VAP - Chapter 98
Chapter 98: Flawless Cold Bone, The Peerless Sword Venerable (22)
This scenic spot was called Nameless Mountain. At first glance, it seemed different from the other places they had visited.
The other locations possessed either a rugged beauty, strange and wondrous phenomena, or flocks of spirit beasts and plants rarely seen in daily life. In short, each had its own unique charm.
Compared to them, Nameless Mountain was just an ordinary mountain. Its scenery was no different from the mountain range where the Lingtian Sword Sect was located. Its most prominent feature was its bland tranquility.
But in the Qianhong Divine Province, was there any shortage of bland and tranquil mountains?
Yue Du was puzzled but said nothing.
Ah Jiu must have had her reasons for choosing Nameless Mountain as their final destination.
And indeed, she did. Just outside the mountain, Yun Yijiu pulled Yue Du out of the pavilion and leaped off the Peng’s back, signaling for the giant bird to stop there while the two of them entered the mountain.
It was only then that Yue Du noticed something unusual—it was truly, utterly silent here.
There was no birdsong or insect chirps, no babbling of flowing water. Even when the breeze rustled the treetops, the leaves made no sound, making one suspect that all noise had been swallowed.
In such an environment, the sound of their feet stepping on layers of fallen leaves and the rustle of their clothes as they walked became exceptionally distinct.
Yun Yijiu was clearly very familiar with this place. She led Yue Du through a few twists and turns, arriving at a cliff.
“Sit and wait a moment,” she said in a low voice.
But because it was so quiet, even such a soft whisper was perfectly clear. The deliberately lowered voice carried a magnetic quality that slid along the ear, both tingling and numbing.
Yue Du averted her gaze, acknowledged with a hum, and did as she was told.
About a quarter of an hour passed before a faint, ethereal melody suddenly rose from the valley below the cliff. The music gradually grew louder, clear and bright, like a sound from the heavens. It resembled a xiao or a zheng, but the specific instrument was indiscernible.
Yue Du listened quietly for a while, then tilted her head. “What is this?”
“I do not know either. Perhaps it is the lingering echo of a senior who once played music here, one that has not dispersed over time. Listening to it calms the heart,” Yun Yijiu said, her eyes lowered.
Yun Yijiu spoke of her youth. Because her cultivation level advanced too quickly, the elders who taught her would always send her down the mountain to experience and gain enlightenment from the mortal world.
Only by walking through the mortal realm could one truly transcend it. This was how many immortal cultivators understood it.
But given Yun Yijiu’s disposition, how could she obediently listen to the elders?
Nominally, she cultivated the Wushuang Sword Art, but in reality, she practiced the Duzun Sword Art. Since she was destined for solitary supremacy, why would she need to lower her head to look at mortals? Thus, she couldn’t be bothered to waste her time on worldly matters.
Unable to return to the Lingtian Sword Sect, Yun Yijiu casually found a mountain for secluded cultivation, which happened to be this Nameless Mountain.
There were no distracting noises in the mountain, and for some reason, no one else ever found their way here. It was as if it were isolated from the rest of the world.
By coincidence, Yun Yijiu discovered that if she sat quietly on this cliff for a while, music would drift up from the valley below, playing endlessly.
The tune was the same every time, without a single note out of place, so it likely wasn’t someone playing music in the valley, but rather some kind of repeating echo. Yun Yijiu had no intention of investigating.
In any case, the music not only didn’t disturb her sleep but was also pleasant to listen to. That was enough.
The Wushuang Sword Venerable lived here for a period of time, until she later became stuck at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage for a long, long time—a year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years… Her disposition grew increasingly indifferent, and finding everything dull, she simply remained on Wushuang Peak within the sect, never stepping out.
“I thought you would probably like it here,” Yun Yijiu said.
Yue Du gently closed her eyes, feeling a sense of peace in her heart. “You thought right.”
The music consisted of a single piece that lasted for the better part of an hour before stopping on its own, only to start again from the beginning shortly after.
It was like it was on an infinite loop.
“Actually, I haven’t thought of this place in a very long time. But for some reason, I suddenly recalled this music a few days ago and wanted to bring you here to listen.”
“Mm…”
At first, the two sat upright and proper, but eventually, they ended up leaning against each other.
A large, white beast fur was spread on the rocky ground, soft, fluffy, and comfortable.
Box after box of pastries and snacks were taken out from the system space and placed to the side for their enjoyment.
The music from the valley looped endlessly. After listening for a while, it even induced a lazy, faint melancholy, but it was a feeling that only floated on the surface, not affecting their mood.
A perfect end to the trip.
Yue Du thought.
The two Venerables, soon to be wed, spent a whole leisurely day together on Nameless Mountain. If nothing else was pressing, they might have stayed even longer. However, the Dao Companion Ceremony was in two days, so they had to return to the sect no matter what.
As they were leaving, Yun Yijiu asked, “How did you find these past days of traveling? Was it exciting?”
Yue Du was a little surprised that Ah Jiu would use the word “exciting” to describe it, but she still answered seriously, “Very exciting. I doubt I’ll ever be able to forget it.”
Yun Yijiu: “In that case, you are now a woman with a story.”
Yue Du: “…” What was that all about?
She considered herself an ordinary professional who, after dying, became a system and traveled through various small worlds to fall in love—no, to complete missions. She supposed that did make her a woman with a story.
So Yue Du said solemnly, “Indeed.”
Yun Yijiu nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good, then.”
Yue Du: “…Good.”
Having not yet discovered the storybooks, Yue Du was utterly baffled.
The main characters of the ceremony, who had been away for dozens of days, finally returned to the Sword Sect. Medicine Venerable Posuo came over to finalize the last details.
The procedure for the Dao Companion Ceremony was extremely complex.
When Yun Yijiu had first heard about it, she was rather disdainful. But as soon as she learned that all these procedures were to be completed side-by-side with Yue Du, she nodded in ready agreement, all her previous disdain gone.
The two protagonists of the ceremony returned to the Lingtian Sword Sect two days in advance. By then, the sect had already welcomed the most powerful lineup of guests in the Qianhong Divine Province.
Aside from the Tribulation Transcendence Venerables who were in seclusion, almost all the others had come in person. After all, it was the Wushuang Sword Venerable getting married; who would dare not show face?
Yun Yijiu disliked crowds, so she had only sent invitations to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivators of various sects and a few renowned rogue cultivators. However, most of these people brought their children, disciples, or grand-disciples, so the total number was still quite large.
As a result, Wushuang Peak welcomed the most visitors it had seen in many years.
On the day of the ceremony.
According to the customs of the cultivation world, Dao companions should wear red for their union, with their clothes and accessories being of the same style.
Yun Yijiu had probably never worn anything other than her cloud-patterned white robes before. This time, she went straight to wedding attire. The red robes were like flames, yet she still managed to wear them with a cool and aloof effect.
Yue Du said, “Red suits you very well too.”
Yun Yijiu: “If you like it, I will wear red from now on.”
“But white suits you better. Thinking about it, black isn’t bad either. Before—” Yue Du wanted to say that the host used to always wear black, but that involved matters from other small worlds, which she couldn’t speak of.
Yue Du paused, then smiled. “Why don’t we try them all in the future?”
Yun Yijiu said slowly, “If you dress me, I will try.”
Yue Du: “Deal.”
As they spoke, they stepped into the main hall.
The guests had already arrived. Seeing them enter, they all rose to offer their respects.
A dense sea of heads filled the space. Even in a hall as spacious as this, it seemed crowded.
Yun Yijiu’s eyes were slightly lowered. Her gaze swept across the room, and she frowned. “Tsk. We should have invited fewer people.”
Who knew every single one of them would drag their whole family along!
Yue Du: “…Did you just say ‘Tsk’?”
“You heard wrong,” Yun Yijiu said with conviction.
Ah Jiu was becoming more and more expressive. This was a good thing.
Yue Du didn’t expose her, just smiled and held her hand.
The initial stages of the Dao Companion Ceremony were all formalities. The officiant would first welcome the prominent figures among the guests, but since no one present was a bigger figure than the Wushuang Sword Venerable, this part could be skipped.
Next was the announcement of the wedding gifts from each family. This part was an invisible battle among the guests; those who gave valuable gifts were announced with fanfare, while those who gave ordinary ones were mentioned more discreetly.
Among the crowd of smiling guests, the one seated in the most prominent position was undoubtedly the Sect Master of Lingtian Sword Sect, Situ Que. He was beaming with joy today, chatting happily with the leaders of other sects.
This man had not discovered anything yet, so his attitude toward Yun Yijiu was naturally the same as always.
If not for the concrete evidence she possessed, who would believe what this deferential Sect Master had done behind the scenes?
Yue Du observed him discreetly. The more she looked, the angrier she became, and she had to turn her head to look at Ah Jiu’s stunning face to cleanse her eyes—she couldn’t let Situ Que’s presence ruin her good mood today.
After all the tedious matters were over, it was time for the main event of the ceremony: the Dao companion union.
The union was also known as forming a contract, which meant making a vow under the witness of the Heavenly Dao.
The vows of ordinary Dao companions could be dissolved at any time for an amicable separation. A higher-level vow symbolized lifelong devotion; although the contract could be broken, both parties would have to pay a price that would affect their primordial spirits. This was the most common vow used by couples in love.
Finally, there was the contract that Yue Du and Yun Yijiu were about to form today.
Engraved upon the Dao Soul, sworn upon the Dao Heart, it was a connection that not even life and death could sever.
As for whether world barriers could sever it, Yue Du truly didn’t know.
She hoped not.
“I, Yun Yijiu / Yue Du, swear by my Dao Heart today, that we two shall become Dao companions. This heart will not change, this love will not waver.”
“—For all of eternity, our vital energies shall be linked.”
In that moment, it felt as if a mark had truly been carved into her soul, bringing a slight sting and an immense sense of satisfaction.
Yue Du had used her own name, not Yue Zhuo’s. To do this, she had paid special attention to the timing, lowering her voice slightly during that part and using a system item that reduced her presence.
Even if the guests heard that the name she spoke was wrong, they would just assume they had misheard.
With that, the vow was made.
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