Chapter 236: Wedding Evening

Zhao Xiang'er's bedchamber was called Lingque Pavilion. The chamber had a classical and serene design, furnished with precious antique wooden pieces. Two colorful paper lanterns, held by palace maids painted on the walls, emitted a faint glow. In the dim golden light, beaded curtains and drapes hung peacefully.

It was a long night.

Ning Changjiu, dressed in a white robe, walked through the bedchamber. His gaze leisurely fell upon a painting on the wall, drawn to a framed letter. After a moment, he couldn't help but laugh softly, "You still have this?"

Zhao Xiang'er nodded. "Of course. This is one of the pieces of evidence against you; don't think you can just erase it."

Ning Changjiu looked at the letter, his gaze lingering on the last line: "May we live long, and may Your Highness also live long."

"It's written quite childishly," Ning Changjiu remarked.

Zhao Xiang'er smiled faintly. "I thought you were going to claim that your past self wasn't truly you."

Ning Changjiu replied, "My past self wasn't truly me, because..."

Zhao Xiang'er interrupted, "I can't be bothered to argue about that with you."

Ning Changjiu pulled back his thoughts. He passed through the round, intricately carved wooden door and walked to the wooden four-poster bed with its draped curtains. This was where he had woken up after enduring the lightning tribulation.

The bedding was neatly folded, everything just as it had been.

"What are you doing standing by my bed? Do you want to lie down?" Zhao Xiang'er turned around and asked with a smile.

Her back, clad in a thin white inner garment, was slightly transparent in the candlelight, tinged with a faint blush, like a delicate, ethereal veil.

Ning Changjiu said, "No need to rush; the night is still long."

Zhao Xiang'er replied, "I think that's what I said when you first woke up back then."

Ning Changjiu said, "Yes, that was our first true meeting."

Zhao Xiang'er recalled, "And it's only been a little over three years since then."

"Three years..." Ning Changjiu murmured. "By the way, tomorrow... let's go to White City."

Zhao Xiang'er's eyes narrowed slightly. "You can't sit still after just four days?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Don't you want to see her before you leave?"

"I certainly do," Zhao Xiang'er said, a smile appearing on her lips. "When Lu Jiajia was by the abyss, she and I argued fiercely for half a day. At the time, our cultivation levels were similar, so I didn't refute anything. But now, she's no match for me. We'll see if she still dares to be arrogant when we meet again."

Ning Changjiu walked behind Zhao Xiang'er, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. He chuckled, "Yes, Xiang'er is the strongest. How about I beg for mercy on behalf of my master?"

Zhao Xiang'er's expression turned a little cold. She swatted Ning Changjiu's hand away, her gaze like a thread. "This whole night, do you intend to talk about other women with me?"

Ning Changjiu countered, "Then what should we do?"

Zhao Xiang'er replied, "Of course, we should do something interesting."

Ning Changjiu picked up a white chess piece and placed it on the board. He looked up at Zhao Xiang'er and said, "I didn't expect you to play chess."

Zhao Xiang'er placed a black piece, proudly stating, "I've been proficient in all four arts – zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting – since childhood."

Ning Changjiu laughed, "That's how courtesans introduce themselves too."

Zhao Xiang'er didn't get angry; her eyes twinkled playfully. "You seem to have a lot of experience?"

Ning Changjiu paused, then quickly explained, "Just hearsay."

They continued placing pieces in turn, chatting idly.

Zhao Xiang'er said, "Actually, if you count it, we haven't known each other for very long. Only half a month in the Imperial City, a month in Linhe City, and now just seven days... all in all, our time together amounts to less than two months."

Ning Changjiu replied, "Some people share a bed for decades and still feign affection, while others fall in love at first sight. Time can't measure everything."

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "If not for this marriage contract, would we have met?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Are you still troubled by the matter of destiny?"

Zhao Xiang'er nodded slightly. "How can I not be? Look, we are now like players observing from outside the game. We can place these pieces anywhere we want, and then the losing player's pieces are surrounded and captured by the winner..."

As the young woman spoke, she picked up a black chess piece between her index and middle fingers, gently tapped it on the board, then moved her fingertips slightly to lift a white piece that had been surrounded, placing it in the wooden chess box.

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "Chess pieces are inanimate objects, but we are full of life."

Zhao Xiang'er whispered, "In the eyes of those supreme gods, what difference is there between us and chess pieces?"

Ning Changjiu looked at the chessboard gradually filling with black and white pieces and quipped, "Then I can only hope that the one moving my pieces isn't a terrible player."

Zhao Xiang'er laughed, "I don't know about your master's chess skills, but yours are absolutely dreadful."

Ning Changjiu scoffed, "More than enough to beat you."

Zhao Xiang'er looked at the unfolding situation on the board, her smile cool. "When will you get rid of this stubborn habit of yours?"

Ning Changjiu was unconcerned. "What if I win?"

Zhao Xiang'er had already seen through his flimsy chess skills in this setup and didn't believe he could turn the tide.

The young woman rested her cheek on her hand, her gaze slowly drifting over the chessboard. She said, "If you can win, I'll obey your every word for the next few days. If I win, then the opposite. How about that?"

Ning Changjiu agreed.

He looked towards the chessboard, his initially relaxed demeanor gradually becoming serious.

The two chatted casually, yet their minds were extremely tense, calculating the complex variations on the board.

As the game reached its middle stage, Zhao Xiang'er's confidence faded. She sat upright, pinching her chin, a smooth black piece held between her slender fingers, indecisive.

Ning Changjiu placed a white piece on the board, pushing it into place with his finger.

Zhao Xiang'er became even more nervous. She looked at the piece that stood rooted on the board, biting her lip slightly. *How is this villain hiding his true skill again? Was that terrible opening a deliberate trick for me? This person, full of brilliant moves now, isn't the same one from before...*

Ning Changjiu hadn't studied chess much; he only played a few games in his previous life when bored. The reason he could turn the situation around was Zhao Xiang'er's self-proclaimed "proficiency in everything."

But he couldn't blame her. Since ancient times, when emperors played against master chess players, no master dared to win against the emperor. Thus, emperors always had the delusion that their chess skills were unrivaled. He could even imagine how Zhao Xiang'er, as a child, was always allowed to win by the palace maids.

In the past, Zhao Xiang'er had always thought of chess as a minor skill, believing she had mastered it within a few days and was unrivaled in the Zhao kingdom's chess world. Today, she finally experienced the harsh reality behind chess, and the deceit of the palace maids, at the hands of Ning Changjiu, who wasn't even a particularly strong player.

The game was past the middle stage, and her mind was a little flustered.

"Don't rush, Xiang'er; you can take your time to think," Ning Changjiu said, arms folded in his sleeves, his smile mischievous.

Zhao Xiang'er's mind was uneasy. If she lost, given this villain's nature, he would surely gang up with Lu Jiajia to bully her. She didn't even want to imagine the scenario...

Zhao Xiang'er spoke softly, "Actually, I wasn't thinking about that."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Then what were you thinking about?"

Zhao Xiang'er said seriously, "Have you ever thought about what we are truly facing now?"

Ning Changjiu became interested. "What are your thoughts?"

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "Do you still remember the Spirit Devourers?"

"Of course, I do."

"Legend says that beyond this world, there is a Sea of Ruins, where hundreds of thousands of Spirit Devourers drift. Each Spirit Devourer was once a Great Demon of at least the fifth path..."

Ning Changjiu had, of course, considered this. His answer was singular: only one type of existence could kill these Fifth Path Great Demons—the twelve Lords of the Divine Kingdoms.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Are there only demons in the Sea of Ruins?"

Zhao Xiang'er's thin lips pressed together. After a moment, she said, "I don't know."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Then do you think heaven and earth have their own emotions?"

"Emotions?"

"Hmm..." Ning Changjiu said, "According to folk legends, the heavens and earth were initially occupied by a huge, chaotic creature. Later, someone split this massive creature with an axe, bringing light to the world."

Zhao Xiang'er replied, "That's just a story. How could such a powerful being exist in the world?"

Ning Changjiu said, "I was just thinking, if the world is sentient, is it evil or good? Why did it create such a world, allowing billions of living beings to reproduce and thrive?"

Zhao Xiang'er said, "That's a terrifying thought."

"Yes, just like these chess pieces, they never know who is moving them," Ning Changjiu said, gazing at the chessboard.

Zhao Xiang'er gently shook her head. "The world isn't as simple as this chessboard. If one were to simply simulate this world..."

She pondered for a moment, then grabbed a handful of chess pieces and scattered them above the chessboard as if sowing beans.

The pieces didn't fall; instead, they evenly dispersed, forming a huge, semi-arched dome covering the chessboard, like stars hanging across the sky.

"If this were the Sea of Ruins..." Zhao Xiang'er said, looking at this world, shaped like a round sky above a square earth. She then picked up twelve more chess pieces and precisely arranged them to float around this world, emitting a soft, luminous white light.

"These are the Twelve Divine Kingdoms," Zhao Xiang'er added.

Ning Changjiu looked at this simplified world construct and said, "Actually, I've always wondered why the Twelve Divine Kingdoms, despite coexisting, can only open one at a time. Powerful as the Lords are, they confine themselves within their Divine Kingdoms, appearing in the world only once every thirteen years. Is that truly the freedom they seek?"

Zhao Xiang'er gazed at the twelve chess pieces floating outside the Sea of Ruins. After a long silence, she finally voiced a thought that had long been hidden in her heart: "Since the beginning of history, there have never been gods as powerful as these twelve... They are no less, and perhaps even stronger, than the few Primeval True Gods born when spiritual energy reached its peak during the dawn of chaos. Is that truly possible?"

Ning Changjiu fell into contemplation.

"I understand what you mean," Ning Changjiu said. "Only in fertile pastures can strong cattle and sheep be raised. This world has now stabilized, and the rate at which spiritual energy is generated has almost reached a delicate balance with the rate at which ascendants take it away. Except for five hundred years ago, there has never been another era with such a large number of powerful cultivators emerging."

Zhao Xiang'er nodded. "So, what was the soil that nurtured the Twelve Divine Lords? And what were they doing when their Divine Kingdoms were closed? Or rather..."

Zhao Xiang'er hesitated for a long time, then picked up another white piece and carefully placed it above all the floating pieces. "Or perhaps, above this world, there is a dominant... Ruler... that transcends everything."

The white piece floated in the very center.

Ning Changjiu looked at the scattered black and white pieces.

A cold autumn wind blew in, and a sudden chill rose in his heart. This inexplicable, eerie cold made his hair stand on end, sending shivers down his spine.

Outside the palace door, it suddenly became dazzlingly bright.

The heavens and earth flashed.

A moment later, thunder rumbled oppressively.

Zhao Xiang'er seemed to fear thunder; her fingers recoiled in fright.

Ning Changjiu's expression subtly changed. He thought, *This little girl fears nothing, so how could she be afraid of thunder?* Soon, he understood why...

With Zhao Xiang'er's startled movement, the suspended black and white pieces clattered down onto the chessboard like raindrops, utterly scattering the game they had been playing.

"Hmm..." Ning Changjiu looked at the ruined chess game, falling into thought.

*You discussed all this with me, only to end up wanting to flip the chessboard?*

He looked up at Zhao Xiang'er, wanting an explanation.

Zhao Xiang'er, however, looked at the continuous autumn rain outside the window, her pretty face pale, her eyes flickering. The fright seemed not to have faded yet; she pressed her lips with her slender fingers, looking extremely delicate.

A moment later, she felt Ning Changjiu's gaze. Regaining her composure slightly, she looked at the messed-up game, then lightly tapped her head with her fist, saying with a hint of apology, "I... I just got scared by accident, and the board..."

Ning Changjiu watched her expressionlessly.

Zhao Xiang'er furrowed her brow and retorted angrily, "You terrible chess player, why are you looking at me like that? Are you implying I ruined the game? You should be thanking this thunder! Otherwise, you would have definitely lost."

"Yes, yes... I was being ungracious," Ning Changjiu said, rubbing his temples painfully.

He remembered a similar bet between Ning Xiaoling and Lu Jiajia. Ning Xiaoling was about to win, but then it was disrupted by Lerou and Yazhu, and Lu Jiajia took the opportunity to back out of the deal...

*Ah, there's just no reasoning with these young women and older girls.*

Listening to Ning Changjiu's words, Zhao Xiang'er reached out to pat her chest, closed her eyes, and her expression calmed down a bit. Then she reached for the teacup beside her.

If it hadn't been for that thunderclap just now, she would have pretended to knock over the teacup.

The tea set was also valuable; at least it was saved.

Zhao Xiang'er took a sip, her gaze rising over the glazed rim of the teacup as she watched Ning Changjiu sighing and collecting the pieces. Her taut, pretty face relaxed slightly, and she finally couldn't hold it in, bending at the waist, her chest trembling, and letting out a burst of laughter.

Ning Changjiu froze. When he looked up, tea had already been sprayed onto his face.

Zhao Xiang'er found his helpless expression even funnier. She pursed her lips, wiped away the moisture from their corners, picked up a handkerchief, and offered it to him, saying, "Wipe it off?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Ning Changjiu seized her hand, which held the handkerchief, suddenly pulled her, and then, pressing her elegant back, pushed her face down onto the table scattered with chess pieces.

"What are you doing? Don't hit me!"

"How could I bear to hit little Xiang'er?"

"Then let me go..."

"Xiang'er, which do you prefer, black pieces or white pieces?"

"You... what are you going to do..."

The autumn rain outside the window gradually stopped.

After their playful antics, Zhao Xiang'er sat at the zither desk by the window, her fair hands pressing the strings, drawing forth clear, soothing melodies.

She wore only a thin silk inner garment, her slender, pale thighs positioned diagonally, contrasting with the dark zither desk.

Ning Changjiu sat beside her, picked up a jade flute, and began to play softly, his music harmonizing with hers.

The cheerful laughter in the bedchamber had faded, replaced by the slightly melancholic sounds of the zither and flute.

"Is the wedding the last day?"

After the music faded, Ning Changjiu made one final confirmation.

"Yes, call Sister Lu over then too," Zhao Xiang'er said. "After the wedding banquet, let's go to White City together. The Ascension Platform there is very interesting; I'll tell you about it, you might find it useful later."

Ning Changjiu said, "Shouldn't the wedding night follow the banquet?"

A few notes spilled from Zhao Xiang'er's fingers. "I... I haven't decided yet."

Ning Changjiu said, "Since preserving your purity is the destiny your mother bequeathed to you, don't you want to..."

Zhao Xiang'er said, "I'm not an old-fashioned person. Just like with this Zhao kingdom, I was born here, and my mother told me to reclaim lost territory and ensure the people could live in peace and prosperity. Even if I know it's destiny, I'm willing to do it."

Ning Changjiu watched her silently, waiting for her to continue.

Zhao Xiang'er paused, then looked at him. "It's true that I resent my mother controlling my destiny at every turn, and it's also true that I want to see her... You should understand the complex emotions within me. Moreover, the time we've known each other is simply too short; doing so now would be a bit hasty."

Ning Changjiu smiled and said softly, "By your logic, I suppose I'm taking advantage of the situation."

Zhao Xiang'er knelt on the smooth floor, gazing meaningfully at Ning Changjiu. "Of course, either way, there are still two days left. If you behave well during these two days, I might just change my mind."

Ning Changjiu looked at her proud yet coy expression and felt like biting her lips again.

"Mmm, I will respect your decision, no matter what," Ning Changjiu said.

"What about you?" Zhao Xiang'er countered.

"Me?"

"Yes. If I leave someday, where will you go to charm other young ladies?"

"I... I might go to the Central Land."

"Oh... to charm your junior sister, I see."

"...And also to find someone named 'Evil'."

"Evil?" Zhao Xiang'er hadn't heard of such a name.

"Yes, someone told me that person is almost omniscient," Ning Changjiu said.

"Impossible," Zhao Xiang'er denied. "Don't you know that omniscience is reciprocal?"

"Reciprocal?"

"For example, if everyone in the world knows about the existence of the Divine Kingdom Lords, then the Divine Kingdom Lords also know about everyone in the world," Zhao Xiang'er explained. "This is a special kind of law."

The young woman continued, "But no one knows about 'Evil' at all, so how can it be called omniscient? Moreover, the Divine Kingdom Lords would never allow such an existence to live in this world."

Ning Changjiu said, "The Divine Kingdom Lords are not entirely omniscient either."

Just as the Sinful Monarch didn't know about the Headless God's death or identity.

Zhao Xiang'er gave a self-deprecating smile. "In the end, we are just their chess pieces; we have no right to think about these things."

Ning Changjiu nodded gently. "For the next two days, let's not think about anything else, and just have two days that are purely ours."

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "Then how long did you spend with Lu Jiajia, purely and exclusively?"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "Didn't we agree not to talk about other things?"

Zhao Xiang'er looked at his slightly stiff smile and snorted lightly, "Beast."

After a brief silence, they both looked out the window.

A faint white light permeated through the window.

Unbeknownst to them, the night had already passed, and it was getting light outside.

The light, filtered through the curtains and drapes, was so hazy.

It was the fifth of seven days.

How fleeting are seven days on the path of cultivation?

The bedchamber was so quiet that not a sound could be heard, yet even in the quietest world, time always flows on.

"I will always remember these days," Zhao Xiang'er broke the silence.

"It's not like we're parting forever. Why say such things?" Ning Changjiu closed his eyes slightly.

"I'm still a little afraid," Zhao Xiang'er said. "I never imagined that destiny, in someone's hands, could be manipulated as naturally as the rising and setting of the sun."

The image of that sword involuntarily flashed in Ning Changjiu's mind.

He said, "Yes, it's like light."

Zhao Xiang'er, however, gazed intently at the curtains illuminated by the light, a hint of a desire to escape rising in her heart. "Who can escape the light?"

They were silent for a moment.

Ning Changjiu suddenly stood up.

"But we can't hide in the shadows forever either."

He walked to the window and dramatically pulled open the curtains.

The dust-like darkness in the room instantly dispersed as clear, post-rain light streamed in, illuminating Ning Changjiu's face like snow.

Zhao Xiang'er knelt on the floor, watching Ning Changjiu's white robe flutter.

His back blocked much of the light from outside the window.

Coincidentally, she was seated perfectly in his shadow.

In a teahouse early in the morning, Lu Jiajia, dressed in white men's attire and holding a folding fan, sat by the window, listening to the storyteller on stage recount a tale.

The rain was new, the tea was new, and the story was new.

She gently tapped her palm with her folding fan, her gaze leisurely fixed on White City outside the window.

Today, she finally understood that the saying "three days apart feel like three autumns" was not without reason.

Today, the storyteller was recounting the tale of the Black Sparrow Valiant Couple, who, armed with a single blade, ventured into Thousand Buddha Mountain and together slew the Hundred-Faced Ghost.

He vividly described the Hundred-Faced Ghost's wickedness and the valiant couple's formidable martial arts. The grand battle, he said, was so intense it overturned heaven and earth, eclipsing the sky, lasting three hundred rounds without pause, every move and stance described in detail.

"If you don't believe me, ladies and gentlemen, you can go see Thousand Buddha Mountain yourselves. Half of it has collapsed, and countless ghosts, big and small, have fled. So, when you go to bed, remember to lock your doors tightly and light a Guardian Spirit Incense by your bedside..."

"This Guardian Spirit Incense is truly miraculous, keeping even gods and ghosts at bay. All the nobles in the Zhao kingdom's palace use it, and coincidentally, we have some right here in our shop..."

Lu Jiajia listened, silently pondering the term "Black Sparrow Valiant Couple." She smiled faintly. "They've both lived two lives, yet when he's with that little girl, he still acts like a child."

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the teahouse.

A piece of news spread, then exploded among the crowd.

Upon hearing it, everyone was astonished and paled, discussing it animatedly, certain it must be false news.

Lu Jiajia also furrowed her brow slightly.

The news was none other than that Zhao Xiang'er, Her Imperial Majesty of the Zhao Kingdom, was to be married, and the wedding would be tomorrow.

Lu Jiajia tapped her palm with her fan, muttering softly, "What a heartless man..."