Chapter 68 Betrayal in Romantic Relationships

Ming was speechless for a moment when asked the question. In fact, he himself couldn't understand why this wedding drama always fell on his head.

However, Mingjian still emphasized to Xiao Bumian very seriously, "It's fake! It's just acting, it doesn't count!"

"Oh," Xiao Bumian responded calmly, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.

I don't know if I believed it or not.

Mingjian recalled the fake marriage with Rong Yunzhi last time. Apart from sulking for a while, Xiao Bumian didn't seem to have done anything drastic. So Mingjian felt relieved again, thinking that although Xiao Bumian was a yandere and had an unpredictable temperament, she could still distinguish right from wrong when it came to important matters.

Xiao Bumian gently pressed her cool fingertips against Mingjian's Adam's apple, tilted her head, and asked in an almost innocently doubtful tone, "Do you really want to marry her?"

He didn't really understand.

Mingjian told him every time that it was fake, but why was the person he faked marrying always a female cultivator?

Xiao Bumian knew he shouldn't be thinking like this, but the words that the male prostitute had said to him in the merman ruins kept replaying in his mind. He said that even if they liked each other, it was useless because they were both male cultivators and it was impossible for them to get married.

Xiao Bumian's slender, pale fingers slowly climbed up Mingjian's Adam's apple, gently stroking his jawline, then gliding over his rosy lips and straight nose, finally resting between his brows.

Not too light, not too heavy.

Even though the cultivation world now allows male cultivators to form Daoist couples, in most people's deeply ingrained beliefs, they still tend to favor romantic relationships between men and women.

Otherwise, how can we explain why Mingjian always marries female cultivators?

Moreover, Yun Hanyi this time is far more dangerous than Rong Yunzhi last time. Rong Yunzhi was just a wisp of a soul from a thousand years ago. That wedding took place in a fictional past, and after she came out, the so-called Daoist couple contract had no binding force at all.

But Yun Hanyi is different.

Xiao Bumian began to carefully recall Yun Hanyi's appearance in his mind.

He had never noticed it before, but today he took a deliberate look.

Yun Hanyi indeed fits the image of a beautiful and charming woman that his mother had sung about when he was a child.

Her waist was slender enough to be grasped in one hand, and she carried that faint fragrance that he found annoying yet lingering. Her beautiful face was faintly visible beneath the gauze curtains.

He then thought of Rong Yunzhi, who seemed to look just like that.

Mingjian always sees things this way.

Can't he just like him?

Oh, right. Xiao Bumian suddenly remembered that the reason he initially had the idea of ​​turning Mingjian into a doll was because there were always some reckless thieves who wanted to steal Mingjian. And Mingjian was extremely fond of beautiful women. As long as the other person had a reasonably good-looking face, Mingjian would not be able to help but take a few more glances or even say a few more words.

He was wrong.

I shouldn't have been soft-hearted in the first place.

He should, just as his mother had taught him, decisively and efficiently turn Mingjian into an exquisite doll. Although it wouldn't be as vivid or as adorable as the Mingjian before him, the doll would never betray him, could always obediently stay by his side, and belong only to him.

Xiao Bumian's voice lowered, his lips still curved into a slight smile, but his eyes were icy cold. He repeated the question, enunciating each word clearly and slowly, "Junior Brother, are you sure you want to marry her?"

He called him "junior brother" again.

Mingjian's heart skipped a beat; an alarm bell rang instantly, and he immediately sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

Fine, at worst he'll just brush it off for now.

He was about to deny it.

The system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly appeared and reminded: [Host, you must collect the plot points. One of the requirements of the substitute bride mission is to ensure that no one doubts the authenticity of this marriage, including Xiao Bumian.]

Mingjian: "..."

Damn it!

What's the difference between this and openly announcing to her husband that she's going to have an affair?! It's practically pushing him into a fire pit!

Mingjian forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

He was now in a dilemma. He couldn't possibly tell Xiao Bumian he was sure, as that would be tantamount to suicide; but he also couldn't refuse outright, otherwise the mission would fail.

Ming blinked, trying to make Xiao Bumian understand his eyes.

However, Xiao Bumian completely misunderstood.

He interpreted Mingjian's silence and those seemingly innocent blinking eyes as acquiescence and guilt.

The last faint light in his eyes went out completely, and his gaze was as cold as ice that had been frozen for a thousand years.

After a long silence, he said expressionlessly, "So, no matter what, you're going to marry her, is that right?"

Is Yun Hanyi really that good?

If... if Mingjian could deny it now, even if it was just by shaking his head, he could try to forgive him.

After all, it's understandable that Mingjian, who is attracted to good-looking faces, might be temporarily tempted by thieves. However, Mingjian had clearly promised to stay with him forever.

fraud.

Xiao Bumian thought to himself.

"Very well." He suddenly chuckled. "Since you want to marry her, then go ahead and get married."

"I didn't..." Mingjian hurriedly tried to explain, but only managed to utter two words.

Xiao Bumian's figure vanished without a trace before him like a ghost, leaving only a faint, icy aura.

Mingjian: "...?"

Not even a chance to explain?! Can't this yandere's thought process be a little more normal?!

But then he thought again, the mission was urgent, and being able to overcome Xiao Bumian's obstruction in this way and finish the story quickly might not be a bad thing. That way, he could be more justified in coaxing people later.

I just don't know how long it will take to coax him back this time.

—

It was late at night.

The bright full moon hung high in the sky, and its cool moonlight poured down on the deck of the cloud boat like mercury, as if it were covered with a layer of snow-white frost.

Xiao Bumian stood alone at the bow of the boat, the night wind ruffling his robes. The bone chain wrapped around his wrist emitted a faint hum, and the sword spirit within it whispered incessantly in his mind like the most bewitching demon:

"I don't like her... I'll kill her."

Xiao Bumian smiled slightly, her tone as gentle as if she were coaxing an ignorant child, "But she is the person Mingjian likes. If you kill her, Mingjian will be unhappy."

"Thief! Kill her!" The sword spirit's will became even sharper and more determined.

Xiao Bumian ignored its murderous intent. He only felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his heart, and a sharp and bitter unfamiliar emotion, unlike anything he had ever experienced, was fiercely piercing his chest, bringing waves of suffocating bitterness.

Xiao Bumian suddenly remembered Xiao Yun and Gu Weishen.

They boasted of how much they loved each other, but in the end, when he returned with his sword, how did Gu Weishen kneel on the ground, begging for mercy with tears streaming down his face, and how did he unhesitatingly shift all the blame onto Xiao Yun, claiming that it was Xiao Yun who had taken away the soul fire, and that it had nothing to do with him?

Love is such a fragile thing, unable to withstand the slightest test.

Between Xiao Yun and Gu Weishen, there is at least Gu Guanlan as a bloodline connection. But he and Mingjian are both men, so they cannot have children.

It seems that the only thing he could keep about Mingjian was this face that was still passable.

But what if one day someone appears who is even more handsome than him and more capable of winning Mingjian's heart? Would Mingjian then turn away without hesitation and stop liking him?

When Gu Zhi came out for some fresh air in the middle of the night, this was the kind of horrifying scene she saw.

Xiao Bumian stood silently at the bow of the ship, like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell. The cold moonlight cast his shadow long and thin, making it appear eerily sinister and sending chills down one's spine. Yet, his solitary figure also exuded an indescribable sense of loneliness.

Gu Zhi was startled by the sight, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. He looked closely and recognized Xie Hanwei.

"Xie Hanwei?" Gu Zhi called out tentatively.

Xiao Bumian slowly turned his head. In the moonlight, a cold smile spread across his lips, and he even let out a low chuckle, "Senior Brother Gu?"

Ancient branches.

Xiao Bumian thought to himself, "This person has tried countless times to snatch Mingjian away from me."

If we're going to kill, let's start with him.

At worst, he'll just kill whoever Mingjian likes.

In this way, Mingjian will forever be able to only look at him.

Thinking of this, Xiao Bumian's voice became unusually calm, even carrying a hint of eerie gentleness, which contrasted sharply with the cold killing intent emanating from him. "What's wrong?"

Gu Zhi felt uneasy at his unusual attitude, but forced herself to remain calm and said, "What's wrong? I was about to ask you that! What are you doing standing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? It's kind of scary!"

The moonlight grew cooler.

Xiao Bumian's killing intent was almost bursting out of his body, but for some reason, looking at Gu Zhi who was walking forward, he suddenly changed his mind. He tilted his head and asked, "Do you like Mingjian?"

Gu Zhi suddenly coughed, "Cough cough cough—"

His eyes widened as if he had heard some outrageous and vulgar language. His face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "I don't like men!"

Xie Hanwei thought everyone liked men like him!

Unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death, Gu Zhi, seeing that Xiao Bumian's attitude seemed to have softened, grew a little bolder and muttered under his breath, "You and Mingjian have a homosexual relationship, that's your business, what does it have to do with me?"

Xiao Bumian simply gave a faint "oh" and fell silent again, his aura remaining low.

Seeing his dejected appearance and considering his strange behavior of standing outside in the middle of the night, Gu Zhi guessed that he had probably quarreled with Ming Jian. Out of camaraderie as fellow disciples, she offered him a few words of comfort.

"Well... it's true that male cultivators who fall in love face more criticism and pressure than ordinary men and women. It's not easy. Arguments are inevitable, so don't be too upset. Once Mingjian calms down, just coax him a little, and everything will be fine."

Seeing that Xiao Bumian didn't react, he started spouting nonsense again: "Are you jealous of Mingjian because of my relationship with him?"

"Don't worry, I don't like Mingjian, and I don't like women. As for Immortal Venerable Hanwei, I mean Immortal Venerable Hanwei, not you. Like Immortal Venerable Hanwei, I was born to protect the righteous path and slay demons. I am determined to be pure and free from desires and will never touch love or be troubled by it! So don't even talk about liking Mingjian, I don't even know what liking someone feels like!"

Xiao Bumian's lips curved slightly. He turned his head, and the moonlight spilled onto his side, dividing his face into light and shadow. Perhaps it was the effect of the full moon, but his complexion was paler than usual, almost transparent.

He asked, "Why is it that men like men differently than men like women?"

Gu Zhi was taken aback by his sudden question, not understanding why he was so concerned about it, but she still explained based on her own understanding.

"Well, well, it's probably because of societal views, isn't it? Don't you see how it's written in those folk tales? Many men, even if they are attracted to the same sex, will still choose to marry a woman to start a family and continue the family line due to pressure from their family and society."

He paused, then quickly added, "But don't worry! Mingjian isn't that kind of person! Since he chose you, he definitely..."

Xiao Bumian forced a smile that held no real joy; he didn't want to hear any more.

Every word Gu Zhi said was telling him how many insurmountable obstacles and differences there were between male-female relationships and those that could be open, aboveboard, and conform to societal norms.

These words were like fine needles, piercing his heart one by one.

That's enough.

The last bit of warmth in Xiao Bumian's eyes vanished completely.

He silently flicked a wisp of extremely subtle magical energy at the still chattering ancient branch, instantly erasing his memory of that night.

Then, without glancing at Gu Zhi who was still standing there, he turned around, his figure disappearing into the deep night, and silently left the cloud boat.