Nanshan’s survival tactic was to humble herself when necessary, first flattering the other party to elevate them, then acting obedient and pitiful.
Every time she used this trick, no matter how angry the other person was, they would quickly be appeased.
As soon as she sensed something was amiss, she skillfully employed this tactic.
After all, it’s said that one doesn’t strike a smiling face. But… she had been kneeling for a while now, and the immortal still hadn’t uttered a word.
The sunlight was still bright, but it lacked warmth.
Nanshan was drenched in a sticky, foul-smelling substance, not only feeling dizzy from the stench but also shivering from the cold wind, almost unable to maintain her kneeling posture.
Inside the pavilion, there was no sound, as if no one was there.
Nanshan had been prostrate for a long time and finally couldn’t resist sneaking a glance upward, only to meet a pair of cold eyes.
…When had he emerged from the water?
Nanshan was momentarily stunned, then felt her chin lifted by slender fingers, forcing her to meet the gaze of the man now inches away from her.
He was too close, close enough for her to smell the herbal scent of the water vapor on him.
As he leaned slightly forward, his unfastened belt brushed her forehead, bringing a warm dampness.
As a twenty-year-old unmarried woman, Nanshan knew the man before her was dangerous, but she still blushed inappropriately.
The man’s gaze fell on her flickering eyes, and he said indifferently, “Keep looking, and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Nanshan’s shyness instantly dried up.
The man let go of her with a detached expression, carefully wiping his hands as if cleaning off something dirty. “Trying to escape?”
Nanshan was startled, then quickly replied, “How could I, a commoner, dare to escape from my savior? Marrying you is a blessing I couldn’t even dream of in three lifetimes.
I’m so grateful, how could I possibly want to escape? I just wanted to see you so badly that I couldn’t help but come looking for you.
Please, consider my sincere feelings…”
The air split, and a dagger appeared out of nowhere, pointing directly at her throat.
Nanshan: “I want to escape.”
The dagger dissolved into vapor and disappeared into the air. The man glanced at her: “Go out the door and run southeast.”
…He was letting her go?
Nanshan was slightly taken aback, then suddenly remembered that he wasn’t keen on the marriage either.
She cautiously probed, “Do you know who I am?”
“You’re the only living person in the underworld,” the man said with a cold voice.
…What did he mean by the only living person?
What kind of place was the underworld?
Nanshan shivered, but before she could think further, she suddenly realized that the man before her didn’t want to marry her.
She immediately declared, “As long as you send me home, I promise I’ll never bother you again!”
The man seemed somewhat satisfied with her understanding and was about to say something when his brows furrowed in displeasure. “You can’t leave now.”
Before he finished speaking, Yan Yue’s voice came from above the courtyard: “Ling Ye, open the barrier.”
Nanshan panicked: “What should I do?!”
Ling Ye looked down at her, as if weighing something.
Nanshan anxiously glanced around, searching for an escape route, when she heard him slowly say, “My father, for all his stubbornness, wouldn’t harm a mortal. As long as you remain resolute, he will surely let you go.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned in, so close that he almost touched her nose. “You’ll do that, right?”
Nanshan thought of Yan Yue’s smiling face and was about to express her doubts when a force suddenly flipped her over.
When she regained her senses, she found herself lying on the severed limb of a monster.
Yan Yue had already appeared in the courtyard, frowning as he was about to question Ling Ye for not opening the barrier.
Ling Ye pointed at the dead monster: “It’s already taken care of.”
Yan Yue followed his finger and saw Nanshan, who was retching and crawling away.
He was momentarily stunned: “What happened?”
Nanshan awkwardly tried to speak, but Ling Ye casually said, “Oh, something tried to kill me, and she took care of it.”
Nanshan, who had just managed to crawl away to vomit, was confused: “What? Me?”
“Mm,” Ling Ye narrowed his eyes, silently warning her not to say anything else.
Nanshan: “…” Big brother, how stupid would someone have to be to believe that a weak girl like me could kill such a huge monster?!
Yan Yue looked grateful: “Nanshan, we really owe you this time.”
Nanshan: “?”
The sunlit courtyard was soon filled with a group of strange-looking people.
Nanshan was bewildered as a girl with a pig’s nose pulled her away and fed her a few pills. When she came to her senses, she found herself clean as new.
…No, cleaner than before.
The stubborn stains from last year that her mother couldn’t wash out were completely gone, and even the torn stitches on her patched clothes were repaired, making them look brand new.
“How did you do that…” she muttered in amazement.
The girl chuckled: “It’s just a basic cleaning spell.”
Nanshan didn’t understand but still exclaimed in admiration, making the girl blush and almost reveal her three rows of sharp teeth.
“Investigate! Continue the investigation! I want to see who dares to target my son!” Yan Yue was still fuming when he turned and saw Nanshan’s smiling face. He beckoned, “Nanshan, come with me. I have some questions for you.”
…She knew it wouldn’t be that easy to get away.
Nanshan’s face instantly paled: “Alright…”
She followed Yan Yue out, head hanging low.
As they approached the courtyard gate, she suddenly felt a burning gaze from behind.
She instinctively turned and met Ling Ye’s dangerous eyes.
“Break the engagement,” he mouthed silently.
Nanshan nodded firmly, and the next moment, she found herself in a spacious, luxurious study.
“Why did you try to escape earlier?” Yan Yue asked directly, seeing her curiously looking around.
Nanshan was secretly touching the candlestick on the table when the candle suddenly lit, the flame biting her hand.
She quickly withdrew her hand, still startled, and met Yan Yue’s amused gaze.
“Uncle Immortal,” Nanshan greeted obediently.
Yan Yue didn’t expect her to address him like that, and his stern expression immediately softened.
When he spoke again, there was a hint of paternal kindness: “You don’t want to marry Ling Ye? You want to break the engagement?”
“Uh, let me explain…”
“Fine, I’ll have someone take you back to the mortal world,” Yan Yue interrupted her excuses.
Nanshan, who still had a bag of excuses ready: “Huh?”
“I’m sending you home,” Yan Yue repeated.
Nanshan was still confused: “Why are you suddenly willing to send me home?”
“Forced marriages don’t work. If I kept you here, Ling Ye would surely coax you into crying, making a scene, or even threatening suicide. I can’t bully a young girl, so I’d have to let you go eventually.
Besides, you just saved Ling Ye’s life, so I can’t force you,” Yan Yue waved his hand, as if he had figured it all out.
This father and son really understood each other well, but…
“Do you really think a mortal like me could kill such a huge monster?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Yan Yue didn’t take it seriously: “You have a natural spirit bone. Why couldn’t you?”
“A natural what?” Nanshan didn’t catch it.
“Oh, a natural spirit bone. In life, you’re a once-in-a-millennium cultivation genius. In death, you’re a perfect tool to break through cultivation bottlenecks.
It was because of the spirit bone within you that I arranged the marriage between you and Ling Ye,” Yan Yue glanced at her.
“I suppose the other four marriage proposals were also for your spirit bone. I just don’t know if they wanted you dead or alive.”
He then added, “I definitely want you alive. Ling Ye’s foundation is damaged, and his cultivation will never progress.
If he can marry a powerful wife, no one will dare to challenge him when I pass the throne of the underworld to him.”
Nanshan felt a chill down her spine when he mentioned the other four marriage proposals, but hearing about life and death made her even colder.
“That can’t be… Maybe the other immortals just wanted to save me?”
Yan Yue looked at her sympathetically: “All four sedan chairs carried a sinister aura, and one was filled with deathly energy. It’s likely that the owners of those sedan chairs are not benevolent.”
Nanshan couldn’t smile anymore.
After a while, she made up her mind: “Are you really willing to let me go?”
After all that, you still want to leave? Yan Yue was surprised: “Do you know what will happen to you once you go back?”
“…I know, but I have to go back,” Nanshan frowned, her expression unusually serious. “My parents are still at home. I have to go back.”
“Even if it means death?” Yan Yue asked.
Nanshan looked up at him, her eyes unwavering: “Even if it means death.”
“What if I told you that the owners of those four sedan chairs haven’t shown up, and your parents are still alive? Would you still want to go back?” Yan Yue asked.
Nanshan’s eyes lit up: “Really?”
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” Yan Yue glanced at her, waved his sleeve, and the air twisted.
Soon, a mirror-like surface appeared in mid-air, showing Nanshan’s small tile-roofed house.
“That’s my dad!” Nanshan exclaimed, seeing the old man carrying water.
Then she spotted Liu Jinhua sitting at the door of the main room, sewing shoe soles. “That’s my mom! They’re both fine!”
“Did I lie to you?” Yan Yue snorted, his beard twitching.
Nanshan: “…I’ve been missing. Why aren’t they worried at all?”
“I left them a letter, saying I took you out for a trip. They know what’s going on, so they’re not worried,” Yan Yue stroked his beard proudly.
Nanshan looked at him suspiciously: “Why do they trust you so much? Do you know each other?”
Yan Yue suddenly looked guilty.
“Oh, oh, oh! No wonder I always thought you looked familiar!” Nanshan’s eyes lit up. “So you’re…”
Yan Yue coughed lightly: “Alright, I admit it. I’m the Taoist who taught your parents to tie the red string for marriage.”
Nanshan: “…”
Yan Yue: “?”
After a long silence, Yan Yue laughed in frustration: “You tricked me into admitting it?!”
Nanshan immediately knelt down: “I didn’t know you were my savior! Nanshan kowtows to you!”
Yan Yue was surprised: “You don’t resent me for scheming against your family?”
Nanshan kowtowed three times, smiling to reveal a row of neat teeth: “How could I? If it weren’t for you, I would have starved to death years ago. You’re my great benefactor, the benefactor of my whole family! Nanshan is so grateful, how could I resent you?”
Nanshan’s survival tactic: humble herself, act obedient and pitiful, flatter the other party, and they wouldn’t hold anything against her.
Sure enough, Yan Yue no longer minded her trickery and helped her up: “I’m glad you’re so understanding.”
“I’m so happy to meet my great benefactor,” Nanshan beamed. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now?”
Yan Yue was puzzled: “Where to?”
Nanshan was also confused: “Home. Didn’t you just say you’d let me go?”
They stared at each other, speechless.
After a while, Nanshan looked heartbroken: “Uncle Immortal, are you going back on your word?”
“…I didn’t plan to. Go ahead.”
“Thank you, Uncle Immortal!” Nanshan, afraid he might change his mind, turned and ran.
“Remember to prepare a few extra coffins when you get back,” Yan Yue reminded her leisurely.
Nanshan, who was running out, suddenly slowed down.
Yan Yue: “Don’t be nervous. I just thought of the owners of those four marriage proposals. You have a spirit bone, so they won’t give up easily.
If you don’t go back, that’s fine. But once you do, there’s bound to be a big fight. When that happens, a small village… it’s better to be prepared with a few extra coffins, just in case.”
Nanshan: “…”
“I’m just speculating. Things might not turn out that way. Just go back and take a gamble.
Maybe those evil spirits who’ve been plotting for twenty years will suddenly grow a conscience and leave you alone?”
Nanshan: “…”
“But if it does come to that, don’t feel guilty. As long as mortals have complete souls, they’ll be reincarnated after death.
I’ll pull some strings and make sure they’re reborn into good families. But you might not be so lucky.
Your spirit bone isn’t mature yet, so they might keep you alive to nurture it. You might not even be able to die.”
Nanshan: “…”
The underworld had day and night, but the distinction wasn’t clear. Even at noon, the sky was still gloomy, as if covered by a thin purple mist.
Ling Ye soaked in the medicinal bath for another hour, then leaned against the rocks by the pavilion, pretending to nap.
The breeze gently played with the strands of hair on his forehead.
After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, just as the voice of a frog spirit came from outside: “Young Master, the Lord requests your presence.”
Ling Ye snapped his fingers, and the barrier dissolved, revealing the frog spirit’s large head.
“What does he want?” Ling Ye asked coldly.
The frog spirit tilted its head in confusion: “I don’t know, but it’s probably about the marriage. That mortal girl is there too.”
So the marriage was already annulled? That mortal girl must have some skills. Ling Ye’s mood wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either.
Fifteen minutes later, in the dimly lit study, Yan Yue and Nanshan sat upright.
As soon as Ling Ye entered, he sensed the unusual atmosphere and slowly took a seat.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s discuss the wedding,” Yan Yue said slowly.
Ling Ye’s expression turned cold, and he suddenly looked at someone. Nanshan coughed lightly, guiltily looking out the window.