Chapter 281: Senior brother, let’s have a long talk
The teacup emitted waves of fragrance as Ye Ao delicately held it in both hands and took a sip. He raised his gaze and scrutinized the young man in the red robe seated across the table. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but over the past couple of years, Ye Anping had been constantly on the move.
After three days, it was time to take notice. Not to mention, it had been over half a year.
The youthful innocence had vanished from his face at some point, replaced by a dignified and confident demeanor. Ye Ao couldn’t help but marvel at how his son had transformed into a fine young man.
“Son, if you step out wearing a skirt now, everyone will see right through your disguise,” Ye Ao joked teasingly.
Ye Anping furrowed his brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Ye Ao chuckled, arching an eyebrow as he explained, “I’m praising you. In no time, my son has grown into a real man. You know the saying, a man who hasn’t been with a woman remains a boy until he’s a hundred and twenty. But at seventeen, you’ve already shed that innocence.”
Ye Anping struggled to comprehend what his father found so amusing. Nevertheless, it was the first time he had heard his father talk about such matters, realizing that he now had another embarrassing tale to hold over his father’s head in the future.
“Dad, does Mom know about this?” He inquired.
“Do you plan on telling her?” Ye Ao countered.
“It depends,” Ye Anping replied cautiously.
“You dare try, and you’ll see what happens. Don’t think I haven’t disciplined you before,” Ye Ao warned with a hint of threat.
Ye Anping sighed softly. “Dad, what’s the point of all this?”
“Just trying to cheer you up, son. The first time for most men is usually quick. Aren’t you glad?” Ye Ao tried to console him.
Ye Anping rolled his eyes and smiled. “Dad, remember what Elder Wang from the Xuanxing Sect said? My Yang energy is too strong.”
“Oh, right. Wasn’t that the time when Pei was crying and begging to go back to her parents’ house?” Ye Ao reminisced.
“Dad, can we talk about something else?” Ye Anping pleaded.
Ye Ao cringed slightly, realizing his misstep. “I guess I went too far, huh!”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Okay, okay, growing up sure brings a lot of changes,” Ye Ao waved his hand dismissively, then glanced at the attic stairs, deep in thought. “We discussed this last time, about your double cultivation ceremony. You need to consider who will handle it first and who will handle it later. It’s not just a matter of personal preference. Love is one thing, but Daoist partnerships are another.”
“I’ve got it all figured out,” Ye Anping replied with a nod.
“Good to know,” Ye Ao said, counting on his fingers absently. “The girls you’ve caught the eye of, like the Feng girl from the Holy Emperor’s bloodline, the Xiao girl from the Young Master of the Xuanxing Sect, the Li girl from the Chilong Mansion Master, and previously that Yun kid from the Leaves Shadow Sword Sect… Your admirers are quite remarkable. But I can’t help but wonder, how did these girls fall for a guy like you? Why didn’t I have such luck in my younger days?”
Ye Anping chuckled knowingly. “Probably because I’m more handsome.”
Wasn’t I a dashing young man back in the day, just like you? How come no other girl besides your mother took an interest in me? Ye Ao pondered for a moment, considering his son’s point. “Maybe you’re onto something.”
“Well, maybe,” Ye Anping conceded.
“Anyway, where were you earlier? I heard there was some trouble at the Leaves Shadow Sword Sect. And that Yun Kunwu, who killed the young master of the Tai Bai Sect, seems to have been protected by the Sword Sect master and is still alive. Could it be…” Ye Ao’s eyes widened as he trailed off.
“Yeah, I know. I ran into Junior Sister. She even inherited from Immortal Yunjian and was taken as his direct disciple. She’s got the Snow Qiong Spiritual Sword with her,” Ye Anping explained.
“Whoa,”
Ye Ao exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “What the heck?”
Ye Anping sighed, ignoring his son’s astonishment. “Exactly as it sounds.”
“You mean Pei got taken by Immortal Yunjian… That legendary figure who was as renowned as Immortal Danyue thousands of years ago, known as the Sword Ancestor?” Ye Ao asked incredulously.
“That’s the one,” Confirmed Ye Anping.
“Wow…” Ye Ao was at a loss for words, his mind reeling. “You, my son, I can’t decide if you’re incredibly lucky or unlucky. Every place you go, something big happens. So, if Pei is now a descendant of the Sword Ancestor, does that mean I have to call her aunt regarding the immortal family hierarchy?”
“You should call me uncle, too,” Ye Anping replied, avoiding the somewhat disrespectful remark.
“Yeah, sure,” Ye Ao agreed, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. “Junior Sister will be down soon. I’ll remember to address you as an uncle.”
Ye Ao’s eyebrows furrowed, his thoughts in turmoil. Immortal Yunjian, the founder of sword cultivation, was now passing his legacy to Pei Lianxue, whom his son was about to marry.
As a father, what was his relationship with Pei Lianxue now? Would his aunt become his daughter-in-law?
Ye Ao rubbed his nose, giving up on trying to figure it out. After a moment’s pause, he asked, “So, where are you off to next?”
“First, head back to the Xuanxing Sect and solidify your cultivation. Then, proceed to the Central Territory.”
“The Central Territory! Is something significant brewing there too?”
“What do you mean by ‘something big is going to happen in the Central Territory’?”
“Wherever you go, does trouble always follow? First, you went to the Xuanxing Sect, and they suddenly wiped out the Seven Killing Sect in the Western Region. Then, you visited the Chilong Mansion, which Demon cultivators invaded. Recently, you went to the Southern Sword Sect, and both the old and young masters suddenly met untimely ends.” Ye Ao murmured, suddenly feeling like his son had become a mastermind behind the scenes, exuding an air of mystery.
As the leader of the Hundred Lotus Sect, he had never imagined his son, Ye Anping, would amount to much in the future. As long as he stayed on the right path, he thought, it would be good for Ye Anping to eventually take over the sect.
But then, his son…
He furrowed his brows and asked, “Did you cause all these incidents?”
Ye Anping smiled faintly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied calmly, “Chaos has been rampant in the Four Regions in recent decades. It’s not uncommon for me to be involved. I just lent a hand.”
Ye Ao seemed to believe him and felt relieved. He said, “Stay safe out there. Your mother and I only have you. If something happens to you, it would devastate your mother.”
“I’m aware…”
Ye Ao finished his sentence, “…that you’re a cultivator with dual spiritual roots and nothing particularly special!”
“Um…”
“Hehe, you’ve been saying that since you were little.” Ye Ao shook his head and sighed. “Last month, the leader of the Tiger Roar Sect was boasting about his son to me.”
“What was he boasting about?”
“He was bragging about his son having a single spiritual root and already being in the mid-stage of foundation building. He even became a personal disciple of a certain elder from the Xuanxing Sect.” Ye Ao smirked, took another sip of tea, and continued, “He then sarcastically asked me if your cultivation with dual spiritual roots needed guidance or if I should follow his son to the Xuanxing Sect for some lessons.”
What a ridiculous attempt at one-upmanship by those parents…
Ye Anping felt somewhat helpless, but he understood that comparison was just human nature. He sighed and asked, “Did you respond to him?”
“I’m not one to boast. I told him you were also in the mid-stage of foundation building, but he didn’t believe me. He thought I had used some miraculous technique and pretended to be concerned about you.”
Ye Ao rolled his eyes out the window, but upon second thought, he seemed unable to let it go and raised his eyebrows, saying to Ye Anping,
“After you return to the Xuanxing Sect, why not visit his son? Take Xiao along and flaunt a bit.”
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at him and retorted, “So you won’t boast yourself, but you want me to do it for you?”
“Hey, just take Xiao and stroll around in front of that guy. His name is Yang Xiong, and he’s in your Tianyun Peak.”
“Then should I take Master Danyue along for the stroll?”
“Definitely not…”
Ye Ao quickly stopped him. He could see his son was capable, but he couldn’t believe he was that capable.
“Forget I said anything. Don’t tease her, especially if it gets back to her. I won’t be able to save you. Everyone knows Master Danyue is petty and can’t take a joke.”
“If I get the chance, I’ll tell her you said she’s petty-minded.”
Ye Ao gave him a wry look as if to say, “You act like you know her so well…”
At this moment, Kong Yulan and Pei Lianxue, who had finished their conversation upstairs, descended the stairs one after the other.
Ye Ao turned to look and jokingly bowed with a serious expression, saying,
“I’ve met Aunt Pei.”
Kong Yulan was puzzled by this and was about to ask, “Aunt Pei!”, but Pei Lianxue nodded subconsciously and replied,
“Sect Master Ye is too polite.”
Kong Yulan looked at her husband, twisting her eyebrows, and asked, “You can get drunk from tea! You’re calling Aunt Pei by her name.”
“Exactly. Ye mentioned it to me. Didn’t Pei receive the inheritance of Immortal Yunjian? I have to call her Aunt Pei.”
“What? Immortal Yunjian!” Kong Yulan exclaimed incredulously, then turned to Pei Lianxue in her Xuanxing Sect attire and then to Ye Anping. “Anping, really!”
“Mother, it’s true.”
“I see…” Kong Yulan paused, then turned to Pei Lianxue and asked, “Pei, do you remember what I just gave you?”
Pei Lianxue’s cheeks turned slightly red. She glanced at her senior brother and then bowed respectfully, saying,
“Mrs. Kong, Lianxue will remember!”
“Then both of you can go back first.”
“Alright… Thank you, Mrs. Kong.”
Though Ye Anping was slightly puzzled about what his mother had given Pei, he didn’t ask directly. He stood up and saluted,
“I won’t disturb mother and father anymore. I’ll take my leave.”
With that said, he took Pei Lianxue’s hand and walked away from the Pavilion’s gate. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Pei Lianxue’s face and saw she was very happy. He knew that her mother must have agreed, so he asked,
“Junior sister, does my mother agree?”
“Hmm… Barely, but I have to go through the dual cultivation ceremony before I can officially enter the Ye family.”
“The ceremony is not urgent. Now is not the time to hold a ceremony.”
“Um…”
“By the way, what book did my mother give you?”
Pei Lianxue lowered her eyes and thought for a while, shook her head and smiled,
“This is a secret.”
“Are you going to keep it a secret from your Senior brother?”
“Well, keeping it secret is a good thing.”
Ye Anping sighed helplessly. His heart suddenly felt heavy. His junior sister, who knew how many hairs on her body, was now hiding something from him.
He shook his head and sighed,
“Forget it… If you don’t tell me, senior brother won’t ask. Later, the senior brother will go to Brother Liang and ask him if he has decided. You also go back and tidy up. We will return to Xuanxing Sect tomorrow morning.”
“Um…”
At the same time, in the pavilion, Kong Yulan watched the two people leave and sighed slightly. Recalling what Pei Lianxue had just said to her, she sighed inexplicably,
“Hey – Pei girl has hardened her wings now.”
“Huh!” Ye Ao twisted his eyebrows in confusion, “Yulan, what did you say?”
“I asked her, why did she get married?”
“What did Pei girl answer?”
“That girl said she is now an inner disciple of Xuanxing Sect. As the young master of Anping Hundred Lotus Sect, she is completely worthy of Ye Anping. She is a perfect match. Moreover, she has grown up with Anping. He understands Anping’s preferences and personality better than anyone else and even knows Anping better than me.”
“Is this what she said?”
“Well, that’s what she said, very tough. She also said that she knows Anping better than anyone else and can care for and protect Anping better than anyone else. No one in this world can compare to her. And she said it very seriously.”
“Are you sure this wasn’t what Anping taught her to say?”
“It doesn’t look like that. The look in that girl’s eyes at that time, it was true that she would not marry anyone else. I was afraid that if I didn’t agree, she would have to draw a sword and risk her life.”
Kong Yulan shook her head and sighed,
“Unexpectedly, that girl took the inheritance of Immortal Yunjian. Now it’s like Anping barged in the door upside down.”
Ye Ao stroked his beard and said with a smile,
“Isn’t this good? By the way, what book did you give her?”
“The Way of Yin and Yang.”
Ye Ao blinked. Wasn’t that his collection?
It talked about how a man could make a girl linger, like a subtle skill and a deep skill… Of course, it also talked about how a girl could make a man want to stop, such as…
“Hiss—why did you give her that?”
“Let her learn, otherwise what else can she do? She grew up in the Hundred Lotus Sect, and no one taught her these things before. Wouldn’t this matter fall on me? If she doesn’t teach her this matter and learns it by herself, It would be terrible to go astray and develop some weird hobbies.”
“…”
