A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 98 That kid's background is even more shady than mine!

Li Delong slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Those damned beasts!! They don't even spare innocent civilians, they deserve to be torn to pieces!!"

Zhou Zhixian remained silent, while Li Weizhou said calmly, "Uncle, my parents may not necessarily have died at the hands of the Demonic Sect. And which of those filthy people in the Prince of Jin's mansion is a good person?"

Zhou Zhixian smiled wryly and said, "If you didn't have such thoughts, then let it go. But since you think this way, I might as well tell you. As far as I know, it was probably a retainer from the Prince of Jin's mansion who inadvertently took a fancy to the goods of a member of the Demonic Sect disguised as a merchant guild under the Prince of Yu's mansion. After several disputes, a fight broke out, which is how the innocent were injured..."

Li Weizhou suddenly asked, "Uncle Zhou, do you have friends who come from the Demonic Sect?"

Li Delong was startled by these words and quickly scolded, "Sanlang, don't talk nonsense! The evil cultists deserve to be killed by everyone. How could your father-in-law possibly know any evil cult members!"

Everyone looked at Li Weizhou, seemingly puzzled as to why he would say such a thing.

Zhou Yueniang gazed at her fiancé, whose existence she had known since childhood, with clear eyes.

Zhou Zhixian gave Li Weizhou a deep look, but surprisingly did not deny it. He nodded and said, "I've been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for decades, so naturally I've come into contact with some members of the Demonic Sect and have some understanding of them. Some of them are indeed deeply sinful and utterly devoid of conscience. Just as your uncle said, they deserve to be torn to pieces. But some of them are actually just like ordinary people, making a living through various trades. Some of them were born into the Demonic Sect and had no choice."

Another group of people joined the evil cult because the world was in hardship, the oppression of officials and wealthy families was too heavy, making it difficult to survive, and they were unwilling to be slaves, like pigs and sheep standing behind the fence waiting to be sold.

Within this group, some are extremely ambitious and power-hungry, deserving of death. But others have lofty aspirations and are concerned about the suffering of the world… I say this to remind you that when you seek revenge in the future, you must be discerning and avoid indiscriminate killing.

Li Weizhou nodded and said, "Uncle Zhou, rest assured, I am not a killer." He paused and then laughed, "Uncle Zhou, you think too highly of me. How could a small merchant from a harsh land like me, a nobody like a peddler, possibly kill the vicious demonic cult?"

Zhou Zhi chuckled, said nothing more, glanced at the dark night outside the window, and said, "That's true. Perhaps the Demonic Sect will be defeated before you even make a move. We already heard when we came that the Imperial Executioners were incredibly powerful, even the Demonic Sect's protector Chen Xuanling was ambushed and killed. Now Chen Xuanling's body is hanging in the Mountain God Temple fifteen miles away, waiting for the Demonic Sect to fall into their trap. Perhaps, in a few more days, the Demonic Sect will cease to exist."

He then turned to Li Weizhou and said, "However, these things have nothing to do with us. The only thing we need to focus on now is to arrange your wedding with Yue Niang. Among the men I brought, there is a level six martial artist with formidable external martial arts skills, and two level five martial artists with superb swordsmanship."

These three are left to you when I leave; they can serve as the leaders of the guards. I've never been good at accumulating wealth, but whenever fellow martial artists come seeking help, I never let them leave empty-handed. In the end, I couldn't even save much for Yue Niang's dowry. Those trunks were left to me by Yue Niang's mother when she was alive; I'm truly ashamed. Only these three old brothers, with whom I've shared life and death, are left to you to ensure your safety.

"My dear Zhou, always remember this: a true man stands tall and upright, starting with protecting his wife and children. Otherwise, how can he call himself a true man?"

Li Weizhou agreed in a deep voice. On the other side of the screen, Zhou Yueniang lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with sorrow...

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, but there was still no movement at the mountain temple fifteen miles east of the city.

The tension in Qingzhou City was gradually replaced by another exciting event.

The Li family of Qingzhou held a grand banquet on Xixie Street, attracting a constant stream of guests. The Li family even declared that they would hold a seven-day banquet.

The poor people of Qingzhou City were all deeply grateful and praised him.

Although this gratitude won't last long, it's enough to add a touch of joy to the wedding.

Fortunately, the refugees outside the city had been mostly distributed among the refugees, otherwise the Li family would have been under immense pressure.

The betrothal letter and gift certificate have been issued, and the wedding invitation will be given to the bride's family tomorrow when Li Weizhou goes to fetch her.

The betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift presentation, and wedding date setting have all been completed; only the wedding ceremony tomorrow remains.

This completes the entire ritual of the Three Letters and Six Rites.

Why is it necessary to perform the full ceremony?
Only in this way can it be considered a proper marriage!
Tonight, Zhou Zhixian and his daughter have checked into Baifulou, the largest inn in Qingzhou City, in preparation for tomorrow's wedding.

Li Weizhou sent people to hang red silk all over Baifulou, making it a festive and colorful place. Everyone who came and went was amazed by the Li family's extravagance.

Even Li Delong and the others were puzzled as to why Li Weizhou was making such a big fuss. Could it be that he was indeed a young man in love and was desperately trying to please a pretty girl?
This is somewhat unlike the behavior of a man from the Li family...

The men in the Li family are mostly passive; the women are the ones who offer themselves up...

Actually, Li Weizhou was wrong. He just wanted to make the ceremony more ceremonial, not only for the bride, but also for the spirits of his parents in heaven... both sets of parents.

If they were still alive, they would surely want to see their son's wedding a grand and lively affair.

It does give the girl some closure, since they didn't give any dowry or buy her a house or anything like that...

The Li family's old house.

Li Weizhou chatted casually with his uncle's family, looking refreshed and relaxed.

Cao laughed, somewhat annoyed, "I've never seen such a carefree groom. We're all running around like crazy! Your eldest and second sisters-in-law have found five wives, and with me, we've sewed eight wedding quilts just for you!"

Sister-in-law Luo laughed and said, "These things are fine, but the key is the wedding dress. It should have been prepared year after year since we started learning needlework in elementary school. But we didn't have it, and we didn't dare to ask too many questions, so we could only say that we would prepare it. Fortunately, we had been preparing it for Ximei for the past two or three years, and the gold thread was readily available, so we were able to cut it out overnight. We will have to prepare a new one for Ximei later!"

Xi Mei hid shyly behind her brother, her face flushed and unable to see anyone.

Li Weizhou said cheerfully, "Sister-in-law, I won't let you suffer a loss. I'll arrange for someone to buy two shops in the capital and put them in the government office to collect payments for Li Huan and Li Rui's school fees. When these two boys get married in the future, I'll give one to each of them to supplement the family income, so you won't have to worry so much. Of course, if you and my brother have another child, I'll buy more to supplement the family income."

"Pooh!"

Luo's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she spat through gritted teeth, "Sanlang, is this how a younger brother-in-law talks to his sister-in-law?"

Li Weizhou admitted defeat: "I was wrong, I was wrong..." Then he turned to Li Changping and said: "Brother, I won't let you suffer a loss. I'll arrange for someone to buy two shops in the capital and put them in the government office to collect debts..."

"Pfft!"

Guo couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

This brother-in-law is so funny!
Cao and the others laughed along with them.

Li Changping shook his head and sighed, seemingly helpless.

Li Chang'an was away, and he was still outside doing all the work for Li Weizhou, constantly welcoming and seeing off guests. Cao Shi laughed and said, "You really should let your father-in-law see how mischievous you are all the time, and see if he'll still be willing to marry his daughter to you!"

Li Delong didn't laugh, but sighed and said, "You really won't come to the capital with us? Silang wrote back last night, repeatedly urging me to persuade you to come to the capital. He has an important post this time and can't come back for your wedding, which already makes him very uneasy. I'm worried about leaving you here alone. Besides, if you don't want to leave, Ximei won't leave either, leaving you two children here..."

Xi Mei sat obediently beside her brother, without saying a word.

But her mind was clearly made up; wherever Li Weizhou was, she would be there too.

Li Weizhou stroked his younger sister's hair and chuckled, "You should take it easy, old man. Li Huan and the others are all grown up now, and I'm about to get married. Don't worry about me like I'm a child. Besides, I still need to take over my second brother's patrol post, which is a way to leave the family a way out. If you're unhappy in the capital and miss Qingzhou City, you can always come back, right?"

Although the position of Inspector General is only a minor official of the ninth rank, it has both military and administrative attributes. It has the power to interrogate past spies, strictly investigate the sale of smuggled salt, arrest deserters, check criminals and fugitives, apprehend robbers and thieves, and detain people without travel permits or strangers.

These powers, in the hands of others, would only be those of the patrol and inspection department; but in the hands of Li Weizhou, it meant that Qingzhou City would henceforth belong to the Li family.

The patrol and inspection offices are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War and the prefectures and counties. The Ministry of War is the private domain of the Prince of Qi's mansion. With Li Changning there, he will not interfere with Li Weizhou.

As for the prefectures and counties, it's even easier to say. As the Iron-Controlling Division of the Imperial Punishment Bureau, they simply have no authority over them.

In short, don't get too carried away from now on.

Qingzhou City is a small border town, and the patrols are under great pressure. As long as they don't ask the court for money, food and weapons, they can let Li Weizhou do as he pleases.

This is only outside the city. If we include those inside the city, he has a close relationship with the three martial arts masters who have broken through to the sixth level: Qimeng Pavilion, Zuixiang Tower, and Shenglong Money Shop.

In addition, the county magistrate and county constable also have old ties with the Li family, so their lives are bound to be prosperous.

Listening to Li Weizhou's cheerful analysis, not to mention Li Delong, even Li Changping became envious: "You're really going to be very carefree from now on."

Li Weizhou generously said, "How about we switch? We're brothers, it's all the same!"

Before Li Changping could get angry, Cao Shi laughed and said, "Sanlang, you're not allowed to bully your elder brother and sister-in-law anymore. You still have a few days left to spend together."

Li Weizhou said happily, "Auntie, don't worry about that. She will probably still visit you and Uncle often. We'll be spending a lot of time together."

After saying that, he stood up and said with a smile, "It's getting late. I have to get up early tomorrow to be the groom. Uncle and Aunt should also get some rest. Ximei and I will go back first."

Li Delong insisted on seeing him off to the gate, and only when they reached the front door did he lower his voice and say, "Si Lang wrote that although he can't come back and the princess can't come back for the time being, he has entrusted Miss Zhang from the General's Mansion to come back tomorrow with gifts. In addition, he has written to his master, asking her to help look after things and not let the evil people of the Demonic Sect disturb your wedding."

Upon hearing this, Li Weizhou felt somewhat embarrassed, as his relationship with Silang's master was far from simple.

That Sister Situ was the first woman in the world to have seen his naked body.

Will it be a little awkward if we meet again?
But that's probably wishful thinking; those important figures probably won't even show their faces...

……

It's late at night at Baifulou.

The entire inn has been booked by Li Weizhou.

As dusk fell, the Li family's servants carefully lit all the gauze lanterns.

Colorful smoke curls upwards, flowers bloom in profusion, and lights illuminate the scene everywhere.

For a time, Baifulou became a scenic spot in the city.

In a guest room on the third floor, Zhou Zhixian saw this scene, coughed twice, and then said gently to Zhou Yueniang beside him, "Even I didn't expect Weizhou to be so successful. Your mother was very insightful back then, and she was able to become friends with Weizhou's mother and arrange your marriage. Now that he has such a business, and with your martial arts skills to protect him in the future, he will surely live a more and more prosperous life."

Zhou Yueniang's amber eyes reflected the candlelight, but there was little joy in them, only an unyielding sorrow. She looked at Zhou Zhixian pleadingly, "Father, can you not go? You've been retired from the martial world for so many years..."

Zhou Zhixian coughed twice more in a low voice. This once burly man was now slightly hunched. He looked at Zhou Yueniang and said gently, "Throughout history, how many people can truly wash their hands of the underworld? If you could truly wash your hands of the underworld and leave, your mother wouldn't have been killed. Yueniang, after I send you off to your wedding tomorrow, I will leave. But I will leave happily, happy for you and happy for myself. Because I can finally let go and avenge your mother. This is something I have been looking forward to, and I should be happy!"
The Dharma Master also promised me that, regardless of the success or failure of this journey, it would end with me and would never involve you.

He was an extremely proud man, considering himself the head of all previous Demonic Sect leaders and daring to compare himself to the master of all laws. He would never break his word. Otherwise, the Li family would not have been at peace until today. His maternal grandfather was an elder who transmitted the teachings of the Holy Sect. His unauthorized escape was the real betrayal of the Holy Sect, and it ended with him, didn't it?

Otherwise, I wouldn't believe him.

Hey, that brat dares to doubt me! I tested him a few times, but he doesn't even know his own background—he's even more shady than me! Hahaha!

However, no matter what, just insist that you don't know my identity. Whatever anyone says is slander. Trust your father; he won't leave you any openings. From now on, live your life well.

But Zhou Yueniang's heart was breaking, and tears streamed down her face as she said, "But Father, Yueniang has already lost her mother, and from now on, even Father will be gone. In this world, Yueniang will be all alone..."

Zhou Zhixian's eyes reddened slightly as he smiled, "My dear daughter, you've met a good man, and now you have someone to rely on. Although we haven't known each other for long, I can tell that Weizhou has a kind heart." Not wanting his daughter to dwell too much on this emotion, he took out a booklet woven with gold thread from his robes and handed it to Zhou Yueniang, saying, "I see that Weizhou also possesses some rudimentary martial arts skills; his footwork shows signs of the initial stages of the Seven Star Steps. Tomorrow, give this to him; it contains some insights I've accumulated over twenty years of practice. If he can practice it, he can; you can teach him. If he can't, then leave it for your children. Remember the prescription for the precious medicine."

Zhou Yueniang took it and saw five familiar characters engraved on the golden book:
The Heavenly Fiend King Fist.

However, Zhou Zhixian reached out again, and to Zhou Yueniang's surprise, tore off the cover of the manual, crushed it into powder, and scattered it out...

“My dear daughter, don’t cry. I’m not trying to kill myself, and I might survive. I promise you, I will find a way to come back and see you.”

"Really?"

"Yes, it's true."

A candle flame burst open, flickering and casting the shadows of the father and daughter on the wall, floating and drifting, just like the years they had spent relying on each other.

……

(End of this chapter)