Chapter 68 Forced into Marriage
Biyao's bright black eyes widened, and she said with feigned admiration, "Sister Qinglan is so amazing, you could even see that. You must know the true identity of that man in black as well."
"Of course!" Qinglan smiled smugly. Just as she was about to say something, Tang Yuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward and said to Biyao and Qin Wuyan, "Sect Master, Vice Sect Master, you must be a little tired after talking for so long. Why don't I ask the shopkeeper to send over some food and drinks so that the Sect Master and the Azure Dragon Envoy can continue catching up?"
He shouldn't have mentioned it, because as soon as he brought up food, Qinglan felt her stomach growling and hurriedly said, "Hurry up and hurry up!! I've been locked up for more than ten days and haven't eaten anything. I'm starving to death."
Qinglong rolled his eyes and crossed his arms: "I've never heard of immortals needing to eat."
Qinglan retorted, "Why can't immortals eat? Aren't immortals worthy of enjoying delicious food? I just used up so much spiritual energy to save you, and now you won't even let me eat! You're so ungrateful!"
“You…” Qinglong’s face turned ashen. “When did I ever say I wouldn’t let you eat?”
Qinglan shouted, "Isn't that what you meant by being sarcastic just now?"
She was about to say something more when Biyao quickly stopped her, knowing that if the two of them started arguing, it would never end.
"Alright, alright, Sister Qinglan, I'll order the best food here so you can eat your fill. Stop arguing, Brother Qinglong is a stubborn person, arguing with him will only make you unhappy. Come, sit down, calm down."
While Qinglan and Qinglong remained silent, Biyao quickly gave Qin Wuyan a look. Qin Wuyan immediately understood and said to Tang Yuan and Meng Guang, "Go quickly and tell the restaurant to serve the best food."
Tang Yuan nodded and asked, "Sect Master, would you like some wine?"
Qin Wuyan said, "Of course I want wine. Ask if they have Three Days Intoxication here. My brother loves it the most. If they have it, bring me two jars."
Before Biyao could speak, Tang Yuan said first, "Sect Master, this inn doesn't have Three-Day Intoxication. Could we go somewhere else?"
"No? Then go and ask what they have, and report back to us."
“No need,” Biyao replied, turning to Tang Yuan. “Brother Tang, just have the shopkeeper bring out two jars of Xifeng wine.”
Tang Yuan and Meng Guang both responded with "Yes," and walked to the door. Tang Yuan then turned back and said, "Vice Sect Master, the barrier outside..."
Biyao then remembered that the barrier she had set up outside the door hadn't disappeared yet. She glanced at Qin Wuyan, who blinked almost imperceptibly. As if they had reached some kind of agreement, Biyao waved her hand and removed the barrier.
Qin Wuyan looked at Qinglan and said respectfully, "Miss Qinglan, who exactly is the person who controlled Brother Qinglong? Can you tell me the truth?"
Qinglan's face was serious, completely unlike her playful and teasing demeanor when she was arguing with Qinglong. She said, "Then you must first tell me, where did Biyao's divine tree body come from?"
Qin Wuyan paused, then remained silent. Just as Biyao was about to speak, Qinglan continued, "Of the divine trees in the four heavenly palaces of the east, west, south, and north, only the Ruomu and Xunmu divine trees in the west and north can lead to the underworld. However, the Xunmu divine tree neither blossoms nor bears fruit, so it has no power to bring the dead back to life. Miss Biyao's wood-elemental divine power can only originate from the Ruomu divine tree in the underworld, you..."
Her eyes flashed with a sharp light as she coldly asked, "What method did you use to obtain the branches of the divine tree and create a physical body?"
Qin Wuyan said, "Since you know so much, I think you can guess where the divine tree came from. We don't need to say more. But why is Miss Qinglan asking this?"
Qinglan frowned: "It seems that you really did make a deal with the Nine Netherworld Emperor."
Qin Wuyan was not surprised and said calmly, "You are wrong. It wasn't us; only I made the deal with him."
Qinglan shook her head and sighed, "Do you know how much trouble you've caused? Why would the Netherworld Emperor be so kind as to help you? It's all just a conspiracy he set up to revive the power of the Five Elements. Do you really think that Biyao can survive on this divine tree? When the time comes, she will just be the Netherworld Emperor's tool."
Qin Wuyan asked, "So? Can you help us deal with him?"
Qinglan crossed her arms and said, "I came here for this very reason. The Nine Netherworld Emperor is different from the Ten Kings of Hell. He is not a god of the earth, but a demon who was sealed in the underworld ten thousand years ago. It was your deal that gave him his malevolent energy, making him stronger and stronger. Now he has released evil spirits to disturb the four seas."
Qin Wuyan and Biyao were not surprised by this; they had already guessed that the Underworld Emperor might have another conspiracy behind his actions. However, Biyao was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Could the black-clad man causing trouble in the mortal realm be the Underworld Emperor?"
Qinglan shook her head and said, "It's not him. Although he has acquired malevolent energy, the seal is not broken, so he cannot leave the underworld. I suspect that the one controlling the Azure Dragon is one of his ghost generals. These ghost generals are capable of hooking souls in the mortal realm, and possessing people is very easy for them. But I don't know which ghost general it is or why he sought out the Azure Dragon."
Biyao thought for a moment and said, "What if he wasn't after Brother Qinglong, but after the divine power within me?"
Qinglan said, "I know he's here for you, but there are a few things I don't understand. First, Qinglong has already attained dragon form, and the power of the dragon race is far beyond what ordinary ghost generals can suppress. Yet he can control Qinglong, which means his magical power is extremely strong, comparable to Yama. But the Ten Kings of Hell are all earth gods, and earth gods are also gods. They couldn't possibly do such a thing. But apart from them, I really can't think of any other people in the underworld who could possess such power."
"Secondly, if he really was sent by the Underworld Emperor, why didn't he just take the Qiankun Qingguang Ring and absorb your divine power for his own use? Wouldn't that be more convenient? Instead, he had to pretend to be the Azure Dragon to deal with you and trick you into breaking the Soul-Collecting Technique."
She frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out. Biyao and Qin Wuyan were also completely confused after hearing it.
After a long silence, the Azure Dragon finally spoke: "I remember that the Azure Light Ring of Qiankun only recognizes the bloodline of the Dragon Clan. Since he can't use this magic weapon, he naturally can't take away the divine power from Biyao."
Qinglan was quite surprised that he was speaking to her normally for the first time. Not one to hold grudges, she replied earnestly:
“That’s right, the Qiankun Azure Light Ring can only be used by members of the Dragon Clan, but don’t forget, once he possesses you, he is already a member of the Dragon Clan, and the Qiankun Azure Light Ring cannot distinguish that. He only needs to control your mind to use it, but during those few days, I observed him inside the Azure Light Ring, and he never showed any intention of using this divine artifact, which is truly puzzling.”
The four people in the room fell silent, looking at each other repeatedly, but no one spoke. Just then, Tang Yuan and Meng Guang sent someone to deliver food, which smelled delicious.
Qinglan's eyes lit up as she looked at the table full of delicious food: "Who cares why? I'm starving! Enough talk, let's eat!" She picked up her chopsticks without any hesitation and began to eat heartily.
Biyao, Qinglong, and Qin Wuyan exchanged glances, smiled helplessly, and joined in the eating.
After a satisfying meal, Qinglan said with a contented expression, "For the sake of this feast, I'll tell you. This Qiankun Qingguang Ring is what the Heavenly Emperor intends to use to deal with the Underworld Emperor. As for how to use it, I'm not entirely sure. I'm only responsible for retrieving it and awaiting the Heavenly Emperor's next instructions. Qinglong, you need to quickly learn to control the dragon power within you; there's really no time left. I still have to rush to the East Sea afterward."
Biyao asked, "Are you also going to the East Sea?"
Qinglan nodded and said, "The withered green grass in the East Sea has reached its turning green again this year. Many cultivators in the mortal realm have already coveted it, but although the withered green grass is a good thing, Yama Island is not. That place is almost a place of no return. I suspect that the Underworld Emperor will start from Yama Island to absorb more of the resentment of the mortal realm."
Qin Wuyan asked, "If you deal with the Underworld Emperor, will it harm Biyao?"
Qinglan said, "I'm not too sure about that, but Biyao has the power of the Wood element. The Underworld Emperor will definitely send people to capture her. If the Heavenly Emperor can completely eliminate the Underworld Emperor this time, I think Biyao should no longer be in danger."
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan was overjoyed. If that were true, he would have to help Qinglan deal with the Underworld Emperor.
Qinglan suddenly stood up and patted Biyao on the shoulder: "Biyao, your little sister is much better than Qinglong. From now on, you can call me sister! Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm definitely much more reliable than Qinglong."
Azure Dragon: "..."
Qinglan yawned: "I'm so sleepy, I'm going to rest now. I used up a lot of spiritual energy today to save Qinglong. You all can go out now, I want to sleep."
"..."
Qin Wuyan wanted to say that this was his room... but Qinglan had already walked to the bed behind the screen and fallen asleep.
Qinglong, Biyao, and Qin Wuyan had no choice but to go outside. With Qinglan present, their long-awaited reunion hadn't been able to fully enjoy their time together. Now that they were free, they asked the waiter to bring a few more jugs of wine and sat down in the pavilion in the backyard of the inn to drink and chat.
The three of them gathered together and drank heartily, chatting about many things Qinglong hadn't known all these years, until the moon was high in the sky, and all three were a little tipsy. Among them, Qin Wuyan had the best alcohol tolerance; even at the end, his face didn't turn red. He looked up at the bright moon hanging high above and sighed, "This scene seems so familiar!"
Qinglong laughed and said, "The year before the Ghost King sent you to steal the Zhuxian Sword, the three of us drank together all night like this."
Qin Wuyan also recalled that night, with its equally beautiful and clear moonlight, and the same three people sitting together. How fortunate he was to be able to reunite with his best brother and the girl he loved most in his lifetime.
Biyao, her face slightly flushed, looked at Qin Wuyan and said, "I still remember that night when you stole my golden bell while I was asleep."
Qin Wuyan smiled and said, "You remember it quite well."
Qinglong said, "Biyao, Wuyan has actually been risking his life for you for a long time. He stole the Golden Bell that time for you. After you fell into a deep sleep, he and Zhang Xiaofan searched for every possible way to save you."
Biyao couldn't help but retort, "Brother Qinglong, since we started drinking here today, you've already said eight hundred good things about him. I'm not stupid; of course I know how he treats me. You don't need to keep repeating it to me. It makes me seem like I'm heartless!"
Qinglong laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. But I want to make the decision today, right here and now, for you two to bow to heaven and earth and become husband and wife. Do you agree?"
"Brother Qinglong! What nonsense are you talking about?" Biyao's face turned even redder.
Qin Wuyan hurriedly said, "How can a marriage be so casual? Brother, you've had too much to drink, let me take you home to rest."
"No..." Qinglong pushed Qin Wuyan away, his eyes glazed over, and said, "Wuyan, although my alcohol tolerance is not as good as yours, my mind is still clear. It hasn't been easy for you and Biyao to get to where you are today! There's no need for those formalities. As your elder brother, I'm making it official today. From this moment on, you two are husband and wife!"
As he spoke, he grabbed one of them with each hand, his strength so great that Qin Wuyan and Biyao felt as if they were being strangled by his collar. However, Qinglong was indeed quite drunk. He first made Qin Wuyan and Biyao bow to the moon in the sky, chanting solemnly, "First bow to Heaven and Earth..."
"...Second bow to the parents..."
"Husband and wife...husband and wife bow to each other..."
Qin Wuyan and Biyao were both amused and exasperated, yet they couldn't break free from Qinglong's grasp. Perhaps neither of them knew whether they should try to break free or not, so they could only let Qinglong press on the back of their necks, causing their heads to touch.
"Brother, you've finished your prayers. I'll take you back to rest."
Seeing Qin Wuyan supporting the drunken Qinglong, staggering along, Biyao said, "I'll go with you to take him back."
The two men helped Qinglong back to his room, intending to place his swaying body on the couch. However, Qinglong suddenly and nimbly slipped out from under their arms.
"After the wedding ceremony, it's time for the wedding night. I'll save this room for you two tonight!"
The two were shocked. How could Qinglong be drunk? But before they could react, Qinglong had already flashed to the door. He quickly closed the door and said, "Wuyan, this is all I can do for you. The rest is up to you."
He left with a hearty laugh, leaving Qin Wuyan and Biyao stunned in the room, both at a loss and not knowing what to do.
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