The moment Ji Xuanyue left, the fragile civility everyone had maintained in front of an honored guest shattered.
Wu Xiu had been publicly contradicted by her own son and reprimanded by her mother-in-law. She was furious. Unable to maintain the facade of a kind mother and virtuous daughter-in-law any longer, she immediately turned her anger on her younger son.
“When I told you to greet him, you wouldn’t open your mouth. When I didn’t tell you to speak, you started spouting nonsense! You’re no good at studying, and you can’t read the room either. Will you only be satisfied after ruining your brother’s future?”
Su Yanbo shrank back in fright as he was showered with criticism. Seeing his timid reaction only made Wu Xiu angrier, and she raised her hand to smack him.
“Enough!” Su Erlang’s face darkened as he stopped his wife. “Why are you taking your anger out on him? Yansong is your son, but isn’t Yanbo your son too? Look at yourself. Is that any way for a mother to behave?”
After being publicly scolded by her husband, Wu Xiu naturally couldn’t swallow the humiliation. She immediately opened her mouth to fire back. “Why are you yelling at me? I—”
“That’s enough. All of you, be quiet.” Madam Chen’s stern voice cut through the room.
Madam Chen spoke from the seat of honor. Her gaze swept the room before settling on Wu Xiu.
“Since we’ve already come this far, we may as well speak plainly. Second Daughter-in-Law, tell me clearly, right in front of me, what your true intentions are regarding this marriage between Yu’er and Yansong.”
Wu Xiu clenched her sleeves tightly. Her mother-in-law was always like this. Dignified and courteous, commanding respect without even raising her voice. Standing beside her, Wu Xiu always felt like nothing more than a crude village woman, somehow lesser. Suddenly, she no longer felt the need to pretend.
“Since Mother has asked, I dare not hide the truth any longer. The teacher has already said that with Yansong’s learning, passing the provincial examination is almost guaranteed. Once he passes, the marriage alliance with the county magistrate’s family will be practically settled as well.”
Su Yansong jerked his head up, his face dark with anger. “Mother! I’ve already said—”
“Be quiet!” Wu Xiu whirled around, her eyes red. “You only think about marrying Su Yu. Have you thought about your mother at all?!”
“Your father died young. Do you know how much hardship I suffered to raise you to where you are today? Now that you’re finally about to make something of yourself, you’re willing to throw away your future over feelings and romance. Are you trying to drive me to my death?”
Wiping away her tears fiercely, Wu Xiu continued, “Let me make this clear today. Unless I die, you will never marry her as your principal wife!”
After shouting those words, she turned to Su Yu, her tone softening. “Yu’er, Auntie has always treated you well, haven’t I? You’ve grown up with Yansong since childhood. You know better than anyone how hard he has studied all these years. If you truly care for him, then you should think more about his future, shouldn’t you?”
“Once Yansong passes the examination, he’ll have a bright future ahead of him. By then, you’ll be like brother and sister, still able to look after and support one another.”
“But if he gives up a marriage with the magistrate’s family for your sake, do you know how many years of effort he’ll have wasted?”
She took two quick steps forward. “Yu’er, tell him yourself. Tell him you only think of him as a brother.”
The room fell silent.
Su Yansong’s face turned pale. Madam Chen frowned deeply. Even Su Erlang looked away, unable to bear watching.
All eyes in the room settled upon Su Yu.
“Yu’er, Auntie knows that you and Yansong care for one another. But the world works this way. A woman’s fate is often to step aside for a man’s future.”
“Don’t worry. As long as Auntie is here, I won’t let you suffer.”
“Once Yansong marries the magistrate’s daughter, he’ll bring you into the family in grand style. You may be a concubine, but with Auntie looking after you and Yansong protecting you, your life won’t be a bad one…”
Smack! Madam Chen slammed her palm onto the table. The porcelain bowls rattled from the force. Her face turned livid as she braced herself against the table and tried to stand, but Su Yu gently pressed a hand over hers.
“Grandmother, let me speak.” As she soothed her grandmother and lightly patted her back, Su Yu lifted her calm, clear eyes and looked directly at Wu Xiu. “Auntie, though I have neither father nor mother, Grandmother always taught me that a daughter of the Su family, even if she marries a farmer who works the fields for a living, must be married as his lawful wife.”
Her voice remained remarkably calm. “Auntie says my cousin and I share affection. If there were truly any affection, he would never ask me to become a concubine. If he cannot even decide for himself to marry me as his principal wife, then that affection is not something I want.”
“My cousin’s future is bright, and I dare not reach so high. You needn’t trouble yourself over me anymore. My cousin and I were merely childhood playmates. It was never something that should have become a topic of discussion in the first place.”
Su Yu finished speaking, then looked pointedly at her second uncle.
“Second Uncle, please take Auntie, Cousin, and Yanbo home. Grandmother has only just recovered from a serious illness. She truly cannot endure any more worry or anger.”
Listening to her words, Su Yansong’s face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth to say more, but Su Yu had already helped Madam Chen to her feet.
“Yu’er… I…”
Before he could finish, Wu Xiu grabbed his arm firmly.
Su Yu’s words had been utterly uncompromising. The pretense between them had effectively been torn away.
Seeing her son still staring after Su Yu’s retreating figure, unwilling to move, Wu Xiu became frantic with anger. “Are you still not leaving? Will you only be satisfied after your mother smashes her head against the wall and dies right here?”
Su Yansong shuddered. In the end, he said nothing more and allowed Wu Xiu to drag him out of the main hall.
The moment the carriage curtain fell, Ji Xuanyue’s gentle smile vanished completely. Leaning back against the carriage wall, he sat in the dim interior. His amber eyes seemed to reveal a faint golden hue beneath the shadows.
“Xuanli.”
The coachman turned his head slightly. “What are your orders, My Lord?”
“Prepare a list of betrothal gifts.”
Xuanli had followed Ji Xuanyue for several centuries and was long accustomed to obeying orders without question. Even so, upon hearing this, he could not help but speak. “My Lord, are you truly planning to marry that mortal girl?”
Ji Xuanyue lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. “Is there a problem?”
Xuanli hesitated. “Your demon core is damaged. The Spirit Medicine Body can indeed nourish it. But marriage… is that really necessary?”
“To take a mortal woman as your wife, if word reaches the clan, I’m afraid there will be many objections.”
Ji Xuanyue gave a faint laugh. “Objections?”
“There have always been people who object to everything I do.” His fingers lightly tapped the armrest. “What they think has never mattered.”
Xuanli immediately fell silent. After a long pause, he finally asked, “Then what standards should be used for the betrothal gifts?”
At this, Ji Xuanyue frowned slightly. The question had genuinely stumped him. After all, he had never proposed marriage before. “How are mortal marriage proposals usually conducted?”
Xuanli thought for a moment. “For ordinary families, it might be a few bolts of cloth, some jewelry, livestock, and silver.”
Ji Xuanyue was silent for a moment. “Then prepare double.”
Xuanli nodded. “Understood.”
“Also,” Ji Xuanyue added calmly, “select the finest materials available. Since it’s a proposal, it should be done properly.”
A hint of amusement flickered across Xuanli’s face. “Understood.”
Only after receiving the answer did Ji Xuanyue close his eyes once more. In his mind, the image of Su Yu appeared, standing before everyone, calmly refusing to become anyone’s concubine.
A faint smile touched his lips. Fortunately. His future wife seemed far clearer-headed than he expected.
“Has my lord truly decided to marry that mortal woman as your wife?”
“Yes.” Ji Xuanyue gave a quiet acknowledgment before asking, “Have there been any traces of Bai Yan recently?”
“Not yet. However, demons have been causing trouble everywhere of late, and the clues are a tangled mess. It’s hard to tell whether he’s the one pulling the strings behind it all. And there’s another matter. I’ve heard that Pei He of the Demon Suppression Bureau is also searching for his whereabouts.”
Ji Xuanyue said, “Then let him enjoy his freedom for a few more days. Everything can wait until I’ve repaired the crack in my dantian.”
Delight appeared on Xuanli’s face. “My lord means…?”
Xuanli had served Ji Xuanyue since the latter was young. During the Battle of Jun Mountain, young Ji Xuanyue survived only because his master’s wife protected him. Even so, his demon core had suffered devastating damage. He had been at death’s door. To save him, his master’s wife had drawn blood from her own heart and exhausted all of her cultivation to repair his dantian. Only then had Ji Xuanyue’s life been preserved. Though he survived, a permanent fissure remained in his demon core. From that day onward, whenever he circulated spiritual energy through his body, the pain felt as though a dull blade were repeatedly scraping and carving at his dantian, right down to the bone. Had he chosen to live as an ordinary demon and abandoned cultivation altogether, he could still have lived out his days in peace.
But Ji Xuanyue bore a blood feud as deep as the sea. For centuries, he cultivated without interruption. For those same centuries, that torment had followed him without pause.
“We’ll talk once it succeeds.” Ji Xuanyue closed his eyes. “For now, go prepare the betrothal gift list.”
Xuanli pondered for a moment, then returned to his usual cold and taciturn demeanor. “As you command.”
Since her complete falling-out with Wu Xiu, life around Madam Chen had been much quieter.
Su Yu had not gone into the mountains to gather herbs for three days. One reason was that when she left Renxin Hall, the shopkeeper had given her a considerable amount of medicinal herbs, so she did not need to worry about medicine expenses for the time being. The second reason was that she feared Wu Xiu might come by again the moment she left the house and say something infuriating enough to upset her grandmother.
There was also a more private reason. She had no idea when Ji Xuanyue might come to propose marriage, and she worried that her grandmother might mistake him for yet another man captivated only by her appearance and throw him out of the house. So she simply stayed by her grandmother’s side at all times, chatting and joking to keep her happy.
That day, shortly after noon, she helped her grandmother walk around the courtyard after lunch when they heard the sound of carriages and horses approaching from afar.
Not long afterward, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. “Is Old Madam Su at home? Ji Xuanyue has come to pay a visit.”
Grandmother and granddaughter exchanged a glance.
Su Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “Grandmother, I’ll get the door.”
She opened the gate.
Ji Xuanyue stood outside, tall and straight in a dark blue brocade robe. Behind him, a carriage was loaded with layer upon layer of chests tied with red silk ribbons. Most conspicuous of all were the pair of wild geese an attendant carried behind him.
“Miss Su Yu.”
Their eyes met.
Ji Xuanyue spoke gently, “We meet again.”
Remembering why he had come today, Su Yu no longer dared meet his gaze and quickly returned to her grandmother’s side.
Naturally, Madam Chen had also noticed the conspicuous pair of geese. Seeing the way Ji Xuanyue looked at her granddaughter, she understood most of the situation at once. “Young Master Ji, please come inside and have a seat.”
Madam Chen then sent Su Yu into the inner room, saying she had a few matters to discuss privately with Young Master Ji.
Su Yu sat on the edge of the bed for a while. Fragments of conversation drifted in from the main room, but she could not make out the details. After an unknown amount of time, she heard her grandmother call her name. Lifting the curtain, she stepped outside.
Madam Chen solemnly took her hand. Her eyes held both relief and reluctance. “Yu’er, Young Master Ji is a man of excellent character and standing. Today, he has come bearing geese and seeks your hand in marriage. I have already spoken with him. As for this marriage, your grandmother still wishes to know your own feelings first.”
“Yu’er, are you willing?”
Ever since Wu Xiu’s ambiguous attitude toward her marriage came to light, Madam Chen had worried, even if she never spoke of it openly.
Su Yu looked at her grandmother’s graying hair and the wrinkles gathered at the corners of her eyes. She thought that if she married Ji Xuanyue, her grandmother would never have to worry about the cost of medicine again. Nor would her grandmother have to worry about her marriage prospects any longer. She was silent for a long moment.
Then she slowly raised her eyes toward Ji Xuanyue. He was also looking at her. His expression held no urgency, his gaze no pressure, as though he would quietly accept whatever answer she gave. For some reason, her racing heart gradually settled.
Finally, she lowered her head and spoke softly: “Grandmother’s decision is my decision.”
“Since Grandmother approves… then I am willing as well.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the room fell silent.
Madam Chen’s eyes immediately reddened. Although she had hoped to find her granddaughter a good husband, when the day came, she couldn’t help but feel reluctant.
Ji Xuanyue’s fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve. After a moment, he cupped his hands respectfully toward Madam Chen. “Thank you, Old Madam, for entrusting Miss Su Yu to me. I swear that in this life, I will never fail her.”
Madam Chen nodded. “Good. Good. Then this marriage is settled.”
Outside the courtyard, the attendants carrying the betrothal gifts finally sighed in relief.
The proposal had succeeded. And at that moment, under everyone’s gaze, Su Yu’s face gradually turned red. She still found it difficult to believe. Just a few days ago, she had been worrying about medicine money and her grandmother’s illness. Yet today, she was already engaged. The man she was to marry stood only a few steps away from her. As for love, it didn’t seem like something she absolutely needed.
She nodded gently. “I am willing.”
Soon, another major piece of news spread through Lingyin Village. Word spread that the noble, highly respected Young Master Ji from the county had become formally engaged to Su Yu of the Su family. The wedding date had already been set, and they would be married in ten days. Even more astonishing was that she would be his lawful wife.
Once the news broke, villagers seeking to take advantage of the connection came in an endless stream. Visitors wore down the threshold of the Su family’s home.
Unable to endure the constant disturbances, Su Yu and her grandmother simply shut their doors and stopped receiving guests.
“Someone from Young Master Ji’s household came with a message earlier.” Su Yu sat beside her grandmother’s bed and gently massaged her knees. “He said that Young Master Ji has found a country estate on the outskirts of Qingyang County with beautiful surroundings. It will be our home after the wedding. He has also prepared a room for Grandmother there, so Yu’er can continue caring for you after I’m married.”
“You silly girl, you’re about to become someone’s wife. Are you planning to drag these old bones of mine along with you too?”
“Yes, I am.” Su Yu’s expression was earnest. “I truly can’t feel at ease leaving Grandmother alone in the old house. He… he agreed to it. He said Grandmother needs only to move in and live comfortably, without worrying about anything else.”
Madam Chen looked at her for a long moment and sighed. “Child, Grandmother can see that Young Master Ji truly treats you well. I only hope that after you marry, you will remember to cherish your husband and live your days together in harmony.”
Su Yu lowered her eyes. A faint blush rose to her cheeks. “Mm.”
For some reason, whenever she thought of Ji Xuanyue, she remembered the way he looked at her.
Patient. Gentle. As though she were the most important person in the world. Yet they had known each other for so little time. Could someone truly fall in love at first sight?
Su Yu did not know. But she knew that whenever she thought of him now, her heart no longer felt resistant. Instead, there was a faint feeling she could not quite describe—a trace of anticipation.
“Enough, enough. Have it your way. This Young Master Ji truly does seem to be an upright, considerate, and admirable man. All your grandmother hopes for is that the two of you will live in harmony, sharing a lifetime together.”
Su Yu nodded. “I understand, Grandmother.”