"What? What's going on? I'm just here to make up the numbers!" Li Haimo was dumbfounded. He'd come to play a minor role, so how did this land on him? And a wedding? What wedding? Who's the bride? Why hasn't anyone told me?
"Next month, on the full moon, you'll wed Xiaomeng of the Heaven Sect," Baiyunzi said, clapping his shoulder with a grin.
"Why wasn't I told?" Li Haimo shot back.
"Why would we need to tell you? With no parents, it's up to us, your senior brothers, to arrange things. Uncle Beimingzi approved, and you personally delivered the betrothal gifts—forgot already?" Baiyunzi chuckled.
"Not Jianjia, Bailu, and Chunjun, right?" Li Haimo asked, uncertain. No wonder the looks from both sects' brothers were so odd when I escorted Xiaomeng back this afternoon.
"Not bad, huh? Three famed swords as a betrothal gift, plus Xueji thrown in—four in total. Who else in the world offers such a lavish dowry?" Xiaoyaozi said, half-teasing.
Is Xiaomeng worth that much? Li Haimo calculated silently. In this era, Chunjun alone could buy seven or eight cities. Jianjia and Bailu? Lord Changping would trade two cities for them. Xueji was worth four or five. That's over a dozen cities! Was the Human Sect this rich, or were cities just cheap here? In my old world, "I'll give you a fishpond" was a flex. This? A dozen cities make that look like pocket change.
"What's the Heaven Sect offering as a dowry?" Li Haimo asked.
"No idea," Baiyunzi replied. "They're not short on wealth. We didn't even know they had Qiuli, so a Sword Registry blade isn't out of the question." Compared to them, the Human Sect's downright poor.
_
That evening, by the hot spring, Li Haimo gazed at the stunning girl sitting before him, her hair waiting to be styled. "Junior Sister Xiaomeng, do you know what marriage is?"
Xiaomeng turned, her eyes meeting his, and shook her head.
"Silly girl," Li Haimo sighed, loosening her hair to let it flow freely in the breeze. She looked at him, puzzled.
"Do you know what a wife is?" he asked earnestly.
Her wide eyes blinked, and she shook her head again.
"Will you be my wife?" he pressed.
"Why should I?" Xiaomeng asked.
"So I can comb your hair and massage your shoulders every day," he said softly.
"Can't you do that now? Why does it have to be as your wife?" she countered.
"Because now I have to sneak around. If you're my wife, no one can object," he explained.
"Is it also about this?" Xiaomeng suddenly wrapped her arms around him, her soft lips pressing against his—cool and moist.
"You knew?" Li Haimo stared at her, her cheeks flushed to her ears.
"I cultivate Heart Like Still Water, keeping my emotions calm, not ignorant like a child," she murmured.
"But you asked why we're different!" he said, stunned.
"I didn't think about it before, so I didn't understand. I figured it out later," she replied.
"So all those times I watched you bathe…" He trailed off, mortified.
"I got used to it," she said, blushing.
"You really understand what a wife is?" he asked, still skeptical.
"I do," she nodded firmly.
"Then I'll collect some interest!" Grinning, he pulled her into his arms under the peach tree, kissing her delicate cheek. Her body tensed briefly before relaxing, her arms encircling his waist as she leaned into his chest, eyes closed, listening to his heartbeat. The moment was serene, blissful.
The next day, the Human Sect underwent a seismic shift. Sect Leader Xiaoyaozi announced his seclusion, handing all affairs to Baiyunzi. All outer disciples were to return immediately, Elder Mu Xuzi was stripped of his position and entered a death seclusion, and Treasure Pavilion disciples were reassigned to the other four pavilions. Core disciples from those pavilions would replenish the Treasure Pavilion, with Wuchenzi temporarily taking charge.
The decree shook the Human Sect to its core, startling even the Heaven Sect. Chishongzi visited to investigate and, learning the truth, sighed in relief. No bloodshed meant the sect's foundation remained intact—a fortunate outcome. The Heaven Sect conducted its own audit, uncovering several spies, whom Chishongzi quietly eliminated.
On the question of sealing the mountain, the elders were divided. Mu Xuzi, Jingyunzi, and a disheartened Xiaoyaozi favored sealing, while Baiyunzi and Muyanzi advocated staying engaged with the world. Lingyunzi abstained, leaving the decision to Li Haimo's vote.
"I propose recalling all inner and core disciples but sending outer disciples out," Li Haimo said. "After Xiaomeng and I marry, we'll enter the world to cultivate. Upon our return, we'll decide on sealing the sect."
"No way!" the elders chorused. Both sect leaders leaving the mountain while the elders seal themselves? Unheard of!
"Fine," Xiaoyaozi compromised. "Keep the External Affairs Hall operational, but recall all other hall disciples."
"Agreed," Li Haimo said, recognizing the need for disciples to gather intelligence and maintain sect connections.
The Heaven Sect, however, opposed Xiaomeng's worldly cultivation—until Beimingzi intervened. "It's their marriage. Why meddle?" Reluctantly, they agreed. But the Heaven Sect was blindsided when Xiao Ling, the top candidate for Water Elder, left a note and vanished down the mountain. He wrote that his sister had been taken by the Yin-Yang School, and he was going to find her. The Heaven Sect searched beyond the Zhongnan Mountains but found no trace of him, left only to pray for his safety.
_
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