Spectating the Angsty Romance of the Master and Disciple from the Sect Next Door Chapter 92

As the biggest grand event in the cultivation world for nearly ten thousand years, after determining the date for the spiritual union ceremony, the matter no longer had much to do with Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue; they didn’t have to prepare anything themselves.
Such as arranging the Dao Sect, distributing invitations, and the ceremonial rituals to invite Heavenly Dao as a witness… there were naturally people to worry about these trivial and complicated matters.
For Jijin Sword Sovereign and Immortal Venerable Qingxiao’s spiritual union ceremony, Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue only needed to complete the procedures on the day of the union, while the Sword Sect and Dao Sect had many more things to consider. So much so that because Li Jin’an would only make things worse, Chixin Sword Lord and Jingting Dao Lord simply wouldn’t let her interfere.
Li Jin’an then suddenly realized she wasn’t the penniless Grand Hero Li from the illusion; she was the renowned Jijin Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect and could have a world-renowned spiritual union ceremony with Xie Huaixue.
When Li Jin’an finally could hold Xie Huaixue and rest at night, she suddenly asked a question: “Do you prefer Grand Hero Li, who had nothing but tried her best to give you a somewhat respectable wedding ceremony, or do you prefer the current Jijin Sword Sovereign, who is a hands-off manager, doesn’t need to do anything, but has others do everything for her?”
Xie Huaixue felt the embrace around her slowly tightening. She opened her eyes, her clear gaze tracing Li Jin’an’s contours and features. Without much hesitation, she honestly said, “I like both.”
“…Huh?” Li Jin’an stared at Xie Huaixue, her eyes wide with disbelief. For a moment, her rare sentimentality was interrupted, her emotions instantly became incoherent, and she could only huffily say, “Immortal Venerable Xie, you’re quite generous with your affections!”
“Grand Hero Li is sincere and bright, Jijin Sword Sovereign is considerate and clingy. Each has her own charm; they are all the Li Jin’an I love.”
For Xie Huaixue, any version of Li Jin’an was lovable; there was no need for comparison at all.
Li Jin’an deeply felt that Xie Huaixue’s evaluation of her was very fitting. She was indeed that considerate towards Xie Huaixue. Contentedly, she didn’t bother Xie Huaixue further, had a delightful sleep, and the next day, feeling refreshed and dressed neatly, appeared with Xie Huaixue before the statue of the Dao Sect’s founding patriarch.
After the spring rain, the sky was clear and the air fresh, the gentle breeze was pleasant, and everything was in the lovely state of spring’s revival.
Jingting Dao Lord stood at the very front, wearing a Daoist robe, with a whisk draped over her arm, her expression solemn and dignified.
On both sides were disciples and Daoist friends familiar or unfamiliar to Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue: Qi Lingzi, Tan Yanyi, Ling Qiu, Shang Dangge, Jiang Fengmian, Xiaoxiang Sword Lord, Junxing Sword Lord, the Sword Sect Master, Spring Rejuvenation Valley, Divine Mechanisms Sect… Even Jie Yunjin tried her best to minimize her presence, silently blending into the crowd, her eyes gleaming as she watched the backs of the two.
Chixin Sword Lord, as Li Jin’an’s Master, surprisingly didn’t have a strong presence at this spiritual union ceremony. She merely stood at a not-too-far, not-too-close distance, quietly watching her and Yinyue’s disciple form a Dao Companionship. Her gaze occasionally fell absentmindedly on Jingting Dao Lord’s back, her thoughts too complex to articulate.
Several elders from the Sword Sect and Dao Sect served as scripture attendants, incense attendants, lamp attendants, bell ringers, and chime players.
The auspicious time had arrived. Led by Jingting Dao Lord, Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue performed the hand-purification ritual. They stepped forward, lit incense, allowing the fragrant smoke to carry their sincerity and convey their intentions.
This was to pay respects to the deities and convey their sincerity.
Jingting Dao Lord solemnly proclaimed the “Welcoming the True, Inviting the Saints” to witness and certify the spiritual union.
Behind her, Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue bowed to heaven and earth, thanking them for witnessing the union, and paid respects to the patriarchs, seeking their witnessing, blessing, and protection.
Next was ‘Initiating and Thanking Masters,’ which meant paying respects to three types of Masters: the Guiding Master, the Registering Master, and the Scripture Master.
Jingting Dao Lord respectfully faced the founding patriarch’s statue, announcing to the three Masters and asking for their blessings; this was called ‘Initiating the Masters.’ At the end, it was necessary to respectfully thank the three Masters, to signify never forgetting their kindness; this was called ‘Thanking the Masters.’
Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue solemnly made their vows to each other, saying in unison:
“By the ancestors and Heavenly Dao, bear witness,
By heaven’s decree, by earth’s embrace,
In accordance with Master’s wishes,
Following the covenant of us, the newlyweds,
We, disciple Li Jin’an/Xie Huaixue, become Dao Companions, uniting as one family.
We vow and declare our lifelong love and devotion, through life and death.
With heaven and earth as our witnesses, and hearts as one with the sun and moon,
Should this oath be broken, may the sin be upon us, and may our bodies perish and our Dao be extinguished.”
The last item was ‘submitting the memorial,’ presenting the memorial document to the Celestial Court. Its procedures were ‘initiating the altar,’ ‘inviting saints,’ ‘bowing to the memorial,’ and ‘burning the memorial.’
Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue incinerated the memorial document of their spiritual union, hoping to send it to the Celestial Court, to offer a sacrifice and report to the heavens, for all saints to descend upon the altar, bestow blessings and prolong life, and for ancestral spirits to attain liberation.
Amidst the faint sandalwood incense, a gentle yet unfathomably majestic white light shone upon Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue. Obscure and ancient melodies resonated in their ears, and the Heavenly Dao’s decree of witness directly appeared in their hearts.
— The Heavenly Dao had witnessed and acknowledged their Dao Companionship.
For tens of thousands of years hereafter, they would stand side by side, never separating, with no betrayal; only death could part them.
If we can be like flounder fish, why fear death? We wish to be mandarin ducks, not envy immortals.
Moments later, the white light dispersed. Li Jin’an looked up in a daze at the person beside her. She could clearly feel an invisible connection with Xie Huaixue, vaguely perceiving each other’s whereabouts and status…
She suddenly snapped back to attention and gave a radiant smile, her eyes curving as she greeted her brand-new Dao Companion, “Dao Companion, hello there.”
Xie Huaixue’s eyes were clear and bright, and she replied, “Hello.”
Jingting Dao Lord, who had been busy all this time, seeing the two of them like this, felt that her efforts these past few days had not been in vain.
She had finally fulfilled Yinyue’s entrustment to her, and no longer had to carry such a heavy burden in her heart. Presumably, Yinyue would also be extremely pleased.
“Excellent, excellent!” Jingting Dao Lord laughed heartily and very generously took out two ancient-looking, intricately patterned hollowed-out bracelets, handing them to the two. “A gift.”
Li Jin’an casually extended her spiritual consciousness to take a look. The next second, her eyes widened. She gasped, “Isn’t this too much?”
What she really wanted to ask was if Jingting Dao Lord had lost her mind, but it was a grand occasion, and it was truly inappropriate to have a conflict. Jijin Sword Sovereign was quite superstitious now, so to avoid bad luck, she forced herself to swallow the words.
Although she was a poor sword cultivator, Jijin Sword Sovereign still had a lot of class. She had seen countless natural treasures and earthly wonders, but she was truly shocked just now. The storage space of just one bracelet alone was comparable to ten storage rings. Not only that, at a glance, spiritual energy overflowed, rushing towards her, revitalizing her spirit.
Ten-Thousand-Year Meteorite Iron, Fire Essence Profound Gold, Dragon’s Blood Grass, Sky-Mending Ganoderma, Blood Spirit Flower, Magma Essence Stone, Soul-Nourishing Red Fruit, Pure Fire Glaze… the Ten-Thousand-Year Meteorite Iron was merely making up the numbers inside.
Some items, let alone whether they were useful to Li Jin’an, who was currently at the late Integration stage, even if she reached the Mahayana stage or Tribulation Transcendence stage, she could still use them.
Moreover, the hollowed-out bracelet given to her contained natural treasures leaning towards fire-elemental properties, so it was obvious that the items given to Xie Huaixue were ice-elemental treasures. One should know that Jingting Dao Lord would not show favoritism to either of them; the items given out would definitely be of the same level of natural treasures. Thus, the value of these two bracelets was immense.
That’s why Li Jin’an asked Jingting Dao Lord this way: Aren’t you afraid your disciple Yun Liuguang will curse you for being biased in her heart?
Jingting Dao Lord knew what she was thinking without needing to guess. She waved her hand. “This gift was prepared for you long ago. It’s my private property. Consider it a shared sentiment from me and Yinyue. Accept it with peace of mind.”
Li Jin’an heard her say it was a shared sentiment from her and Yinyue Monarch and subconsciously looked at Chixin Sword Lord, blurting out, “The ceremony hasn’t been dismantled yet. Why don’t you and my Master bring Yinyue Monarch’s memorial tablet and invite Heavenly Dao to witness it again? That would be double happiness, so much more…”
The word “good” hadn’t even been fully spoken when Jingting Dao Lord cut her off. She smiled with narrowed eyes. “Today is a grand day, don’t force me to embarrass you.”
Chixin Sword Lord, who was about to walk over, paused and turned to walk towards Qi Lingzi and the other two.
Li Jin’an innocently blinked her eyes, secretly interlaced her fingers with Xie Huaixue’s, and the two exchanged a smile.
Meanwhile.
The Dao Sect elders and disciples who couldn’t attend the spiritual union ceremony had already traversed mountains and ridges to reach the demon realm’s territory. They openly threw a compass into the sky. The compass magnified endlessly, forming a barrier, leaving the Ink Dragon clan nowhere to escape, only to face their demise.
After this group of white-robed formidable figures completely left, the demon beasts on nearby mountains, who had been feigning death, dared to show their heads, fearing these people would also casually ‘take care’ of them.
When the news came back, the Dao Sect was holding a banquet.
Upon hearing this, Jingting Dao Lord merely gave a faint acknowledgment and didn’t take it to heart.
Li Jin’an, still overly excited, chuckled happily at Xie Huaixue and raised her cup to toast her. “What a coincidence, when they return, they’ll be able to drink our wedding wine! To double happiness!”
Xie Huaixue clinked her cup with Li Jin’an’s, looked up and smiled, and said softly, “To double happiness, to our spiritual union, and to devotion until death.”
Li Jin’an’s eyes shifted, her beautiful, sharp phoenix eyes lingered on the rim of the cup in Xie Huaixue’s hand, and on her lips. She recalled the simple marriage ceremony in the illusion—they had drunk ‘cross-cupped wine’ twice.
“Wives loving each other, enduring for eternity.” She drained the wine in her cup. Li Jin’an licked her moist lips and looked at Xie Huaixue with a smile. “Auspicious words are essential.”
Actually, they weren’t just auspicious words; they would only become a predetermined fact.
“Mm.”
In a corner, Lan Ci and Ning Zhufeng withdrew their gazes. Their gloomy expressions, as they lowered their heads, were completely at odds with the joyous atmosphere of the main hall.
Because there were many guests, the Dao Sect couldn’t cram everyone into the main hall and could only open the side halls to accommodate guests of lesser status. But Lan Ci and Ning Zhufeng, as Immortal Venerable disciples, were naturally qualified to be in the main hall.
Only, they didn’t feel honored.
When they lifted their heads again, Lan Ci and Ning Zhufeng’s expressions were as usual, their faces calm.
Ning Zhufeng also raised her wine cup, without toasting anyone, a strange curve formed at the corner of her lips. “Then, drawing on today’s good fortune, let me also get my wish once.”
Lan Ci let out an inscrutable chuckle.
If they didn’t show respect, there were naturally others who were more than willing to.
Jie Yunjin had already forgotten her identity as a snake demon at this moment, rushing forward to appear before Li Jin’an and Xie Huaixue to toast the two newlyweds.
Li Jin’an naturally accepted all toasts.
Tan Yanyi, hiding behind Jiang Fengmian and pulling at Elder Yin’s sleeve, said in a strange voice, “On such a joyous day, you can’t be cheeky and force out the alcohol’s effects with spiritual energy!”
Jie Yunjin chimed in, “Exactly! Jijin, you’re not as sensible as your disciple.”
Tan Yanyi suddenly grimaced.
“…Even if I don’t force the alcohol out of my body, I still won’t get drunk!”
If a grand cultivator at the late Integration stage could get drunk from a bit of wine, that would truly be a huge joke.
Jie Yunjin, revealing her true intentions, said, “This is wine steeped with Nascent Soul stage snake galls, this is monkey wine I exchanged from the Golden Monkey tribe, this is spirit fruit wine other snakes offered to me. The three have one thing in common—”
“That is, they aid dual cultivation!”