The fragrance came out of the teacup in waves. Ye Ao held the teacup in both hands and took a sip. Raising his eyes, he took a closer look at the young man in a red robe across the table.
He hadn't thought about it before, but Ye Anping had been wandering around outside for more than two years.
But only three days were enough to be utterly impressed, let alone more than half a year.
The once childish look disappeared from his face at some point. Now, in front of Ye Ao's eyes stood an outstanding young man, charming and cool.
"Son, if you walk outside now wearing a skirt, people will see at a glance that you're a man disguised as a woman."?
Ye Anping, who had just raised his teacup, frowned slightly and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ye Ao laughed and raised his eyebrows as he explained, "It's a compliment. In the blink of an eye, my son has become a man, hahaha... As the saying goes, if a man has never slept with a woman, he will be a child even at the age of one hundred and twenty, but you lost your virginity at seventeen."
"..."
"I remember my first time. I had saved two months of spirit stones and sneaked away to the *Red Pavilion* in **Ximen City**. I paid a girl there and it was over as soon as she sat down. In the end, that miss took pity on me and gave me a free renewal."
Ye Ao's face was quite proud when he talked about this.
?Ye Anping didn't understand what was there to be proud of, but it was indeed the first time he heard his father talk about this, and it seemed that he would have another lever to use against his father in the future.
"Dad, does mother know about this?"
"What, are you going to tell her?"
"It depends."
?
"Hiss---you kid, do you want to try me? I haven't spanked you since you were a kid, have I?"
Ye Anping sighed. "Dad, what's the point in telling me this?"
"To comfort you, of course. For men, the first time is usually too fast. Don't you feel better now?"
Ye Anping smirked. "Dad, my yang energy is excessive. Have you forgotten what Elder Wang of the ***Black Star*** Sect said at that time?"
"Oh, I know. Did Little Pei cry and want to go back to her mother's house?"
"... Dad, can we change the topic?"
Ye Ao shrank back, pouting in embarrassment. "Can't I ask?"
"No."
"Okay, okay. I see that you've grown up now."
Ye Ao waved his hands with a displeased look, then turned his head and looked at the stairs, becoming serious again. "We talked about your double cultivation ceremony last time. No matter if it takes place now or later, you have to consider that this is not a matter of love and affection. Love is love, and cultivation couples are cultivation couples. They are not the same."
"... I know that."
"It's good to have a few more options."
Ye Ao counted on his fingers, saying to himself, "Miss Feng, the Holy Emperor's bloodline; Miss Xiao, the Young Master of the ***Black Star*** Sect; Miss Li, the leader of the ***Dragon House***, and now, Miss Yun from the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect... boy, your charm is quite remarkable. These beauties are all amazing girls. I just don't understand. How could these girls fall in love with a poor boy like you? And why didn't I have such good fortune back then?"
Ye Anping said with great self-awareness, "Probably because I'm more handsome."
"Wasn't I also a handsome young man with a beautiful face back then? Why didn't any other girl fall in love with me except your mother?"
"Could it be because you showed weakness? Most of the girls who were interested in you, weren't they driven away by my mother?!"
Ye Ao held his chin and pondered for a while, feeling as if this was possible, nodding his head. "It's possible."
"Hehe..."
"Anyway, where have you been? I heard that something happened in the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect. It seems that Yun Kunwu, who killed the Young Master of the ***Bright Star*** Sect, was secretly protected by the sect Patriarch and is alive now. Could it be..."
"Yes, I know. Sister Pei and I met the Immortal Yun Jian and received his inheritance. Sister was adopted as a direct descendant by Immortal Yun Jian himself, and the *Snow Jade Spirit Sword* now belongs to her."
?!
Ye Ao's eyes widened when he heard this. "What the hell?!"
Ye Anping sighed and ignored his fuss. "As literally."
"You... no way... Little Pei met with Immortal Yun Jian... That Yun Jian, who was as famous as the Immortal Matriarch thousands of years ago and was called the 'Sword Ancestor'?!"
"Yes, him."
"Oh, heavens~~" Ye Ao couldn't close his mouth and exaggeratedly shouted, "You, kid, I don't even know whether to call you lucky or a jinx. Big things happen wherever you go. So, is Little Pei now a descendant of the Sword Ancestor? Does it mean, from now on, when it comes to seniority in the immortal family, I have to call her Master?"
*You should also call me Master*... Ye Anping shifted his eyes but did not say these somewhat unfilial words. Instead, he said, "Well, sister will come down any moment. Remember to call her Master."
Ye Ao raised and lowered his eyebrows, feeling confused.
Immortal Yun Jian was the one who pioneered the art of 'sword cultivation'. All the sword cultivators in the immortal sects in the world had to honor him as their master ancestor. But now, he had passed the inheritance to Pei Lianxue, and his son was to marry her.
Then, what was his relationship with Pei Lianxue as a father, if his master became his daughter-in-law?
He pinched the bridge of his nose and gave up thinking altogether. After a pause, he asked, "Then, where are you going next?"
"First, to the ***Black Star*** Sect to settle down my cultivation, then to the **Central Region**."
"The **Central Region**? Will something big happen in the **Central Region** too?"
?
"What do you mean something big is going to happen in the **Central Region** too?"
"Isn't it true that wherever you go, something happens? First, you went to the ***Black Star*** Sect, which suddenly eradicated the ***Seven Slayers*** Sect in the **Western Region** with great fanfare. Then, you went to the ***Dragon House***, and it was invaded by demonic cultivators. Some time ago, you went to the **Southern Region** ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect, and the sect's Young Master suddenly rose from the dead."
As Ye Ao mumbled, he suddenly felt that his son had become like a mastermind behind the scenes, carrying a deep sense of mystery.
He was just a small sect leader and had never expected that Ye Anping could achieve great things in the future. If he did not turn out a crook or lose his way, he would burn high incense and let Ye Anping take over as the leader of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect with peace of mind.
But now, his son...
He asked with a frown, "Did you do all these things?"
Ye Anping smiled slightly, took a sip from the teacup, and replied calmly, "In recent decades, chaos has occurred frequently in the four regions, so it's not unusual for me to happen upon it. My contribution was insignificant."
Ye Ao seemed to believe it and felt relieved. "Take care of yourself out there. Your mother and I only have one son. If something happens to you, won't your mother cry herself to death?"
"I am self-aware, I..."
Ye Ao picked up the conversation. "An ordinary little cultivator with two spiritual roots and nothing special, right?"
"... Well."
"Heh, you've been saying this since you were a child." Ye Ao shook his head, sighing. "Last month, I chatted with the leader of the ***Roaring Tiger*** Sect, and he kept showing off his lousy son in front of me."
"Showing off what?"
"Saying that his son had single spiritual root, and he was now in the middle stage of *Foundation Building*, and he has been accepted as a direct disciple by a certain elder of the ***Black Star*** Sect."
With a sneer, Ye Ao picked up the teacup, took a sip, and continued, "And he kept bugging me, asking, does your son, with his dual spiritual roots, need anyone's guidance in practice? Should I let you follow his son to the ***Black Star*** Sect for some important lessons?"
What kind of habit was this among parents to make unnecessary comparisons between their kids?
Ye Anping felt a little helpless but knew it was human nature to make comparisons. He sighed and asked, "So, did you say anything?"
"Well, you know your dad, I'm not someone who likes to show off. I told him that you were in the middle stage of the *Foundation Building*, but he didn't believe me. He thought you used an underhanded technique and pretended to be worried about you."
Ye Ao rolled his eyes toward the window, but on second thought, he seemed to be choking on something and said to Ye Anping with a raised eyebrow, "When you return to the ***Black Star*** Sect, why don't you go see his son? Just take Miss Xiao with you and show her off."
This time, it was Ye Anping who rolled his eyes. "... If you don't show off yourself, why do you ask me to show off for you?"
"Hey -- just take Miss Xiao and walk around in front of that guy. His name is Yang Xiong, and he's also in your **Heavenly Cloud Peak**."
"Then, shall I take Immortal Matriarch over for a walk?"
"Sure, sure..."
Ye Ao stopped quickly. He knew that his son was capable, but not that capable.
"When did I say that? And who are you joking about, don't make jokes about her. I won't be able to protect you if the joke comes to her ears. Everyone in the four regions knows that the Matriarch is too petty to listen to others making jokes about her."
"When I meet her, I'll tell her you said she is petty."
Ye Ao pouted and rolled his eyes at him, saying, yeah, right, as if you really knew her...
*Tap--tap---*
At this moment, Kong Yulan and Pei Lianxue seemed to have finished talking upstairs and went down the stairs, one after the other.
Ye Ao turned to look, cupped his hands immediately, and, half seriously, half in jest, he shouted, "Greetings, Master Pei."
?
Kong Yulan, who was walking in front, suddenly popped a question mark on her head, but just as she was about to ask, 'What Master Pei?', Pei Lianxue nodded subconsciously and responded, "Patriarch Ye, you're too polite."
Kong Yulan raised her eyebrows at her husband. "Did you get drunk with tea? What Master Pei are you dreaming?"
"It's true, Anping told me! Little Pei got the inheritance of Immortal Yun Jian. I must call her Master Pei from now on."
"What? Immortal Yun Jian?" Kong Yulan opened her eyes in disbelief, then turned to look at Pei Lianxue, who was wearing the ***Black Star ***Sect uniform, and then moved her gaze to Ye Anping. "Pingping, is that true?"
"Mother, it's true."
"Is that so..." Kong Yulan paused, then turned to look at Pei Lianxue and said, "Miss Pei, you won't forget the book I gave you, yes?"
With her cheeks slightly red, Pei Lianxue glanced at her brother, then bowed respectfully. "Mrs. Kong, I won't forget!"
"Well, you two can go back now."
"Yes... thank you, Mrs. Kong."
Although Ye Anping was curious about what his mother had given her, he did not ask. He stood up and saluted. "Mother and Father, we won't disturb you anymore, we're leaving."
With that said, he took Pei Lianxue's hand and walked out the door.
After reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Pei Lianxue's face and saw that she was very happy. Knowing his mother must have agreed, he asked, "Sister, did mother agree?"
"Hmm... just barely, but I have to go through the official ceremony before I can enter the Ye family."
"The ceremony is not urgent. Right now is not the time to do a grand ceremony."
"Um."
"By the way, what did my mother give you?"
Pei Lianxue lowered her eyes, shook her head, and smiled. "It's a secret."
"It's a secret even from me?"
"Well, keeping it a secret is a good thing."
Ye Anping sighed helplessly, and his heart suddenly felt heavy. His sister, who he even knew how many hairs she had on her head, was now hiding something from him.
He shook his head. "Forget it... if you don't want to tell me, I won't ask. Later, I will go to Brother Liang and ask him if he has made up his mind. You go back and pack your bags too. We will return to the ***Black Star*** Sect tomorrow morning."
"Okay..."
... ...
Meanwhile, inside the *Heavenly Pavilion*.
Kong Yulan watched the two people leave and sighed, recalling what Pei Lianxue had said to her. "Heh -- Little Pei has grown wings now."
"Huh?" Ye Ao frowned in confusion. "Yulan, what did you say to her?"
"I asked her, why does she want to get married?"
"And what did she answer?"
"That girl said that she is now an inner disciple of the ***Black Star*** Sect, and she is completely worthy of Ye Anping as the Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** sect. She is a perfect match for our Ping, as she has grown up with him and understands his preferences and personality better than anyone else. She even knows him better than me."
Ye Ao couldn't believe it when he heard this. He couldn't imagine Pei Lianxue saying this.
Pei Lianxue gave the impression of an overly introverted and shy little girl who hardly spoke, didn't have much of a presence, and even seemed a little dull.
"Did she really say that?"
"Well, that's what she said, very tough. She also said that she knows our Ping better than anyone else and can take care of him and protect him better than anyone else. No one in this world can compare to her. And she said it very seriously."
"Are you sure it was not our son who taught her to say that?"
"It doesn't seem like that. The look in that girl's eyes at that time, it was true that she wouldn't marry anyone else. I was afraid that if I didn't agree, she would take out her sword and put her life on the line."
Kong Yulan shook her head and sighed. "Unexpectedly, that girl received Immortal Yun Jian's legacy. Now, it's like our Ping is the one getting a favor through marriage."
Ye Ao stroked his beard, laughing. "Isn't this good? By the way, what book did you give her?"
"*Yin and Yang Dao*."
?
Ye Ao blinked, wasn't that his collection?
It talked about how a man could make a girl linger, like the skill of nine shallow and one deep... Of course, it also talked about how a girl could make a man keep going, such as...
"Hiss---why did you give her that?"
"To let her learn it, what else? She grew up in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, and no one taught her these things before. Wouldn't this matter fall on me? If I don't teach her, and she learns on her own, she might go astray and develop some strange habits, which would be very bad."
"..."
