Chapter Forty-Seven The Young Mistress

"Then I must trouble you, Fellow Daoist Qian. In one month, I will certainly come to retrieve it." Yang Nan cupped his hands and was just about to leave when Bai Lian spoke up from the side: "Uncle-Master, even if we do not restore the divine weapon, buying back the five true flames would still be useful. The Beast-Taming Mountain still has many materials, and without the Nine Dragon Wheel Fire Altar, the artifacts forged from them would fall short by several degrees."

The shopkeeper Qian smiled. "Since Fellow Daoist desires those five true flames, come with me and take a look. The seventy-two true flames in my pavilion are all at your disposal."

Yang Nan nodded. The Nine Dragon Wheel Fire Altar was a treasure for forging weapons, and Bai Lian, having finally stumbled into a vault of gold, naturally was unwilling to abandon such a wondrous item. Yet the better the artifacts Bai Lian used, the greater the benefit to Yang Nan. Why should he object? With the Nine Dragon Wheel Fire Altar, even the tiger demon corpse and the many materials stored in the vacant workshop could be refined.

On the second floor of the Pavilion of Infinite Wonders, Shopkeeper Qian brought out the seventy-two primordial flames treasured within the pavilion. Each flame was stored in a special fire box. Though each was only a tiny blossom of fire, it could draw in spiritual energy and slowly grow larger, though the process was somewhat gradual.

When the seventy-two heavenly flames lit up the pavilion, red and blue interlaced in dazzling splendor, filling the hall with a rising aura of auspicious brilliance.

Yang Nan saw that each of these twelve true flames had an extraordinary origin, and he could not help but marvel at the wondrous subtleties of the treasures of heaven and earth. Bai Lian looked for a long while before choosing five true flames: the Radiant Solar Blaze, the Black Fiend Yin Flame, the Profound Ice Violet Flame, the Puro Demon Fire, and the Cloud-Bloom True Flame. Yang Nan knew that Bai Lian was a freak talent in forging; the flames he chose were surely the finest among the twelve true flames.

Shopkeeper Qian praised him. "Your eye is remarkable, Fellow Daoist. Among these seventy-two true flames, only this Profound Ice Violet Flame is truly rare. If one had an unrivaled cultivation method to refine it, then one's magical power would carry the force of both ice and fire. Truly no small matter!"

A thought flashed through Yang Nan's mind. Since his Immortal Yin Wheel could refine the spiritual energy of the world, might it also be effective against this kind of spirit flame? If so, then would not the battle-implement bear several peculiar kinds of magical force, and its power increase greatly?

Unparalleled cultivation methods were hard to find in this world. Those who possessed such arts were without exception top figures beneath the heavens. Shopkeeper Qian was merely speaking offhandedly; how could he have imagined that Yang Nan, a mere tiered cultivator, would possess such a technique?

Yang Nan took out ten thousand spirit stones and handed them to Shopkeeper Qian. Fortunately, he had newly acquired the Beast-Taming Mountain; otherwise, how could he have produced ten thousand spirit stones?

Bai Lian beamingly stored away the five true flames, and Yang Nan then took his leave of Shopkeeper Qian. The restoration of the battle-implement still required a month, and Yang Nan need not return to Beast-Taming Mountain. He still had a residence in Immortal-Seeking City, and Butler Chang Fu knew that his young master was one of the immortal kind; it was no rare thing for him to remain away for years at a time. This time, after all, he was only returning after a year, so Chang Fu did not find it strange in the least.

The servants, however, were overjoyed to see the young master home. Yang Nan had also brought back longevity pills of middling grade. Though they could not grant immortality, they could nevertheless lighten the body, strengthen the frame, and prolong life. When Chang Fu saw that his young master had brought back such wondrous medicine, he immediately bowed low in repeated thanks.

Since coming to Immortal-Seeking City, his young master had gone and not returned, and the house had seemed almost his own. The butler had long since brought over his family. Immortal-Seeking City was bustling beyond measure, and the servants living there enjoyed themselves in ease and comfort, as though in a paradise. What place in the world could compare?

In the small courtyard, Yang Nan sank his consciousness inward and began to explore the mysteries of the Immortal Yin Wheel. With the Yin Wheel gone to support it, his progress had been painfully slow. Several years had passed, and he had only reached the third level. To cultivate all twelve levels to completion was truly a distant hope.

Yet the Immortal Yin Wheel was indeed an unsurpassed, world-defying marvel, capable of forging an incomparable soul. If Yang Nan could cultivate it to perfection, then when the two kinds of power within him flowed through the nine apertures, his attainment would be no less than that of an immortal sage.

Under such temptation, Yang Nan thought of nothing so much as advancing that wondrous art by even one more level.

However, though he had obtained this supreme method, unless he became one of the true inheritors, there was no hope of great achievement in his entire lifetime. This truly vexed him. It seemed that Bu Xu's arrangements had been laid with careful stratagem at every step. Yang Nan also dared not find someone to cultivate the Immortal Yang Wheel. Once Kunlun Sect learned that he had leaked an unrivaled cultivation art, expulsion from the sect would be a light punishment; being struck until his soul and spirit were scattered would be the ordinary outcome!

Was it possible that, apart from becoming the honored true inheritor, there was no other way to cultivate the Immortal Yin-Yang Wheels?

As Yang Nan was deep in thought, he suddenly saw Butler Chang Fu hurrying over in great haste. "Young master, there are two people at the gate saying they are old servants of the young master, come all the way from the Capital. Does the young master wish to see them?"

"Old servants from the Capital?" Yang Nan frowned and said indifferently, "Have these men come before?"

Chang Fu nodded. "Several months ago, the two of them arrived in Immortal-Seeking City and inquired everywhere about the young master's whereabouts. When they heard that the young master had gone to the Immortal Realm of Kunlun, they came every five days to ask again. They have been here countless times. The young master is one of the immortal kind, so this lowly one dared not make the decision, and only told them to wait."

Old servants from the Capital? Could it be Yang Da and Yang Er?

A thought stirred in Yang Nan's mind. "Bring them in."

He immediately summoned Chi Yang, who was cultivating in the Sacred Talisman Grotto Manor. Seeing the crease in Yang Nan's brow, Chi Yang asked, "Ah Nan, what trouble has arisen?"

Yang Nan said, "Big Brother, do you know what my grandfather ordered Yang Da and the others to do back then?"

Chi Yang shook his head. "The old duke was always divinely resourceful. Yang Da and the four servants were absolutely loyal; what they did must have been related to you. How could I, a mere minor commander, know?"

Yang Nan laughed in spite of himself. What his old man meant to do, Chi Yang truly would not know. But why would Yang Da suddenly come all the way to Immortal-Seeking City? To inquire after his whereabouts was no easy task.

Before long, Chang Fu arrived in haste with the two men. The moment they saw Yang Nan, they dropped to their knees and kowtowed. "This one pays respects to the young master!"

Yang Nan looked closely and saw that the two had stern expressions and were dressed in black. Were they not precisely the old household servants Yang Da and Yang Er from long ago?

"Yang Da, Yang Er, how did you find this place?" Yang Nan frowned and exchanged a glance with Chi Yang. Although his feigned death could not hide from Yang Cheng and the others, how could Yang Da know that Yang Nan was in Mount Kunlun?

Yang Da said solemnly, "Please take out the Scroll of All Saints and let us see it!"

His manner was utterly unceremonious, as though he harbored no hesitation at all. If Yang Nan could not produce the Scroll of All Saints, he seemed ready to draw steel against him.

Yang Nan froze for an instant, then understood. The Scroll of All Saints his grandfather had given him was not merely a treasure, but a token as well. Cultivators possessed great supernatural powers; Yang Da was clearly afraid that Yang Nan might be an impostor transformed into his likeness. There was only one Scroll of All Saints in the world, and such a treasure was certainly not something anyone could simply claim to possess.

Yang Nan reached into his cosmos ring and took out the Scroll of All Saints. After silently reciting the maxim within, a surge of scholar's energy rose to the sky, and faint golden light enveloped his entire body, as though a sage had descended upon the world. How could an ordinary scholar display such marvels?

After reading from it for a while, Yang Nan put away the scroll and smiled. "Well?"

At that, Yang Da and Yang Er no longer doubted him. Suddenly, both of them burst into loud weeping. "Young master, this one deserves to die! We actually lost the young mistress! Young master, hurry and rescue the young mistress..." The two servants slammed their foreheads into the ground with thuds and cracks, instantly covering their brows in blood.

"The young mistress?" Yang Nan stared blankly. With a slight lift of his hand, a surge of magical power rose, and Yang Da and Yang Er could no longer continue bowing. The two were deeply shaken: after only a few years, the little young master had gained such means?

Seeing the look of grief and indignation on the two servants' faces, and judging from their expressions that they were not pretending, Yang Nan said coldly, "Nonsense! I have already escaped from the Yang family and have nothing more to do with the Marquis's manor. What concern is a young mistress of mine?" Though his face feigned anger, his heart secretly thought, Could it be that Yang Da and Yang Er have suddenly come to seek my help in rescuing some young mistress because they have already sided with my uncles?

Seeing Yang Nan's icy expression, the two exchanged glances. Chi Yang laughed from the side. "You two came rushing here out of nowhere, asking the young master to rescue some young mistress. If you do not explain clearly, how are we supposed to save anyone? Just who exactly is this young mistress?"

In the past, the four servants called the old duke "Master," while Yang Nan was only the little young master. Could the young mistress Yang Da and Yang Er spoke of be the wife of one of Yang Nan's twelve uncles?

And they wanted Yang Nan to rescue the wives of those deranged uncles? How could that be possible?

Chi Yang knew there must be some hidden reason and immediately prompted Yang Da.

Only then did Yang Da awaken as if from a dream. Though blood was streaming down his face, he did not even bother to wipe it away. He said, "Young master, this young mistress is the daughter of Marquis Tiefang of Warm Sun Prefecture in the Southern Continent, the young lady named Qingyan. She was betrothed to the young master since childhood by an engagement made while still in the womb. Could the young master have forgotten? This young mistress was born to a great family, of steady and generous temperament, and highly values her reputation..."

Crash!

Before Yang Da could finish, Yang Nan had smashed the teacup in his hands to pieces. He said in astonishment, "Fang Qingyan? My childhood betrothed wife? This... how can such an engagement still count?" A wife had suddenly appeared out of nowhere; how could he not be utterly shocked? Yet Yang Da and Yang Er had always been astute in their work and would never lie to him.

So Fang Qingyan was indeed his childhood bride. Who would have thought that his father's idle jest would actually come true today?

So... I have become the young master now... and have somehow gained a so-called young mistress as well...

Yang Nan's thoughts were in wild confusion. After pondering it for a moment, he said, "You call her young mistress. Could it be that we are already married?"

The rules of a great aristocratic house were strict. If she had not yet entered the household, how could Yang Da and the others possibly address this young lady as "young mistress"?

But...

That was precisely the most uncanny thing of all. Yang Nan was far away in Mount Kunlun, ten thousand li from here. When had he been married, without even knowing it himself?

Was there anyone in the world who took a wife and yet did not know who she was?

Yang Nan stood dumbstruck. Chi Yang was even more at a loss. The two looked at each other in silence for a long while before Yang Da, tears streaming down his face, said, "Young master, before the old lord passed away, he ordered this one to go to Warm Sun Prefecture to propose marriage. Since the Yang and Fang families already had a prior engagement, the young mistress, then only thirteen years old, immediately agreed to the union. Later... not long after that, both the young master and the old lord were successively reported dead. Marquis Tiefang then wished to break the engagement, but who would have thought that the young mistress, in front of all the officials and gentry of Warm Sun Prefecture, would declare with absolute resolution: Since I was promised to the Yang family from childhood, how can there be a second-married woman in this world? I am Yang family in life and Yang family ghost in death! Breaking the engagement is absolutely impossible. Since the marriage has already been agreed upon today, if my father will not permit it, then I shall smash my head to death!"

As Yang Da repeated the scene of that day, tears fell from his eyes, showing plainly how deeply the servant household revered that young mistress's fierce and unbending character. "Young master, the young mistress was only thirteen at the time, yet she was peerless in her resolution. Her words were like iron and stone, and she absolutely refused to let the engagement be broken."