For a moment, the atmosphere in the dining room became strange.
Yu Qingdai grasped her sister’s wrist, making her put down the knife, and gently advised, “Ziyu, there are guests here. How can you act so recklessly? No one wants to harm you.”
Yu Ziyu glanced at the shattered medicine bowl and said coldly, “Nonsense! Someone is definitely trying to harm me. Someone has poisoned the soup!”
“Ziyu, don’t be ridiculous.” Father Zhao Tianjun also stood up. “It’s one thing for you to act recklessly on a regular basis, but today we are here to discuss your marriage with General Li. How can we let them laugh at us?”
”Fine, I won’t bother with you mortals!” Yu Ziyu sheathed her knife, stopped eating, turned and waved her sleeves as she left.
Yu Ningying glared at her husband, clearly displeased: “Why are you yelling at her? She’s still young, it’s normal for her not to understand the rules.”
“She’s even fiercer than me, yet you haven’t scolded her a single time.” Zhao Tianjun then called to Li Fanglian and the others, saying with a smile, “Lord Li, my daughter has a bad temper; it’s all our fault for not teaching her well. Please forgive her.”
”Haha, Ziyu is truly extraordinary, an eye-opener.” Li Fanglian forced a smile, inwardly lamenting his predicament. He had originally come with Li Jiyan to propose marriage after hearing that Zhao Shangshu’s youngest daughter, Yu Ziyu, was well-educated, virtuous, and talented.
Unexpectedly, Yu Ziyu went completely mad!
It seems this marriage proposal will have to be rejected.
His two children died of illness years ago, leaving him no choice but to adopt Li Jiyan as his godson. Although he only used Li Jiyan as a tool in his power struggles, he has developed feelings for him over the years.
If Li Jiyan is unwilling to marry a madwoman, he will not force him.
Having finished the meal, Li Fanglian couldn’t refuse any longer and didn’t bring up the marriage proposal. The Yu family also put on a good show, serving fine food and wine and keeping quiet about the farce that Yu Ziyu had just caused.
After the meal, Li Fanglian left with Li Jiyan and a group of colleagues.
The marriage proposal was only said to be discussed later, and there was no definite answer.
After leaving the Yu residence, Li Fanglian sighed, “What a pity. I never expected Yu Ziyu to be insane. If she were more normal, arranging the marriage and forming an alliance with the Yu family would have been a good deal.”
”I want to marry her.” Li Jiyan, who had been quiet all along, finally spoke.
Li Fanglian raised his eyebrows, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening, and asked incredulously, “Why do you want to marry her?”
“I love her,” Li Jiyan said firmly.
Li Fanglian pointed at him, then remembered the incident of pouring tea over his head earlier, and gritted his teeth, saying, “What were you thinking just now, splashing yourself with tea to show respect? Who taught you that! You made me suffer, I’m so old, and I got drenched in tea because of you, aren’t you ashamed!”
Li Jiyan said nothing, strode forward, leaving his godfather and several colleagues and servants behind.
Li Fanglian stroked his beard and cursed, “You madman, you and Yu Ziyu are truly a match made in heaven! A madman and a crazy woman, a perfect match!”
Li Jiyan doesn’t know what love is. He has no say in anything, and from childhood to adulthood, his every word and action has been guided by his godfather, Li Fanglian. He is Li Fanglian’s puppet, a pawn in Li Fanglian’s game, manipulated at will.
This time, however, he truly wanted to marry Yu Ziyu.
He didn’t know where to begin. He only remembered that three years ago when he returned to the capital, he saw Yu Ziyu once. Her peach-blossom-like face captivated him, keeping him awake at night.
He commissioned a portrait of Yu Ziyu, which he studied repeatedly at night. Then he tore the portrait into pieces and ate them one by one. As he chewed the dry, hard paper, he knew he was sick, very sick.
Later, he secretly inquired and learned that Yu Ziyu also seemed to have mental problems. He was overjoyed, feeling that he and Yu Ziyu were a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
So much so that when I entered the Yu residence this morning and saw Yu Ziyu in the backyard…
Yu Ziyu asked him to wash his hair with tea in front of everyone, and he agreed without hesitation. Even though this behavior made him feel ashamed and embarrassed, he couldn’t help it; he wanted Yu Ziyu.
He doesn’t deny his depravity; he just lusts after Yu Ziyu and wants her to fulfil his filthy desires.
……
Yu Ziyu returned to the room, feeling sullen.
Her room was filled with various Taoist books, such as the Tao Te Ching, the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, the Tongxuan Classic, and the Lingbao Bifa, all of which were Taoist classics she had studied for many years.
She lay down on the bed, without removing the long sword and scimitar from her back. These sword and scimitar were her protective treasures, and she even slept with them in her arms.
“‘Follow the principles of Yin and Yang, and harmonize with the arts of numerology’—what exactly does that mean?” Yu Ziyu muttered to herself, turning the pages of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic in her hand one by one. She read through the first chapter, “On the Primordial Innocence of Antiquity,” but still did not understand its meaning.
Yin and Yang are the principles of Heaven and Earth, and should be related to the art of sexual intercourse. However, she still didn’t understand what the “art” and “numerical” in “in harmony with the art of numerology” actually represented.
After a while, the eldest sister, Yu Qingdai, came into the room carrying a food box. The smell of decaying paper from the old books filled the room, making her frown repeatedly.
”Ziyu, are you hungry? Your sister brought you some food.”
Yu Ziyu put down her book, turned over and sat cross-legged: “Sister, have Li Jiyan and the others left?”
Yu Qingdai came to the bedside, put down the food box, lifted the bed curtain and hung it up, and said, “Let’s go. The commotion you caused just now probably scared them away. Your husband is going to be gone.”
”Hmph, a vile man, better off without him! They must have poisoned the soup.”
Yu Qingdai drew the bed curtains, opened the food box, and said casually, “No one wants to harm you. You keep saying that someone wants to harm you all day long. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
She brought out the food from the lunchbox, placed it on the table, and set out the chopsticks. “Come and eat, you haven’t eaten anything all morning, you must be starving.”
Yu Ziyu got off the bed, sat at the table, and said in a serious tone, “Sister, you are so good to me. After I succeed in cultivating and become an immortal, I will take you with me to ascend to heaven and enjoy happiness.”
Yu Qingdai was already used to her sister’s nonsense: “You can be the immortal yourself, I’m not going to be one.”
”You don’t know how to enjoy life. Once you become an immortal, you can live a carefree and omnipotent life. How could a mortal like you know the wonders of it?” Yu Ziyu picked up her chopsticks and lowered her head to eat.
Yu Qingdai sat down beside her, propping her head up with one hand as she looked at her, and straightened her crooked hairpin. “Ziyu, get well soon. You’re always acting crazy, it breaks my heart to see you like this.”
”I’m not crazy. I have the ability to see ghosts, so I can see things you can’t. The immortal touched my head and told me that as long as I cultivate diligently, I can attain immortality. That’s true,” Yu Ziyu said, word by word.
Yu Qingdai had no choice but to go along with her: “Alright, alright, my Ziyu is really amazing.”
After dinner, Yu Ziyu took her sister’s hand, her bright eyes darting around, and suddenly asked, “Sister, do you know what the art of controlling one’s husband is?”
”The art of controlling one’s husband?” Yu Qingdai didn’t quite understand.
”I overheard an old nanny in the side courtyard talking about the art of controlling one’s husband the other day. She said that if you learn this art, you can make your husband submit to you body and soul, and your family will be harmonious. Is this true?”
Yu Qingdai had vaguely heard the term “taming husband,” but as an unmarried girl, she had no idea what it meant. She said, “It should mean that husband and wife treat each other with respect and love. I don’t understand this either.”
”Never mind, I’ll go ask that old woman again another day and study it properly.” Yu Ziyu waved her hand and was about to get back into bed.
Yu Qingdai tilted her head and said, “Why are you asking this? Do you really want to marry Li Jiyan?”
”I’m not sure yet. Let me think about it first.”
After sending her sister away, Yu Ziyu rummaged through books in the room again. She went through a whole bunch of ancient Taoist books, but still couldn’t find any content on husband-taming techniques.
She pondered it over and over, but still couldn’t understand what the art of controlling one’s husband was.
Three days later.
The Yu family thought the marriage was off, but Li Jiyan came to their door with generous gifts, saying that he had fallen in love with Yu Ziyu at first sight and hoped that the marriage could be finalized this time.
Yu’s parents didn’t know how to respond, so they called Yu Ziyu out.
Yu Ziyu still carried a long sword on her back and a curved knife at her waist. She looked Li Jiyan up and down and then extended her hand, saying, “Let’s go for a walk first.”
”Taking a walk?” Yu Ningying asked, puzzled.
”It was just a walk, a walk with Li Jiyan!”
Yu Ziyu pulled Li Jiyan by the sleeve and they went out the door. Instead of taking the main road, she led Li Jiyan away through a small path behind the Yu residence and soon entered the back mountain.
Li Jiyan’s sleeves were wrinkled from being gripped so tightly.
The two remained silent the entire way up the mountain until they had walked for quite some time. Only then did Yu Ziyu release his sleeve and whisper to him, “I have the ability to see ghosts and monsters; I can see ghosts and monsters that you can’t.”
”Oh, you’re really amazing.” Li Jiyan stared intently at her face, his burning gaze sweeping over the delicate white skin of her neck inch by inch, shamelessly wanting to lick it.
”You believe me?” Yu Ziyu was quite surprised. Every time she said she had the ability to see ghosts, people would say she was lying.
”I believe you, whatever you say.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing noticeably, and then asked, “Where is the ability to see ghosts?”
“Here.” Yu Ziyu pointed to her forehead.
Li Jiyan bent down and looked closer, staring at her smooth, fair forehead: “Here?”
“Yes, it’s right on my forehead.” Yu Ziyu raised her face, wanting him to see it clearly.
”May I have a kiss?” Li Jiyan finally couldn’t suppress his filthy thoughts and made a despicable request.
Yu Ziyu was puzzled and confused: “Kiss my yin-yang eyes?”
”Yes, I’ll kiss you. Please.” Li Jiyan exuded an oppressive heat, making Yu Ziyu feel inexplicably threatened.
She kicked him away, drew her long sword from her back, and pressed the gleaming tip against his Adam’s apple, snarling, “You wretch, believe me or not, I’ll kill you!”
”I’m sorry.” Li Jiyan looked directly into her eyes, unfazed.
The wind whistled past, a chill enveloping the two of them, and their breath suddenly turned cold.
Then, Yu Ziyu put down her sword and suddenly laughed so hard she bent over: “You’re so funny!”
”Where’s fun?” Li Jiyan bent down to look at her.
”I don’t know!” Yu Ziyu sheathed her longsword and pushed Li Jiyan forward. “Let’s walk, let’s take a stroll. I already said we came out for a walk.”
As they walked, they began to walk side by side again.
Li Jiyan glanced at her sideways, and that strange possessiveness he felt when he ate her portrait that night surged back into his mind. He truly couldn’t understand why he had become so obsessed after only seeing her once three years ago.
Is this what love at first sight means? He didn’t understand, and he didn’t dare ask. The idiom “love at first sight” was far too profound for him.
On the surface, he was the adopted son of Grand Commandant Li Fanglian, and his status was quite noble. He always maintained a refined and elegant demeanor. However, very few people knew that he was actually an illiterate and uncultured man.
He was illiterate; the only thing he could write was his own name.
In order to better control him, Li Fanglian prevented him from reading and writing from a young age. “Fools can be controlled” was Li Fanglian’s method of raising him.
”Yu Ziyu, will you marry me?” Li Jiyan asked again.
Yu Ziyu nodded and then shook her head: “I still need to think about it. I am a cultivator, and this matter must be handled with care. You must not seduce me or disturb my Dao heart, understand?”
”Um.”
Led by Yu Ziyu, the two walked for a long time, passing a graveyard. She took out a handful of peanuts from her bosom and ate them continuously. Looking at Li Jiyan, she waved a peanut in front of him.
“Would you like some peanuts?”
”Okay.” He took the peanuts she handed him, peeled the shells, and popped the peanuts into his mouth.
The two ate along the way, and as they were about to leave the cemetery, Yu Ziyu asked again, “Do you want to eat some steamed buns?”
Where can I find steamed buns?
Yu Ziyu ran into the cemetery, grabbed the offering placed in front of the grave—a spoiled steamed bun—and handed it back to Li Jiyan: “Here, have this.”
Li Jiyan’s lips twitched: “Those peanuts just now…”
Yu Ziyu said frankly, “I picked up the peanuts here, and I’ve eaten all the offerings here. I have the ability to see ghosts, and the little ghosts here are all afraid of me and compete to offer me tributes.”
Li Jiyan suddenly felt nauseous and squatted on the ground, dry heaving.