Old Master Xia said, “If they don’t regret it, the thing you’re worried about doesn’t exist. If they do regret it, they’ll break up, which will be more decisive and painful than if you forced them apart. Isn’t that exactly what you want?”
Luo Zhao: “This…”
Old Master Xia continued, “When you talk about society’s cruelty, you’re essentially afraid of people looking at them with strange eyes.”
But given the status of our two families and the abilities of these two children, even if someone dares to think something, who would dare say it to their face? They’ll be falling over themselves to curry favor and will only say they’re a match made in heaven. Since you learned magic, you’re no longer ordinary people, so stop looking at things from an ordinary perspective.”
Luo Zhao listened desperately to the long speech, unable to respond. When he first saw Luo Yingbai with Xia Xianning, he felt like the sky was splitting apart and assumed the entire world would be as unable to accept this as he was.
Now Luo Zhao discovered that among their relatives, everyone found his intense attitude strange.
— Somehow, it seemed like he was the one in the wrong!
But facing Old Master Xia, Luo Zhao couldn’t say anything else. The Xia and Luo families had been on good terms since his grandfather’s generation. Originally, Jiang Yugai was engaged to the Xia family. Later, when they got together, some people tried to use this to create discord between the families. However, both Old Master Xia and the Xia brothers, who had previously been involved with Jiang Yugai, showed their blessings at the wedding, giving them full face.
Although Luo Zhao felt he had a clear conscience and hadn’t wronged anyone, their understanding could be considered rare – at least for him now, blessing Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai was somewhat difficult.
Thinking back and forth, his heart began to waver. Luo Zhao sighed deeply and said, “Let me think about it.”
After seeing off Old Master Xia, Luo Zhao washed up and sat in the study for a while before returning to the bedroom. Jiang Yugai was already lying down, with the bedside lamp left on for him.
Luo Zhao tucked in his wife’s blanket and lay down beside her, wondering where his son had gone and feeling somewhat worried.
After a long time, he turned over and suddenly noticed the small light on his phone blinking, indicating unread messages.
He picked up his phone and found several unread WeChat messages, including two from Luo Yingbai. Luo Zhao opened them:
“Dad, Xianning and I are going on a case and are no longer in T City. I’m checking in. I’m eating and drinking well, and the scenery here is nice. I’ll send you photos tomorrow.
Also, don’t overthink my life choices. Anyway, your worrying is useless. Xianning and I can’t be separated. But you and Mom can be more open-minded. Conflicts – if not handled well, they become major disputes! Although I found a male daughter-in-law, he’s still likable, right?”
Okay, that’s all.
Wish you a happy and healthy life without my eyesore, and we’ll try to abandon dissatisfaction and give you a warm welcome when we return.
Love, your son.”
Below the message, the little brat had also sent several links. Luo Zhao opened them to find various social news articles like “Mother-in-law Conflict Causes Big Trouble”, “Father-in-law and Son-in-law Fight Over a Bottle of Liquor”, “Astronomical Bride Price Phenomenon Needs Government Intervention.”
— He was almost laughing from anger.
Xia Xianning had also sent a message. Unlike Luo Yingbai’s talkative style, his message was actually five to six times longer when Luo Zhao opened it, which startled him.
Xia Xianning wrote about how he fell in love with Luo Yingbai, his struggles in deciding to confess, his apologies to Luo Zhao, and his commitment to treating Luo Yingbai well. The language was rigorous, without a single typo, reflective, and unrepentant.
Luo Zhao had always loved Xia Xianning. This was the first time he’d seen Xia Xianning write so much. The child had always been serious and not talkative.
He remembered the smile Xia Xianning showed Luo Yingbai in the kitchen, and his heart softened slightly. He sighed.
Although he said this, he understood what Xia Xianning was thinking.
Xia Xianning wasn’t even this nervous when confessing to his family; now he was merely afraid that Luo Zhao’s attitude would be tough and make Luo Yingbai unhappy.
Luo Yingbai threw his backpack behind him, freeing his hands to wrap around Xia Xianning’s shoulders, and laughed: “What’s wrong, little junior brother? Are you afraid I’ll be scared off by your teacher and abandon you?”
Xia Xianning deliberately sighed.
Luo Yingbai said: “You’re overthinking it. My dad is just like that. If he was truly determined to keep us apart, he would have sent someone to drag us back by now. He’s definitely hesitating now, which is why he hasn’t given a definitive answer. As long as he’s hesitating, he can definitely be persuaded.”
Xia Xianning saw how seriously Luo Yingbai was explaining and found him adorable, laughing and saying: “If it weren’t for the matters at Changliu Sect, I would just stay and serve tea to the teacher every day, trying to please him until he’s happy. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”
Luo Yingbai said: “Let’s finish our business and go back quickly. I’ll set up a tent for you in our courtyard and fulfill your wish.”
Xia Xianning said: “No need to rush. I’ve already written three self-reflections on the plane and will send one to the teacher every night until he agrees to let us be together.”
Luo Yingbai: “…You’re practically the reincarnation of the God of Literature, Sima Xiangru reborn. I admire you.
Xia Xianning was very modest: “It’s nothing, practice makes perfect.”
They took a taxi to the foot of Sai Yuan Mountain where Changliu Sect was located, got off, and followed the path to find the mountain gate. Looking at it now, everything seemed unchanged, making him feel extraordinarily close.
Xia Xianning clapped three times and recited: “Nine luminaries in order, seven spirits dispersed, I pay my respects, troops manifest.”
After he finished speaking, the branches and leaves of the flowering trees on both sides swayed, and fallen petals scattered like rain, seeming to greet the two of them and spreading a small path of flower petals before them.
A look of surprise crossed Xia Xianning’s face.
Though the path looked beautiful, it was merely a flowery welcome for their return and served no practical purpose. To enter the sect from outside, they needed to activate the formation. The mountain-guarding array Xia Xianning had summoned had not manifested.
Luo Yingbai patted his shoulder: “Let me take a look.”
He did not recite any incantation but condensed his qi at his fingertips, writing a golden “Dao” character in mid-air, then pushed forward with two fingers. The character rushed forward, creating a muffled sound in the air, but the scenery remained unchanged.
Xia Xianning frowned: “Someone has disrupted the formation!”
Luo Yingbai said: “If we calculate according to what Peng Xuan said, this should be five days before the incident… Xianning, do you think the time might have advanced?”
In the previous life, Peng Xuan had already died when this incident occurred. He could warn them because when traveling upstream in the Forgetful River, he would see time fragments of future events. But since they were fragments, deviations were inevitable.
Xia Xianning drew his sword: “Never mind, we’ll force our way in. Once we see what’s inside, everything will be clear.”
With the situation inside unknown, they didn’t want to alert anyone. Xia Xianning used his sword to pry open a small gap in the barrier, and he and Luo Yingbai entered the mountain through the formation’s crevice.
