Chapter 125: The Proposal
Having reached his current level of cultivation, Song Chi naturally had no desire to travel by flying boat. Now, using divine speed, he could return home in just one day. He set off in the morning and arrived home by dusk.
Upon returning home, he discovered that his house had been damaged by the surge of spiritual energy. Furthermore, a sacred mountain and a spiritually rich lake had suddenly appeared from the medicinal herb field behind his house. These spiritual lake and sacred mountain were vast, stretching for hundreds of miles. That day, Song Chi also noticed many spiritual springs and sacred mountains emerging from various places; the closer he went west to the location of the immortal palace, the more pronounced these changes in the terrain became.
This explains why it will take three hundred years to prepare for a flying platform that is ten thousand years old. During the process of spiritual energy recovering to its peak, the terrain and landscape will undergo tremendous changes as the spiritual lakes and mines of these ancient immortal mountains emerge. According to the Golden Scroll, the entire Eastern Continent will more than double in size. The same will happen to the Southern Continent and Cloud Pavilion Island.
When Song Chi returned home, Song Yun had already returned and was discussing with his grandfather and the others about building a house at the foot of that sacred mountain. They said that with the mountain behind them and a clear, green lake in front, it would not only be a beautiful place but also a place with excellent feng shui.
Then, as soon as Song Chi arrived, her parents immediately came out of the house, especially her mother, who hugged her and burst into tears. "You silly girl, you have no idea how worried I've been about you all these years. You brat, you've been venturing into every secret realm you can find!" After finally calming her down, Song Chi went to pay her respects to her grandfather, aunts, and uncles, and then returned to the west room to change. Her mother secretly pinched her ear. "All these years, you haven't even come back to see us!" Well, Mother, you don't understand. These past years, she'd been rushing to complete her missions, constantly on the go; she truly hadn't had time to come back. Besides, she was afraid that seeing her parents would dampen her fighting spirit, which wouldn't do. And now, she was back, wasn't she? Before her mother went out to prepare a sumptuous meal for her, she covered her mouth and smiled, then pinched her ear again. "Tell me, which of those few do you have your eye on? In my opinion, Qingyu seems to be very serious about it. He's been coming to discuss building a house with us these past two days. Their house was also destroyed by the flood, so they want to build a house on the western side of the Immortal Mountain, which is indeed the Immortal Mountain that grew out of their land. Putting all that aside, you two are childhood sweethearts who grew up together, and I think he's quite good."
"What's so great about it?" Song Chi was speechless. Did her mother not know if she and Ye Qingyu were childhood sweethearts? They only met in the summer before she entered the sect. What kind of childhood sweethearts were they? Besides, Mother shouldn't think about such useless things. Song Chi immediately told her mother the purpose of her trip.
At that moment, Mother's face lit up, and she couldn't help but cup her cheeks in her hands. "I never thought it would actually work. This is good, um, this is good!" As she spoke, she couldn't help but chuckle twice. It was clear that Mother was quite enamored with Mo Shubai's beauty. After all, she was one of the Four Beauties of the cultivation world.
When Song Chi finished getting ready and went outside, she saw her grandfather and the others gazing at the sky and the ground in the courtyard. Song Chi hadn't hidden the conversation between her and her mother from them. At this moment, she simply explained her engagement to Mo Shubai.
At that moment, Father and Song Yun looked away with slightly sour expressions, while Grandfather and Uncle smiled and exchanged a glance.
"That's a good child!" Grandfather immediately declared, and judging from his beaming smile, he probably liked Mo Shubai very much. Mo Shubai's pure and innocent appearance and temperament were undoubtedly the most pleasing to elders.
Then Grandfather said that the engagement should wait until the house was built and Song Yun's side had already made an engagement, and then an auspicious day would be chosen for Mo Shubai to come and arrange the engagement. This was the natural order of seniority.
Song Chi immediately wrote a letter, but before she could send it, Mo Shubai's spirit owl landed at her window. The letter mentioned that a construction team would be sent today, and asked if she would find it presumptuous. What presumption was there? Living in this half-collapsed house was utterly unreasonable. Naturally, the sooner the new house was built, the better. Song Chi then added two more sentences to her letter and sent it out.
The following morning, the Mo family's construction team was already waiting neatly outside the door. Song Chi had sensed a trace of Mo Shubai's spiritual energy emanating from the distant mountains. She subtly used her spiritual energy to part the mountain mists, and sure enough, Mo Shubai, dressed in blue, smiled slightly at her in the wind before turning and leaving. "That senior brother of mine, oh dear!" Song Chi couldn't help but laugh, cupping her cheeks in her hands by the window.
The construction team was someone Song Chi recognized as Manager Mo; they were probably one of Mo Shubai's most capable assistants. Manager Mo was always respectful to his grandfather and the others, never interfering with the construction details, simply following the Song family's instructions. His grandfather and the others, who had initially worried about the arrogance of such a large family, immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The construction team was naturally kept on. The reason was simple: in the Baihuaxi area, houses were being rebuilt everywhere after being destroyed by floods, and it was truly difficult to find skilled construction workers in the short term. Mo Shubai sending people naturally solved their immediate problem, and his grandfather decided to keep Manager Mo and the others.
And without hesitation, he said that today was an auspicious day, and immediately began to lay the foundation for the land he had chosen on the sacred mountain by the Spirit Lake.
Song Chi also went to take a look, but felt there was nothing she could interfere with. Moreover, her grandfather seemed to be in a particularly good mood and was taking charge of the matter. So she followed her father back, and as they walked back along the fairy lake, Song Chi could tell that her father wanted to talk to her.
Sure enough, the two walked around the lake for a while. Father first affirmed that Mo Shubai was indeed a very good person in both character and appearance, and even said that if the two of you had a good relationship, then agreeing to the marriage wouldn't be a problem. But Father still asked a question. "The Mo family is one of the eight great families, and such families have strict rules. You've always been a free-spirited child; if you marry into such a family..." Father's face turned sour at that moment, and he even considered taking back the marriage proposal.
Song Chi smiled immediately. "No, when my senior brother and I get married, we will choose a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains to settle down. We won't go to the Mo family, Father, please don't worry."
At that moment, Father seemed slightly relieved, and then nodded and said, "If it is a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, then our fairy mountain and spiritual lake would be perfect. How about we build you a fairy estate across the lake?"
Song Chi immediately shook off his hand forcefully. "No, no, no! Who lives with their parents after getting married? I don't want to!"
"You brat!" Her father immediately brandished his scepter, just like he had treated her when she was a child. Song Chi had never been afraid since she was little, so she just smiled. "Anyway, no, I just want to hide away with my senior brother and spend some quality time together."
"Was this something you all agreed upon?" her father asked, seeing her insistence.
Song Chi thought to herself, she'd been so busy dating Mo Shubai that she hadn't had time to talk about these things. "Senior Brother will agree to this, Father, don't worry." If he didn't agree, then they wouldn't get married. Hmph! But even if Mo Shubai were alone, he'd still go into seclusion. So, going into seclusion with her was probably an option he preferred.
That very evening, Mo Shubai sent a letter. It included a map with many locations marked on it, which he described as the immortal estates he had acquired over the years. He then listed several places where sacred mountains and spiritual lands had emerged, describing the most beautiful spots in elegant prose, and asked her which one she preferred. Song Chi immediately showed the letter to her father.
At that moment, her father's expression was somewhat complicated, and he said, "We can't rely entirely on the Mo family's wealth." He was probably afraid she would be looked down upon. These were all worldly considerations. Song Chi felt that a refined person like Mo Shubai wouldn't care about such things. Now that she was detached from the cause and effect of this realm, she honestly didn't value wealth anymore. However, she still showed her father her storage ring. Her father probably had never seen such a rich storage ring before, and he immediately gasped slightly, then quickly suppressed it. Then he nodded confidently. "In that case, you can build your house wherever you like." He then secretly reminded her that couples should discuss things together and not always make decisions alone. He added that even if one person had to make the decision, they should do it discreetly. Song Chi smiled and agreed.
Then a small incident occurred that day. No one knows what Ye Qingyu and the others were thinking, but several construction teams suddenly appeared at the Song family's gate in the middle of the morning. Ye Qingyu's team arrived first, followed by teams from Hua Shalan and Wen Yujiu's families. Surprisingly, Xue Rongzhan and Cui Luoying also joined in the fun, sending a construction team along. Of course, Su Qiwu also sent a team, along with a letter. If they didn't even give him this much face, if they didn't treat him like a childhood friend, he would be heartbroken.
When Song Chi saw the letter, she thought, "Then you can be heartbroken to death." She'd been using this tactic against him since they were little, always using him as a shield to deflect his romantic entanglements. As a result, from middle school all the way to her second year of graduate school, she was this bastard's rumored girlfriend. And yet, he dared to make baseless accusations, saying that being her rumored boyfriend for so long had blocked all his other romantic prospects—such outrageous statements!
Song Chi, of course, didn't keep a single construction team; he politely declined them all.
The residence was completed in just two or three months. After all, building a residence in the cultivation world is exceptionally easy. The reason it took so long was because the details were meticulously crafted. Moreover, the residence was very grand; besides the main house, the courtyards for her parents, uncle and aunt, and even herself and Song Yun were all located separately in different parts of the immortal mountain. This was good; cultivators generally maintain a sense of distance and it's better to preserve their private space.
Then, in the summer, Song Yun and Xi Ya got engaged. Xi Ya didn't acknowledge her family, so Song Yun had to personally bring her back. However, the Xi family eventually heard about it and tried to visit in the middle of the morning. Xi Ya's face was rather unpleasant; she seemed about to fling her sleeve away. The word "get lost" was almost on her lips—she was known for her strong temper. Finally, Song Yun pulled her hand, and Song Yun went out, cupped his hands to the Xi family, and then gestured for them to leave. Because he had unleashed the power of a Flying Immortal Realm cultivator, and the highest cultivation level in the Xi family was now only Nascent Soul, they didn't dare linger and left dejectedly.
Xi Ya was a very good person, both in appearance and character, and the Song family already cherished her greatly. Given her recent ordeal, everyone naturally felt even more affection for her. The engagement between the two proceeded smoothly, and they planned to marry the following spring.
After this matter was settled, autumn arrived. Coincidentally, the best day was the same day I went to the Azure Sword Sect to become an apprentice, the first day of the ninth month. Because we had exchanged several letters, the date had already been set.
Moreover, the master was quite particular, saying that the hour of Si (9-11 AM) was the auspicious time for a long and happy marriage, and that he would only come to propose marriage at that time.
The Song family had naturally made preparations well in advance. Since the grandfather and others were still not used to being served, the family members prepared the banquet and other fare themselves.
Early in the morning, a commotion arose outside the door. Song Chi glanced outside with his divine sense but didn't want to speak. He saw the Hua family carrying loads of various betrothal gifts, stretching for what seemed like ten miles. Leading them was Hua Shalan, dressed in a white robe with green bamboo accents, looking very refined and elegant. When his father went to answer the door, he was extremely respectful, saying that they had come to propose marriage.
"Proposing marriage? What a load of rubbish!" Song Chi immediately swept his sleeve across Hua Shalanhai. Hua Shalanhai tried to block him, but she flew to the door, glared at him fiercely, and with a single stroke of her pipa, sent him and his gifts away. Hua Shalanhai was gone, but the betrothal gifts transformed into a storage ring, still managing to pass through her spiritual energy seal and land in the Song family's main residence. Naturally, Song Chi grabbed it and flung it towards him. What a mess! What is all this nonsense?
However, Hua Shalan flew away with a deep smile, though his leaping posture was deliberately graceful, showcasing his strong waist and long legs. Wen Yujiu, dressed in the black robes of the young master of the Wen family, also came to propose marriage with an elegant smile.
Song Chi noticed that his father's face was slightly chapped. He immediately stepped in front of his father and bowed to Wen Yujiu. "Senior Brother Wen, please."
Wen Yujiu smiled quietly and stared at her for a while before nodding. But as he led the people back, the betrothal gifts transformed into a swallow, trying to fly into the Song family. Naturally, Song Chi caught them and tossed them to him. So Wen Yujiu left with a low laugh.
Then Ye Qingyu appeared, ignoring Song Chi completely. Instead, he smiled and bowed to his parents, saying, "Uncle, Aunt, how have you been?" It was clear his parents genuinely liked him, as they smiled and said yes. When Ye Qingyu then announced his intention to propose marriage, Song Chi glanced sideways at her parents, wondering if they would still agree. This time, her parents remained silent.
Song Chi glared at Ye Qingyu and gestured with one hand, indicating that they should proceed. Ye Qingyu, with his hands behind his back, smiled and stared at her, his gaze growing increasingly intense. Over the years, Ye Qingyu had indeed remained unassuming and uncompetitive, leading Song Chi to believe he had let go of everything. But this guy always liked to stare at her with that same look, even a single glance seemed incredibly powerful. Ye Qingyu was probably the type to have a deep, unwavering gaze, but he didn't need to use it on her at all. Oh dear, she didn't even know what was so special about her.
Then Ye Qingyu finally smiled again and said, "Song Chi, you should know that I will never give up." She then turned and led her people away. *You won't give up my ass* Song Chi was speechless.
Then things got out of hand. Cui Luoying actually showed up too, her procession, dressed in white robes adorned with peach blossoms, was longer and more elaborate than all the previous arrivals combined. After he left, Xue Rongzhan arrived leisurely, accompanied only by three or five people, but his flying boat carried over a dozen plum trees in full bloom. Moreover, he only bowed to his parents at the door. Song Chi was somewhat puzzled, as her father seemed to have a rather good impression of Xue Rongzhan, even giving him a smile. Xue Rongzhan did propose marriage, but before leaving, he left behind the flying boat and the plum trees on it. To say he simply left them would be impolite; he said he found the plum trees lovely and could casually dig them up to celebrate the engagement. What could she do? She swept the flying boat with her spiritual energy and sent it inside.
At this point, Song Chi felt that was enough. She really hadn't provoked that many people, and those were all missions, something Hua Shalan and the others were well aware of. Yet they still came to cause this commotion! It was utterly inhuman. Then, the grand processions of the Tai Xuan Immortal Dynasty and the Cang Hai Immortal Dynasty appeared. Looking at Ji Ningche and Su Xi in front of them, Song Chi was speechless. She could absolutely swear that she hadn't provoked either of them. Especially Su Xi, who rarely even spoke. And yet she came to propose marriage! Truly speechless.
Meanwhile, in the mountains opposite the Song family's residence, several people were watching the commotion.
Among them were Su Qiwu, Jiang Linyue, Wen Xiujin, and Qi Zhenmo. However, the only one truly watching the spectacle was Qi Zhenmo. He lazily leaned against the pine tree trunk, occasionally glancing at Song Chi's face opposite him, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Su Qiwu suddenly said, "You don't know, in my past life I absolutely had a chance to marry her. From the age of fourteen, when I realized my feelings for her, those years were very difficult for me."
"Don't let her ruthless appearance fool you, she's had an incredible number of suitors since her past life. When she was fourteen, someone started confessing to her, and that's when I started to feel threatened. Luckily, that guy was the awkward type. He clearly liked Song Chi to death, but he kept mocking her for playing the zither. So on the day he confessed, that brat beat him up and told him to get lost." He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh as he said this.
But there was a hint of schadenfreude in her voice, and Jiang Linyue even burst out laughing. "This is something that bastard Song Chi would do."
"To shield her from those unwanted suitors, I had to go to great lengths, always using her as a shield for me, making her my nominal girlfriend. From junior high to high school... actually, I wasn't that fond of music, but to keep her, I even went to the same music academy as her. By the time we got to university, her reputation as a little jasmine flower had grown quite well, and she had many admirers, but thankfully, she was still defeated by my 'rumored girlfriend' strategy. Because our families were neighbors and our parents knew each other, I had already obtained the consent of both families that we would get engaged the day she graduated with her master's degree."
Jiang Linyue disagreed. "Would Song Chi be the kind of person to obey?" Even Wen Xiujin and Qi Zhenmo couldn't help but nod. Song Chi looked innocent, but he was actually a troublemaker. He could kill people without batting an eye when he was a teenager.
Su Qiwu laughed at that moment. "You don't understand. She hadn't fallen for anyone yet. She even thought no one liked her, since I had blocked all those suitors. Although she might not be happy about the engagement, we could get engaged first, and then she would eventually marry me after she got tired of playing around. I was confident of that."
"..." Jiang Linyue and the others didn't quite understand what it meant to be tired of playing. However, one thing had to be said. Jiang Linyue clicked her tongue and patted Su Qiwu's shoulder, "To be honest, Brother Su, you were really a scoundrel in your past life." Wen Xiujin and Qi Zhenmo couldn't help but nod in agreement.
“What good is it? After all these years of scheming, in the end, that summer evening…” At this point, Su Qiwu’s expression suddenly changed. He paled for a moment, then laughed, “Alright, I’ll go propose marriage too.”
After he led his men there with fanfare, Song Chi chased him for miles around the gate, whipping him with a fan. The way he cursed at Song Chi showed he didn't consider Su Qiwu someone he liked, but merely a friend, or perhaps even a brother.
Qi Zhenmo and Jiang Linyue couldn't help but pat Wen Xiujin on the shoulder, saying, "There's someone else here who's just as miserable as you!" Wen Xiujin's expression turned extremely ugly.
After Su Qiwu was chased away, Jiang Linyue also flung her sleeves. "I'm going to propose marriage too!" Then she went off with veins popping on her forehead. When she arrived at the door, she naturally became gentle and refined again, but was still rejected by Song Chi with a glare.
Looking at the finally quiet Song family gate, Qi Zhenmo couldn't help but pat Wen Xiujin's shoulder. "Aren't you going?" Wen Xiujin stared at the fair, delicate face opposite him for a few moments, then turned away and shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't have that attachment in his heart; he just didn't want to break the bond between him and Song Chi. Fine, treating him as a friend... what a joke. Gritting his teeth, Wen Xiujin ultimately left in silence. Qi Zhenmo, of course, had come to watch the spectacle, and left with a smile afterward.
Just as Song Chi was about to turn around after the courtyard had quieted down, Xue Qingyan arrived, exuding elegance. She greeted him with a smile as she reached the door.
"Song Chi, congratulations!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xue." Song Chi returned the greeting, and then gestured for Xue Qingyan to come in. Xue Qingyan immediately smiled and shook her head, "Today is your special day, so I won't disturb you any longer. Goodbye." With that, she gracefully departed.
As Song Chi waited for his figure to disappear leisurely into the distant mountains and return home, he could still hear his aunt and mother nodding to each other, saying that he was a good person. Xue Qingyan was indeed a very good person, without a doubt.
After all that commotion, Song Chi sat down by the lake and couldn't help but rub his forehead. This made Xi Ya burst out laughing. "Those people!" She sighed with a laugh, then continued, "But I've always been on Master Shu Bai's side from the beginning. You don't understand, Master Shu Bai paid the most attention to you back in the Guihai class."
Song Chi couldn't help but lean back strategically. Back then, she and Mo Shubai were truly innocent. The icy, bone-chilling sound of their zither playing, like a clear spring flowing down an iceberg, was something neither of them could be unaware of. Besides, "That's because my zither skills are superb, so naturally the Immortal Master likes it." Xi Ya smiled and nodded at the time. "That's true, you were still young back then."
Soon it was 9:00 AM. This time, Song Chi stood up, his steps light and graceful.
Instead, when she tried to go to the front gate, her parents called her back, saying she needed to be more reserved!
What's with all the pretense? These old feudalists! But whatever, she'll just wait in front of the main house.
Soon after, there was movement at the front gate. The Song family's manor was actually built in a rather domineering way. It encompassed the entire Fairy Lake, and the front gate was built on the opposite bank of the lake.
Master was indeed very punctual, arriving precisely at 9 AM. And as agreed, there was no pomp or circumstance. It was just Master, Daoist Qingchenzi, and Mo Shubai who arrived. They exchanged greetings at the front gate and then walked around the lake to get there.
Mo Shubai, dressed in a dignified and elegant blue robe, arrived with a gentle smile. It was clear he was slightly nervous. Only after their eyes met from afar did his nervousness dissipate, and he regained his refined and gentle demeanor.
After welcoming the guests to the main hall, the engagement ceremony proceeded as smoothly as had been agreed. After tea, the betrothal gifts were presented, and the marriage certificate was written. The wedding was then set for the autumn of the following year. It was all completed so simply.
Then, my grandfather was taken for a walk along the lake by Daoist Qingchenzi and his in-laws, and my master naturally went along as well.
Song Chi naturally took Mo Shubai to the back mountain for a stroll, hoping to have some time alone together. Because of the ancient custom of not meeting before engagement, the two hadn't seen each other for several months. However, Mo Shubai was still somewhat reserved. After bowing to her parents and uncles before leaving, she took his hand in the courtyard, and his cheeks were still slightly flushed. This caused her aunt and mother to tug at each other's sleeves and whisper things like how nice it was that he could still be shy.
The two only hugged briefly in the mountains, without even a kiss. Mo Shubai was behaving dignifiedly and reservedly today, so there was nothing she could do.
When they returned, they saw that Daoist Qingchenzi's eyes were red, and their grandfather's eyes were also slightly red as he sighed over something. Even their parents and uncles looked at Mo Shubai with overwhelming affection.
Only Master rolled his eyes slightly. Song Chi roughly knew that Daoist Qingchenzi had probably mentioned Mo Shubai's childhood. According to Master, this was overly sentimental and despicable. But he truly loved Mo Shubai very much.
Thus, the marriage was successfully arranged. That night, the master and his companions stayed overnight and left the following day.
Half a month later, Mo Shubai arrived in a glazed palace carriage to take Song Chi to see how the future house should be built. Song Yun and his wife decided to get married at the Song family home first, and then see if there were any places they liked before building the house.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Let me see] This is a bit of a diary entry, sorry, but this is the only way to write it in this kind of section. The next chapter will explain the ascension after the wedding, and then it will be finished. I'm going to go back to writing and try to finish it tonight!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
