Chapter 139: The Jade Pendant

Wen Xu had recently been pushing toward the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Accumulating his cultivation base was one part of it, but he was also pondering what kind of Dao he should pursue. Perhaps because he was thinking too deliberately, he made little progress and only felt more lost.

Occasionally, he even felt that no Dao was quite right for him. Whenever his thoughts reached this point, he would interrupt his meditation and head to the Sword Practice Terrace to practice his swordplay. As a result, the frequency of his sword practice had increased quite a bit lately.

Venerable Chengwei had gotten drunk somewhere. When he woke up, he saw his young disciple practicing his swordplay again. How hardworking. If he had possessed this kind of determination back then, his old master would have been so happy he would have drunk for three days and three nights straight.

“Your disciple greets you, Master.”

“Why haven’t you gone down the mountain to play lately?” Ah, other masters only urged their disciples to work hard, yet he was so good that he urged his disciple to go out and play every day. Chengwei thought about it and couldn’t help but praise himself in his heart for being such a responsible, good master.

“Reporting to Master, I have been a bit too conspicuous down the mountain lately.”

Chengwei did a quick calculation. “Has time really passed so quickly? Is the sect recruiting new disciples again?” He hadn’t realized that he and A-Xu had been master and disciple for six years now. It felt like the blink of an eye.

“Yes, this year seems even livelier than the last.”

Venerable Chengwei still loved a good spectacle. “How is it lively? Don’t tell me another Mutated Spiritual Root has come to apply to Yonglu Mountain?”

“Not quite. The City Lord’s Mansion is hosting a joyous event today.”

Venerable Chengwei immediately perked up. “What joyous event? Accepting a disciple? Or forming a Dao partnership?”

Wen Xu shook his head. “Neither.” He then briefly explained the marriage alliance between the two cities.

“Ah, I see. Then that doesn’t count as much of a spectacle.” Venerable Chengwei naturally knew of Lin Xingheng, but to him, whether it was the current Xia Huainan, Lin Xingheng, or the current leaders of the Five Great Sects, they were all juniors. “A commonplace wedding like this, and they have the nerve to invite you too?”

Wen Xu: …They were probably just being polite.

As the master and disciple were talking, a Transmission Talisman suddenly flew over. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, Wen Xu knew that Chunzhou had emerged from seclusion. However, in front of his master, he naturally wouldn’t be so impolite as to open it directly.

“Aren’t you going to open it and listen?”

Wen Xu: …Fine. He just hoped Chunzhou hadn’t said anything shocking.

He touched it with his spiritual energy, and Bian Chunzhou’s distinctively crisp and lively voice leaped out:

“Wen Xuxu, super reliable news! Our reporter on the scene, Chen Zuizui, has sent a real-time report. Someone is crashing the wedding at the City Lord’s Mansion to steal the bride! Quick, quick, quick, get over here!”

Wen Xu looked up, meeting his master’s suddenly shining eyes: …

“Wen Xuxu, over here, over here! You got here so fast. I thought you weren’t very interested in watching spectacles.” To be honest, when he received Wen Xuxu’s Transmission Talisman, he was quite surprised. Bian Chunzhou waved his hand vigorously. “But tell me, why did Chen Zuizui run off to the City Lord’s Mansion to watch the ceremony in the first place?”

“Perhaps Senior Sister Xia Ying tricked him into going.” Wen Xu had vaguely heard about the Sect Master’s arrangements. He wouldn’t have minded being dragged along to serve as a figurehead, but unfortunately, the Sect Master hadn’t approached him.

“I see. Hey, why are you wearing a jade pendant today? It looks so formal.”

Wen Xu looked down at the jade pendant he had just put on, thinking to himself that this was no ordinary jade pendant. “Yes, in any case, I cannot tarnish the reputation of Yonglu Mountain.”

“True. You are the disciple of the Divine Venerable, after all. Actually, maybe you shouldn’t go?” Wen Xuxu was too famous lately. It wouldn’t be good if he got roped into something upon arrival. Come to think of it, someone was having their bride stolen; going there to watch the drama was indeed a bit awkward.

“It’s fine. I can disguise myself.”

“What kind of disguise?”

After going down the mountain, Wen Xu changed into dark robes and bought a half-mask from a street stall. Dressed like this, with only the lower half of his face exposed, those familiar with him could easily recognize him at a glance, while strangers wouldn’t bother to pry into his background.

“Wow, that looks pretty good. Wait for me, I’ll go change too.”

Since Wen Xuxu only covered the upper half of his face, he would buy one that covered the left half of his. That way, anyone looking at them would know they were together. Hehe, he would also get one that covered the right half of the face for Chen Zuizui. “Let’s go, let’s go. If we’re too late, Chen Zuizui will already be on his way back.”

But in reality, the wedding crashing at the City Lord’s Mansion had only just begun.

In this marriage alliance between two City Lord’s Mansions, although the bride from the Xia Family was not the Young City Lord, since she was marrying out of the City Lord’s Mansion, the guests naturally took it for granted that this was a mutually beneficial alliance between the two cities. As such, there was no reason to refuse an invitation once received. Even Gu Wufang, the Sect Master of Yonglu Mountain, though unable to attend in person, had sent congratulatory gifts.

Today, the City Lord’s Mansion was incredibly lively. Anyone of status in the city had come. Even those who hadn’t received invitations could enjoy the continuous feast set up outside the mansion; as long as they offered a few words of blessing, anyone could sit down and have a meal.

However, entry to watch the ceremony inside the mansion was much stricter. No one was allowed in without an invitation.

A cultivator’s wedding procession was somewhat different from a mortal one. Xishan City was wealthy and powerful, using a Golden-Feathered Glazed Carriage decorated with seven-colored gems for the procession. It was pulled by eight majestic feathered beasts. Just flying through the sky left brilliant pillars of light behind, and it soon arrived in the airspace above the City Lord’s Mansion.

The carriage circled the City Lord’s Mansion nine times before lowering its cloud ladder. The Seventeenth Young Master, Lin Zhinian, dressed in red robes today, stepped down from the carriage with measured strides. The feathered beasts at the front held the Baozhu in their mouths; as soon as the Baozhu touched the ground, it transformed into a bounty of spiritual treasures, their golden light dazzling the eyes of the guests.

What a grand gesture. City Lord Lin truly doted on his seventeenth son; the rumors were indeed true.

Seeing this, the smile on Patriarch Xia’s face never faded. He kept calling Lin Zhinian his worthy son-in-law and a fine young man; anyone who didn’t know better would think Lin Zhinian was his own eldest son. Of course, Xia Wei was also very happy at this moment. Because his younger sister was frail, he was the one carrying her out on his back to hand her over to Lin Zhinian to board the carriage.

Although Xia Wei was arrogant and selfish, he truly doted on his sister, Xia Rui. He had originally thought that since A-Rui could not cultivate and was in poor health, rather than marrying her off to be mistreated by others, it would be better for him to support her for the rest of her life. As Xia Wei’s sister, marrying an ordinary person would be too much of a grievance, yet he looked down on ordinary cultivators. Who could have expected that on a rare trip out, A-Rui would meet a husband who loved her sincerely?

He hadn’t trusted Lin Zhinian at first either, but A-Rui liked him, and later he saw that Lin Zhinian truly cared for her, so he agreed to the marriage. However, Xishan City was a complex place, and he didn’t know if A-Rui would be able to adapt. “You must take good care of her. Do not make her sad in the future.”

Lin Zhinian nodded solemnly. “Please rest assured, Brother. I will never fail A-Rui.”

Xia Rui lowered her head bashfully at the perfect moment, making the scene incredibly warm and touching. But right then, someone suddenly landed on top of the Golden-Feathered Glazed Carriage on a flying sword, actually stomping the carriage straight down to the ground. If Xia Wei hadn’t pulled Xia Rui away in time, the feathered beasts would have crashed right into them.

“Who dares to cause trouble at my City Lord’s Mansion and ruin this wedding?!”

Patriarch Xia was absolutely furious. He had gone to great lengths to convince Xia Huainan to lend them this venue. As long as today’s wedding went smoothly, the Xia Family’s status would surely skyrocket. Whoever dared to cause trouble today, he would make sure they never returned!

“Cause trouble? I am merely here to set things right.” The newcomer was also dressed in red robes. His face was as handsome as carved jade, and his pleasant temperament was not inferior to Lin Zhinian’s in the slightest. He reached into his robes, pulled out a jade pendant, and threw it over. “Patriarch Xia is a busy man. I wonder if you still recognize this jade pendant?”

Patriarch Xia caught the jade pendant. When he looked closely at it, his heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t this… the betrothal jade pendant his wife had given away all those years ago? How could it be in this person’s hands? But since things had already gone too far, he would absolutely not admit the pendant’s origin. He even channeled his spiritual energy to crush it with a light squeeze, then tossed it to the ground. “Where did this wild scoundrel come from? How dare you speak so arrogantly with a piece of cheap jade! Today, for the sake of my daughter’s wedding, I won’t hold this against you. Leave at once!”

The newcomer simply laughed, then pulled a large handful of jade pendants from his sleeve and threw them into the air, sending a rain of jade showering down. “Since Patriarch Xia doesn’t remember, I can only help those who do recall it a bit more. I have plenty of these pendants, all carved by my own hands, one by one. If Patriarch Xia likes crushing them, feel free to crush as many as you want.”

A quick-witted servant, seeing that things were going awry, had already run to fetch the people who actually called the shots. Soul Transformation Sovereigns arrived in the blink of an eye; Xia Huainan and Lin Xingheng appeared at the same time. When they saw the rain of jade pendants, both of their expressions changed instantly.

“Where did you get this jade pendant?” If one listened closely, Lin Xingheng’s solemn voice actually carried a hint of trembling.

Patriarch Xia had not expected City Lord Lin to actually be in the City Lord’s Mansion. He secretly blamed Xia Huainan for not warning him, and felt anxious about whether the other party would recognize the jade pendant. However, his anxiety did not last long. After all, Soul Transformation Sovereigns had excellent memories.

Lin Xingheng could not possibly fail to recognize the childhood betrothal jade pendant his first wife had given away.

“Where did it come from? Good question. Naturally, this jade pendant has hung on me since I was a child, placed there by my mother’s own hands. If City Lord Lin wants to know anything else, I will certainly answer without reservation.”

The guests fell into an uproar. After all, judging by City Lord Lin’s expression, it was obvious that this jade pendant had an extraordinary origin.

“Your mother…”

“Are you trying to ask if my mother is still alive? Regrettably, she died a long time ago.” A look of pure malice suddenly appeared on the man’s face, as if he had transformed in an instant from a refined gentleman into the King of Hell reincarnate. “Well? I have come today to ask the Xia Family to fulfill the marriage contract. Surely that isn’t too much to ask?”

What marriage contract? Xia Ying had no idea that the Xia Family had promised another marriage contract. How did she not know about this at all? And who was this guy, acting so arrogant?

The three of them only had Foundation Establishment cultivation, so they naturally could not compare to a Soul Transformation Sovereign. They had only just reached the front hall. Chen Zui was not actually very interested in this bride-stealing drama, but he did not expect to look up and see a somewhat familiar face. He thought about it. Oh, right. Wasn’t this the poor soul he had saved on his way back from sending things to his mother the other day?

How had this person suddenly transformed and become so… strange?!

Chen Zui scratched his head, feeling that the minds of the people down the mountain were truly too difficult to understand. When would this ceremony finally end? He wanted to go back to the mountain and practice his saber.