Chapter 675 - The Grand Wedding of the Tang Sect, Reunion with Tang Nian - Part 3

A long time passed.

Then a figure in flowing robes of pale ivory came gliding through the sky.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she moved as though walking on air, graceful as a butterfly, swift as a phoenix. In the blink of an eye, she arrived before the gate.

It was a woman. And not just any woman, someone who clearly held great authority.

She stood above all, commanding the heights, the kind of person who looked down at the world with cold detachment.

Her eyes were piercing and unflinching; no man dared meet her gaze. Her aura was so overpowering that even her beauty could be forgotten in the face of her presence.

She was like the scorching sun, brilliant and blinding. You couldn’t look straight at her without burning.

The disciple dropped to one knee in haste. “Greetings, Sect Master!”

Another disciple came rushing from behind, also falling to his knees.

This sun-like woman turned her gaze to the trio at the gate, a woman, a little girl, and a baby boy. Her brows drew together slightly.

She spoke with quiet authority, “I am Tang Zhuo.”

“Greetings, Lady Yu,” Liu Long said with a respectful bow.

Lady Yu, otherwise known as Tang Zhuo, was the current sect master of the Tang Sect, a name that struck awe throughout the martial world. She was the undisputed overlord of the jianghu, and widely believed to be the first to truly grasp the teachings of the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon.

Only one other had ever attained that level of understanding, the venerable Grand MatronTang.

That was why, even though Lady Yu was nearly 70 years old, she still looked as radiant and youthful as a woman in her prime. Her power had already broken the limits of mortal life.

“Though Joy may bloom in brocade-clad cities, none compares to the comfort of returning home.” Lady Yu recited the line softly, then asked, “Who said this?”

The gatekeeper replied, “Reporting to the Sect Master...it was this bo, uh, this ba—”

He faltered, unsure whether to call Li Yuan a boy or a baby.

But Lady Yu already knew.

Her eyes shifted to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan looked right back at her. Hovering beside Lady Yu’s figure was a glowing 300~800.

Their eyes met.

Li Yuan had already quoted the secret code, no use hiding now. Whatever strange act he pulled next wouldn’t be any more shocking than what he’d done already.

In his soft, childish voice, he asked, “Where is Tang Nian?”

Lady Yu stared at him, and in that instant, something changed.

The blazing sun dimmed.

That overwhelming, imperial aura melted away. The woman who had stood like a sovereign empress now softened like the moon.

She bent slightly, her cold majesty dissolving into something tender and gentle, like a wild creature suddenly tamed.

She, who had sat so regally on the throne, shifted aside, as if silently saying,

This seat is yours now.

Why? Because when the sun returned, the moon yielded its light.

Lady Yu became the moon because she had just seen the true sun.

She knelt down, gazed at Li Yuan, and said with trembling gentleness, “Husband...you’ve finally returned.”

“Wha...?” Li Yuan’s eyes went wide.

The Tang Sect disciples were equally dumbfounded.

Liu Long had no idea what was going on anymore.

A sea of question marks filled the air.

Lady Yu scooped Li Yuan into her arms, then raised her voice for all to hear. “Hear me, disciples of the Tang Sect, spread the word across the realm! One month from now, I shall be wed!”

Her declaration echoed down the mountain. Within moments, the Tang Sect disciples and elders emerged from every corner, responding with shouts of acknowledgment. But their curiosity quickly got the better of them. They wanted to see with their own eyes what had caused such a momentous announcement. Who was the lucky groom of the famed Lady Yu, overlord of jianghu?

And what they saw...was a baby. A baby cradled in Lady Yu’s arms.

As confusion rippled through the crowd, they heard her gently call the infant

husband.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That night.

Li Yuan, still not officially married, was already sharing a bed with his so-called bride.

And said

bride

was seated beside him, feeding him warm milk with a tiny silver spoon, gently scooping it into his mouth.

“Where’s Tang Nian?” Li Yuan asked, voice still soft and childlike.

Lady Yu replied, “The Grand Matron is speaking with Liu Long. Regardless of what kind of person Liu Long is, she brought you here to the Tang Sect. That alone makes her our honored guest.”

Li Yuan blinked, frowning. “Can someone

please

explain what’s going on?”

Lady Yu pulled him closer into her embrace and began to tell the story.

Tang Eleven had taken her as a disciple. Later, she burned her own life as fuel to extend Tang Nian’s lifespan. Before her death, she told Lady Yu many things, among them, a prophecy about Lord Yu returning when Grand Matron Tang awoke from the black ice.

Then she taught her the secret code between her and Li Yuan and said, “If someone speaks these words and asks to see the Grand Matron, that person is Lord Yu. But if she has not yet awakened, then no one can find him.”

Years passed. Lady Yu climbed her way to the pinnacle of Jianghu, using every method imaginable. Along the way, she accidentally unlocked the final page of the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon.

Incredibly, she then helped Tang Nian master it as well.

And with that surge of newfound power, Tang Nian finally awoke from her icy slumber.

Lady Yu spoke of these events with calm simplicity, but Li Yuan could hear the hardship behind every word, the struggle and sheer improbability of it all.

Still...one question burned hotter than the rest.

Why in the world does this Tang Zhuo think she’s my wife?

He was sure, absolutely sure, that he’d never laid eyes on this woman before. The famed Lady Yu, the woman who opened the gates to a new era of cultivation...he’d never met her.

So where was this

relationship

coming from?

Still, before he could tackle that mystery, something else drew his attention, the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon.

“How did you comprehend it?” he asked.

Lady Yu smiled gently. “That secret...I’ll tell you on our wedding day.”

Li Yuan sighed. “I’m still a baby.”

“Then let’s start by sleeping together,” she replied softly. “When my lord has grown, we’ll consummate the marriage.”

Her gaze was full of calm conviction. “You may be seeing me for the first time, but I’ve watched you for decades. You are the most flawless man in this world, and I...am its most flawless woman.”

Li Yuan groaned. “Have Tang Nian come see me. Soon.”

Lady Yu bent over, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and whispered, “Husband, you’re still so small. It’s time to sleep. When you wake...you’ll see her.”

She looked at him with a strange tenderness, as if willing him to grow up faster.

But in her eyes, beyond the tenderness, there was something else. Something dark. A sickness of the soul, the kind that no ordinary person could ever begin to comprehend.

Li Yuan didn’t care. He simply closed his eyes and went to sleep.

If nothing else, he had patience to spare.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next morning.

Despite his half-hearted protests, Lady Yu dressed him in a fresh outfit, buttoned him up neatly, and led him by the hand to the tower’s outer balcony.

Beyond the railing, clouds swirled and rolled like an ocean of mist.

The central tower of the Tang Sect, once cold and silent during Tang Eleven’s era, now pulsed with life under Lady Yu’s reign.

Far below, Tang Sect disciples were moving with urgent purpose, following her command to prepare wedding invitations. By early morning, couriers on horseback had already galloped out of the mountain gates. Once they reached the Tang Sect’s branch halls, even more disciples would be dispatched to spread the news.

Red paper cuttings of the

double happiness

character had already been pasted on windows. Scarlet lanterns hung from eaves. The entire sect buzzed with an air of festivity.

Clearly, Lady Yu’s word wasn’t just law, it was imperial decree. Her authority was absolute and revered to an almost ridiculous degree.

Just then, the sound of slow, measured footsteps rose from the staircase below.

A woman in dark robes appeared, pale-faced, walking up step by step with the aid of a cane.

Li Yuan turned to look.

And in that instant, a single glance spanned a hundred years.

The woman who arrived was the very one from his memories, Tang Nian.

Floating beside her was 200~650. It wasn’t as high as Lady Yu’s, but undeniably within the realm of the extraordinary.

For some reason, Li Yuan suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Maybe...maybe he should have waited until he grew up before coming here.

Tang Nian looked at him now, eyes still filled with disbelief.

Li Yuan simply said, “Walk with me.”

Tang Nian nodded.

Lady Yu grinned and called out, “Grand Matron Tang! Don’t go spoiling the surprises! No telling my husband the secrets of the supernatural just yet!”

Tang Nian gave her a glance and nodded. “Understood.”

And so, the two strolled together, talking as they walked.

After a long time, the last of Tang Nian’s doubts melted away. Her expression grew complicated. She lowered herself, crouched beside the tiny boy, and remained silent for a moment. Then, rubbing her reddened eyes, she said softly, “Godfather.”

And then, in a voice even gentler, “Godfather...do you know someone named Xie Yu?”

Li Yuan blinked in surprise, then nodded. “Your Sixth Mother... She passed away during the Great Upheaval of Heaven and Earth.”

Tang Nian’s voice dropped low. “Then you may not know...the upheaval brought more than chaos, it brought anomalies. Among them, some people were reborn. Our Tang Sect once captured one such reborn individual. After much interrogation, everything was revealed. That girl, Liu Long...she hides it well, but if my guess is right, she

is

Xie Yu.”

“What?” Li Yuan froze. Then joy exploded in his heart like a thunderclap.

But the joy had barely settled before he remembered one unfortunate fact. Not only was he still a baby, but he was a baby

about to be married.

Ah. This...How the hell am I supposed to fix this?