They did not want Luo Bigfoot to send a disciple merely to fight for advantages on their behalf. They only wanted the other party to know that the Jiang family was not without support and that nobody should think of mistreating the patriarch’s daughter.
Luo Bigfoot thought highly of Jiang Tianxing, the Jiang family’s current patriarch, and did not mind helping with such a small matter. Thus the task fell to Xu Zirong.
There were still nearly two weeks until the wedding, so Xu Zirong was in no hurry to leave. Xu Ziyan had only just emerged from seclusion and needed time to rest as well.
And so, before going to bed that night, Xu Ziyan discovered that Xu Zirong’s clinginess had reached an entirely new level.
When Zirong was a child, tugging on his sleeve had been understandable. Now that Zirong had practically grown into an adult, however, he had stopped pulling on his sleeve and started holding his hand instead.
They might be brothers, but wasn’t it a little strange for two grown men to walk around holding hands?
Xu Ziyan tried to protest tactfully. Yet the moment he opened his mouth, Xu Zirong gave him such an utterly aggrieved look that Xu Ziyan could not bring himself to say another word. Instead, he started feeling guilty.
Zirong had always been an insecure child, and his brother’s retreat had lasted five whole years. No wonder he was so clingy now. He was probably afraid of being abandoned again.
Full of remorse, Xu Ziyan immediately softened his attitude toward Xu Zirong. Even though sharing a bed as two grown men seemed somewhat inappropriate, he eventually agreed.
Xu Zirong slept very well that night. Cultivators did not need ordinary sleep, but holding his brother allowed him to relax so completely that he drifted peacefully into dreams.
Xu Ziyan, on the other hand, endured nightmares all night. In his dream, a huge python wound itself tightly around him, its cold, forked tongue even licking his face a few times. Just as he was about to be swallowed by its gaping maw, he awoke with a start. Then, with his face full of black lines, he realized the coils binding him were Xu Zirong’s arms and legs…
Silently rubbing his forehead, he had the depressing feeling that he had been a terrible role model when it came to sleeping posture. Xu Zirong’s python-like way of wrapping around people was probably something Zirong had learned while adapting to Xu Ziyan’s habits when he was little.
He did not want to admit it, but Xu Ziyan knew perfectly well what he himself was like when asleep…
Before leaving the previous day, Luo Bigfoot had given them a Cloud-Piercing Shuttle. This flying magical treasure was extremely fast and could be invaluable both for travel and for escaping danger.
Since Xu Zirong would be representing Luo Bigfoot at the wedding, they could hardly arrive looking shabby. Luo Bigfoot had borrowed the shuttle from one of his senior brothers specifically so his disciples could make a good impression.
Piloting the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, they sped between the clouds. It truly deserved to be called a mid-tier magical treasure: it traveled at least ten times faster than they could by flying sword.
The Jiang family lived in a remote city called Wuti City, more than twice the size of Moxin City, where the Xu family was based. Yet the Jiang family’s position within Wuti City was nothing like the Xu family’s position back home.
After all, the Xu family could claim to be an affiliated clan of the Flowing Light Sect. The family had also done well for itself. Besides the patriarch Xu Xiao, who was a Golden Core cultivator, there was at least one other Golden Core guest elder.
Two Golden Core cultivators might count for little in a great sect, but in a remote little city, they represented astonishing combat strength. That was why the Xu family could control all of Moxin City with just those two cultivators.
Four major forces shared Wuti City, and their strength was so evenly matched that none could overwhelm the others. But Wuti City lay relatively close to the Tianyu Sect, and the Fang family was affiliated with that sect. Consequently, the Fang family held a little more influence than its rivals.
This time, the Jiang family was arranging a marriage with the Fang family. The Jiang patriarch’s daughter was to marry the son of one of the Fang family’s elders. Since the Fang family enjoyed the Tianyu Sect’s backing, the match looked like an attempt by the Jiang family to attach themselves to a powerful tree. In reality, Jiang Tianxing had no such intention.
As an ordinary father, he had never entertained the idea of using his daughter’s marriage to raise his own standing. Her happiness was all that mattered to him.
That was precisely why he had deliberately contacted Dao Lord Luo Yun. All he wanted was for Luo Yun to send a disciple to attend. Nobody needed to argue over anything. Simply making it clear that a Nascent Soul cultivator stood behind the Jiang family would show everyone that they had no need to sell off their daughter to gain connections with the Tianyu Sect.
Having learned the story from Luo Bigfoot, Xu Ziyan developed considerable respect for the Jiang patriarch.
Compared with Xu Xiao, Jiang Tianxing could truly be called China’s Father of the Year. His daughter, Miss Jiang, was surely very fortunate indeed.
Meanwhile, the ‘fortunate’ Miss Jiang was staring in astonishment at the handsome young man who had blocked her path. “Fang Tianrui, why are you stopping me?”
“No particular reason,” the young man called Fang Tianrui answered quietly. “I only want to know why you’re doing this.”
“Doing what?” Jiang Ying asked, utterly confused.
Anger flashed across Fang Tianrui’s face. “What? I’m asking why you’re marrying Fang Tianyun!”
“What business is it of yours if I marry Fang Tianyun?” Jiang Ying was baffled. What was going on? Why was her future husband’s older cousin demanding to know why she was marrying his younger cousin?
Fang Tianrui glared at her through clenched teeth. “How is it none of my business? We clearly…” He forced the rest of the words back down. His secret meetings with Jiang Ying could never be discussed in public. He simply could not understand. He and Jiang Ying loved each other and had met privately many times. Jiang Ying had even promised to marry him. He had been about to visit the Jiang family to ask for her hand, but before he could tell his own parents, a marriage agreement had arrived. And the person Jiang Ying was marrying turned out to be his second uncle’s son, Fang Tianyun.
Of all the younger generation of the Fang family, he and Fang Tianyun were the most talented. They had always gotten along fairly well, but since learning of Fang Tianyun’s impending marriage to Jiang Ying, he could no longer face the younger cousin who had stolen his beloved.
“Why?!” All Fang Tianrui wanted was an answer. Jiang Ying and Fang Tianyun’s approaching marriage was already common knowledge, and there was no possibility of changing it. He had stopped wasting energy trying. He only wanted to ask Jiang Ying why she, the woman who had shared moonlit promises of growing old together with him, had suddenly chosen his younger cousin instead.
“What do you mean, why? What are you talking about?” Jiang Ying was completely at sea. She had never had any real dealings with Fang Tianrui. His accusatory tone only made her angry.
“You won’t admit it… You actually won’t admit it…” Fang Tianrui felt like a complete fool. Looking at Jiang Ying’s beautiful face, he suddenly found it hateful.
The woman he loved was about to marry his younger cousin. Perhaps that was precisely why she was so anxious to deny any connection between them.
Fang Tianrui was in despair. He loved Jiang Ying deeply, yet after Jiang Ying married his cousin, he would have to watch his beloved coming and going with another man every day. The cruelty of it was almost unbearable.
“Forget it… If you won’t admit it… that’s fine.” Fang Tianrui muttered under his breath and walked away in a daze. In truth, he knew Jiang Ying’s response made sense. They would soon live in the same clan. If their relationship became public, it would cause the greatest scandal in Wuti City.
Fang Tianrui left looking utterly lost.
Jiang Ying was angry at being stopped and interrogated for no apparent reason. Still, he was Tianyun’s cousin, and his dazed appearance made her worry that something might happen to him.
With little choice, Jiang Ying sent one of her guards to follow him while she went to inform the Fang family.
When Fang Tianyun followed Jiang Ying’s guard and found Fang Tianrui, he could scarcely believe that the man drunkenly demanding more wine was his usually stern and reserved cousin.
“Cousin, how did you get this drunk?” Fang Tianyun efficiently snatched the wine flask from Fang Tianrui and turned to the waiter. “How much has he had?”
The waiter recognized the Fang family’s young master and hurriedly waved his hands. “Not much! Young Master Fang has only had two flasks… er, actually one and a half. You’ve got the other half in your hand.”
Fang Tianyun did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had never imagined his cousin had such a terrible tolerance for alcohol.
“Cousin…”
“I’m not drunk…” Fang Tianrui, his mind muddled, tried to snatch the flask back. Naturally, a drunk man could not manage it.
Fang Tianyun frowned helplessly. Fang Tianrui had only been drinking ordinary wine. It might be good wine by mortal standards, but to a cultivator, any liquor not brewed from spirit fruits was harmless. Circulating spiritual power through the body would drive away even a large amount of alcohol. There was no reason for a cultivator to become drunk on it.
Judging from Fang Tianrui’s behavior, he had clearly been trying to drink himself into oblivion. Fang Tianyun had no idea what could have happened to his cousin to drive him to such a state.
Jiang Ying had not told Fang Tianyun about Fang Tianrui’s accusations. She did not want the matter to create a rift between the cousins.
She had gone over Fang Tianrui’s words again. Everything he said implied that she had transferred her affections to someone else. But she had done nothing of the sort.
She certainly knew Fang Tianrui, but they had never met privately. This was a serious matter for a young woman. Even as a cultivator, she would not disregard her reputation by secretly meeting a man.
And therein lay the contradiction. She was certain that nothing had ever happened between her and Fang Tianrui, yet Fang Tianrui clearly believed otherwise. At least he was a gentleman: despite his insistence, he had not raised the subject in public. Even when he confronted her earlier, he had chosen a relatively secluded corner and set up a soundproofing barrier, doing his best to protect her reputation.