Chapter 63: An Empty Bluff?

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: An Empty Bluff?

On November 25th, a festive air filled the Martial Arts Arena before Lingyun Hall on Cuiyun Peak of Yunmeng Mountain.

The wedding escort from Lingyun Sect and the welcoming party from the Celestial Derivation Sect were fully assembled, waiting only for the auspicious hour to arrive.

For this marriage alliance, the Celestial Derivation Sect had sent betrothal gifts filling more than ten carriages, while the Lingyun Sect’s dowry was even grander, occupying over thirty.

The thirty-odd carriages of the dowry, adorned with red silk ribbons and double happiness symbols, were now arranged neatly on the Martial Arts Arena.

The disciples of the Lingyun Sect stood in orderly ranks, their faces beaming.

A band, dressed in vibrant red and green, played a joyous melody.

The worst fears of Yu Zongding and Li Mosheng did not come to pass. Yun Xi, dressed in auspicious wedding attire with a red veil over her head, arrived before Lingyun Hall, supported by Matron Chen.

With the red veil obscuring her face, no one could see her expression, but they could faintly make out the familiar silhouette of Yun Xi.

Her expression, her feelings—none of it mattered to most people. All that was important was that she be delivered to the Celestial Derivation Sect on schedule.

Yu Zongding personally recited the ceremonial blessings. With Yun Keji and Li Mosheng acting as representatives for the escort, the procession departed at 7:30 AM.

A chorus of blessings from the disciples erupted across the Martial Arts Arena, accompanied by the deafening crackle of fireworks soaring into the sky.

To Yun Xi’s ears, it all sounded so terribly ironic.

’If the man I were marrying was Chu Fan, these blessings and this grand spectacle would have moved me to tears.’

’But Chu Fan is already dead!’

’Are they celebrating my impending death?’

While dressing, Yun Xi had secretly donned a special, mechanical undergarment. It was a device she had spent the last several days designing and crafting.

If she wished to die, all she had to do was gently pull a silk ribbon hidden within her clothes, and a needle in the undergarment would instantly pierce her heart.

She had promised Chu Fan she would wait until the eighth of December, and she would keep that promise.

’It’s just a shame he can never fulfill his promise to me.’

’As for what will happen to the Lingyun Sect or my parents after I die... I can’t bring myself to think about it anymore.’

’Once I get to the Celestial Derivation Sect and bow to Heaven and Earth with Shui Yuntian, I will owe no one anything, except Chu Fan.’

’Therefore, the moment we are meant to bow to each other as husband and wife will be the end of my life.’

’The bow to Heaven and Earth will repay my debt to the Lingyun Sect and my parents for raising me. To refuse the final bow to my husband is the last shred of dignity I can preserve in this life, and my final pledge to Chu Fan.’

’If there truly is an Underworld, I will find Chu Fan there.’

’In life, I was Chu Fan’s fated, unwed wife.’

’In death, when I reach the Underworld, I will still be his wife.’

’No one can tarnish the sincerity of my love for him. No one.’

Inside the red-curtained carriage, Yun Xi pulled back the fabric to look at the receding scenery of Cuiyun Peak and Yunmeng Mountain.

Those places held all her memories of being with Chu Fan.

There were sweet memories and bitter ones, but most of all, there were unforgettable moments. His handsome, smiling face seemed to linger before her, yet if she reached out to touch it, the image would shatter like Mirror Flower Water Moon.

She spoke silently in her heart, ’Chu Fan, you must be watching me from above, right? I will do what I promised. But you have to wait for me. On the eighth of December, we have a date on the Yellow Springs Road. Don’t leave without me.’

"Don’t leave without me," Yun Xi whispered aloud.

...

After the wedding procession departed, Great Elder Ji Chengding also set off for Nanling County, accompanied by three Elders and four Stewards.

The wedding procession, playing music all along the route, would take ten days to reach the Celestial Derivation Sect on Nanling Mountain.

Ji Chengding’s group, however, flew directly to Nanling County using the Sword Control Technique.

The Lingyun Sect could not afford to miss the auction at Mr. Hong’s Auction House. Of the priceless treasures up for bidding, they had to secure at least a few.

Otherwise, if other Sects obtained these treasures and advanced while the Lingyun Sect stagnated, they would be left far behind.

...

In Nanling County City, at its most bustling intersection, the sign for what was once the city’s largest inn, the Nanling Inn, had been taken down. The entire property—including its street-front shops and the sixteen pavilions in its rear courtyard—was now undergoing a complete renovation.

This was to be the site of Mr. Hong’s Auction House, Nanling Branch.

No one knew what price Mr. Hong’s Auction House had paid for the owner of the Nanling Inn to be willing to sell a property he had operated for centuries.

Regardless, it was a testament to the immense power of Mr. Hong’s Auction House.

Over the past few days, countless Cultivators had converged on Nanling County City, and a great number of people watched the renovation’s progress daily.

At first, they had doubted whether the work could truly be finished in time for the grand opening on the eighth of December.

But seeing the changes each day, no one now doubted that the deadline would be met.

At sunset, Shui Zebo, the Sect Leader of the Celestial Derivation Sect, and Great Elder Li Zeyu arrived at the main entrance of the former Nanling Inn.

Shui Zebo politely addressed a Steward who was busy directing the craftsmen near the entrance. "Pardon me, but could you please inform your Shopkeeper Liu that Shui Zebo, Sect Leader of the Celestial Derivation Sect, and Great Elder Li Zeyu have come to call?"

The Steward turned, glanced at Shui Zebo and Li Zeyu, and showed not a hint of intimidation at their proclaimed identities. He just nodded indifferently. "Wait here. I’ll go report it. Whether the Shopkeeper agrees to see you is not up to me."

After the Steward left, the two men waited, taking in the decorations. What they saw astonished them.

They were seeing with their own eyes the proof of Mr. Hong’s Auction House’s immense wealth.

The window lattices, once covered with simple hemp cloth, had all been replaced with foot-square panes of perfectly clear, transparent glazed glass.

The windows on a single wall alone must have cost no less than one hundred thousand taels of silver.

The original blue tiles on the roof had also been replaced with uniform glazed tiles that glittered brilliantly in the light of the setting sun.

Before they could compose themselves, the Steward returned.

"Our Shopkeeper has agreed to see you. Please, follow me."

The Steward’s tone was still devoid of any respect. Having said his piece, he turned and led the way into the building.

Although Shui Zebo was displeased, he didn’t let it show on his face. The two men followed close behind.

They entered the building, passed through a corridor into the rear courtyard, and stopped before one of the pavilions. The Steward pointed to the entrance. "The Shopkeeper is waiting upstairs. You may go right in."

Shui Zebo remained silent, but Li Zeyu smiled and thanked the Steward, "Thank you for your trouble."

The Steward just gave a careless nod and departed.

Upon entering the pavilion, the two were once again stunned by the opulence within. Every piece of calligraphy and every painting on the walls was an authentic masterpiece by a renowned historical artist.

The attitude of the Steward and Shopkeeper had shifted Shui Zebo’s perspective. He had originally come to gauge their strength, but it now seemed the auction house’s backing was far deeper than he had imagined.

At the very least, this Shopkeeper and Steward didn’t even deign to show respect to the Sect Leader and Great Elder of the Celestial Derivation Sect.

There were only two explanations for such disrespect: one was disdain, the other was ignorance.

’How could the Shopkeeper of such a major branch be an ignorant fool?’

’That can only mean they hold the Sect Leader of the Celestial Derivation Sect in contempt.’

’In other words, the power behind Mr. Hong’s Auction House must be greater than that of the Celestial Derivation Sect.’

Liu Yicai, of course, had no idea what Shui Zebo and Li Zeyu were thinking. If he had, he would have burst out laughing.

His animosity was purely a matter of association; because the Celestial Derivation Sect was Lord Chu’s enemy, he refused to show them any courtesy. It was as simple as that.

There was no bluffing involved at all.