Chapter 116: Let’s Get Married
Elder Huang placed her hand on Elder Guo’s dantian, sending a gentle stream of qi into his pathways to test for any issues. The spiritual energy flowed like water through a riverbed, carefully probing for obstructions or damage."Happy now?" Elder Guo asked with a hint of impatience.
But Elder Huang didn’t respond.
"Hey," he called out, shaking her shoulder lightly. Still no response.
Then suddenly, he heard something drip to the floor. Elder Guo quickly raised her face and froze. "Are you crying?" he asked, his voice softening at the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I was really worried, you know that?" she spoke, her voice quivering..
Seeing her like this Elder Guo reached out and held her hand. "I’m sorry," he said simply.
She didn’t reply. Instead, she collapsed against his chest, her quiet sniffling the only sound in the room. Elder Guo awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she continued to tremble against him.
"Umm... Junior Sister," he spoke after a while, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
She stopped sniffling and responded without looking up. "wot?" The word came out muffled against his robes.
Elder Guo took a deep breath, steadying his voice before speaking,
"Do you want to get married?"
When Elder Huang heard this, she instantly pushed away from him, creating distance between them. Her face flushed crimson as she waved her hands frantically in the air. "Wh-what are you talking about?" she stammered, words tumbling over each other.
Her mind raced wildly. Had she heard correctly? How could such words come from this insensitive man who had never shown the slightest romantic inclination in all their years together?
"I asked if you wanted to get married?" Elder Guo repeated, rising from his position and walking deliberately toward her. His movements held none of the hesitation in his voice.
"Umm..." She struggled to find words as she backed away from his advance, her usual composure completely shattered.
"What, you don’t want to?" Elder Guo pressed on, continuing his approach.
"I didn’t say that," she responded quickly, then suddenly felt the cool surface of the wall against her back. She had run out of space to retreat.
Elder Guo placed his hand on the wall behind her, creating a barrier with his arm. "Then, do you want to?" he asked softly, reaching up with his other hand to fix a strand of hair that had fallen across her eye.
She tried to slip away to the side, but he blocked her escape with his other arm, trapping her completely. "You still haven’t answered my question," he spoke, his voice low and insistent.
She blushed deeper, the color spreading to her ears. "Well, it’s just so sudden," she said. "What made you ask such a thing?"
"Back then, when I was about to die..." he began, his expression growing somber, "I regretted a lot of things."
He paused, "I regretted letting my brothers down, not living up to Master’s expectations," he continued, then leaned in closer until their faces were mere inches apart. "But most of all, I regretted not asking you this question."
His eyes locked with hers, intense and unwavering. They were so close that he could feel her breath warm against his face. She looked away, unable to maintain the contact.
"I’ve always worried about the sect," he continued softly, "but from what I’ve seen, from both Xiang Yu and Li Yao, I don’t need to worry anymore."
A rare smile crossed his weathered face. "Li Yao is stronger than me by a huge margin. She can protect the sect. And Xiang Yu is a genius as well. As long as they work together, I’m sure they’ll take the sect to levels we could never imagine."
His shoulders relaxed visibly. "It feels like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Now that I no longer have those huge responsibilities, I can finally pick up smaller responsibilities."
He gently turned her chin to face him. "Huang Fengqi," he called formally. "Will you be this old man’s responsibility?"
Her expression suddenly shifted to a pout, eyebrows drawing together. "Are you calling me a responsibility?"
Elder Guo was taken aback. Now that she said it aloud, it indeed sounded strange. He didn’t possess his junior brother’s talent for poetry—this was the best he could manage.
"That’s besides the point," he said hastily. "I’ve explained my reasoning. What’s your answer?"
"Well..." she began, but then apparently decided words were inadequate. She looked up at him, her eyes conveying what language could not. Slowly, she raised her hands and wrapped them around his neck.
Standing on her toes to compensate for their height difference, she leaned in...
...
When Xiang Yu emerged after changing, Li Yao took out a human-sized mirror. "Senior brother, it looks nice on you," she said, her eyes sparkling with approval as she assessed his appearance.
"Does it?" he responded doubtfully, inspecting his reflection with a critical eye. He couldn’t see much difference from his regular attire except for the more vibrant colors and finer material. The deep azure fabric shimmered slightly when he moved, embroidered with subtle cloud patterns along the hems.
"Of course. You can trust me, I’m a professional," Li Yao declared confidently, flashing him a thumbs up. Her gaze lingered on him, clearly pleased with how the formal attire accentuated his frame.
Xiang Yu shrugged slightly. Well, as long as she liked it. There were far more important things to concern himself with than clothing. "What do I do now?" he asked.
"You’ll go with me to the inauguration ceremony," Li Yao explained. "I’ll announce your position then."
Xiang Yu nodded, accepting his fate. As they continued talking, they suddenly noticed Elder Huang and Elder Guo returning together. What surprised them, however, was that the two elders were holding hands, both sporting noticeable blushes on their faces like young cultivators rather than the dignified elders they were supposed to be.
The disciples exchanged glances, had something happened between them in that short time they were gone.
"Martial aunt, did something happen?" Li Yao asked curiously.
"Umm, well..." Elder Huang began hesitantly.
"Me and your martial aunt are getting married," Elder Guo interjected bluntly, his characteristic directness unchanged despite the redness in his cheeks.
Both disciples’ eyes widened simultaneously. Marriage? This was really unexpected. Even though they knew that the two had feelings for each other, they hadn’t expected them to progress this quickly.
"Umm, yes," Elder Huang confirmed, her fingers still intertwined with Elder Guo’s. "He proposed to me and I said yes."
"Master proposed?" Xiang Yu and Li Yao exclaimed in perfect unison, unable to hide their astonishment.
Elder Guo’s expression immediately darkened. "What? You think I don’t dare to?" he asked with indignation. Were these kids looking down on their master?
"Hahaha," Xiang Yu laughed awkwardly, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Master, you misunderstood," he explained hastily. "We’re just surprised is all." Internally, he marveled at this unexpected development. To think that his master would be the one to propose first!
"Hmph," Elder Guo scoffed at the response, his pride slightly wounded. What did these youngsters know? Back in the day, this elder was—
"Ouch!" Elder Guo suddenly winced, his reminiscence cut short. He looked up at Elder Huang with confusion. "Why’d you pinch me?" he demanded.
But she simply looked away with another "Hmph,"
Li Yao observed the interaction with amusement. Despite their engagement, it seemed their dynamic hadn’t changed much at all. They were still the same bickering elders.
...
Author’s Corner:
A/N - Bro is so me fr
Just thought I’d get this over with