The warm sunlight gently fell on their faces, providing a cozy comfort.
Feng Yudie sat on one side of the stone table, her brows tightly furrowed as she stared intently into Ye Anping's eyes. Ye Anping calmly recounted the story about Xiaotian:
"—At that time, Yun Kunwu was about to snatch the Heavenly Dao Scriptures from you. Xiaotian had no choice but to temporarily transfer ownership to me. Otherwise, if Yun Kunwu had gotten his hands on the scriptures, everyone present would have been in grave danger."
After a long explanation, Ye Anping closed his eyes and exhaled softly.
Although he didn’t want Feng Yudie to know that he could see Xiaotian or that the ownership of the Heavenly Dao Scriptures had changed, he had thought it over on his way to Jiuquan Peak. In the end, he decided to tell her the truth.
After all, this wasn’t something he could hide forever. Feng Yudie would find out sooner or later.
Ye Anping had expected her to have many questions and was mentally prepared to answer them. But when he finished speaking, Feng Yudie simply responded with a single word:
"Oh."
"...You don’t have any questions for me?"
Feng Yudie pursed her lips, glanced at Xiaotian, and then asked,
"What if I marry you? How about that?"
...?
Ye Anping was completely thrown off. He was talking seriously about Xiaotian, why did she suddenly say "Marry you?"
Hearing this, Xiaotian’s eyes lit up instantly, thinking Feng Yudie had finally come around:
『Yudie! Say that again?!』
"I said, I’ll marry Ye Anping." Feng Yudie raised her hand to twirl her silver hair and threw a flirtatious glance at Ye Anping. "Ye Anping, will you marry me?"
『Of course, marry her!』 Xiaotian, though clueless about the situation, immediately chimed in on Ye Anping's behalf. 『Anping told me just yesterday that he wanted to marry you~ Right, Anping~?』
It frantically gestured at Ye Anping to nod.
But Ye Anping frowned and replied,
"I never said that... Senior Sister Feng, back when we were at the Hundred Lotus Sect, I told you very clearly: I have no interest in you whatsoever. Not in the past, not now, and definitely not in the future. Naturally, I won’t marry you."
Feng Yudie lowered her head slightly, staring intently at Ye Anping’s face, and repeated,
"Young Master Ye, think carefully. I won’t say this again. This is your only chance. If you want to marry me, say yes now, and I’ll marry you immediately."
Without hesitation, Ye Anping rolled his eyes at her.
"No interest. I’m not marrying you."
"Really?"
Ye Anping still couldn’t figure out Feng Yudie’s thought process. Frowning, he replied,
"I’m not marrying you, no matter how many times you ask. Don’t you dislike men? Why are you suddenly thinking of marrying me? Do you not even see me as a man?"
Hearing this, Feng Yudie seemed relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She suddenly grinned at Ye Anping, baring her teeth.
"Whew—if you had agreed just now, I’d have drawn my spiritual sword immediately and spilled your blood on the spot!"
...?
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Propping her cheek on her hand, Feng Yudie smiled and said,
"Actually, after returning from Qiong Peak, I’ve been thinking about something."
"What’s that?"
"Why were you hugging me and holding me like that?" Feng Yudie tilted her head back to look at the sky. "I just thought you were like those scummy men my master warned me about, trying to subtly trick me into marrying you. So I had a bright idea: if I were to offer to marry you, and you hesitated or agreed, it would prove you had ulterior motives."
Ye Anping was speechless, but he understood her meaning. Relieved, he said,
"All those times I held you were purely due to circumstances beyond my control."
"How would I know what you’re really thinking? You’re so cunning." Feng Yudie twirled her ear-length silver hair and said, "My master always told me that when I grow up, I’d be a stunning beauty, and many men would covet me. She told me to stay on guard."
"You are so full of yourself."
"What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m ugly?"
At her words, Ye Anping glanced at Feng Yudie’s face. Perhaps because she had just finished practicing swordplay, her hair was slightly damp, making her look fresh and radiant. Her delicate, petite features were already captivating.
For a moment, Ye Anping felt conflicted.
To be fair, Feng Yudie’s beauty was unmatched, and her white hair was especially striking. In games, characters like her were fan favorites, often depicted in countless fanworks. However...
When Ye Anping looked at her, he felt absolutely nothing.
He was sure of one thing: he was a man and had normal desires.
Be it Senior Sister Xiao, Li Qianjin, Yun Yiyi, or any other woman, if one of them stood naked before him, he would naturally feel some instinctual male reaction.
Yet, Feng Yudie was like Guanyin Bodhisattva to him.
Was she beautiful? Absolutely.
Was her figure amazing? No doubt.
But seeing Guanyin without clothes would only inspire a fervent urge to go home and knock on a wooden fish in repentance.
Sighing softly, Ye Anping said, "To be honest, you’re very beautiful."
But as soon as Feng Yudie heard this, the smile on her face froze.
The next moment—
A flash of white light split the stone table—and the roast chicken on it—in two.
"Hiss—"
Ye Anping quickly turned his head as a sword aura brushed past his cheek, slicing off a few strands of his hair. Though he dodged the attack, he couldn’t avoid Feng Yudie’s next move.
『Ah?!』 Xiaotian was also startled. It rushed to grab Feng Yudie’s hair, shouting, 『Yudie! What are you doing?!』
Unfortunately, it couldn’t hold on.
Thud—
Slash—
Feng Yudie directly pushed Ye Anping, who was sitting on the stone bench, to the ground. She straddled his stomach, locked his waist with her calves, and placed her spiritual sword at his neck. With a furrowed brow, she said:
“Hah! You still want to subtly trick me into being on your side, huh? Your fox tail is showing now, isn’t it?”
Ye Anping glanced at the blade pressed against his neck, frowned slightly, and asked:
“What, should I say you’re ugly instead?”
Feng Yudie squinted her eyes, suspiciously staring at him.
Staaare~~~
Ye Anping, feeling helpless, relaxed and admitted defeat.
“Fine, fine, you’re ugly. Satisfied?”
Whether it was because Ye Anping had admitted defeat or because of his resigned expression, Feng Yudie suddenly seemed very pleased. Laughing, she moved off of him, lay beside him with her spiritual sword, and burst into hearty laughter.
“Hee—hahaha…”
Ye Anping slowly sat up, placed his hands on his knees, and turned to look coldly at Feng Yudie, who was lying on the grass.
“Are you happy now?”
“Heehee—you killed Yun Kunwu, which means Yun Kunwu was weaker than you. And now you’re begging me, so doesn’t that mean I’m stronger than you?”
Ye Anping gave her a sidelong glance, sighed, and asked:
“You’re not concerned about the ownership of the Heavenly Dao Scriptures changing?”
“Not concerned. If you can see Xiaotian, then so be it. It’s good; Xiaotian will have someone else to talk to,” Feng Yudie said as she gazed at the sky. “My master always told me I was one of a kind, the best. But after meeting Yun Kunwu, I realized I’m just a tiny speck in this vast world. It’s no big deal if you can see Xiaotian too.”
“As long as you’ve thought it through.”
Ye Anping stood up, patted the grass off his pants, and said:
“Get up and give me your hand.”
“Huh?” Feng Yudie frowned, clutching her shoulder as she got up. “What for? Trying to mess with me? Let me tell you, just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Cutting you would be as easy as slicing tofu for me.”
“Yeah, yeah, I just want to return the Heavenly Dao Scriptures to you.”
“Ohhh~~” Feng Yudie nodded, extending her hand. “How does it work?”
Ye Anping glanced at her spiritual sword lying nearby, sighed lightly, and firmly wrapped her hand in his. He then turned to Xiaotian and said:
“Xiaotian, go ahead.”
Xiaotian tilted its head, unsure if their relationship had improved or worsened. But seeing them holding hands, it seemed reassured.
With a satisfied smile, Xiaotian pulled the Heavenly Dao Scriptures from its four-dimensional skirt. It opened to the first page.
With a small wave of its hand over the scroll, a golden light swept across the page.
Next to the name “Ye Anping,” written in flowing script, another name, “Feng Yudie,” appeared.
However, “Ye Anping”’s name did not disappear.
It looked more like a marriage certificate now.
Xiaotian nodded in satisfaction and tucked the scripture back into its little skirt.
『It’s done!』
Ye Anping, puzzled, asked, “That’s it?”
『Changing a name is simple, especially since both of you agreed to it. That makes it easy,』 Xiaotian explained. 『Last time, Yun Kunwu tried to take it by force, so it was complicated. But since you two agreed—and I like you both—it’s simple.』
“Agreed? Let me see.”
Xiaotian shrank back, quickly flew into Feng Yudie’s head, and waved at Ye Anping.
『Anping, I’m tired. I’ll show you another day.』
Judging by Xiaotian’s behavior, Ye Anping guessed it had likely added both his and Feng Yudie’s names together. But since it wouldn’t cause any issues, he didn’t pursue it further.
After a moment, he retrieved the stone tablet containing the first volume of the Mysterious Yin Art from his storage bag and handed it to Feng Yudie.
“Here, part of the payment I promised: the Mysterious Yin Art.”
Feng Yudie looked at the stone tablet, took it with both hands, and said nothing but:
“Mm.”
“What’s this? Not picky anymore? Weren’t you saying before you’d rather have spirit stones?”
Feng Yudie pursed her lips, looked at Ye Anping, and said:
“Honestly, I’d still love some spirit stones—or a kiss from Junior Sister Pei—but since you specifically got me this technique, it must be important, right?”
“…It’s crucial for you. Practice well. This is only the first volume; I’ll give you the next parts when I get them.”
Feng Yudie squinted her eyes and smiled. “Got it!”
“Go pack your things. I’ll wait for you at the gates of Yunjiu Manor. If we don’t leave before the Southern Region’s Zheng Han arrives in a few days, it’ll be hard to travel.”
Ye Anping sighed and turned to walk out of the garden. He felt unexpectedly lighthearted, but as he reached the gate, Feng Yudie caught up, holding the stone tablet, and called out:
“Wait, Young Master Ye…”
“What?”
“…Do you need a ‘little companion’ to have children?”
Ye Anping blinked, stunned, and after a long pause, finally replied:
“…Yes.”
“Then in the future, when Junior Sister Pei and I have children, can we borrow your little companion?”
...?
For once, Ye Anping’s eyes widened in shock as he scolded her loudly:
“Go back and pack your things!!”
Feng Yudie stiffened under his roar, watched him storm off, then pouted and muttered:
“…Fine, don’t lend it to me. No need to be so mean… Hmph, stingy jerk.”