Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

“Jueying, I owe her a lot,” he suddenly said.

“I know… I’ve always known.” Jueying gasped, the cold wind on Moon Valley Peak was even colder than he had imagined. “She certainly wouldn’t want to see you like this. You are a Martial Emperor. If she were still alive, she would not allow you to kneel down.”

"You have to kneel down when you get married."

Gu Tianren's answer was resolute.

Jueying stopped speaking. He simply stood silently to one side, gazing at the mound of yellow earth and the blood-red veil, sighing helplessly but with no choice but to accept it.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

In the night sky, only the bright moon shines, making the stars pale in comparison, as if to highlight the radiant moon.

Gu Tianren knelt down, dressed festively in a bright red robe and hat, with a dazzling red flower tied across his chest, looking just like a groom on his way to his wedding.

He looked up at the full moon... as if he were looking up at an old friend.

"From Ye Family Village to the Asura Ghost Realm, from the Azure Sea and Netherworld to the Azure Secret Realm, from the Ash Soil to the Blazing Fire Land..."

He murmured softly, his memories drifting back to the past.

"You watched me grow from a silly boy into a Martial Emperor, and I watched you grow from an old rascal from Ye Family Village into the Moonlit Saint... We have witnessed so much for each other."

"But you never wanted me to know that you were a woman. In fact, I already knew."

“I recognize the poem on the guqin; it’s your handwriting.”

"Unfortunately, you don't have the courage. Unfortunately, neither do I."

“My path is too treacherous, and my life is too easily destroyed. I don’t want you to be left to guard it all for me. You should have a better place to go and don’t need to stay with a fool like me.”

He placed his hands on the muddy, damp ground and leaned forward.

That arrogant and domineering figure bowed down before the bright moon.

He is Gu Tianren, the Martial Emperor, so he does not worship heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, elders, or time.

I worship only this bright moon.

I bow to the full moon.

"Thank you for choosing me."

He rose, still refusing to bow to the vast sky or the ancient light.

He bowed again, this time to the two of them.

A second bow to life.

"Thank you for waiting for me for so long."

"Now, it's time for me to repay you for what I owe you."

He turned around and knelt down.

He faced that mound of yellow earth.

Gu Tianren couldn't help but think that when Yueye Sheng died, he left nothing behind.

Both his body and soul were torn to shreds, leaving not a trace. Gu Tianren didn't even get to see him one last time.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to keep the tears from streaming down his face.

He is the Martial Emperor; he cannot cry.

Gu Tianren took another deep breath and then bowed once more.

This time, he was facing Ye Sheng, the young lady of Ye Family Village, and that saint.

The object of their affection is the person they are going to marry.

The husband and wife bow to each other.

Gu Tianren remained kneeling, his face darkening, almost touching the ground.

The thoughts in my heart gradually exploded, resulting in an irresistible sorrow.

His shoulders trembled incessantly, and liquid gradually soaked the ground in front of him, the water droplets seeping into the soil and slowly merging with it.

"Ugh……"

Jueying shook his head, turned his back, unwilling to see the kings of the three great heavens reduced to such a state.

No one knows how much time has passed.

It could be half an hour, a few seconds, or a year, a decade, or a century.

Time has no meaning.

Gu Tianren slowly got up, the tears in his eyes had long since dried, and he returned to the expressionless state he had before the wedding.

He slowly took off his bright red festive clothes, silently piled up a mound of black soil, and then carefully and cautiously placed his clothes on the black soil.

The wind at Mount Tsukigaku is really cold.

Gu Tianren was shivering from the cold.

He gazed at the fiery red veil, slowly, as if speaking to someone.

"In this life, I have never had a wife, nor have I ever had a lover, nor will I ever have a lover in the future."

"But if anyone asks who my wives and concubines are, I will tell them—"

“Only Ye Sheng Er.”

"If there is an afterlife, and we meet again..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

……

Gu Tianren will not mention this memory to anyone.

He gazed at the bright moon that witnessed everything, smiled gently, as if he had returned to the image of Emperor Gu Tianren, as if the infatuated man from before was someone else.

"Let's go."

Jueying turned around in surprise and saw Gu Tianren smiling.

The dragon king was stunned for a moment, and was about to say something when Gu Tianren walked past him first and gestured for him to "keep up".

Jueying scratched his head, full of doubts, but quickly followed after him.

It was at this moment that he suddenly heard Gu Tianren mutter something very strange.

It's very short, yet it leaves you scratching your head.

"I wonder if you will still have the surname Ye in your next life?"

The wind was colder than usual that night.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Amway's first song.

Worshiping the Worry-Free

I happened to hear it, and it reminded me of a scene I had imagined before, so I decided to write it as a side story.

As compensation for not updating twice today, please take a look.

Bonus Chapter: Silly Dialogue

Since this is a side story, it has no connection to any of the main content.

Just enjoy it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Silly Dialogue 1:

someday.

Inside Yuntian Academy.

Ye Yuchan: You old rogue, you old rogue, I suddenly have a question for you.

Yunping: Huh? Another problem? Tell me, what kind of stupid problem is it?

Ye Yuchan: I'm suddenly very curious, why don't we have any creatures like elves in our world?

Yunping: Elves? You mean the kind with pointy ears, huge breasts, fair skin, beautiful faces, and magic abilities?

Ye Yuchan: Yes.

Yunping: What, you want to become an elf? You think your breasts will get bigger if you become an elf?

Ye Yuchan (with a murderous gaze)

Ye Yuchan: Anyway, I'm just curious, where do the elves in those isekai novels come from? Are they all created by gods?

(Yunping pondered for a moment)

Yunping: Not necessarily. I think it's possible that some spirits could actually be created in our world.

Ye Yuchan: How do we make it? Should we learn from Nuwa and create one on the spot?

Yunping: Hmm, not really. Elves are just pretty girls with pointed ears, fair skin, and who never age. You can create those things through crossbreeding.

Ye Yuchan: Hybridization? Are you, sir, a filial son surnamed Yuan?

Yunping: No, think about it. First of all, elves look like humans and have pointed ears, so all you have to do is find a white-skinned, pointed-eared species and hybridize with a human, and that's it.

Ye Yuchan: ? ? ? No, what about reproductive isolation?

Yunping: We cultivators, what kind of reproductive isolation do we have? Humans and demons can have children, look at your junior sister, have you forgotten what kind of constitution she has?

Ye Yuchan: ...Then the question is, where can we find a creature with white skin and pointed ears?

Yunping: Pointed ears are no problem. Just find a bat demon that has become a spirit. Look, it can even fly.

Ye Yuchan: But bats don't have white skin.

Yunping: Then let's find a white-haired dog spirit. That should be easy to find.

Ye Yuchan: What about immortality?