Marriage is often not a matter between two people, but between two families.
With the sound of urgent firecrackers, the groom Cui Jinnian was surrounded by a crowd of guests as he mounted a tall horse and set off to fetch the bride.
Most of the young people followed along, laughing and joking. Whether they liked the excitement or not, they had to show their support and keep up.
Only Wang Sandong remained seated as steady as a mountain—relying on her poor health, she could ignore many rules and formalities.
It was also because of her “poor health” that even after Zheng Xiao moved into Anzhi Courtyard, she could reasonably keep her distance from Zheng Xiao without fulfilling her husbandly duties.
However…
Actions like casual touching, which didn’t require much effort, might be okay…
Forget it.
Sixteen years of a celibate life—how painful it was!
Wang Sandong felt like a pile of extremely flammable dry firewood.
Even a spark could turn her into blazing flames and eventually burn her to ashes.
She was afraid that a little indulgence would make her completely lose her reason.
The saying “Die under peony flowers, be a romantic ghost even in death” sounded nice, but who would actually want to die like that?
Anyway, Wang Sandong didn’t.
Besides…
Even if she wanted to…
She couldn’t pull it off.
If Zheng Xiao discovered she was a Demonic Cultivator again, she would definitely stage another “righteousness over family” drama.
Could she really kill Zheng Xiao then?
It wasn’t that she couldn’t bear to—it was that she couldn’t do it.
One of the Nine Surnamed Kings!
The pinnacle of Spiritual Cultivators.
How could she kill her easily?
Besides, she was counting on Zheng Xiao to help eliminate Chen Youde…
Maybe she wouldn’t need to.
Thinking about how Yuan Di delivered the subdued Disciple of the Demon Emperor to her bedside like “feeding,” Wang Sandong suddenly had an idea: if she let Ghost Axe take his Artifact Forging skills into the grave, wouldn’t that be a waste?
Hiss…
If she could plunder memories with every kill, then as she killed more and more people…
Wang Sandong inadvertently caught sight of the Lifetaking Swordsman, who was whispering with Zheng Xiao.
She thought instinctively, ‘The ultimate strike of the Life-Taking Sword Manual—no one has mastered it in centuries except this man. If I could kill him, would I instantly become a master of the sword?’
Her gaze shifted from the Lifetaking Swordsman to her grandfather Wang Fa’s face.
The strongest attack in his creation, King Under Law, was called “Regicide.”
For sixteen years, Wang Sandong had fantasized more than once about one day mastering “Regicide,” then commanding the world and looking down on all!
And then there was Zheng Xiao’s Noble Spirit Art.
Even though she already knew the mental method, she had never truly comprehended it.
If she could possess Zheng Xiao’s memories, she could naturally gain that understanding as well…
Wang Sandong’s heart was full of murderous intent, but none of it showed on the surface.
The Qi-concealing properties of Huitian hid her Demonic Qi well, and along with it, her killing intent.
As her cultivation reached the Third Rank, the special features of Huitian began to manifest.
And the Soul Snatching of the Disciple of the Demon Emperor had greatly benefited Wang Sandong—not only did her knowledge and information explode, but her Primordial Spirit was also greatly strengthened.
The more people she killed, the stronger her Primordial Spirit.
This seemed like a good thing, but it was also dangerous.
Because when Huitian was perfected and her Primordial Spirit had strengthened to a certain extent, Yuan Di would bare his fangs.
It should be “he”…
Even if he was a eunuch, it was still “he,” not “she”…
Wang Sandong repeatedly reminded herself not to care about Yuan Di’s gender, but every time she thought of it, she felt an itch of curiosity, wishing she could immediately pull down Yuan Di’s pants and take a good look.
Tsk!
Because of practicing the first version of Huitian, Yuan Di’s appearance had changed drastically.
Now, although Yuan Di was still male in body, his face was nearly perfect.
His figure was also excellent, just without the front protrusions.
It was strange.
Even though she was almost certain he was male, the thought of him dressed in women’s clothing actually made her more excited…
Thinking of this, Wang Sandong raised her hand to cover half her face and one eye, as if afraid someone would see through the filth in her mind.
“Has the Demonic Qi on Sandong not been cleansed yet?”
The Lifetaking Swordsman suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Wang Sandong froze.
The hand covering her eye slid down, still covering her face but leaving her eyes exposed, and she looked at the Lifetaking Swordsman.
She noticed he was frowning at her.
“No,” Wang Fa replied.
“From time to time, it seeps out from under her fingernails. I imagine it will dissipate on its own soon.”
As he spoke, he also looked at Wang Sandong.
Only then did Wang Sandong realize that both of them—and Zheng Xiao, who was also looking over—were staring at the hand she used to cover her face.
Their gazes carried inquiry, scrutiny, and surprise.
She lowered her hand and saw the Demonic Qi in her fingernail crevices.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She instinctively wanted to lick the Demonic Qi off with her mouth.
But thinking that three experts were watching her, she forcibly suppressed the impulse—after all, licking Demonic Qi was a bizarre behavior, not easily shown to others.
The Lifetaking Swordsman stared at the black Demonic Qi in the crevices of Wang Sandong’s fair little hand and clicked his tongue.
“The Demonic Qi is strong, yet it has no effect on someone without a Spiritual Root. Truly…”
He paused and sighed, “Our research on Demonic Qi is still too shallow.”
Zheng Xiao said, “It’s a heretical path. Why study it? Just destroy it when you see it. That’s enough.”
“Ah, Sister Zheng, you’re wrong there.”
Wang Fa stroked his beard and said, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. If you want to destroy Demonic Cultivators, you should naturally understand Demonic Qi.”
“During the Great Demon Slaying War, we didn’t understand Demonic Qi, yet we still won,” Zheng Xiao said.
The Lifetaking Swordsman exchanged a glance with Wang Fa and said, “The defeat of the Demonic Cultivators back then was not due to the war itself.”
Wang Fa nodded and added, “The timing was unfavorable, and the people were not united.”
“Pfft.”
Zheng Xiao was unimpressed.
Wang Sandong felt that the Lifetaking Swordsman and Wang Fa were right, and that was the truth.
If not for the internal strife between the Demon Sovereign and the Four Generals of the Demon Gate, the Righteous Alliance might have been annihilated, let alone won.
But…
As a “man,” how could she just watch her woman be bullied?
Sometimes, you have to side with family over reason.
Wang Sandong cleared her throat and said, “I think… ever since ancient times, good has always triumphed over evil, and the Heavenly Way endures. Demonic Cultivators are murderous, cruel, and selfish. There will always be internal conflicts among them, and they will never truly unite. Defeat becomes inevitable.”
Zheng Xiao looked at Wang Sandong, nodded, and praised, “Exactly! That’s it!”
Then she looked at the two Wangs—Cui Jinnian and Wang Fa—and said, “In any group that values personal gain over righteousness, when the situation is favorable, they will be as arrogant as wolves; when it’s unfavorable, they will scatter like sand. Therefore, if I attack their Long, they will surely look to their Shu; if I attack their Long, they will surely retreat from their Shu.”
Wang Sandong clapped her hands and cheered, “Xiao Xiao is right.”
Zheng Xiao, the Lifetaking Swordsman, and Wang Fa all looked at Wang Sandong.
Clearly, the address “Xiao Xiao” had surprised the three of them to varying degrees.
But Wang Sandong shamelessly pretended nothing was wrong and continued, “Actions speak louder than words. The Spiritual Cultivators back then didn’t understand Demonic Qi, yet they still wiped out the Demonic Cultivators. That’s enough to prove Xiao Xiao is right. As for researching Demonic Qi… I think it’s better to save that energy and research Spiritual Qi instead. If Spiritual Qi can become stronger, then Demonic Qi will naturally become weaker.”
Zheng Xiao smiled and nodded.
“Right.”
The Lifetaking Swordsman looked at Wang Sandong, then at Zheng Xiao, and said “Pfft” under his breath.
He couldn’t help but say, “I recall a saying…”
Then he remembered that he was the host today and shouldn’t be too aggressive.
If a quarrel broke out, it would be his family’s loss.
But Wang Fa was curious and asked, “What saying?”
“Nothing.”
The Lifetaking Swordsman brushed it off and changed the subject.
“Later, when that old Chen shows up, he’ll definitely have no good intentions. You two help me back up. We aristocratic families of the Old Capital can’t let those ‘migrant birds’ from the New Capital bully us.”
“Migrant birds” referred to migratory birds.
Here, it also carried the derogatory meaning of “bird people.”
The Old Capital aristocrats liked to call families that moved to the New Capital “migrant birds.”
Cui Jinnian’s wife’s family was surnamed Chen—they were “migrant birds.”
“Don’t worry,” Wang Fa laughed.
“If that old rascal dares to act up, I’ll make sure he gets more than he bargained for.”
“Surely not,” Zheng Xiao said with a pursed smile.
“They’ve come from afar as guests.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the Lifetaking Swordsman said.
“Those who support the occasion are the real guests. Those who crash it… Hmph! Just thinking about the Chen family pisses me off.”
On the side, Wang Sandong, who seemed like an outsider, looked at the three kings speaking ill of the Chen family behind their backs, and she was a little shocked.
She was surprised to find that the so-called “Nine Surnamed Kings,” despite being lofty, highly cultivated, and old, still had human nature—like gossiping behind someone’s back, caring about face like ordinary people, and being competitive…
She thought of Yuan Di again.
That guy who was even more lofty, more highly cultivated, and older than the “Nine Surnamed Kings”…
In reality, he was just a person too.
No need to look at him differently.
Because he was a person, so…
His words, “I can satisfy you,”
maybe weren’t just a joke.
An image of Yuan Di pushing her down popped into her mind, and it felt very uncomfortable.
Even though she was already a woman now, and she had no objection to Yuan Di’s looks, she still had a man’s heart.
That scenario of being pushed down made her feel an indescribable resistance every time she thought of it.
She preferred the scenario of pushing Yuan Di down.
No matter how her body felt, at least mentally it would be easier to accept.
Wang Sandong let her mind wander for a long time until the sudden sound of firecrackers pulled her back.
The groom had returned with the bride.
According to etiquette, even if the Lifetaking Swordsman disliked that old Chen, he had to get up and greet them.
Wang Fa followed with a smile and said to Zheng Xiao, “You don’t need to go. Sandong isn’t feeling well. Stay here with her.”
“I wasn’t planning to go either,” Zheng Xiao laughed.
The Lifetaking Swordsman and Wang Fa left with smiles.
As they reached the door, Wang Fa asked in a low voice, “What saying?”
The question seemed out of the blue.
But the Lifetaking Swordsman understood and replied with a low laugh, “An old ox eating young grass.”
Wang Fa was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile.
Back in the courtyard.
Wang Sandong smiled and asked Zheng Xiao, “You’re both Nine Surnamed Kings. They both went, but you didn’t go to greet them. Isn’t that inappropriate?”
Zheng Xiao replied, “Even if I don’t go to greet him, that guy still has to come and pay respects to me.”
“Why?”
Zheng Xiao pursed her lips and smiled, but didn’t answer.
Instead, she said, “I told your grandfather that I want to give you a child.”
“You told me the same thing before,” Wang Sandong laughed.
“Plus the ‘need for Water Essence’ reason.”
She paused, staring into Zheng Xiao’s eyes.
“Which one is true? Or are both false?”
Zheng Xiao’s face still held a smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in it.
“Can’t they both be true?”
“Then what’s the ‘more’ real intention?”
Zheng Xiao avoided the question and said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Wang Sandong rolled her eyes.
“I hate riddle-talkers the most.”
Then, with a hint of mischievousness, she asked, “Are you planning to surprise me on the wedding night?”
“Riddle-talkers? Heh, I hate that too. But what can you do about it?”
What can you do?
Heh…
What could she do?
Wang Sandong propped her cheek on one hand, looking at Zheng Xiao, her face beaming with innocent joy, while silently swearing in her heart, ‘In the future, I won’t allow any riddle-talker to stand alive in front of me!’
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