I’ve Never Seen Betrothal Gifts Like These
The battle at Wei City lasted less than a day, but the countless tedious matters that followed took another half a month to deal with, on and off.
For three thousand years, the dragon qi guarding Yao City and Wei City had gradually weakened. At last, during this battle, it completed its meritorious duty, contributing the last of its light and heat to this land and fulfilling the mission Lord Yinglong had entrusted to it.
In the midst of the fighting, the demonic cultivators were horrified to discover that the longer they fought, the more difficult it became. By the end, they were like fish out of water, their demonic energy congealing in their chests and refusing to rise. All they could do was flap their tails uselessly.
The cultivators on Wei City’s side, meanwhile, found that whenever they were injured, a strange yet gentle spiritual energy would protect their hearts and meridians, keeping them from dying on the spot and allowing them to hold on until the healers arrived.
The entire city was filled with smoke from the battle. After a full day of fierce fighting, not a single person died.
Perhaps this was the last miracle the “Dragon God” had left behind in this world.
Just as wildflowers bloom beneath the sunlight and rain even when no one stops to admire them, spreading a riot of color across the earth,
so too did a legend no one remembered continue to protect the living.
…
After that came the usual round of healing and recuperation, interrogating the demonic cultivators, exchanging information and building ties between the various sects, and, by the way, helping Wei City restore its streets and make up for its economic losses.
Yao City and Wei City had once severed all relations. Now that the truth had come to light, Wei Tianjiao reluctantly accepted Lord Yao’s bitter explanation that he had been “enduring hardship in silence for the greater good.” Out of consideration for the people of Yao City, the relationship between the two cities began its bumpy road toward recovery.
Lord Yao’s daughter, Yao Huang, had joined Tianxuan Peak and rushed to Wei City alongside Master Mingxiao. Although she still harbored a grudge against her father, meeting her good friend Wei Zhi and resolving the knot that had burdened her heart for years gave her a renewed spirit.
Shu Fu thought that before long, the two of them would probably become the “flowers of union” connecting the two cities.
Lingxiao City had suffered considerable damage in the battle, and its arrogance had clearly diminished.
No one knew how Ling Xiyue and Xie Fangnian had persuaded him, but Ling Shanhai indeed did not pursue the matter of his eldest son’s death. He had also severed Lingxiao City’s ties with the demonic cultivators. It seemed the demonic cultivators had taken the blame quite firmly.
Poor Young Master Ling, however. As the sole hope of the yuan-chu direct bloodline, he was now forced by his elders to attend matchmaking sessions every day, almost reduced to nothing more than an egg-laying tool. After thoroughly enjoying the privileges of the “upper class,” he finally experienced the anguish of arranged marriage in the old society.
As for the demonic cultivators, Demon Lord Ninglu had cut off her tail to survive. Her forces collapsed in a thousand miles; some surrendered, while others sought refuge with different Demon Lords. It was said that the “palaces” she had built in various places had all erupted in riots, with the men of her harem waging a fervent struggle for freedom.
The Ghost Market operated by He Xiuwen had been dealt a devastating blow. It fell into decline, its shops closing one after another, and it was completely driven out of the Central Continent market. He could only tuck his tail between his legs and retreat to the Demon Realm.
Everything was changing, moving in a better direction.
During this time, Jiang Xuesheng continued to enter and leave places together with Shu Fu as usual. He remained low-key and unobtrusive. Not only did outsiders fail to notice anything unusual, even the ever-perceptive Liu Ruyi detected nothing.
It had to be said that his self-control alone was enough to earn Shu Fu’s profound respect.
At the same time, her doubts only grew stronger. What exactly was Jiang Xuesheng plotting by acting so mysterious?
On the day they were to leave Wei City, that question was finally answered.
Jiang Xuesheng disappeared first thing that morning.
Shu Fu: “…What?”
In an instant, countless melodramatic titles flew through her mind: The Cold CEO’s Runaway Wife, I Ran Away the Night Before Our Wedding, The Powerful Man Begs Me to Come Back After I Fled with His Child…
But then she thought about it. Wait, this made no sense. Who was whose runaway wife here?
Jiang Xuesheng had run away—but what was he running from?
Could he really escape the Peak Master and Yaoguang Peak?
Dragon Bro, you’ve got the script backward!
The person who vanished along with him was Wu Yao, who had been sulking because “all of you keep stealing this lord’s scenes.”
One green snake and one white snake disappeared without a sound, just as silently as they had first appeared.
Shu Fu had no idea what was going on. Liu Ruyi, Zhao Yun, and Si Fei were even more bewildered. The four of them were utterly stumped and split up to search. They nearly turned Wei City upside down, yet failed to find so much as a single strand of Jiang Xuesheng’s hair.
Liu Ruyi furrowed her brows. “Oh no. Could Master have suddenly achieved enlightenment and ascended in broad daylight?”
Zhao Yun rejected the idea outright. “Impossible. If Master intended to ascend, he would certainly announce it to the entire world. He would also have to kill Zhao Jiuge first. He would never leave so quietly.”
Si Fei reasoned with a perfectly serious expression, “I heard that my mother also suddenly disappeared from the bottom of the sea and ‘eloped’ with my father. My master is gone, and so is the Lich King. Could it be that they eloped together…”
“………………”
The other three fell into an eerie silence for a moment. Then they swarmed the Little Mermaid, pinning down his head and cheeks and giving him a vigorous rub.
You’ve traumatized us! Pay up!!!
Shortly afterward, Shu Fu discovered that the bronze mirror Jiang Xuesheng used to contact the sect leader was still there. She secretly tucked it into her robes and tentatively infused it with spiritual energy. Sure enough, it awakened the sect leader, the tiny little spirit who appeared whenever summoned.
Master Qiu, however, was extremely evasive about the matter. He merely repeated over and over, “Keep an eye on Tan Hua. If anything happens, at least make sure no one dies.”
Shu Fu said, “No, wait. He isn’t my darling little wife, so why am I the one who has to look after him…?”
Master Qiu wrinkled his palm-sized face and gave her a melancholy look. “Other than you, I truly don’t know anyone who can keep him under control. Shu Fu, after so many fellow cultivators have died over the years, it’s probably time for this poor Daoist to die as well.”
Shu Fu: “…”
Master Qiu, don’t scare me! Is this the beginning of a burned-out wage slave’s descent into darkness?
With no other choice, the four master and disciple siblings went together to bid Wei Tianjiao farewell and apologize for their master’s abrupt departure without so much as a word.
Unexpectedly, Wei Tianjiao was not surprised in the least. Instead, she explained, “There’s no need. Immortal Jiang already told me about this. He also left several things for me to give you.”
“Things…?”
“Indeed. As the second competition of the Flower Festival was interrupted by the demonic cultivators, no winner was ever decided.”
Wei Zhi smiled as she added, “The Flowers of Union were just sitting there anyway, so my mother and I discussed it and decided to establish a new rule. The group that killed the most demonic cultivators would be declared the winner of the arena. Shu Fu, Fellow Daoist Liu, congratulations.”
The mother and daughter of the Wei family intended to hold a grand awards ceremony to commend Shu Fu and Liu Ruyi for their contributions, while also handing over the items Jiang Xuesheng had left behind.
For some reason, Jiang Xuesheng had specifically instructed Wei Tianjiao not to keep the matter low-key. The more ostentatious, the better.
Shu Fu felt that something about this was strange at every turn, but she could not put her finger on what exactly was wrong. In the end, she could only agree while harboring a bellyful of suspicion.
She had no use for the Flower of Union, and Ji Shaoguang had already obtained one as well. She might as well give it to Ye Shusheng and Xiao Tieyi.
But what exactly were Jiang Xuesheng’s “things”?
Liu Ruyi, on the other hand, was remarkably unfazed and cut straight to the point. "Junior Sister, don't worry. This might just be a formal gift to mark my graduation. Master said long ago that now that I've advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, I'm qualified to start my own sect, return to my hometown, and lead the remaining descendants of the Honghu lineage."
"As for you, Junior Sister..."
Liu Ruyi narrowed her eyes, looking her over with a playful, curious glint, before suddenly curling her lips into a teasing, ambiguous smile. "Maybe... Master just can't wait any longer."
Shu Fu: "..."
She wasn't wrong.
In fact, he had been in such a rush that Xie Fangnian had mistaken him for a pervert who preyed on underage cultivators.
...
The award ceremony was scheduled to take place the next morning. Before it began, Shu Fu unexpectedly ran into several familiar faces.
Leading the group was Master Jinghai, that old comrade-in-arms who had long since hit it off with Master Huaigu over their shared dedication to defending the path of righteousness.
Master Jinghai had arrived one step too late and missed the entire great battle. His wholehearted desire to slay demons and protect the common folk had nowhere to go, and he was seething with resentment that the demon cultivators had stolen all the limelight. So he had rushed over right after the fight just to grab a piece of the action.
His beloved disciple Qi Yuxuan had not come with him. When Shu Fu inquired a little about the situation, she almost doubled over laughing at the whole backstory.
Word had it that after Master Huaigu went completely bald overnight, he had submitted his resignation to Master Qiu, stepping down from his post as peak master to seclude himself on his mountain and reflect on his mistakes. As an extra little move, he had kicked Fang Wanqing, who had been lingering around Tianquan Peak, right out of the sect.
With nowhere else to go, Fang Wanqing fell from her status as a respected young lady of a famous sect to a penniless, wandering rogue cultivator. Naturally, she went running to pester Qi Yuxuan again.
But things were different now. The once glorious "dragon among men" had been reduced to a nobody scraping by, and the pure, adored white moonlight of his past had turned into a stale, grainy speck of rice. Qi Yuxuan was not about to put up with her anymore. After several heated arguments, the two parted ways on terrible terms.
In a fit of rage, Fang Wanqing put her past life knowledge to good use. She hid a demonic cultivator artifact she had accidentally stumbled upon—originally meant to frame Jiang Ruoshui—inside Qi Yuxuan's room. Then she slipped away, a twisted, bitter glee bubbling in her heart: If I can't live a good life, neither can you!
... But never in a million years did she expect that Qi Yuxuan would immediately turn her in. She hadn't even walked five li before she was caught, and both of them were dragged off for strict interrogation. They were most likely still locked up in the great prison at that very moment.
Shu Fu never imagined that the tragic romantic misadventures of Master Huaigu would trigger such far-reaching ripple effects.
Back to the matter at hand—
It was obvious that Master Jinghai had not come to make friendly small talk.
In fact, the moment he stepped into Wei City, he confronted Liu Ruyi bluntly, "During the demon cultivators' attack on Wei City, did your kind, the demon cultivators, have any part in it?"
Liu Ruyi rolled her eyes so far back they almost vanished into her skull, half ready to smack a giant question mark right onto his face. "Master Jinghai, those two pairs of eyes on your face are such a waste. If you don't know how to use them, you could always donate them to someone who actually needs them."
Master Jinghai ignored her completely, and continued coldly, "I heard that this time Master Tanhua manifested as a white snake. Could it be that, just like the rest of you, his true form is also a monster?"
"Master is right," a scrawny, sharp-jawed male disciple chimed in. "I've been wondering this all along. How could a proper righteous sect cultivator take a monster as his disciple? Sure enough, Yaoguang Peak is just a den of freaks, all cut from the same rotten cloth! Master, the sect leader must have been tricked by them."
"Exactly," a soft, simpering female disciple picked up, echoing his words. "I also heard that Master Tanhua dotes on Junior Sister Jiang, taking care of every single thing for her, looking after her down to the smallest detail. He even went against Lingxiao City for her sake. Such behavior between a master and their disciple... well, it's just indecent, completely violating the proper ethical boundaries between teacher and student..."
"..."
Hearing all this, Shu Fu was so close to slapping her own thigh in delight. My god, that's the exact vibe I was missing!
If these two hadn't showed up, she would have completely forgotten that this was originally a tragic, angsty novel!
The angsty novel setting now had this forbidden master-disciple trope tossed into the mix (heaven knows she hadn't gotten a single bit of that forbidden, thrilling vibe out of it, like she'd missed out on a billion bucks). If there weren't a few cannon fodders yammering away like this, the whole thing would feel completely off.
Thank god for cannon fodders. They really spiced up her daily life.
Tianji Peak truly lived up to its reputation as the headquarters for school bullying. From the master all the way down to the students, they were perfectly in sync, performing their arrogance and prejudice to the most dramatic effect.
Unfortunately, the moment Shu Fu was about to roll up her sleeves to step in, Wei Tianjiao sent a messenger over to announce that the award ceremony was about to begin. She had no choice but to reluctantly smooth her sleeves back down, plaster on a bright, cheerful smile, and say, "Master Jinghai, Wei City is just about to proclaim to the whole world how grateful they are to our 'den of monsters' for their chivalry and courage in vanquishing evil. Why don't you come along and watch? Maybe you'll get to witness another medical miracle, where a blind man suddenly regains his sight."
Master Jinghai: "..."
...
That early morning, the weather had suddenly gone wild for no apparent reason. First, a fine misty drizzle fell, and right after the rain stopped, a vivid rainbow stretched across the sky. Its red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet bands were so crisp and clear, it looked like someone had painted it right up there with watercolors in perfect 1080P definition.
Then, the entire sky was flooded with glowing, multi-colored clouds, layers of hues shifting and flowing nonstop, like a river of seven colors streaming across the firmament. It was the very definition of an auspicious celestial sign.
Shu Fu and Liu Ruyi stepped up onto the high platform bathed in that glowing, colorful radiance, bearing the envious, resentful stares of the Tianji Peak crowd. They received the gifts that Wei Tianjiao handed to them with great ceremony.
Apart from the ceremonial blossom for forming karmic ties, Liu Ruyi also received a gift package from Jiang Xuesheng. When she opened it, she was nearly blinded by the glint of the treasures inside. Two of the items were a dazzling, gold-glittering phoenix coronet, and an elaborate, stunning sapphire-blue robe that trailed along the ground.
Shu Fu: "?????"
Had she gotten everything wrong? Was Jiang Xuesheng actually going to propose to Liu Ruyi?
No no no no no, that way too ridiculous.
Wei Tianjiao explained, "Fellow Daoist Liu... no, Perfected Chenbi. Master Tanhua asked me to pass a message to you. You are the rightful current leader of the Honghu clan, and you should no longer stay as a disciple under his guidance. Today, he has prepared these humble gifts, and from this day on, you will have graduated, and the two of you will address each other as fellow Daoists."
See? I told you so, Liu Ruyi sent a telepathic message to Shu Fu with a wink and a grin. It really is a graduation gift. Master is such a silly one, sneaking around to pull off this surprise, it's almost embarrassing.
Wei Tianjiao went on, "Every inch of this robe is woven from the feathers of a Azure Luan bird. The ornaments on that phoenix coronet are carved from the bones the Azure Luan shed when it went through its nirvana. Master Tanhua said, 'This is the price the Azure Luan pays for its loose tongue. Ruyi will definitely love it.'"
"..."
Shu Fu craned her neck to look down at the crowd. Sure enough, Shi Xiaolou was standing there with a group of disciples from Tianyan Sect, covering his face with his sleeve and letting out overexaggerated, wailing sobs.
"Good heavens! Master Tanhua is no human! He plucked the Azure Luan's feathers to make a robe for the Honghu! Disciples, grand-disciples, come judge this for me—what kind of monster would do that? When I said the Honghu didn't have anything, and said the Dragon Clan had two wolfsbane clubs, that was all passed down from our ancestors! It had nothing to do with me..."
Shu Fu: "..."
When on earth was this silly, never-ending feud over who "had" or "didn't have" something finally going to end?
On the other side, Liu Ruyi was over the moon. She immediately lifted the phoenix coronet and placed it on her head, spinning around happily on the spot. "Ruyi thanks Master for this gift."
Shu Fu was half amused and half exasperated, silently lighting a symbolic candle for Shi Xiaolou in her heart, before she turned around to receive her own gift package.
The second she opened it, brilliant light spilled out, and a rich, exotic fragrance washed over her, nearly knocking her right off her feet. Just judging from the sheer spectacular effect of the presentation, it completely outshone Liu Ruyi's Azure Luan two-piece set.
"......???"
Shu Fu blinked repeatedly several times, barely managing to adjust to the bright, searing glow, before she realized that this "gift" was a pure white, glistening jade-like night-blooming cereus that stood as tall as a full grown person, its petals large enough to wrap her entire body within them.
Wei Tianjiao smiled and said, "This is the Snow White Silent Epiphyllum, which blooms once every five years and fades away in a single night. Its fragrance is pleasant and refreshing, making it a rare and precious spiritual artifact. This particular epiphyllum is the even rarer 'Flower King', originating from the Mysterious Jade Palace of the East Sea. It may not appear even once in a hundred years, something you can come across but never seek out deliberately. Simply carrying it with you is enough to gather spiritual energy and cleanse your meridians to refine your physique."
"Oh, right, I see."
Shu Fu responded automatically, while a small corner of her heart suddenly stirred.
Jiang Xuesheng had told her that it was the Mysterious Jade Palace — the Moon Jiao clan of the East Sea — that had "found a physical body for him", allowing his primordial spirit to take root in a new form and be reborn.
So, could this flower possibly be...
"Master Tanhua sends his word that he wishes to take this flower as a betrothal gift, to form a lifelong, unbreakable bond with Fellow Daoist Shu Fu. As for whether you formally take on him as your master, that is of secondary importance."
Just as Wei Tianjiao spoke these earth-shocking words, Shu Fu's fingertips brushed against the petals, as bright and pure as ice and snow, as soft and luminous as moonlight.
[Fu'er.]
Jiang Xuesheng's voice, thick with deep, warm amusement, rang directly in her mind.
"I told you that as long as it is something you want, there is no flower in this world that you cannot pluck. As long as I live, this flower will never fade. For the rest of your life, it will bloom for you, and stay by your side."
"..."
Hearing that familiar call, Shu Fu suddenly realized, to her own surprise, that even though less than a full day had passed since she last saw him, she was already missing him terribly.
Deeply touched, she could not help but brush her fingers over the petals and whispered softly,
"Sir..."
"Wait — your whole self was already mine to begin with. Isn't this basically giving me nothing at all?"
Jiang Xuesheng (the epiphyllum): "..."
"Just kidding. I understand exactly what you mean."
Shu Fu laughed a little sheepishly, and under the stunned, wide-eyed stares of everyone around her who were completely blown away by the scene, she reached out and wrapped her hand around one of the long, narrow petals.
As its name suggested, the Snow White Silent Epiphyllum carried a bone-deep, icy chill. But the moment its petal touched the skin of her palm, the sensation was warm and soft.
It was exactly as if there was a person hidden within the flower, gently wrapping their hand around hers in return.
"I accept this betrothal gift. People always say 'the epiphyllum blooms but for a fleeting moment'. But the bond between you and me, Sir — I think that will be the epiphyllum that blooms for me, forever."
