Chapter 230: On the Eve of the Wedding, Events of the Past

After learning the secret of the Immortal Carved Stone Boat from the Bone Prison Breath's mouth, Fang Xu had no hesitation and directly decided to take a few people to the East Sea for a look.

If the Immortal Carved Stone Boat is truly as the Bone Prison Breath said, a product from beyond the Heaven Mystic Realm, then I must definitely find a way to keep it.

"There's no rush." The Bone Prison Breath said with a smile, "Last time we talked about the wedding, you disappeared for two years as a result."

"This wedding date has already been set; if you run away again, it'll be hard to explain."

Fang Xu nodded: "I was planning to go after the wedding anyway."

Time flew by, and the wedding day for the few of them soon arrived.

According to the decision previously discussed by Zhongli Hui and the others, this wedding is meant to let the whole Three Mountains Island know.

Since we intend for the whole Three Mountains Island to know, it cannot be held in the Heavenly Radiant Realm.

The disciples of the Dark God Temple had already rushed to Splendid Yang Mountain to make preparations as soon as the wedding date was set.

As the former location of the Ascendant Immortal Society, later the Holy Mountain.

After Jiang Feng's death, some disciples originally belonging to the Ascendant Immortal Society have continued to reside on Splendid Yang Mountain.

Outwardly, they still call themselves the Ascendant Immortal Society.

Over the past century, Splendid Yang Mountain has selected many outstanding disciples for the temple.

Now the high-ranking members of the Ascendant Immortal Society all know of Fang Xu and Qi Shaoyu's existence.

Upon hearing that Fang Xu would hold the wedding here, they all naturally became very happy.

Central State Imperial City.

The already aging Lu Zhiyuan looked at the invitation in his hand, feeling somewhat wistful.

His cultivation is now only at the Martial Master Peak.

The lifespan limit of a Martial Master is one hundred fifty years.

At the Martial Master Peak, one can live at most around one hundred eighty years.

Lu Zhiyuan is now nearly one hundred sixty years old.

At this age, his qi and blood will continually decline until his lifespan limit arrives, at which point he will die.

Lu Zhiyuan had also considered using some elixirs to forcibly raise his cultivation.

But he could never pass the hurdle of breaking through from Martial Master to Martial Venerable.

Lu Qingluo once suggested sending someone to invite Fang Xu to help, but Lu Zhiyuan refused.

He clearly understood that his master-disciple relationship with Fang Xu, in a sense, was actually a transaction.

He took Fang Xu as a disciple, also with the purpose of letting Fang Xu look after Lu Qingluo in the future,

and now, Fang Xu has more than repaid this favor.

"Your Majesty, the gift you wanted is ready."

At that moment, an old temple person walked into the great hall, hunched over.

"Where is the princess?"

Lu Zhiyuan spoke.

The news of Fang Xu's wedding had spread throughout the Three Mountains Island, and he did not know how his daughter felt upon hearing it.

"The princess..."

The old temple person felt embarrassed, trembling and daring not to speak.

"Speak."

Lu Zhiyuan said calmly.

After years in a high position, he already possessed an awe-inspiring dignity.

The old temple person's body shuddered, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground, bowing his head: "Your Majesty, forgive me, this old servant... this old servant really dares not speak!"

"The princess said, if this old servant speaks, when she returns she will surely kill this old servant!"

"The princess also said... also said that Your Majesty cannot even save this old servant's life!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan's face turned livid with anger!

"She has rebelled against me!"

"Tell me!"

"I want to see if she dares to kill even me when the time comes!"

The old temple person hesitated a moment, then slowly said: "The princess went to Splendid Yang Mountain."

"To Splendid Yang Mountain?" Lu Zhiyuan wondered: "What is she going there to do?"

The old temple person's expression stiffened, trembling as he said: "The princess... she... she herself prepared wedding attire..."

"What!?"

Lu Zhiyuan abruptly stood up, somewhat doubting if he had misheard.

"You said the princess prepared what?"

The old temple person trembled: "Wedding... wedding attire."

"She said... she said she wants to marry herself to Young Hero Fang."

After saying this, the old temple person lay prostrate on the ground, awaiting Lu Zhiyuan's furious wrath.

On the high platform, Lu Zhiyuan's expression was complex as he paced back and forth.

Then——

"Hahaha... this girl!"

"Indeed worthy of being my daughter!"

"Get up."

The old temple person trembled as he stood up, somewhat disbelieving, secretly glanced at Lu Zhiyuan, not understanding why he laughed.

A proper state princess, she prepared her own wedding attire, intending to go to someone else's wedding and marry herself off there.

This is utterly a tremendous disgrace.

In his opinion, Lu Zhiyuan ought to be angry, right?

"Liao An, hurry and have people prepare more gifts!"

"Also, have the Ceremonial Officer and the Grand Priest come to me."

"Yes!"

The old temple attendant dared not ask further and hurriedly retreated.

Huayang Mountain.

Lu Qingluo was currently sitting in the small courtyard where she once resided as an inner door disciple.

Looking at everything in the courtyard, her face alternated between wistfulness and a smile.

Two maidservants stood silently at her side.

Among them, the green‑clad maid bowed and said, "Princess, the wedding attire is ready; would you like to try it on?"

Lu Qingluo snapped to attention, turned to look at the phoenix crown and rosy robe hanging in the room, smiled, and said, "Then let's try it on first."

"By the way, has Fang Xu arrived?"

The yellow‑clad maid beside her bowed and said, "They have already arrived."

"Tomorrow is the wedding day; I personally saw Young Hero Fang enter through the mountain gate."

Lu Qingluo nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face, then walked straight into the room to try on the wedding attire.

Ascension Society Main Hall.

Since the Divine Palace disciples and the Ascension Society members began preparing early, the entirety of Huayang Mountain has been decked with lanterns and banners, filled with festive cheer.

Inside the main hall, Fang Xu listened to the reports and felt a bit overwhelmed.

"Grand Elder, just handle these matters yourself."

"You don't need to consult me on everything."

Looking at Zhongli Hui, Fang Xu said helplessly.

Zhongli Hui clasped his hands and said, "Palace Master, marriage is a major affair; it must be treated with caution."

Fang Xu gave a slight shake of his head and a wry smile.

It would be better to let him worry about these things than to find someone to have a satisfying fight with.

One doesn't realize how many elaborate rites there are until one actually gets married.

According to their arrangements, completing this wedding will take at least three days.

Is this a wedding, or is it just asking for trouble?

"If that's the case…"

Fang Xu thought for a moment and then put forward a bunch of suggestions.

"My idea is to keep things simple; eliminate any elaborate rites if possible."

"Well…" Zhongli Hui was about to say something, but Fang Xu immediately interjected, "Grand Elder, I said you should decide; if you're unwilling, then I've decided now—if you're not satisfied, I'll wash my hands of it and leave it all to you."

Zhongli Hui stared, then said helplessly, "Palace Master, rites cannot be omitted; since you don't want to worry about them, I'll have to overstep."

"Sure!"

Fang Xu immediately spoke up.

That's exactly what he had been waiting for Zhongli Hui to say.

After dumping all the worries on him, Fang Xu went straight to the small courtyard where he once lived as an inner door disciple.

He pushed open the courtyard gate; the layout inside remained unchanged.

Only the plants in the courtyard, long untended, had withered.

Looking at everything in the courtyard, memories welled up in his heart.

He remembered that back then, due to a deviation in his cultivation, he had been unconscious for over a year.

Throughout that time, Yun Wan never left his side, helping him wash his body and watching over him.

The plants in the courtyard were also those Yun Wan had planted back then.

But a century has passed, and now those plants have withered and dried up.

He pushed open the room door, and some dust fell down.

Fang Xu waved his hand to dispel the lingering dust and took in his surroundings.

It felt as if he had returned to the time when he was an inner door disciple.

He wiped a handful of dust from the bed, shook his head, then picked up the wooden bucket nearby, drew a bucket of well water in the courtyard, grabbed a rag, and began cleaning.

In fact, with his current ability, a wave of his hand could clear away all the dust here.

But doing so seemed to lose the fun.

After a thorough cleaning and wiping, the room looked completely renewed.

Fang Xu sat quietly on the bed, thinking of nothing and doing nothing.

Time passed bit by bit.

Fang Xu slowly lay down, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Night fell.

A figure crept in, moving furtively.

Fang Xu suddenly woke up, but upon sensing who it was, he suddenly smiled.

"How did you find your way here?"

That figure sat right beside Fang Xu, leaning her head on his shoulder.

I looked around, but no one knows where you went.

Later, I heard the disciples on the mountain say they saw you heading this way.

So I guessed you came running here.

Yun Wan lifted her head, giving a half-smile as she stared at Fang Xu's face: "I didn't expect you to still be someone who cherishes the past."

Fang Xu laughed and flicked her nose bridge: "Is it bad to cherish the past?"

Yun Wan wrinkled her nose, then leaned her head against Fang Xu's shoulder again.

"Thanks to you for what happened back then." Fang Xu said, stroking her hair.

"Mm." Yun Wan gave a soft hum.

"I have something I want to be frank about with you." Fang Xu suddenly spoke.

Yun Wan was a little curious: "What is it?"

"It's about your second uncle." Fang Xu organized his thoughts and spoke.

Second uncle?

Yun Wan looked at Fang Xu doubtfully, then frowned and asked: "Was my second uncle killed by you?"

Fang Xu gave a bitter smile: "Are you stupid?"

"When your second uncle died, he was a Martial Sovereign, while I wasn't even a Martial Apprentice back then—how could I have killed him?"

Yun Wan tilted her head, thinking: "That's also..."

"What is that?"

Fang Xu slowly recounted what happened back then.

"Back then, I went to the charity hall with Wang's sister-in-law just to burn some paper money for Second Dog Brother."

"But I unintentionally discovered your second uncle's corpse, and the cultivation technique hidden in his shoe soles."

"So you took the cultivation technique with you?" Yun Wan glared.

Fang Xu gave a bitter smile.

At that time, he had no idea that a copy of the Divine Extension Canon would bring about his current changes.

"Well done, you!"

"I just found out you're quite capable."

"Back in Maple Forest Town, the young master Li Xun, the Divine Extension Sect, and later the Ascension Society all wanted to put you to death."

"Plus the Wu family, and Wu!"

"As a result, you, a nobody who wasn't even a Martial Apprentice, managed to maneuver among all the factions and survived."

"In the end, they died or perished, and only you remained alive."

Fang Xu gave an embarrassed smile: "Protagonist halo, protagonist halo..."

Yun Wan blinked doubtfully: "What?"

"Nothing..." Fang Xu hurriedly said.

"By the way, back then did you really never suspect me?" Fang Xu quickly changed the subject.

Yun Wan shook her head: "I'm not stupid either."

"Actually, after we went into the mountains to suppress the bandits, I guessed that whatever your second uncle brought out couldn't possibly have fallen into the hands of the Ti Lan Mountain bandits."

"The guard of the charity hall isn't stupid; if he got the technique, he definitely wouldn't dare to act openly in Qing He County."

"As another person who entered the charity hall, that thing is very likely in your hands."

Fang Xu looked at Yun Wan with some doubt: "Then why did you let me go?"

Yun Wan shook her head: "I don't know either."

"Perhaps it was during the Wu calamity that night, when you desperately tried to save the common folk, that moved me."

"Or perhaps seeing you, in order to survive, compromise and try every means to curry favor with Li Xun, your resilience in maneuvering among the factions moved me."

"Many times, I really wanted to bring you back to Huangzhou to interrogate you about the whereabouts of the technique."

"But only after that night, when you told me those things and helped me think of a way to deal with Li Xun's forced marriage, did I finally give up the idea of acting against you."

Fang Xu realized.

"It seems I was really lucky back then."

"There's still something you haven't said." Yun Wan suddenly spoke.

Fang Xu blinked slightly: "What is it?"

"Your affair with Wang's sister-in-law." Yun Wan said coldly: "She's a married woman—how did you hook up with her?"

"What do you mean by 'hook up'? Don't speak so harshly!" Fang Xu hurriedly said.

"Hmph!" Yun Wan snorted: "That's not hooking up—what is it then?"

"It's mutual affection." Fang Xu said: "Besides, my relationship with Wang's sister-in-law only began after Wang Er Gou died."

"Before he died, we were absolutely innocent!"

"Innocent?" Yun Wan gave him a skeptical look and coldly snorted: "In that dump of Maple Forest Town, with a beautiful young married woman like Wang's sister-in-law, a hot-blooded young man like you must have been eyeing her all along."

"Wronged!" Fang Xu repeatedly protested.

"Can't be bothered with you." Yun Wan gave a cold snort, leaned back, and lay down.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting her curvaceous figure in an especially alluring light.

Fang Xu took a glance and lunged straight at her.

"Yah! What are you doing?" Yun Wan exclaimed, but the next moment she could no longer speak.

In the courtyard not far away.

Lu Qing Luo sat before the oil lamp, chin in hand, pondering tomorrow's affairs.

A breeze blew, and a faint, intermittent murmuring sound drifted over, making her involuntarily frown.

After hearing the sound clearly, Lu Qingluo couldn't help but spit lightly: "You shameless couple, you have no sense of discretion at all!"

Bang!

She slammed the window shut, then went straight to the bed and lay down.

The soft, winding sound continued to come intermittently to her ears, making her face flush.

It wasn't until the east showed a fish‑belly white that the sound gradually grew urgent and then faded away.

Sigh—

Finally, it's over!

On the bed, Lu Qingluo couldn't help but let out a long breath.

That night, she had been tormented quite badly.

Seeing that the sky had already brightened, she lost any desire to sleep, got up to stroll around, and then, wearing her wedding dress, would marry herself off.

But as she just stepped out of the gate, she saw two figures emerge from the small courtyard in the distance.

From afar, Lu Qingluo realized that the two were Yun Wan and Fang Xu!

This…

Lu Qingluo stared at them in shock, recalling the sound she had heard last night.

No wonder it sounded somewhat familiar!

That sound was Yun Wan's!

Those two whom she had taken last night to be a shameless couple…

Lu Qingluo's pretty face flushed red, and she hurried back to the courtyard. (End of chapter)