After Ning Fengzhi and the others had left, the banquet continued.
No one thought Fang Xuan had done anything wrong.
After all, Ning Fengzhi and the others hadn't looked like they'd come to offer congratulations. They'd seemed more like they were there to pick a fight.
Everyone knew the deal with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Nine Star Begonia.
Fang Xuan was, at the very least, the Ye Family's son-in-law, so there was nothing wrong with what he'd done.
As for Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen, they went off to discuss Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng in private.
Ye Qinru helped Fang Xuan entertain the guests. She knew he couldn't handle a gathering like this.
As for Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, after chatting with Fang Xuan for a while, they went off to enjoy some time alone together.
Finally, after a long, hectic day, everything was over. Fang Xuan dragged his exhausted body back to the bridal chamber.
Ye Lingling had already been waiting there for a long time.
Red candles flickered in the room as the beautiful bride sat on the bed, waiting for her beloved to return.
The instant Fang Xuan saw Ye Lingling, all his weariness vanished, replaced by a heart pounding with fiery excitement.
Only now did he seem to wake from a dream and realize that he was married.
Looking at his beautiful wife before him, he was overcome by a jumble of emotions.
They said that whenever a story ended, it brought people back to how it had begun.
His meeting with Ye Lingling had been brief and rather absurd, yet unforgettable.
Thinking back to their first encounter, he couldn't help sighing with emotion.
"Perhaps this is fate, written in the heavens."
He strode over to Ye Lingling, stopped before her, and lifted the red veil covering her head.
Ye Lingling looked beautiful at that moment. Bathed in the candlelight, she seemed like a celestial maiden descended to earth, a soft glow surrounding her.
Her eyes met his, tender affection in their depths.
"Husband."
Ye Lingling spoke softly, making Fang Xuan's heart jolt.
After calling him that, she lowered her head shyly.
That night, beneath the red candles, the two of them entwined.
That night, Ye Lingling became Fang Xuan's wife in truth, while Fang Xuan became the husband who would accompany Ye Lingling for the rest of her life.
It felt like a dream, yet it was unmistakably real.
The next morning, at dawn,
the sun rose as usual.
Fang Xuan slowly opened his eyes. The warmth of the previous night lingered, and his lovely wife lay beside him.
Though it wasn't their first time, it felt different.
He gently kissed Ye Lingling's forehead and brushed aside her slightly tousled silver hair.
Ye Lingling was beautiful then, beautiful beyond compare.
Just then, Ye Lingling quietly woke.
Her limpid eyes turned to Fang Xuan, and a faint smile touched her lips.
"Good morning, husband~"
The way Ye Lingling called him "husband" sent Fang Xuan's blood surging.
No! He had to get in a morning workout to cool off.
Then the covers went over their heads, and night fell once more.
An hour later, the two finally emerged from the room.
Ye Lingling's face was noticeably flushed. Leaning against Fang Xuan, she wrapped one arm around his.
"You really are a little enchantress. Tell me, how did you make my heart race with just one sentence?"
"Did you slip me some kind of drug?"
Fang Xuan accused her first and turned the question right back on her, making Ye Lingling burst out laughing.
"You're the one who drugged me. Otherwise, how could I love you so much?"
"Isn't that right, my dear husband?"
The way she said it made him feel weak all over. No, if this kept up, he'd be utterly ruined.
At last, he understood what this meant:
Her cloudlike hair and flowerlike face, her golden hairpin swaying;
beneath the warm lotus-patterned curtain, they spent the spring night together.
Spring nights were short, and the sun climbed high before they rose;
from then on, the emperor never attended morning court.
The ancients hadn't deceived me! Who could possibly resist this?
No wonder the beauty's trap never failed. It really was that good.
"Save that for later. We can't show up too late, or Mom will tease us again."
Fang Xuan really couldn't handle Ye Qinru's dirty jokes.
An experienced hand was an experienced hand. There was no competing with that kind of know-how.
Come to think of it, Ye Lingling had known so many tricks last night. Had someone coached her beforehand?
It seemed more than likely.
And, just as Fang Xuan had expected, the moment they entered the hall, they saw Ye Qinru grinning knowingly.
"Well, well, a little girl pampered by a man really is different. Now you've learned to sleep in."
"So, how was it? Did this boy get too excited and hurt you?"
Fang Xuan and Ye Lingling both lowered their heads. Sure enough, they were as innocent as could be in front of a seasoned veteran.
Ye Qinru didn't keep teasing them, though.
After all, it was time to discuss serious matters.
"Son-in-law, what are you planning to do next? I heard you used to run a teahouse. As it happens, your mother here is in the medicinal-herb business and runs a clinic. If you'd like, you can take over."
Ye Qinru was very generous, practically handing all her businesses over to Fang Xuan.
She was really taking the hands-off approach.
"Um, Mom, why don't you keep running them for now? I have other things to take care of."
Fang Xuan still wasn't used to interacting with Ye Qinru, so he sounded a little awkward.
"Other things? Tell me, what do you want to do? Maybe I can help."
Ye Qinru knew nothing about the matter involving Dugu Bo. It was a personal secret, after all, and certainly couldn't be shared with others.
As a result, she had no idea what Fang Xuan planned to do next, which was why she'd considered letting him take over her businesses.
Soul Masters still had to eat, didn't they? And money was needed to support their cultivation in the future.
With Fang Xuan's talent, as long as he had the resources, he had a good chance of becoming a Titled Douluo.
That was also why Ye Qinru had insisted that Fang Xuan marry someone besides Ye Lingling to continue the family line.
"I want to help you and Lingling solve the flaw in the Nine Star Begonia."
With a clatter, the teacup slipped from Ye Qinru's hand and hit the floor, shattering with a sharp crack.
She froze, stunned. What Fang Xuan had said was simply too outrageous to believe.
"What did you just say? Say it again."
Ye Qinru seemed unable to believe what she'd heard, so she asked Fang Xuan to repeat himself.
"I said I want to help you solve the flaw in the Nine Star Begonia Martial Soul, and I've already got a few leads."
Now that he had married Ye Lingling, he couldn't possibly sit by and do nothing for her—or for his family, as they were now.
He had to break this curse. To hell with the rule that only two could exist at a time.
He was going to make Nine Star Begonias bloom across the world. No one could stop him.
"You...I...give me a moment to collect myself."
Ye Qinru's heart was in turmoil.
The flaw in the Nine Star Begonia had always been her greatest torment.
She also knew that from the moment she agreed to marry Ye Lingling off to Fang Xuan, her life had begun its countdown.
At most, she had seven years; perhaps ten. Either way, she would surely perish.
That was the fate of the Nine Star Begonia. Ye Lingling had never even met her grandfather, because Ye Qinru didn't want him to witness that moment.
And if Ye Lingling ever had a child, Ye Qinru would choose to leave as well. That kind of thing would be far too cruel for a child.
Now someone was telling her that all of this could be solved—that she could go on living.
To watch her daughter, and even her future grandchildren, grow up healthy and strong was more precious than any lavish gift.
But she also knew how slim the chance was, just like how the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could never break through the bottleneck at the seventh ring.
If anyone else had said those words, she would have scoffed.
But the one who'd said them was Fang Xuan, and she trusted him more than she trusted herself.
Could he really have a way?
Note: I got the Nine-Heart Begonia's trait wrong. According to the original story, one has to die before another can be born; it's not that the existing one has to die as soon as the next one is born. I got that wrong, but it's hard to change things at this point. Also, this issue will be resolved soon, so just consider this a bit of transitional plot. Of course, this is definitely inconsistent with the original story's setting. I wanted to clarify that here.