Chapter 221: The Grand Wedding

Niu Dingtian's figure appeared on the high slope at an unknown time, his dark‑as‑ink robe hem and hair bun gently fluttering in the sea wind, rippling like flowing water.

Seeing Miss Huang staring blankly, he withdrew his gaze from his cane, fixed his eyes on the beautiful woman's face, and softly said, "We haven't met for two years; does Rong'er no longer recognize me?"

Miss Huang bit her lower lip tightly, tears welled up from her apricot eyes and she choked out, "Y‑you, when did you emerge from seclusion…?"

As she spoke, she tried to reach out to wipe her tears; the moment her hand left the cane, her foot gave way and she fell to the ground.

"Junior sister!"

Mei Chaofeng cried out.

But before she could rush over, a flash of black shadow swooped in and already cradled her in its arms.

"I knew you'd catch me," Miss Huang clung tightly to Niu Dingtian's chest, tear‑filled eyes sobbing, "My leg is like this now; will you despise me?"

"Never despise you!"

Niu Dingtian answered resolutely.

Pressing his profile affectionately against Miss Huang's cheek, Niu Dingtian felt a sweet fragrance envelop his body, the slope, the whole world.

He gently closed his eyes and whispered, "I emerged from seclusion, dealt with a great enemy, and as soon as I learned the news I came to find you."

"Back then I planted explosives, intending to lure the awakened one in, but I ended up harming Rong'er. Soon Brother Niu will take Rong'er to treat her leg."

"Do you have a method?" Miss Huang twitched her delicate nose, tears trembling on her lashes.

Though her heart fluttered with surprise, she was not as excited as imagined; simply being held like this made a future limp worthwhile.

Niu Dingtian gave a light hum and said softly, "The problem isn't the problem; it just costs some effort, and Rong'er will have to endure a bit of hardship."

While they talked, Mei Chaofeng had already left the seaside with the mute girl. Not long after, a figure in blue appeared not far from them.

It was Huang Yaoshi, who had rushed here upon hearing the news.

Upon seeing Niu Dingtian, Huang Yaoshi's face was shrouded in a cold frost, his thin lips slightly turned down, outlining a stern curve.

"Possibly cured?"

He got straight to the point, no idle words; if not for his concern for his daughter's leg injury, he wouldn't even be thinking of striking this kid now.

"Uncle, just prepare a quiet place for me," Niu Dingtian lifted his head, looking at Huang Yaoshi.

Two years apart, the old Tai Shan now showed white hair at the temples, clearly exhausted by his daughter's leg injury.

"Follow me!" Huang Yaoshi, though suppressing himself, still showed a trace of excitement on his face.

Niu Dingtian nodded lightly, clutching Miss Huang tightly and following right behind him.

Mountain waist, Feng Heng Mausoleum

Returning here again, Niu Dingtian looked around, feeling rather emotional. Five years ago, it was also here that he healed the wound of the one in his arms.

"Brother Niu, you still haven't repaid the compensation you owed Rong'er back then."

After the three entered the secret chamber from five years ago, Miss Huang, lying in Niu Dingtian's arms, suddenly smiled mischievously.

Back then she took a palm strike from this man; the promised compensation was to be given at her request, but she never formally asked.

During that time, before he left, Niu Dingtian left her the coveted Rippling Wave Steps, yet she had refrained from practicing them.

Looking back now, the naive feeling then was simply not wanting to settle accounts with this man.

Niu Dingtian smiled faintly, "If Rong'er has decided, feel free to ask. For the suffering you endured, Brother Niu will grant you another compensation, how about that?"

"Brother Niu thinks the debt is too heavy to bear," Miss Huang giggled teasingly.

Huang Yaoshi saw the two leaning on each other as if no one were there, wanted to snort coldly, but thinking this was the first time in two years he saw his daughter so happy, he silently went to the lantern tower and lit an oil lamp.

"What else should I prepare, old man?"

After lighting several lanterns, Huang Yaoshi asked lightly.

Niu Dingtian shook his head, carefully placed Miss Huang onto the stone bed, and said softly, "Rong'er's broken bones have now set; to fully recover, we must break the set fragments again and then re‑join them properly."

"Can you re‑join them all?"

Huang Yaoshi furrowed his brows and asked.

He had been troubled by this for years, wanting to mend the shattered bones so they grow together, unless he were to split his daughter's leg open.

"Uncle, rest assured, there's no problem," Niu Dingtian replied with a gentle nod.

For ordinary sect masters, even pre‑celestial masters, this might still be extremely difficult.

But in the Celestial Being Realm, with terrifying mental perception, one can clearly picture the internal condition in the mind, supplement it with true Qi entering the body, and thus manipulate bone suturing and meridian continuation at will.

Hearing this, Huang Yaoshi relaxed.

Niu Dingtian looked at Miss Huang and said softly, "There will be some pain later; if Rong'er can't bear it, just squeak, and I can make you fall into a deep sleep."

"No need, Rong'er can endure," Miss Huang shook her head, her gaze firm.

The original pain was unforgettable; during these two years of treatment she had endured many more, and the feeling had long since become numb.

She glanced down at her legs, thinking of being touched and examined later, and felt a little embarrassed.

After a slight hesitation, she looked at her own father and whispered, "Father, you go out first."

Huang Yaoshi was slightly stunned, then recovered, and with a cold face walked out of the secret chamber.

Miss Huang gave Niu Dingtian another look, then blushed and settled onto the stone bed.

"When the bones are re‑joined later, Rong'er, take this," Niu Dingtian handed over a ceramic bottle, the very spiritual spring water he had taken from the cave.

Of course, it wasn't barrel‑filled bath water, but the purest, rarest portion of the spring's source.

Miss Huang took the bottle, and as soon as she opened it, she smelled the familiar scent.

Before she could indulge, Niu Dingtian's warning rang out, and the pain striking her leg gave her a sudden start.

"Maybe you can endure?"

Niu Dingtian couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow.

No girl isn't afraid of pain; if not for the spiritual method that easily damages the soul, he would not wish the beauty to suffer again. Miss Huang's eyes were resolute, teeth clenched, nodding; fine beads of sweat already dotted her pale neck and forehead.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian released his grip, and amid a muffled crack, the smooth, white, slender leg in his hand gradually swelled and reddened.

……

Half a shi‑cheng later

Huang Yaoshi, who was standing beside his wife's jade coffin, suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

"Rong'er, how is she?"

He turned and asked urgently.

The sternness between his brows vanished; at this moment, there was only concern for his daughter.

Niu Dingtian glanced toward the jade coffin and said softly, "Uncle, rest assured, she is already fine. As for walking, wait another two days, until the bones have hardened."

Huang Yaoshi exhaled a sigh upon hearing this, but then fell silent.

Niu Dingtian murmured lightly and added, "In a few days, I wish to marry Rong'er; please grant your approval, Uncle."

Hearing this, Huang Yaoshi's face was like dark water, remaining silent without reply.

"You give me a different feeling," he said, turning with his hands behind his back, looking at his wife in the jade coffin, and suddenly spoke.

"Back then, I lost A'ang for the sake of my martial arts; two years ago, you closed your sect and almost lost Rong'er."

"I would very much like to refuse you, but I know I cannot stop you; give me a reason that can convince me."

Niu Dingtian said calmly, "If ghosts and deities truly exist in this world, I should be the one closest to them. Before I leave this world, no one shall cause Rong'er any harm, not even a speck."

Ghosts and deities, huh…

"Half a month ago you were at Shaoshi Mountain?" Huang Yaoshi raised an eyebrow slightly, suddenly asked, his heart also uneasy.

"Those five were not killed by me; I only killed an old ghost," Niu Dingtian said evenly, though it went against his heart.

Although he did not act personally, by using the old monk as a pretext to lure Wang Chongyang and others, he was hardly noble.

He returned to Jiugong Mountain this morning and learned that the events at Shaoshi Mountain had already spread wildly through the jianghu; the identities of the five were essentially confirmed.

And turning living people into that form, perhaps few in the world could accept it; it's better to keep this secret inside one's own belly.

Moreover, the Breathing Method is far from ordinary.

In the past, he might have confused the boundary between North Darkness Divine Skill and the Breathing Method when devouring, but after entering the Celestial Being Realm, the distinction became crystal clear.

It is a technique sealed within one's own divine soul; the higher the realm, the deeper one can comprehend its mysteries.

Unlike before, when he unconsciously used North Darkness Divine Skill to wield devouring power, that day while devouring the old monk, he employed the Devouring Divine Skill derived from the Breathing Method, as understood after entering the Celestial Being Realm.

The divine skill, though profound, has a flaw: those below the Celestial Being seem unable to cultivate it.

After a long, long silence, Huang Yaoshi sighed and said, "Back then at the Huashan Sword Meeting, Brother Wang Chongyang's strength was unrivaled; I never imagined he would one day feign death and hide, only to meet such an end."

Niu Dingtian whispered, "It's merely a Celestial Being lingering in this world, cutting off the innate path of life; no one can be indifferent to their own life and death."

"A Celestial Being lingering in this world?"

Huang Yaoshi turned and looked at Niu Dingtian.

Niu Dingtian then laid out the whole story of the Celestial Being Realm shattering into void and the old monk.

"Then you…" Perhaps recalling something, Huang Yaoshi's complexion changed slightly.

"I have a temporary method to linger," Niu Dingtian interrupted in a deep voice, "When the day comes that I must depart, I will leave this world!"

So, I intend to complete the northern expedition before I leave; after I finish my marriage, I will force the Jin State emperor to wage war on the Mongols. If he does not dare, I will strike him first; then, I ask you, Father‑in‑law, to come out and aid me.

"And then?"

Huang Yaoshi, expressionless, said, "You would again usurp the title of emperor and turn to attack the Great Song?"

Niu Dingtian remained silent, neither denying nor confirming.

The imperial capital, where the emperor resides, is imbued with auspicious qi; this is something only the Celestial Being Realm can sense, and he could not remain unmoved.

If not for fearing that it would provoke a heavenly calamity, he had planned to go personally to deal with Tie Mu Zhen; why bother with a troublesome northern expedition?

"The barbarian dust rises, the Central Plains calamity, horses trample the Central Plains, the masses weep blood. The heavenly signs have appeared; Father‑in‑law, please reconsider."

Sensing Huang Yaoshi's subtle inner struggle, Niu Dingtian did not press further, left a cryptic remark, and gently walked out of the tomb chamber.

Evening time,

Having slept half a day in the secret chamber, Miss Huang had already awakened; Niu Dingtian did not let her walk immediately, but fetched a wheelchair and personally pushed it from behind.

After dinner, the two went to the Emerald Pavilion in the bamboo grove; bamboo leaves rustled in the wind, moonlight filtered through the gaps, and on Miss Huang's bright smiling face could be seen a deep sweetness.

"Brother Niu, Rong'er has decided."

Miss Huang slightly turned her head, propped her chin with her right hand, and looked at Niu Dingtian with curved eyebrows and eyes.

Niu Dingtian was startled for a moment, then brightened, and laughed, "Has Rong'er decided what compensation she wants?"

Miss Huang giggled, then smiled brightly, "First, I want you never to leave Rong'er; second, never to make Rong'er angry."

Having said that, a hint of expectation could be seen in her bright beautiful eyes.

"So simple?" Niu Dingtian showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, pondered briefly, and said softly, "Brother Niu will comply with you."

Though his mouth said so, in his heart he silently thought to try his best; when the day of departure comes, he hopes you, Brother Niu, will not blame him.

The following three days,

Niu Dingtian stayed on Peach Blossom Island to accompany Miss Huang; after three days, he carefully examined her legs, confirmed they were fine, and then left Peach Blossom Island alone.

That day, Jiugong Mountain sent out wedding invitations far and wide, and news spread through the jianghu that the Sun Moon Divine Sect leader Niu Dingtian was getting married.

Even more explosive was that this fellow intended to marry eight at once!

This made countless passersby and jianghu folk enviously gawk, and in an instant, crowds surged toward Xiangyang to watch the spectacle. (End of chapter)