819. Truth or Dare

By the time Xu Qi’an and Second Uncle returned, the servants at home had already started clearing up the wreckage of the wedding feast.

The maidservants were gathering the plates, while the manservants carried wooden buckets and tipped the food waste into them. The leftovers were handled separately. Following Auntie’s instructions, the dishes the guests had not finished would later be sent outside the city to relieve the disaster victims.

Xu Qi’an thought Auntie’s idea was excellent. He certainly didn’t want anyone to sneer, “While the rich reek of meat and wine, the poor freeze to death by the roadside.”

“Ningyan, your auntie and I are going to turn in for the night.”

As they neared the inner courtyard, Xu Pingzhi suddenly spoke.

Then he turned to leave at once, but failed to get away. He lowered his head and glanced at his nephew, who was tugging at his sleeve, then played dumb:

“Ningyan, what are you pulling me for?”

Xu Qi’an looked at him silently.

“Second Uncle, neither you nor Auntie are getting away tonight. That bunch are still hanging about in the manor. They’re obviously planning to stir up trouble. If you and Auntie are there, they’ll at least rein themselves in a bit.

“Without elders there to hold the line, they might well tear the roof off my bridal chamber.”

Although he had Protector Yuan as his final safeguard, Xu Qi’an felt that still wasn’t reliable enough.

“Hold the line? Hold what line?” Xu Pingzhi tugged at his sleeve while spitting all over his nephew’s face, jabbing a finger at his forehead as he scolded him:

“You brought this on yourself. Who told you to go around provoking women everywhere? Hold the line my arse! Have a look at who’s sitting in there, you little beast. Her Majesty, the National Teacher, the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect, and that whatever-she-is, the ruler of the Wanyao Kingdom.

“Your second uncle is only a measly seventh rank Refining Spirit cultivator. Who exactly am I supposed to suppress? Any one of them could crush me to death with a single finger.”

As he spoke, he raised his little finger and gestured.

“At least I raised you, but you didn’t inherit a single one of your second uncle’s strengths. This lecherous, womanising nature of yours, who did you take after?” Xu Pingzhi flicked his sleeve and strode off. “Let go, let go. Keep pulling and I’ll deal with you under family rules.”

Xu Qi’an really did let go. Looking at Second Uncle’s retreating back, he raised his voice and exclaimed:

“It’s true I didn’t inherit Second Uncle’s strengths, but I did inherit the way Second Uncle uses green tangerines. I’m off to find Auntie right now.”

Xu Pingzhi turned straight back around, all smiles:

“Ningyan, today is your wedding day. How can your second uncle miss the bridal chamber pranks? Come on, uncle and nephew, we’ll advance and retreat together.”

Xu Ningyan also smiled broadly.

“Second Uncle’s the best!”

…

In the inner hall, Auntie had Lyu’e and the other maids serve her honoured guests with flower tea she had dried herself, to aid digestion and cut through the grease.

Zhong Li had changed into a clean and tidy robe. Her hair hung loose, and she sat obediently beside Daoist Jinlian.

Earlier, after a bout of utter chaos, Daoist Jinlian had a “sudden realisation” and said:

“Miss Zhong, come quickly to this poor Daoist’s side. The power of my merit can temporarily suppress your misfortune.”

And sure enough, no further accidents had happened after that.

Li Lingsu, his head wrapped in bandages, took a sip of flower tea, and his eyes lit up slightly.

“Good tea. A sweet aftertaste lingers on the lips and teeth, rich and fragrant. It can dispel the turbid qi in the belly. This is no ordinary flower tea.”

“If Daoist Li likes it, I can give you a few taels of it.” Auntie was overjoyed to hear that, thinking to herself that this handsome young man really knew how to talk.

What Auntie liked most was hearing people praise how well she grew flowers, and praising the flower tea tasted just as good.

The others also showed expressions of enjoyment.

Most people knew perfectly well that this flower tea had to have come from Mu Nanzhi’s hand. Apart from her, no one could grow tea of such superb quality.

Taking advantage of lowering his head to drink tea, Li Lingsu sent a voice transmission to Yang Qianhuan, who was standing in the corner by the wall (no spider plant hanging above his head):

“Brother Yang, it’s time to make a racket in the bridal chamber. Our chance to wash away our past humiliation is right in front of us.”

At the wedding feast, they couldn’t go too far, after all everyone present was a respectable figure, so Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan had held back somewhat.

But making a racket in the bridal chamber was different. They could make as much trouble as they liked.

Yang Qianhuan replied by voice transmission, deeply stirred:

“I’ve waited for this day for a long time. Xu Ningyan is the enemy of my life. He always manages to do the things I cannot.

“The things I dream of, the things I fight with everything I have to obtain, come to him as easily as picking them up. In the past, the Jianzheng always… always misunderstood and secretly favoured him. And now that the Jianzheng isn’t here, he’s become a first rank martial artist…”

“I understand, I understand!” Li Lingsu sent back in consolation.

“Though our fields are different, our hatred of Xu Ningyan is the same.”

After a pause, he gave a low snort.

“Tonight, this Holy Son will make Xu Ningyan lose all face. I’ll make him regret ever provoking me.”

The grievances between Li Lingsu and Xu Qi’an were far more complicated than Yang Qianhuan’s. Yang Qianhuan’s resentment came from jealousy splitting him apart, but as for the Holy Son, that son of a bitch Xu Ningyan had toyed with him far too many times.

He had suffered one public humiliation after another, and had nearly reached the point of Supreme Detachment from Emotion during the process.

Mu Nanzhi, Huaiqing and the others lowered their heads to drink tea in silence, quietly building up both emotions and ultimate moves.

Because of what had happened with Yang Gong, they were all somewhat awkward. Although the others tactfully avoided bringing it up, the fish with guilty hearts were being rather subdued for the moment.

Chu Yuanzhen, Daoist Jinlian and al-Asura sat together. The first two were still immersed in the earlier verbal sparring among the lovely ladies. They felt that the women’s rhetoric had needles hidden in their cotton, all insinuation and barbed sarcasm. At times they joined forces and aimed directly at Xu Ningyan, and at other times they turned on one another and attacked each other openly.

Wasn’t this far more interesting than political infighting at court?

Of course, if it were merely women scheming against one another and duelling with words, it still wouldn’t be quite enough.

The most interesting part of this whole performance was that the central figure was first rank martial artist Xu Ningyan.

As for al-Asura, the reason he had stayed behind for the bridal chamber pranks was that, since they were all members of the Heaven and Earth Society, he was worried Xu Ningyan wouldn’t be able to control the situation, so he had stayed to keep order. It was absolutely not because he wanted to watch women scheme against one another and see Xu Ningyan make a fool of himself.

Of course, whether his keeping order would have any effect was not his concern.

As fellow brothers, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao had far simpler and more unadorned thoughts. They had never imagined that their good brother Xu Ningyan not only often invited them to the goulan to listen to songs, but had even set up an opera stage in his own home…

This was far more interesting than listening to songs in the goulan.

“Yeji” cradled a fox cub in her arms, a smile lingering at the corner of her lips. Her lively eyes shifted now and then, and no one knew what crooked scheme she was brewing in secret.

Ji Baiqing had also stayed behind. Making a racket in the bridal chamber was something suitable for young and old alike, and elders did not need to avoid it. She planned to shield her eldest legitimate son from the wind and rain. She didn’t dare boast of much else, but dealing with a few young women was, she felt, still well within her abilities.

Among this crowd with hidden motives, the sect leaders and gang leaders of the Wulin Alliance had much simpler thoughts. They had stayed behind purely for the sake of making a racket in the bridal chamber.

People of the jianghu loved liveliness.

At that moment, they saw the groom, Xu Ningyan, and Xu Pingzhi return, and immediately rose one after another.

Li Lingsu suppressed his excitement and said with a smile:

“A moment at the wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. We ought to escort the groom into the bridal chamber.”

“Big Bwother!”

Xu Lingyin ran over on her short little legs and loudly announced, “I nearly choked to death on a chicken bone.”

After saying that, she looked at Xu Qi’an with a serious expression, waiting expectantly to see his reaction.

That shouldn’t be possible. Your fate is supposed to be very hardy… Xu Qi’an was just about to ask when he heard Auntie say irritably:

“Don’t listen to your second uncle’s exaggeration. She only choked a bit. It was all Lina’s fault. She insisted on fighting her for a drumstick, so Lingyin stuffed the whole drumstick into her mouth.”

And so, surrounded by the crowd, Xu Qi’an headed towards the bridal chamber.

…

In the bridal chamber, the senior palace maid who had come as part of the dowry peeped through a crack in the window and saw Silver Gong Xu leading a large crowd over in a grand procession.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, there are so many people…”

The senior palace maid was rather intimidated by the sight.

Lin’an was the very image of a young lady climbing into the bridal sedan for the first time, her first wedding.

But she didn’t feel nervous in the slightest. On the contrary, her fighting spirit was soaring, because Lin’an knew that Huaiqing, the National Teacher, Li Miaozhen, and all those women who had designs on her Running Dog would definitely not let her off lightly.

The Second Princess had been locked in battles of wit and courage with the eldest princess since childhood, losing time and again, yet fighting on after every defeat. She might have lacked other abilities, but fighting spirit was the one thing she had in abundance.

Bang!

With a sound neither heavy nor light, the bedroom door was pushed open, and a whole crowd came flooding in.

The bridal chamber was extremely spacious, divided into an inner and outer room. The outer room had one hall and two side rooms, where the two senior palace maids stayed.

The inner room had a large hall and a small hall, separated by an expensive and gorgeous six-panel screen. The large hall was for receiving close female friends, while the small hall held a writing desk and antique display shelves.

The entire bridal chamber covered more than two hundred square metres, more than enough to accommodate this group of people “harbouring ulterior motives”.

By now, Lin’an had put her phoenix crown back on and was dressed in a bright red wedding robe embroidered with golden phoenixes. Exquisite and resplendent, and sure enough, fully armed as she was, she wasn’t the least bit cowed when facing stunning beauties like Luo Yuheng and Huaiqing.

At the very least, in terms of looks and bearing, Lin’an held her ground.

“Congratulations on Your Highness’s wedding!”

Wang Simu said with a smile.

The others all offered greetings and saluted as well, except for the fish in the pond.

After Lin’an rose and returned their courtesies, Yang Qianhuan, wearing his hood, strolled to the window, turned his back to the crowd, and said impatiently:

“Everyone, I have an interesting idea.”

When all eyes turned to him, Yang Qianhuan said gravely:

“As the saying goes, priceless treasures are easily found, but a true lover is hard to come by.

“Princess Lin’an is noble in status, a golden bough and jade leaf. Her marrying Xu Ningyan fills Yang with great pa… pleasure, so I intend to ask Xu Ningyan a question. During the process, I’ll keep an eye on you with the Qi-watching technique. If you lie, I’ll know.”

Li Lingsu, like a comic partner feeding lines, clapped and praised:

“Wonderful, wonderful.

“That’s a fine idea. In my view, each person ought to ask the groom one question.”

As soon as he said that, everyone’s eyes flickered, each harbouring their own thoughts.

This game was far too interesting.

A direct strike at the heart.

“We think it can’t be just the groom who gets questioned.” Huaiqing was the first to swing the blade of kin slaying kin, and said coolly:

“Lin’an has to answer questions too.”

This suggestion won unanimous approval from Li Miaozhen and the others.

At this moment, Lin’an still didn’t realise how serious things were. She lifted her chest and showed not the slightest fear.

The plain-looking Mu Nanzhi frowned and said:

“Hold on. If I remember rightly, Xu Ningyan has a spell that can conceal his aura.”

Luo Yuheng said flatly:

“It doesn’t matter. If he covers his aura, the Qi-watching technique may not see through it, but it can still tell.”

In other words, through the Qi-watching technique, Yang Qianhuan would be able to tell if Xu Qi’an was concealing his own aura and would know he was cheating.

A person’s qi and fate could only be hidden, not altered.

“Boring, boring. Change the game.” Xu Qi’an hurriedly refused.

“If you don’t agree, then we’re not leaving today. We’ll all sleep in your room,” Li Lingsu shouted.

The crowd laughed and echoed him.

Xu Qi’an pondered for a moment, then said:

“Fine, but I have one condition. It can’t just be you asking questions. Lin’an and I should get to ask some too.”

Chu Yuanzhen, with the clear logic of a scholar, said, “Tonight you’re the groom. We can ask, but you can’t.”

Since you’re determined to court death yourselves, don’t blame me then… Xu Qi’an let out a helpless sigh.

“Fine!”

While everyone was talking, Auntie took off Little Pea’s shoes and pushed her onto the big bed to roll around on the sheets.

By the capital’s custom, if a child rolled around on the newlyweds’ bed, it could ward off evil and pray for blessings, and it also carried the meaning of “bearing children early”.

Ordinarily, a boy and a girl would be invited up to roll about, symbolising having both sons and daughters.

When Ji Baiqing saw Xu Lingyin rolling around all over the bed, her face darkened at once. So that’s how it is, Xiaoru, you’re the truly vicious one here.

She certainly didn’t want her first granddaughter or grandson to turn out to be a child like Lingyin, even if this child was astonishingly gifted in cultivating the Strength Gu.

The game was played by drawing lots. Whoever drew the slip with the word “question” on it could make either the groom or bride answer one question.

Xu Qi’an, a first rank martial artist, was in charge of ensuring the fairness of the draw.

Very soon, the result of the first draw came out, and the lucky one was al-Asura.

Those who hadn’t drawn the “question” slip felt a wave of disappointment.

Yang Qianhuan sent a voice transmission:

“Quick, ask him how many women he’s got outside.”

Al-Asura glanced at him and said:

“That’s a very interesting question, but I refuse!”

What did he just say by voice transmission… Everyone looked at Yang Qianhuan, then at the towering al-Asura, who stood a full nine feet tall and was built to an outrageous degree.

Al-Asura is still quite a decent character. Why hasn’t Protector Yuan come yet? What’s Senior Brother Sun dawdling over… Xu Qi’an muttered inwardly, then said:

“Are you asking me, or Lin’an?”

Ignoring the back of Yang Qianhuan’s head, al-Asura looked at Xu Ningyan and said:

“I’ll just ask a casual question. It won’t put you in a difficult position.”

A smile had only just begun to appear on Xu Qi’an’s face when he heard al-Asura say:

“How did you advance to second rank?”

Xu Qi’an’s smile instantly froze.

Mu Nanzhi’s expression changed.

In the hall, an eerie silence suddenly fell. Those who knew the truth abruptly felt their blood surge with excitement, thinking that the opening move was already the main event.

Li Miaozhen, Luo Yuheng, and Huaiqing cast covert glances at Mu Nanzhi, whose face had gone pale.

Good. Deal with one of them first.

As for Li Lingsu and Chu Yuanzhen, they both glanced at al-Asura.

They’d known it, this fellow was a black-hearted monk.

Both were men of religion, yet Master Hengyuan could truly be called the conscience of Buddhism.

Xu Lingyue, Ji Baiqing, Xiao Yuenu, and the others did not know the inside story, but they were all extremely good at reading expressions and observing moods. The moment they saw Xu Qi’an’s frozen smile, the undercurrent-like changes in expression among the Earth Book members, and the exchange of glances, they realised at once that something was fishy.

Xu Qi’an took a deep breath.

“Arranging flowers!”

819. Truth or Dare

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