Chapter 155: Golden Clang and Lotus Dew: Third Marriage (Part 1)

Chapter 155: Golden Clang and Lotus Dew: Third Marriage (Part 1)

The winter noon sun was just right.

The wind was also light.

Fu Yu lazed in a large wicker chair, a thick, dense velvet blanket draped over her knees. Sunlight filtered through the shadows of the Green Bodhi Tree, like gold dust, falling all over her.

Jun Bu Du carried the Nine Crossroads Dust as he chopped wood.

The Divine Sword, capable of cutting anything, was used to fell timber, and it clanged excitedly.

Fu Yu chuckled softly, then lazily closed her eyes.

That great battle had drained her severely and left her heavily wounded; these days, she had been recuperating.

Jun Bu Du was actually a very dominant and solitary person. He built a courtyard with his own hands, "confining" her within it, forbidding anyone from approaching.

Whether her eyes were open or closed, he was all she saw.

The war outside was still raging, and things would stay chaotic for a while, but it no longer required her concern.

Having lived two lives, Fu Yu experienced such ease and comfort for the first time.

She could let her mind go completely blank, just lying there, basking in the sun, with nothing to worry about—light, empty, yet filled to the brim with lazy contentment and happiness.

"Jun Bu Du."

"Hmm."

"What's for dinner?"

"Chicken. Or do you want something else?"

There was silence for a while.

He walked over to her, glanced down, and saw she had fallen asleep, her brows relaxed.

He seemed lost in thought.

He could still picture her lying alone under the Green Bodhi Tree back then, with a smile on her lips, yet it was heart-wrenching.

He reached out, his fingertips landing on her cheek.

In her deep sleep, Fu Yu sensed something.

She still wasn't used to him being back. In a daze, feeling utterly weak, she forgot for a moment and thought she was still in that time of solitude.

Just like back then, when she was drifting in and out of sleep, she always felt he was there.

The tip of Fu Yu's nose tingled, and a slight blush spread across her brow.

His bony fingers traced her brows.

He had spent thousands of years alone.

He knew you never got used to that; it wasn't possible.

"Don't be sad. I'll never leave you alone again."

Fu Yu didn't wake, but felt a sudden rush of bittersweet emotion in her heart.

A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye.

He bent down and kissed it away, as if it were precious.

A cool evening breeze blew. Fu Yu was woken up as she was being carried.

He didn't realize she had woken up. His pale chin was lifted slightly, thin lips pressed together, his calm, beautiful eyes staring straight ahead without any emotion.

Fu Yu contentedly admired his face, which she could never get tired of looking at.

"What are you thinking?" she suddenly asked as he crossed the threshold.

She felt a bit mischievous—she wanted to see him startled.

Jun Bu Du lowered his eyes.

"You're awake." His face didn't change, his voice gentle, as if they had been talking normally all along. "I was just thinking if you'd be cold tonight and whether I should change the blanket."

Fu Yu stared at the sky.

This guy's emotions are way too stable—he's not even human.

He placed her on the couch and tucked in the corners of the blanket.

Unable to resist, Fu Yu sneaked her hand out from under the blanket for some cool air.

He gently held her hand and put it back under the covers.

Fu Yu took it out again.

He said, "Your bones are fragile now, not like they used to be. Stop messing around."

Hearing this, Fu Yu retorted, full of defiance: "I can swim eighteen laps across the Endless Sea right now!"

While she was boasting, a large hand covered Fu Yu's face.

The world went dark as his cold, hard fingers brushed downward, firmly making her close her eyes and mouth.

"Sleep."

His hands smelled faintly of wood, and had his own cool, clean scent.

He sat by the couch, keeping an eye on her, making sure she didn't kick off the blanket.

"...Huh?"

Fu Yu stared in shock at the scene in front of her—it was downright creepy.

Circles of white candles, a sinister atmosphere—it was obviously some kind of evil ritual array.

The corner of Fu Yu's mouth twitched.

Who does this idiot think they are, messing with a god?

She was hurt, sure, but her spirit wasn't.

To attack her with a dream attack... Have they lost their mind?

Fu Yu raised an eyebrow, half amused, half exasperated, stepped out of the circle of white candles, and looked at the large white cloth like a funeral banner before her.

Behind the white cloth were shadows moving about wildly, like demons dancing wildly.

Fu Yu lazily lifted a finger, casually flicking aside the cloth hanging before her face, as a vein popped in her forehead.

"You—"

The strange creatures jumped violently, turned around in unison, and stared at her sharply.

"Master!!!"

Fu Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

These fellows had incense sticks on their heads, waved peachwood sticks in their hands, and did the Celestial Steps like a night parade of ghosts, conducting a ritual to summon her soul.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit sobbed hysterically: "Master! Waaah! Master! Finally I see you, Master!"

"That man is so scary," the monkey scratched its head, "I just climbed a tree far away to take a look, and he almost scared the soul right out of me with a single glance."

Li Xueke waved his hand: "I told you your master would be fine with him, you worry too much."

Wu He said listlessly: "Next time you want to get yourself killed, don't drag me along."

The Paper Effigy Boy happily flipped and tumbled—shua! Shua shua!

Fu Yu cheerfully chose a spot without candles and sat down. The monkey and the Paper Effigy Boy darted forward from either side, each squeezing under her fingers, monopolizing both her hands.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit pursed its lips, and the little grass strands around its eyes were red.

Fu Yu beckoned it closer.

"You contributed to killing Qiu Qianyue."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit was startled, then its eyes suddenly lit up: "Really?!"

Fu Yu nodded calmly.

She motioned for the creatures to sit in a circle, and slowly told them what happened in the void.

"Whoa!" Li Xueke gasped and leaned back, "Immortality Elixir! Rebirth!"

Fu Yu smiled: "Does any of this feel familiar?"

Li Xueke was baffled and exchanged glances with the bewildered Foxtail Grass Spirit beside him: "Eh?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit shook its head honestly.

Wu He looked at these slow-witted creatures around him and sighed deeply: "It's you, you strange creature."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit pointed at itself: "Me? Me?"

Fu Yu nodded with a smile.

"Oh..." the Foxtail Grass Spirit understood, "I was torn apart and came back."

Fu Yu said: "I was already eighty or ninety percent sure about Qiu Qianyue's ability. When the jade pendant you sent woke Yun You'er, I was completely certain."

The strange creatures opened their eyes wide.

Fu Yu laughed: "Things in this world are always like this. If there is a trace of mysterious 'coincidence,' then it must be karma."

Wu He looked at the Foxtail Grass Spirit, seeming to understand: "The same ability, one used for good deeds, another for evil. Precisely because of this mutually opposing karma, you just happened to summon the Emperor Witch Fate Master—the god who killed Qiu Qianyue."

The Paper Effigy Boy shook his head happily: "Fate! Fate!"

Li Xueke slapped his thigh in delight: "Interesting! Interesting!"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit: "Don't care! Me and master! We're fated!"

The eerie room suddenly felt joyful.

"Having so much fun?"

They heard a very soft, gentle voice.

It wasn't sudden, as if it had been there all along.

The strange creatures looked up to the sound coming from behind Fu Yu, and the moment they saw the figure clearly, they were thunderstruck, frozen like wooden chickens.

Fu Yu turned back, smiling: "How come you're here too?"

Jun Bu Du smiled: "Can't I come?"

His tone became even gentler.

All the strange creatures' scalps tingled, they stiffly turned their eyes to exchange glances, their inner voices screamed: We're done for, done for, done for, done for, done for, done for!

Amid the terrified gazes, he unhurriedly walked to Fu Yu's side and sat down.

His thin, cold eyelids did not move; only his crimson eyes lifted faintly.

There was no sound of breathing around at all.

His smile was quiet and light: "What are you talking about?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit's tail bristled all over. T-talk... talking about it and master being fated?

The moment Fu Yu saw Jun Bu Du's face, her mind went blank.

When he smiled, she felt no coldness or stillness in the air at all.

She smiled sweetly and gestured to the creatures: "Go on, why so quiet?"

The strange creatures: "..."

Wu He was utterly defeated, his shoulders slumped, and looked at the sky miserably—Having summoned his wife to a funeral-parlor-like haunted place behind his back?

Jun Bu Du tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable: "Fu Yu is asking you, why aren't you talking."

The pressure on the Foxtail Grass Spirit mounted.

Finally, the string in its head snapped—twang!

It blurted out: "S-say—grow old together! Never part! In life and death! A hundred years of harmony! Life after life after life after life..."

As if stuck, it repeated in a loop.

Fu Yu burst out laughing.

Jun Bu Du nodded. "Are you discussing wedding arrangements?"

Fu Yu was taken aback. "No..."

The crowd of weirdos shouted in unison, "Yes! Exactly!"

Jun Bu Du smiled. "Her injuries haven't fully healed; I originally said there's no rush."

The weirdos immediately protested, "Hurry up! Of course it's urgent! The Divine Shaman is dying to get this done! Or else why would she come running to us?"

Fu Yu: "???"

Thus, Fu Yu's third wedding was set on the schedule.

On the auspicious day, the small courtyard was festively decorated in red.

There were not many guests. Aside from the weirdos, Fu Yu only invited Yu Xiao and a few acquaintances from Qingyun Sect. Jun Bu Du brought two protectors, Long Ao Tian and Long Yuanyuan.

When stepping through the threshold, Hua Lang and the others were so nervous they were moving like robots, forgetting how to walk.

"F-following the rightful boss is really terrifying, to be honest."

Who would have thought? A Foundation Establishment disciple from a backwater sect actually got an invite to hang at the wedding of the Dao Ancestor and the Divine Shaman!

It was something to brag about for eight hundred years!

Firecrackers were set off inside and outside the courtyard. The Foxtail Grass Spirit clanged the gong, Li Xueke beat the drum, and there was laughter and joy everywhere.

Fu Yu's wedding dress was almost a copy of the green dress she'd lost.

She glanced sideways at the groom.

He was clad in red, with a refined, otherworldly look. His lowered eyelids and smile messed with everyone's head.

"Say if you get tired," he said.

Fu Yu: "I'm not tired!"

A beat later, he added, "Your injuries have just healed; it's not suitable to drink alcohol."

Fu Yu: "I've been good for ages!"

"Really no problem?"

"Mm!"

He smiled, took her hand, and made the rounds, drinking their wedding toasts, their ears filled with blessings.

Both hosts and guests were delighted.

This former taboo, the unspeakable Dao Ancestor, appeared to have an extremely good temper, but faced with his faintly smiling eyes, not a single soul dared yell out 'let's mess with the newlyweds!'

Fu Yu was slightly tipsy, so happy she felt as if floating on cloud nine.

When Jun Bu Du leaned down to carry her, she gleefully looped her arms around his neck, smiling at him with eyes shimmering like scattered stars.

Behind them, wooden door after wooden door clicked shut by itself.

In the bridal chamber, red candles burned, making his cool, sharp features glow.

They knotted a lock of hair together and drank from the wedding cups.

Jun Bu Du held her hand and led her to the bedside.

Fu Yu's heartbeat quickened; the crimson bedding on the bed flushed her cheeks and ears red.

Jun Bu Du's unshakeable gaze made her tremble involuntarily.

She looked away, eyes shifting. "I'm a little tired..."

He let out a low chuckle.

Fu Yu's vision darkened as her body fell into his tall, hard chest.

"Mmph!"

His hand, hard as steel, clamped down on the back of her head.

She instinctively opened her mouth to inhale, and he swept his lips over hers, biting and turning.

It was not gentle.

In a dizzying whirl, she was pressed into the bed. He pressed down on her, his weight full, his cool aura enveloping her, leaving no escape.

"Shua."

The bright red-and-green wedding gown hit the floor outside the red canopy curtains.

Fu Yu was kissed breathless. Before her mind could react to his last move, a fiercer wave of attacks came in, catching her completely off balance.

"Jun, Jun Bu... mnh..."

He easily pushed past her teeth, and a tingling thrill shot up to her crown.

"Mm... wait..."

He pushed in without mercy, parting her knees.

Fu Yu's eyes widened. Her hands instinctively pushed at him, but he caught both her wrists in one hand and held them down above the pillow.

He tipped his chin and bit her lip once more.

Fu Yu's objections went nowhere.

Sounds of steel meeting, a hibiscus wet with dew.

The red curtains fell, and the bed was alive with blissful chaos.