Chapter 14 Distinguished Guest: "I don't recognize him."

(fourteen)

Looking back now, he was an absolute idiot.

Just because of that vow from the bottom of her heart, she was completely fooled by Chu Li.

Thinking of this, Shang Xinglan immediately withdrew her fingers and continued cutting other "囍" characters with a cold expression. Each cut was extremely forceful, as if it carried some inexplicable anger.

I won't be nice to her anymore; she's an ungrateful wretch.

His marriage to her was solely due to certain circumstances, and had absolutely nothing to do with Chu Li.

The door creaked open, and Shang Xinglan's movements faltered. She subconsciously looked up and saw Chu Li leading the little cub out of the house, wearing the seven-tailed phoenix wedding dress. She was completely different from the skinny, short girl in her memories.

Those almond-shaped eyes, once like those of a mountain deer, now have a slightly upturned curve. The tip of her upturned nose is delicate and petite, and her lips are thin and red, naturally rosy without makeup, making her inexplicably resemble a fox.

Chu Li has grown up.

That glamorous makeup look from seven years ago would definitely suit her well now.

Shang Xinglan awkwardly shifted her gaze, looking down at the double happiness symbol in her palm, and said in a low voice, "Why didn't you change Yinyin's clothes?"

Today is a joyous day, and he also sent Yinyin a crimson qilin-patterned robe.

Chu Li tugged at her collar, looking displeased, and said, "Why wear that? It's not like we're getting married. A simple wedding ceremony would suffice. Why make it so elaborate?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan's gaze darkened. She walked past her, picked up the cub, and went straight into the house.

Chu Li hurriedly followed and saw him put the baby on the bed and quickly strip naked.

Before the little cub could react, he had already been dressed in that little shirt embroidered with gold-embroidered unicorns.

Shang Xinglan bent down, took out a peace and good fortune lock from his storage ring, and slowly put it around his neck. When his gaze swept over the face that was seven or eight tenths similar to Chu Li's, he was momentarily dazed.

This is his child, the child Chu Li gave birth to for him.

It's unbelievable; it should be something he takes for granted, yet he just can't believe it.

He was born so well that he could almost imagine what Chu Li looked like as a child. He couldn't help but pinch the little guy's nose.

The little boy winced in pain, glared at him angrily, and looked even more like Chu Li.

Shang Xinglan chuckled softly, tied his belt, and straightened his clothes. "What's Yinyin's full name?"

The little boy pursed his lips and looked up at Chu Li, as if seeking her opinion, but Shang Xinglan gently turned his face away.

When someone asks you a question, look them straight in the eye while you answer.

Hearing this, the little boy had no choice but to bite the bullet and whisper, "Chu Tanyin, Tan as in sandalwood body, Yin as in karma and karmic calamity."

Shang Xinglan frowned slowly, turning back to look at Chu Li with some confusion, "Copied from a book?"

Chu Li: "? Who do you look down on? I've read a lot of books."

In order to teach Yinyin well, she started reading books. She had already read many of the books that Shang Xinglan had piled up at home, and could even quote a few classic texts from time to time. However, she just couldn't learn arithmetic well. Apart from that, she felt that she was quite a learned young lady!

Although the name was indeed copied from a book.

Shang Xinglan gave her a strange look, then suddenly scoffed.

The man who forced her to sit at the table before she would even read a few lines of text, even taught her to write by hand, and she was able to read books even after his death.

They never know how to cherish what they have.

"Good job getting up." He said casually, as if taking the baby off the bed.

Chu Li was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was praising the name he had given the baby.

Of course, she spent three whole days flipping through the book, carefully selecting every single word.

"Go to the courtyard to check the betrothal gifts. If there are no problems, then we can proceed with the wedding ceremony."

Chu Li's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected him to have prepared betrothal gifts for her. When were they prepared, last night?

Curious, she led the little boy out to see what was happening. There, she saw nine gold-locked chests neatly arranged in the courtyard. When Gu Ye saw her, he respectfully handed her the keys.

Even the key felt heavy. Chu Li turned around and looked at Shang Xinglan in surprise, suddenly feeling that this person wasn't so hateful after all.

She excitedly opened the boxes with the little one in tow, and with each box she opened, both the big one and the little one gasped in surprise.

Shang Xinglan stared intently at them. The soft sunlight shone on their brand-new, bright wedding attire, turning the crimson into a golden orange hue. The little boy's curved eyebrows and Chu Li's undisguised radiant smile created a scene of unparalleled beauty.

If Chu Li could show even a little bit of sincerity towards him, perhaps they could...

"master!"

Yan Xinbai's voice suddenly came from behind him, abruptly interrupting his thoughts. Without turning his head, he asked, "What is it?"

Yan Xinbai's expression turned slightly serious. He leaned closer to him and lowered his voice, saying, "There are cultivators chasing after us. We don't know how they got our trail, but they'll probably be coming up the mountain soon."

Shang Xinglan still didn't look away.

"Just kill him."

Yan Xinbai pursed his lips, looking at him with a hesitant expression.

"how?"

Shang Xinglan finally turned to look at him, and asked as if she sensed something, "Who is it?"

Yan Xinbai took a light breath and said, word by word, "Xie Liyi of the Cangshan Sect in the Southern Territory."

There was a thud.

A pebble thrown into the lake of the heart creates tiny ripples, which soon turn into a raging storm.

"Xie Liyi".

Shang Xinglan repeated calmly and in a very indifferent voice.

A very familiar name.

"oh……"

He remembered.

How could we forget Xie Liyi too?

The first argument I had with Chu Li was because of this name.

Chu Li said that when she was young, she had an older brother named Xie Liyi who begged for food with her. He treated her very well and doted on her like a younger sister. However, they were later separated and never heard from each other again.

It was only much later that she heard that her brother had been chosen by an elder of a certain sect and had become a genius cultivator, one in a hundred years in the Southern Territory. She even went so far as to investigate Xie Liyi's background and discovered that he had indeed wandered in the Southern Territory and might really be an old acquaintance of Chu Li.

Chu Li always talks about this older brother.

Whenever Shang Xinglan did something that displeased her, she would compare him to Xie Liyi.

"If it were my brother, he would never treat me like this. I hate you, I despise you. You're not even one ten-thousandth as good as him!"

"Okay, then go find Xie Liyi and see if he still remembers that he had such a good sister when he was begging on the street."

Do I need to explain it more clearly?

He's long forgotten you, and even if he did remember, he wouldn't acknowledge you; otherwise, he wouldn't have never contacted you all these years!

At that time, they each tore at each other's most painful wounds, without thinking about the consequences of their words.

In fact, he regretted it as soon as he said that. The next moment, he was slapped hard by Chu Li, his mouth was broken and blood was everywhere between his teeth.

That's what Shang Xinglan thought at that time.

How exactly did Xie Liyi manage to gain Chu Li's complete trust? He couldn't understand where he fell short. Was it simply because he appeared before Xie Liyi?

It's really clever of him. This person hadn't been heard from or contacted for over a decade, and yet he chose to come knocking on his door on the very day of his wedding to Chu Li—although he came to hunt him down.

My good mood vanished without a trace.

"Let him come," Shang Xinglan said coldly. "Hide your identity well and don't let him discover anything."

He wanted to see if the two siblings could recognize each other.

How could Xie Liyi possibly remember that he had a younger sister who begged for food when he was young? Shang Xinglan couldn't wait to see Chu Li's distraught and disillusioned appearance as he came to terms with reality; it would be very interesting.

He walked to Chu Li's side and said casually, "A distinguished guest will be arriving soon."

Chu Li was busy counting the gold and silver jewelry and didn't pay any attention to him.

So much money! These things are so valuable. Where should I hide them? How can I take them with me when I run away?

Shang Xinglan narrowed her eyes and pulled her up from the ground. "Didn't you listen when you were teaching him? You should answer other people's questions properly."

Chu Li clicked her tongue softly, put on all the jade rings on her hands, held them up to the light, and muttered under her breath, "What distinguished guest? Just your devilish friend."

She did hear it, but she pretended not to.

Shang Xinglan took a deep breath and told herself that she would soon hear devastating news that would break her, so there was no need to argue with this ungrateful fool.

“This person is not a demon, but a cultivator,” Shang Xinglan said with a slight smile. “However, don’t think he can save you. He just imbued the safety lock that Yinyin was wearing with a spell—you should understand what I mean.”

Chu Li suddenly turned her head to look at him, grabbed his collar, and her eyes were filled with simmering anger. "I told you, you are not allowed to hurt Yin Yin, or I will never let you go for the rest of my life!"

Shang Xinglan looked at her calmly and said nonchalantly, "That's even better. I never intended to let you go anyway."

Chu Li was furious and wanted to remove the safety lock from Yin Yin, but then she heard a cold voice from behind her.

"Think carefully about the consequences of taking it off."

Her fingertips hovered in mid-air as she looked desperately at the clueless little cub in front of her. Yinyin didn't even know that her life was in the hands of the demon, and she grabbed her sleeve in confusion.

"What's wrong, Mother?"

Chu Li closed her eyes, pulled him into her arms, and whispered, "Yinyin, don't say anything without your mother's permission, okay?"

"Hmm." The little boy looked at her worriedly and nodded.

He didn't understand the affairs between adults, but he knew that his mother could never be wrong.

Since the two had no relatives or friends in Xiaofushan, everything was kept simple. Shang Xinglan did not follow the complicated steps of the previous wedding. After all, marrying Chu Li was just to change her identity and take care of her legitimately.

Chu Li had no idea what he was thinking. She only felt that ever since he had fallen out with Wuming, he had become increasingly strange. He would stare at her for a long time for no reason and was very fierce and indifferent to her. Before, he would at least make some jokes to tease her.

Demons are indeed unpredictable.

She had to quickly think of a way to send a message to that cultivator, otherwise she and Yinyin would be trapped in this bastard's palm for the rest of their lives.

By the way, we can have that cultivator teach Yinyin cultivation. The cultivator will definitely be able to tell at a glance that the evil and crooked methods Yinyin has learned were taught by a demon. Then let's see how Wuming will explain himself.

While they were fighting, she quietly slipped away with the little one. Perfect!

Two footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard. Chu Li and Shang Xinglan held their breath at the same time, each with their own thoughts.

The next moment, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Yan Xinbai walked in slowly with a cultivator dressed in white, carrying two wild pheasants in his hands.

Yan Xinbai raised his eyes and exchanged a glance with Shang Xinglan, then said meaningfully, "Cousin, I met a powerful immortal on the road. He helped me kill two pheasants, so I took the liberty of inviting him to my wedding."

The newcomer was handsome and refined, tall and carrying a sword. He stood politely behind Yan Xinbai, cupped his hands, and said, "I apologize for disturbing you. I was just passing by and wanted to ask for a drink of water. I have important business to attend to later..."

"It's alright." Shang Xinglan suddenly interrupted him, her voice cold. "On such a joyous occasion, more people make it more lively."

Upon hearing this, Xie Liyi looked towards them, and when his gaze fell on the couple's magnificent wedding attire, he frowned.

How could there be such a wealthy family in the desolate mountains?

Moreover, why is the groom wearing a mask on his wedding day?

He examined it with his divine sense, and his doubts deepened.

They were indeed all mortals, but for some reason, Xie Liyi felt that something was amiss.

If I had to put it in perspective, it was probably too much of a coincidence, as if someone in the dark had guided him to this place.

Upon seeing the cultivator, Chu Li was so excited that she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

This man seems reliable; maybe they really can be saved this time!

She was about to say something when Shang Xinglan slightly stepped aside, blocking her way.

He chuckled and said, “Immortal Lord, you are truly magnificent, making me feel ashamed of myself. I was born with an unsightly appearance and dare not show my face to anyone. It was not easy for me to find a wife. If you do not mind that the food and wine are simple, please sit down and have some.”

Xie Liyi looked at him with a puzzled expression, suppressed her doubts, and bowed, "Thank you, then I will respectfully accept your offer."

Seeing him sit down, Shang Xinglan lowered his gaze, grasped Chu Li's hand beside him, and their fingers locked tightly.

"Oh, right, I haven't asked yet, what is the Immortal Lord's title?"

His tone was relaxed, as if it were a casual question.

Xie Liyi accepted the wine pot handed to him by Gu Ye, thanked him politely, and then looked at Shang Xinglan, "I am Xie Liyi, a cultivator from the Cangshan Sect."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Xinglan's heart trembled. He gripped Chu Li's hand, eager to see the expression on her face.

Chu Li just glared at him and whispered, "You're squeezing me too hard."

No response?

"Xie Liyi of the Cangshan Sect, that sounds familiar..." Shang Xinglan's expression turned cold, and he moved away from Chu Li, whispering, "Ah Chu, do you know this Immortal Lord?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Chu Li and Xie Liyi looked up at the same time and finally met each other's eyes.

Xie Liyi's gaze swept across Chu Li's face briefly before quickly withdrawing it.

He said calmly, "I don't know him."

The smile on Shang Xinglan's lips froze as these three words suddenly rang in her ears.

She clearly wanted to hear those three words, so she could take the opportunity to thoroughly humiliate Chu Li's cheap and laughable sibling relationship.

However, upon actually hearing those words, an indescribable anger welled up in my heart.

That beast, he actually dared to forget her.

A note from the author:

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Sorry for the long hiatus in the past few days, I'm catching up on some updates.