Translator: She.Wee

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Chapter 99: The Grand Wedding

Chi Muyao’s initial prediction was indeed correct.

When others marry, they usually serve tea to their elders the morning after. However, after Chi Muyao and Xi Huai held their Daoist ceremony, it wasn’t until the following year that Xi Lin saw his son and “daughter-in-law” again.

These two didn’t descend the mountain for an entire year after their Daoist ceremony. Those who knew the situation understood it was a prolonged honeymoon, while those who didn’t might have thought they were serving a sentence.

On the day Chi Muyao and Xi Huai finally came down the mountain, none of the other disciples in the sect had anticipated it, so no one was waiting for them.

By chance, the first person they encountered was Song Weiyue, who was sitting in a pavilion reading.

Song Weiyue usually only reads when forced by the Sect Leader of the Zunyue Palace, who despised his illiteracy.

At the moment, the book in Song Weiyue’s hand was a picture book, with images on top and corresponding characters below. For example, above there was a picture of a tree, and below it was the character for “tree.”

When Song Weiyue saw them approaching, he was extremely surprised. He immediately tossed the book aside, rushed over, looked at Chi Muyao, and said, “Why have you gotten so thin, A-Jiu? You were already frail; how could you possibly get even thinner?”

“It’s all… because of too much exercise,” Chi Muyao replied with difficulty.

Fortunately, it was Song Weiyue they were talking to. As expected, Song Weiyue didn’t understand and calmly continued the conversation, “The Thirty-Three Palaces aren’t built yet. When A-Jiu first joined the Qingze Sect, you were busy with the Daoist ceremony and didn’t have time to discuss it. After the ceremony, no one could find you, so the elders in the sect didn’t know your preferences and couldn’t decide on the design. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

At this moment, Chi Muyao was satisfied with just staying away from Xi Huai. Now, whenever he saw his Daoist partner, he felt seasick, as if his partner was the ocean—endlessly turbulent.

Over the past year, except for when he was too tired and fell asleep or meditated to absorb cultivation, his body never had a moment of stillness.

Upon hearing about the construction, he immediately expressed his desire to go to the Executive Hall to review the blueprints and quickly made his escape.

Xi Huai also wanted to follow, but his primary reason for descending the mountain this time was to ask Xi Lin about cultivation techniques.

After so much dual cultivation, it was time to improve his strength, and he indeed had many deficiencies in his techniques.

Although reluctant to see Chi Muyao leave, he had no choice but to go find Xi Lin first.

The Executive Hall of the Qingze Sect could be described as “wealthy beyond imagination.”

In the Hehuan Sect, the Executive Hall was just a side hall, reached by walking down a long corridor and entering the second floor.

In the Yuchong Sect, it was even more humble, just a randomly chosen room serving as the Executive Hall.

The Executive Hall of the Qingze Sect was a separate courtyard. Upon ascending the mountain, there was an archway with grand and imposing carvings of mythical creatures, nearly as large as the main ridge.

The dougong brackets were intricately carved with cloud patterns, a symbol of the sect, while the glazed tiles and bird figures were crafted with masterful skill, with every detail meticulously handled. The rolling stone pedestals bore swastika patterns, symbolizing good fortune and wealth.

After entering the archway and walking a bit further, there were two small pavilions for inspection.

Further back were two rows of side rooms, one for the literary hall and one for the martial hall. The literary hall was for receiving scrolls, brushes, and ink, while the martial hall was for receiving artifacts, repairing, and maintaining swords.

Because this was the Qingze Sect, there were hardly any people in front of the literary hall, but the martial hall was bustling with activity.

The main hall, a bright three-story building, was the true Executive Hall. The first floor was for registration and retrieval, where any matters not handled by the previous two locations could be registered and processed.

The second and third floors were mostly storage areas or workspaces for disciples.

When Chi Muyao arrived, he was invited into the inner room of the Executive Hall, where he sat by a table drinking tea and choosing blueprint styles.

He hadn’t been sitting for even half an hour before he noticed something unusual.

The disciples in the Executive Hall were extremely inefficient. The abacus in the disciple’s hand moved so slowly, it seemed like water dripping from a bamboo tube, with a long pause between each movement.

Chi Muyao tried to endure for a while but eventually couldn’t stand it. The scene even made his hands itch, so he put down the blueprint and walked over to the disciple calculating the accounts.

This disciple had a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation. He held the account book in one hand, pointed at a line of records with his finger, and moved the abacus with the other hand, muttering to himself while constantly double-checking his movements.

When the disciple saw Chi Muyao approaching, he hurriedly stood up to greet him but immediately forgot where he had left off.

Chi Muyao couldn’t help but ask, “Are you new to using an abacus?”

“Yes, I was recently assigned to work in the Executive Hall.”

“Aren’t the disciples of the Qingze Sect specifically selected for the Executive Hall?”

“No, the disciples of the Qingze Sect have good potential, so they need to go out for training or enter closed-door cultivation. Helping out in the Executive Hall is just fulfilling a task, after which they can receive rewards like spirit stones and pills.”

Chi Muyao took a deep breath, then dismissed the disciple, “Never mind, I’ll do it.”

He opened the account book and flipped through it, quickly realizing that the records were made by different people at different times, each with their own style and handwriting.

Chi Muyao flipped through the book for a while, then pointed to a line and asked, “Is this where the accounts need to be reconciled?”

“Yes, it is.”

Chi Muyao’s eyes remained on the account book, without even looking at the abacus, yet his fingers moved rapidly, making the beads clatter as they flew across the frame. He didn’t need to double-check, confident that he hadn’t made a mistake.

His fingers never stopped moving, and he quickly turned another page of the account book.

The Foundation Establishment disciple watched in amazement as Chi Muyao reconciled the entire account book at an incredible speed. He even checked the summary book, made a few notes, and set it aside. “Bring me the other account books.”

The disciple, not daring to slack off, quickly brought the other account books and placed them neatly beside Chi Muyao.

When Chi Muyao moved on to the other account books, the disciple picked up the one he had just worked on and took a look. He found that Chi Muyao had not only calculated everything but also identified and marked discrepancies.

The speed and efficiency were astonishing.

Before the afternoon was over, Chi Muyao had already reconciled the accounts for the entire year. After finishing, he held the books in his hands, reviewing each problematic entry, mentally calculating on his fingers.

At that moment, Xi Huai entered the Executive Hall and asked, “How are the blueprints?”

Chi Muyao didn’t respond. He just set down the heavy account book with a thud and then said, “Call your father here.”

“Huh?” Was he really asking the Sect Leader to come?

“Call him.” Chi Muyao was insistent.

Xi Huai was puzzled but still sent out a voice transmission.

When Xi Lin entered the Executive Hall, he found Chi Muyao writing something with a brush. He walked over and asked, “Have you finalized the blueprints? You can decide on your own, no need to ask me.”

Chi Muyao finally spoke, “Sect Leader, I’ve reviewed the Qingze Sect’s accounts for the past year, and many entries don’t add up. These expenditures all have your signature. Did you misappropriate the spirit stones?”

“Uh…” Xi Lin was a bit surprised. Was this really the scene of their first meeting after the Daoist ceremony? “What doesn’t add up?”

Chi Muyao opened the account book and pointed out the problematic entries, “On the 15th of July, three thousand spirit stones were used to purchase Baowu Brocade; on the 4th of August, four thousand nine hundred spirit stones were spent on Mianling Pinewood. But there’s no record of these items arriving in the inventory books.”

Xi Lin felt embarrassed, kept a straight face, and sat down to the side, looking at Xi Huai.

Xi Huai picked up the account book, glanced at it, and then at the inventory book, sighing, “Do you not want the Thirty-Three Palaces and want to take over the Executive Hall instead?”

Chi Muyao finally snapped out of it, “I just… couldn’t help myself and wanted to lend a hand.”

“Did you do this at the Hehuan Sect too?”

“Yes, the Sect Leader there always gambled and made false accounts when he lost money. I had to keep things in check. It became a habit…”

Hearing this, Xi Lin cleared his throat but still remained silent.

Xi Huai couldn’t help but laugh and then asked Xi Lin’s disciple, “Where has my father been these past few days?”

As he spoke, he pointed to the dates in the account book.

The disciple replied righteously, “In the sect.”

Chi Muyao walked over and interrupted them, “That’s not the right question. Where was the Sect Leader the day before these past two days?”

“He… he…” The disciple couldn’t come up with an answer.

Xi Lin knew he couldn’t keep it hidden any longer, so he angrily blurted out, “I went to play Pai Gow! As a dignified Sect Leader, I lost and still took the trouble to falsify the accounts—doesn’t that show how responsible I am?”

Chi Muyao was stunned by Xi Lin’s bizarre logic. How could Xi Lin say that so confidently?

But then again, the entire Qingze Sect belonged to Xi Lin, so it wasn’t all that surprising.

After a moment, Chi Muyao asked, “Did you play Pai Gow with my Master?”

Xi Lin answered straightforwardly, “Yes, why?”

“It’s no wonder you lost.”

“Why do you say that? Is your Master good at Pai Gow? Isn’t it all just a matter of luck?”

Chi Muyao found it hard to explain and could only say, “Next time, take me along.”

“Do you like playing Pai Gow too?”

He denied it, “No, I just like winning money.”

This response satisfied Xi Lin, who laughed heartily and agreed.

Over the past year, Si Ruoyu had been quite idle, so he often gathered fellow cultivators to play Pai Gow together.

Today, in a rare good mood, Si Ruoyu entered the room they had “occupied” for years at Zhengyu Pavilion. Upon entering, he saw Chi Muyao and Xi Huai there as well and was surprised, “You finally decided to come down the mountain?”

As he spoke, he approached and took Chi Muyao’s wrist to check, “Your spiritual energy is a bit chaotic, but it’s stable enough. Not bad.”

Chi Muyao behaved obediently, “Mm, thank you for your concern, Master.”

When it was time to play Pai Gow, Si Ruoyu noticed Chi Muyao was sitting in Xi Lin’s spot, while Xi Lin and Xi Huai sat on either side behind him, and he realized something was off.

During the game, Si Ruoyu tapped his fingers on the table and glanced at Chi Muyao, seemingly trying to communicate with him through eye contact. But Chi Muyao appeared oblivious to his signals.

He kept smiling gently, with a calm and polite demeanor, leaving no room for criticism.

The scene was quite amusing—two Nascent Soul stage cultivators sitting behind a Golden Core stage cultivator. Each of them had a dragon horn on their heads, looking mighty and imposing, but somehow, sitting behind Chi Muyao, they seemed a bit meek.

It was like a gentle-mannered masked man playing cards with two fierce bodyguards. Dare to win their spirit stones? They’ll burn your cards!

Xi Huai seemed unfamiliar with Pai Gow and didn’t understand the situation, furrowing his brows as they played. Fortunately, others didn’t know he was confused; they thought he was deep in thought, judging by his expression.

Xi Lin, on the other hand, was very eager, often trying to give Chi Muyao some pointers. But he soon realized that Chi Muyao didn’t need his advice—this kid had an excellent ability to calculate. Even if his hand wasn’t great, he could ensure he wasn’t the worst loser, playing his cards very carefully and cautiously.

The first few rounds went smoothly, but by the fourth round, Si Ruoyu started acting dishonestly. While others used telekinesis to draw their cards, only Si Ruoyu reached out with her hand, her slender fingers gliding across the table, emitting a faint fragrance.

Chi Muyao watched for a moment but made no move. It wasn’t until the game was halfway through that he snapped his fingers, breaking the illusion.

The cultivators playing Pai Gow were momentarily stunned, realizing their cards had suddenly changed, and the cards on the table were different from what they remembered.

Si Ruoyu immediately slapped the table, yelling, “Chi Muyao!”

Chi Muyao sighed helplessly, “Master, have you won quite a few spirit stones from Sect Leader Xi using this trick?”

Xi Lin finally understood and exclaimed in shock, “Sect Leader Si, you… you actually used illusions while playing cards?!”

Si Ruoyu, known as the ancestor of illusion techniques, wasn’t particularly skilled in combat, but her mastery of illusions was exceptional. The illusions she created were so detailed that even Nascent Soul stage cultivators would have difficulty realizing they were trapped in one.

Once the illusion was cast, the affected person’s various senses would be subtly altered, leaving them unaware that the game was being manipulated. They’d think they were playing normally.

Si Ruoyu had won quite a few spirit stones using this trick.

But today, Chi Muyao had seen through it.

A Nascent Soul stage cultivator who often played with them couldn’t help but ask, “Sect Leader Si, isn’t this a bit underhanded?”

Si Ruoyu righteously replied, “This is the Demon Sect—aren’t Demon Sect cultivators supposed to rely on their abilities? Didn’t the Sect Leader of Qianshou Sect also cheat by swapping cards last time?!”

The man knew that there were few upright people in the Demon Sect, so he suggested, “You don’t have to return all the spirit stones you’ve won, but at least return half, right?”

“Impossible!” Si Ruoyu immediately and arrogantly refused. “By the way, Sect Leader Zhang, are you experiencing any spiritual energy overflow lately? What kind of girls do you like? I can have a disciple accompany you for a couple of days.”

Sect Leader Zhang was furious, “Not only did you take my money, but now you want your disciple to drain my spiritual energy? You want to have it all?!”

“My disciples are all as beautiful as flowers. If it weren’t for your high cultivation and good qualifications, they wouldn’t even like an old fossil like you! You probably don’t even know any tricks, just charging in recklessly.”

“You… you… Didn’t we agree not to talk dirty before playing cards?”

“Are we playing cards right now? We’re arguing, and I don’t have to consider your feelings when we’re arguing!”

Xi Lin, who had been stunned for a while, finally came to his senses and asked Chi Muyao, “So, all those times I lost, it was because of an illusion?”

Chi Muyao solemnly nodded, “Yes, Sect Leader. The outside world is full of dangers; it’s best for you to stay within the sect.”

Xi Lin, the clueless great dragon who would throw a fit when scolded by other cultivators, gets tricked while playing cards, and doesn’t even realise it.

Xi Lin looked dejectedly at the cards on the table, seemingly unwilling to continue playing. He sighed, stood up, and left.

He was disappointed in Pai Gow.

He was disappointed in the Demon Sect.

Si Ruoyu, however, dragged Chi Muyao out of Zhengyu Pavilion, hands on her hips, angrily asking, “You ungrateful brat, you just got married, and now you’re already siding with others?!”

Chi Muyao responded pitifully, “Master, it’s wrong to use illusions to win cards. Besides, you’ve won too much.”

“Ever since I returned to the Hehuan Sect, the outside world’s scrutiny of our sect has become increasingly strict. Many disciples have had to return to the sect. With so many delicate girls gathered together, I naturally have to find ways to support them.”

“But—”

“No buts! Chi Muyao, Master is very angry. You’ve been expelled from the Hehuan Sect!” After throwing her tantrum, Si Ruoyu stormed off in a huff.

Xi Huai watched his dejected father leave, then looked at the fuming Si Ruoyu and suddenly felt like laughing. “They’re both hundreds of years old, yet they act like they’ve never grown up. Expelling you from the sect over something like this? Shouldn’t you go back and explain or soothe your Master?”

“Actually, there’s no need… You don’t have to worry; I’ll make a trip to the Hehuan Sect.”

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“No.”

“Alright, I’ll go comfort my dad.”

Chi Muyao stepped onto a pink cloud-like flying artifact and followed Si Ruoyu towards the Hehuan Sect.

When he reached the entrance of the sect, he saw a junior sister secretly opening the door for him and whispered, “Senior brother, what did you do to make Master angry?”

“Nothing really.” He carefully entered the Hehuan Sect and made his way to the sect’s administrative hall.

Once there, he had just sat down when the junior sisters eagerly brought the account books to him.

As soon as Chi Muyao opened them, Si Ruoyu barged in, “Don’t give those to him! He’s been expelled from the sect!”

Chi Muyao looked up at her, then ignored her and continued reviewing the accounts, his abacus clicking, occasionally marking the pages with his brush.

Si Ruoyu had stormed in with a lot of energy, but seeing him calmly working, she started to deflate and even wanted to destroy the account books.

When Chi Muyao finished balancing the accounts, he spoke in a somewhat restrained tone, “Master!”

Si Ruoyu’s temper vanished instantly. She complained to Xu Ranzhu, “Ahhh, look at him! A-Jiu is so annoying! I raised him, and now he’s scolding me!”

Chi Muyao brought the account books to her, pointing out a few items, “How could you buy so many pieces of jewelry?”

“I was wrong!” Si Ruoyu admitted her mistake but still shouted at him, “I was wrong! I was wrong!”

Xu Ranzhu explained, “Many disciples were sent back by the sects they infiltrated. Their cultivation didn’t progress, and they were feeling down. That’s why the Grandmaster bought jewelry for them, hoping it would lift their spirits.”

Chi Muyao could only sit back down with the ledger in hand, feeling a sense of melancholy as he stared at the accounts.

Si Ruoyu finally calmed down and asked, “Is it serious?”

Chi Muyao looked at the current financial status of the Hehuan Sect in the ledger and said, “We need to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills. I just checked the statistics, and several junior sisters are ready to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. I also believe that the distribution of these pills shouldn’t be too strict. Those attempting their second or third breakthrough should also receive some to reduce the pressure on them during this critical period.”

“Oh…” She moved closer to the table to look at the ledger with him. “You’re right. I indeed didn’t consider this thoroughly. Do you have a solution?”

“The only way is to ask Qingze Sect for help. I’ve reviewed their accounts. If our two sects purchase the pills together, we can get a larger quantity at a lower cost. However, we’ll need to repay this favor later. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Seeing that Si Ruoyu’s temper had cooled down, Chi Muyao continued, “I did it on purpose today. It’s ultimately inappropriate to cheat in card games. The Demon Sect is full of hot-tempered individuals. Today, with Xi Huai and me here, the situation was still manageable. But if others discover the truth in the future and confront you, given your lack of combat skills, if you can’t escape quickly, it could lead to fatal consequences.

“You are the sect master, the only Nascent Soul cultivator of the Hehuan Sect. If something were to happen to you, what would the other disciples do?

“Letting the news spread that you cheated at cards today will also prevent you from continuing to gamble. Even if you stop cheating, gambling always involves wins and losses. If you lose too much, the sect can’t afford it, so it’s better to stop altogether.”

“Oh…” Despite being several hundred years old, she was rendered speechless by a junior’s lecture.

Chi Muyao sighed, “Also, stop trying to deceive Sect Master Xi. He’s almost been fooled into stupidity by you.”

“Do you not understand the concept of ‘all’s fair in love and war’? I’ve been navigating the treacherous world of the Demon Sect for years. How can he only grow in cultivation without gaining wisdom? I was just teaching him a lesson, letting him know how treacherous people’s hearts can be.”

“Grandmaster!”

“I was wrong!” Her apology was more forceful than anyone else’s.

Xu Ranzhu couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.

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Author’s Note:

Juggling three sects: Qingze Sect, Hehuan Sect, and Yu Chong Sect.

Thousand Hands Sect’s leader who stole cards: “You’re shameless!”

Si Ruoyu, who used illusions: “You’re the despicable one!”

Sect Leader Zhang: “I’m the real victim here!”

Si Ruoyu: “You lost and refused to pay!”

Sect Leader Zhang: “…”

Xi Lin, standing on the moral high ground, chastises them: “You’re all scoundrels!”

The three retort in unison: “Who was the one who fought after losing?!”

Xi Lin: “…”