Suo Qingjun Chapter 18
byThe Day of the Grand Wedding
The wind at the mountain peak swirled with the sound of pines, weaving Jin Xianling’s voice into something both lingering and sinister. The veins on the hand Qing Feng’an used to grip his sword hilt throbbed slightly. The cold air of the Flowing Frost Sword Technique condensed around his body, yet he did not take the initiative to strike—he could sense that Jin Xianling’s cultivation had far surpassed what it was five years ago. Beneath that frantic malice lay a startling steadiness.
“You should not have come.” Qing Feng’an’s voice was as cold as the snow atop the peak, his eyes devoid of any ripples.
Jin Xianling gave a light laugh. With a flicker of his silhouette, he landed several yards away. His black robes swept over the fallen leaves on the ground, stirring up a whirlwind of True Qi. “Master is getting married; how could I not come?” The madness in his eyes was masked by a layer of gentleness, and his tone even carried a hint of excitement. “I have waited for this day for five years.”
Qing Feng’an frowned and was about to speak when he saw Jin Xianling raise his hand and toss an object toward him. It was a palm-sized brocade box. “This is a congratulatory gift. Master must accept it.”
The box landed and sprang open automatically. Inside was not some sharp weapon, but a handful of dried bamboo shavings and a mutton-fat jade hairpin identical to the one in Qing Feng’an’s robes. However, a tiny character for “Ling” was engraved on the tail of the pin. Qing Feng’an’s heart jolted—those bamboo shavings were from the old bamboo under the veranda of the courtyard at Qihe Peak, and this hairpin was clearly a replica of the one he had lost.
“What do you mean by this?”
“It means nothing.” Jin Xianling walked closer slowly, his gaze sweeping over the hand tightly gripping the sword hilt. A flash of mockery crossed his eyes. “I simply wanted Master to know that I have never forgotten our ‘past.’” He changed the subject, his voice dropping lower with a strange certainty. “I heard that Master’s marriage to Miss Su was a proposal initiated by the Su family. No one in the Xuanqing Sword Sect opposed it, and even you, Master, simply nodded and agreed, correct?”
Qing Feng’an’s expression darkened, neither confirming nor denying the statement.
Jin Xianling’s smile grew increasingly meaningful. “Does Master know why the Su family was so eager for this alliance?” He raised a hand to brush a blade of grass from his sleeve, his tone nonchalant. “Half a year ago, the Su family’s eldest son smuggled forbidden drugs and was wanted by the imperial court. The only one capable of suppressing this matter and protecting the entire Su family is the current Xuanqing Sword Sect.”
Qing Feng’an felt a chill in his heart—though he had heard rumors of this, he had not realized the Su family was so deeply involved.
“I also know,” Jin Xianling pressed on, his voice so low only the two of them could hear, “that Miss Su Wanning has been frail since childhood. Three years ago, she accidentally consumed poison. Although her life was saved, it left her with a chronic condition. She requires extremely cold internal power supplemented by medicine to sustain her life. In this world, aside from me, no one can do it.”
Qing Feng’an looked up sharply, a flash of suspicion and alarm in his eyes. He knew Su Wanning was frail, but he did not know there was such a hidden story behind it.
Seeing this, the corners of Jin Xianling’s mouth curled into a triumphant smile. “Master is a leader of the righteous path. You surely cannot stand by and watch the entire Su family be convicted, or watch your future wife’s life hang by a thread, can you?” He slowly raised his hand, and a ball of pale purple internal power condensed in his palm, emitting a piercing cold. “This is Mysterious Yin True Qi, the coldest energy in the world. It is perfect for sustaining Miss Su’s life.”
“What do you want?” Qing Feng’an’s voice trembled with coldness; he had already guessed Jin Xianling’s scheme.
“It is quite simple.” Jin Xianling’s gaze fell fervently upon his face, the obsession in his eyes no longer hidden. “At the grand wedding in three days, I want to take Su Wanning’s place and perform the marriage rites with Master.”
Qing Feng’an rebuked him angrily, “Absurd!”
“Is it absurd?” Jin Xianling laughed softly. “Master might want to consider this: if I refuse to sustain Su Wanning’s life and the Su family’s smuggling of forbidden drugs is exposed, the alliance between the Xuanqing Sword Sect and the Su family will fail. Instead, the sect will be implicated. When that time comes, Master will not only lose the opportunity to consolidate the sect’s power but will also gain the reputation of someone who watches others die without helping.”
He paused, his tone becoming even more seductive. “And I only require a title. After the wedding, I will secretly treat Su Wanning’s body to ensure her life is safe and the Su family is secure. As for us,” his fingertips lightly brushed against Qing Feng’an’s cheek with a familiar coolness, “Master will still be the Sect Leader of the Xuanqing Sword Sect, and I will simply be your ‘wife,’ hidden behind the scenes from then on. I will no longer interfere in the affairs of the martial world and will only stay by Master’s side. Is that not good?”
Qing Feng’an turned his head to avoid the touch, his heart in a state of turmoil. Jin Xianling’s calculations had accurately struck his weakness—the Xuanqing Sword Sect was his lifelong responsibility, and he could not ignore the safety of the Su family or Su Wanning’s life.
“You think I will agree to this?”
“Master will.” Jin Xianling’s tone was certain. “Because you have no other choice.” He took a porcelain bottle from his robes and handed it to Qing Feng’an. “Inside is the Mysterious Yin Pill. Give Miss Su one pill every day to temporarily alleviate her condition. After the wedding, I will personally treat her.”
Qing Feng’an looked at the porcelain bottle, his fingertips trembling slightly. He knew Jin Xianling was telling the truth. Given the Su family’s current situation and Su Wanning’s health, he truly had no other choice.
“If you dare to play any tricks…”
“Master, rest assured.” Jin Xianling interrupted him, the madness in his eyes turning into a deep infatuation. “I only want to marry Master; I only want to stay by your side legitimately. From now on, I will not imprison you again, nor will I force you to do anything. As long as I can be with you, it is enough.”
His voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible humility, making him seem like a different person from the obsessive man of the past, yet this only made Qing Feng’an’s heart sink further. He knew that Jin Xianling’s “submissiveness” was only temporary. Once his goal was achieved, the madness accumulated during these five years of dormancy might explode in another way.
But he had no choice.
Qing Feng’an took the porcelain bottle and gripped it tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white. “Fine. I agree.”
A brilliant light instantly erupted in Jin Xianling’s eyes, like a beast finally finding light in the darkness. He was so agitated that his entire body trembled slightly. He lunged forward, wanting to embrace Qing Feng’an, but Qing Feng’an coldly stepped away.
“Before the wedding, you are not permitted to appear before me again.” Qing Feng’an’s voice lacked any warmth. “If a single word of this leaks out, I will not forgive you.”
The light in Jin Xianling’s eyes dimmed slightly, but he still nodded, his tone full of obedience. “Fine, I will listen to Master.” He took a deep look at Qing Feng’an, as if trying to carve his image into his very bones. “In three days, I will wait for you to come and marry me, Master.”
With that, his silhouette flickered, and he disappeared into the mountain forest, leaving behind only a gust of cold wind and a faint scent of ink in the air.
Qing Feng’an stood where he was, his hand holding the porcelain bottle trembling slightly. He looked up toward the direction of the Xuanqing Sword Sect, where the scene of red silk covering the sky seemed to be right before his eyes. This grand wedding, which appeared infinitely glorious, had ultimately become a meticulously planned trap by Jin Xianling—another “cage” from which he could not escape.
Three days later, on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Xuanqing Sword Sect was decorated with lanterns and streamers. The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and a continuous stream of people from the martial world came to offer congratulations. Qing Feng’an was dressed in scarlet wedding robes, his face cold as he walked toward the ceremonial hall step by step. According to Jin Xianling’s arrangement, Su Wanning used the excuse of being “frail and afraid of the wind” to be supported by a bridesmaid, keeping her head lowered under a thick red veil so that no one could see her face.
As for Jin Xianling, he had already used a disguise technique to take on Su Wanning’s appearance. Dressed in the same scarlet bridal robes and hidden beneath the red veil, his fingertips lightly stroked the Mysterious Yin Pill in his sleeve, his eyes full of anticipation and obsession.
In the ceremonial hall, the master of ceremonies called out loudly, “First bow to Heaven and Earth—”
Qing Feng’an looked at the red candles ahead, his heart filled with a bitter chill. He knew that beneath the red veil was the disciple who had imprisoned him for five years, the one who was obsessive and mad. This wedding was not the start of happiness, but the beginning of another entanglement.
“Second bow to the elders—”
Qing Feng’an bowed slightly. Memories of the spiritual mist at Qihe Peak, the rainy night five years ago, and the despair and madness in Jin Xianling’s eyes flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes, feeling as though this red wedding attire was a funeral rite—a rite for his lost freedom and for that past he could not bear to look back upon.
“Husband and wife, bow to each other—”
Jin Xianling tilted his head slightly. Through the gap in the red veil, he looked at Qing Feng’an in his scarlet wedding robes. A satisfied and crazed smile curled at the corners of his lips.
Master, I told you, you belong to me after all.
No one at the grand wedding knew that the bride had already been switched. The martial world continued to praise the beautiful story of the Sect Leader of the Xuanqing Sword Sect and the daughter of the Su family. Only Qing Feng’an and Jin Xianling knew that beneath the red candles, this marriage born of calculation was destined to stir up a great storm.