Could I Marry Him? Separate Quarters on My First Day in the Sect

The words were spoken lightly, but they struck Wu Lie like a heavy stone.

He stared blankly at Jiang Yu, who was fast asleep with his head on Ning Yunxiu's lap. Jiang Yu's face was pale and gaunt. Even with a little color back in it, he still looked like a skeleton.

But on closer inspection, if Jiang Yu's features returned to normal, he would indeed bear some resemblance to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's previous young sect master, who had died so young.

"Sect Master, I..." Wu Lie opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.

He had been there. He knew better than anyone how utterly Ning Yunxiu had broken down after losing her son, then her husband soon afterward.

For a long time after that, everything connected to Ning Yao and his father was sealed away. The sect's elders and disciples treated any mention of them as an absolute taboo. No one dared bring them up in front of Ning Yunxiu.

Seeing Wu Lie's stricken expression, Ning Yunxiu gently covered Jiang Yu's ears and gave a soft laugh.

"Uncle Wu, do you know what I thought when this little one told me his beggar grandfather had named him to commemorate the fate that brought them together?"

"I thought about how mysterious fate is. It's been nine years since I lost Yao'er. Then, on a day as ordinary as any other, nine years later, you brought this little one back."

"To meet is fate, and fate is greater than the heavens... He looks so much like my Yao'er, too. I wondered if heaven had sent him to me to make up for what I lost..."

Wu Lie fell silent for a moment. Now he understood everything. No wonder Ning Yunxiu's gaze had seemed strange when she questioned Jiang Yu at the Nine Treasure Pavilion. She had been seeing the late Ning Yao in him.

After some thought, Wu Lie asked, "Sect Master, what will you be to this little one from now on?"

Even Wu Lie felt the question sounded odd once he said it.

But Ning Yunxiu understood what he meant. She laughed and said, "Uncle Wu, what else would I be? I'll be someone he can rely on and a mentor to him. I might even become his godmother... What, did you think I'd marry him?"

Wu Lie replied without thinking.

"They say marrying a woman three years older brings wealth, and marrying one thirty years older brings a kingdom. If you really married the boy, he'd be happier than if he'd won the lottery."

After all, he would get a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with ten thousand years of history for free, and become a father without any of the trouble...

And if they divorced someday, he might even walk away with half the sect's assets.

Of course, Wu Lie realized too late that he had let his mouth run away with him, and he didn't dare say those last two things aloud. Even if Ning Yunxiu let him off, his granddaughter Wu Feng, who served at Young Master Ning Tian's side, would surely suffer for it.

Ning Yunxiu was used to Wu Lie's way of speaking. She merely smiled and said nothing.

By the time the carriage neared the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's grounds, Ning Yunxiu gently shook Jiang Yu awake. Only then did he realize he had used her lap as a pillow for the entire journey.

Once it sank in, a cold sweat broke out all over him.

How was this any different from sleeping with his gentle, cultured boss's wife on his first day at work?

Then again, she had let him stay there the whole way. Clearly, she was extraordinarily tolerant of him.

That would be a huge help when it came to slacking off at the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect... Ahem, when it came to working hard and making something of himself.

When the carriage finally entered the sect's grounds, Jiang Yu understood what it meant to be truly rich—and truly extravagant.

The mountain ahead stood at least two thousand meters tall. From its foot to its peak, costly-looking buildings peeked through gaps in the trees. More buildings spread across the base, and there were enough people to fill a small city.

Wu Lie told Jiang Yu that this was the old site the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had temporarily abandoned after Spirit Hall dealt it a devastating blow ten thousand years ago.

During the Seven-God Era, Ning Fengzhi, then sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, returned to the old site with the Nine-Colored Goddess's support. He rebuilt the sect amid the ruins, laying the foundation for the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect that followed.

Ten thousand years had passed since then. As the number of disciples and affiliated families grew, the buildings on Nine Treasure Mountain were expanded again and again until they became what Jiang Yu saw today.

A road wound up the mountainside. The carriage continued almost to the summit before slowly coming to a stop.

The moment Jiang Yu stepped out, a mysterious force nearly blinded him.

After his eyes adjusted, he saw an endless expanse of magnificent buildings gleaming with gold.

It was evening, with the setting sun painting the sky red. Against that glow, the splendid buildings and the carefully tended flowers and plants around them made him feel as though he had stepped into an immortal paradise—one that still had the warmth of the mortal world.

Rich!

So damn rich!

Jiang Yu had seen a thing or two in his previous life, but none of it came close to the sight before him.

As he entered the hall, a cool sensation washed over him.

To his surprise, the coolness seemed to seep from the floors, the walls, and even the furnishings.

A bumpkin from another world like him had no idea what they were made of, but even he could tell they were no ordinary materials.

Ning Yunxiu noticed Jiang Yu looking around so intently that he had slowed his pace. She showed no impatience. If anything, his reaction seemed to interest her.

They passed through the imposing front hall and along a quiet corridor. On the way, they encountered many Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples. Each bowed respectfully to Ning Yunxiu, then cast a puzzled or startled glance at the painfully thin Jiang Yu behind her.

At last, they stopped before a standalone palace near the edge of the mountainside. It was several times more lavish than the palaces they had passed.

"Little Yu, you're a core disciple, so you'll have access to the sect's best resources. This palace will be your home from now on, and I'll assign ten maids to attend to your daily needs.

"It's late, so there isn't time for anything else today. First, take a look around your new home and get familiar with its layout. Later, someone will bring you dinner and examine your condition. That way, we can tailor a meal plan and choose the right medicinal pills for you."

Jiang Yu froze.

He had only just joined the sect, and they were already giving him a place of his own—a furnished palace in a prime location, no less?

There would even be people to look after him. His meals and medicine would be tailored specifically to him?

Jiang Yu's eyes widened slightly.

So this is how a top-ten sect with more money than it knows what to do with treats its disciples?

Seen that way, the lousy system really had found him a good place to land. It was the perfect choice for lying low and growing stronger in the early days.

After all, he might not receive benefits like these anywhere else.