WuxiaWorldEU

Chapter 7

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While they were back at the Ji Shui Yard, Lian Yue could not help herself from starting to talk.

“Miss, the Seventh Prince is great. As expected, he is handsome and stunning, there are not many men who could be as perfect as him. As it was said, the Third Prince was ranked behind the Seventh Prince in their looks, if it was not for his inability to cultivate……”

Until here, Lian Yue carefully took a glance at Wen Qiao, worried that she would be annoyed.

The past few days, Lian Yue could feel the change in the attitude of the Wen family towards the Ji Shui Yard. A cultivator who was fully concentrated in their cultivation would certainly not be affected by common problems such as marriage. But there were more mediocre people without talent in cultivation and indulged in entertainment, the most of them took priority in their benefits.

They knew that the marriage could bring unlimited cultivation resources to Wen Qiao. Thus, nobody would bully her. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the Ning family. Besides that, was there anything else? As long as they were ambitious, they wouldn’t admire a girl who would share the rest of her life with a mortal who was unable to cultivate.

“The Seventh Prince is great.” Wen Qiao took a glance at her and said.

Lian Yue felt relaxed and smiled, “Servant felt he was good indeed after meeting him. By the way, what did he give you?”

Wen Qiao held the white jade box in her arms and entered her room. She sat on the couch beside the window and opened the box.

Lian Yue looked in the room with curiosity, she was disappointed and asked, “What’s this? It looked like the seed of a plant.”

“Seven-term spiritual plant seed.” Wen Qiao replied. Her mouth slightly curled up, it seemed like she was happy.

Lian Yue scratched her head because she didn’t understand how a seed could make her lady happy? It was worth being happy if it was a seven-term spiritual plant. The Seventh Prince was weird, why would he give her lady a piece of seed? Was it because he heard and believed the rumours that her lady was interested in planting weeds?

While her thoughts came to an end, Lian Yue couldn’t help but look at the few pots of plants placed on the window. She realised the plants were growing well with exuberant vitality. Nobody would believe that these weren’t weeds.

If they weren’t planted by her lady, Lian Yue would also believe that her lady had a weird preference in planting weeds.

Wen Qiao played with the seed and commanded, “Find me a flower pot.”

“Oh.” Lian Yue replied and immediately went to find a flower pot.

After she found a flower pot, Lian Yue pondered and asked, “Miss, should we go to the garden of spiritual plants and get some spiritual soil?”

“No need.” Wen Qiao shook her head and replied.

Then, she ordered Lian Yue to plant the five pots of spiritual plants in the ground under the wall outside the window; they were originally placed on the window. The roots of the spiritual plants stacked the pot until it was going to burst, so it would be better to let them grow in the soil under the wall freely.

Lian Yue peeped towards the yard while she was doing her job, mumbled, “These days, the plants in our yard grew up well, even the plants in the Chang Chun Yard were not as good as ours. Did the feng shui of the Ji Shui Yard become better?”

Wen Qiao sat beside her, she was slowly filling up the flower pot with soil. After listening to her words, she glanced toward the yard.

To a mortal, the feng shui theory was mysterious, but to a cultivator, it was as important as general knowledge. Feng shui was related to the “Five Phases” (TL: refer to the bottom for Chinese Philosophy), compiled the spiritual vitality of heaven and earth, the nature of spiritual vitality depended on the “Five Phases”.

The Ji Shui Yard was situated in a distant location, wasn’t good nor bad, the spiritual vitality would certainly be thrifty.

However, while she was using the weak spiritual energy inside her body to expedite the growth of spiritual plants, the residual spiritual energy moistened the plants in the yard. The plants would naturally grow well. Although there was vital essence of wood returning to her, the plants were still in an overflow condition.

After putting the seven-term seed into the soil, Wen Qiao watered it and placed the pot on the window.

Lian Yue had done her work in transplanting the five pots of spiritual plants, she saw Wen Qiao sitting beside the window to watch the flower pot which was placed on the window, she couldn’t help but shake her head, she had no idea why her lady was watching a flower pot.

When the night came, Wen Qiao opened the window.

Tonight was a full moon night. The moon was a wraith-silver disc hanging in the darkness, moonlight travelled through the night with graceful ease.

Wen Qiao was sitting cross-legged and bathed in the moonlight. She cultivated till midnight and when her body stored up some spiritual energy, she cultivated the seed with the energy carefully.

Compared to other cultivators, she was born with a frail impulse. Every time she cultivated, the amount of spiritual energy she could absorb was limited. If the amount was excessive, she would suffer pain from her swollen pulse. If the situation was serious, her pulse would break apart. In the past few years, she had found her limit. As long as she doesn’t go beyond the limit, although she would suffer pain, her pulse won’t break apart and haemorrhage.

Hence, the spiritual energy she could take in was limited, caused she couldn’t improve her rank of cultivation and stayed in the medium-stage of Entering Yuan Realm, just like a trashy cultivator.

Until the spiritual energy in her body was depleted, the seed planted in the flower pot was still the same.

Wen Qiao wasn’t surprised, the vitality of the seed was extremely exuberant. It needed more spiritual energy to grow it, but her health condition wasn’t able to provide sufficient spiritual energy for it to sprout.

The seed couldn’t sprout and grow. Naturally, it couldn’t return her the vital essence of wood. Wen Qiao’s frail body was overloaded because she kept sending her spiritual energy without taking in any.

Wen Qiao forced herself to meditate after she wiped away her cold sweat. Until the spiritual energy in her body was restored, the sun had risen.

Wen Qiao changed her clothes. She was exhausted while going to bed and fell asleep easily.

Before she fell asleep, Wen Qiao was thinking that she should also cultivate other plants but not just the seed, and she should take in some more vital essence of wood to maintain her health.

After she just slept for a while, Lian Yue woke Wen Qiao up.

“Is there anything that happened?” Her hoarse voice and pale face made her look weak.

Lian Yue looked at her worriedly, she thought Wen Qiao was sick again. She felt lost and asked with a gentle voice, “The royal palace sent an elderly to discuss the arrangements regarding the marriage between Miss and the Seventh Prince. The head of the Wen family asked Miss to attend the discussion.”

“Oh.” Wen Qiao replied. Her long and curly eyelashes trembled slightly, she opened her eyes and reached her hand to a servant nearby, “Serve me to get dressed.”

Lian Yue helped her up from her bed, took the dress which was prepared and got her dressed up.

After she was dressed up, Wen Qiao drank a cup of warm tea. She went to the front parlour after she felt her mental status was better.

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In the front parlour, the Wen Zhong Qing couple sat together with the elderly sent by the Ning royal family. They were discussing the arrangements regarding the marriage between their children.

The Ning royal family sent an elderly from the Ning family with the cultivation rank of Yuan Ling Realm to discuss the arrangements regarding the marriage. He usually cultivated privately in the Ning family clan and rarely went out.

Wen Zhong Qing thought Emperor Cheng Hao was the only one who paid attention to the marriage and would send an elderly who shared the same status as the Emperor in the Ning family. He never thought that the Ning family would send an elderly with the cultivation rank of Yuan Ling Realm, the guardian of the Ning family.

Wen Zhong Qing’s rank of cultivation was just in the Yuan Ming Realm. While facing a cultivator with the cultivation rank of Yuan Ling Realm, he was drenched in fear and trepidation.

At the moment, Wen Zhong Qing didn’t understand the perspective of the Ning family towards this marriage.

When Wen Qiao reached the front parlour, they had decided the date of marriage between her and the Seventh Prince. They were just waiting to ask the opinion of the party involved in the marriage.

“You’re here, Ah Zhuo.” Wen Zhong Qing said. It seemed that they were not close, he looked at her solemnly.

He never thought that the Ning family would highly value his neglected niece. He would have thought that the Ning family was planning a conspiracy if he didn’t know the fact that Wen Qiao couldn’t live past her twenties.

The second wife was passionate. While Wen Qiao walked near them, she held her hand and said to the elderly who came from the Ning family, “This is the third lady of the Wen family, Wen Qiao. Ah Zhuo, this is Ning Hua Yuan, senior Ning from the Ning family.”

Wen Qiao couldn’t observe the rank of cultivation of Ning Hua Yuan, but she noticed his rank of cultivation was high from his appearance and the response towards the Wen Zhong Qing couple.

She paid a salute to him with respect.

Ning Hua Yuan was a handsome middle-aged man with a long beard, he had a clean face and a pair of bright piercing eyes, he seemed kind. He said with a gentle voice, “Please feel free, Miss Wen. The reason I came today is to discuss the date of marriage between you and Yu Zhou.”

Wen Qiao: “En.”

She sat quietly beside them and listened to their discussion, she didn’t seem shy.

Ning Hua Yuan looked over Wen Qiao, she had a graceful and elegant appearance, and was truly a beautiful girl. But she had a weak constitution and frail vitality, her rank of cultivation was just in the middle stage of Entering Yuan Realm. In the eyes of a cultivator like him, her low rank of cultivation wasn’t worth mentioning.

In the past, the Wen Bo Qing couple were talented, who knew that their only daughter would be sick and lag in the path of cultivation.

What a pity……

Ning Hua Yuan felt pity in his heart, he asked Wen Qiao, “The third day of next month would be the date of marriage between you and the Seventh Prince, are you ok with it, Miss Wen?”

The world of cultivators was different from the world of mortals, strong cultivators were honourable. Most of the time, courtesy was not required because the common customs weren’t strict. The marriage in their world was usually due to the relationships of the cultivators or the benefits brought to their cultivation. Although the marriage between Wen Qiao and the Seventh Prince wasn’t related to the matter of cultivation, since they lived in the world of cultivators, their marriage would not be strict in etiquette. The elders would ask about the opinion of the parties involved in the marriage.

“The younger generation has no opinion.” Wen Qiao replied politely.

After listening to her words, Ning Hua Yuan and the Wen Zhong Qing couple smiled together, they seemed very happy.

Wen Qiao continued to sit quietly and listened to their discussion regarding her marriage. Occasionally, she would cover her mouth to cough.

Ning Hua Yuan looked at her after he heard her cough, and said, “Don’t force yourself if your health condition isn’t well, third lady.”

The Wen Zhong Qing couple were worried.

Their niece had a weak constitution, and she might not live past her twenties. Actually, they were shocked to see her live till her coming of age. Due to the royal marriage, they didn’t hope her to die before the marriage, if not would it be a slap in the face to the Ning family?

Wen Qiao washed down the itchiness in her throat, replied with a soft voice, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Ning. The younger generation understands.”

In the following discussion, Wen Qiao politely expressed she had no opinions while Ning Hua Yuan and the Wen Zhong Qing couple asked about her point of view.

When they were done with the discussion, Ning Hua Yuan left the Wen family’s house.

The Wen Zhong Qing couple brought Wen Qiao to send him off.

When Ning Hua Yuan left, the Wen Zhong Qing couple turned their heads to look at Wen Qiao who was standing quietly beside them. They wanted to tell her something, but they found that they had nothing to say. They let her return to the Ji Shui Yard after advising her to have plenty of rest.

While returning to the Ji Shui Yard, Lian Yue served Wen Qiao to take a Huan Chun elixir. Wen Qiao laid on her bed and secretly took in the vital essence of wood from the spiritual plants placed under the wall outside. Her face complexion finally looked better.

All she needed to do was to wait for the ceremony of the wedding.

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TL notes:

“Five Phases” is translated from the word “Wuxing(五行)”, it referred to Fire, Water, Wood, Gold, and Soil.

It’s a fivefold conceptual scheme used to explain a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs.