Chapter 34 – The Great Marriage
Book 9: Chapter 34 – The Great Marriage
An enormous ship tore through the crack in space, barreling through the clouds. Several Transcendents looked down to see the Snowrock Castle currently covered in colorful lights.
“We’ve arrived at Snowrock Castle!”
“I still remember that time, 50 years ago, when I saw Dong Bo’s Transcendent Battle of Life and Death. After witnessing it, I knew that Brother Dong Bo would have an extraordinary future. Indeed, as I’d guessed, he hasn’t even cultivated for 100 years and he is already stronger than the Eternal Wind Knight was back then! It’s such a pity…that he’s been plotted against by the Sorcerer God and the Great Demonic God. He, the most heaven-shaking Transcendent in the history of the Xia Clan, ended up crippled. My heart aches terribly when I think of it!”
“Today, a very joyous matter will take place for Dong Bo Xue Ying. Stop talking about that rubbish!”
“Right, it’s a very joyous occasion. Everything else can wait!”
The enormous ship descended slowly.
A male humanoid lion walked in the lead, with the other Transcendents following behind.
“Older Brother Tan Shi.” The red-garbed Xue Ying and his wife, Jing Qiu, stepped up to welcome them. “And the fellow Transcendents of the Sea Deity Palace.”
“Younger Brother Dong Bo.” Tan Shi laughed. “I congratulate you! You’ve acquired the most beautiful flower of all among the Xia Clan Transcendents. You don’t even know how many Transcendents are grinding their teeth behind your back!”
“Haha, it doesn’t matter. For today, we’ll let them come and drink a few rounds. Wouldn’t that help them wash away their resentment?” Xue Ying joked. “Oh, right. I haven’t yet congratulated Brother Tan Shi for stepping into the Demigod realm.”
“It was merely a sudden breakthrough. The Palace Head did not even let me participate in the assault on the Demonic Faction Headquarters. I have many regrets for missing such a grand event,” Tai Shi replied.
Leftmound Knight Tan shi had just went through a sudden breakthrough, and he was still in the process of stabilizing his foundation. Not only that, as a novice initial stage Demigod Knight, he would not have even been of any help if he participated in the assault, which is why Palace Head Chen did not approve of him tagging along. After all, Chi Qiu Bai and Tan Shi were the two most outstanding Transcendents of their generation.
“Some other Transcendents have arrived so I must go and welcome them first. Fellow Transcendents, please come in and sit!” Xue Ying said with Jing Qiu smiling by his side.
“Alright.”
The Sea Deity Palace’s Transcendents went ahead inside while Xue Ying took his wife along to welcome another batch of Transcendents.
……
Transcendent marriages did not have as many rules as those of mortals. Some Transcendents even found it too bothersome to organize any ceremony, since, considering their long lifespans, it would not affect them in any way.
The ceremony organized by Xue Ying and Jing Qiu was similarly simple.
The two of them went around, accompanying a few good friends and guests for several drinks, taking the chance to inform everyone that they were officially husband and wife.
Xue Ying and Jing Qiu went over to where Chi Qiu Bai sat. “Brother Eternal Wind, come, let me and my wife offer you a toast.”
Chi Qiu Bai immediately stood up. Despite doing his best to cover it up, he couldn’t help but show a complicated expression. Xue Ying also knew of it…and every Transcendent had heard about it before. Chi Qiu Bai had went through his loved one being taken from him, and after that day, his hair turned white overnight, and he went crazy with his cultivation and rapidly broke through. But everyone knew that deep in his heart, he was drowning in pain, so they would normally avoid the subject.
“Xue Ying, Jing Qiu,” Chi Qiu Bai said. “You two are Transcendents hailing from our Tranquil Sun Province, and I’ve always treated you as my brother and sister. Xue Ying, I truly feel bad to see you suffer, but you and Jing Qiu have each other as lovers, so you’re better off than countless others. Remember to treasure that fact.”
“Mn.” Xue Ying and Jing Qiu looked at each other and could not help but reveal smiles.
“It’s unbearable for me to see these sweet like honey feelings you have for each other. Go on and find some others to drink with, quick.” Chi Qiu Bai chased them away.
Xue Ying and his wife immediately left.
Chi Qiu Bai continued sitting there. Even though he was covering up his feelings, he still continued downing bowl after bowl of wine; his eyes were deep and cast far away.
“Haha… Disciple Brother Xue Ying, Disciple Sister Jing Qiu, quickly come over.”
“Woah, Disciple Brother Xue Ying, you look so handsome wearing that red gown.”
This was the group of Transcendents from the Scarlet Cloud Mountain. Xue Ying and Jing Qiu had also been part of that group, so they were extremely familiar with them. They were toasting wine amongst them.
DIsciple Sister Du Rou Rou was grinning from ear to ear, Wen Yong An remained his cheerful self, and Wu Cang was as stoic as ever. He only ever said a few words of congratulations when being toasted. Yu Feng, Pu Yang Bo, and Zhang Peng were all much chattier.
“Disciple Brother Xue Ying, Disciple Sister Jing Qiu, seeing the two of you together makes me really happy. I’ll raise a toast to you first.” Not one to speak much normally, Yuan Qing actually took the initiative to raise a toast for this occasion.
Xue Ying and Jing Qiu both viewed this disciple brother of theirs favorably and chatted with him for a while. Yuan Qing himself was clearly quite excited.
“Disciple Brother Xue Ying, Disciple Sister Jing Qiu,” Zhuo Yi’s gentle and pleasant voice sounded out.
Jing Qiu’s showed a faint smile as she looked towards Xue Ying.
It was not a secret among the disciples of the Scarlet Cloud Mountain World that Zhuo Yi had a crush on Xue Ying.
“Seeing the two of you come together is a joyous matter. This disciple sister will also raise a toast to you,” she said. The emotions in her heart were truly complex. Once, she had admired this young man’s enormous innate talent, but after Si Kong Yang berated him, she began keeping a distance from him. Soon after, though, he began rising once more, yet her attempts at chasing him were in vain. Whether he was frustrated, or showing a dazzling figure, he would always keep her at a distance.
As she looked at him turning from such a dazzling star into a cripple, with even his lifespan limited, Zhuo Yi couldn’t help feeling regret.
Even so, Zhuo Yi had still harbored some hope… If she could marry him, even for just one or two hundred years, wouldn’t it still be quite an accomplishment to have become the wife of such an important man in the history of the Xia Clan?
Nevertheless, it was a pity, but Xue Ying held no feelings towards her. The person he loved instead was her Disciple Sister, Jing Qiu.
……
Xue Ying accompanied the various Transcendents for drinking and chatting. Most of the Demigods had sent their Qi Avatars or Magic Avatars over, since their true bodies had to stand guard over their respective territories. After all, the Xia Clan world was not as peaceful as it might have seemed at the surface. Brewing in the dark was an event transcending so many other incidents in the countless generations of the Xia Clan. They had to remain alert against the Sorcerer God and the Great Demonic God.
酒终人散。
As they finished drinking their wine, the Transcendents began dispersing.
Come afternoon, they all started to leave. For the sake of maintaining a positive appearance, Xue Ying had even taken an extra dose of medicine! Jing Qiu did not want him to do that, but he thought…that the day of his marriage would be one of the most important days of his life together with Jing Qiu. How disgraceful would it have been for him to greet his friends with a pale face covered in sweat?
The Transcendents left in Snowrock Castle became fewer and fewer. Palace Head Chen exchanged a few words with Xue Ying and then also took his leave.
“Xue Ying.” The last person who came was Chao Qing.
Xue Ying greeted him back, “Vice Faction Head Chao.”
“I’m sure you know of the Crimson Rock Mountain as well, right?” Chao Qing suddenly said.
“Mn.” Xue Ying nodded.
“I’ll be entering there in a few days,” Chao Qing continued. “I’m old, but I’ve actually managed to condense a True Deity heart before the end of my lifespan. I’ve thus decided to bet on the Crimson Rock Mountain. Even though my chances are slim, I’ll still take the gamble. Who knows, I might even become a Deity, hahaha… Well, that doesn’t matter too much. If I can’t do it, that’s fine, but it’d be even better if I can. Everything boils down to luck in the end. But for you, Xue Ying, my heart still aches.”
Xue Ying felt a warmth spreading through his heart.
Chao Qing had actually always paid attention to him, perhaps because he was old, and had the instinct to protect the young. Even back when Si Kong Yang was left disappointed in Xue Ying, Chao Qing was instead just worried that he might meet a setback, leading him to a total collapse.
“With my ordinary talent, I was able to live to the end of my lifespan and even condense a True Deity Heart before I died. But you, Xue Ying, your innate talent is heaven-shaking, and you’ve only cultivated for less than a hundred years, but in the end…” Chao Qing shook his head, his heart aching. Xue Ying had only cultivated for a total of 80 years. To Transcendents, with their long lifespans, he was merely a little doll!
Xue Ying replied, “Everyone has their own destiny. There’s no point in resenting the heavens or anyone else. During the war with the demons, so many Transcendents of our Xia Clan have died, yet I remained alive. Furthermore, I can still live together with my life for more than a hundred years, and to me, that is a blessing. Amongst the mortals, how many could attain a life like mine? In other words, I’ve already transcended those billions for mortals.”
Chao Qing nodded, “Xue Ying, I most admire the state of your heart. If this old man had met such a huge setback at your age, I might have turned crazy long ago.”
“Oh, right. Does that Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison affect your cultivation?” Chao Qing asked.
Xue Ying nodded. “Indeed, it’s become quite difficult. I need my full concentration to focus on comprehending the True Meanings, and the influence of the hexing poison practically prevents me from pondering the True Meanings. Fortunately, I can still train my spear techniques.”
There were downsides and benefits to it.
The downside was that, while training his spear techniques, he might reach several forks in the path and he could no longer concentrate to tell apart the correct ones from the wrong ones.
On the other side, the benefit was that he could forgo all influences and even apprehension he had towards the True Meanings. One of heart and thought…he would seek to strengthen his spear techniques! It little mattered whether his True Meanings were affected or not, as long as his spear techniques became even stronger! That was enough for him! After all, under such agonizing pain, he could barely even focus on cultivating his True Meanings.
“Not bad, you have a wife to accompany you, and something you love to do.” Chao Qing nodded. “Alright, this old man will be leaving first! Let’s not treat this meeting as our last! Haha, if this old man truly becomes a Deity, and I end up leaving the Crimson Rock Mountain alive, we might even get a chance to meet again.”
“Let me be the first to congratulate you on your success, Old Chao,” Xue Ying said.
“Hehe, I already know how slim my chances are. But I at least get to check out the Crimson Rock Mountain before I die, and that’s enough to make even this old man’s blood boil!” Chao Qing laughed before turning into a stream of particles and shooting up into the sky.
Xue Ying turned his vision upwards. Would he ever get the chance to meet this lovely old man again?
He had no idea why, but… despite never meeting his grandfather, he still got a grandfatherly feeling from Chao Qing.
Old Chao, take care! Xue Ying silently prayed.
……
In the three months he remained at Snowrock Castle, he finished arranging everything he could, such as passing the Transcendent Seven Flavor Flowers to his parents. One autumn day, before noon, Jing Qiu and Xue Ying began their journey to travel the world!
“Big brother, you must remember to send back lots of letters! I’ll go find the two of you as often as possible,” Qing Shi shouted out.
“Haha… rest assured!”
On a road at the foot of Snowrock Mountain.
Two Snowstriders were letting loose of their hooves as they dashed forward. Xue Ying and Jing Qiu were each riding one of the horses. They were carefree and at ease as they begun their journey around the world.
“You told me that in the future, you would always accompany me—as I walk to every cranny of the world, eat all of the delicacies from everywhere, and view the many beautiful sceneries. You must remember to never go back on your words.”
“Rest assured, I shall listen to you on every matter. If you ask me to turn left, I won’t turn right. If you ask me to go forward, I won’t move back. How’s that, am I obedient enough?”
“Mn, mn. Not bad, not bad.”
Author’s note:
This is the end of volume nine.
In fact, this is not merely the end of volume nine, but also the end of the first section of Lord Xue Ying. This first part was merely the beginning. According to the plans of I Eat Tomatoes, Dong Bo Xue Ying is an extremely charming character with frightening innate talent. He is also the character who the author loves most. This entire first section was meant for everyone to understand Dong Bo Xue Ying’s character, and was also meant as a foundation for the entire novel. The later sections and volumes will be the true start as the plot begins surging forward and unfolding on a magnificent scale.