Reward settlement

Ao Tu rode a cloud down onto White Tiger Ridge.

He landed inside White Bone Cave.

At the sight of him, the White Bone Spirit hurried forward and bowed. "My king."

"Tang Sanzang and his disciples will be here soon," Ao Tu said. "Come with me."

With Tiger Vanguard on his left and the White Bone Spirit on his right, Ao Tu returned to the wooden cottage.

As usual, Qiao'er carefully tidied the cottage, then looked out toward the main road. Seeing no one there yet, she prepared to go home.

Suddenly, a figure approached from the distance.

It was the man who filled her thoughts day and night.

Just as Qiao'er was about to rush toward him, she froze at the sight of the beautiful woman following behind the Dragon God.

Her beauty was peerless, her jade face graced with the poise of frost and a natural allure; dew shimmered in her starry eyes, and her cherry lips were touched with vermilion, seemingly holding ten thousand charms. Her dark hair was swept into a lofty bun, with a white jade hairpin tucked in at an angle; snowy robes lightly wrapped her ice-smooth skin, and nine silver tassels swayed about her.

Looking at herself, Qiao'er saw only a farmer's daughter. Though she had a measure of beauty, sun and wind had inevitably left a faint ruddy glow upon her cheeks. Her slender fingers bore traces of calluses, unlike the soft hands of a sheltered maiden.

She wore coarse hemp clothes. Whatever natural charm she possessed, she had no fine garments to set it off, only flecks of dust and mud. Her braided hair hung down without a single ornament, bound with a straw cord. How could she compare with someone gleaming with gold and jade?

After days of bitter waiting, she had finally seen the man she loved, only to feel ashamed of her own plainness. A few tears fell, and she covered her face and left.

Ao Tu returned to the cottage. Before long, Qiao'er knocked on the door, carrying a basket of food-coarse-flour buns and wild vegetable dumplings.

The White Bone Spirit opened the door. "You are?"

Hearing this, Qiao'er felt even more inferior.

"This is Qiao'er," Ao Tu said. "Please invite her in."

The White Bone Spirit invited Qiao'er inside.

Once inside, Qiao'er looked at Ao Tu. His handsome bearing was a perfect match for the beauty of that woman. Lowering her head, she said:

"My lord, I saw you return and worried you might not have eaten, so I brought some food."

"Thank you," Ao Tu said. "You cleaned this room too, didn't you? Sorry for the trouble."

He had been away for over a month, yet the room was spotless when he returned. Someone must have been cleaning it regularly.

Keeping her head lowered, Qiao'er said, "It was no trouble. Then... then I'll be going."

In the end, she still did not dare ask about his proposal.

If she asked and he said it had only been a joke, what would she do?

If she did not ask, she could still cling to a little hope and let the dream in her heart linger for another couple of days.

Ao Tu nodded. "Go ahead. Oh, make some preparations. I'll come to propose in a couple of days. This is my younger sister, Jingjing. You two should get acquainted."

Qiao'er stood rooted to the spot. The happiness she had longed for day and night had arrived so suddenly.

In a daze, she exchanged introductions with Jingjing, then left the cottage and returned home. It was only a few steps away, yet the walk felt as though she had crossed into another lifetime.

A few days later, Tang Sanzang and his disciples left the Longevity Mountain region, and the system's voice rang out.

[Calculating rewards. Total interception time: thirty-two days.]

[Reward obtained: Spell · Earth-Escape Technique.]

[Reward obtained: Sixth-Turn Golden Elixir.]

[Reward obtained: Taiyi Purple-Gold Elixir.]

[Reward obtained: Buddhist Art · Six-Character True Words.]

[Two surplus days automatically carried over to the next side quest. Next side quest: Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit.]

During the Wuzhuang Temple quest, Ao Tu had not delayed them for very long-only twenty-odd days. Even with the six days carried over from last time, he had barely secured the thirty-day reward.

There was no helping it. At Great Immortal Zhenyuan's sanctuary, it was difficult for Ao Tu to change much.

Fortunately, his gains had been substantial. Apart from the system rewards, he had obtained three Ginseng Fruits. He had eaten one, leaving two, which he was nurturing within his Five-Colored Divine Light along with a section of branch from the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

He could put much more work into the upcoming Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit.

He had already begun laying the groundwork back at Wuzhuang Temple.

[Entering quest region.]

[Current side quest: Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit.]

[Quest requirement: Delay the Pilgrim within the White Tiger Ridge region. Rewards calculated according to the duration of the delay.]

[Quest rewards: Three days / Three-Turn Golden Elixir, seven days / Sixth-Turn Golden Elixir, half a month / Demon Court · Small Cosmic Cycle Formation, one month / Witch Weapon · Peachwood Staff, one season / Supernatural Ability · Rainbow-Transformation Technique, half a year / ancestral dragon essence blood, one year / congenital spiritual treasure · Soul-Scattering Gourd, three years / congenital spiritual treasure · Hetu Luoshu, twelve years / Chaos Bell, sixty years...]

Ao Tu studied the newly refreshed system rewards.

There was little to say about the three-day and seven-day rewards.

The half-month reward was a formation he had never heard of. Given its place at the half-month milestone, however, it probably would not be particularly powerful.

The one-month reward was a witch weapon, the Peachwood Staff. Leaving its power aside for now, it belonged to the wood element, making it just what Ao Tu needed to complete his Five-Colored Divine Light and greatly increase its might.

At present, his Five-Colored Divine Light held the Third-Grade Golden Lotus for metal, the Three-Lights Divine Water for water, the Ginseng Fruit Tree branch for earth, and the Five-Fire Divine Flame Fan for fire. Only wood was missing.

The one-season reward was the Rainbow-Transformation Technique.

This technique was a supernatural ability on the same level as the Five-Colored Divine Light, also known as the Golden Crow Rainbow-Transformation Technique. The Golden Crow was the essence of the great sun, whose light divided into seven colors, scattering into rosy clouds and gathering into a rainbow-hence the name Rainbow-Transformation Technique.

Once unleashed, it merged the body with light, crossing ten thousand miles in an instant without leaving a trace. It was the foremost escape technique in the Three Realms.

As for the half-year reward, it was ancestral dragon essence blood.

If Ao Tu could obtain and refine it, he could restore some of the Ancient Dragon Race's might and show his monkey brother the crushing pressure of the Dragon-Phoenix Cataclysm.

Ao Tu went down the mountain and bought some betrothal gifts. There were not many.

One zhang of cotton cloth, one zhang of red cloth, one dou of each of the five grains, two jars of rice wine, two strips of cured pork, and two taels of silver wrapped in red cloth-that was everything.

For an ordinary household, these were already very fine betrothal gifts.

He presented them to Qiao'er's parents and explained why he had come.

Naturally, the elderly couple agreed, then asked him in detail about his family.

Ao Tu replied that he had come from a family of officials. His father had been framed and killed in a court power struggle, and his mother had died of grief.

He also had nine brothers, who had scattered in all directions to escape persecution.

He had brought a younger sister here, hoping to live secluded in the mountains, marry and have children, work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and lead the peaceful life of an ordinary commoner from then on.

The elderly couple were delighted to hear this and settled the marriage at once.

Since demons had previously run rampant on White Tiger Ridge, few families lived there, so there were hardly any relatives or neighbors to invite.

A few days later, they chose an auspicious date, cut red paper decorations for the windows, and set out a pair of red candles. The two families gathered, prepared a table of fine dishes, and enjoyed a happy meal. Qiao'er dressed in bridal red, and Ao Tu carried her on his back to the cottage. With that, the ceremony was complete.

Tiger Vanguard built another wooden cottage nearby, leaving the original one to the newlyweds.

That night.

Ao Tu lifted her bridal veil.

Qiao'er's cheeks were flushed, and she was too shy and nervous to look at him.

Ao Tu smiled. "All right, I won't take your chastity. Stay here without worry for a while. There's no one else in these mountains, so this won't tarnish your reputation. Once my business is finished, I'll give you a thousand taels of gold and silver and send your family to live in the city."

At his words, Qiao'er felt not the slightest joy. Instead, her face turned pale.

...Right, he had said it was only an act...

After speaking, Ao Tu prepared to leave.

But Qiao'er suddenly caught his arm.