Chapter 89 I didn't say I wouldn't get married! I said I didn't want to. ...
Mingguang, with his cold and domineering nature, would not normally use a conciliatory approach.
Their childhood together was happy, but this happiness was often accompanied by arguments where neither of them was willing to give in.
Every fight was earth-shattering. Mingguang would often slap the little peach branch figure thousands of miles away. Every time Bitao returned on her fish, she would grab his neck and devour the golden spirit, wishing her mouth was big enough to kill him.
Neither of them would apologize to the other, but at that time, Mingguang, who was much stronger than Bitao, a wild fairy spirit who had not yet taken human form, only "yielded" by tilting his neck and stubbornly letting her bite him.
They might argue after they've finished biting each other, or they might silently make up.
Neither of them would say anything "soft" to the other.
Unless... it's for some ulterior motive.
For example, if Bitao wants him to take her somewhere to see scenery she's never seen before, she'll coax him, hug his neck and swing on a swing, saying all sorts of sweet things.
Mingguang's only attempt to "please" the palace maids was to ask them to add more dishes to the menu.
He wouldn't ask for any food just because of his own appetite, but he would make an exception to please the little peach branch.
Such tender words and affectionate demeanor are unprecedented in heaven and earth.
Bitao watched with curiosity as "Wei Danxin" approached her.
After Wei Danxin walked up to her, he stood very close to her, his tall figure leaning slightly towards her, and said with a warm smile on his thin lips, "Your dress is torn, so I've prepared a new one for you."
Wei Danxin said, "It's almost dawn, Tao Tao, let's go."
If Bitao didn't have something to confirm, and if she hadn't been unsure how to completely tame this "raptor" in front of her, which had folded its wings and claws and pretended to be a harmless housebird, Bitao would have really wanted to go "play" with him.
Bitao looked around.
I didn't plan to go with anyone, but I couldn't resist my playful nature and wanted to see how long Mingguang could keep up this act.
It will be dawn soon, and this is the road that the cultivators will have to pass through to leave the village, so it's not a good time to talk.
Bitao followed behind Wei Danxin for a while and returned to the farmhouse where the two of them had lived together.
However, after entering the gate, she stopped and did not follow "Wei Danxin" into the inner room.
If you get locked in a room, it will be difficult to escape.
Wei Danxin took two steps and realized there were no footsteps following her. She turned to look at Bitao and asked, "What's wrong?"
He said softly, "Come here, go change your clothes. We'll set off at dawn. I'll cook you a bowl of rice porridge first."
Wow!
Are you even willing to learn to wash your hands and cook?
Ming Guang calculated that if he emptied the rice jar, the remaining rice would be enough to make a thin bowl of porridge, just enough for Xiao Taozhi's breakfast.
As he spoke, he meticulously rolled up the wide sleeves of his robe.
This robe was actually prepared by Bitao for Wei Danxin in the sect and placed in their luggage when they came to Mengxia Village as a change of clothes.
Based on Bitao's understanding of Mingguang, he probably wished he could destroy everything about "Wei Danxin," as it was "evidence" that he had been humiliated and deceived.
He's now finding out what he's wearing, clearly on purpose.
This is truly enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden.
Bitao didn't reply, but her peach blossom eyes revealed a smile.
She stepped forward, grabbed Wei Danxin's hand, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips.
Wei Danxin's figure and smile both froze. Thinking of the Silver Gu in the heavens above, which would oversee every detail of the competition, he instinctively tilted his head back, avoiding Bi Tao's lips.
He was more than a head taller than Bitao; even when Bitao stood on tiptoe, she couldn't reach his lips.
The kiss didn't even land on his jaw or throat; Mingguang couldn't bear being watched in such an intimate moment.
Weren't all those previous "absurdities" shameful enough?
Mingguang frowned and reached out to restrain Bitao's neck.
With a light touch and slow speed, he pushed Bitao away forcefully and without hesitation.
However, he did not loosen his grip, keeping her at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, not far enough to allow her to "ambush" him.
Following the force of the bright light, Bitao raised her head high, her smile widening.
She said, "My 'husband' would never refuse me like this."
Upon hearing the term "husband," Mingguang was overwhelmed by those absurd memories, which rushed back to him like a howling gust of wind.
His feigned gentleness vanished as if frozen, and the fake smile that had been building up at the corners of his lips disappeared completely.
Wei Danxin transformed back into Mingguang in the blink of an eye.
Bitao gently placed her hand on the wrist bone of the man who was gripping her neck, and slowly rubbed it.
Bitao laughed sarcastically: "If you're going to pretend, at least pretend to the end so I can fall for it."
As Mingguang felt the tingling sensation spread through his wrists where their skin was touching, an indescribable tingling sensation quickly coursing through his body like a thunderbolt, prompting him to release his grip immediately.
He took a step back, frowned as he looked at Bitao, and said in a threatening tone, "Little Peach Branch, haven't you made enough trouble yet?"
He resented Bitao's frivolousness and was even more unwilling to show any interaction between the two to others.
Just as he has never mentioned Xiao Taozhi to anyone all these years, the immortals of the Nine Heavens still do not know that the two had a past.
I thought he had been calling Bitao "Little Peach Juice" all along.
Bitao shrugged: "What am I making a fuss about? Wei Danxin is my husband. He made a vow to me, and Heaven is my witness. It's only natural for my husband and I to do some intimate things."
“I will only go with my husband if he tells me to.”
Looking into Mingguang's eyes, Bitao's smile vanished, her expression hardening as she pressed him with a sharp edge: "So you are him?"
Mingguang's brows were furrowed deeply, and his gaze toward Bitao was stern.
Seeing that he remained silent with his lips pursed, Bitao was burning with anger, and then pouted and said, "You don't want him."
Bitao also took a step back, imitating Liuxing, and always bowed politely in any situation, which was quite infuriating.
Bitao respectfully cupped her hands to Mingguang and said, "Immortal Mingguang, I think it's a good idea to cooperate in killing the Xuanmen Ancestor. Youtian also agrees with the merit of the Immortal Position. We will fully cooperate. But apart from that, we have nothing else to say."
After saying that, Bitao turned and left.
But as she opened the door, a golden spirit came from behind her.
Like a golden snake, it coiled layer upon layer around the door she had just opened.
The door was locked.
Unable to get out, Bitao turned to look at Mingguang.
He appeared serious, but inside he was as happy as if he were floating on clouds.
It was a rare moment for her to have such a playful time with Mingguang.
Mingguang walked over, and in those few steps, he managed to suppress his anger.
When appeasement failed, he immediately changed his strategy.
Looking at her, he said in a gentle voice, "The Xuanmen Ancestor has been entrenched in the mortal realm for over two thousand years. The entire star realm is his hunting ground, and our immortal positions are now his best targets. No one knows when he will make his move. Come with me, don't wander off, it's very dangerous."
That's absolutely right. Right now, everyone should try to gather in one place to get things done.
But Bitao was genuinely surprised. She was deliberately provoking him, yet Mingguang was still able to suppress his anger. Was Mingguang's patience really that good now?
If we extrapolate from his level of "enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens", even if Bitao does nothing, the two of them should be able to achieve a happy ending in another three to five hundred years, right?
Unfortunately, having tasted how sweet and thirst-quenching the melon was, she didn't want to wait any longer.
She said, "Others might not be able to guess, but you should be able to: my mother, the Daoist Bu Er, will not be coming back."
"Wei Xiao, the leader of the Supreme Sword Sect, is a prime suspect. He tricked me into coming to Mengxia Village but failed to kill me. Wouldn't it be even more dangerous for me to go back?"
Mingguang looked serious and said in a low voice, "Little Peach Branch, don't throw a tantrum at a time like this."
"I will be taking Yun Chuan and Bing Lun with me on this trip. We will not be returning to the Supreme Sword Sect, but will instead be searching for a suitable place to form an array. You will be safe with me."
Mingguang paused, then said, "You can also bring Zhan Kui, and You Tian's men with you. You've always been better at stacking and applying formations than I am..."
Mingguang's voice was even lower, with a hint of pleading: "I need your help."
This is simply a show of weakness.
Of the array formations they practiced in the Heavenly Realm, only a few could be applied to this world. When Mingguang mentioned them, Bitao quickly listed them in her mind.
Mingguang has always been ambitious, and he must master everything from the Peach Blossom Society. Although he is very quick to learn, he is too dabbling in many things and never goes into deep study.
He was too lazy to even figure out the hand seals suitable for his own wood-elemental immortal spirit, and simply copied the hand seals of the bright metal element, which he has been using ever since. He still hasn't changed this habit.
When the two of them discussed the array formations they had practiced, Mingguang was definitely more skilled at using them than Bitao, and might even have modified them several times to enhance their original power.
He needs Bitao's help? That's pure nonsense.
Bitao's eyes widened in surprise, wide enough to rival Zhan Kui's eyes.
She wanted to run around Mingguang a few times to get a good, comprehensive look at him and see if he had been possessed by that Xuanmen patriarch!
And he even specifically asked her to bring Zhan Kui with her?
He was so annoyed by Zhan Kui.
They were once "best friends," one of a kind.
Currently, Bitao and Zhankui are the best. Mingguang's possessiveness is just as strong as Bitao's. He doesn't say a word, but he has killed people countless times with his eyes.
Otherwise, would Zhan Kui have run away as soon as he saw the light?
If it weren't for the current urgent situation and the fact that Bitao still had things to confirm, she would have gone along with Mingguang's "soft words" in everything he said.
But this didn't stop Bitao from breaking Mingguang's composure as soon as she opened her mouth.
Bitao feigned disappointment and sadness: "After all that talk, it turns out you didn't come to ask me to return to the sect."
Bitao lowered her eyes, her voice hoarse: "I thought... you specifically came to find me so that I would go back with you to get married. Today is October 12th, and our wedding is in three days."
Mingguang was taken aback.
Bitao continued, "So it turns out that no matter what happens in heaven or on earth, you will never waver. In the end, it was all just wishful thinking on my part."
Bitao turned her head away from Mingguang, deliberately speaking in a low voice, but making sure Mingguang could hear her: "My mother won't come back, my husband... doesn't recognize me, I have nothing left, neither the sect nor the heavens, what's the point of me going back?"
"It would be better to live a carefree life here for forty years. Whether I end up as a lonely ghost or someone else's meal, it's better than the bitterness and sorrow of not getting what I want."
After Bitao finished speaking, she activated the wood spirit, which clashed with Mingguang's golden spirit lock.
The golden light and the eerie green were like two small snakes, tearing at each other's bodies in a life-or-death struggle.
They seemed determined to devour each other.
Upon hearing the words "I refuse to die" once again, Mingguang was immediately thrown into turmoil.
"Little Peach Branch!" he said urgently, wanting to say, "Why did you have to do this?"
But the thought of how she would stop at nothing to get him fueled a burning anger in Mingguang's heart, a anger that stemmed from being deceived and behaving ugly. This anger was shattered by the overwhelming force of "Xiao Taozhi will not die until she gets him," leaving not even a wisp of smoke behind.
Mingguang forced himself to calm his trembling mind, and his voice was somewhat strained as he spoke: "We are not from this world, so it is meaningless for us to get married in the lower realm."
As Mingguang spoke, he reached out and tried to turn Bitao's shoulder, but Bitao stubbornly refused to turn around.
Her shoulders and neck trembled as she turned her back to him, though she was actually struggling to suppress a laugh.
He continued, "It's meaningless... What a meaningless statement!"
Her voice trembled, and when she turned her head again, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
"Alright, I understand. Immortal Mingguang, you are high above, unwilling to fall into the 'mortal realm,' and disdainful of my base love. In the Star Realm of the Competition, everything that happens is meaningless to you. I know, no need to say more!"
Bitao yelled at him, "Then why don't you open the door and let me leave? Get far away from this despicable and shameless person, lest I continue to pester you and tarnish your reputation as a 'future' Immortal Emperor!"
Tears streamed down her face as she resolutely spoke: "I consider this earthly vow of marriage to be nothing but a delusional fantasy, a pipe dream. From this day forward, we shall have no further connection whatsoever, neither in heaven nor on earth!"
After Bitao finished speaking, the raging wood spirit finally devoured the metal spirit. The wood spirit snake's body was burned inch by inch by the repulsive spiritual attributes, leaving holes. The little wood spirit snake, however, burped contentedly and then happily disappeared into Bitao's body.
Bitao opened the gate and ran off.
Little did he know that her words, "We have no further connection in heaven or on earth," were directly misinterpreted by the distraught Mingguang as her wanting to sever all ties with him and refusing to return to heaven.
Mingguang was extremely anxious and quickly grabbed her wrist.
With all his might, he pulled Bitao back from the gate and tossed her back into the yard.
Then he slammed the door shut, and countless golden snakes crawled out from his sleeves and under his robes, densely covering the door in layers of crimson gold.
Bitao staggered as he flung her, sensing that he was in disarray, and secretly she burst into laughter.
She fell to the ground, then looked at him with a sad and shocked expression, accusingly saying, "...You hit me?"
Mingguang: "..."
He was just in a hurry and used too much force.
He stepped forward and bent down to help Bitao.
As a result, Bitao shouted at him through her tears, "Don't come any closer!"
Bitao was really into playing the fool, her throat choked with sobs: "Waaah... You're not my husband, don't touch me!"
Mingguang reached out halfway, but tripped and almost fell to the ground along with Bitao.
The phrase "at a loss" is embodied in him.
Bitao was still "adding fuel to the fire," imitating the shrewish women of the mortal world, crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself.
She ripped off her belt, wrapped it around her neck, and pulled at it with both hands, trying to strangle herself: "I have nothing left, my husband doesn't recognize me, and he beats me, what's the point of me living?! I don't want to live anymore, waaaaah—"
Mingguang felt his blood rush to his head, and he immediately felt dizzy.
No matter how much Xiao Taozhi pursued him for a hundred years, she never used such... low-class coercive methods.
Whether Bitao is forceful, deceitful, ashamed and compromising to follow orders, or stubbornly unrepentant, Mingguang has a way to deal with her.
But because she was acting so unruly and foolishly, even saying things like "I will not return to heaven" and "I want to die," none of the eight hundred strategies that Mingguang had prepared could be applied.
He watched her make a scene, and after a moment he stepped forward. Instead of pulling her away, he knelt down and forcefully ripped off the belt that was binding her waist.
This thing can strangle a celestial being? That's utterly ridiculous.
But Mingguang threw the waistband far away.
His face was covered in ice and snow, but beneath the icy exterior lay a deep sense of compromise and helplessness.
He grabbed Bitao's shoulders, looked at her, and, as if waking someone from a trance, said sternly, "I only said that marriage in the mortal realm is meaningless, I didn't say that marriage is not allowed!"
Bitao lowered her head, pondering what other tricks those shrewish women might have up their sleeves. She thought she might as well try them all today; Mingguang's reactions were hilarious.
When they heard Mingguang say that, they were all a little dumbfounded.
"Huh?" Her stunned expression at this moment was genuine.
Mingguang took a deep breath, stiffly lifted his hand from Bitao's shoulder, and reached out to cut off the water droplets on her cheek.
With a furrowed brow and a look of utter despair, she revealed her final bottom line: "Stop making a scene. What I mean is, once I pass away and confirm my status, we'll start planning our wedding."
He is born with the power to judge and condemn, to dispel falsehoods and awaken the spirit; his voice is firmer than a rock, as immovable as mountains and stars.
Bitao gasped.
My mind went blank for a moment, and I suddenly felt dizzy.
So you just accept it, you've accepted it?
Is it really that... easy?
If I had known, she would have thrown a tantrum on the ground a hundred years ago!
Bitao smiled, her heart brimming with joy.
If Mingguang had been so easy to talk to earlier, they wouldn't have wasted a hundred years of their lives together; they could have been intimate long ago, living up to their youthful romance.
However, Mingguang's next words quickly brought Bitao to her senses, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
“I have calculated that after you kill the patriarch of the Xuanmen sect, you will surely leap over the True Immortal realm and enter the Celestial Immortal realm upon your return to heaven.”
"At that time, I can take up any general position in the Lei Doubing army and then go to my mother to witness our marriage and vows."
Mingguang was not planning to make such a promise so easily; he was still angry with Xiaotaozhi.
He felt that she was utterly despicable for doing something wrong but refusing to admit it, and that she should be punished severely to prevent her from doing it worse in the future.
He has every legitimate reason to argue with her, and she is sure to lose this time.
When Mingguang saw Xiaotaozhi crying and breaking down, and even wanted to give up her immortal position, even though he could see that her tears and crying were mostly fake, he couldn't bear to continue to compete with her.
They have already... have already consummated their marriage, thus irrevocably confirming their marital relationship.
Mingguang was stubborn and rigid, and he had fixed standards for people and things, judging them by comparison.
They crossed the line of "closest friends." Even if Mingguang was deceived, and even if he was furious at Bitao's trickery, he couldn't deny it.
Bitao's calculation of this was very accurate.
She has successfully changed Mingguang's perception of their relationship.
However, Mingguang said that only after Bitao returns to heaven and ascends to any of the three general positions in the "Thunder Fighter" division can she find the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms to witness her marriage.
This is perfectly reasonable and in accordance with the law. It is an implicit rule that future Immortal Emperors of the Nine Heavens will choose their partners from the Thunder Fighter and Warrior Tripartites.
They will become a "well-matched" couple.
Bitao had been thinking for a while when Mingguang said this. Although the immortals of the Milky Way in the heavens above would be greatly "shocked" and quarrel for a while, it would soon subside.
Mingguang appeared to be comforting her, but in reality, he was issuing orders to the ancient immortal clan from afar.
When she passes away, the three departments of Leidoubing will change their previous hostile and contemptuous attitude and do everything they can to win over this "future fairy queen" to take up a position.
After all, all they wanted was to marry the "future Immortal Emperor." As for the marriage partner, if he couldn't truly come from the ancient immortal clan, he should at least be inseparable from it.
Just like emperors in the mortal world who, if they have no direct descendants, can be adopted and raised by members of the royal family.
Afterwards, all the turmoil in the Nine Heavens and the rifts in the immortal ranks will be mended by the grand wedding of the two.
The ancient immortals could also use this as a legitimate excuse to recruit meritorious immortals from the Netherworld.
After all, the "future fairy queen" was a wild fairy spirit who had once opposed them. They did not hold a grudge and supported and respected her. Doesn't this show that the ancient fairy clan embraced and respected other fairy positions?
As for actually recruiting them, whether to put them in useless positions to grind away their resentment, or to make them too busy with complicated public duties to keep them from having any time to rebel, is far too easy.
If Bitao nods now, everyone seems to get what they want, and everyone will be happy.
Bitao was pulled up from the ground by Mingguang's hand, and stared at him blankly.
If she gives up now, she can be considered to have won the heart of a beauty.
Although Mingguang harbored resentment, once he said he would marry Bitao, he also felt relieved of his "burden".
He reached out and gently wiped the mess off Bitao's face with his sleeve.
They looked at each other for a long time.
Mingguang's heart pounded uncontrollably, and he began to yearn for everything after his death.
He was destined to marry. In the past, Mingguang never considered his wife. He knew that in his position, controlling the Nine Heavens and directing the immortals, many things would be beyond his control.
He never complained, never wavered, and never felt sad.
Xiao Taozhi suddenly fell in love with him, which surprised and troubled him. He never imagined that the two of them could have any romantic love, let alone be husband and wife.
Even though he... he realized that he couldn't resist Xiao Taozhi's closeness, he was unwilling to face it, and he would never shirk the responsibility that fell on his shoulders for his own selfish desires.
Those in positions of authority should fulfill their responsibilities.
He understood this better than anyone else; he was born to take on all of this for his brother.
He could never satisfy his parents, so how could he possibly rebel and go astray again because of his own desires?
But this time, everything changed dramatically.
They've already come to this point, and there's no way to back down or change things.
When Mingguang broke the seal, he remembered everything. Anger occupied all his senses, but in his internal organs, which had been burned by anger, what gradually rose was joy, anticipation, secret delight, and the peace of mind that the dust had settled.
He has someone to fantasize about for his future wife, and he is willing to fantasize about her.
No one made him more willing than Xiao Taozhi.
No one is more suitable than Xiao Taozhi.
He couldn't imagine marrying anyone other than Little Peach.
From now on, they can be as close as before... no, even closer than before.
That was an intimate connection that would send shivers down Mingguang's spine whenever he recalled it.
What does "life after life" in the vows made in the lower realms mean?
Ordinary people are born in the morning and die in the evening; a lifetime is no more than a hundred years.
And he and Xiaotaozhi will have countless, endless years to accompany each other and never be separated again.
The two gazed at each other for a long time, their feelings intertwined.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Mingguang, having already spoken, did something he would never have done before, nor would he have shown to anyone, to prove he wasn't lying.
He slowly hooked his arm around Bitao's neck and pulled her into his embrace.
He hugged Bitao's shoulders and back, gradually tightening his arms.
His expression was gentle, his eyes half-closed, staring at the top of the person in his arms, when he felt dizzy again.
A tingling sensation spread down my spine, and for the first time in my life, I became so acutely aware of what it meant to be infatuated with love, completely captivated.
He opened a small door in his impregnable "city," allowing only one person to pass through, and opening it only for one person.
The city was ablaze with lights, filled with music and dance, yet he invited only one person to share the spectacle with him.
Just as Mingguang was deeply moved and his mind was in turmoil, he heard the person leaning on his shoulder in his arms speak, saying, "But I don't want to."
His heart was pounding so loudly that he didn't hear what Bitao was saying for a moment.
Or perhaps he simply couldn't believe what Xiao Taozhi was saying.
He still had his arm around Bitao and uttered a "Hmm?" in confusion.
Bitao said clearly again, "I said I don't want to."
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