Chapter 387: Chapter 353: The Embroidery Workshop as Dowry
"I told him that if he was willing to marry you, the embroidery shop could be your dowry," Baili Bingyun spoke calmly.
"What? Mother, are you insane? You’re marrying me off to him and you’re actually making the embroidery shop a dowry?"
Mrs. Mei was also quite astonished.
This is too... I don’t even know what adjective to use.
"Mother is actually testing him, to see what he truly wants. He opened ’Lin’s’ in Li Hen City and occupied Yingfeng Valley. What is his ultimate goal? How ambitious is he? Could he be a friend or a foe in the future?"
"Mother, this is too much of a joke. What if he agrees? What would you do then?"
"At that time, it was only him and me; no third party, so there’s no one to prove what I said. As long as it’s not written in black and white, I can completely back out of it."
"Uh..." Honestly, there was nothing wrong with what she said.
"Well, Mother, how did he respond?"
"He refused. He said that he came to treat me out of sincerity on Yuyao’s part to seek medical attention for her mother. A physician’s heart is like a parent’s, which is his guiding principle as a doctor, not for anything else. Even if he truly liked Yuyao, he wouldn’t use that as a bargaining chip to make Yuyao marry him; those are two different matters," Baili Bingyun said.
"So he didn’t agree then?"
"Yes, Mother, why did he agree then?" Baili Yuyao echoed Mrs. Mei’s words.
"I threatened him that if he didn’t agree to the marriage, ’Lin’s’ wouldn’t be able to continue in Li Hen City."
"Mother..."
"Mother favors this son-in-law, believes that no one would be better. Mother wouldn’t harm you, Yuyao. He could join the embroidery shop under the name Lin Bei. In the future, if your child is a girl, she can continue to manage the embroidery shop; if a boy, if you wish, he can inherit the Baili Family’s lineage. With just this one condition, could Zhuang Cheng and that Shen An agree?"
"Why would he agree?"
"As you said, he has many women around him. He doesn’t lack you to give him a child to continue his lineage. Besides, he has an agreement with his senior sister that their first child, if a boy, would inherit the lineage of his teacher’s family. So, for him, it’s not a difficult decision."
"So, Mother, you’ve taken a liking to him, without considering whether I like him or not?" Baili Yuyao cried out in grief.
"I liked your father, but he was unwilling to take me away," Baili Bingyun said, looking at Baili Yuyao. "So, is liking all that important?"
Baili Yuyao was stunned. It was the first time in all these years that her mother had brought up anything related to her father in front of her.
"Mother, didn’t you promise me three years?"
"Yes, first get engaged. Three years from now, you will marry. That part, you can decide. Of course, if you want to do it sooner, I would not oppose."
"No, Mother, it’s not the three-year choice you promised me."
"You can, but you need to agree to set the engagement first."
"Will Mrs. Zhuang and the Green Blade Sect agree?"
"I’m choosing a husband for my daughter; whether they agree or not, is a matter of opinion?" Baili Bingyun sneered coldly, exuding power.
"Alright, I agree."
...
"Madam, you really shouldn’t force Miss Yuyao like this. She’s so proud; an ordinary man won’t catch her eye." After Baili Yuyao left, Mrs. Mei persuaded.
"What has been discovered from Zhuang Rong’s side?"
Mrs. Mei sighed. "Mrs. Zhuang is very strict with her defenses; my people have a hard time reaching the core. Other than confirming that Zhuang Rong is indeed colluding with a mysterious force, we know absolutely nothing about this mysterious force."
"Zhuang Rong’s sudden progress in martial arts mastery, with capable hands emerging constantly from her group, is obviously the reason. We must find out what’s really going on," Baili Bingyun said.
"Madam, do you remember the Wuyou Elixir?"
"Wuyou Elixir, Xiaomei, are you saying the Wuyou Elixir has appeared again?" Baili Bingyun cried out in shock.
"Yes, the Wuyou Elixir is a forbidden drug. It’s being sold within our embroidery shop, but as for who the source is, we still don’t know..."
"Investigate, you must investigate. The Wuyou Elixir is too dangerous, even more terrifying than Xiaoyao Powder. We must capture the person selling the Wuyou Elixir!" Baili Bingyun ordered.
"Yes."
The Wuyou Elixir is an upgraded version of Xiaoyao Powder. However, the Wuyou Elixir is more addictive and terrifying. It can even damage a person’s cognition, causing them to be controlled and eventually become living corpses!
Such things appear every so often, as if they can’t be completely eradicated.
If the Xiaoyao Powder targets ordinary people, then the Wuyou Elixir is aimed at martial artists. Martial artists have stronger willpower than ordinary people. Thus, the effects of Xiaoyao Powder decrease with use and it’s possible to resist its hallucinogenic properties.
But the Wuyou Elixir is different. It was also created by the person who nearly got elected as the ’Elixir Saint.’
It’s truly harmful, and in the end, he fell from grace, and the organization he created, the Elixir Alliance, became a public enemy, loathed by everyone.
It’s understandable that the demonic sects are hated by everyone, but the righteous path can still tolerate the existence of demonic sects. Though they have always wanted to eradicate the Moon Worship Sect, what would change if they did? Another sect like it would just emerge.
The righteous and the demonic are two sides of the same coin. Without the righteous, what is the demonic? There will always be bad people, but they can be kept within a certain scope.
If the Moon Worship Sect exists, it can suppress the rise of other organizations. Between a familiar opponent and an unfamiliar one, which would you rather face?
Moreover, the Moon Worship Sect merely acts erratically, following their whims, being excessively selfish, but their harm is limited. However, once the Wuyou Elixir spreads, it becomes an indiscriminate attack, sparing neither the righteous nor the Moon Worship Sect.
This Wuyou Elixir is indeed a product of the Elixir Alliance, could it be that remnants of the Elixir Alliance have reemerged?
...
In the north of the city, Skull Association headquarters.
The residence of the head, Wuya Pavilion.
"Master, the Black Robe requests an audience." Black Robe stood solemnly outside the pavilion, showing utmost respect. With his Middle Grade Meridian Passage Realm, he wasn’t even worth half a hand in front of the master.
In fact, the Skull Association’s head Wuya was just a step away from reaching the Celestial Essence Fruit, and once there, the Skull Association could stand equally alongside the Embroidery Villa and Heaven-Dominating Tower.
"Come in!"
Wuya Pavilion’s door opened automatically, dark and indistinct inside, but Black Robe knew the master Tianya was in there.
He had been in seclusion for several months now.
"Black Robe, what affair disturbs me?"
Though no one was visible, Tianya’s voice permeated from every direction within Wuya Pavilion, his precise location a mystery.
"Reporting to the Master, at tonight’s night market, a man with three women appeared. The man seemed exceedingly young, estimating not over twenty years old with a Blood Fusion Realm skill. Yet in battle with me, he held his ground. Moreover, two women around the age of twenty are his servants, both at the Meridian Passage Realm. But the woman beside him, her inner breath is profound, seemingly unskilled in martial arts..."
"What about their martial art style?"
"I haven’t seen it before, but their fist techniques are exquisite, unlike any martial arts from current sects. Besides, I discovered they are residing at Snow Mountain Residence, and those two servant women are disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect’s elder, Helian Wanwan." Black Robe reported respectfully.
"Helian Wanwan is here too, seems the allure of this Celestial Essence Fruit is strong enough." After a brief pause, Tianya’s voice continued.
"Master, I also discovered, about a year ago, the Snow Mountain Sect sent this pair of sisters to a physician named Lin in Dongshan City. This man was the top scholar in last year’s Dongshan Prefecture medical examination, later applied for ’Sacred Trials’, now successfully passed. The court announced his ranks, and he is the third scholar. His medical skill is exceptionally eminent, and his fame in Dongshan Prefecture is substantial, known as the ’Saint of Healing’. Additionally, he was recognized by the court for his meritorious service, awarded as a Sixth Grade Court Physician, and currently holds the position of Deputy Director of Dongshan Prefecture Medical Bureau."
"Deputy Director of Dongshan Prefecture Medical Bureau is merely Seventh Grade, yet he serves in a subordinate role with a Sixth Grade position, likely honored nominally?"
"Master, you are correct. The Director of Dongshan Prefecture Medical Bureau is none other than Fu Qingzhu’s closed-door disciple, Wen Ruyu."
"Fu Qingzhu’s disciple came to Dongshan Prefecture as the Medical Bureau’s Director, quite intriguing. Continue speaking." Tianya laughed lightly before asking.
"According to our findings, this young physician named Lin Miao has significant affiliations with the Snow Mountain Sect, the Su Family—top wealthy family in Lanzhou, Shanglin Temple, and the national physician Fu Qingzhu. Also, he possesses such formidable strength personally; I suspect..."
"Suspect what?"
"Suspect he might be a successor of the Wuyou Sect’s Free Marquis."
"How could the successor of the Free Marquis be involved with the Snow Mountain Sect?" Tianya seemed skeptical of Black Robe’s assessment.
"Everyone knows the Elixir Alliance’s cultivation methods differ from conventional ways. They are able to use elixirs to rapidly advance realms, otherwise how could you explain the twin sisters from the Snow Mountain Sect advancing to the Meridian Passage Realm in less than a year by Lin’s side?"
"Mm, what you said makes a bit of sense."
"Also, members of the Elixir Alliance have always harbored resentment over the Elixir Sage’s failure to become a saint. Now, the Free Marquis claims to be the successor of the Elixir Sage, secretly grooming a successor to achieve sainthood, by then giving the world a loud, reverberating slap!"
"Black Robe, I authorize you to investigate everything about Mr. Lin’s past, exclusively reporting the information to me!" Tianya commanded.
"Yes, Master."
...
At Snow Mountain Residence, Lin Miao was practicing cultivation on his bed. Suddenly, feeling a premonition, he opened his eyes as a figure silently entered.
The visitor had a tall stature, clearly a woman, dressed in a black cloak from head to toe, with a purple veil covering her face.
"Is that you!?" Lin Miao immediately recognized the visitor.
"Am I not allowed to come?"
"You come to find me late at night, for what reason?"
"She is very resistant to this marriage arrangement, and I don’t know how to explain it to her."
"I never agreed to it originally; you insisted, even invented a nonexistent person, what if it fails, what then?"
"She merely hasn’t figured it out yet, once she does, it will be fine." The purple-veiled woman said, "I have given her time, now I need your help."
"Help you with what?"
"The Celestial Essence Fruit, I know where it was discovered, there might be more there, but it is extremely perilous, ordinary people can’t manage to find it. Nie Tian indeed advanced through the Celestial Essence Fruit, and he should still possess one, but it is probably half-finished, that is why he auctioned it..."
"You want me to find the Celestial Essence Fruit for you?"
"Yes, if there is a Celestial Essence Fruit, I can completely sway Jing Wushuang to my side, and then completely control the Embroidery Villa!"
"You really think you have me figured out?"
"If you agree, Embroidery Villa will be Yuyao’s dowry, both her and Embroidery Villa’s vast assets will be yours."
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