Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 448 'The Path of Immortals'

The night was serene, and the moonlight, like a veil, enveloped the deep palace.

Groups of two or three palace maids carrying lanterns, dressed in festive red dresses, walked along the palace path, checking the red lanterns on the walls and chatting softly.

"The Emperor treats us so well. On this joyous occasion, everyone received several dozen taels of silver as a reward! I want to send it all home to buy my parents some new clothes..."

"Alas, now that the Marquis has become the Emperor's consort, Sister Zhongli will surely be his bed warmer. If there is an opportunity in the future, she might even be able to serve the Marquis... I'd even like to give the palace a few hundred taels of silver in exchange for a chance to serve the Marquis..."

"The Marquis will probably bring a few maids with him when he enters the palace, right?"

"I heard she's the top courtesan in the capital, a pure courtesan who only performs a few dances on stage throughout the year. But just based on her temperament, dance moves, and looks, even if she only appears a few times a year, she is undoubtedly the top courtesan in the capital... How can we compete with her?"

Soft whispers drifted on the evening breeze into a palace chamber.

Red lanterns hung on the veranda, casting a dim light in all directions, and paper-cuts by the window cast intricate silhouettes in the reflection.

Little Bai Suzhen sat on the table, opened her mouth wide and swallowed several pieces of cooked meat with all her might. Soon her belly was bulging, and she collapsed on the table, letting out a cute, satisfied whimper.

She tilted her head and saw a woman in a wedding dress sitting on a bright red soft couch. Her figure was graceful and charming, her body was plump and smooth, and her demeanor was dignified. However, her movements disrupted this dignified and gentle atmosphere.

A red veil covered her purple hair. With one hand, she gently lifted the veil a crack, revealing her rouge-painted lips and snow-white cheeks. With the other hand, she held a painting, looking down at it.

The scene in the painting is almost identical to this moment, both depicting a bride in her wedding chamber, except that there is an additional man in a red python robe, whose arms are intertwined with the bride's as they drink from a shared cup.

Both the groom and bride showed their profiles, their eyes smiling, as if they were telling a joke.

There was also a short sentence written on the back of the drawing paper.

'In the second year of Guichan's reign, in the middle of spring, on the night of Zhao Wumian's wedding to Luo Chaoyan.'

Zi Yi lowered her eyes to look at the lifelike scene in the painting, then looked at Guan Yunshu sitting beside her, the brush tip making a soft rustling sound, and asked in a puzzled tone.

"They were in their wedding night, and you were watching? How did you manage to depict it so vividly..."

"I only peeked at them from outside when they were drinking the nuptial wine, and Zhao Wumian knew about it."

"Oh~" Mu Li'er sat at the table, picked up a peanut with her fingertips and tossed it into her lips, then smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"The nun of Little Western Paradise was actually a lewd woman who liked to peep."

“Even the most vulgar things can't compare to the indulgent master who was despised by his apprentice and jockey,” Guan Yunshu replied coldly without looking up.

"So what? Our Sword Sect doesn't have any strict rules or regulations."

"Rules and regulations do not represent character and virtue..."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. If the palace maids outside hear this, they'll laugh at us."

Shen Xiangge, bored out of her mind, propped her cheek up with her hand, took off her shoes and socks, and lay sprawled in the corner of the wedding bed behind Zi Yi, her sleeping posture languid and her figure beautiful.

This wedding bed is meant for the newlyweds, but given their relationship, it will eventually be piled up high on top of them. It's perfectly fine for Shen Xiangge to lie on it for a while. As the eldest sister, Ziyi doesn't care about these things.

She set the drawing paper aside, glanced sideways at Guan Yunshu who was intently drawing, and asked softly:
"He hasn't even arrived yet, and you're already drawing?"

"Of course we need to draw more pictures and pick out the most beautiful ones... We saw Xiao Yuanmu when we left. She clearly came here with ill intentions. Zhao Wumian is sure to be tormented by the two of them for a long time."

Guan Yunshu paused slightly, thinking to herself that with Zhao Wumian's temperament, the Palace Master of Tai Xuan Palace and the current Emperor must have already become one.

She sighed lightly and continued:

“Zhao Wumian said he would come in the middle of the night, but given Xiao Yuanmu’s martial arts skills… I reckon he probably won’t have the energy to come until after dawn. There’s plenty of time, enough for me to paint a few more pictures…”

Luo Xiangzhu lay on the table. Upon hearing this, the little mute boy pouted slightly in dissatisfaction. Feeling a bit bored, he could only tease the little white snake with his fingertips.

But as soon as Guan Yunshu finished speaking, the women heard footsteps coming from outside.

Inside the bridal chamber, the beauties, each with their own unique posture, suddenly stiffened and hurriedly got up.

Shen Xiangge quickly put on her shoes and socks, smoothing out the wrinkles from her sleeping. Mu Li'er and Luo Xiangzhu also hurriedly tidied up the bridal chamber, cleaning it until it was spotless.

The woman in purple, who was the main character tonight, was even more flustered. She pulled her red veil down with both hands, and with a little force, she almost had the veil pulled off. She hurriedly adjusted her appearance.

In just a few seconds, they hurriedly pushed open the door and came out of the room, where they saw Zhao Wumian walking down the corridor.

"You, how did you get here so fast?" Guan Yunshu asked, slightly bewildered.

"Fast? More than an hour is fast?"

Zhao Wumian thought to himself, "When I usually torment you, you can't take it and want to beg for mercy, but you can't let go of your pride and grit your teeth to endure it. Several times you almost collapsed, and sometimes your eyes turned red and you shed tears."

Why didn't you say "fast" back then?
"What about Xiao Yuanmu and His Majesty..." Mu Li'er asked softly.

The image of the rebel leader and the Empress of Dali piled high in front of Zhao Wumian's eyes made his mouth dry again. He shook his head slightly and said softly:

"They're all asleep... they definitely won't have the energy to play around for a while..."

Shen Xiangge couldn't help but chuckle, "The Palace Master of Tai Xuan Palace, a top martial artist in the Jianghu... His reputation is so impressive, but when things really came to a head, he couldn't even hold out for long against the current emperor in a two-on-one fight... If it were me..."

Shen Xiangge's alluring fox-like eyes swept over her lover, seemingly wanting to be intimate with him as well. However, she was not a woman unaware of propriety; she simply reached out and caressed Zhao Wumian's shoulder, sweetly saying:
"In my opinion, the Imperial Tutor is no better than Xiao Yuanmu... If the Marquis is still not satisfied afterward, come to Kunning Palace to find me, and I promise to serve my husband well..."

"Alright, stop being so flirtatious, hurry up and go in. The Imperial Tutor has been waiting for you for a long time..." Mu Li'er couldn't help but roll her eyes and urged softly.

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly, but then he saw Guan Yunshu take a few steps closer and whisper to him.

“Back in Mingdu, I noticed that the Imperial Tutor seemed to have some health problems. You should take good care of him…” Guan Yunshu briefly explained her discovery.

Zhao Wumian had spent more time with Ziyi and had vaguely sensed something a year ago. Hearing this now, he was not surprised, but simply nodded slightly and walked into the bridal chamber.

crunch————

The door was pushed open and then closed again. Upon hearing the noise, Zi Yi immediately sat up straight. She had been relaxed and carefree with the other young ladies, but now that Zhao Wumian had arrived, she immediately became dignified and elegant.

Her veil was slightly crooked, but the more prim she looked, the cuter she became.

Zhao Wumian couldn't help but smile.

Hearing her lover's laughter, Zi Yi could no longer maintain her pretense. She raised her hand to adjust her red veil, her posture becoming even more languid, and muttered with dissatisfaction:

"What are you laughing at? You married the Emperor of Dali and the Imperial Tutor in one day... You're quite proud of yourself for marrying both master and disciple into your family, aren't you?"

"Correct."

The woman in purple picked up a few lotus seeds and longans from beside her and threw them at Zhao Wumian, saying, "Look at how smug you are."

Zhao Wumian stroked the little white snake's chin with his fingertips and said:

"How could I not be happy to marry you? If tonight weren't our wedding night, I would have liked to run around the capital a dozen times to work up a good sweat before coming back."

Beneath the veil, Zi Yi blushed slightly upon hearing these words, but then couldn't help but smile.

Zhao Wumian picked up the gold scale beam and walked towards the bed.

Zi Yi and Zhao Wumian often bickered and argued in their daily interactions, somewhat similar to Shen Xiangge, like a little girlfriend. But now, as he approached, Zi Yi and Luo Chaoyan were no better off, their delicate bodies tense up.

Zhao Wumian used the scale rod to brace against the bottom of the veil and slowly lifted it up.

She wore purple and her delicate hands gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

But Zhao Wumian paused suddenly halfway through his teasing.

The woman in purple was slightly taken aback. "What's wrong?"

"After tonight, we will be husband and wife."

"Yes, yes, what's wrong?" The woman in purple stammered slightly. Although a red veil covered her hair, one could still imagine her shy and beautiful face.

"Generally speaking, there should be a marriage certificate, right? Where is our marriage certificate?" Zhao Wumian asked in confusion.

The woman in purple was taken aback for a moment, then thought for a second before explaining softly:
"Your marriage certificate with Chaoyan is the imperial edict, and it is kept in the palace. However, my marriage to you tonight is not formal, so it is not convenient to write it on the imperial edict... But Chaoyan also drafted a copy, which is kept with the imperial edict. Why are you asking about it?"

"I've never even seen the marriage certificate, nor have I put my fingerprints on it..."

"What? You won't marry me without even seeing the marriage certificate? Zhao Wumian, let me tell you, whether you acknowledge it or not, I'm determined to marry you..."

Zi Yi's tone immediately turned fierce. Then, after glancing around at Zhao Wumian, she took out paper and pen, wrote a sentence with swift strokes, and handed it to Zi Yi to see.

"The marriage certificate drafted by the palace doesn't count... We, the people of the martial world, don't care about these rules and etiquette... A marriage certificate is only valid if we write it ourselves."

The woman in purple was still wearing her red veil. She took the white paper, raised her hand to lift the veil slightly, and looked down at her.

The handwriting on the paper was not pretty; in fact, it could be described as ugly.

The above briefly states:
"In the spring of the second year of Guichan, Zhao Wumian and (Kongzhe) decided to get married. I wrote this book to prove it."

There were no fancy words, just this short sentence, and even the handwriting was so ugly.

Zi Yi stood there, stunned, staring at the not-so-beautiful handwriting on the paper for a long time, speechless.

Zhao Wumian sat to the side, handed her a brush, and said with a smile, "Hurry up and write, all that's missing is your name."

The woman in purple trembled slightly before slowly taking the brush. After pausing for a few seconds, she pressed the white paper against her thigh, wrote something, and then handed it to Zhao Wumian.

Zhao Wumian glanced at it, smiled again, raised his hand and used his inner energy to cut his index finger, pressing his bloody handprint onto the white paper.

Zi Yi also bit her finger, and the two of them pressed their handprints together.

The scale lifted the veil, and Zhao Wumian's exquisitely beautiful face, lightly made up, slowly appeared before her in the candlelight.

The woman in purple had red eyes.

"why are you crying?"

"We're already married, and you still pull this stunt on me... I'm doomed for you this lifetime..."

Zi Yi rubbed her eyes, sniffed, got up and fetched two cups of wine, handing them to Zhao Wumian. Then she took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and poured some fine powder into the cups.

"This is an aphrodisiac? Do I need this stuff?" Zhao Wumian felt insulted.

"Tianxuan Pill, grind it into powder!" Ziyi immediately rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Without this pill, how will you consummate your marriage?" "Oh, I was so happy that I forgot about that." Zhao Wumian laughed heartily.

"No wonder Xiao Yuanmu always calls you a fool..."

The two sat together, their arms intertwined, the candlelight dim, and drank their wine in one gulp.

A slight blush appeared on Zhao Wumian's skin. His powerful physique, almost otherworldly, spontaneously absorbed the medicinal power of the Heavenly Profound Pill. He closed his eyes and focused inward for a few seconds, and his body immediately returned to normal. He opened his eyes.

The woman in purple was staring at him with a slightly nervous expression. Seeing this, she frowned slightly and asked suspiciously, "Are you done?"

"How long will it take to absorb one pill?"

"This is Heavenly Profound Dust, a byproduct of the Imperial Seal... According to my estimation, it will take at least half an hour to process..."

The woman in purple suddenly blushed, her exquisite figure, clad in her wedding gown, recoiled slightly, clutching her chest with her arms, her eyes filled with shyness.
"You, aren't you being too hasty, disregarding your own health..."

"My physique is actually comparable to that of an average martial arts champion?" Zhao Wumian said with a hint of helplessness, raising his hand for her to take his pulse.

After diagnosing him for a few seconds, the woman in purple looked at him suspiciously again and muttered, "Is that really so... With your current martial arts skills and physique, are you really only one step away from becoming an immortal and ascending to heaven?"

"This step is like crossing an insurmountable chasm. If one cannot closely comprehend the power of immortals, one can only comprehend the Nine Bells day and night, slowly seeking and exploring, in order to even begin to glimpse the path of immortals..."

Zhao Wumian held the small hand in purple and gently kneaded it, feeling the smooth, soft skin. He smiled slightly and said, "But it's our wedding night, so let's not talk about these things."

Zi Yi's pretty face turned even redder. Zhao Wumian gave her a gentle push, and his girlfriend collapsed onto the soft couch covered with dark red sheets.

Her breathing became a little short, her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked at Zhao Wumian with a shy and timid expression. Her pink lips murmured, but she could only utter two words.

"Lights out..."

Zhao Wumian gently raised his hand, extinguishing the candle and darkening the room. Only a few red lanterns from the palace shone through the window paper, mingling with the moonlight, and gradually entered the room.

Zhao Wumian slowly took off the red embroidered shoes from her purple robe, and gently rubbed a pair of feet wearing white socks in her palm.

Although Zi Yi was very carefree when she was with Zhao Wumian, she was not as uninhibited as Luo Chaoyan. She did not wear any sexy lingerie such as black or white stockings. Underneath her skirt were only thin trousers, and her attire was conservative and elegant.

The woman in purple had her legs bent upwards by Zhao Wumian, who pinched the waistband of her thin trousers with his fingertips and slid them down inch by inch.

A soft rustling sound—

The soft rustling of the fabric against her skin and the slight coolness of the air made her face flush instantly. Her small hands instinctively pulled at the thin pants under her skirt, but with her strength, it was no match for the 'thug's excited punch'.

Her pink lips were pressed tightly together, and she dared not speak, but the more silent she was, the faster her heart beat, and then her slender waist arched uncontrollably.

She could only blush and quickly try to find a topic to talk about, her voice trembling slightly as she asked:

"To cultivate the Innate Ten Thousand Poisons Body, three ingredients are needed, which I told you about before... Do you remember?"

Zhao Wumian was savoring his wife's alluring taste, trying to figure out if he was truly immune to all poisons, when he heard this. He swallowed hard, causing Ziyi to lift her foot and stomp on his mouth.

"Don't make a sound... you idiot..."

Zhao Wumian raised his hand to move it away, smiled, and then carefully said:
"Nine Li Gu, Heavenly Profound Dust, Dragon Blaze Blood... Now only Dragon Blaze Blood is missing, and you still haven't told me where to find it..."

"What are you looking for..." The woman in purple blushed as if it were dripping blood, her beautiful eyes were closed, and her face was turned to the side, only revealing her beautiful profile to Zhao Wumian.

"I already told you there was no need to search... it's right in front of you."

Zhao Wumian's pupils widened slightly, "Your virgin blood..."

Before Zhao Wumian could finish speaking, a small foot in white socks stepped on his mouth again, covering it, and the purple-clad woman's voice was filled with shame and indignation.

"Don't say it!"

Zhao Wumian blinked, leaned closer, and asked softly, "Why...why is it you?"

"I don't know either. This is a method my mother came up with. I guess it's because I am a true innate body of ten thousand poisons, and with my help, you can cultivate this body..."

Purple-clad woman blushed and thought for a few seconds before continuing her explanation:

"Just like your current martial arts skills, you need to comprehend the power of immortals in order to ascend to immortality. This innate body of ten thousand poisons is the same..."

"I am born with it, you are acquired, but you don't have the trouble of anyone who touches you being poisoned like I do. In contrast, your toxicity is somewhat inferior, so we can each have our own strengths..."

Zhao Wumian listened quietly for a moment, then raised his hand and gently lifted a strand of black hair from the purple-clad woman's hair. For some reason, the black hair in his hand suddenly turned into a pale, colorless white.

"So your white hair is also caused by your innate body of ten thousand poisons?"

The woman in purple was stunned for a moment, then her beautiful eyes widened in shock, "You, when did you find out..."

"Back in Jin, you asked me to find some black flowers, and I had some suspicions at that time..."

Zhao Wumian ran his fingertips over the strand of white hair, and the woman in purple's eyes immediately reddened again. She looked away, not daring to look at him.

"Don't look at it...it's ugly..."

"Ugly? How beautiful! If you had white hair when we first met, I would have fallen in love with you at first sight."

"Sweet talk, you even wanted to stab me with a knife back then. If you had seen my full head of white hair, you would probably have blurted out 'Witch, take this!'..."

"So what? I like all three of the most enchanting women in the martial arts world. I can't resist a woman when I see her."

"Well, Zhao Wumian, you've finally given yourself away, haven't you? I knew you'd had designs on Meng Po all along!"

On their wedding night, the newlyweds embraced and chatted about all sorts of trivial things on the bed.

Talking nonsense in bed, spouting all sorts of fantastical and even unrealistic things, is an amusing experience that every couple inevitably goes through.

Before anyone knew it, her purple robes and jet-black hair had turned completely white, like stars scattered across the night sky on the couch.

The curtains were drawn, and the room was quiet, with only their breathing becoming more rapid and fervent.

After an unknown amount of time, the doctor's soft, sweet voice came from the bedside, "Why, why did you stop?"

With Zhao Wumian's martial arts skills, even without using the dual cultivation method, he could clearly understand Ziyi's physical condition at this moment of yin and yang harmony.

He stood still, clearly sensing an extremely pure energy of heaven and earth within the purple-clad figure. The sensations this energy evoked in him were somewhat similar to those of the Nine Bells.

Ethereal and free, mysterious and profound.

The Immortal's Intent...

His guess was right; Zi Yi's so-called innate body of ten thousand poisons was actually related to an immortal.

Is she really a fairy?

Then isn't what he entered the true path to immortality?
But his guess wasn't entirely wrong.

From the outside, the purple-clad figure appeared lively, youthful, healthy, and evergreen, but inside, she was riddled with holes, as if she were on her deathbed.

It wasn't due to injuries or serious illness, but rather because this divine aura was beyond the capacity of ordinary people to bear.

Let alone Zi Yi, even the other martial arts masters would surely die from exploding bodies if they rashly made contact.

Her purple-clad eyes glistened with tears as she panted, gazing at her bewildered and uncertain husband. Her breath was soft and fragrant as she asked in a gentle voice:
"What, what's the matter?"

Zi Yi was unaware of the so-called immortal intent within her body, but with her superb medical skills, she must know that her days were numbered. However, she did not know the source of the intent, and even if she wanted to treat it, she would not know where to begin, as if she had contracted an unknown incurable disease.

Zhao Wumian looked down at her, gazing at her cute but bewildered face in purple, and fell silent for a moment.

The immortal energy within Zi Yi's body was extremely docile, much like the internal energy she had cultivated since childhood. Clearly, the immortal who left this energy was not there to harm her...

This must be a product left behind by Ji Yingshi. How could a father harm his own daughter?
Zhao Wumian speculated that Ji Yingshi had a relationship with Ziyi's mother after he became an immortal. Perhaps it was just a one-night stand, and then he disappeared for many years.

Immortals and mortals are clearly not beings of the same level. If she wanted to give birth to a child, given the constitution of the woman in purple, it would obviously be a matter of life and death.

The reason why Ziyi's mother died young must be because of the birth of Ziyi, and the source of this immortal aura is simply because Ziyi is Ji Yingshi's bloodline, which she was born with.

The one in purple is the real protagonist... a half-immortal hybrid.

After a moment of speculation, Zhao Wumian managed to get a rough idea of ​​what was going on, but he still didn't know why the innate immortal energy had become a burden for Ziyi.

As I said before... this kind of thing concerns immortals. If you don't reach that level of understanding, no matter how much you fantasize, it's nothing more than imagining an emperor using a golden hoe to till the land.

But in any case, this ethereal aura was now nearly costing Zi Yi her life.

Zhao Wumian took a deep breath, then said softly, "Relax, leave everything else to me..."

"Humph……"

Zi Yi had no idea what her husband was thinking. She just let out a soft, girlish hum, too shy to look at him. She simply closed her eyes, turned her gaze to the side, and gritted her teeth to endure it.

Zhao Wumian, unaware of when, raised his hand and gently hooked. The secluded sheath, which was placed inside Zeng Lengyue far outside the palace, suddenly sensed something and abruptly rose into the air, like a black line suddenly shooting towards the palace.

crunch————

The door suddenly opened a crack, as if a gentle breeze was sweeping in, stirring the soft couch and curtains. Before anyone knew it, Zhao Wumian had already grasped the Nine Bell, which he had fought many times to obtain.

The Sheath of Seclusion has the power to devour... Now Zhao Wumian will use the power of the Nine Bells to absorb the immortal energy that is suffocating the purple-clad woman.

This is not the immortal energy he cultivated, so even with his martial arts skills, if he rashly absorbed it into his body, his fate might not be much better than that of Ziyi.

But so what?
This is the wife he married through proper channels, the one whose red veil he lifted and with whom he drank the nuptial wine.

whoosh—

The door closed a crack, and a slight breeze blew a marriage certificate from the table to the ground.

It reads:

"In the spring of the second year of Guichan, Zhao Wumian and Ji Zihuai decided to get married. I wrote this book to prove it."

The three characters of Ji Zihuai are written in a beautiful, vigorous, and penetrating style.

(End of this chapter)