A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 69, Section 68: The War of Marriage (5.0K words - Long chapter, please subscribe)
Several days later, outside Hanzhou City, a figure was swiftly moving through the dense forests and mountains, leaving afterimages in its wake. Compared to him, even a horse seemed like a snail.

His figure was incredibly fast; it was only because he avoided the official road that it caused such a sensation.

brush!
The figure suddenly stopped, standing on a high cliff, gazing into the distance. There, in the distance, smoke was rising from the city, and the midday hustle and bustle could still be heard on the wind, a testament to the city's prosperity.

Restaurants, teahouses, theaters, bookstores, brothels, government offices, carriage and horse shops, livestock offices, and so on, all emitted different kinds of noise, intertwining in one place.

Further away, one can still vaguely see glimpses of the golden hue of the vast desert.
Ning Xuan stretched and yawned.

The horse was too slow to carry his eagerness to return home.

Besides, if someone's physique has reached the second-grade level, who would still ride a horse?
It was late autumn, and the sun was shining brightly, so bright it seemed to hang low in the sky, neither too warm nor too hot.

In Tianyouzi's nightmare world, Ning Xuanzhen learned one thing: to cherish the ordinary things in front of him. He stretched his body in the autumn sun, squinted to feel the light and wind of the world, and listened to the rustling of the leaves in the forest. He felt that being carefree was happiness.

But today, something even happier and more anticipated awaits him.

It was told to him by the fairy Yao Zhen.

His father had already found him a good match. This good match was the youngest daughter of the military governor of Suizhou, surnamed Lu, named Xuezhi. She was eighteen years old this year and was also one of the candidates for general in this Divine General Plan.

According to geographical records, Wangyue Prefecture belonged to Hanzhou, which in turn belonged to Suizhou Circuit.

For the son of a prefect to marry the daughter of the military governor of Suizhou is already an incredible stroke of luck.

It should be understood that even if a prefect's family has been established for two or three generations, it is at most considered a minor aristocratic family, but a military governor's family is a major aristocratic family.

The reason why the military governors did not perish after only two generations was because of their intricate connections with the imperial family. To put it more bluntly, many of the military governors' forces were directly controlled by the emperor.

Throughout history, any military governor who wished to succeed to the throne had to be sent to the imperial palace from a young age to become the crown prince's tutor, essentially serving as a divine master to the prince, loyal to him. Only after the prince ascended the throne could he return to his fiefdom, dissipate the divine aura, and assume the position of military governor. Such individuals were truly pillars of the state.

Of course, this also carries risks, because not all crown princes will become emperors.
In today's world, the crown prince is initially the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but the emperor values ​​personal ability more, so he will give other princes some opportunities in the hope that they will carry on the legacy and do better in the future.

Although the emperor's lifespan is short, his power is supreme. He can decide a person's life or death with a single word. Everything in the world is at his disposal and for his own use. Who wouldn't want to fight for it? Who wouldn't want to be emperor?
Ning Xuan did not believe that the emperor was a puppet of the Taiyin ghost cultivators of Zixia Temple. The reason was simple: his father had told him that those who gather dragon energy, though they have no magical powers, are immune to all evil spirits.

Therefore, even demons like Zen Master Baiyue and the Mysterious Fox only tried to become prefects themselves, rather than turning a prefect into a puppet.

The struggle for the throne among royal families is another troublesome affair.

However, Ning Xuan was still quite happy.

because
Fairy Yao Zhen also said.

Lu Xuezhi is different from him, who became a general "halfway through his life". She was a martial arts prodigy when she was a child. She was the kind of genius who awakened the talent of a general while practicing and had a firm mind.

She concealed her identity and had a nickname when she traveled the martial arts world: "Snow Viper Child".

The snow viper is a highly venomous snake that lives in cold regions.

In the martial arts world, there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

The fact that a child was named in this way shows how vicious he was.

However, Lu Xuezhi is a typical righteous knight-errant, and she hates evil as if it were her enemy. The name "Xuefu" does not refer to her character, nor does it mean that she is good at poisoning, but rather to her leg techniques.

A lightning-fast kick, like a snow viper's bite—the leg takes life when it leaves, and dies when it retracts.

Lu Xuezhi's legs were terrifying, and her movement techniques were naturally terrifying as well. When she was fourteen years old, demons were not as rampant as they are now. One day, she received news of a notorious bandit and went after him. As a result, she was ambushed. In the ambush, she fought back all by herself and wiped out the bandit gang.

She did this not for fame, but simply because she hated the evil deeds committed by those notorious bandits.

Therefore, even though she wiped out the notorious bandits, she didn't mention that it was only after a hunter accidentally discovered many corpses in the mountains, reported it to the authorities, and the constables verified their identities and conducted further investigations that they found out.

After Lu Xuezhi became a general, she naturally belonged to the general's command, and her life over the past six months has been nothing short of legendary.

First, her strength was assessed. As soon as she entered the general's ranks, she was already a first-rank martial artist. After the demon-revealing mirror in the capital determined her demon form to be "crane", the Zixia Temple happened to have a second-rank demon core called "Crane's Guild". The military governor personally sought out connections and paid a price to help her obtain this demon core.

Now, Lu Xuezhi has already consumed the second-grade demon core, and her strength is also that of a second-grade martial artist. Not only that, she also had the great luck to absorb the demonic arts within the demon core. You should know that this kind of thing is basically one in a thousand, meaning that only one in a thousand people who have consumed a demon core can awaken it.

After that, she went on to fight in various places, fought tough battles, and dealt with powerful demons.

This woman is truly a celestial beauty.

A woman born into privilege naturally has high standards, and Ning Xuan's reputation has also grown considerably during this period.

Ning Xuan himself might not realize it, but he was a legendary figure outside.

Before the age of sixteen, he was a martial arts prodigy who concealed his true strength behind the mask of a spoiled brat.

At the age of sixteen, he awakened his talent as a general. In the battle of Manfeng Mountain, he fought his way out of a desperate situation with "demons, celestial masters, and Taoist children" and wiped out all the targets, making him famous in one battle.

Afterwards, he demarcated the territory, temporarily stabilized the Frozen Hell, and dealt with the demons everywhere;

He also requested the reduction of the fiefdom, refused the marriage to General Qin's mansion, wisely protected himself, and thought that taking a step back would open up a whole new world.
He managed to break through the "Demon Scholar's" several deadly traps, to the point that General Qin finally spoke up and wrote a memorial, "I earnestly request Your Majesty to order General An Yuanning and Huang Cihe to set aside their past grievances and join forces to face the demonic calamity."

His general's talent is also extremely special, as he cultivates both nature and life, and both his nature and life attributes are of the highest rank.

This child is truly a prodigy, a chosen one of heaven.

After Ning Xuan reported the Hehuan Sect's "Divine Eagle Overturning the Sky Technique" and "Lingyan Small Group Technique", the Emperor took it quite seriously, after all, they were the seed candidates for his "Divine General Reserve Team"; in addition, Master Ning visited everywhere and sought marriage alliances, and it was by chance that he finally connected with Lu Xuezhi.

A girl who is a second-rank martial artist
Ning Xuan was quite satisfied.

I'm really looking forward to it.

There is a painted boat in the middle of Mingzhu Lake in Hanzhou.

Inside the painted boat, there was a young girl dressed in red and white shoes, with neat bangs and eyebrows.

The girl sat upright.

Her face was very white, snow-white, and the high-necked red dress accentuated her snow-white neck. With her chin slightly raised, she exuded a sense of elegance and nobility.

Her legs were long, and the toes of her feet pulled her white shoes taut, making her feet appear as part of her legs, thus making them even longer, like a pair of quiet, unseen, deadly guns.

She wasn't sitting cross-legged, but rather sitting diagonally with her legs together.

Her expression was calm, and her eyes, because of this calmness, were deep and had a frosty coldness.

Outside the pleasure boat, figures would occasionally drop down, reporting something to those inside through the curtain.

At this time, Lu Xuezhi's personal guards.

These guards were reporting on the wealthy and powerful merchants and nobles in Hanzhou who had connections with General Qin's mansion and had amassed their fortunes through it.

Some of these people knew to restrain themselves, and some even sold their property and retired. Others believed that they had long since lost all connection with General Qin's mansion, so they continued as usual, without restraint, acting arrogantly and bullying the weak while fearing the strong.

These are the people the guards reported on.

Lu Xuezhi listened calmly but did not take any action. She simply ordered her guards to collect the charges, compile them into a book, and then store them away in rolls.

Golden light surged around her, and a middle-aged female Taoist master with wrinkles on her forehead and fish-tail eyes appeared.

This female celestial master was named Chaoyinzi, and her relationship with Lu Xuezhi was like that of the fairy Yaozhen to Ning Xuan.

Chao Yinzi said, "Junior Sister said he should be arriving soon."

Lu Xuezhi asked, "How did he get here?"

Chao Yinzi said, "He ran all the way here, without riding a horse or taking a carriage, and he didn't ask his junior sister to see him off."

Lu Xuezhi asked, "Why did he run all the way? And why didn't he ask Fairy Yao Zhen to see him off?"

Chao Yinzi said with a strange expression, "Junior Sister said that he didn't want to miss the scenery along the way. He felt that being able to run was always something to be happy about, better than not moving at all."

Lu Xuezhi rested her chin on her hand, her pretty face turned towards the distance, her bangs tilted slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

At least he's an interesting person.

Is he a young general who cultivates both body and spirit?

She was really looking forward to it.

at dusk.

The sun is setting, and the lake is shimmering.

An evening breeze had begun to blow in this ancient city near the Western Regions, scattering and disrupting the water and light, turning the lake into a dark red, chaotic mess.

Lu Xuezhi was sitting quietly in a painted boat on a chaotic lake.

Meanwhile, on the distant lake, another painted boat was approaching.

Chao Yinzi reminded her, "He's here."

Lu Xuezhi said, "Tell him that he is ready and well-rested before boarding the ship. The long journey will take its toll, so there's no rush. Today, tomorrow, or even two or three days later is fine. At that time, I will suppress my strength and fight him at the first rank. If he can't even withstand a few moves, then this marriage alliance is off."

After saying that, she added, "I don't use weapons, he can do as he pleases."

Chao Yinzi nodded and then began to communicate with Yao Zhen, who was with Ning Xuan on the opposite painted boat, through the "whisper chain".

"Junior sister, do you understand now?"

“But, senior sister, you chose the lake, which is not a terrain that General Ning is good at. This is not fair.”

"While they were fighting, we retreated and watched from the sky. The two pleasure boats were more than enough for General Ning to use his skills."

Moreover, General Ning also has an advantage; he cultivates both his physical and spiritual aspects to the first rank, while General Lu is suppressing his strength, which is already a disadvantage. If he doesn't also gain some advantage in terms of terrain, wouldn't that be unfair?

"That's true." Fairy Yao Zhen nodded, then said, "Senior Sister, you still love water as much as before?"

Chao Yinzi said, "We'll catch up when we get to heaven."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a gasp of surprise came from the whispering chain from Fairy Yao Zhen.

"Senior sister, let's go to heaven."

Chao Yinzi was stunned for a moment.

Fairy Yao Zhen said, "General Ning is not resting; he is about to make his move."

Chao Yinzi blinked and reminded her, "Junior sister, you should let him rest for a while."

General Lu has seen the Hehuan Sect's cultivation method; it is possible to practice, but the entry requirements are very high.

"It's not easy for two generals to become Daoist partners; let's not let this good thing fall through."

Fairy Yao Zhen said, "I can't persuade him."

Chao Yinzi frowned and said, "Are young people really this impulsive?"

Fairy Yao was displeased and said, "Senior Sister, although General Ning is young, he is not impulsive. If he says he can fight, then he definitely can."

brush!
brush!
Two second-rank celestial masters floated into the air and slowly rose above the lake in the evening breeze and setting sun, leaving only the two painted boats below slowly approaching.

Ning Xuan stepped out of the cabin of the painted boat.

A gentle evening breeze rippled across the shimmering lake.

He was in a good mood.

After beating the woman, he wanted to go out for a couple of drinks that night. He wanted to order some snacks to go with the drinks; they didn't have to be fancy, but they had to be well-cooked or stir-fried.

As for not being able to beat them.
He still has the Ruyi Blade and the Golden Statue, right? That woman said she doesn't need weapons. At worst, he'll throw away all his pride and use the Ruyi Blade to cut through a thousand enemies in one stroke, and use the Golden Statue to hide himself completely. He refuses to believe that he can't resolve the battle.

General Lu, you're being too presumptuous.

However, it's normal from another perspective. The girl came to test his qualifications, not to reveal all her cards and fight to the death.

He looked at the painted boat not far away, said nothing, and simply bowed from a distance.

Then, he bent down, squatted on the edge of the painted boat, raised his hand to touch the water, his five fingers swaying back and forth in the clear lake water reflecting the setting sun, and then suddenly pulled back and pressed down sharply.

With this press, the lake surface suddenly caved in, as if swallowed whole by a giant monster.

Instantly, both pleasure boats were suspended in mid-air.

Whoosh!
Lu Xuezhi stepped out, standing in mid-air. This was the power of the demon core she had consumed, and the demonic arts of the Crane Demon.

After she came out, she actually cupped her hands in a respectful gesture towards Ning Xuan.

Thus, the two had exchanged greetings.

The depression in the lake caused the water to rise rapidly on both sides, creating a huge wave that resembled a vast ocean.

The pleasure boat sank into the lake.

Ning Xuan took a step back into the waves, thrusting out his left palm with a sharp, piercing cry, releasing a burst of power.

The lake water was not a treasure; under his force, it instantly exploded into mist. However, this exploding mist accelerated, pushing horizontally towards the opposite side, scattering into indiscriminate attacks that completely enveloped the area.

Whoosh!
Lu Xuezhi suddenly left an afterimage and appeared in front of him.

In mid-air, with no foothold or point of leverage, she leaned slightly and raised her right leg with a dreamlike speed, transforming it into an extremely sharp leg spear.

Long, straight legs form the barrel of the gun, while delicate, graceful toes become its tip.

The scarlet robe burned like fire, billowing backward as the spear inexplicably pointed towards Ning Xuan's throat.

Snapped!
The tip of the gun struck a fist.

Ning Xuan's right fist had appeared in front of him without him even noticing.

Time seemed to stand still. The two exchanged a glance, as if in tacit agreement, and their flesh began to ripple, unleashing a second layer of power.

boom! ! !
The first force struck.

It created a powerful, spreading wave.

Just as Ning Xuan was about to unleash his power, he felt the second force from the other side connect with him in an extremely fast manner.

Snapped!
The force wasn't heavy, but it was enough to send Ning Xuan flying at that moment.

Ning Xuan was kicked away and lost his balance.

He transformed into a shooting star and plunged into the lake water that rose behind him with a "thud".

But Lu Xuezhi didn't stop. She remained expressionless, her bangs flying loose.

Her long legs seemed to never stop; after the first leg, the second gun ruthlessly pierced her chest.

Her body was moving at an incredible speed; her first leg was her right leg, and her second leg was her left leg.

A series of kicks!
This time, she was no longer just testing the waters; each of her kicks contained a "double force" similar to Ning Xuan's "Swallow Harmony." But the key was that behind her double kicking force was a short, sharp, and unexpected follow-up strike, like a scorpion's tail or a venomous snake turning its head.

Ning Xuan realized almost instantly that this woman possessed a martial arts lineage, and a remarkable one at that, possibly even connected to a sect that had disappeared a hundred years ago.

He fell into the water.

Lu Xuezhi followed into the water.

Their hair, like water plants, danced gracefully.

Ning Xuan made his move, unleashing another Swallow Harmony attack.

Lu Xuezhi did not dodge; she continued to approach. In this space-time that seemed to be on slow motion, Ning Xuan's fist had already reached within half a zhang of her.

She suddenly lifted her leg.

The thigh moved upwards and bumped into Ning Xuan's forearm halfway up.

But Ning Xuan was no pushover either; he unleashed the power of Yan He at will, turning the charge into a strike.

boom!
The violent impact created a spreading shockwave in the lake.

The two were naturally separated by force in the next instant.

But then, an unexpected event occurred.

The two did not separate, because Lu Xuezhi's long legs, like a serpent, twisted and coiled around Ning Xuan's right arm.

There's one force when twisting, and another when wrapping.

Just moments ago, her legs were like a powerful and unparalleled spear, but now they have transformed into a soft sword, entangled in the enemy's body, its tip aimed at sealing their throat.

Who is Ning Xuan?
He was constantly battling between life and death in his nightmare world.

Even if it weren't a life-or-death struggle, he could still react to this situation perfectly.

He unleashed a burst of power in his arms, a leftward and rightward swift strike, meeting the explosive force of the twisting and entanglement in close combat.

boom! boom!
Two more impact balls spread out across the lake.

At this moment, he and Lu Xuezhi had already fallen into the water.

The two pleasure boats were also included.

Before the pleasure boat could even surface, it was completely shattered by the aftershocks of the two people's power.

The hull, deck, and cabins slowly developed cracks and splits in a "slow time."

Lu Xuezhi's sword tip had bypassed Ning Xuan's defenses and was pointing towards his throat, like an assassin revealing their dagger, containing destructive power.

In the next instant, golden light flashed, the water surface suddenly opened up, and Lu Xuezhi was blasted backward, flying out of the water, tumbling, and then landing on the palm of a golden bodhisattva that had already been extended.

The Bodhisattva emerged from the water, radiating golden light, standing over ten zhang tall, holding a girl in red in her hands.

Lu Xuezhi's red clothes were soaked through, but in a tremor, they all turned into mist and dissipated. She raised her head and looked down at him with icy arrogance and the pride of a martial artist in her eyes.

The Bodhisattva spoke up, asking, "Did you hold back?"

Lu Xuezhi said, "Didn't you only use your elemental golden body at the very end?"

Ning Xuan sincerely praised, "Impressive."

Lu Xuezhi glanced at him, briefly recalling the boy's appearance during their battle in the lake, and calmly replied, "We'll get married tonight."

(End of this chapter)