The early meeting with Wu You slightly exceeded Ye Anping's expectations.
But only slightly.
The situation was still under his control. Although Wu You had already noticed that Pei Lianxue's spiritual root was extraordinary, he didn't plan to take her back directly.
The poison he used revealed his plan. It was a toxic parasite that slowly eroded people's minds and, like some fragrant sticks, caused hallucinations and eventually, the complete loss of sanity, turning the victim into a living dead.
Wu You probably wanted to wait for the toxic parasite to erode Pei Lianxue's mind before taking her body away.After all, a furnace didn't need the ability to think.
But because they couldn't take any action before the protagonist came to town, they had to pretend to be unaware of anything and expel the toxic parasite after returning to the inn.
At this time, on the stage set up in the courtyard, the newlyweds started the traditional wedding ceremony under the auspices of the priest. Everyone in the audience raised their glasses for a toast, even the cultivators at their table.
"Bow before heaven and earth! One kowtow, two kowtows, three kowtows."
Pei Lianxue's eyes sparkled as if she envied the bride.
Just now, in the streets, she was so scared that everyone looked like a demonic cultivator to her. But now, she seemed so excited that she completely forgot what she was here for.
However, that was normal.In the end, Pei Lianxue was only a fourteen-year-old girl, and she was not like the protagonist and other heroines who thought for the whole world and carried the weight of the **Three Realms**' fate on their shoulders.
Ye Anping accompanied Pei Lianxue to watch the entire wedding process and even attended the bridal shower with her. After eating, he took her back to the inn to rest.
Pei Lianxue was completely unaware that she had been poisoned, and walking out of the courtyard, she remembered the vows of the newlyweds with a dreamy look on her face.
"That bride was so beautiful."
"Are you envious?"
"A little bit." Pei Lianxue pursed her lips and smiled, then she looked sideways at Ye Anping and suddenly asked, "Brother, did the Patriarch arrange a marriage for you?"
"Marriage..."
Did Ye Ao arrange a marriage for him?
Ye Anping really didn't know. Neither did the game mention whether the young master of the **_Hundred Lotus_** Sect had a marriage partner.
After all, he and the **_Hundred Lotus_** Sect were cannon fodder from the beginning.
Then again, he was still the clan's young master. It was common sense that Ye Ao should have arranged something for him.
"I suppose he did?"
"You suppose?"
"I didn't ask." Ye Anping shrugged. "However, I do have someone I like."
In the game, in the **Cold Sky** **Country** of the **Western Region**, there was an NPC[^1] named Xiyue.
That NPC sold alcoholic props and ran a restaurant, but because she was a very detailed and beautiful model and her settled personality was very gentle, she was really popular among players.
The game designer also arranged some easy daily tasks for that NPC. After the player completed the tasks, she logged into their chat bar as a ‘confidant’ and sent cards and gifts at every event, acting as a billboard girl.
When he played the game, he was already used to calling her his wife. But now that he had time traveled, if he had the chance, he would definitely marry someone else back home.
However, Pei Lianxue couldn't hear what Ye Anping was thinking.
As far as she knew, aside from her and Xiaodie, there were no other girls around Ye Anping. Now that he said there was a 'person he liked,’ who else could it be?
Pei Lianxue pursed her lips shyly and asked, "So, is your loved one good-looking?"
"Of course she is." Ye Anping stretched out his hands and smiled. "If she weren’t good-looking, why would I like her?"
Brother praised her good looks... Pei Lianxue smiled wider, hesitated for a while, and asked again, "Then, what is her name?"
"Xiyue."
Pei Lianxue was expecting Ye Anping to say ‘Lianxue’ or shyly avoid the topic, so when she heard ‘Xiyue,’ she was taken aback.
"Who is Xiyue?"
"You don't know her."
"..."
Pei Lianxue was silent, thinking about all the sisters in the **_Hundred Lotus_** Sect over the years, but someone named 'Xiyue' still did not come to mind.
She followed Ye Anping back to their rented room at the inn and began to meditate, engaging in the daily practice of _Qi Refining_, but her mind was still filled with the name ‘Xiyue.’
At this moment, Ye Anping came up behind her and suddenly poked his sword fingers at the center of her back.
Pei Lianxue felt gastric juices coming up and a feeling like a worm writhing in her throat, which was extremely disgusting. Without holding back, she threw up all the food she had just eaten at the wedding banquet.
"Burp!"
"..."
Pei Lianxue slowly relaxed after a while, then looked at Ye Anping with a puzzled expression. "Brother, what are you doing?"
"I'm helping you expel the toxic parasite."
"Expel the parasite?"
Pei Lianxue raised her eyebrows in confusion but immediately came to her senses and looked at the thing she had vomited on the ground.
Sure enough, there was a centipede the length of her middle finger wriggling around.
Realizing that she had vomited this centipede, Pei Lianxue's face turned pale, and she remembered how, four years ago, Ye Anping made her eat a lot of insects for three months.
"This..."
Ye Anping handed her a glass of water and said, "At the wedding banquet just now, we met the demonic cultivator we were looking for. He also secretly placed a parasite inside us, and this is it."
"Ah?!" Pei Lianxue was shocked. "When?"
"When you were looking at the bride, wasn't there a Senior who poured wine for us? That was him." After explaining, Ye Anping sat cross-legged.
Pei Lianxue took a while to remember. "That androgynous-looking cultivator?!"
"Yes."
"Then..." Pei Lianxue looked at the centipede rolling on the ground in horror, swallowed again, and asked, "Aren't we..."
"I told you not to worry. Remember that time when I took you to eat insects? The two of us have eaten poisonous insects for three months, and our bodies have already developed resistance to them. Although these toxic parasites are stronger than the ones we ate, they can't take root in our meridians that fast, so we just have to expel them before that."
Ye Anping said that proudly and then settled in position. "Sister, help me expel the parasite. Poke the spot where I poked you just now."
Pei Lianxue looked again at the centipede she had just vomited and felt a little scared for a moment.
Such a big centipede entered her body, and she didn't even notice.
But at the same time, she also felt a sense of security from her big brother.
Unexpectedly, he anticipated this to happen many years ago and made preparations in advance. When he fed her those insects back then, she was very reluctant, but thinking about it, if that hadn't happened before, she'd be dead now.
"Brother, how did you know that that man infected us with the parasite?"
"I know what kind of person he is and what he wants to do." Ye Anping smiled lightly and said, "I told you when we came here, as long as you follow what I say, no matter how high his cultivation level is, he will die in your hands."
Pei Lianxue nodded weakly, came behind Ye Anping, and poked him hard at the center of his back with her sword fingers.
"Pfft–"
Maybe it was because she used too much force or something, but Ye Anping not only vomited the toxic parasite but also spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Cough... Sister, could you please be gentle?"
"I'm very gentle."
Ye Anping tasted the blood in his mouth, smiled helplessly, and sighed.
"Nevermind, get some rest. I'm going back to my room."
"Oh..." Pei Lianxue nodded, but when she saw the centipede on the ground, she felt inexplicably scared and, grabbing his sleeve, asked, "Brother, can you stay in my room tonight?"
"Huh?"
"This... what if that demonic cultivator comes to find us in the middle of the night?"
Ye Anping was speechless, looked around the room, and nodded in resignation.
"All right. Then, get some rest. I'll meditate and keep watch for you."
[^1]: An NPC is the abbreviation used to refer to a non-player character or non-playable character in a game.
