After Accidentally Entering the Forbidden Land and Forming a Bond with the Grandmaster - Chapter 22

Taking His Wife to Meet His Parents.

Xie Zhuo looked down to see Chu Lanci taking his hand and leading him toward the backyard. The yard was pitch black, so Xie Zhuo used a spiritual artifact to illuminate the area. Under the soft light, they saw clusters of brilliant white flowers surrounding them. They were night orchids, pure and stainless.

Xie Zhuo had not realized that Chu Lanci was such a skilled gardener. Night orchids, commonly known as the “Beauty Under the Moon,” typically bloom for only a few hours at night before quickly withering. Yet, Chu Lanci’s flowers remained in full bloom. He wondered how this was possible.

Chu Lanci quickly provided an explanation. “Master, are you not curious why they stay open for so long?”

“I am not,” Xie Zhuo replied simply.

“Well, alright. Actually, I use a special kind of rootless water. It is a mix of morning dew and rainwater collected during the hour of the Rooster. Do not tell anyone, or my night orchids will lose their value,” Chu Lanci said with a laugh while watering the plants.

Xie Zhuo smiled. “Then you should not have told me.”

“I trust you, Master! These flowers do not earn many spirit stones, but they are very pleasing to the eye,” Chu Lanci said cheerfully. “Sometimes I bring my students here to plant them together. Would you like to try, Master?”

“I will just watch you,” Xie Zhuo replied.

Chu Lanci smiled and handed him the watering can. “Give it a try, Master. Go on, water that one. If the night orchid is happy, it will bloom. They are quite beautiful when they open! Someone as powerful as Master will surely have a flower bloom specifically for him.”

Xie Zhuo found himself unable to refuse. He took the watering can and watered a single bud. Then, a miracle occurred. As the clear droplets hit the bud hanging among the dark green leaves, the snow-white outer petals slowly unfurled, revealing a pale gold core.

It had actually bloomed. Xie Zhuo was amazed that his hands, which had taken lives, could coax a delicate flower into bloom. He felt a surge of uncharacteristic excitement, though he maintained a calm exterior.

Chu Lanci clapped his hands in delight. “Wow, Master! It really worked! You are incredible.”

The praise was so sincere that Xie Zhuo could only reply, “It is because your flowers are good.”

“The flowers are good, and the person is good, too,” Chu Lanci said, looking up. “You are the first person to make a night orchid bloom on the very first try. Should I pick it for you?”

“Keep it,” Xie Zhuo said. “Let it stay in bloom.”

“Alright,” Chu Lanci agreed. “I will turn it into a lantern and give it to Master.”

Xie Zhuo recalled his earlier promise to give Chu Lanci a greeting gift. Chu Lanci had seemingly forgotten about it, likely not on purpose. But would a great master like him really dwell on such a small thing?

Since the watering was finished, it was time to leave. Chu Lanci stood up and held out a finished flower lantern.

“Master, this is for you.” The lantern light illuminated Chu Lanci’s smile, making him look as lovely as the flowers. “There is a poem that says, ‘At midnight, the sword strikes the star river; broken jade and flying frost cover the slopes.’ It suits you perfectly, Master.”

Xie Zhuo looked at the lantern. The image of the night orchid was pressed against the paper, its shadow expanding in the light like shattered jade and falling frost. It possessed both the elegance of a delicate flower and the dominance of a sword that could strike the heavens.

Does it look like me? he wondered. He felt he only possessed the latter quality. He remembered the thirty-six cities that had vanished in an instant and the tragic sight of his own master falling before him like a dying flame. A moment of glory, a fleeting bloom—what remained was not fragrance, but a thousand years of infamy.

Xie Zhuo took the lantern, his expression solemn as he thanked Chu Lanci. Whether the youth meant it or not, Xie Zhuo was touched by his sincerity. This bond might turn out better than he had imagined. Even if he could never ascend in this lifetime, helping Chu Lanci achieve his dreams would be a worthy pursuit.

“Thank you,” Xie Zhuo said, accepting the gift.

“You are welcome,” Chu Lanci replied with a smile.

Xie Zhuo then added, “The marriage bond ceremony at Qianshan was mostly for show, for the rest of the world to see.”

Chu Lanci blinked in surprise and nodded. “I know.”

“You know?” Xie Zhuo asked.

“Yes,” Chu Lanci said. “A fake marriage, right?”

Xie Zhuo was at a loss for words. Chu Lanci’s matter-of-fact acceptance made it difficult to continue. His own motives were complex and not entirely pure, which was why he had chosen to perform the ceremony at Qianshan. But it was not what he truly desired.

“Do you have any other thoughts? We could have another ceremony,” Xie Zhuo suggested.

Chu Lanci laughed. “There is no need, Master. It is not a real marriage anyway; we might part ways one day.” He smiled happily, but seeing Xie Zhuo’s serious expression, he coughed. “Actually, I still want to go back to the village. We can just treat the villagers to a meal.”

“Alright,” Xie Zhuo said. “But first, come with me to a certain place.”

Xie Zhuo took Chu Lanci on his flying sword to a land of ice and snow. The extreme cold was immediate, turning their breath into frost. Chu Lanci thought they had returned to the Forbidden Land, but he soon realized this was different. Everywhere he looked was frozen; mist hung like veils of silk, and jagged icicles hung like inverted swords.

They arrived at a mysterious gate sealed by ice. Xie Zhuo took a jade pendant from his Qingshuang sword and placed it into a nearby slot. With a mechanical click, the door opened.

The sight inside nearly made Chu Lanci faint from shock. Before them were hundreds of ice coffins suspended in mid-air. Each coffin contained a phantom formed from sword intent—some swinging blades, others forming seals—all frozen in the moment before their ascension.

“When the disciples of Qianshan ascend, their physical bodies turn into glass-like shells called immortal sloughs,” Xie Zhuo explained as he walked toward two side-by-side coffins in the center.

Chu Lanci peered inside. Though the view was misty, he could see that the bodies had not decayed. They were transparent like ice crystals, with pale gold immortal essence flowing through their bones.

“These are my parents,” Xie Zhuo said.

“What?” Chu Lanci gasped.

“Let us kneel before them,” Xie Zhuo said.

“Oh,” Chu Lanci stammered. This fake marriage was beginning to feel very real. Xie Zhuo knelt first, and Chu Lanci followed suit.

“Father, Mother, this is Chu Lanci. We are entering into a marriage bond,” Xie Zhuo announced.

Chu Lanci thought it sounded exactly like a man introducing his wife. He leaned forward and kowtowed. As he sat there in a daze, Xie Zhuo turned to him and said, “Introduce yourself to them.”

“I am… I am Chu Lanci. I am from Tingfeng Village. I am nineteen years old,” Chu Lanci said, pouting slightly. “And I am a man.” He hoped the parents would not blame him for the lack of future grandchildren.

Xie Zhuo took his hand and pulled him up. “That is enough.”

Chu Lanci blinked. He did not feel it was enough. The atmosphere had made him a bit frightened. What if the parents came to find him? He turned to Xie Zhuo and said, “Master, let me kneel one more time.”

“There is no need,” Xie Zhuo said.

“Let me.”

Chu Lanci knelt again and began to mumble softly. His voice was low, meant only for himself, but Xie Zhuo heard every word.

“Father, Mother, Master and I are… I have my own selfish reasons. I want to enter the Inner Sect, and Master happens to need a cultivation partner. So, we but I have no intention of harming him. Once we are partners, I will try my best to fulfill his wishes and take good care of him for you. Whether it is decocting medicine or cooking meals… so I am not really a liar, am I? Please do not come looking for me. Just wish for Master and me to be safe and sound. Oh, and also the people in my village and my missing uncle. That is all. I am finished.”

Xie Zhuo wanted to laugh but felt strangely moved. He realized that he finally had someone to take care of him. Seeing that Chu Lanci was about to say more, Xie Zhuo said, “They have ascended; they are not ghosts.”

Chu Lanci looked up with an embarrassed smile. “I just wanted to make things clear first.”

Xie Zhuo reached out and helped him up. He took one last look around. “Let us leave this place.”

Chu Lanci nodded vigorously. “Let’s go, Master.”

As they left the frozen hall, a flash of spiritual light flickered within the two coffins they had visited. It was a sign that their prayer had been received. It was a blessing for their auspicious future and their heavenly bond.

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