Chapter 71 Su Yuyao's Crisis
Inside the Palace of the Female Mother, a fairy maiden who resembled Yi Mu was complaining to Yi Mu with a worried expression.
“My dear sister! Please help Qinggan! He’s been forced down to only ten mountain strongholds by Xuanfeng. He already had quite a few branches, and they were very popular. Now several branches are clamoring to expand, but where can we find the space?! Qinggan went to Xuanfeng to reason with him, but he completely ignored us…”
"Qingjin, why are you Qinggan coming to Xuanfeng to argue?" Yi Mu interrupted Qingjin's complaint, sneering, "The Immortal Mountain belongs to Xuanfeng, what does it have to do with Qinggan?"
"Huh?" Qingjin paused for a moment, then said, "Sister! We Qinggan have been helping Xuanfeng manage the immortal mountain for a thousand years. Even if we haven't done anything great, we've certainly put in a lot of hard work. But when Xuanfeng came back, he completely denied all of Qinggan's efforts! He's going against Qinggan in every way..."
“Qingjin, Xuanfeng is a child who knows his limits. If he disagrees with Qinggan, you all need to reflect on yourselves,” Mother Yi said sternly, her eyes sharp. “Have you gone too far? Also, it’s not that Xuanfeng is going against Qinggan, but rather… Qinggan has misplaced herself!”
“My dear sister,” Qingjin said somewhat guiltyly, “Qinggan is managing those ten mountain strongholds, isn’t that also helping Xuanfeng? The temple is thriving, expanding and recruiting new members, aren’t those all good things?”
Mother Yi tapped Qingjin's forehead and said angrily, "Hmph, do you think I don't know what you're planning? It's just that the Immortal Mountain is under Xuanfeng's jurisdiction, and I can't interfere. If Xuanfeng asks me for help, I'll be the first to kick you out of the Immortal Mountain! How can I tolerate your nonsense!"
Qingjin smiled awkwardly, "Sister! Please don't blame me, I was just worried about the child..."
"You feel sorry for the child, but I don't?!" Mother Yi said, frowning. "Who hasn't carried a child for ten months and walked through the gates of hell before giving birth?!"
“Sister, please don’t blame me for being blunt! If you truly care about Xuanfeng, how could you allow him to marry into the Wolf Clan?!” Qingjin seemed to have found Yi Mu’s weakness and said with a sneer, “The Wolf Clan is the boss of all realms and domains! As soon as Xuanfeng married into the clan, they ceded the entire Chengma Peak area in the north to the Wolf Clan! Who knows… in the future, the Immortal Mountain will belong to the Wolf Clan!”
Seeing that Mother Yi's face was growing increasingly grim, Qingjin continued to embellish the story, "Tsk tsk tsk! That Su Yuyao is really shrewd. Taking advantage of her young age, she's managed to bewitch Xuanfeng. And Xuanfeng, with his high standards, only targets younger women..."
"Qingjin!" Mother Yi was already resentful about Xuanfeng marrying into the wolf clan, and when Qingjin used this matter to mock her in a sarcastic way, she finally lost face. "Is there anything else?"
Qingjin smiled smugly and said, "It's nothing much, just asking my sister to do me a favor and deliver something to Xuanfeng to show our loyalty..."
"Passing something through?!" Mother Yi asked, somewhat puzzled. "What must be passed through me?"
Qingjin smiled mysteriously and called out, "Qilan! Come in!"
"Yes!" came the reply, gentle and soft, like a feather lightly brushing against the heart.
A tall, slender girl with sloping shoulders and a slim waist walked in.
With each step she took, a flower bloomed; with each sway, a hint of emotion stirred within her. Her shapely hips were full, and her breasts trembled slightly. Her long, slender, jade-white fingers rested on her lower abdomen like orchids. Her long, black hair was tied into a languid bun with a simple hairpin, and stray strands fell beside her ears.
Her fair face was free of makeup, and beneath her delicate blue eyebrows, a pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes blinked gently.
She stepped forward, slightly curtsied, displaying her feminine grace, and softly said with her pink lips, "This humble girl, Qilan, greets Mother Yi!"
Yi Mu looked Qi Lan up and down, then coldly asked Qing Jin, "What do you mean?"
"Sister! That Su Yuyao has managed to trick Xuanfeng into becoming a son-in-law of the wolf clan in such a short time. If she continues to be the sole favorite, what will happen in the future..."
"you mean……"
"Let Xuanfeng distract himself and dampen Su Yuyao's arrogance!" Qingjin said excitedly.
Yi Mu thought for a moment, then looked up at Qi Lan, "Your name is Qi Lan?"
Qi Lan lowered her head and curtsied as she replied, "In response to Your Majesty, my name is Qi Lan, and my elder sister Qi Xiang is the newly acquired concubine of Lord Qing Gan."
Yi's mother glanced sideways at Qingjin, "Qinggan actually married a concubine?"
Qingjin said smugly, "I married her! I married her! I don't believe I can't handle that woman!"
"Qingjin! Fangrui bore children for Qinggan, but she is just introverted and doesn't like to show off. How could you be so hostile towards her and even take it upon yourself to arrange for Qinggan to marry a concubine?!" Mother Yi looked at her younger sister in shock.
Qingjin said with a disdainful look, "Every family has its own problems. Fangrui is well-mannered in front of outsiders, but she always has a cold face towards me! Qinggan is a good-for-nothing, she only listens to her wife and doesn't show me any mercy! I've had enough, so I found Qinggan a sweet and caring woman! I'm more at ease now! Sister, I'm doing this for your own good! Once Xuanfeng is completely controlled by Su Yuyao, it will be too late for you to regret it!"
Yi's mother sighed and said, "Take Qilan back with you. Xuanfeng doesn't need her."
"Sister! You're still thinking of marrying Feihua to Xuanfeng? After tasting the fresh, tender peach, would Xuanfeng still like old corn?! Xuanfeng and Feihua's marriage agreement has lasted for a thousand years, and they have never crossed the line. Doesn't that mean Xuanfeng likes this kind of person?!" Qingjin pointed at Qilan and said, "Qilan is about the same age as Su Yuyao, and her figure and appearance are superior to Su Yuyao's. She is also caring and knows how to be patient. Even if she were a woman, she could still put Su Yuyao in her place!"
Upon hearing this, Yi's mother surprisingly found it reasonable. "That may be true, but I shouldn't interfere in Xuanfeng's love life anymore. Besides, Xuanfeng definitely won't agree..."
“My silly sister! You just casually bestowed the title of fairy upon Su Yuyao, saying that it's in accordance with the rules to arrange the marriage after bestowing the title of fairy! However, the condition is that Xuanfeng must accept Qilan. If Su Yuyao truly has feelings for Xuanfeng and insists on marrying no one but him, she has no choice but to agree!”
"Let me think about it some more!" Mother Yi didn't agree immediately, still feeling that it wasn't quite right.
“Sister, let’s do it this way! You can send Qilan to the Immortal Mountain first, and say… she’ll be Su Yuyao and Xuanfeng’s bedchamber maid! When Su Yuyao is unavailable, Qilan can take her place! This way, you’ll be openly accepting Su Yuyao, while also gaining the upper hand to fight back against the wolf clan!” Qingjin said, raising her eyebrows. “Once Xuanfeng has tasted Qilan, will he still be able to dote on Su Yuyao exclusively?”
Her mother fell into deep thought...
...
"Miss, are you sure you can go out by yourself?" Bai Er asked with some concern as she straightened Su Yuyao's clothes.
"What's wrong with that? Feihua is Xuanfeng today, always looking for opportunities to take advantage of me. If I don't hide, what if something goes wrong?" Su Yuyao said with a smile. "It's just that you guys will have to stay home and keep a close eye on Feihua, and make sure she doesn't run out naked again!"
“Miss, you don’t need to worry about us. I’m worried you’ll cause trouble when you go out…”
Su Yuyao quickly tapped Bai Er's head, interrupting her, "Pah! Don't say such unlucky things! Can't you wish me good luck?!"
Bai Er helped Su Yuyao put on her small water bottle, tied her handkerchief, and silently put away her crescent-shaped sword. "Miss, that's enough. Go play! Come back soon!"
"Okay!" Su Yuyao ran out of the yard excitedly...
Under the century-old tree, gossiping women and children gathered together to play.
"Hello, aunties!" Su Yuyao ran over with a smile and curtsied slightly.
The women, somewhat flustered, bowed slightly and replied, "Oh dear! You flatter me! You flatter me!"
Su Yuyao ignored the women's attitude and ran straight to the children playing in a group, "What are you playing? Count me in!"
"You?" The white tiger, squatting on the ground, rolled its eyes at Su Yuyao and said, "You can't handle this!"
"White Tiger! What gives you the right to look down on people?" Su Yuyao was a little displeased. She forced her way past a child and squatted down in front of White Tiger. "Why can't I play?"
Looking at the unreasonable Su Yuyao, Baihu said disdainfully, "We're guessing blind boxes, do you know how?"
"What does 'guessing blind boxes' mean?" Su Yuyao asked, tilting her head.
The children covered their mouths and glanced sideways. White Tiger said dismissively, "Tch! You don't even know how to guess blind boxes. Get up! Go watch from the side!"
Su Yuyao was somewhat resentful, but there was nothing she could do. She could only angrily move aside and stand to the side.
Baihu glanced at Su Yuyao, then asked everyone, "Who's coming?!"
"Me!" The child who had spread his wings during yesterday's gladiatorial combat sat down.
"Me too!" The child swinging the hammer sat down as well.
"Alright! Feng Zhan and Zang Mao, it's a challenge! Whoever guesses wrong has to treat everyone to steamed buns! If they both guess right, I'll treat everyone to steamed buns! Got it?"
"Understood!" Feng Zhan and Zang Mao nodded in response.
The white tiger spread its hand and released a small yellow box, placing it on the ground.
The children quickly gathered around and carefully examined the small box.
Feng Zhan had his eyes half-closed when two tendrils of Qi extended from his back and probed into the small yellow box. After a while, the tendrils slowly retracted, and he opened his eyes, nodding at the white tiger.
"Hmm," Baihu replied, turning to Zangmao, "Fengzhan has finished guessing, Zangmao, it's your turn!"
Zang Mao stared intently at the small yellow box, then reached out and released a stream of silver Qi to envelop it. After a moment, he withdrew the Qi and nodded at the white tiger.
The white tiger smiled slightly and said, "You two are both wrong!"
"Hahahahahahaha..." The children burst into laughter.
"Huh? What are you laughing at? When are we going to start guessing?" Su Yuyao was completely confused by the children's laughter.
"Su Yuyao, we've all guessed! You haven't even started guessing yet!" Baihu looked down on her. "What are you still playing... Hurry up and... leave!" Baihu tried to avoid using impolite language, but his tone really annoyed Su Yuyao.
"You can't bully me! You didn't even tell me how to play, so why are you kicking me out?!" Su Yuyao squeezed between Feng Zhan and Zang Mao, and asked Baihu indignantly, "Tell me! How exactly do we play?"
The white tiger looked at Su Yuyao, who was a head taller than him but so childish, and couldn't help but find it amusing. So he pointed to the yellow box on the ground and said, "You are not allowed to touch this box with any part of your body. If you can guess what's in the box, you win!"
"So what?!" Su Yuyao retorted, unconvinced. "I could guess that too!"
"You don't have any Qi! What are you going to use to guess?" Baihu said, and started to put the small yellow box away.
"Wait!" Su Yuyao pressed down on Baihu's hand and said, "Who said you can't guess without Qi? Let me try. If I guess wrong, I'll treat everyone to steamed buns. If I guess right, you not only have to treat everyone to steamed buns, but you also have to give me the contents of the box!"
"Okay! No problem! Come on over!" White Tiger readily agreed.
Su Yuyao stared at the yellow box, wondering what it could be. She casually looked up and saw the white tiger and the century-old tree above its head, and then cast a divination on a whim.
The large tree is represented by the Zhen trigram, and the White Tiger, representing the youngest son, is represented by the Gen trigram. The upper trigram is Zhen and the lower trigram is Gen, resulting in the main hexagram Lei Shan Xiao Guo. The hour is Chen, and the fifth line moves, transforming the Zhen trigram into the Dui trigram. The upper trigram is Dui and the lower trigram is Gen, resulting in the hexagram Ze Shan Xian.
“Ze Shan Xian…” Su Yuyao pondered and said, “Dui belongs to metal, so the thing inside is a metal object. Dui is related to the mouth and also represents a gap. The bottom is Gen, which represents legs. This thing is… a bronze wine vessel for drinking!”
The white tiger was taken aback, staring at Su Yuyao in surprise, and slowly opened the yellow cardboard box. Inside was indeed a bronze wine vessel.
"Oh dear! It's a wine vessel! I guessed it was a candlestick!" Feng Zhan slapped his thigh in frustration.
"I guessed it was a wine jug, a bit better than you! Haha!" The cat seemed quite satisfied with its performance.
Su Yuyao reached for the yellow box, as if into another dimension. She happily grasped the wine vessel, about to take it out, when Baihu said, "Sister Yao'er! You'd better not take it. This wine vessel belongs to our Xueyin Guan Langzhi's grandfather. He has a bad temper, what if..."
"I don't care whose it is! This is what I won!" Su Yuyao said, pulling her hand back. She fiddled with the patterned, light green wine bottle in her hand and said with a smile, "It's so beautiful!"
"Hey..." Baihu looked at Su Yuyao, scratched his head helplessly, and said, "Sister Yao'er, put it back. I'll get you another wine cup tomorrow, okay?"
"No way!" Su Yuyao stood up, stuffed the wine bottle into her bosom, and said, "Let's go! You should treat everyone to steamed buns!"
Led by Su Yuyao, the children surrounded the white tiger and walked to the steamed bun shop.
"Grandma Bao..." White Tiger said with a bitter face, "A steamer of steamed buns..."
Grandma Bao was surprised for a moment, then laughed and said, "You actually lost?"
"I want meat filling! Give me several steamers!" Su Yuyao excitedly picked up the steamer and sat down at the table, distributing meat buns to everyone as she said, "Grandma Bao! Your buns smell so good! I could eat two steamers by myself!"
Baihu felt like crying when he saw Su Yuyao devour a steamed bun in two bites.
Grandma Bao smiled and said, "White Tiger, don't worry, go ahead and eat! I'll only charge you for one tray!"
Baihu's expression finally brightened a bit.
Su Yuyao ate one after another, while the other children had already eaten their fill. Su Yuyao was still rummaging through the stacks of steamer baskets, saying, "That's all! I'm not full yet!"
She glanced at the white tiger, whose face had turned dark, and said with a grin, "I'm not eating anymore! I'm not eating anymore! Okay, I won't eat anymore!"
After finishing the steamed buns, the children discussed going to the hot springs. Su Yuyao clapped her hands and said, "Great! I want to go too!"
"Don't go! You're a woman! We're all men!" White Tiger said, displeased. "If you go, how are we supposed to take a shower?!"
"I'm not going to watch you shower. Besides, I already saw it last time!" Su Yuyao said with a laugh.
Baihu blushed, and said angrily, "You're a married woman now! How can you still be so shameless?!"
"You mean...who got married?" Su Yuyao asked, her face full of questions.
"Didn't your wolf clan recruit Lord Xuanfeng as your son-in-law?" Baihu said, squeezing Su Yuyao between his eyelids.
"What?!" Su Yuyao jumped to her feet, asking in surprise, "The wolf clan?! They're looking for a son-in-law?! And it's... Xuanfeng?!"
"What? You don't know?" Baihu looked at Su Yuyao, who was filled with surprise, and said with equal astonishment, "You really don't know!"
"Of course I don't know!" Su Yuyao didn't know whether to be happy or worried.
That bastard! He actually went to marry into the wolf clan?! If Mother Yi finds out, will I ever have a good life? No! Even the White Tiger knows, so Mother Yi must know too!
"White Tiger! When did you find out?!" Su Yuyao asked.
"Ah... I've known for days!" White Tiger was somewhat at a loss.
"Besides you, who else knows?"
“We all know…” Feng Zhan said softly, “It seems… everyone in Jiujiao Mountain knows…”
"What?! Everyone knows?! Am I the only one who didn't know?!" Su Yuyao couldn't believe that she, the only person directly involved, was kept in the dark about Xuanfeng's marriage into the wolf clan!
She bit her lip, pondering... But... her mother hasn't summoned her for so long, could it be... that she's approved? That seems unlikely... Why do I still feel uneasy...?
"Miss! Miss!" Bai Er's voice sounded very urgent.
"White Ear! Did you know? Xuanfeng has been chosen as a son-in-law by the wolf clan!"
Bai Er nodded breathlessly, "Miss! You...you should go back quickly...Qingyue...Lady Qingyue is here..."
"What?!" Su Yuyao's heart skipped a beat. No wonder she felt uneasy; it turned out that Lady Qingyue had arrived!
What should I do? Xuanfeng! You stinking bastard! You've ruined me!
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