavens. Even beings like the grandmasters with such great powers must count their blessings if they were to succeed once or twice out of ten tries. Xu Shuangtze and Ying Kai were the only ones who held the record of splitting open the Ghost Wall unharmed. Now that even those two were prevented from crossing the boundary of life and death, it is certain that no one else could.
“Ying Kai said that there might be something wrong with the Book of Life and Death. In order to cover it up, the Ghost Wall forcibly prevented people from entering to investigate. When the Ding Xian mausoleum matter is settled, he would go down once more to investigate with Xu Shuangtze.” Yuchi Rui shook his head and added, “A soul will return to the mortal realm after seven days before crossing the Naihe Bridge. It has been so long, I’m afraid he has been reincarnated.”
Gong Wei was stunned for a moment. Then, he thought of the instigator for this situation and got annoyed all at once, “It’s all your nephew’s fault! He…”
At this time, the door was knocked upon twice, and Yuchi Xiao’s voice came, “Uncle, are you there? ”
The term ‘uncle’ was no different from addressing the Sword Sect Master as Lord Buddha. It hit his most sensitive nerve at once.
Yuchi Rui bounced off his chair, quickly tidied up the peanut shells on the table, and skilfully took out The Spirit of the Sword manual and opened it on the table. Next, he shoved all the peanuts peeled by Gong Wei into his mouth and tugged him behind a screen, “I’m here!”
“Lord Ying has sent people to look for you, saying that there is something important to discuss!”
Yuchi Rui, “Alright, hold on!”
Gong Wei grabbed Yuchi Rui, gritted his teeth and whispered such that only the two of them could hear, “I am engaged to your nephew.”
“What?”
“His mother made an agreement with the Cang Yang Sect Master. They even matched our four pillars and eight characters and exchanged engagement tokens. That brat looked down on Xiang Xiaoyuan as a Mei Demon and humiliated him in front of everyone before withdrawing from the marriage. Xiang Xiaoyuan was so enraged that he went off the rails right after. And look at me,” Gong Wei pointed to a spot on his neck caused by Gou Chen and covered with a medicated bandage. “This was also his masterpiece. If I hadn’t escaped quickly, I might have had to die again!”
Yuch Rui was shocked, “How can this be?”
“Yeah, so what if he is the Young Master of the Golden Gate. How can he despise a little Mei Demon in this way?” Gong Wei said angrily, “By the way, he scolded me once, calling me an ‘inhuman being’. Do you remember the last person who called me this same thing?”
Yuchi Rui replied without hesitation, “Xu Shuangtze.”
The man was astounded by what he just said.
The Young Master of the Golden Gate was supposed to be dignified. Yet, this boy chose not to behave like a proper gentleman and picked up undesirable traits. He dared to behave the same way as the Cang Yang Sect Master. This will not do!
The mention of this enemy sparked a flame in the Sword Sect Master’s heart at once.
The two glanced at each other, and Yuchi Rui gave a solemn nod before he turned around and straightened his robes. Then, he coughed to clear his throat, and strode forward to open the door.
Yuchi Xiao stood outside the door. He bowed his head and raised his hands in a salute, “Sword Sect Master…”
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Yuchi Xiao was stunned, “What’s the matter?”
This Young Master of the Golden Gate was already very tall, but the Sword Sect Master was an inch taller when they both stood up straight. Perhaps his height had something to do with him being hung upside down as punishment regularly when he was young. His eye sockets and brow bones were deeper and sharper, so when he stiffened his face, Yuchi Rui appeared more severe and oppressive.
He said, “I heard that you sought permission from the Cang Yang Sect Master to break off an engagement.”
Yuchi Xiao suddenly froze.
“Heaven and earth are made up of many living beings. Humans, trees, flowers, grass, each will have their time to bloom and wither, as well as experience happiness and sorrows. Everything has its life and also eventual death. Nature is the way of Dao. Mei Demons are part of the universe. So how are they different from you and me? ”
Yuchi Xiao’s whole body remained frozen and it took a long time for him to gulp with difficulty, seemingly to swallow his regrets “It was my mistake…”
Yuchi Rui added sternly, “You arrogantly broke off the engagement in public. You caused the Mei Demon to go off rails. This behaviour is unbecoming!”
Gong Wei, who stood behind the screen, cupped his hands in silence and thought, ‘Well said!’
“You committed the mistake, yet instead of repenting, you called the innocent Mei Demon an inhuman thing. You have put the decade-old pristine reputation of Golden Gate to shame! You are simply—”
Yuchi Rui continued to search for words to berate him, but suddenly saw his nephew bow deeply, and he interrupted him hoarsely, “I have come to regret my arrogance from before, but I am aware that it is too late. Uncle is right to criticise me. ”
All the Sword Sect Masters from before tend to use actions before words when it came to punishment. Yet, he never expected this prestige to emanate during one of the rare times he reprimanded others with just words. Yuchi Rui continued happily, “So do you know your mistakes?”
“I do.”
“What do you plan to do?”
Yuchi Xiao maintained his posture of a deep bow, and said one word at a time, “I merely broke off the engagement verbally that day. This was not publicly announced to the Immortal Alliance. This nephew is willing to fulfil the marriage contract and cultivate with Xiang Xiaoyuan as my partner. From now on, I will never speak such evil words, nor will I despise or regard his identity as an inhuman being. Everything I speak of today comes from my heart and soul. May the heavens and earth bear witness!”
Yuchi Rui was gratified at once and turned towards Gong Wei triumphantly while raising his eyebrows. He answered, “It’s good to know that you are repentant. If that’s the case, you may choose an auspicious day and hour…”
His voice stopped abruptly.
Gong Wei, “…”
Yuchi Rui, “…”
The two stared at each other from the gap between the screens, each with a thunderstruck expression on their faces.
“No way!” Yuchi Rui suddenly responded angrily, “You can’t fulfil the marriage contract with Xiang Xiaoyuan!”
Yuchi Xiao thought that he had heard wrong, “Why?”
“Xiang Xiaoyuan…he…” The Sword Sect Master was at a loss for words.
Yuchi Xiao urged sincerely, “Sword Sect Master doesn’t have to worry about the differences between our family backgrounds. Although Xiang Xiaoyuan is only an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, he possesses good looks, a kind heart, and extraordinary wisdom. And there is one thing that I have not reported to the Sword Sect Master, if Xiang Xiaoyuan hadn’t disregarded his own life and pushed this nephew away in time, I would be the one implanted with soldier silk at this moment. Every time this nephew recalls this, he has mixed feelings, and is deeply ashamed and regretful.”
At this point, Yuchi Xiao took a deep breath, seemingly having a thousand words at the tip of his tongue, but didn’t know how to articulate them. He gritted his teeth and added, “In any case, Sword Sect Master, please rest assured. This nephew is aware of his mistakes, and he will no longer despise any Mei Demons in the future. Please give me your blessing!”
“…” Yuchi Rui uttered with difficulty, “Absolutely not!”
Yuchi Xiao looked up in amazement, “But why?”
Uncle and nephew faced each other, and the poor Sword Sect Master’s brain was blank at that moment. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly and finally stammered, “Because he is…he is a Mei Demon.”
