Chapter 36: A Simple Wedding

Chapter 36: A Simple Wedding

Snap, snap, snap!

The old locust tree at the entrance of Gu Village suffered the brunt of the celebration. Strings of red firecrackers hung from its branches, popping incessantly and showering the tree in flakes of old bark.

A son-in-law returning home with his bride stopped a young boy who was scavenging for unexploded firecrackers. He offered the child a piece of fruit and asked with curiosity what the occasion was.

The boy, wearing his hair in two topknots, had his pockets stuffed with unexploded firecrackers. His hands were full, too, so with no place left to hold the treat, he simply opened his mouth wide. The son-in-law, resigned, had no choice but to peel the fruit and feed it to him personally.

"Ah—gulp!"

The boy swallowed the fruit in one go and said with a sweet smile, "Great-Uncle Gu is holding a running banquet. He’s inviting the whole village to eat and drink for free! There’s roast chicken, pig’s trotters, red-braised pork, goose legs, rice cakes..."

As he spoke, the boy gulped. He suddenly realized why none of his playmates had come to fight him for the firecrackers today. He made a move to throw the firecrackers in his hands, but couldn't bear to waste the fruits of his labor. Clenching his fists, he let out a shout and sprinted toward the village without looking back.

"Meat! I want to eat meat!"

Just then, a villager passing by hurried in from outside the village. Seeing the son-in-law, he greeted him, "Oh, it’s Er-niu and young Wang. Back for your homecoming visit? A son-in-law like you is truly filial; the Fifth Family is blessed."

The son-in-law offered an awkward laugh, shifting the topic to the Great-Uncle’s banquet. When had someone so extravagant appeared in Gu Village? Just hearing the boy’s list made it clear that this banquet was costing a fortune. Most people couldn't afford it, nor would they be willing to.

"Oh, you mean the family of Gu Daqing, the Second Uncle. They’ve finally had their turn at good fortune. You remember Da Ni, the one working at the Wang estate? She’s made it big now and married into a good family. As soon as her husband arrived in our village, he bought dozens of acres of land for the Second Uncle and built a grand new house. A few days ago, he even hired a troupe to perform plays for the whole village for free. Today, he’s hosting this banquet to celebrate his wife’s happy news."

Everyone in Gu Village was related in some way, and one could always find a connection.

"By the way, they hired a master chef from the city—the food is exquisite. There’s even fine wine worth several taels of silver per bottle. Come on, I’m rushing over to get a taste myself."

"Since you’ve already paid your respects to your in-laws, you should come along, too. We’re all family; it would be a waste not to eat."

"Alright, you go ahead."

Similar conversations were taking place all over the village. By this day, the threshold of Gu Daqing’s house had been worn smooth. Dozens of tables were filled, seating almost the entire population of Gu Village. Dish after dish was served, and jar after jar of wine was carried in, leaving everyone well-fed and merry.

When night fell, the Gu family set off fireworks. The sparks flickered like shooting stars in the night sky. Each round of explosions drew shouts of excitement from the village children, occasionally punctuated by the sound of parents swatting their kids, which provided another source of amusement for the onlookers.

After the fireworks, the villagers left, rubbing their bellies in contentment. Even then, they didn't really know what the "happy news" was. But that didn't matter anymore.

...

Inside the room.

Red candles, "Double Happiness" characters, and crimson wedding robes.

Listening to the commotion outside, Yulan looked through her red bridal veil at the candlelight blurring into a crimson glow. Her heart felt more nervous and excited than ever before. This was a wedding without even a formal ceremony, and very few people even knew it was happening.

But Yulan was already content. She knew her status was low, and she knew her beauty and talents were nowhere near those of the young ladies from noble houses. Because of this, she was insecure and fearful, terrified that Yu Xian’s affection for her was merely a passing fancy, and afraid that one day he would suddenly cast her aside.

In front of Yu Xian, she never dared to make demands, always centering her emotions around his. She was different from Chen Yi. Chen Yi longed for self-actualization, while she only wanted to be a vine clinging to a great tree, protected and sharing in its sunlight and dew.

Today, Yu Xian had given her a modest status, but it had truly captured her heart and claimed her life.

*Creak.*

The door pushed open.

Yu Xian, dressed in his groom’s attire, walked in. He used a golden rod to lift the veil, revealing her small, flushed face—red not just from the makeup, but from holding her breath.

"We’ve been together for a while now, why are you still so nervous?"

Yulan’s eyes shimmered, overflowing with tenderness. "Master, I am truly so happy today—I would be willing to die for this moment."

"I married you to keep you, not to take your life. You are my greatest treasure now, so you must live well."

Yu Xian lifted her chin, studied her for a moment, and exclaimed in wonder, "Wearing this wedding dress, I find you even more beautiful."

When Yulan came to her senses, she hurriedly crossed her arms to stop his next move.

"Master!"

"You should call me husband now."

Yulan’s face turned crimson with shame, and she said timidly, "Hus... Husband..."

As soon as she said the word, before Yu Xian could even react, Yulan felt her body go limp, as if all her strength had been drained away.

"What’s wrong?"

"We... we haven't drunk the wedding wine yet."

"We don't need to be that formal."

"We must... we must drink it..."

"Alright."

Seeing her nervousness, Yu Xian knew that for her, this day was truly of great importance.

He moved his spiritual sense, and two wine cups on the table trembled as they were brought over. Each held a cup, arms intertwined as they drank.

As they crossed arms, their eyes met...

The wine cups fell onto the brocade quilt, the candles in the room extinguished, and a pair of mandarin ducks played in the water—a truly spring-like scene.

...

The next morning.

In the mountains behind Gu Village.

Yu Xian stepped on a long, jade-green radiance and descended slowly from the air. He was flying by controlling an artifact! After meticulously refining and mastering the embryonic form of the artifact he had named the "Green Blood Sword," Yu Xian was finally able to fly.

So-called "artifact flight" involved the cultivator merging with the artifact, using its power to carry themselves. Well, it felt a bit like carrying oneself, but as long as one could fly, it was enough.

However, the consumption of spiritual energy for artifact flight was terrifying. A hundred kilometers consumed the equivalent of two full Dantian reserves; in other words, if he emptied his internal energy, he could fly at most a hundred kilometers. Thus, Yu Xian only practiced it occasionally. True freedom of flight remained a long-term goal.

But the point today was not that. His hypothesis had been correct: with Yulan now possessing cultivation, her assistance to him had doubled. Theoretically, the time it would take him to reach the Foundation Establishment stage had been cut in half.

[Name: Yu Xian]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Layer 7 (134/210)]
[Dao Companion: Yulan (1/1)]

"A Dao companion at the Qi Refining stage is already this formidable. If Yulan reaches Foundation Establishment in the future, does that mean I might have a chance to become a Golden Core master, or even a Nascent Soul monarch?"

Yu Xian quickly suppressed this impractical thought. Just helping Yulan guide the energy into her body to form spiritual power had cost him most of his savings; he had no resources left to help her continue her cultivation. Most importantly, Yulan’s aptitude was average, and her path to Foundation Establishment would be fraught with difficulties.

"In the end, it all comes down to resources."

Yu Xian sighed and fell into thought.

A moment later, he pushed the problem to the back of his mind and continued practicing with his artifact. Practicing artifact control had become his daily chore. With Yulan by his side, he didn't need to worry about the massive drain on his spiritual energy or the risk of his cultivation regressing.

That was why he said Yulan was his greatest treasure—not just as a lover’s endearment, but as a plain truth.