Chapter 1435: Husband Sings, Wife Follows

Yuan Gang had barely left when Yun Ji came around the corner outside the secret chamber. She had overheard their conversation.

“Are you really willing to let Lü Wushuang force your hand like this?”

From a woman’s perspective, this whole affair meant that bitch Lü Wushuang was the one taking advantage.

Niu Youdao’s expression drifted. “Lü Wushuang doesn’t want to die.”

It was almost a non sequitur. Yun Ji did not understand. “What do you mean?”

“A calamity is supposedly about to descend on us. I’m sitting here unmoved, yet Lü Wushuang isn’t anxious in the slightest. Either she truly doesn’t care, or she’s deliberately pretending to be calm. Do you think she truly doesn’t care? She doesn’t want to die. Things may not be as serious as she claimed.”

Yun Ji tested him. “You think she may have been bluffing us?”

“This is the first time I’ve seriously dealt with someone like her. It has certainly opened my eyes, and even I’m not completely sure. But there’s a strong possibility she exaggerated matters to save her own life.”

Yun Ji was surprised. “Then you’re still letting her get her way?”

“If Monkey were only an ordinary martial man, he couldn’t have caused trouble on this scale. The reason he keeps stirring up such enormous incidents is tied to his own strength. The stronger he becomes, the harder it is for me to control him whenever his stubborn stupidity flares up. It’s time someone put some restraint on him.”

“Feng Guan’er won’t do. I won’t even bother talking about how badly matched their backgrounds are. She has no ability and no head for anything. She’s pretty, yes, but what use is that to someone who has reached Monkey’s level? Monkey already has a tendency to do foolish things. Give him another burden to drag around and it becomes very easy for others to exploit them. The two of them could easily end in some tragic mess. Why put themselves through that?”

“There are things I can’t conveniently do to Monkey, but Monkey’s wife can. Otherwise, sooner or later, it would damage the bond between us as brothers. Monkey is no match for Lü Wushuang. She sees his weaknesses perfectly clearly. Even steel tempered a hundred times can be softened into something that winds around a finger. Lü Wushuang genuinely can help him. If only for her own sake, she’ll have to keep Monkey alive.”

Yun Ji said, “Looks like Lü Wushuang convinced you after all.”

Niu Youdao replied, “She wasn’t wrong. This is good for Monkey too.”

Yun Ji understood. He was willing to see Yuan Gang and Lü Wushuang together, but it was difficult for him to openly approve the marriage himself. So this was how things had ended up.

Since the decision had been made, and since it benefited everyone, Yun Ji did not want to say anything more. She still felt somewhat uncomfortable, though—partly out of contempt for Lü Wushuang’s methods, and partly from the complicated feelings women could have toward one another...

Inside the secret chamber, Lü Wushuang was quietly recuperating. She turned when Yuan Gang entered and lifted the shawl over her head. The bristly hair that had only just started growing back did not look good.

Then she rose and faced him.

Yuan Gang stood opposite her in silence for a while before suddenly saying, “The wedding can’t be held on any grand scale. Given the situation, I’m afraid this will be unfair to you.”

Lü Wushuang replied calmly, “I understand. There’s no need to explain. It doesn’t matter. Keep everything simple.”

“When do you think would be appropriate?”

“Time is tight. We can’t afford to wait. The sooner, the better.”

“If you don’t have any other requirements, I’ll go make the arrangements now.”

A slight light moved through Lü Wushuang’s bright eyes. “I have one request. At least one minimal requirement for appearances.”

“Say it.”

“I know you hate me, and I know you resent the method I used against you. I’ll allow you to go through the motions with me, but there’s one thing you must agree to. After we marry, we must sleep in the same place. As I said, you can merely go through the motions. You don’t have to do anything to me. But so long as we’re in the same place, wherever you return for the night must be my room, even if all you do is put on an act for appearances.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Of course it is. You know perfectly well what good deeds you’ve done. You still have a little sweetheart tucked away at Demon Ridge. You know what my former status was. I care about face too. Otherwise, how am I supposed to endure the humiliation?”

Yuan Gang had not expected her first demand to drag Feng Guan’er into the matter. His expression twisted slightly. He himself had no idea how he was supposed to face Feng Guan’er now.

Lü Wushuang read his expression, then continued, “If you aren’t even willing to give me that much outward pretense for others to see, do you think there’s any point discussing marriage at all?”

“Then that’s how we’ll do it.”

Yuan Gang turned and left.

Everything was to be kept simple, so naturally the preparations moved quickly. The very next day, the underground space was decorated with red banners and wedding trappings.

Outsiders could not be involved, so Yun Ji and Guan Fangyi had to arrange the decorations with their own hands.

Niu Youdao ignored the entire affair. Alone in the secret chamber, he read through intelligence reports that had been gathered from various channels.

That evening, the wedding began.

There were no honored guests, no congratulatory visitors, only the few people permitted to appear in this underground space. Even Shang Shuqing, who had been here before, was not invited.

And so the newlyweds hid underground and bowed to Heaven and Earth.

Even the wedding banquet was nothing more than a lavish table of food prepared by the monks of Nanshan Temple.

From beginning to end, Yun Ji and Guan Fangyi wore strangely complicated expressions. They could not help marveling at the tricks of fate. Who could ever have imagined that the Monkey of Maolu Villa would one day marry Sacred Venerable Wushuang, one of the Nine Saints?

Niu Youdao remained expressionless throughout.

In the bridal chamber, wedding candles burned as the newlyweds sat quietly side by side.

In the end, Yuan Gang was the one who broke the silence. “Now can you tell us how the Six Sacred Venerables intend to deal with us?”

Lü Wushuang cried.

She made no sound. Beneath the glow of the wedding candles, tears simply streamed down her face. Whatever else, Yuan Gang could feel the grievance of someone who had once stood among the Nine Saints and now fallen to this point.

Yuan Gang fell silent again. He did not press her further.

In the end, one of them lay down fully dressed on one side while the other remained seated in silence. Without a word, they passed the night.

The next day, Lü Wushuang sat before the dressing table when Yuan Gang spoke again.

“Can you tell me now?”

Lü Wushuang looked at herself in the mirror and at him reflected behind her. Calmly, she said, “We only just married, yet you keep pressing me again and again. Don’t you think you’re going too far? I don’t want to discuss this with you. Later I’ll personally go explain things to Niu Youdao. Will that do?”

Yuan Gang had nothing to say.

Lü Wushuang kept her word. Soon afterward, she went to the secret chamber of her own accord and sat opposite Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao’s gaze moved across the faces of the newlyweds. He smiled. “Congratulations to you both.”

Yun Ji and Guan Fangyi were there as well, doing their best to put on smiles.

Lü Wushuang said, “No need for polite words. Let’s discuss serious business.”

Niu Youdao nodded. “All right.”

Lü Wushuang looked around. “I’ll have to trouble everyone to excuse us. You too.”

Her gaze settled on Yuan Gang.

Niu Youdao raised a hand in indication. The three people beside him exchanged looks, then turned and left.

Niu Youdao personally poured a cup of tea and placed it before Lü Wushuang, gesturing for her to drink.

She stared at him. “Presumably the Six Sacred Venerables have already taken command in the mortal world. Otherwise, you people wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage.”

Niu Youdao gave a quiet acknowledgment. “Indeed. But they’ve disappeared, and we don’t know where they are. You said they had discovered many of our vulnerabilities and intended to move against us. I’m listening.”

Lü Wushuang said, “What if I tell you I exaggerated the danger purely to trick my way into marriage? Would you believe me?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “That’s more or less what I thought.”

Lü Wushuang was slightly startled and stared closely at his reaction. “You already knew?”

Niu Youdao lifted his tea and drank slowly, completely composed. “Now that we’re one family, there’s no need to create discord inside the household. Don’t worry. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know. I won’t reveal a word of this to Monkey, and I won’t tell anyone else either. I’ll help you keep it hidden. So this isn’t important.”

“There are many days ahead of us. You’ve seen my sincerity. I believe you know what you should do from now on.”

Lü Wushuang had spent a long time preparing an entire set of explanations. In an instant, every one of them died unborn. Even the hand lifting her teacup was no longer entirely steady.

After she took a sip, Niu Youdao asked with a smile, “How does the tea taste?”

Lü Wushuang did her best to smile. “There are a hundred flavors in my heart. I can’t taste the one in my mouth.”

“No matter. Take it slowly. As long as you sincerely treat Monkey as your husband, I’m sure the flavor will become quite good.”

He pushed his empty cup toward her.

Lü Wushuang was silent for a moment. In the end, she picked up the teapot with both hands and poured tea for him.

Niu Youdao lifted the cup, tasted it, and nodded. “Not bad.”

He set the cup down. “Have you heard of Xianyin Mountain?”

Lü Wushuang did not understand why he had suddenly mentioned it. “Ghost Mother? The territory of your sworn elder sister?”

“Ghost Mother Wu Xuejun also has a good relationship with Yun Ji. After Monkey became the Holy Son of the Demonic Sect, I deliberately had Yun Ji maintain regular contact with Wu Xuejun. Recently, that contact was broken. No news has come from Wu Xuejun’s side.”

Lü Wushuang said, “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

“The method Wu Chang originally possessed for refining Crow Generals was incomplete. He had no way to use it on a large scale. The founding Saintess of the Demonic Sect was actually Li Ge’s maidservant. Before Li Ge disappeared, she passed a Demon Canon to that founding Saintess, and the text was secretly handed down through successive Saintesses.”

“Wu Chang accidentally learned that it existed, but no matter what methods he used, he could never obtain it. The reason Wu Chang saved Monkey before was that I forced Zhao Xiongge to hand the Demon Canon over to him in exchange.”

Lü Wushuang was startled. Then understanding dawned. “You mean the loss of contact with Xianyin Mountain may be connected to Wu Chang refining Crow Generals on a large scale?”

“As expected of Sacred Venerable Wushuang. One hint and you understand. Refining Crow Generals in large numbers inevitably requires a place where yin gathers. The reason I had Yun Ji stay in contact with Wu Xuejun was that Wu Xuejun is a ghost cultivator with connections to many such places. I wanted her to keep watch on them for me.”

“Now Xianyin Mountain has suddenly gone silent. It appears Wu Chang has already begun. The place he’s using to refine them is very likely Xianyin Mountain itself.”

Lü Wushuang’s eyes shifted rapidly and she was about to speak, but Niu Youdao raised a hand to stop her.

“I know you have many questions. There’s no need to ask. I’ll tell you when the time is right. The reason I’m telling you this is so you can go back and think it over carefully.”

“Right. To keep you from analyzing things on the wrong basis, there’s something else I should tell you. I was the one who stole the Wuliang Fruit from Wuliang Garden.”

Lü Wushuang was shocked. “What? How is that possible?”

“I know the secret method for refining Crow Generals. Naturally, there’s nothing strange about me being able to deal with the Crow Generals guarding the fruit trees.”

“What I didn’t expect was for the fruit trees to flower ahead of schedule. That completely disrupted my arrangements and left me in a very passive position now.”

“Xi Haitang, Yan Zhutian, Gong Lince, and Wen Hua all shared in the Wuliang Fruit. The Six Sacred Venerables have been steadily pushing forward their investigation, and the next step will definitely reach the various sects. I’ve tried everything I can and still can’t stop it.”

“So remember this as well. Think carefully about how you can help me deal with it.”

Lü Wushuang was shaken to the core and rapidly began thinking.

She did indeed have many questions. The Fifth Domain, the Holy Rakshasa, what exactly was recorded in the Demon Canon...

Before she could ask anything, Niu Youdao slowly added, “Everyone here addresses me as Master Dao. Monkey does too. Husband sings, wife follows. Shouldn’t you change the way you address me as well?”

Lü Wushuang stared at him.

Niu Youdao asked, “Unwilling?”

Lü Wushuang remained silent for a while. At last she rose, cupped her hands, and bowed.

“Master Dao!”

Niu Youdao smiled. “You’re newlyweds. I won’t disturb you any longer. Go.”

[End of Chapter 1435]