Chapter 63

No matter how he teased her, Thus line: Ye Ying refused to mention why she was crying. However, she did not refuse the tea leaves and dried fruits that Wei Yuning brought.

The items were a gift from Hongle, all coming from the spiritual herbs of the herb garden.

The tea leaves were not ordinary tea from the mundane world, but a mixture of various tender shoots and petals of spiritual herbs, visually colorful and with a myriad of flavors, all being different fragrances; as the fragrant steam rose, inhaling it was a feast for the sense of smell. The dried fruit's taste was not outstanding, yet upon taking a bite, the spiritual fluid it contained flowed between the lips and teeth, refreshing the spirit.

Thus the two sat like that in the pavilion, surrounding the fire brazier, with a water kettle hanging on the brazier, the two sipping tea while eating dried fruit, enjoying the snow scenery outside the gate.

By evening, Qiu Hu, that is, the Spirit Immortal Qin Fei, returned.

"You came too? Huh, what is this? It smells so good, little sis, brew me a cup as well." Qiu Hu ordered impolitely.

Thus line: Ye Ying stood up, swiftly poured tea for Qiu Hu, then sat back down.

"What's wrong, you're not happy today?" Qiu Hu only then noticed that Thus line: Ye Ying's expression was off.

"Master sent a letter, telling me to return and marry Yunlong of the Divine Martial Gate; I have to leave tomorrow, boo-hoo!" Thus line: Ye Ying burst into tears again.

Thus line: Ye Ying's master is named Yue Huang; according to Qiu Hu, she is a very strong-willed person, with outstanding talent, under forty years old, and had already entered the initial stage of Opening Light recently, which is the standard for inner sect disciples in major sects like the Cloud Hidden Sect. Originally, given Thus line: Ye Ying's talent, Yue Huang would not have taken her as a disciple, but she reluctantly accepted her because they both possess water-system spiritual roots.

Yue Huang's instruction of Thus line: Ye Ying had always been strict, but after Thus line: Ye Ying reached Foundation Establishment, she basically stopped caring. The reason is hurtful: she does not want to waste time on disciples with no prospects, considering teaching up to Foundation Establishment as fulfilling the sect's duty. Thus, the master-disciple relationship is rather thin.

Regarding Thus line: Ye Ying's talent, as a Spirit Immortal, Qiu Hu holds a different view. Although Thus line: Ye Ying's spiritual root is average, she has exceptional talent in applying water-system illusion arts. With the myriad paths of the Dao, if she specializes in illusion arts, she could certainly forge her own way by advancing her illusion cultivation.

"Martial Uncle Yunyan… never mind, no need to bother her." Qiu Hu spoke halfway, then stopped.

"What's up? Wasn't it always Immortal Yunyan helping you get out of it before?" Wei Yuning asked curiously. As for the Azure Phoenix Sect's female cultivators' choice of dao companion, Immortal Yunyan supports free love, while Yue Huang stands on the side of arranged marriage. From the sect's interest perspective, arranged marriage naturally has the advantage, but from the angle of increasing sect cohesion, free love is more popular among lower-level cultivators.

"Previously, Martial Uncle Yunyan and Yue Huang were both at the Heartbeat Stage; although Martial Uncle Yunyan's minor realm was lower, his special spiritual spring gave him strong combat power, so he was not at a disadvantage, but now Yue Huang has entered the Opening Light stage, Martial Uncle Yunyan's say has greatly weakened—I think this time it's really troublesome." Qiu Hu said helplessly.

"You… can you think of a way? Besides, what are you afraid of the Azure Phoenix Sect for?" Wei Yuning said to Qiu Hu. With Thus line: Ye Ying present, he naturally couldn't speak plainly, but the meaning was obvious: you, a Spirit Immortal, what are you afraid of the Azure Phoenix Sect?

Wei Yuning's words were cryptic, and Thus line: Ye Ying, feeling upset beside him, naturally didn't catch the meaning.

Qiu Hu looked displeased at Wei Yuning and sneered: "First, I cannot expose my identity; second, I am born with a rank unrelated to cultivation, and fighting has never been my forte; third, you greatly underestimate the world of cultivation!"

Wei Yuning had nothing to say, and he felt that Qiu Hu's words were probably true.

"Is there really no other way?" he asked unwillingly.

"If the sect insists on taking Thus line: Ye Ying away by force, even the Cloud Hidden Sect would have no recourse, since Thus line: Ye Ying is a person of the Azure Phoenix Sect, unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you come help stall for a bit!" Qiu Hu said mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Wei Yuning said uneasily.

"No rule says one can have only one dao companion; Thus line: Ye Ying little sis is so cute, don't you like her?" Qiu Hu laughed.

"Senior sis, what are you saying? How could I possibly like this guy?" Thus line: Ye Ying finally protested.

"Then you must like Senior Brother Yunlong, no wonder—Senior Brother Yunlong is eight feet tall, stalwart, a dragon among men!" Qiu Hu said.

"I… boo-hoo, how could I like that big furry beast all over?" Thus line: Ye Ying burst into tears again.

Wei Yuning looked at Qiu Hu, and Qiu Hu looked provocatively at Wei Yuning, wearing an expression that said, "You handle it."

"Alright, I accept—after all, it's all fake, and I don't mind having one more!" Wei Yuning couldn't stand the little sis's constant crying and finally gave in.

"You agree with me… or not! I…" Thus line: Ye Ying wanted to say something firm, but hesitated.

"Alright, alright, if you don't agree, then forget it—Wei Yuning is all talk and no substance, not a good person, not even as good as Senior Brother Yunlong!" Qiu Hu watched the drama from the side, loving every bit of it.

"I… boo-hoo-hoo, alright!" Thus line: Ye Ying's face flushed, and she buried her head in Qiu Hu's chest.

"Little sis, alright what? In the end, is it Senior Brother Yunlong or Wei Yuning?" Qiu Hu asked.

"Or maybe Wei Yuning! But I don't want to consummate with him now; perhaps, like Elder Sis, I'll wait until he becomes an Earth Immortal before saying anything—hope… Elder Sis doesn't blame me!" A feeble mosquito-like voice came from within Qiu Hu's embrace.

"Why would I blame you? If Wei Yuning becomes an Earth Immortal soon, I will naturally become his true dao companion; but if he likes other women, I won't stop him, and then I'll serve him together with Thus line: Ye Ying little sis—still better than being with other women, hehe!" Qiu Hu comforted Thus line: Ye Ying.

Wei Yuning rolled his eyes wildly and thought: "Only a fool would believe your words, you marriage‑scamming old hag! Scamming marriage with one person would be bad enough, but you even found me a concubine‑scammer—everything is postponed until I become an Earth Immortal, as if Earth Immortals were cabbages you could just pull out of the ground. There's literally no benefit, yet you slap on the title of enjoying the blessings of many—what the hell is this supposed to be!"

"Hn…" Thus line: Ye Ying replied with a nasal sound, but kept her face buried in Qiu Hu's chest, too embarrassed to lift her head.

"My lord husband, I will send this news back to the sect, and let the Cloud Hidden Sect know as well—this matter is settled. I've been busy lately; the formation still lacks many materials, and I need to go out soon, so I have no time to handle this. If the Azure Phoenix Sect or the Divine Martial Gate gives us trouble, you'll have to hold them off!" Qiu Hu said, covering her mouth with a light laugh.

"All right, all right, wife, don't worry—I'll take care of this!" Wei Yuning said helplessly.

Qiu Hu acted swiftly and decisively, immediately sending a message by carrier pigeon to inform Immortal Yunyan. Wei Yuning left the Wind Lotus Garden, headed for the Guest Arrival Peak administrative office, intending to speak with Hongzhi in person about this matter.