Volume 3 Chapter 23 / Chapter 189: Senior Brother, the Engagement Contract
Ye Anping stood outside the pavilion, briefly observing the silk curtain covering it, trying to see if the person inside was indeed Yun Yiyi, as he suspected she might have found a stand-in to deceive him.
After all, in the game, Yun Yiyi was a deeply calculating person, much like himself, with rational thinking dominating her actions.
Therefore, this “marriage into the family” was likely a tactic for her to score points on the Shadowmoon Sword Sect’s ranking list, rather than a naive love affair like Xiao Yunluo’s first crush.
As for what Ye Ao had previously said in the Hundred Lotus Sect, “Our eldest miss has seen your portrait and thinks you are very handsome and elegant,” he had taken it as a joke.
Now that his junior sister and Feng Yudie were already in place, he needed to be ready before the first plot event occurred.
Otherwise, if the plan’s rhythm was disrupted, he would have to find another way to compensate.
In other words, he needed to quickly improve Yun Yiyi’s favorability towards him.
Just as Ye Anping was contemplating how to test the situation, the maid standing outside the pavilion suddenly said a couple of words from behind the curtain.
Immediately, a jade-like hand slightly drew back the curtain.
“Young Master Ye, please come into the pavilion for a chat.”
Ye Anping seized the opportunity to glance at Yun Yiyi’s face, and after secretly confirming with his spiritual sense that it was indeed Yun Yiyi, he walked forward, lifted the curtain, and entered the pavilion.
“Excuse my intrusion…”
Yun Yiyi was kneeling by the zither, smiling at him.
She instructed the maid to bring a cushion and motioned for Ye Anping to sit down.
Then she directly asked:
“This is our first meeting. May I ask if Young Master Ye has agreed to the marriage alliance?”
Marriage alliance? Isn’t it marrying into the family?
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment, staring intently at Yun Yiyi’s face.
However, her face was expressionless, a poker face, revealing nothing of her emotions.
So he responded:
“Miss Yun, you must be joking. The meanings of marrying into the family and a marriage alliance are quite different.”
“Hmm…” Yun Yiyi pondered for a moment and replied, “Marrying into the family is just a formal term. After all, as the eldest miss of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect, frankly speaking, compared to the young master of Hundred Lotus Sect, it’s still considered marrying into the family.”
Very aggressive… Ye Anping squinted slightly, looking at the maid beside him.
“That’s true, but…”
Yun Yiyi understood: “Huang Quan, have everyone move back.”
Huang Quan glanced at Ye Anping’s face again, her expression of willingness to sacrifice herself for her mistress growing stronger.
But she didn’t dare to interrupt, bowing her head: “Yes.”
After she left, Ye Anping said:
“Since we are to be future Dao partners, I will speak plainly. I am here to help Miss Yun secure the position of sect master in the Shadowmoon Sword Sect.”
Yun Yiyi was a bit surprised.
Originally, marrying into the family meant being inferior, and discussing terms would be passive.
However, he had rephrased “marrying into the family” as helping her, placing himself and her on an equal negotiating table with just one sentence.
Moreover, he truly looked exactly like the portrait, even more attractive and charming.
Smart, and his face betrayed no emotions, with a deep sense of scheming.
Yun Yiyi was now thinking that if she became Dao partners with him, they might understand each other with just a glance.
Many Dao partners, when combined, are less than the sum of their parts, but if she teamed up with this young man, their combined strength might equal three or even four of them.
“Young Master Ye is impressive.” Although Yun Yiyi was ecstatic inside, she didn’t show it on her face and replied with a smile, “What do you want, Young Master Ye?”
“I want Miss Yun to agree to two things. If you can agree, I will gladly help you.”
“What things?”
Just two command spells, to use as a safeguard in critical moments… Ye Anping smiled slightly and replied, “I can’t say for now.”
“You want me to agree without knowing?”
“Yes.”
“What if you ask me to give up the position of Sect Master?”
“I would never ask you to do such a thing,” Ye Anping replied after a moment’s thought.
“In my opinion, among you, Yun Jiujiu, and Yun Xi, you ascending to the position of Sect Master of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect is the best outcome for both the Shadowmoon Sword Sect and the Hundred Lotus Sect.”
“Oh?” Yun Yiyi tilted her head and asked, “It’s good for the Hundred Lotus Sect, but how can you be sure it’s good for the Shadowmoon Sword Sect?”
“Although Yun Jiujiu is the most talented among you three and learns sword techniques and cultivation quickly, she is single-minded. Yun Xi, on the other hand, is versatile but still young and immature.”
“And what about me?”
“Although your talent may not be as good as the other two, the position of Sect Master requires more than martial prowess; it requires intelligence. Frankly, if either of your sisters becomes the Sect Master, it would lead to the downfall of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect.”
Hearing this, Yun Yiyi shook her head and smiled bitterly.
“Young Master Ye flatters me too much.”
Indeed, I’m flattering you too much… Ye Anping replied with a smile, “I’m just stating the facts. So, do you agree to the two conditions?”
“Yes, I agree.”
Seeing her nod, Ye Anping took out a blood contract jade slip from his storage bag, which Zhuang Hu had helped him prepare before leaving Hundred Lotus Sect, and placed it on the zither.
Such blood contracts could ensure that two cultivators with not too much difference in cultivation levels would honor their agreement.
Violating the contract would result in the violator’s soul being damaged by the other’s blood essence, not fatal but certainly painful.
However, this was a fake.
It had special effects but no soul-binding function.
He had spent quite a few spirit stones to get Zhuang Hu to prepare this, initially keeping it in his storage bag for emergencies.
Now, it was the best way to gain Yun Yiyi’s trust, so he took it out.
Seeing the blood contract, a hint of surprise finally crossed Yun Yiyi’s poker face, as she hadn’t expected Ye Anping to produce a blood contract.
“Young Master Ye, do you not trust me?”
“No, we are meeting for the first time and are about to make a lifelong commitment. Being cautious is never a bad thing, whether for you or for me.”
This personality! She loved it!
Yun Yiyi felt her heart flutter but maintained her composure as she picked up the blood contract to read its contents.
After confirming there were no traps, she took out a small knife.
The two of them each dropped a bit of their blood essence onto the jade slip.
Instantly, the jade slip glowed red, and Ye Anping crushed a Spirit Capturing Pill hidden in his left sleeve.
A cold, red mist enveloped them, and Yun Yiyi felt a sharp pain in her soul, causing her to frown slightly before smiling and tilting her head.
“Husband, should I call you that now?”
“Let’s wait until the formal wedding ceremony. I prefer it that way.”