Chapter 9 The Wedding Night

• Qingyue did not pursue the matter any further. Given this white-garbed woman's high standing and position, if she said it was impossible, then there was no likelihood of ever restoring Xiao Che's damaged vital arcane energy pressure points.
• "Qingyue, I'm aware of your intentions. I know that you would like to repay your debt to the Xiao family for saving your life as an infant before you return to the Polar Deity Temple. However, you've already become this man's wife; that's more than sufficient. Once you return to the Polar Deity Temple, your identity will be revealed. He may or may not be mocked and humiliated even more after that, but whatever happens, his status as the husband of a disciple from the Polar Deity Temple will be public knowledge. In a small place like Cloud City, his position will at least ensure that no one will do him any mischief," the white-garbed woman said consolingly.
• Qingyue nodded slightly. "I hope that's the case."
• "His arcane ability is badly damaged, and he has nothing else to his advantage; he won't amount to much for the rest of his life. You, however, are a matchless beauty possessing wisdom and intelligence. In terms of potential, a talent like yours appears maybe once in several hundred years, even in a place like the Polar Deity Temple. If not for that, the head of the Temple wouldn't have made an exception to the rules and allowed you to become this man's bride so you could have peace of mind. His greatest stroke of good fortune is being able to marry you. By becoming his wife, you've already done everything you can. Even if his father Xiao Ying were alive, he would have called off the betrothal if he was wise. Very well, I'll take my leave now. In a month, I'll return for you. I won't be far away during this time; if anything occurs that you can't handle, send me a message and let me know."
• "Thank you, Master."
• The white-garbed woman nodded and turned, revealing her incredibly beautiful, aloof face. She used no cosmetics of any kind and her complexion was as smooth and fair as snow jade. In fact, she embodied the delicate snow-white skin and ruby lips that the ancients praised as the benchmark for classic beauty. Her features were exquisite, a masterpiece of art. Her loveliness was tinged with an aura of austere purity and aloofness; one did not dare to look at her directly. She was as otherworldly as a fae, unsullied by any dregs and dross of the mortal realm.
• She opened the back window and gave her body a little shake. With the grace of a frost sprite, she vanished like the morning mist.
• The great hall of the Xiao residence was full of guests.
• "Uncle Liu, please have some wine." Xiao Che respectfully offered a cup to a scholarly, cultured middle-aged man.
• Uncle Liu laughed heartily and stood up. Taking the cup from Xiao Che, he downed the wine in one swallow, then chuckled and said, "My good nephew, I was best friends with your father back in the day. Today, I'm able to witness your marriage to such an excellent wife; now you can start a family of your own. This makes me extremely happy!"
• "Thank you, Uncle Liu.
• "First Grandmaster, please have some wine."
• Xiao Li, the First Grandmaster of the Xiao Clan, took the proffered cup of wine and downed it, then set the cup on the table with a heavy thump. Apart from a disinterested "Mm", he said nothing; he did not even bother to look at Xiao Che. His entire attitude was that he had bestowed an extremely magnanimous favor upon the young man by drinking at all.
• Xiao Che did not say anything either but moved to the next table. He had barely taken two steps when Xiao Li spat on the ground and said loud enough for Xiao Che to hear, "A jewel that's now stuck on top of a dung heap. Pah!"
• Xiao Che's expression did not change, nor did his steps falter. It was as if he had not heard the insulting remark. However, his gaze became slightly more distant and much colder.
• When he reached Second Grandmaster Xiao Bo, he bowed slightly and said, "Second Grandmaster, here's a toast in your honor."
• Xiao Bo did not even look at Xiao Che; he merely averted his face and said blandly, "Yang Er, please drink that for me."
• "Yes, Grandfather." Xiao Yang did not hesitate or ask questions. He took the cup from Xiao Che and downed the wine in a gulp.
• Giving wine meant for an elder to someone of a younger generation to drink went beyond mere disdain; this was outright humiliation. After Xiao Yang finished the wine, he set the cup back on the table and sat down, not bothering to conceal the contemptuous smile that played about his lips.
• Xiao Che made no comment, merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment and went to the next table. Just like earlier, he had barely gone two paces before Xiao Bo's derisive voice said behind him, "Pah, trash will be trash no matter what. Even if he's managed to gain a connection to the Xia family, he's still useless. Don't tell me that old b*stard Xiao Lie is trying to reverse his fortunes through his grandchildren? Huh!"
• Xiao Bo's words were heavily laced with disdain and mockery, but there was also an undertone of envy. Xia Qingyue's astounding potential and talent alone would be cause for delight, more so if she married his grandson Xiao Yang instead of Xiao Che.
• Just like before, Xiao Che smiled faintly and walked away as if he had not heard the derogatory comments.
• By the time he finished serving the wine, night had already fallen. Some of the guests had wished him sincere, heartfelt congratulations and good fortune, but these were few and far between. In fact, Xiao Che could count the number of them on both hands. Most of the people present were still courteous to him; after all, today was his wedding day. However, he could clearly see the disdain in their eyes; some of them sighed, while others were envious. There were also those who did not conceal the contempt they felt for him or that they regarded him as a useless piece of trash; it was openly displayed upon their faces.
• Since Xiao Che's vital arcane energy pressure points were damaged, he would not amount to anything for the rest of his life, so these people did not feel it necessary to treat him with any courtesy or even mingle with him. They did not care if they insulted him because his lack of arcane ability meant there would be no danger of repercussions. As a result, they could openly display their superiority and lord it over him, powerhouses disdainful of a weakling who could never surpass them…
• Such ugly attitudes were inherent in many human beings; this was the unfortunate reality.
• "You should get some rest soon," Xiao Lie said with a warm smile, clapping Xiao Che on the shoulder.
• Naturally, Xiao Che was more than aware of what lay beneath his grandfather's smiling countenance.
• Xiao Lie had mellowed considerably over the years. However, the tempestuous, fiery nature he had become famous for in his youth was still alive and kicking. It did not take much to provoke him, and anyone who incurred his displeasure would reap the consequences tenfold; he was not afraid of anyone, nor did he care who he offended. Xiao Che was very much aware that his grandfather's personality had become increasingly mellow, not because of age or maturity, but because of him…
• Xiao Lie had made a conscious choice to do this because his debilitated grandson needed his protection. For him, Xiao Le had to be gentle and mellow and keep a low profile; even if he bore the brunt of humiliation and ridicule, he would tolerate it as long as it did not go over the line. This way, he would not have to worry about enemies who bore a grudge against him, either during his lifetime or when he was no longer in this world. If not, his enemies would easily be able to take revenge against his defenseless grandson.
• As a result, Xiao Le was now constantly being deliberately humiliated and mocked by the other four Grandmasters, although he had previously been the greatest powerhouse in Cloud City whom no one dared to offend. Even his elders and seniors did not bother to show him much respect or deference.
• As he watched Xiao Lie's departing silhouette and recalled the derisive sneers and disdain on the faces of the guests, Xiao Che's hands slowly clenched tightly until his knuckles were white. Briefly, a glint as cold as a steel blade flickered in his eyes, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his face, one that would have made anyone's blood run cold to see it.
• Xiao Che was someone who held grudges, and for the last few years in Heavenly Arcana Land, his heart had been completely consumed by hatred. He remembered those who had treated him well; those who had treated him badly, he remembered them too. In fact, it was coming to a point where vengeance was necessary.
• "You'll regret this…all of you…"
• Xiao Che's soft murmur sounded like a malicious curse.
• Since Heaven has seen fit to give me another chance by allowing me to be reborn, how can I allow Grandfather and myself to be continually humiliated like this?
• By the time he returned to his quarters, the moon was already high in the sky. Xiao Che made his way to a corner of the courtyard and extended his left hand. At the same time, a stream of water shot out from his palm like an arrow.
• Tonight, he had had no choice but to drink a considerable amount of wine. By the end of the banquet, he had imbibed enough to look as if he were in a drunken stupor, weaving and tottering and barely able to stand upright. In truth, he was more alert than ever before. It was not that he had a high tolerance for alcohol; rather, it was because he had transferred all the wine he imbibed into the Sky Poison Pearl. Since the Sky Poison Pearl had already integrated with his body, controlling it was as easy as controlling any of his limbs.
• It took a while to completely purge the wine from the Sky Poison Pill. Xiao Che raised his alcohol-covered left hand, then grinned suddenly and smeared the wine all over his face. After that, he took a deep breath and held it for long enough that his face turned red. Stumbling to his room, he pushed the door open unsteadily and tottered inside.
• A reek of alcohol followed him in; as he opened the door, he staggered and almost fell flat on his face. In some embarrassment, he looked over at Qingyue. She was sitting upright on the bed, her beautiful eyes closed, looking exceptionally serene. The dull, flicking light of the red candles illuminated her breathtakingly beautiful countenance; she looked both ethereal and irresistibly enchanting.
• Xiao Che's eyes glinted. Putting on a vapid, lascivious smile, he stumbled drunkenly toward Qingyue. "H-hello m'dear wife…I've l-left you alone for a long time…now w-we can h-have a proper wedding night…"
• Qingyue's eyes suddenly opened, and she gestured with her right hand.
• An icy blast of wind swept over Xiao Che and hurled him out the door. He landed on his rump outside in the courtyard, almost knocking over the lone stone table there.
• Xiao Che grunted in pain and rubbed his aching rear. It took him a while to catch his breath and pull himself upright, upon which he shouted angrily, "D*amn! I was only joking! You didn't need to be so drastic! At my level of ability, I can barely strangle a chicken! Do you want to murder your husband?"
• Slam!
• The door shut firmly in his face.
• Xiao Che tried to push it open but discovered that it was securely locked from the inside.
• Suddenly, a wave of depression overtook him. This woman couldn't even take a joke, much less allow him to tease her! How would they be able to get along amicably if so?
• "Look, I was only trying to tease you, honestly…Besides, I'm only a Nascent Arcana stage 1st level riffraff. There's no way I would be able to coerce you against your will even if I tried."
• Qingyue did not answer him.
• Xiao Che stood at the door for quite a while, but it showed no signs of opening. His quarters comprised just this room and the courtyard; there was not even a storage room or a horse stable, much less any sort of side room. On any other occasion, he would still be able to sneak over to Aunt Lingxi's place to sleep, but tonight was his wedding night. It was not appropriate for him to be anywhere else.
• A cold gust of night air swept through the courtyard, and Xiao Che shivered involuntarily. He knocked on the door again and pleaded weakly, "Hey, you're not really going to make me sleep outside tonight, are you? I'm sure you're aware that a lot of people in my clan have a lot of opinions about you, and they're really uncomfortable with the idea that tonight is going to be our wedding night. However, they're all absolutely certain that a rare jewel like yourself is going to look down on a useless piece of trash like me. We might be married, but they're certain you're not going to allow me to lay even a finger on you, so later on, there'll definitely be people sneaking by to watch the fun and make a joke out of me. If they see you've locked me out of the room, I'm really going to be the laughingstock of the entire city.
• "However you look at it, I'm still your lawful wedded husband now. Are you really going to just look on while they mock me?"
• The room remained silent. Just as Xiao Che was contemplating kicking the door down, it slowly opened of its own accord.
• Xiao Che shot through the door like lightning and slammed the door shut, bolting it securely.
• Qing Yue was sitting on the side of the bed. Even though there was nothing ordinary about her pose, it still managed to convey an aura of aristocratic elegance. Her gaze turned toward the embarrassed Xiao Che. "You are not allowed to come within five paces of me," she told him calmly.
• "...Well, where would you have me sleep?" Xiao Che pursed his lips in displeasure. The room was very small and contained only a bed, a study table, a small table for eating, and two cabinets. From end to end, it measured more or less only seven or eight paces. Five paces would basically put him against the foot of the wall opposite the bed.
• "You can sleep on the bed." Qingyue stood up.
• "Absolutely not!" Xiao Che declined without a moment's hesitation. He then sat himself down in the corner furthest away from Qingyue and closed his eyes. Even though her arcane ability was miles more powerful than his own, he had his own male dignity as well. He was certainly not going to hog the bed and let her sleep on the floor.