With his repeated assurances, Nanshan felt much lighter, and she hurriedly pulled him toward the village.
The same children were preparing to set off the firecracker again, but before they could throw it into the bowl, they heard someone shout, “Third uncle and aunt! Er Pang is going to blow up your dog bowl again!”
The chubby child, startled, saw Nanshan and immediately widened his eyes, “Sister Nanshan?!”
“Who? Which little rascal is trying to blow up…”
Just as Third Aunt rushed out of the yard with a broom, she froze in surprise.
“Little Nanshan?”
“Third Aunt!”
Nanshan released Ling Ye’s hand and laughed as she rushed toward her.
“Oh my, it’s really you! My dear!”
Third Aunt dropped the broom and hugged her tightly, lifting her twice.
“How long has it been since you came back? Are you thinner? Your father said you went off with the expert who saved you to cultivate, is that true?”
“Third Aunt, you have so many questions, which one should I answer first?”
Nanshan chuckled as she loosened her embrace.
Just as Third Aunt was about to speak, she noticed Ling Ye standing behind her.
Her eyes immediately brightened, and she kept glancing at him while subtly nudging Nanshan.
“Forget the rest, introduce this young man.”
“This one?”
Nanshan had just remembered she had brought someone along and immediately pulled him over.
“This is my fiancé. We’re getting married soon.”
“Fiancé…” Third Aunt gasped.
Ling Ye, though he had a mortal mother, wasn’t very good at interacting with mortals.
He nodded slightly.
“Third Aunt.”
“Ah, Little Nanshan, you really are something! You found such a handsome young man as a fiancé! Oh my, he’s so tall, so well-dressed, your father and mother will be so happy when they see him!”
“Who? Little Nanshan is back?”
Neighbors nearby heard the commotion and came out one after another.
“Who is this young man? Could he be Little Nanshan’s friend?”
“Not a friend! He’s her fiancé!”
“Oh my, our Little Nanshan really is impressive! She went off to cultivate for a while, and now she has a fiancé. Look at his aura—he’s definitely not from an ordinary family!”
More and more people gathered, chatting with Nanshan.
Ling Ye stood alone, feeling slightly awkward.
But before he could say anything, Nanshan had already squeezed her way back, firmly standing behind him.
“He’s shy, everyone, so don’t tease him too much.”
“Oh, learning to protect your fiancé already?”
Third Aunt laughed.
Nanshan immediately begged. “Third Aunt…”
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore,” Third Aunt called for her child to bring over some candy.
“Hurry and go home, your father and mother are really missing you.”
As soon as she spoke, Er Pang, who had been squeezed outside the crowd, suddenly realized what was happening and ran toward the end of the village, shouting, “Fourth Dad! Fourth Mom! Sister Nanshan is back! Sister Nanshan is back!”
His shout prompted the other children to run after him, shouting “Sister is back!” while laughing and playing.
Nanshan smiled wryly and, after thanking Third Aunt, pulled Ling Ye forward.
“Wait a moment!”
Er Shu Gong hurried over, holding half a jin of lamb.
“Your father and mother thought you wouldn’t come home for the new year this year, so they didn’t prepare much. Take this back, and let your mom make you a bowl of lamb and cabbage soup.”
In the village, being able to eat meat once a year was a luxury.
Although Er Shu Gong’s family was relatively well-off, they were not rich enough to casually offer half a jin of lamb.
Nanshan hurriedly refused.
“No, no, I can’t accept it.”
“Take it, take it. When you return the gift, bring me two jin of wine as a token,” Er Shu Gong insisted.
Nanshan had no choice but to take it.
Soon, others began offering things as well—two sweet potatoes, a bunch of garlic, and even some pastries bought from the market.
As the pile of gifts grew, Nanshan quickly pulled Ling Ye away.
They didn’t stop until they had distanced themselves from the elders, and she let out a huge sigh of relief.
Looking at Ling Ye, who had been indifferent and cold as the Underworld Prince earlier, now he looked a bit disheveled.
His clothes were wrinkled, with half a joint of lamb in his left hand and a few potatoes in his right, making him look rather awkward.
Nanshan cleared her throat.
“Sorry, our village people are just very warm-hearted. Did we scare you?”
Ling Ye glanced at her.
“If you want to laugh, just laugh.”
Nanshan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
Ling Ye’s expression softened a little.
“So this is your hometown?”
“Yes!”
Nanshan nodded vigorously.
“This is where I’ve lived for twenty years. It may not be as wealthy as Canglan Palace, but it’s always lively, and the people here are really kind. They’ve always treated me well.”
“I can tell,” Ling Ye said as they continued walking.
“Earlier, that elder mentioned ‘dowry.’ What does that mean?”
“Oh, it’s a custom here. Before the wedding, the groom’s family sends some wine, meat, and a little money as a betrothal gift, to formalize the engagement. Only then can they discuss the marriage arrangements,” Nanshan explained.
Ling Ye nodded.
“I’ll have someone prepare it tomorrow.”
“Don’t,” Nanshan laughed.
“Our situation is different from the usual marriage customs, so there’s no need to do that.”
She was worried that if a group of Underworld beings showed up, they might scare her parents and neighbors.
Ling Ye furrowed his brow, about to say something, when he suddenly noticed two thin middle-aged people running toward them from a distance.
He thought they looked familiar but couldn’t place them, so he instinctively stood in front of Nanshan.
But Nanshan bypassed him, excitedly running toward the two people.
“Mom! Dad!”
The three of them hugged tightly, Liu Jinhua wiping away tears, and Sun Jin’s eyes reddening.
After they hugged, they pulled Nanshan back and looked her over to make sure she was okay.
“You’re back, you’re back… That expert only left a letter and took you away. Your mother couldn’t sleep, worried sick, afraid something had happened to you. Now that you’re safe, she can finally sleep well…”
Sun Jin rambled on, and Nanshan lovingly leaned against Liu Jinhua’s face.
Turning to Sun Jin, she reassured him, “Don’t worry, Dad, the Immortal Father has been really kind to me. I wasn’t bullied.”
“Immortal Father?”
Sun Jin was stunned.
Nanshan smiled mischievously.
“The expert, I now call him Immortal Father.”
“Good, good…” Sun Jin was so moved he rubbed his hands together and proudly boasted to Liu Jinhua, “See, I told you, our Little Nanshan is loved wherever she goes. Now she even has an Immortal Father. She’s going to be unstoppable!”
“She’s not that impressive,” Nanshan chuckled.
“Have you suffered during this time?”
Liu Jinhua held Nanshan’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
Nanshan obediently shook her head.
“Really, I haven’t suffered.”
The family chatted as they walked home, and Ling Ye silently followed behind, ready to be ignored.
But just as they reached the yard, Nanshan suddenly let go of her parents’ hands and turned back to grab his hand.
After just letting go, her hand was back in his, and Ling Ye felt a bit awkward.
“Who is this?”
Sun Jin and Liu Jinhua had been so happy earlier that they hadn’t noticed the other person.
Nanshan pulled him in front of them.
“This is my fiancé. We’re getting married.”
“Fiancé?”
Liu Jinhua gasped, and Sun Jin fell silent.
“This is a long story. Let’s go inside, and I’ll explain everything.”
Nanshan urged her parents to go in, pulling Ling Ye along, but just as they reached the yard, Ling Ye stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
Nanshan asked curiously.
Ling Ye furrowed his brow.
“There’s an evil aura.”
Nanshan’s heart immediately tightened, and she quickly told her parents, “Go inside quickly!”
Liu Jinhua and Sun Jin didn’t understand but still obediently went into the house.
“Close the door!”
Nanshan quickly ordered.
Liu Jinhua hurried to close the door.
“Is it safe now?”
She asked loudly from behind the door.
Nanshan turned to Ling Ye.
“Is it okay?”
“Don’t worry. It’s just the lingering aura from two or three months ago. There’s no evil presence now.”
Ling Ye spoke slowly.
Nanshan remained silent for a moment before forcing a smile.
“Next time, try not to breathe so heavily when you speak.”
Ling Ye pressed his lips together, and once again looked at the empty space in the yard.
Though Sun Family Village had both rich and poor families, the size of their homes and land were fairly equal.
Nanshan’s house was a bit smaller compared to others, and therefore, the yard was a little bigger.
The empty space Ling Ye was staring at was about the size of two rooms.
“What are you looking at?”
Nanshan asked cautiously.
Ling Ye paused briefly before answering, “You said there would be five bridal sedan chairs. How come I only sense three auras? One of them is from my father.”
“Could the other two bridal sedan chairs belong to someone even more powerful than you?”
Nanshan looked around nervously.
Ling Ye didn’t respond but gathered spiritual power in his fingertips, condensing the three lingering auras in the yard.
Nanshan watched as something gathered at his fingertips and finally turned into three differently colored water droplets.
One of them, with a faint blue hue, was similar to Ling Ye’s spiritual energy, while the other two were silver-grey and blood-red.
The three droplets shattered and disappeared.
Ling Ye raised his gaze and coldly looked toward the sky.
“The auras of Dongyi and Qingqiu.”
As evening approached, the sky was ablaze with red clouds, the color resembling a pair of red pupils.