Chapter 732: Asking the Sword at a High Position
When that dazzling multicolored glaze sword light left the Ascension City, then broke through the sky dome in one go, directly leaving this world, the entire Ascension City first fell silent for a moment, then the whole city erupted in uproar. Countless lamps and lanterns lit up. One sword cultivator after another hurriedly left their dwellings, looking up—could it be that Ning Yao had broken through to the ascended realm and flown up?!
At the Chen family mansion on Grand Elephant Street, the former old sword immortal Chen Xi, now renamed Chen Ji, wore the face of a youth. He had been strolling along the corridor for a night walk and happened to be the first to notice the anomaly. Chen Ji currently had both his true identity and cultivation realm concealed, so he still had a personal maidservant following behind him as a sort of superfluous smokescreen. In truth, with each passing year in the Ascension City, Chen Ji stepped one step closer to the former sword immortal Chen Xi who had carved his name. Thus, the sword cultivator maidservant acting as a death warrior behind the "youth" moved farther from death and closer to the heights of the sword.
Chen Ji let out a sigh, feeling that Ning Yao had offered up this immortal sword a bit too early; there would be hidden dangers. It would have been more appropriate to wait until she had completely refined it, thereby shattering the bottleneck of the immortal realm and stepping into the ascended realm. However, although Chen Ji did not understand why Ning Yao was doing this, since she had chosen to take such a risk, he believed she had her own reasons. Chen Ji certainly would not meddle or try to reason with Ning Yao using the righteousness of the Ascension City and her temporary position as the Hidden Official. First, as a former head of the Chen clan and the most important heir to Chen Qingdu's bloodline, he was not so petty; second, with his current insufficient cultivation realm, if he went to find Ning Yao? Ask the sword? That would just be asking to be cut down.
Then Chen Ji frowned deeply. Not only he and the maidservant, but almost all the sword cultivators startled by the anomaly noticed that Ning Yao, clad in a snow-white dharma robe and carrying her sword case, was riding her sword away from the Ascension City. It seemed she was going on a distant journey somewhere.
The young maidservant, of ordinary appearance, couldn't help but whisper, "A beauty like jade, a sword like a rainbow—both the person and the sword light are beautiful."
In the past, the top noble houses on Grand Elephant Street and Jade Tablet Street often cultivated several female sword attendants with the potential to become sword immortals, treating them extremely well, and their marriages were all arranged within the clan.
This talented maidservant was named Yan Quan, granted the surname Chen.
Chen Yanquan had long admired Ning Yao. She always felt that among the women in the world, to become like Ning Yao was the ultimate beauty.
Ning Yao's sudden journey far away, still wearing the dharma robe Golden Nectar and stepping on a long sword, with the long sword stored in the case named "Sword Immortal."
Chen Ji had once intended to match her with Chen Sanqiu as dao companions, but Chen Sanqiu was always fixated on Dong Bude, so Chen Ji had dropped that idea.
Chen Ji's expression turned grave. "Ning Yao is deliberately staying away from the Ascension City to lure those ancient existences into ambushing her. She wants to sever her own karma, so that the many suppressions on her dao caused by her will not fall upon the Ascension City at all."
He couldn't stop Ning Yao from leaving the city, nor could he help in any way.
Chen Ji said self-deprecatingly, "Realm insufficient? Do I really have to make up for it with drinking?"
In recent years, Chen Ji had deliberately slowed down his pace of breaking through realms, so he had only recently entered the Nascent Soul stage. If he had broken into the upper five realms too early, the commotion would have been too great, and he would no longer be able to hide his identity. He wanted to enjoy these leisurely days for a few more years, at least until this outer shell reached the age of twenty, before emerging again. It would also be a good chance to watch the growth of youngsters like Qi Shou and Gao Yehou. Chen Ji was unwilling to restore his identity as "Chen Xi" for at least a hundred years.
Chen Yanquan was somewhat curious if that sword light was the legendary natal flying sword that Ning Yao rarely revealed—the Beheader of Immortals.
Chen Ji, on the other hand, was curious about the Confucian sage currently stationed at the sky dome. Had he been unable to block the immortal sword "Naivety" and had to avoid its edge, or had he simply not intended to block it at all, letting it go? This was very important. Seeing the small could reveal the big; it concerned the true attitude of the Central Confucian Temple toward the Ascension City—whether they had already, according to some agreement, ceased to restrain the sword cultivators.
Was the accompanying sacrificial sage merely an onlooker, only responsible for monitoring a brand-new world, while also following the Rite Sage's rules to monitor the Ascension City and record the flow of merit through the world? Or had he long since shifted his focus of monitoring onto the Ascension City, guarding against all sword cultivators like thieves? This was what Chen Ji cared about most. If it was the former, then in a hundred years, the Ascension City would be willing to treat Confucianism with courtesy, settling all grievances with the Brusque World completely. If it was the latter, Chen Ji did not mind in the future, as Chen Xi, asking the sword against the sky dome.
As long as one was a sword cultivator, who didn't have some temper?
Chen Ji suddenly asked with a smile, "Yan Quan, do you think that Hidden Official of ours, when he's by Ning Yao's side, dares to say a few harsh words? Can he act like a real man?"
Chen Yanquan thought for a moment and replied, "In the early years, outside the Ning Mansion gate, Ning Yao seemed to actually go along with the Hidden Official quite a bit. But once they got home, I reckon our Hidden Official finds it hard to muster any heroic spirit. I've heard that every time the Hidden Official drinks at his own shop, as soon as he reaches the Ning Mansion gate, he sneaks around like a thief. I don't know if it's true, but that's the rumor going around the city over wine. What's worse, there's a drunkard who likes to recite poetry; he swears up and down that he personally saw the Hidden Official, one night when he came home late, knock on the door for a long time with no one answering, not daring to climb the wall. He kindly accompanied the Hidden Official sitting there until dawn. Every time he thinks of it afterward, he sheds a tear of sympathy for the Hidden Official."
Chen Ji laughed angrily. "In the past, the drinking atmosphere at the Sword Qi Great Wall was so simple. Once those two scholars came, it became utterly unbearable to behold and to hear."
Chen Yanquan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, I kind of miss the Hidden Official."
Chen Ji asked with a smile, "Do you think Chen Ping'an's mind is better?"
Chen Yanquan shook her head. "I just feel that the Hidden Official handles people and matters with a calm demeanor, so others don't have to worry about mistakes."
Chen Ji nodded. "Correct understanding."
Ning Yao alone rode her sword toward the "Sword" character stele that had been re-erected at the easternmost edge of the Ascension City.
She rode her sword extremely fast, like a bolt of lightning, as if performing the celestial technique of shrinking the earth and mountains, her sword splitting through cloud seas one after another. During the journey, she passed through a thundercloud flashing with lightning; when she got close, her abundant sword qi crushed it all to pieces.
She put away her sword into the case and floated down beside the stele. Ning Yao leaned against the stele and began to rest with her eyes closed.
Ning Yao sent a message with her mind, ordering the sword cultivators nearby to immediately withdraw from this area and move closer to the Ascension City.
Several dozen sword cultivators greeted each other, then without hesitation, they all rode their swords away.
Soon after Ning Yao had offered up the sword "Naivety" to break through the sky dome, the Confucian sage stationed there had sensed something amiss. So instead of blocking the immortal sword's journey to the Brusque World, he immediately sent a message to the Central Confucian Temple.
In all eight directions of heaven and earth, anomalies sprang up. The ground shook, many areas bulged upward, and entire mountain ranges collapsed and shattered in an instant. One by one, ancient existences that had been lying dormant for a long time revealed their colossal forms, like great deities demoted to the mortal world or punished for crimes, finally given a chance to atone. As they rose, a single step could break a mountain ridge and create a canyon. These ancient beings, with their long years, initially moved somewhat sluggishly, but once their eyes, as large as deep pools, began to flow with golden light, they quickly regained some divine radiance.
In addition, in several deep marshes and swamps filled with miasma, a few towering figures saw the light of day again, wrapped in powerful surges of mountain and river qi. Inhaling, they could devour the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a hundred miles, even swallowing the water qi into their bellies, instantly drying up swamps and withering vegetation.
Invisibly, these ancient existences—whether in deep slumber or standing by as cold observers—all now knew one thing: if they remained inactive for another hundred years, they would only end up helplessly awaiting death, offering their necks for the blade, eventually to be killed, driven away, or imprisoned by those outsiders. Among the outsiders, the female sword cultivator who carried a familiar aura was the most deserving of death. But the deep, suppressive aura she carried made most of the ancient remnants lurking in various places wary. Yet when the immortal sword "Naivety" traveled far to the Brusque World, they could no longer hold back. They had to kill this person and completely sever her dao—absolutely must not let her succeed in becoming the first ascended realm cultivator in the world!
In the south of the world, the cultivators of Parasol Leaf Continent either fled far from the scene of trouble, scattering like frightened rats, only caring about saving their own lives, or a few so-called enlightened ones who had already reached high positions, after some divination, laughed heartily. At the same time, a group of cultivators who had painstakingly built the beginnings of a celestial mountain stronghold were almost all in despair. The casualties were actually not heavy among the cultivators—mostly ants in the lower five realms—but the newly constructed ancestral hall had been casually smashed by a mysterious colossal being with a sweep of its arm. Moreover, all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the mountain and river fortunes within several hundred miles were condensed into its body and carried away as it moved.
However, on its journey, the being's golden eyes fixed on a dazzling, qi-laden mountain stronghold that displeased it. It slightly changed course and charged over. It stomped down heavily but failed to crush the mountain's protective formation. It didn't linger further, only glanced at a young cultivator who looked up at it, then continued running across the land. The thousand-zhang-tall, sturdy figure stepped heavily, each landing causing a series of muffled thunders.
That mountain stronghold, which could not be stomped down, was Transcendence Platform, built by Shu Zhongshu, one of the young reserve ten from several worlds, a cultivator from Flowing Cloud Continent. Yet for some reason, he had arrived in the Fifth World from the Parasol Leaf Continent's gate. If not for that official gazette leaking the secret, no one would have known he was the young master of the Sky Grotto Cave Heaven on Flowing Cloud Continent.
A black-robed scholar opened the folding fan in his hand and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shu Zhongshu, smiling. "Brother Shu, we could have intercepted it. A great opportunity—why let the fat water flow to outsiders' fields? If Brother Shu and I join forces, and with the advantage of terrain, we have a good chance of success. The reward would be immense. If heaven offers and we don't take it, we'll suffer the consequences."
Shu Zhongshu, in brocade dharma robes as brilliant as sunset clouds, laughed. "It's not that I don't trust Brother Chen Wen, but I worry that Transcendence Platform might end up making a wedding gown for someone else."
"Chen Wen," from Northern Swallow Continent, closed his bamboo fan and tapped his heart lightly, turning to look at the retreating figure of that ancient being, his eyes full of regret, as if watching a stream of immortal coins flowing away without being able to keep it. The young scholar said sorrowfully, "Seeing a good deal and not taking it, suspecting the one you use—Brother Shu is not heroic enough. If my good friend were here, I'm sure tonight the two sides would be chatting and laughing, splitting the spoils."
Shu Zhongshu asked, "Good friend? Brother Chen seems to think highly of this person?"
Chen Wen nodded. "We've fought side by side, made money together, and also matched wits. In short, both friend and foe. We get along quite well. But in the end, I was a step ahead, so that good friend is half-defeated by me."
Shu Zhongshu smiled. "I'm not so sure."
Chen Wen lightly tapped his cheek with the fan and said pitifully, "Let me kindly warn Brother Shu: in Northern Swallow Continent, there's a custom—you can beat a man half to death, but don't hit his face."
Shu Zhongshu looked up and laughed. "What a fine female sword immortal from Taiping Mountain."
It turned out that while they were talking, among the local cultivators of Parasol Leaf Continent, only a female Daoist had chased after that being. She rode her sword past the edge of Transcendence Platform's territory and finally forced the ancient remnant to stop in its tracks.
Compared to the Parasol Leaf Continent cultivators, who were good at fleeing and avoiding trouble, the cultivators of the north of the world, on Blessing Shake Continent, actually followed a man with an imperial aura. He led a group of more than a hundred qi refiners gathered around him, acting just like Huang Ting, the female Daoist from Taiping Mountain, forcibly dragging down one of the ancient remnants. However, Huang Ting, who had broken into the Jade Pu realm, was doing it purely out of boredom, looking for a fight. As for that pure martial artist on Blessing Shake Continent, clad in Great Frost Armor, he was doing it for money and fortune.
In the west of the world, a young monk held an alms bowl in one hand and a tin staff in the other. He landed lightly and trapped an ancient remnant in a lotus pond realm.
The young monk looked down. In the palm of his buddha bowl, there were lotus flowers as small as thumbs. As for that ancient remnant, tiny as a mustard seed, it was stirring up a storm within, but all in vain, only causing a few ripples.
In the east, a young female Daoist from the Great Xuan Capital Temple's Sword Immortal lineage met up with two cultivators from the Year-End Palace. They joined forces to hunt down one of the ancient remnants that had emerged from nowhere.
Even so, four still slipped through the net and arrived at the territory of the "Sword" character stele.
Ning Yao had been waiting for a long time. Before this, with no one around, she had played hopscotch over and over again. Still bored, she crouched down, found a pile of stones of roughly the same size, and played a game of picking them up by flipping her hand time and again.
But as soon as Ning Yao sensed the traces of those ancient remnants, she immediately stood up. The first being to approach the Sword stele seemed to have a telepathic connection with the other three. It didn't attack in haste. Only when the four colossal beings each took a position, forming an encirclement around the stele, did they slowly advance toward Ning Yao, who had temporarily lost her immortal sword Naivety.
Ning Yao let them surround her. She simply tapped her toes lightly, sending stones flying.
She glanced casually at one of the ancient remnants. So this was worth several thousand Chen Ping'ans who had just started practicing boxing?
The corners of Ning Yao's mouth lifted slightly, then she quickly suppressed it.
She raised her hand, and one immortal sword came out of both sheath and case, landing in her grasp.
At the same time, one of her natal flying swords, which no longer needed to ask the sword of "Naivety"—the Beheader of Immortals—revealed itself.
In an instant, it pierced through the head of one ancient remnant. The latter looked as if it were suspended in the air by a thin, long thread.
The Beheader of Immortals moved extremely fast, and the entire ancient remnant seemed bound in place by countless threads of sword qi. With just a slight struggle, it would tear out countless huge wounds.
Ning Yao's yin spirit traveled far, holding a sword immortal.
Like a grand cultivation technique of shrinking the earth and mountains performed by a great ascended realm cultivator, her tiny figure suddenly appeared before the eyes of the thousand-zhang-tall ancient remnant. She held the sword with both hands, and a sword light slashed diagonally.
At the same time, on the ground, fine sword qi spread like rising mist, covering a thousand miles, as if within white clouds.
High in the sky, clouds gathered like a sea, vast and mighty, slowly descending.
No minor realm—just the will of the sword.
One remnant swung its arms wildly, its whole body wrapped in golden light. Its massive form still fell into the sword qi cloud sea, frantically fighting against the solidified sword light with its arms and golden glow.
The huge body that Ning Yao's yin spirit had cut into two leaning halves with a single sword light had golden molten metal, like the blood of cultivators, pulling and tangling together to repair the wound.
The sword immortal slashed again and again. Compared to other battlefields, the orderly cage of sword qi from the Beheader of Immortals was completely chaotic, with a celestial-grade long sword dragging hundreds of glowing threads.
She was simply using the sword cultivator's ultimate killing power against the enemy.
Ning Yao manifested a thousand-zhang dharma body clad in the Golden Nectar dharma robe. Leaving the Sword stele, she condensed a long sword from sword qi, lopped off the head of one ancient remnant with a single slash, then drove the sword into the head. The remnant, now headless, fell backward with a roar. Ning Yao's dharma body stepped on its chest, then twisted her wrist, pulling out the sword that had pierced the head, stabbed it through the remnant again. The latter, like a headless corpse, held its head in its hands.
One arm of the fallen remnant was pinned under Ning Yao's dharma body's foot; the other arm tried to break her ankle. Ning Yao bent down, grabbed the remnant's wrist, yanked hard, and casually flung it away.
As for Ning Yao's true body, it remained on the spot. The real threat in this battle was not these four ancient remnants, which were hard to truly kill, but the heavenly tribulation that was slowly taking shape.
They were taking advantage of the immortal sword Naivety's absence from this world to use a great heavenly tribulation—one that should have occurred after a celestial immortal broke through their bottleneck—to suppress Ning Yao.
Ning Yao's true body, seemingly with nothing to do, just stood there quietly waiting for the tribulation. From the very beginning, she had prepared for the worst. Even if the sword "Naivety" could rush back to the battlefield, it would most likely deliberately slow its return, hoping that Ning Yao's dao would be damaged and she would fall in realm after the tribulation, giving it a chance to reverse positions, from sword servant to sword master.
Ning Yao didn't think that sword spirit, like a mischievous little girl, would succeed. Fittingly named Naivety—truly naive in its thinking.
The four ancient remnants seemed unable to even approach Ning Yao's true body, but in truth, Ning Yao could not kill them completely either. They would continuously revive, like phoenixes from ashes. Within a thousand miles, countless large and small golden rivers and streams appeared, then reformed their golden bodies in an instant. Then her natal flying sword Beheader, the sword qi cloud sea, her dharma body, and her yin spirit wielding the sword immortal all shattered their bodies again.
This was the only flaw of a sword cultivator. Whether flying swords or sword qi, their killing power was immense, unmatched in the world, but they were most afraid of hitting empty air.
If she had a few superior techniques or divine abilities, or some means of isolating the world, to separate and trap those golden rivers symbolizing the foundation of the dao, or refine them on the spot, this battle would have ended sooner.
Because those golden blood streams flowing like rivers on the ground, though her flying sword and sword qi were incredibly sharp and could cut and shatter them, were more refined than spiritual energy. They were the "fundamental substance of the divine golden body." Unlike ordinary enemies, where piercing through the opponent's body and soul would allow sword qi to linger in their personal realm and shatter their acupoints like cave heavens and blessed lands, here it was different.
But if not for that heavenly tribution becoming more and more manifest, in the long run, even if both sides continued to deplete—one losing its golden body, the other consuming mental energy and spiritual power—Ning Yao still had a greater chance of winning.
Because even though the flying sword couldn't diminish the golden blood in the slightest, the ancient remnants suffered an inherent loss every time they gathered and reformed their golden bodies.
These four ancient remnants were clearly different from the few Ning Yao had previously killed. Those earlier ones weren't so difficult to deal with.
Ning Yao looked up. In the sky hung a golden halo, like the golden eye of an ancient high-ranking deity, fixed firmly on her.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the four ancient remnants seemed to melt like snow, completely dissolving into an entire golden blood sea. In an instant, a ten-thousand-zhang golden divine being stood up. A golden circle, like a dharma wheel of later times, hung just behind the deity that had now revealed its true form.
Then, on the deity's arms, the dao manifested—one arm coiled with a golden dragon, the other with a golden python.
The deity looked down upon the human world.
A sword cultivator asking the sword of the Celestial Court.
Ning Yao raised her head high, staring straight at the deity that had finally stopped hiding its identity.
According to the secret archives of the Summer Palace, among the twelve ancient high-ranking deities, the Armored One had a vassal named the One-Eyed One, who was in charge of rewarding and punishing all dragon-kind and aquatic spirit immortals. One of its duties was to share with a high-ranking thunder deity the responsibilities of the Dragon Transformation Pool and the Dragon Beheading Platform.
This high-ranking deity, whose dao was damaged on the ancient battlefield, had been dormant in the Fifth World for ten thousand years, both mending its dao and slowly attuning to the heavenly dao. Therefore, it was the tribulation itself.
No wonder it was so hard to kill.
No wonder back then Bai Ye hadn't drawn his sword to slay this remnant; it was already part of the world.
At this moment, if she didn't ask the sword, she wouldn't be Ning Yao.
She had long held a grudge against everything related to true dragons—near or far, human or not, whether she had spoken to them or not—she had taken a dislike to them.
Her natal flying sword, the Beheader of Immortals, hung suspended beside her shoulder. Her yin spirit returned to its cavity. Ning Yao, clad in Golden Nectar, held the sword immortal.
Just then, Ning Yao squinted, a little surprised.
First, a speck of sword light broke through the sky dome, heading toward the vicinity of the Ascension City.
Then a more complete, snow-white sword light broke through the sky dome, shooting in a straight line from the back of the deity's head, passing straight through. The sword light became clearer and clearer—it actually took the form of a little girl in snow-white clothes. She simply collided and passed through, her white clothes wrapped in countless fine golden threads. She swayed dizzily, like a drunkard, mumbling indistinctly about "crispy crispy," then wobbled and finally fell headfirst, like a carrot being pulled, plunging into the ground at Ning Yao's feet.
That ancient deity, its dao damaged again, silently dissipated and departed.
Ning Yao didn't hesitate. She'd deal with the flying realm later.
She bent down and pulled the little girl-shaped sword spirit "Naivety" up like a carrot.
Ning Yao asked, "What's the word?"
The little girl sat cross-legged on the ground, arms crossed, cheeks puffed up, and said angrily, "Won't say."
—
Inside the Ascension City.
A young Confucian scholar who had traveled here found the spittle-flying Manager Zheng at the wine shop. He bowed respectfully and said, "Zhao Yao pays respects to Mr. Zheng."
Today the wine shop was doing brisk business, thanks to Ning Yaotou's sword offering and journey. The Ascension City was in an uproar, full of people looking for a drink.
Zheng Dafeng stood up with a smile. "Congratulations and good fortune."
Zhao Yao nodded lightly, not denying that great opportunity.
He had a young appearance, but his actual age was already approaching forty.
Zheng Dafeng, back when he was guarding the gate of the Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, had always had the highest hopes for Zhao Yao among the many children. When Zhao Yao left the Pear Blossom Cave Heaven riding an oxcart, Zheng Dafeng had even exchanged a few words with him.
For one thing, whenever Zheng Dafeng went to the school to ask Mr. Qi about studies, they would often play a game of Go, with Zhao Yao watching from the side without speaking, occasionally refilling Mr. Zheng's cup.
Zheng Dafeng put his arm around Zhao Yao's shoulder. "Zhao Yao, the pretty girls here—you came late, there aren't many left for you. Uncle Zheng has picked out a few for you: names, where they live, ages, temperaments, cultivation levels—I've got them all. I compiled a little booklet. I charge my friends, but for you, forget it. Just patronize my wine shop often. Sit here—scholars are the most popular, especially young, promising, and handsome ones. Uncle Zheng is just a bit older, otherwise, there'd be no need to give you the chance."
Zhao Yao smiled wryly. "Mr. Zheng, please don't tease me."
Zheng Dafeng said seriously, "Spreading branches and leaves, passing on the family line—such an important matter, how can it be teasing?"
One of the four immortal swords, the body of the Great White Sword, had been split into four, given to four people.
Chen Ping'an. Liu Cai. Fei Ran. Zhao Yao.
The tip, with the greatest killing power and the most abundant sword qi; a section of the blade; the hilt, with the heaviest sword intent; and the remaining half of the blade, carrying a portion of Bai Ye's sword technique inheritance.
In the end, the four young men each took one.
Manager Zheng used his butt to shove aside two familiar drunkards, pulled Zhao Yao to a table, and ordered two bowls of the best—and most expensive—wine in the shop.
Zheng Dafeng asked in a low voice, "Why have you come here?"
Zhao Yao smiled. "Just curious about this new world. No particular reason."
Zheng Dafeng sighed softly. Forget it, forget it. A case of "no silver buried here"—if someone's heart is anxious, others shouldn't go pulling at it.
After drinking a bowl of wine, Zhao Yao suddenly turned his head and looked into the distance, then took his leave. Zheng Dafeng didn't stop him.
Zhao Yao seemed to wander casually to the entrance of a certain street.
Ning Yao was riding her sword extremely fast, and she had used a concealment spell, because a little girl was sitting behind her.
After landing at the Ning Mansion gate, Ning Yao put her sword into the case. The little girl was still sitting on the ground.
Ning Yao stepped up onto the stairs. The little girl had no choice but to get up and follow behind her.
Zhao Yao had thought she would glance his way, so he could greet her, but the woman seemed completely unaware. Zhao Yao had no choice but to call out, "Miss Ning."
Ning Yao stopped and turned around. "You are?"
Zhao Yao smiled. "Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, Zhao Yao."
Ning Yao asked, "And then?"
Zhao Yao was speechless. Just as he was about to speak, the strange little girl tugged at Ning Yao's sleeve and said in a childish voice, "Mom, our dad is alive and well. He just got his hands on a piece of the tip of the Great White Sword. Mom, why don't you negotiate with Dad—can I have it as my dowry in the future?"