Chapter 169: The three members of the Ye family
In the Heavenly Pavilion, on the couch next to the window, Ye Anping and Ye Ao sat cross-legged opposite each other. Kong Yulan brewed a teapot and then sat next to Ye Ao. The tea leaves floated in the pot, and a pleasant fragrance filled the room.
“So-called pot of old tea, a story,” Ye Anping said after organizing his thoughts. The couple looked at him eagerly, waiting for their son’s story.
“Junior sister Pei doesn’t know anything about men and women yet, so she mistakenly regards sleeping together as a wedding ceremony. When I was in Chilong Mansion, due to my excessive Yang Qi, I had no choice but to sleep with her in my arms, just like when we were children. That’s all,” Ye Anping explained.
Ye Ao confirmed, “You didn’t lie, did you?”
Kong Yulan added, “Anping, if you did it, just admit it. Mom won’t scold you.”
Ye Anping continued, “Yes, a man should take responsibility even if he makes a mistake. You used to be naughty as a child, and I thought you knew better. But about this matter…”
Ye Anping sighed lightly, changed the topic, and said, “My son’s words are all true. Besides, in Chilong Mansion, I didn’t have the leisure to engage in such matters.”
“What happened in Chilong Mansion?” Ye Ao inquired.
“The demon cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect invaded, and Master Li Xian of the mansion fell… A lot of things happened. A formal announcement should be sent out in a while,” Ye Anping explained.
“Heavenly Demon Sect… Hiss,” Ye Ao took a sharp breath. “Before, there was a Grand Master of the Gu Poison Sect, and now it is the Heavenly Demon Sect. The world has changed. Also, why do these things always happen to you?”
Ye Anping forced a smile and said, “By chance.”
Kong Yulan looked worried, holding Ye Anping’s hand, and advised, “Anping, please remember, if you encounter demon cultivators again, stay away. We don’t need to be overly brave. Let the powerful cultivators handle such matters. Let’s live our lives. Staying alive is the most important thing. Don’t think about sacrificing yourself.”
Ye Anping added, “Yes, Yulan, this matter can’t be stated definitively. Regarding demon cultivators, it concerns the entire Immortal Realm. Even if we are a small sect, we still need to contribute. Anping knows that well.”
Ignoring Ye Anping’s comments, Kong Yulan continued, “Anping, in any case, if you get into trouble that you can’t handle, come to me. Mother will always protect you.”
“Um,” Ye Anping agreed.
Kong Yulan smiled and filled Ye Anping’s teacup, changing the topic, “Let’s not talk about those matters. Let’s talk about something positive. Anping, you are indeed at the age to get married. You have excessive Yang Qi, and Elder Wang even mentioned marrying more girls. What do you think?”
Ye Anping hesitated and said, “Mom, this matter is not urgent.”
“Why are you not in a hurry? Didn’t you say before that you wanted to hold Pei Yatou to sleep because of your yang energy? Then Pei Yatou should be married. Pei Yatou grew up with you, and we can have a banquet in the Hundred Lotus Sect. It would be convenient. If you want to marry again, we can handle it then. The young master of the Xuanxing Sect and the white-haired girl of the Holy Emperor’s blood…”
Ye Ao glanced at Kong Yulan and interrupted, “Yulan, this won’t work. If Anping wants to marry those two, the first banquet must be with Miss Xiao, the second with Feng Yatou, and the last with Pei Yatou… There are etiquettes to consider, and Miss Xiao holds the most weight here. If it weren’t for the Holy Emperor’s passing, Feng Yatou would have to be the first…”
“But Anping likes Pei Yatou the most. He even hugs her to sleep.”
“You see, in mortal emperors’ courts, the most favored concubines are usually not the queens but noble concubines, like Yang Guifei and Zhang Guifei. When the time comes, give Pei Yatou…”
…
Seeing his parents almost starting to argue over this, Ye Anping’s head throbbed momentarily. He quickly banged the table, frowned, and said, “Stop! Dad, Mom, my marriage is my concern. Let’s not talk about this now. With the invasion of demonic cultivators and the impending chaos in the world, both Junior sisters should focus on cultivating instead of getting married and having children. It’s about our safety and future planning.”
Using the argument of righteousness to counter private matters, Ye Ao and Kong Yulan needed reasons to refute.
Ye Ao smiled and took a sip of tea. “You know what’s best for yourself. We are not some big family. Your marriage as the young master is your affair.”
“Um.”
However, it seemed like he remembered something, and he turned to look at the central desk in the Heavenly Pavilion. He picked up a jade slip, handed it to Ye Anping, and said, “Talking about your marriage, I thought of this jade slip… Anping, take a look.”
“My marriage?”
Ye Anping furrowed his brows as he glanced at the jade slip. He was slightly surprised when he saw a golden spirit sword emblem carved on it. The Moon Shadow Sword Sect should have sent this jade slip.
Ye Anping should have hastily checked the content on the jade slip. He lowered his head in contemplation and suddenly realized that the fundamental reason was probably due to the news that the Xuanxing Sect had given the spirit stone veins in Chiyun Valley to the Hundred Lotus Sect. The Moon Shadow Sword Sect had come to “make friends.”
This was similar to an investment, as they believed that the Hundred Lotus Sect would develop significantly in the future, and they wanted to invest in them while they were still young. However, based on his understanding of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, they were likely elsewhere to invest.
Thinking about it, Ye Anping took the jade slip, but he contemplated instead of checking its contents immediately. Suddenly, he realized that the essential reason was probably due to the news that the Xuanxing Sect had given the spirit stone veins in Chiyun Valley to the Hundred Lotus Sect. The Moon Shadow Sword Sect had come to “make friends.”
This move was similar to investing. They believed that the Hundred Lotus Sect would develop significantly in the future, and they wanted to invest in them while they were still young. However, based on his understanding of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, they were likely elsewhere to invest.
With these thoughts, Ye Anping took the jade slip and read its contents with his spiritual sense. The jade slip contained a thousand characters, but upon closer inspection, Ye Anping could only discern four words:
Human trafficking.
The Moon Shadow Sword Sect hoped that Ye Anping would marry into their sect and become the son-in-law of their eldest lady, “Yun Yiyi.”
In exchange, the Moon Shadow Sword Sect offered the Hundred Lotus Sect a thousand high-quality spiritual swords, magical weapons, elixirs, heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and even five million spiritual stones as a betrothal gift. They were willing to send the Moon Shadow Sword Sect elders to serve as outer elders, training disciples in the Hundred Lotus Sect.
These “gifts” hit the Hundred Lotus Sect where it hurt. While they had a spiritual stone vein, they lacked spiritual swords, elixirs, magical weapons, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures. While purchasing these items individually was not an issue, buying them in large quantities presented a different challenge.
For this reason, the Hundred Lotus Sect needed to negotiate with various sects and establish trade routes. With a few years, this matter could be accomplished. The last request was for the elders of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect to personally come and serve as the outer sect elders, which the Hundred Lotus Sect highly desired.
The Hundred Lotus Sect needed an elder from a prominent sect to teach and enhance the quality of the courses for its disciples. However, convincing an elder from a large sect to come and teach at the Hundred Lotus Sect took work. It was similar to inviting a teacher from a prestigious school to teach in a rural area, and this commitment would span several decades.
In other words, if Ye Ao sent him to the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, the Hundred Lotus Sect could save several decades of development time. Ye Anping withdrew consciousness, placed the jade slips back on the table, and looked at his father with a wry smile. Shaking his head, he asked, “So, Dad, do you want to send me there?”
“Well, sending you there would save the Hundred Lotus Sect at least several decades of effort. Unfortunately, your mother disagrees,” replied Ye Ao.
Kong Yulan, hearing this, raised an eyebrow and grabbed her husband’s ear, saying, “What do you mean I disagree, and you won’t send him? You, old man, caused a big fire back then, threw this jade slip against the wall, and even broke my magnolia porcelain vase.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Ye Ao stopped his wife, “Can you please give me some face in front of our son?”
“What face do you have?!” Retorted Kong Yulan.
Feeling a bit amused, Ye Anping took a sip of tea and, after some thought, asked, “So, Dad, does the eldest lady of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect want to control the Hundred Lotus Sect? Having me as a hostage and sending an elder, probably at Nascent Soul cultivation level or above, seems quite strategic.”
Having pacified his wife, Ye Ao replied, “They didn’t say that openly, but they are likely thinking along those lines. Moreover, there might be more to it. The disciple who delivered the jade slips mentioned something when he came.”
“What did he say?” Inquired Ye Anping.
“He mentioned that their lady had seen your portrait and found you handsome. That might be one of the reasons,” Ye Ao explained.
“Ah,” nodded Ye Anping, “Yun Yiyi has a good eye.”
Kong Yulan agreed, saying, “Our Anping is handsome. Other young masters from the Xuanxing Sect are eager to marry her. Can their lady have a higher status than Xiao Yatou?”
Looking at the mother and son, Ye Ao couldn’t help but shake his head, but considering that his son inherited his good looks, he nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, overall, let me tell you about this. I don’t plan to reply to this jade slip. I’ll just throw it away later,” Ye Anping said.
“Alright, I’ll take care of it later,” responded Ye Ao.
Ye Anping then smiled and put the jade slip into his storage bag. He already had some plans, and this jade slip might be helpful too.
Realizing the presence of his junior sister and Liang Zhu outside for almost half an hour, Ye Anping quickly said, “By the way, Dad, let me introduce you to someone, a brother I became sworn to while I was away.”
“Ah? You also became sworn brothers?” Ye Ao asked.
“Yes, he’s a good person. Originally a wandering cultivator, he’s shrewd in his actions. His name is Liang Zhu, my eldest brother, and I’m his sixth brother,” explained Ye Anping.
“Sixth brother?” Paused Ye Ao, “What about two, three, four, and five?”
“… They have passed away,” answered Ye Anping.
“That’s okay. What’s his cultivation level?” Inquired Ye Ao.
“You’ll know when you meet him. I’m thinking of asking him to help Elder Qian. He’s skilled in formations and spells. Just make sure not to owe him a monthly salary. As long as the payment is sufficient, he’s quite effective,” Ye Anping suggested.
“Where is he?” Asked Ye Ao.
Ye Anping got up, walked to the door, and said, “Bring Liang Zhu and Ahting in. I’ve agreed.”
Liang Zhu promptly brought Ahting inside the Heavenly Pavilion. “Sect Master Ye, Mrs. Ye, I’m Liang Zhu, and this is my adopted daughter-in-law, Ahting.”
Ahting shyly nodded and greeted, “Hello, Master Ye, Mrs. Ye.”
…
