Edited by Ea

  Lin Shu went through a fierce mental struggle.

  To open, or not to open, that is the question.

  It changed from a Schrodinger’s cylinder to a Schrodinger’s scroll.

  In Schrodinger’s cylinder, there might be unique martial arts skills or just a piece of waste paper.

  But what could a Schrodinger’s scroll contain?

  It seemed that it could only contain one thing.

  Then it couldn’t be called a Schrodinger’s scroll anymore.

  Lin Shu glanced up at Big Miss’s expression again.

  Big Miss held a cup in one hand as she leisurely brushed aside the powdered tea leaves with the white jade teapot cover in her other hand. When she saw him looking over, she smiled sweetly.

  She smiled very beautifully.

  But Big Miss never smiled like this, so this was undoubtedly the last calm before the storm, the last piece of sugar before drinking bitter Chinese medicine.

  No matter how gorgeous and alluring her face was, at this moment, it was all—”I’m going to eat you” written on the left cheek and “I want to kill you” written on the right one.

  Based on this expression, the only conclusion that could be inferred was: It, truly, was Ling Fengxiao’s Scroll.

  Lin Shu was like a prisoner awaiting his final sentence as he unraveled the red satin with slightly shaking hands.

  He closed his eyes, prepared himself, and untied the satin knot completely.

  The scroll opened.

  Inside, there were several sheets of papers with different textures, but without exception, they were all very dignified.

  He first gathered the papers together, then went on to read the outermost roll.

  “Fowls and boars originate from the same village, the mulberry and catalpa trees converge.”

  Big Miss raised her eyebrows: “Mhmm.”

  “Tie early……”

  Big Miss: “Go on.”

  “Tie the auspicious knot early, further reaffirm……”

  Lin Shu’s vision was already blurred, and he was gradually losing consciousness.

  Big Miss put down her teacup, straightened her sleeves, and folded her hands on her lap. She looked dignified and stared at him perfectly.

  “Tie the auspicious knot early, further reaffirm the old friendship.”

  Big Miss smiled deeply.

  Lin Shu’s soul had already flown beyond the skies.

  “Fu……liang Prefecture, the Phoenix Villa Lord’s first daughter, with Min Prefecture, Taoyuan-jun’s…… excellent disciple. Becoming immortals and heroes, inheriting the family’s fields together. Learning the Dao and martial arts, sharing the same teachers.”

  Big Miss poured tea with her hands tucked inside her sleeves and filled the empty teacup in front of Lin Shu as she continued to listen.

  “The human path is difficult to achieve, the time available fades away easily. Heaven and Earth unite when the sweet dew falls, Yin and Yang merge where the yellow bud forms.”

  “One sentence to decide a match, two people’s happiness to form a union. Is only……the matter of marriage, permitted as proper, thus announced to the Gods of Heaven and Earth.”

  Lin Shu’s brain became blank, and his tongue was no longer under his control.

  “After the betrothal has been decided, wait for the parties to gradually age before selecting an auspicious marriage date. We hope that the immortal companions will grow old together and find perfect martial harmony. Today……the marriage contract is set.”

  Big Miss nodded: “Indeed, you didn’t miss a single word. Next page.”

  The title of the next page was called “Deciding the Engagement”.

  “This person is blessed with lofty sentiments, to permit development of warm and virtuous love between my eldest disciple and his intended, at this time, I sincerely venture to enquire the name and eight characters of the bride……”

  This sentence had a strong classical Chinese flavor, so the writing was even more incomprehensible than a secret manual of martial arts techniques. It really was too obscure for Lin Shu, so his voice was very rigid.

  After reading “Deciding the Engagement”, he went on to read “Requesting Marriage”, followed by “Setting a Formal Date”.

  When he finally finished reading, Lin Shu pinched himself and tried to wake up.

  He couldn’t wake up.

  This dream was truly strange.

  Seeing that he had finished reading, Big Miss unhurriedly took out a dark red brocade storage bag with golden stitches from her waist, then retrieved an identical cylinder from it.

  She placed a drop of blood on it and opened the cylinder.

  Lin Shu watched as Big Miss took out a scroll that was exactly identical to his, which was also bound by red satin.

  Big Miss opened the satin knot and unfolded the paper rolls.

  Written on the scroll was exactly the same text as the one he had.

  The rest of the documents were different, they were “Response to Engagement”, “Permission for Marriage”, and “Setting a Formal Date.”

  Lin Shu: “.……”

  He was a little confused right now and wasn’t quite sure what just happened.

  “Three documents and six rites, three correspondences and six formalities……” Big Miss’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But you’re saying……you don’t know?”

  Three documents and six rites, three correspondences and six formalities.

  After the betrothal has been decided, wait for the parties to gradually age before selecting an auspicious marriage date.

  Selecting an auspicious marriage date.

  Lin Su suddenly remembered something.

  When Big Miss wanted him to go to Huandang Mountain, she said: “If you are mediocre, won’t I be ashamed?”

  When they went to Dream Hall to invite Old Lord Yue to leave the mountain and mentioned Zhaoxue, Big Miss said: “You have to accompany me. Naturally, you’ll have to use a mount of the same standard as me. It just so happened that Zhaoye and Zhaoxue are twins, and thus were chosen to be raised.”

  Big Miss has a fiancé.

  On that day, when he met the girls from Phoenix Villa in the ghost town, they were looking for someone’s disciple.

  What was that person’s name again?

  \r \r \r

  Lin Shu moved his gaze robotically and stopped at the marriage contract.

  “Fuliang Prefecture, the Phoenix Villa Lord’s first daughter, with Min Prefecture, Taoyuan-jun’s excellent disciple.”

  Oh, Taoyuan-jun.

  Taoyuan-jun left this marriage contract to his disciple.

  The little idiot’s blood could open the cylinder left by Taoyuan-jun.

  Taoyuan-jun’s disciple was Big Miss’s fiancé.

  The little idiot was Lin Shu now.

  To sum it up, Lin Shu is Big Miss’s fiancé.

  Lin Shu: ???

  He was just a hamster.

  He was merely the thing that Big Miss wanted to raise…… What was it called?

  Now, when this evil cylinder was opened, he became the main wife?

  Nothing was a better example of the fickleness of the world than this.

  Lin Shu felt that he needed some time to accept this.

  Of course, he would much rather wake up from this strange dream.

  Ling Fengxiao saw that he hadn’t spoken for a long time: “En?”

  “I really didn’t know……” Lin Shu hurriedly pleaded his innocence but quickly changed his words when he saw Big Miss’s expression, which looked as though she was about to eat him. He gave up the struggle: “.……I was wrong.”

  “Wrong?” Big Miss smiled slightly and asked: “How were you wrong?”

  Lin Shu was flustered and said in despair, “I didn’t know about the marriage contract.”

  Big Miss’s fingers were tapping on the bamboo table at a regular pace, making Lin Shu’s heart bristle.

  “The ignorant have no sins, but that’s not wrong,” said Big Miss. “Think about it again.”

  Lin Shu couldn’t think of it, so he could only look into Big Miss’s eyes meekly and innocently.

  After about half a cup of tea’s worth of time, Big Miss smiled.

  Lin Shu thought this was a smile when someone was angry to the extreme.

  However, Ling Fengxiao’s voice had definitely softened.

  “It’s useless to look meek,” Big Miss said, “if you can’t figure it out, then keep on thinking.”

  Lin Shu really couldn’t think of it, so he could only say: “Can’t think of it.”

  Big Miss took a sip of cold tea and finally spoke.

  “If a complete stranger treated you well for no reason and bought you things…… Would you accept it all? And then be abducted?” Big Miss asked.

  Lin Shu: “!”

  He finally knew.

  It turned out that Big Miss always thought that she was the fiancé, the main wife. Thus, when she raised a hamster, she could have an honorable reputation while doing so and was in the right.

  But today, she finally found out that she was just a wealthy woman.

  If it weren’t for etiquette, Lin Shu was about to hide his face and cry bitterly.

  He finally understood what Big Miss’s expression meant.

  It meant, “You frivolous boy with no bottom line”.

  He wanted to hang himself.

  Big Miss continued to ask: “Is it so?”

  “Not so.” The desire to survive made Lin Shu say a rare long sentence, “After all, no one in the world is like you, both rich and beautiful, so no one besides you is enough to make me……”

  Big Miss put her hand on the handle of her blade and interrupted him: “You’d better pay attention to your wording.”

  Lin Shu shut up.

  Big Miss leaned back in her chair and seemed to be trying to calm her breath.

  Lin Shu didn’t dare to make a sound.

  After a long time, Big Miss asked, “Does your shoulder still hurt?”

  Lin Shu: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  “If it doesn’t hurt, then just reflect on yourself here,” said Big Miss. “Before morning comes, tell me where you were wrong, why you were wrong, and how to correct it in the future. I will decide what to do with you at my discretion.”

  Lin Shu said obediently: “Okay.”

  Then, Big Miss really did stop talking and let him quietly reflect.

  The night wind was originally cold, but now it was gradually getting hotter.

  Lin Shu suspected that Big Miss was too angry to control her spiritual power, which raised the temperature in this area.

  He began to think crazily about what exactly happened today.

  Big Miss’s……fiancé?

  That dead ghost?

  The more he thought about it, the more he felt suffocated.

  The more he thought about it, the more he felt he’s done for……

  What will he do in the future?

  He knew what to do if he was just a raised hamster. He only needed to be raised quietly.

  But what about a fiancé?

  Unimaginable.

  Time passed quietly like this. The moon rose, Big Miss did not speak, and Lin Shu was as quiet as a chicken.

  When dawn was approaching, the silence of the atrium was broken by outsiders.

  A man in black, along with two other people in the same outfits who followed in a later place. Their footsteps made almost no sound.

  Lin Shu had never seen that style of clothes before and could speculate that it was a kind of armour suit extremely suited for fighting.

  The man in the atrium walked to the front of Ling Fengxiao.

  Ling Fengxiao looked up at him.

  Then, the three people knelt down on one knee.

  The man in charge said: “Your Highness.”

  Ling Fengxiao: “How many have come?”

  “Twenty.”

  “Conduct a thorough investigation,” Ling Fengxiao said lightly, “After ten days, there will only be innocent people in the academy left.”

  The man lowered his head: “We obey your command.”

  “Send another five people to guard His Royal Highness, without any negligence.”

  The man said, “Yes.”

  “Stand down.”

  The three men said another “Yes”, then got up and withdrew. They left as quietly as they came and disappeared into the dissolving night in an instant.

  Lin Shu looked at the direction they disappeared in.

  The cultivation of those three people was very high.

  Ling Fengxiao saw him looking over there: “They’re the Dragon Guards, all three of their cultivation are in the Yuanying realm. Ordinarily, they remain inside the palace, but His Majesty sent them to solve the incident within this academy.”

  They turned out to be great masters.

  The High Officer and Ling Fengxiao discussed matters. When these Dragon Guards came to the academy, they also reported to Ling Fengxiao first. It was interesting to think about.

  It seemed that everyone knew that Xiao Lingyang was unreliable, so it was necessary to find his older sister for official matters.

  Lin Shu: “En.”

  Ling Fengxiao looked at him, and her tone was obviously lighter than when she talked with the three Dragon Guards, but on the whole, her anger had yet to disappear, and she was still not very gentle.

  “It’s no small matter that Northern Xia traitors have appeared inside the academy. However, their goal is nothing more than wanting to obtain 《Endless Yearning》.” Ling Fengxiao stroked the scabbard with her right hand and said indifferently.

  Lin Shu pricked his ears when he heard 《Endless Yearning》.

  “The confrontation between the two countries depends not only on the strength of the troops, but also on each side’s experts who passed their tribulations,” Ling Fengxiao said, “but they will ascend soon after their tribulations. Both Southern and Northern Xia have such worries.”

  After passing the heavenly tribulation, once someone’s cultivation has reached completion, they will ascend. That was true.

  Ling Fengxiao continued: “A thousand years ago, Emperor Ye remained in the world for more than a hundred years even after his cultivation has reached completion. No one knows the reason, but according to legend, in the 《Endless Yearning》 martial arts techniques left by Emperor Ye, one can pass through the heavenly tribulation without having to ascend. If they can obtain this method, they will have the upper hand in battle in the future. ”

  Lin Shu: “??”

  But 《Endless Yearning》was merely a set of sword techniques.

  “I don’t know if the rumors are true or false, but there is another benefit to getting 《Endless Yearning》.”

  Lin Shu: “What benefit?”

  “Fifteen years ago, Sword Pavilion, the place where Emperor Ye came from, lost the sect’s main forbidden technique 《Endless Yearning》. If someone finds it and returns it to Sword Pavilion, the Sword Pavilion will surely repay them. It has been a long time since Sword Pavilion was formed, and there are countless powerful experts in there. If a side can get assistance from Sword Pavilion…… you can imagine.”

  Lin Shu blinked.

  It seemed that his sect was very powerful.

  “Southern Xia, Northern Xia, and even Xijiang, as well as countless other sects, are all looking for 《Endless Yearning》, so……” Ling Fengxiao’s voice gradually lowered, “The fact that you know 《Endless Yearning》should never be known by a third person besides us two.”

  Ling Fengxiao knew that he was learning 《Endless Yearning》?

  Lin Shu suddenly remembered something.

  That time, when he was fighting with Xiao Shao in the martial arts arena, he used the first two moves from 《Endless Yearning》. As a result, Xiao Shao said that this was Taoyuan-jun’s swordsmanship!

  And Taoyuan-jun was his cheap master!

  At the same time, Taoyuan-jun also set a marriage contract between him and Ling Fengxiao.

  Therefore, Ling Fengxiao could indeed infer that he knew 《Endless Yearning》through Taoyuan-jun.

  Then how did Xiao Shao know?

  Big Miss said, they must not let a third person know.

  Yet right after he fought with Xiao Shao, something happened to the academy.

  Xiao Shao…… He can’t be Northern Xia’s traitor, can he?

  Lin Shu’s heart jumped a few times. This time, he was really afraid.

  He said to Ling Fengxiao: “Someone else has seen it.”

  Ling Fengxiao’s voice immediately became cautious: “Who?”

  “In the martial arts arena,” Lin Shu said uneasily, “Xiao Shao.”

  He saw Ling Fengxiao go silent again.

  After a long time, Ling Fengxiao asked, “Xiao Shao?”

  “The Xiao Shao who is number one in the True Martial Arts Ranking.” Lin Shu lowered his head. He did something wrong, so he didn’t care about exposing himself as “Folding Bamboo” either: “I’ve fought him before and used two moves from 《Endless Yearning》 swordsmanship……”

  Dead silence.

  Lin Shu raised his head and looked at Ling Fengxiao carefully.

  Big Miss looked at him as if she wanted to draw her blade.

  He was acutely aware that Big Miss wanted to hit him—it wasn’t the first time that this feeling appeared today.

  Lin Shu asked carefully: “Big Miss?”

  He saw Big Miss press her right hand on the handle of her blade as she took several deep breaths. She closed her eyes: “If it’s Xiao Shao…… No harm done.”

  ———

  The author has something to say:

  References of Marriage Book: [1] Xu Siyuan. Research on the Evolution of Chinese Traditional Marriage Book [D]. Shanghai Normal University, 2017.

  ——-

  TL’s mini theatre:

  Zaki: “Ea, I don’t understand anything about Chinese Engagements”


  Ea: “No worries, I’ll handle it” (*searched google**read chinese culture magazines**read books on traditional engagements**called the press for informations**called the President of China*)

  Zaki: *nosebleeds*

  Ea: I’m dead. Tried my best for all the classical Chinese marriage contract stuff, please feel free to point out mistakes. Apologies if I butchered anything