Chapter 2195: Demonic Soul Suggestion
Two fingerprints overlapped on the bamboo slip, as if tightly intertwining their fates. The clear sword intent flowing through the bamboo merged with the auras of the two, transforming into a faint white light that lingered around the marriage contract... yet it lacked the cold clarity that should have been like moonlight from a Sword Immortal. Instead, it spread a gentle warmth through the surrounding space.
The one who had inscribed this marriage contract was not only her sword energy, but also her Sword Heart and Sword Soul—absolutely forbidding any destruction or defilement by anyone!
She looked at the two and spoke softly: "The heavens above, the earth below; Weaving Dream on the left, Heaven-Breaking on the right; father at the side, mother watching from the heavens. The marriage contract is complete. Once you perform the bowing ceremony, you will be true husband and wife."
Hua Caili's thoughts could certainly not be hidden from Hua Qingying. To Hua Fuchen, this scene seemed extremely hasty and utterly absurd, but to her, it was clearly something she had long understood and prepared for.
"Mm!"
Hua Caili answered crisply. This Heaven-Breaking Divine Maiden, who had astonished the entire Abyss World, was now entirely a young maiden with a childlike heart, who had obtained her wish and was filled with joy.
She turned around to face Yun Che, gently placing her hands in his palms. A few strands of hair were brushed by the breeze, sticking to her snow-jade-like cheeks. Her beautiful eyes seemed to have just melted the ice and snow, shimmering with starlight...
And they held the expectation of an eternal bond with the one in her gaze.
Yun Che's lips stirred slightly, then a smile slowly spread across his face, like the dawn breaking through the starry river. When the corners of his lips fully tilted upward, his eyes shed all the deep-hidden gloom and darkness, leaving only the maiden's visage.
At least for this moment, at least for today...
Their eyes met, and in the world, there was nothing else but each other.
Without any external guidance, they faced each other, bowing slowly and deeply. First bow to heaven and earth as witnesses, second bow to parents at their side, third bow to each other, pledging to stay together for life. As they straightened up, their eyes met again, and each other's world was now filled with the other's light.
The wind passed through the bamboo tips, rustling softly, as if heaven and earth were celebrating, the plants and trees filled with affection. The earlier minor disputes and melancholy were quietly dissolved by this warm and tender atmosphere.
"Thus, the ceremony is complete." Hua Qingying's voice was even softer than before: "So, from this moment on, you two are true husband and wife. As long as you are unwilling, no one in this life can separate or break the name of your union."
Hua Fuchen let out a sigh that only he could hear. He said no more, but placed the hand that had just gently stroked his daughter's hair behind his back and turned away.
As he turned, his sleeve stirred an extremely faint breeze, lifting a few broken bamboo leaves on the ground slightly up and then letting them fall again—like a silent sigh that did not wish to be seen, let alone interpreted.
His most beloved daughter, the most precious treasure of his life, the Heaven-Breaking Divine Maiden who had astonished the Abyss World, had just so suddenly, so simply and easily completed the greatest event of her life... without any of the spectacular arrangements and universal celebrations he had envisioned. Instead, it was so crude that even an ordinary woman could hardly bear it.
Yet she was so joyful. The sword intent flowing through her seemed to dance with joy, and every breath of her life seemed to radiate brilliance.
It was truly a joy that came from the depths of her heart, one that could not even be concealed.
Hua Fuchen closed his eyes and smiled faintly...
So be it.
But...
From this moment on, her life was firmly tied to another man, and she would henceforth share with him the days and nights, the mountains and rivers. And he... every step remaining was a quiet departure from his daughter's life.
Meng Kongchan reached out and patted his shoulder; everything was said without words.
Bamboo shadows dappled the ground. Hua Caili and Yun Che gazed at each other tenderly, long without speaking, as if they had melted all their longing, hope, steadfastness, and joy into this gaze that could hold no other.
Suddenly, Hua Caili's nose tingled slightly, and a faint moisture gathered in her eyes, but an even brighter smile bloomed on her face. Her lips moved gently, and under Yun Che's gaze, she softly uttered the title she had rehearsed countless times in her heart:
"Hus... band..."
The girl's voice was as soft as a feather brushing the heart, carrying a slight tremor.
The two words were gentle, like a whisper of love, like a vow softly spoken, hiding all the maiden's sincerity and joy, her unchanging obsession for life and her hope for eternal companionship. Her snow-jade cheeks flushed a light crimson, spreading to her ears, like dyed with twilight colors—both the ethereal beauty of a divine maiden and the shyness of a young girl, so beautiful that one could not look away.
Yun Che's throat moved slightly, as if a thousand words were on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, they only turned into a gentle smile. He stepped forward, his forehead lightly touching hers. Their breaths mingled, their auras merged. His voice was low and gentle, like a love whisper, like a vow, yet like a murmur to himself: "Caili, I... to have you as my wife, how fortunate I am..."
Hua Caili closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the man who was now solely hers, and would forever be hers: "To be able to marry you, my husband, I am even more fortunate."
"Ahem ahem..." Meng Kongchan half-turned, nudging Hua Fuchen's arm with his own: "How about some wine?"
"Let's go!" Hua Fuchen replied directly, striding away. The short word carried a hint of hoarseness.
Meng Kongchan turned back to greet Hua Qingying, but found that the blue-clad figure had silently left at some point.
Bamboo shadows swayed, the breeze gentle. This space was left only for the two still tightly embracing.
"Husband."
"Mm?"
...
"Husband."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." She rubbed her head against his chest, her voice soft and tender: "I just wanted to call you that."
Yun Che smiled. He tightened his arms slightly, holding the girl who had rushed toward him at all costs... No, the marriage contract was established, the bowing ceremony completed. At this moment, she was truly his wife in the true sense: "We are already husband and wife, with countless time to accompany and call each other. I'm just afraid that after a few dozen or hundred years, you'll get tired of calling."
"Never." Hua Caili's soft voice was unusually firm: "The word 'husband' is not just a call to you; it also tells me every time that you are already my husband. It makes me so happy every time... I could never get tired of it in a lifetime."
"..." Yun Che slowly lifted his head, a nameless numbness and tremor spreading from the depths of his soul to the surface of his body.
At that moment, the girl in his arms stirred. Then, he felt a tightening at his waist. He subconsciously lowered his gaze and found that Hua Caili had tied a jade-white sash around his waist.
"This is..."
He grasped Hua Caili's snow-white hand, also touching the sash between her fingers.
Hua Caili's brows curved like crescent moons. Her fingertips gently hooked around his fingers: "Since I have become your wife, I must take care of your attire and daily needs. This is a sash I woven for you a few days ago, with my own hands. It's my first time... it might not look that good, but you must not dislike it."
Her intention was simple and clear: a sash tied by her hand around her husband's waist meant binding his body and heart firmly to herself. From now on, every step he took, the sash woven with her feelings as threads would gently tug, as if constantly, tenderly pulling at his sleeve in her stead.
The sash overflowed with sword aura, clearly woven by Hua Caili using sword intent to draw jade silk strand by strand. Whether it was delicate or good-looking was entirely unimportant, because every thread in it was the purest, flawless heart of the maiden.
Yun Che smiled and said: "A sash woven by Caili's own hand is a unique treasure in the world. How could I possibly dislike it? Hmm? It seems there are characters written on it?"
"Ah? You can't look at it now... Ah!"
Amidst Hua Caili's slightly timid and flustered soft exclamation, Yun Che had already lifted the sash and turned it over. The words the maiden had quietly hidden within it came into view:
*Thoughts of love entwine, gazing at the vast clouds; feelings congeal, yearning for the cloud-like one.*
*Love draws the dream of dust, year after year tying to the light of clouds.*
*In the misty sea, the painting of calamity knows no end; heart pulses, longing for the vast clouds.*
*In the pure land, tears stain the painting's chapter; sharing joy with the clouds, sharing sorrow with the clouds.*
*Painting promises three lifetimes, life and death shared with the cloud's realm.*
*This life's deep affection all given to the painting; never betray, only the cloud-like one.*
"..." Each word touched his eyes and heart, making his vision blur slightly.
Just a few dozen characters, every sentence a painting of love, every sentence a thought of the clouds.
Hua Caili raised her hand to cover her face, her voice shy and timid: "I originally wanted you to discover it by accident... wu..."
"Hahaha!" Yun Che laughed heartily. He tied the sash back around his waist, wrapping it tightly. Then he raised his hand to gently cover the back of Hua Caili's hand, gently rubbing her blushing cheek through her snow-white hand: "So my Caili can even secretly write love poems."
The faint morning glow instantly turned into an endless, brilliant sunset glow. Seeming to think of something, her shyness turned into a mischievous smile: "I learned all of this... from you, husband."
"Hmm? Learned from me?" Yun Che was stunned.
Hua Caili's brows arched. She rolled up her left sleeve and took down a black sash that she usually wrapped around her left arm.
Yun Che recognized it at a glance—it was the black sash he had left behind when he "fled" after meeting Hua Caili in the Mist Sea, intending to "let her give up"... On it were words he had imprinted with Light Profound Force.
*Meeting was already the best omen; why waste the remaining years with longing.*
"Uh..." This time, it was Yun Che's turn to blush, his expression awkward: "This... you actually kept it..."
Hua Caili leaned back, as if afraid he might suddenly snatch it away. She re-wrapped the sash around her arm, her smile endlessly charming: "This is the first 'gift' you gave me, husband. Of course, I have to keep it well. In the future, if you make me angry, I'll take it out and read the words on it to you... and to our future children, hehe."
"..." Yun Che raised his hand to cover his forehead: "I promise, I will never... never make my Caili angry."
The maiden's soft laughter echoed through the bamboo forest, clear and melodious, carried far away by the gentle breeze.
...
...
Hua Fuchen drank cup after cup. He made no effort to suppress the effects of the wine, until his face was flushed red, his divine eyes clouded with mist, and the divine pressure around him gradually dissipated, losing the majesty of usual days, replaced by the melancholy and fragility of an ordinary father.
Meng Kongchan did not dissuade him. He drank cup for cup with him: "I knew it wouldn't be so easy for you to accept and let go."
Hua Fuchen shook his head and looked up at Meng Kongchan: "On the contrary, you are so calm. After all, the marriage contract was not inscribed with 'Meng Jianyuan' but with 'Yun Che'... You never said a single word. That is too unlike you."
Meng Kongchan smiled faintly: "If it were a hundred years ago, I would never have allowed it."
"But I have lost, and I have been heartbroken for a full century."
He refilled the cup for Hua Fuchen. The nightmare had passed, but the soul wound remained: "Being able to have Yuan'er return safely is already a thousand thanks to the heavens. As for the rest... as long as he is Yuan'er, what does it matter what he is called?"
"Besides," his smile held no reluctance or bitterness, only deep gratitude and acceptance: "Yuan'er's growth and achievements are surprises I never dared to dream of. These were bestowed by his master, earned by himself. It was Yun Che who met Hua Caili and they developed feelings for each other, not Meng Jianyuan."
"So, what is wrong with inscribing the name 'Yun Che' on the marriage contract? What is inappropriate?"
Hua Fuchen stared at Meng Kongchan for a long time, then picked up his cup and clinked it heavily with his: "Brother Meng, well said. I, on the other hand, let the loss make me anxious, hesitant, and fearful that a similar tragedy would repeat. In this, I am ashamed."
Meng Kongchan clinked cups with him... He wanted to say that Hua Fuchen should not blame himself, because loss and recovery create different kinds of heart wounds. But the words reached his lips, and he feared touching his scars, so he only clinked heavily and drained his cup.
The cup came down with a soft sound, and Hua Fuchen suddenly said: "What do you plan to do about Old Dian?"
Meng Kongchan's expression turned serious. The tipsiness in his eyes seemed to disperse slightly. Slowly, he said: "This time, I intend to go to the Senluo Divine Kingdom and speak with Old Dian in person."
Hua Fuchen's movement paused. After a few seconds, he slowly said: "It's been less than three months since we returned from the Pure Land. Isn't it... a bit hasty?"
Meng Kongchan sighed softly: "Earlier, that was our thinking—always waiting for enough buffer, always waiting for the 'best timing'... But you saw the result."
"..." Hua Fuchen fell silent.
"Old Dian is someone we know best." Recalling the past, deep melancholy appeared on Meng Kongchan's face: "He has the strongest temper, but also the most straightforward heart. Perhaps, even if he has become the Jueluo Divine Venerable, he might still be the same as in his youth... Let him vent his anger thoroughly, and things will be fine."
The space fell silent, and the two were speechless for a while. After a long time, Hua Fuchen seemed to have made a decision: "I'll go with you."
Meng Kongchan shook his head: "If we go together, in Old Dian's eyes, it would be no different from joining forces to pressure him, which would have the opposite effect."
"..." Hua Fuchen did not argue.
Meng Kongchan continued: "I will convey your helplessness, your guilt and self-blame to him one by one. Alternatively... give me a token that will move him. That way, one person and one object might be the best approach."
Hua Fuchen thought briefly. After a moment, he took out a sword tassel from his sleeve, surrounded by a faint purple light.
The tassel was rough in texture, as if casually made, but it was preserved in perfect condition. Purple light flowed around it, carrying a faint profound aura and the marks of time.
"This is when Old Dian, for the first time, successfully hunted and killed a Divine Annihilation Abyss Beast with his own strength. He took its Abyss Crystal and remnant bones and made this sword tassel for me, to show off. Hah, it's indeed rough and ugly. It's a wonder I kept it until today."
Meng Kongchan took the tassel and said with a smile: "It's ugly, but at least it's a complete tassel. What he gave me back then was half a horsetail whisk, saying that most of the beast's bones had been corroded and he couldn't make a complete one. Take it or leave it."
The two looked at each other and laughed, then both sighed together.
Unknowingly, it had already been over ten thousand years.
...
...
"Husband, is the 'Long Life Pearl' I gave you still with you?"
This was already the umpteenth time that Hua Caili had called him "husband" today.
"Of course. It's something more important than my life."
Yun Che's answer made Hua Caili straighten her face, and she "warned" him seriously: "Wrong. In this world, nothing is more important than my husband's life."
"Alright, alright." Yun Che raised his hands in surrender: "My safety is the most important thing under heaven. No one is allowed to harm a single hair on my head."
"Hehe, now that's my good husband."
Arriving at Hua Caili's bedchamber, she half-turned around, a mysterious yet expectant smile blooming on her peerlessly beautiful jade-like face: "During this time, Lianzhi and Biyi prepared many beautiful and splendid outer garments for me, but I haven't worn any of them. Because I want to wear them for the first time in front of my husband."
"I'll go change and show you."
Yun Che cupped his chin, putting on a serious expression: "Since we are husband and wife, it's only right that I help you change."
"No... Lianzhi and Biyi are still here!" Hua Caili gently scolded him, then giggled and ran off. Her skirt, flowing with sword aura, traced an extremely light and soft arc behind her. The hem of her dress lifted slightly, carrying a few faint gusts of wind infused with sword aura and fragrance.
Yun Che stared at her retreating figure, lost in thought for a long time.
In the quiet, he suddenly spoke: "Li Suo, don't you have something to say?"
Li Suo's voice rang out: "Your mind is too chaotic. It's not appropriate for me to speak."
"..." Yun Che exhaled slowly, his voice sounding slightly drained: "Say something, anything at all."
In the bamboo forest, those few moments of dangerous thoughts had stung his nerves, and they kept surfacing until just now... He needed to divert his mind.
"What did you do to Meng Kongchan?" Li Suo suddenly asked. "Did you trigger the 'suggestion' left in his soul sea back then?"
"Yes," Yun Che replied.
"Such a precious opportunity—one that disappears forever once used and can never reappear—I imagine you must have used it to the fullest."
Li Suo had apparently been silently pondering this question: "You... couldn't have made him engage in a death battle with some Divine Venerable, thus triggering a conflict between two divine kingdoms?"
Yun Che gave a helpless smile: "If it were that simple, why would I go through so much trouble?"
"After all, it is only a 'suggestion,' not absolute control."
"And after all, Meng Kongchan is the Dreamless Divine Venerable, the strongest soul among the six divine kingdoms. The instant backlash of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul, creating a cognitive alteration, was already the limit of that wisp of the Demon Emperor's soul. The suggestion left by the residual power is a soul blank I can quietly 'write' upon, but the content I can 'write' is extremely limited."
"At the very least, it cannot be a major matter that requires careful thought or easily touches the soul strings. It also cannot be too contrary to his existing cognition. Otherwise, it will easily trigger his vigilance and ruin everything."
"Too 'contrary' to existing cognition?" Li Suo's voice carried surprise: "Then... what use is it?"
"Of course it's useful." Yun Che's gaze once again converged with a dark, demonic light: "For example, making him 'remember' some things he should do."
"...What do you mean?" Li Suo seemed even more puzzled.
Yun Che thought for a moment and explained for her: "If it were you who was planted with the suggestion... and at that moment, a thought suddenly arose in your mind to kill me, you would instantly realize that something was wrong with your own heart and soul, because in your normal cognition, you and I are attached for survival, and you would never want to kill me."
"But if the thought that appeared in your mind at that moment was to urge me to continue trying to comprehend the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword technique, you would definitely not suspect that this thought came from an external 'suggestion' deep in your soul."
"Then, the additional 'suggestion' built upon this successful 'suggestion' will also come naturally, like water flowing in a channel."
Li Suo seemed to understand somewhat. She asked: "Then, what suggestion did you give to Meng Kongchan? Such a low-level suggestion—can it really achieve what you want?"
"It will."
Yun Che turned his gaze to the distant horizon: "After he leaves the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, he will not return to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. Instead, he will go alone to the Senluo Divine Kingdom."
"Carrying the token given by the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable."