The Sect Master's Husband

Taking a side path instead of the main road, Tu Han led the person to the Protector Elder's secluded retreat.

As the Protector Elder, Su Po did not make things difficult for the disciple. After questioning him and confirming the situation, he instructed, "Do not mention this to anyone else. Understood?"

The disciple still did not know what had happened, but he knew it must have something to do with the food box he had delivered. He vaguely guessed that Song Yanqing might have tampered with it. He could not afford to offend Song Yanqing, so how could he dare say anything recklessly? He nodded obsequiously. "This disciple understands."

Su Po waved his hand and dismissed him.

After walking to the door and confirming that the disciple had left, Tu Han hobbled back inside. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Elder, the Shangqing Sect is a famous and upright sect, yet one of its disciples used such despicable and vicious methods. Are we really going to let him off without pursuing the matter?"

Su Po remained silent for a while before asking in return, "Pursue it? How do you want to pursue it?"

Tu Han said furiously, "Song Yanqing is so brazen because he relies on the Song Family's backing. Knowing that the Shangqing Sect would not dare punish him, he dares to act so recklessly. Why not expose the matter and make a huge commotion? With the sect rules hanging over him, the other two Elders would have no choice but to punish him!"

Su Po slowly closed his eyes. "You know better than anyone that with Prince Ning involved, the imperial court intends to wipe out his 'remnants.' Several great sects are watching hungrily from the sidelines. If the various sects were not wary of the Song Family, the Shangqing Sect would probably have been reduced to ashes already. If we offend the Song Family, they need only reveal the slightest hint of their intentions to force the Shangqing Sect into dire straits! Is one Song Yanqing more important, or is the life and death of our Shangqing Sect more important?"

Tu Han said with grief and indignation, "Elder, the Shangqing Sect has actually lost all usefulness to the Song Family. The reason they reluctantly support us is that Song Shu is a disciple of the Shangqing Sect. The reputation of destroying one's own sect and ancestors is not easy to bear, especially for someone of the Song Family's status. They are merely putting on an act for the people of the world. The Song Family is only waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to abandon the Shangqing Sect with just cause. It is not because they truly wish to protect us. That day will come sooner or later! This disciple still advises that we give up this place and hide ourselves for the time being, waiting for another day. Otherwise, we are simply sitting here waiting to die!"

"This is not marching to war. You cannot abandon everything decisively just by saying so. You may speak of this before me, but never mention it in front of anyone else, lest they suspect your identity!" Su Po let out a soft sigh and turned to look at him. "If the day you spoke of truly comes, remember this: Do not concern yourself with this place. Leave immediately and go to Demon Ridge to find your master!"

Tu Han hesitated to speak, but Su Po raised a hand to stop him. "Enough, do not say any more. Go back, and make absolutely sure that Niu Youdao is protected. Dongguo Haoran was quite skilled in physiognomy. Since he was willing to accept Niu Youdao as his disciple, there must have been a reason. He would not act without cause. Do not let anything happen to him!"

"Yes!" Tu Han answered quietly and turned to leave.

What was meant to be a blessing could not be a disaster, and what was meant to be a disaster could not be avoided. The auspicious day had arrived. Niu Youdao, who had never married in his previous life, made up for it ahead of time in this life—fresh, tender, and utterly childish.

The large red lanterns hung beneath the peach trees, their lights reflecting off the peach blossoms as they swayed in the wind atop the cliff. There was even a trace of tragic beauty to them.

Though Peach Blossom Spring was decorated with lanterns and looked festive, the Shangqing Sect did not make a grand affair of the wedding. There was not even a proper wedding banquet, much less widely sending invitations to the other cultivation sects.

A group of Inner Sect Disciples showed their faces. Among them, Song Yanqing stared as Tang Yi, dressed in red and covered by a red veil, completed the wedding rites with Niu Youdao. His eyes nearly spewed fire.

People stood on both sides of him, discreetly guarding against him making trouble. The moment anything unusual happened, they would immediately restrain him.

"Send them to the bridal chamber!" the master of ceremonies shouted. The newlyweds were escorted away.

The guests, who had merely drunk two cups of wedding wine to mark the occasion, dispersed as well. Some sighed, some shook their heads, and their expressions varied.

Quite a few people secretly found it amusing to see Song Yanqing's face as black as the bottom of a wok. Everyone in the Shangqing Sect knew that he liked Tang Yi. Everyone liked beautiful women, but no one had dared compete with Song Yanqing. Now, an unknown nobody had appeared and ruined his good fortune, leaving some people secretly gloating.

On the bridal bed, the newlyweds sat side by side, gazing at the pair of burning red candles.

After they drank the nuptial wine and lifted the red veil, the female disciple who had presided over the ceremony withdrew and closed the door, leaving the newlyweds room to do as they pleased.

With a faint, secluded fragrance drifting over from beside him, Niu Youdao, who found sitting there somewhat boring, occasionally turned his head to glance at the gorgeously made-up bride beside him. He did not know what to say. More importantly, he could not figure out what these people were trying to do, and remained wary as he pondered.

Tang Yi, meanwhile, simply sat there without moving, her expression unusually calm.

The two of them sat there doing nothing until dawn. They did not even properly touch hands. When someone outside knocked on the door and called for them to rise, Tang Yi finally stood and left.

A female disciple came in afterward and said to Niu Youdao, "Martial Uncle Tang said that the sect still has some matters to handle, so she left first."

"Oh!" Niu Youdao nodded in acknowledgment.

Once there were no outsiders, he lay down and fell asleep, not waking until evening.

When he stepped out of the room again, the lanterns and red silk decorating the place looked somewhat glaring in the quiet courtyard. Everything gave him the feeling that it had all been a beautiful dream.

After leaving the main gate, he saw Tu Han beneath the peach tree, lighting the lanterns. After finishing the ones outside, Tu Han, who had not said a word, brushed past him and entered the courtyard to light the lanterns within.

Dressed in a scarlet robe, Niu Youdao stood beneath the peach tree and gazed at Shangqing Palace on the cliff opposite. The lights over there were gradually coming on as well.

Night slowly descended. Shredded petals drifted in the wind and fell upon his shoulders.

He had only seen Tang Yi once on the day of their grand wedding. In the days afterward, he basically never saw her again.

He lived here, while Tang Yi did not. Only during the New Year would Tang Yi come over once, sit across from him, and eat a meal with him. Afterward, she would not sleep in the same room, instead staying one night in a side room before leaving again at daybreak.

Quiet, peaceful, lonely—those were Niu Youdao's impressions of the days after his wedding. When Chen Guishuo had been there, he had occasionally had someone to chat with. The Tu Han who replaced him was unbearably dull, and ugly besides.

Tu Han did seem to enjoy his liquor, often hugging his wine gourd and drinking until he was half drunk. Only when Tu Han was drunk could Niu Youdao take the opportunity to chat with him and occasionally pry out a little useful information.

It was also from Tu Han that he learned that Tang Yi had become the Sect Master of the Shangqing Sect not long after their wedding!

In other words, he had become the husband of the Shangqing Sect's Sect Master, yet was under house arrest. Niu Youdao grew increasingly confused. What exactly did the Shangqing Sect mean by treating him this way? He had no clue, and no one told him any answers...

Another spring breeze arrived.

Beneath the peach tree, which seemed never to wither and shone brilliantly like rosy clouds, a straight-backed young man stood with his hands behind him. His handsome features were sharply defined, revealing resolve and restraint. His temperament was gentle and tranquil, while the ponytail loosely gathered behind his head gave him a lazy air. It was none other than Niu Youdao.

Time flew like the sun and moon. In the blink of an eye, Niu Youdao had been under house arrest for five years, growing from a little boy into a rather elegant young man.

An ordinary young person would have gone stir-crazy after being cooped up like this, but he was fine. The cultivation and composure he had accumulated in his previous life benefited him subtly in this one as well. He could settle his mind, meditate, and cultivate. He possessed a heart of quietude and non-action, treating this as closed-door cultivation.

Things had come to this point, and he was not in a hurry. He believed that sooner or later he would be able to leave this place, relying on his own abilities. Although the Shangqing Sect did not provide him with cultivation resources, the Protective Talisman within his body was his greatest reliance!

So far, the Protective Talisman within him had only refined and absorbed two strands, yet his cultivation had already reached the peak of Qi Refining.

As his cultivation grew higher, the speed at which he refined the Protective Talisman would naturally increase as well. That was where his confidence came from!

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—the legendary realms beyond those aside, judging from the information he had coaxed out of Tu Han, there were not many Nascent Soul experts in the world. Those who reached the Nascent Soul Realm were all top-tier experts, while even Golden Core experts were already quite impressive.

At present, only three Elders in the Shangqing Sect had reached the Golden Core Realm. There had originally been two more, but Tang Mu and Dongguo Haoran, two exceptionally talented Golden Core experts, had died. Most of their peers were still within the Foundation Establishment Realm. Sect Master Tang Yi seemed to have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm only the previous year with the combined assistance of the three Elders, while all the other disciples were still lingering in the Qi Refining Realm. Judging by this, his current cultivation was not considered low in the Shangqing Sect. He had simply kept a low profile and concealed it. With the situation unclear and no certainty that he could protect himself, he had no intention of revealing it.

His current state of mind was quite good. He had food and drink here, and it was quiet—a perfect place to cultivate in peace. He had heard that the outside world was chaotic, and he might not be able to find a better place for secluded cultivation, so he was not in a hurry to leave.

After easing his mood, Niu Youdao lay back down on the reclining chair beneath the tree. Breathing in the faint, secluded fragrance of the peach blossoms, he entered a lazy, half-dozing state...

At night, the Capital City of Yan Kingdom was brightly lit as night fell. Shops stood in rows, and the streets bustled with people. It was extraordinarily prosperous. The suffering of the people outside seemed unrelated to this place, while the many beggars sheltering in its dark corners seemed to live in another world.

In a residence that maintained quiet amid the bustle, the words "Song Manor" were inscribed above the gate. It was the residence of Song Jiuming, the Minister of Justice of Yan Kingdom.

A carriage arrived. A man wrapped in a cloak climbed down, stroked his beard, and strode up the steps with a swaggering air.

A servant quickly emerged from the gatehouse and bowed obsequiously. "Mr. Cao!" Another gate attendant hurried inside to report.

After exchanging a few words at the entrance, a man hurried out to welcome him. Before he had even left the gate, he cupped his hands and laughed. "What wind has blown Mr. Cao here? Please, come in! This way!"

The person who had personally come out to welcome him was Song Jiuming's eldest son, Song Quan, who already held an official position.

Though the visitor, Cao Fengduo, had no official rank, he was one of Grand Secretary's advisers and staff members, so Song Quan had been roused to welcome him personally.

The two entered side by side while chatting and laughing, eventually reaching the guest hall in the inner courtyard to drink tea.

After waiting a while, Song Jiuming arrived at a leisurely pace in plain clothes. His fair complexion and healthy color suggested that he took good care of himself. The two men in the hall stood.

Cao Fengduo cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Minister of Justice!"

Song Jiuming grunted, walked straight to the seat of honor, and asked without a smile, "Mr. Cao has come in person. Does the old lord have some instruction?"

"Indeed!" Cao Fengduo replied. He immediately lowered his voice. "Tomorrow, Prince Ning Shang Jianbo's son, Shang Chaozong, will be released from prison..."

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