Chapter 147: The Wedding

Facing his parents alone, Wang Li felt a twinge of nervousness.

He had never experienced anything like this before, especially having spent so much time in his father's company, and he felt somewhat out of his depth.

Seeing Wang Li's expression, Wang Duo signaled to his wife to speak.

Receiving her husband's cue, Madam Liu cleared her throat and said, "Look at you—your elder brother and younger sister are already married, and Xiao Bie also has her own cultivation partner. You are at an age now where you really should start considering a lifelong companion."

"Jiang Yu has been bound by a dao oath for five thousand years. Now that you've returned, you need to give her a proper resolution."

At this, she paused for a moment before asking, "And what is going on between you and Jiang Yue? She is an unmarried young woman who spent a hundred years buried alive with you in the same tomb—don't you owe her an explanation as well?"

"If you have any thoughts on the matter, just speak up. You needn't worry about Senior Brother Liuguang; as long as you, Jiang Yue, and Jiang Yu all agree, your father and I will handle Senior Brother and the Imperial Family."

Wang Li was left utterly dumbfounded.

What on earth was all this?

His betrothal with Jiang Yu had been decided long ago, which was one thing; he could just check with Master Sheng to see if the dao oath could be lifted. If it could be undone, that would be ideal, leaving him completely unburdened. If not, he would simply marry her and bring this karmic tie to a close.

But what about Jiang Yue?

What kind of situation was that?

Wang Li protested, "I will naturally give Jiang Yu an answer, but Jiang Yue... the reason we shared the same nether tomb was, on one hand, to save her, and on the other, to use the Chosen Rankings on her to connect with the aspirations of all living beings. How on earth did that suddenly turn into me having to marry her? Mother, aren't you just randomly pairing people up?"

Madam Liu's pretty eyes widened in anger. "What do you mean by randomly pairing people up? Do you even understand what sharing the same nether tomb implies? That is the rite of husband and wife!"

"What, you thought you were just saving someone, but how do you think others will view this? How is Jiang Yue supposed to face the world in the future?"

Wang Li retorted, "Jiang Yue isn't even a mortal anymore; she's an immortal. Mortal proprieties don't apply to her."

"Nonsense!"

Wang Duo scolded, "You brat, the men of our Wang family take responsibility for their actions. Since you and Jiang Yue have shared the intimacy of husband and wife, you must take accountability. We cannot let people point fingers and mock the Wang family's backbone!"

Wang Li felt a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

What kind of mess was this!

He argued, "Jiang Yue is Senior Uncle Liuguang's granddaughter. Would Senior Uncle ever agree to this? Besides, Jiang Yue herself hasn't even brought it up. It hardly seems appropriate for us to be debating this here."

"There is nothing inappropriate about it. Before you arrived, the Jiang Yue girl already spoke with your father and me, saying she is willing to become your cultivation partner!"

Madam Liu declared, "And you needn't worry about Jiang Yu; Mother has already spoken with her, and she did not refuse."

"Hold on, Mother, Father, I never said I wanted to marry Jiang Yu either!" Wang Li hurriedly explained.

At that moment, Master Sheng chimed in, "I have no way to break the dao oath between you and Jiang Yu."

Wang Li cried out, "Grandpa Sheng, please don't joke around at a time like this!"

Master Sheng snorted, "Who's joking with you? A dao oath can indeed be broken right when it's first made—I helped you lift the dao oath you previously swore to Liu Wangjin. But the dao oath between you and Jiang Yu was made five thousand years ago; it has long since become a part of the world's fundamental rules. How do you expect me to break it? Should I just destroy the World Will and watch the Tianxuan world collapse?"

"Hehe, count your blessings, you brat. You get to enjoy the blessings of multiple wives yet remain completely oblivious. Such a fool!"

Wang Li thought: *I want to curse! Why didn't you say so earlier!*

Madam Liu demanded, "What did you say? You aren't planning to marry Jiang Yu either?!"

"Hmph, I think this brat is just begging for a beating. He thinks that because his wings have grown a bit stronger, he can do whatever he pleases!" Wang Duo said angrily.

With no hope left in Master Sheng, Wang Li had no choice but to yield. "That's not what your son meant, Father, Mother, please don't misunderstand!"

"Then tell me, are you going to marry Jiang Yu or not?" Wang Duo slammed his fist on the table, clearly infuriated by his son. The joy of their reunion had been entirely blown away by the son's reluctance to take a wife.

"I will, of course I will marry her, just not right now."

Wang Li explained, "Your son has already made appointments with fellow practitioners from various sects to teach them the method of cultivating aspiration power. I'm going to be extremely busy for the foreseeable future and simply won't have the time to manage a wedding..."

"Then we'll hold the ceremony today!"

Madam Liu made the final decision. "To avoid any complications arising from prolonged delays! You've already kept the girl waiting for five thousand years; you cannot break your promise to her again!"

"As for the Jiang Yue girl, I am going to the Jiuyou Mountains right now to speak with Senior Brother Liuguang, and by the way, I'll bring your younger sister back as well."

Without waiting for Wang Li to respond, Wang Duo stood up and left.

Wang Li was left dumbfounded.

Are you two really this anxious to marry off your son?

Don't you even need to make any preparations?

True to her word, Madam Liu actually sent a divine transmission to everyone within the Pure Sun Secret Realm, inviting them to come drink wedding wine later that evening...

It was a fait accompli!

They hadn't left him a single shred of room for maneuver.

While Wang Li was still in a daze, well-wishers began arriving in an endless stream, and before long, three rooms were completely filled with congratulatory gifts.

A whole crowd of people—both acquaintances and strangers—poured in. With Wang Li pushed onto the spot, he had no choice left but to get married!

Half a day later, the travel-worn True Immortal Liuguang arrived before Wang Li, and his opening words completely paralyzed Wang Li's mind.

"Grandson-in-law, I am entrusting my precious granddaughter to you. If she suffers even the slightest grievance, this old man will make your life a living hell!"

Wang Li wanted to point out: * Sect Master Uncle, we haven't seen each other in five thousand years, and the first thing you do upon meeting is call me your grandson-in-law? Is that really appropriate?*

Seeing him remain silent, True Immortal Liuguang didn't mind in the least. He waved his hand, tore open the fabric of space, and yanked Jiang Yue—who had no idea where she was—right up to Wang Li's side.

"Granddaughter, from now on Wang Li is your cultivation partner. If he dares to bully you, Grandpa will beat him until even his own mother won't recognize him!"

Jiang Yue was equally baffled. "What is going on? How did I suddenly become this stinky Wang Li's cultivation partner?"

"You are Wang Li's cultivation partner—Grandpa says so!" True Immortal Liuguang declared imperiously.

Dark lines crossed Jiang Yue's forehead. "Grandpa, are you really in that much of a hurry to marry me off?"

"Of course! You've come back from the dead, so Grandpa has to marry you off before you die for the first time, just to settle a weight on my mind!"

True Immortal Liuguang's choice of words...

Why would he say something like that on such a joyous occasion?

Was he certain the bride was his biological granddaughter?

Speechless, Jiang Yue huffed indignantly and sat down beside Wang Li. "I suppose you're getting a bargain, you jerk!"

Though she acted huffy, her heart was blooming with joy.

Wang Li remained in a daze throughout the entire process, only snapping back to reality when Jiang Yu and Jiang Yue had already put on their bridal robes and pulled him along to kowtow to Heaven and Earth.

A cultivator's marriage bond is somewhat different from a mortal wedding; they do not bow to parents, and bowing to Heaven and Earth is merely a formality.

In truth, as long as a male and female cultivator publicly declare they have formed a dao partnership, outsiders automatically default to viewing them as a couple.

It was as simple and crude as that.

The ceremony concluded very quickly, and the guests dispersed before they even finished their tea. Wang Wangbie exchanged a brief greeting with Wang Li before returning to her own dwelling to meet her lover.

Wang Duo and his wife, Wang Liu's family, and Wang Ju and her mother also departed, leaving the three of them standing right where they were, exposed to the breeze.

Wang Li was stunned.

We're married... but where on earth are we supposed to live?!

The three of them stared blankly at one another.

Jiang Yue asked, "Wang Li, don't tell me you don't even have a residential cave?"

Wang Li scratched his head. "The best residential cave I ever lived in was on Yaoxue Peak..."

For several millennia, aside from that tiny room in the Scripture Pavilion, Wang Li truly hadn't possessed a proper dwelling of his own!