Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 435 The Lonely One Grieved

Regardless of what others might think or how much some people might feel heartbroken, these three were indeed engaging in a proper and aboveboard marriage proposal. They openly sought marriage in the imperial court, witnessed by all the officials, and the emperor did not object.

Even if the procedures haven't been completed, it's already a done deal. Whether it's premarital infidelity or whatever, the Pei family, who value their reputation and honor, hasn't said anything, so it's none of anyone else's business.

People could only clutch their bleeding hearts, accept the refunds, and stagger away.

The truth is not as sordid as people imagine.

Since today is the Winter Solstice, it is only right for the whole family to celebrate together. In addition to his two wives in his arms at the moment, Lu Xingzhou also sent someone back to call Anuo over.

In addition, he "did a phone call" and called out to Ye Tinglan.

Ye Tinglan refused.

She hasn't considered revealing to Pei Chuyun and Sheng Yuanyao that she is Ye Zhuoyu yet, especially the thought of being held and made intimate by a man in front of others makes Ye Tinglan extremely restless and clingy...

"I'm not going," Ye Tinglan said. "Did you invite Fuyao?"

Lu Xingzhou had to rack his brains to remember who Fuyao was: "Um... no. To be honest, if she were here, the atmosphere would be a bit strange, there's no need for that. Besides, she never celebrates these kinds of holidays, I've never seen her do it in all these years."

"That's right, the Tianyao Holy Land doesn't pay attention to mortal festivals, and I don't celebrate them either." Ye Tinglan took the opportunity to clear herself of the reason for not going: "Alright, you celebrate yours, that's all."

While Lu Xingzhou was "making a phone call," the two women were already arguing.

Pei Chuyun sat leisurely in a chair, holding a cup of tea, looking around at the furnishings, and clicked her tongue in amazement: "Is this all there is to the new house?"

Sheng Yuanyao's face was sour. This scheming green tea had ruined their precious time together, and not only that, she had turned it into a family gathering.

Although I know in my heart that since it's such a big festival as the Winter Solstice, I definitely can't control him, I'm still annoyed.

"What's wrong with a new house like this?" Sheng Yuanyao was no longer afraid of Pei Chuyun: "Green mountains and clear waters, a scenic spot, some talented female poets even pay to come and see it. By the way, I wonder what the new houses of some talented women are like?"

The talented woman's new home was Lu Xingzhou's dormitory cave at the Dan Academy, and the conditions were quite shabby, but she didn't care at all. She said leisurely, "The simpler the times we spent together, the more it proves that we, as a young couple, have gone through hardships and shared joys and sorrows. If we only moved in after we became successful, then it wouldn't mean anything."

When it comes to the hardships and struggles of those humble beginnings, Sheng Yuanyao only felt inferior to Shen Tang, not Pei Chuyun: "Back when Xingzhou and I fought against the demons, a certain demon was nowhere to be found, yet we shared joys and sorrows..."

“Yes, General Sheng knew men very early, but unfortunately the first soup was mine.” Pei Chuyun completely dropped the pretense.

"You..." This was the last thing Sheng Yuanyao could say. She grabbed Pei Chuyun's collar and said, "A noble lady of the Pei family, engaging in premarital sex, you have the nerve to do that?"

Pei Chuyun, who could defeat Yama with one hand, didn't take this goofball seriously, and the two were about to start pulling each other's hair.

Lu Xingzhou ended the call at this moment, turned around and saw that the person's face had turned green. He quickly stepped in and suppressed them with one hand each: "It's a holiday, and people will laugh at you."

There's no one else here...

The two women were held in his arms and instinctively tried to break free, but then they realized that the man was now incredibly strong and they couldn't break free. They then turned their heads away in a huff.

Deep down, they both know there's nothing to argue about. They're sisters who got engaged together and have publicly acknowledged their relationship. They've been mentally prepared for each other for a long time, and they've been arguing for ages...

Besides, she knew about Shen Tang's existence even before she got together with him... They weren't even the main characters, so what was there to argue about...

The two women in his arms exchanged a glance, then pouted in unison, remaining silent.

Lu Xingzhou was also embarrassed, unsure of how to speak appropriately. While declaring one's intention to marry several women in court might seem impressive, managing relationships with everyone in real-world situations is a skill that most people lack. Even Lu Xingzhou needed to figure it out.

Just as the air was getting quiet, Ah Nuo arrived happily riding a pig, carrying flour and meat in her hands. She called out in the air, "Master, Master, shall we make dumplings?"

The little pig shed tears.

I don't even know whether I should call myself Yuyu or Zhouzhou, and now I have to watch them eat pork.

It's still the front leg meat.

The seemingly frozen air suddenly stirred. Sheng Yuanyao and Pei Chuyun simultaneously broke free from Lu Xingzhou's grasp and rushed out to greet Anuo. They each took the things from Anuo's hands and pinched Anuo's cheeks in perfect unison with their other hands: "Anuo is so sensible, she even knows how to buy things and make dumplings."

Ah Nuo: “…”

If you want to step down, why are you using my reputation as a stepping stone? Can't you just embarrass yourselves?

However, Ah Nuo's arrival actually lubricated the awkward atmosphere, and the family began to happily make dumplings together. Some kneaded the dough, while others chopped the filling; the division of labor was quite natural.

In fact, neither Sheng Yuanyao, Pei Chuyun, nor Lu Xingzhou and Anuo themselves can cook, especially not some of the more technical skills required for cooking.

The atmosphere actually became more lively, and Pei Chuyun nudged Sheng Yuanyao, asking, "Hey, how did you make this dough? How much water did you add? How did you ferment it?"

Sheng Yuanyao: "...You've come to the right person. I don't know either."

"Is that why you grabbed the meat and started chopping it?"

"This is the wisdom of a scout."

"You, who used to be a scout, can't cook? How did you, as a scout, manage to cook?"

“We all brought dry rations, and I have a storage ring. Besides, what scouts have kneading dough lessons…”

When the topic of kneading dough came up, both women turned to look at Lu Xingzhou, who probably kneaded dough himself.

When they looked, Lu Xingzhou was fumbling around, his face covered in flour, looking utterly disheveled. A'nuo giggled beside him, "Master, you're at your most handsome right now! Want a mirror?"

Lu Xingzhou quickly grabbed a handful of flour and smeared it all over A Nuo's face.

Ah Nuo jumped up and slapped two lumps of flour onto her master's buttocks.

Lu Xingzhou, having lost his noodles, grabbed a rolling pin and chased the child away. The two women turned their heads, watching the two children running around the house in a chaotic mess, their expressions incredibly strange. Then, they both burst out laughing.

Lu Xingzhou said awkwardly, "I'll go find the kitchen. Let them do the technical work; we'll just take care of the packaging..."

When it came to actually wrapping the dough, things were much better than kneading it.

They were all powerful cultivators, controlling their strength with ease. While they had no idea how much water to add, how to mix, or how to ferment the dough, they were experts at making dumplings. So one by one they began to show off, shaping the dumplings into all sorts of forms, like a pig or an Anuo.

The four people sat around a square table, enjoying themselves immensely.

Ah Nuo's face was covered in flour as she smiled like a cat. She had never had such a warm and cozy experience of making dumplings at home during a festival since she was born, and she was extremely happy.

It's not in vain that I always play the role of a cat that can do backflips, helping that useless master chase after his mistress... This is the scene that Ah Nuo has always dreamed of.

Looking at Lu Xingzhou, he also had a smile on his face and a hint of nostalgia.

He had experienced such a scene before... but it was a very, very long time ago, so long that he could hardly remember it.

I thought I had a home in this world, but it all collapsed in an instant.

I thought someone had given me another home, but now it seems that's not quite true.

After so long, I finally have a real home again. A beautiful wife and adorable children.

Back at the Pei residence, Pei Qingyan looked at Yuan Muyu, who had come to visit, with a puzzled expression: "It's a festival today, won't you go and celebrate with your younger brother?"

I've already shown leniency by not sending anyone to capture Chuyun and take her home, just so she could celebrate the festival with her husband's family early. How come her husband's older sister has run away...?

Yuan Muyu remained calm: "There are still so many formalities to discuss when it comes to marriage. I don't have much time, so let's take this opportunity to discuss them first. Anyway, these matters have nothing to do with the young couple. Let them celebrate their festival."

Pei Qingyan knew there was definitely something wrong with these siblings, but he didn't care; it was none of his business. He nodded and said, "Alright, then let's discuss other things..."

After leaving the Pei residence, it was almost lunchtime, and Yuan Muyu slowly walked into the Sheng family home.

Sheng Qingfeng: "?"

Are they here to freeload?

Yuan Muyu said, "Yesterday, Chief Sheng said he had some things he wanted to talk to me about, so I've come."

"..." Sheng Qingfeng tugged at his beard in exasperation: "Forget it, I was just acting impulsively yesterday because it was my first time meeting Yama face to face. Thinking about it afterward, we're not suitable to talk."

Of course it's not appropriate. We might even become enemies in the future. What could we possibly talk about? Persuade him to surrender or be recruited? Sheng Qingfeng knew that Yan Jun was absolutely not going to do that, so he shouldn't waste his time.

Yuan Muyu nodded: "Then let's continue discussing the marriage."

"Is King Yama in such a hurry to leave?"

"Yes."

"In that case, the formalities can be delegated to a steward; it's not really necessary for you to handle them personally. At least, the Sheng family doesn't care much about them."

Yuan Muyu paused for a moment, then smiled with some relief: "Sheng Yuanyao has a good father."

Sheng Qingfeng: "..."

Yuan Muyu stood up to take her leave: "I also thank Chief Sheng for raising such a good daughter. Xingzhou likes her very much."

After Yuan Muyu left, Madam Sheng asked Sheng Qingfeng curiously, "What's wrong with this Yama King? He seems strange."

Sheng Qingfeng's expression was serious: "I feel like she's at a very subtle juncture in her cultivation... I don't quite understand it. Actually, if I were to go all out and mobilize my elite troops now, I could definitely make her suffer a great loss."

"then you……"

"Forget it, considering her purpose in coming here is to discuss marriage with Yuan Yao, we can't do this. If we're going to be enemies, we should come in a fair and square way next time."

Although the voice was low, Yuan Muyu could hear it and simply smiled.

Leaving the Sheng residence, turning around to look, one could see the aroma of food wafting from all corners of the capital, and the sounds of laughter and joy filling every household.

Yuan Muyu walked alone towards the city gate, braving the heavy snow.

The heavy snow continued to fall, covering the lonely footprints until they gradually disappeared without a trace.

Ye Tinglan stood quietly on the city wall, watching Yuan Muyu's figure gradually disappear into the distance, soon becoming a small dot.

After a long silence, he sighed softly, "Why bother?"

As the words were spoken, Yuan Muyu, who had already moved away, suddenly covered her mouth and coughed. When she moved her hand away, there was a glaring stain of blood.

His cultivation, which had already broken through to the mid-stage of the Super Grade, visibly declined until it reached the very edge of the Super Grade, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Yuan Muyu breathed softly, looking at the bloodstains on her palm.

If this is supposed to completely help sever emotional ties, why is my cultivation declining instead of improving? And why are my injuries not getting better, but getting even more severe?

Does this mean the relationship was never truly broken off, or does it mean...?

Yuan Muyu looked at the bloodstains, gave a bitter smile, and muttered to herself, "Wrong... completely wrong..."

(End of this chapter)