Chapter 306
Li Shiyin was nineteen years old this year, and Li Shiwen was four years older than her at twenty-three.
North Chu Country was a feudal state. Although there were immortals and gods, Li Shiwen was just an ordinary person, so at his age, he should have been married long ago. And that would have been the case, if not for the accident three years ago. Otherwise, Li Shiwen would have married three years ago already.
But...
Three years ago, when the Devouring Demon Willow erupted violently, Li Shiwen led the Tian Ce Army to guard the Hengduan Mountains, intercepting the monsters in the mountains. In the end, the entire army was annihilated. The southwestern border he guarded also suffered hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, not to mention the economic losses, which were innumerable.
He should have paid with his life to apologize to the world.
But in the end, due to various political interests, he did not die. He only died in spirit.
A twenty-year-old young general who had the potential to become a marquis or minister met a huge defeat out of the blue, and became a sinner in North Chu, reviled by all under heaven. Only Li Shiwen himself knew what that felt like.
For such a Li Shiwen, just staying alive felt agonizing, let alone getting married and having a family.
But now he had to get married—not because he was too old and had to marry, but because there was going to be a battle, and he had to leave an heir for the Danyang Li Family before going to war.
On the sixth day of the eleventh month, Li Shiwen got drunk in the snow. He knelt in the snow and knocked his forehead on the ground eighteen times in the direction of the southwest. He knocked until his head bled and he collapsed in the snow.
How similar was tonight's snowstorm to the willow fluff three years ago?
He, Li Shiwen, did not die. He still had to marry and have children. But in the southwestern border, seventy-three thousand eight hundred and fourteen soldiers were permanently buried in the “heavy snow.” They were as young as him, but they didn’t get the chance to marry and have children.
It was his fault for overestimating his ability. It was his arrogance and pride. It was him who led them to their deaths. He owed them. He could never forgive himself.
He was the one who deserved death the most, but he did not die. So he had to live on with the souls of those seventy-three thousand eight hundred and fourteen soldiers, and carry on their will to continue protecting the country.
On the seventh day of the eleventh month, with the help of maidservants, Li Shiwen tidied up his hair, shaved, changed into clean clothes, and shed the sloppy image he had maintained over the past three years. He somewhat regained the look of the young general back then.
Wearing the cheerful wedding attire, right before dawn on the eighth day of the eleventh month, he went to fetch his bride.
Over the past three years, the Danyang Li Family had experienced turbulent ups and downs. First, the pillar of North Chu, General Li Konghe, passed away, dealing a heavy blow to the Li family. Then there was the disgraceful defeat of young General Li Shiwen, leading to the collapse of over half of the Li family's power. Just when it seemed the Li family was about to fall apart, the peerless sword immortal Li Shiyin suddenly emerged, defeating the North Chu Sword God alone with one sword, winning back decades of fortune for the Li family.
So now, the Danyang Li Family was still the most powerful family in the North Chu court.
But for such an influential family, the wedding of its sole heir was extremely simple.
All formalities were simplified, and all guests were relatives.
The wedding of this noble family was almost equal to that of commoners.
As for the guests, basically no civil officials were invited. Among military officials, only confidants and some veterans were invited.
For the wedding banquet, a few hundred guests in the sprawling Li mansion looked a little empty.
And the bride Li Shiwen married was not from any prominent family, just from a small household that could barely be considered scholarly. The bride's name was Yu Chi Zhen.
Li Shiwen wore a bright red gown and rode a tall horse. He was burly in stature and handsome in appearance. Although he lacked some spirit compared to before, he still cut an imposing figure.
He led the wedding procession to the gate of the Li mansion. Amid the sound of firecrackers, he tied the red silk ribbon around his new bride Yu Chi Zhen's wrist and led her through the gate into the Li mansion.
The presiding official called out, and Li Shiwen and Yu Chi Zhen paid their respects to heaven and earth, then to both sets of parents, and finally to each other as husband and wife. The ceremony was complete.
From this moment on, they were married—recognized by both families’ parents and protected by secular law and heavenly principles.
After standing up straight from bowing, Li Shiwen looked at the woman on the other end of the red silk ribbon. That woman under the red bridal veil, that woman he did not know at all, that woman he had not even seen yet. But at this moment, as if there was a spark between heaven and earth, their lives became connected.
It was as if the red silk ribbon in his hand was the thread connecting their fates.
This was his wife, he thought, and his heart skipped a beat.
And as he looked at her, he noticed she was also looking back at him from beneath the veil. Through the red veil, he could vaguely see a pair of autumn water eyes looking at him affectionately.
It made his heart tingle. She must be an exceptionally beautiful woman, he thought.
"Stop staring. There will be plenty of time for that later! People are about to have their eyeballs fall out!"
At this inopportune moment, a teasing voice came from the crowd, interrupting the romantic atmosphere between them. From the voice, he immediately knew it was his reckless sister.
He glanced over and saw his peerless sword immortal sister walking out from the side, a radiant smile on her face. Obviously she was trying to keep a low profile today so as not to steal the spotlight from them. But...
Ever since she started cultivating, his sister had grown even more beautiful. Even the simplest attire could not conceal her celestial beauty.
As her brother, he had always found her annoying, but he had to admit his sister was as beautiful as a goddess.
Li Shiyin came to stand below the wedding stage and asked the newlyweds to face her.
She scrutinized the bride under the red veil closely. Unlike Li Shiwen, she could see the bride clearly. The bride was very pretty with a gentle, scholarly grace that she would never be able to attain even with decades of study.
"Sister-in-law is so gorgeous," she complimented.
Then she looked up at Li Shiwen, who stood half a head taller than her. Craning her neck to gaze up at him, she sighed, "Ah, time waits for no one. Can't believe you're already getting married. I wasn't prepared at all. I still have the impression that you were eleven or twelve years old, tugging me along to the teaching bureau to listen to the pretty ladies sing..."
Li Shiwen’s face darkened. He gave Li Shiyin a sharp look and said, "You don't need to talk when you've got nothing to say."
"All right, all good as long as you’re getting married now," Li Shiyin decided to save his face after all and did not elaborate on his adventures through the brothels and the beatings he got from his father for that, nor did she go back further in time to talk about Li Shiwen wetting himself and playing in the mud.
After livening up the atmosphere a little bit, Li Shiyin rummaged through the shabby universe pouch at her waist and fished out a light green bead the size of a small finger, which she handed to the bride. She said, "This is a beauty-fixing bead. According to Tushan Youyou, it can preserve youth forever. It was her who gave it to me, and told me to give it to you so that you would remain gorgeous even after you get married. Oh, by the way, Tushan Youyou is a fox spirit, like those in the storybooks. She has five tails and is very pretty."
A bead that could preserve youth forever was a priceless immortal object to mortals. Yu Chi Zhen did not dare accept such a precious thing. From beneath her veil, she looked to Li Shiwen, silently asking his opinion.
Sensing Yu Chi Zhen’s gaze, Li Shiwen’s heart pounded. He nodded and said, “Go ahead and take it. It wasn’t meant as a gift for us anyway, but for Shiyin.”
Having a woman's undivided attention on him felt different than when he was a general with all the soldiers’ eyes on him. It made Li Shiwen nervous.
Hearing Li Shiwen’s words, Yu Chi Zhen still hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the bead.
With her Heart-Spirit Sight, Li Shiyin clearly saw Li Shiwen’s nervousness and pounding heart. She held back a smile and winked subtly at Li Shiwen.
Then, without waiting for his reaction, she fished out a willow branch from her universe pouch and handed it to Yu Chi Zhen as well, explaining...
"This is a branch of the [Dan Peak Sacred Tree], able to calm the mind, dispel evil, exorcise demons, with many wondrous effects," she almost did not react in time and blurt out [Devouring Demon Willow] in front of [Li Shiwen]. "You can hang it in your room, or try planting it. If it takes root, it will become a sacred tree!
"This is a little tree spirit sent to you by that sacred tree, a very cute little fellow."
[Li Shiwen] did not hear anything amiss in [Li Shiyin]'s words, only thinking it was really a willow branch from Dan Peak, he let [Yu Chi Zhen] take it.
After [Yu Chi Zhen] had taken hold of it firmly, [Li Shiyin] took out a small jar of wine, knowing that [Li Shiwen] had taken a liking to drinking recently, and handed it directly to him, clicking her tongue:
"This is a congratulatory gift from [Qi Qi]. [Qi Qi] is the least sincere, this wine was actually gifted by someone else to her, but she then gifted it to you.
"However, this wine is spiritual wine, able to improve your constitution, very useful. Brother, drink steadily, don't get drunk dead..."
Although their relationship was intimate, at such an occasion, she still did not say the word "dead" after all.
"Wine?" [Li Shiwen] happily took it, laughing. "I really like this."
"Drink less!" [Li Shiyin] warned again. As she spoke, she took out a porcelain bottle, handed it to [Li Shiwen], and explained:
"Inside is a drop of essence blood, it's [Chasing the Wind]'s own essence blood. Oh [Chasing the Wind], the most destitute, treating his own blood as a treasure to gift you.
"[Chasing the Wind] is an eighth-rank demonic beast, this blood really is precious. Brother, you can use it to strengthen your own constitution, or in the future use it to improve your child's constitution."
"[Chasing the Wind]?"
[Li Shiwen] still remembered that leopard on Dan Peak, that leopard shared a name with the dog that had accompanied them as they grew up together. He knew it was a name [Li Shiyin] had given.
"Even [Chasing the Wind] gifted me presents?" he asked.
The sacred tree of the immortal sect gifted presents, the cat of the immortal sect also gifted presents.
"If there's a chance, bring [Chasing the Wind] out to play, let you see the present [Chasing the Wind]. The present [Chasing the Wind] is already nearing a zhang (3.3m) in height..." [Li Shiyin] gestured with her hand demonstrating [Chasing the Wind]'s head height to [Li Shiwen].
"[Chasing the Wind]?" [Li Shiwen] nodded, that fellow was an eighth-rank demonic beast, he could only imagine how terrifying an eighth-rank demonic beast would be.
[Li Shiyin] took out another porcelain bottle again, pouring out a mung bean-sized flickering cinnabar red elixir from within, handing it to [Yu Chi Zhen], introducing:
"This is an elixir my master refined, it is said to benefit the next generation. I didn't really understand, it seems to mean that after you have become pregnant in the future, the baby will receive protection, nurturing its constitution in your belly, then ensuring the safe birth of the baby. It also seems to have said that the mother will also nurture her constitution alongside the baby's, her health improving."
Although blessing newlyweds to soon have precious children was normal congratulations, sending such an elixir still made one feel bashful.
[Yu Chi Zhen] did not dare ask [Li Shiwen]'s opinion, timidly asking on her own: "Take it now?"
"Mm! Master said to take it as soon as possible, in case someone else snatches it away." [Li Shiyin] nodded, and worried that [Yu Chi Zhen] would not believe her, adding: "My master is very powerful."
[Yu Chi Zhen] laughed, reaching to take the elixir, completely without hesitation, directly swallowing it down.
To her, [Li Shiyin] was like an immortal's existence. Although this immortal seemed very easy-going, everything she took out were rare and precious treasures. She had only seen such immortal-like personages in her life, she could only feel she had profound blessings, so where would she doubt?
"Done!" Having finished giving the gifts, [Li Shiyin] did not flip through her cosmic bag again. She ceremoniously congratulated her elder brother and sister-in-law: "I wish elder brother and sister-in-law a happy marriage, a hundred years of harmony, soon birth of noble son, the whole family prosperous, and white-haired accompanying to the end of your days..."
However, before she could finish her chaotic congratulations, [Li Shiwen]'s expressionlessly interrupted her: "So where's mine?"
"What's mine?" [Li Shiyin] feigned ignorance.
"Your gift to me, where is it?" [Li Shiwen asked. "Everyone else gave gifts, just you didn't, right?!"
"Hehe!" [Li Shiyin] let out a sly, mischievous laugh, raising her brows at [Li Shiwen], saying: "You silly [Li Shiwen], I'm just teasing you! How could there not be any?!"
As she spoke, her beautiful right hand rose up, her tender white fingers as lush as spring bamboo shoots interlocking...
"Pa!"
She snapped her fingers.
The great hall instantly darkened, the ceiling suddenly transformed into the night sky. Amidst the panic of all the people in the great hall, two streams of the Milky Way meandered down from that night sky, the two streams of the Milky Way circled about the great hall once, transforming into the form of two swords, then drilled into the bodies of [Li Shiwen] and [Yu Chi Zhen].
The dark night descended then retreated. [Li Shiyin]'s back facing the other people of the hall, facing her parents and elder brother couple. She spoke loudly:
"My comprehended sword qi is Star Sword Qi, my comprehended sword intent is Guardian Sword Intent. These two primordial sword qi will guard you like the stars. The galaxy is endless, the sword qi does not dissipate."
She raised her head gazing at [Li Shiwen], reaching to grab [Li Shiwen]'s hand, then [Yu Chi Zhen]'s hand, overlapping their hands on her own. She had never been so serious before, resolutely saying: "I will guard you forever."
Such a silly little sister... [Li Shiwen] was moved, red rimming his tiger eyes, pulling [Li Shiyin] into his embrace for a long time without speaking.
Only when the master of ceremonies loudly called: "The auspicious timing has arrived, bride and groom enter the nuptial chamber."
Did he then let go of [Li Shiyin], holding his newly-wedded delicate wife, entering the nuptial chamber.