Free Web NovelChapter 720: Chapter 155: I’ve Chosen You
The head of the Ji Family paused, letting out a long sigh.
Ji Yaohua looked at his father, suddenly feeling he had aged several years.
"Old man, are you okay?" Ji Yaohua asked. Then, probing further, he questioned, "Are you hiding something from me? Is it about Pianpian?"
The head of the Ji Family looked at him and sighed again.
He walked back and sat by the chair. Feeling a pang of conscience, Ji Yaohua poured him a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him.
The family head took a sip of the tea, placed the cup down, and then said to Ji Yaohua, "Do you know why I never let Pianpian leave the family to train outside?"
Why was he bringing this up?
Although puzzled, Ji Yaohua shook his head. He used to think it was perhaps because his father was protective of Pianpian, being a girl, and couldn’t bear to see her suffer outside, so he kept her at home.
But now, judging from his father’s tone, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
"Pianpian... Pianpian almost died when she was born. You were only seven years old then, you might remember some of it," the head of the Ji Family began.
Ji Yaohua thought carefully and nodded.
The memories of being seven were already a bit fuzzy, but he still vaguely remembered that when his little sister was born, instead of joy, the faces of his family were clouded with worry.
At that time, it seemed, many pharmacists and pill masters came to the Ji Family.
It was then that his father became closely connected with those old guys at the East Continent Alchemy Academy.
Was it all because of Pianpian?
Ji Yaohua speculated in his heart, and the family head continued, "Pianpian was born with Nine Yin Extinct Vein and should have died long ago. But perhaps the heavens took pity; I sought medicine everywhere, and she has lived until now."
"Nine Yin Extinct Vein!" Ji Yaohua was shocked.
Although he didn’t quite understand what this Nine Yin Extinct Vein was, just hearing the name, he could tell it wasn’t good!
"What is Nine Yin Extinct Vein?" Ji Yaohua asked. At this point, his face no longer bore its usual smile but was rather heavy and grave.
The head of the Ji Family glanced at him before explaining, "Master Gucao from the Alchemy Institute said that a person’s body is a cycle of interconnected meridians of Nine Yin and Nine Yang to ensure vitality. Pianpian’s body, however, has eighteen yin meridians, disrupting the yin and yang balance, cutting out her vitality. This is why it’s called Nine Yin Extinct Vein. People affected by it cannot survive beyond three months. Your sister has lived until now, thanks to the Divine Level Elixirs, the Extreme Yang Pill, sent by Master Gucao every year to supplement her body’s yang energy."
Only now did Ji Yaohua seem to understand why his sister was weak and sickly as a child, always carrying elixirs and living in the warmest place in the family’s residence.
Even now, though no longer so frail, she must still take elixirs regularly.
"But, the Extreme Yang Pill only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Master Gucao stated when your sister was ten that she must marry before twenty-four and use the method of Dual Cultivation to adjust her meridian attributes, or she will certainly die at twenty-five. She is entering twenty-four this year; her twenty-fourth birthday is in six months." The family head finally revealed the urgent reason for marrying Ji Pianpian off.
Ji Yaohua felt his brain explode with a ’boom,’ as if his mind had shattered.
He confronted the family head, "There must be other ways, right?" His face paled; if he ruined this matchmaking and Ying Ze refused to marry Ji Pianpian, wouldn’t he be the one who killed his sister?
The family head slowly shook his head, "Master Gucao said that the only way now is Dual Cultivation, giving your sister a glimmer of hope. However... he once mentioned that if we could create an elixir from an ancient recipe known as the Devouring Yin Pill, it could completely cure your sister. Allegedly, this elixir can devour the excess yin meridians in the body and convert them into normal meridians."
"The Devouring Yin Pill? Can’t we ask Master Gucao to make it?" Ji Yaohua anxiously asked.
However, the family head shook his head with a bitter smile, "If that were feasible, would I still be desperate to marry Pianpian off? Master Gucao came up with Dual Cultivation as a necessity. The recipe for the Devouring Yin Pill was created by an ancient Dan God, and with that god’s demise, the recipe vanished. He scoured all the records in the Alchemy Academy to learn about this elixir, but without the recipe, it’s impossible to create."
Could this situation really be happening?
Ji Yaohua was dumbfounded, his whole body icy cold.
The family head, recovering from his heavy heart, said to Ji Yaohua, "So either you pressure that Ying Family son to marry your sister quickly, or you find a good man for her, ensuring this is solved before her twenty-fourth birthday."
Ji Yaohua’s gaze sharpened, and he turned and dashed out of the family head’s study.
...
Like a gust of wind, Ji Yaohua rushed back to his courtyard, barging into Ying Ze’s room and grabbing him by the collar, pulling him outside.
Ying Ze was startled, countered with a strike, and Ji Yaohua immediately retaliated, refusing to let go.
The two battled from inside the room to the outside, even alarming Mu Qingge.
"What are you two doing?" Mu Qingge frowned at the two entangled fighters and questioned.
Ying Ze took the opportunity to say to Mu Qingge, "Ask him!"
Mu Qingge looked at Ji Yaohua, noticing his dark expression, something was clearly wrong.
Without thinking, Mu Qingge flashed the Linglong Spear, stabbing it between them, forcing them apart.
Clang!
Mu Qingge, holding the Linglong Spear, planted it into the ground, staring coldly at the two. Finally, her clear gaze fixed on Ji Yaohua, asking, "What’s gotten into you?"
Ji Yaohua’s voice was hoarse, "I want him to marry Pianpian immediately!"
"You’ve gone mad!" Ying Ze snorted.
Ji Yaohua’s eyes blazed with anger, "Whether you want to or not, you will marry her!"
"Impossible!" Ying Ze coldly refused.
"You must marry her!" Ji Yaohua’s eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth.
Mu Qingge frowned, unable to understand how Ji Yaohua had suddenly become unreasonable. Previously, he mentioned wanting them to develop feelings naturally and discuss marriage when they were both willing. How had things reversed so dramatically overnight?
Suddenly, Ji Yaohua bent her legs and knelt directly in front of Ying Ze.
Her actions startled Mu Qingge and Ying Ze.
Ying Ze dodged aside, frowned, and said, "What are you doing?"
Ji Yaohua showed a heartbroken expression and said to Ying Ze, "Ying Ze, my sister likes you, and I understand you. I am reassured to entrust her to you. So, I beg you, marry her, marry her immediately. Otherwise, she will die!"
These words made Ying Ze’s eyes turn cold, "She’s threatening with her life?"
"No! No! She doesn’t know at all!" Ji Yaohua shook her head in explanation.
Mu Qingge walked over and said to Ji Yaohua, "Stand up first, talk things over properly. Do you think that by kneeling here, Ying Ze will compromise?"
Ying Ze also said, "Get up first."
Under their persuasion, Ji Yaohua got up in a daze. She forced a terribly ugly smile, "I just found out why the old man was eager to marry off Pianpian; it was all to save her."
Seeing Ji Yaohua gradually calm down, Mu Qingge retracted the Linglong Spear, looked at him with Ying Ze, and asked, "What’s really going on?"
Ji Yaohua collapsed onto a stone stool, looking desolate, and said, "It turns out... it turns out Pianpian has suffered from the Nine Yin Extinct Vein since childhood, and has been relying on the Extreme Yang Pill from Master Gucao of the Alchemy Institute to sustain her life. But now, the Extreme Yang Pill is gradually losing its effect. Master Gucao said she must marry before the age of twenty-four, engage in dual cultivation with her husband to improve her physique, then she will have a slight chance to continue living. I knew nothing and went to destroy her marriage proposal."
After speaking, he frustratingly hammered his head with his hands, showing a painful expression.
"Nine Yin Extinct Vein?" Mu Qingge murmured. She was somewhat astonished, unexpectedly knowing Ji Pianpian had such a hidden ailment.
And when she met Ji Pianpian, she did not notice, which can only indicate that Master Gucao’s Extreme Yang Pill was working.
’Nine Yin Extinct Vein is indeed a troublesome disease.’ Mu Qingge’s eyes slightly darkened, she thought to herself.
"I cannot marry her just to save her." Ying Ze said calmly. freēwēbnovel.com
Ji Yaohua raised his head, and Mu Qingge and Ying Ze noticed he was actually crying.
Ji Yaohua stood up, rushed to Ying Ze, grabbed his arms, and pleaded, "I don’t ask you to love her, just marry her, cooperate with her treatment to let her live. If later you meet the woman you love, feel free to marry her, the Ji Family won’t say a single word against it." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
His eyes were full of pleading as he looked at Ying Ze, but Ying Ze still slowly shook his head.
It’s not that he’s heartless, but such a major decision of marriage, if he doesn’t like this woman, even if marrying her prolongs her life, she might not live happily.
Ji Yaohua looked at him disappointedly, "I beg you so much, won’t you help me for the sake of our long-standing friendship?"
"I don’t love her; marrying her would be unfair to her." Ying Ze stuck to his principles.
Ji Yaohua looked pitifully at Mu Qingge, as if hoping she could help persuade Ying Ze. However, what could she say about such a matter?
Helplessly, Mu Qingge could only slowly shake her head, indicating that she couldn’t help.
Ji Yaohua retreated in despair, and after a while, said to them, "Alright, I understand. You don’t want to, I won’t force you. Otherwise, even if you are forcibly sent into the bridal chamber, you wouldn’t touch her. Pianpian doesn’t know about her own issues; I ask you to keep it secret and not let her know. I will quickly find another suitable candidate for her marriage."
"I already know." Suddenly, Ji Pianpian’s voice interrupted.
Ji Yaohua’s eyes suddenly contracted, he turned around and saw Ji Pianpian standing among the rockery bushes, looking like a moonlit deity, watching them.
"Pianpian? When did you arrive?" Ji Yaohua smiled unnaturally, his eyes somewhat flustered.
"I came as soon as your fight ended. It’s just that, although all three of you have higher cultivation than me, you didn’t notice my arrival." Ji Pianpian’s skirt swayed as she walked gently.
"Is... is that so?" Ji Yaohua’s eyes evaded.
Ji Pianpian walked up to him, first bowing to Mu Qingge and Ying Ze, then looked at Ji Yaohua and said, "Brother, with my body’s situation, how much longer do you and father intend to keep it from me?"
"No, Pianpian, listen to me, I just found out." Ji Yaohua hurried to explain.
Ji Pianpian shook her head, interrupting Ji Yaohua’s attempt to explain, "Brother, no need to say more, I understand everything. You and father hid it from me because you were afraid I’d be heartbroken or might do something reckless if I knew. I don’t blame you, so don’t feel guilty towards me."
As she spoke, her expression remained calm, showing no agitation upon learning the truth.
Mu Qingge silently watched, once again refreshing her impression of Ji Pianpian.
"Pianpian, rest assured, brother will not watch you encounter any trouble, I will definitely save you." Ji Yaohua promised.
But Ji Pianpian laughed lightly, and said to Ji Yaohua, "You think casually finding someone, marrying me off, and then letting him save me? If I don’t like that person, I’d rather die than marry!"
"Pianpian, don’t be stubborn. Love and all, how can it compare to the importance of life?" Ji Yaohua patiently advised.
However, Ji Pianpian slowly shook her head and said, "My life is already so short, why should I wrong myself by marrying someone I don’t like?"
After saying that, she raised her eyes to look at Ying Ze, and her eyes no longer held the previous shyness, but were open and honest.
In that instant, Ying Ze suddenly felt something shining in Ji Pianpian’s eyes.
Ji Pianpian walked up to Ying Ze, gracefully said, "Young Master Ying, since my brother has already revealed the truth, I won’t pretend anymore. Pianpian has taken a fancy to you, likes you deeply in her heart, and has set her eyes on you."
Ying Ze opened his mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted by Ji Pianpian, "Don’t rush to speak, listen to me first. I know you don’t like me, but it’s alright. Although Pianpian seldom leaves home, I’ve read many stories and know that it takes mutual affection for happiness. Pianpian doesn’t intend to trouble you, nor to force you, just wants to tell you, Ji Pianpian is set on you. If you are willing to marry, I will consent. If not, then please visit Pianpian more while she’s alive, and after she dies, drink a cup of water wine at her grave. Pianpian will sincerely bless Young Master Ying to find a good match and a soulmate."
’This girl is really understanding.’ Mu Qingge praised inwardly.
Ying Ze, being watched intently by Ji Pianpian, subconsciously nodded.
Only when he became aware did he realize he had already made a promise.
Ji Pianpian received the answer and showed a captivating smile. She said to the three, "Then Pianpian won’t disturb your rest, farewell." After saying this, she turned and left.
Quickly walking into the path, she swiftly wiped away tears that she couldn’t hold back from falling.
