“What — Master is getting married? I was only gone for a moment, how can it be happening so fast? I rather thought Brother-in-law Haoyue would have given Master a thorough beating first.” Hua Hua said without a shred of decency.
Smack!
The Holy Emperor’s Son landed a direct slap on his bald head — the sound crisp and bright, carrying far and wide.
“Master’s Elder Uncle, you can’t keep doing this — every time we meet, not a single word before you smack me right on the head. This is very wrong!” Hua Hua protested with great indignation.
“It’s precisely because you weren’t beaten enough as a child and weren’t dealt with like this that you turned out so badly.” The Holy Emperor’s Son stated this with perfect calm, and then — smack — landed another one.
Hua Hua: “#¥#@%……”
But he could only grumble about it under his breath. He would never dare put on airs and grin cheekily in front of the monkey. This Elder Uncle of his simply had a compulsive habit — it had become second nature to him.
“Congratulations, congratulations! After so many years of blades and blood, storms of carnage and killing, it’s truly time for things to bear their rightful fruit — to have a home at last. Especially before the Immortal Road opens. When that day comes, husband and wife can ascend together to immortality.” Li Heishui, who had thoroughly inherited Tu Fei’s “time-honored tradition” as the village loudmouth, came forward to offer his felicitations.
By now it had already spread through the entire village: that very day, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue were to become engaged. But the two people at the center of it all — one had managed to anger his future brother-in-law, been backed into a corner with no way out, and the other had only just been informed and was standing there in a complete daze.
Ji Ziyue stood in a trance. This very outcome had floated through her mind before, yet it had never actually arrived — and now the news came so suddenly that she could only stand there, utterly stunned.
“Big sister, what are you thinking about?” Xiao Nannan appeared at her side, tilting her head back with those bright, sparkling eyes, tugging at the hem of her robe with one small hand.
“N-nothing at all!” Ji Ziyue had never felt this flustered in her life. Even in front of a small child, the color rose in her fair cheeks.
She was at a complete loss. All of this had come too suddenly. She wanted to say no — she wasn’t ready, and didn’t want it to happen like this, in such haste.
Yet at that moment, a group of women came — the aunties of the Village of Heaven had all arrived to offer their congratulations.
And then Ji Haoyue walked over as well. He seemed to have noticed the hesitation and uncertainty in his sister’s heart. Without a word, he took her hand in his and led her straight over to stand before Ye Fan, glaring at him.
“A match made in heaven, a perfect pair — fated together by the heavens above and paired on the earth below!” everyone shouted.
Amid the crowd’s urging, Ji Ziyue gradually grew calm. Her gaze became clear and tranquil, and she looked quietly at Ye Fan — saying nothing.
Ye Fan had already spent a long time thinking this through. In this moment, he knew he must not hesitate, must not waver — wavering now would surely wound a heart.
In that instant, all his old knots, all the people and things of the past, loosened and fell away almost at once.
Ye Fan could not forget that moment — when he was about to leave the Northern Dipper and set out for the far shore of the starry sea, Ji Ziyue had seen him off through her tears. She had murmured softly: “I am here at this end of the starry sea, you are at the other. So very, very far apart. That radiant eternity, that boundless distance — never to see each other again. In the depths of night, I look up alone at the sky full of stars, and silently wish you well…” At that moment, her eyes had brimmed with tears, drenching her fair cheeks.
How could one forget that? How could one let it down? Ye Fan reached out and took Ji Ziyue’s hand in his. “Ziyue — marry me.”
Perhaps these words came a little late. But at least they had not come too late. Ji Ziyue tried to withdraw her hand but could not — he held it fast.
And at that moment, Ye Fan reached out with his other hand and pushed Ji Haoyue firmly to the side — leaving only himself and Ji Ziyue in the center. The crowd burst into laughter all around them.
Remarkably, Ji Haoyue did not grow angry. Nor did he put on his usual brooding expression to glare at Ye Fan as he had so many times before. Instead, a rare warmth and contentment crossed his face — he was genuinely happy.
Ji Ziyue had no more thought of escape — Ye Fan held her slender hand in his, and the crowd cheered and hollered without end.
“Uncle Ye Fan — am I supposed to call you Uncle-in-law now?” Ji Chengdao stepped forward. Small as he was, he already carried a resolute and spirited air, yet in this moment he could not contain his excitement.
Out among the stars, the name he had heard spoken most was Ye Fan, the Holy Body of the Human Race — and even the figure that had left his father downcast had spoken of the Holy Body of the Human Race. Naturally, this had filled the boy with admiration beyond measure.
And now, the great hero he had looked up to in his heart was about to become his own family — his very own uncle by marriage. No wonder his heart surged with feeling, more visibly excited than anyone else around him.
“From today on, he is your uncle by marriage — you can start calling him that right now.” Li Heishui said with a smile. He was one who had watched Ye Fan grow step by step from a young nobody into a Great Saint, and his bond with Ye Fan went back further than almost anyone’s. He understood the story between Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue better than most — and seeing this outcome today, he felt genuinely and deeply glad for both of them.
“Ha — what a joyous occasion! Let this be the engagement, and then we’ll set the date for the wedding proper — and invite every friend and loved one under the heavens. We must celebrate in grand fashion!” The Holy Emperor’s Son laughed heartily.
The Village of Heaven buzzed with life. Everyone came forward with their congratulations and blessings. Even Xiao Nannan came trotting up with an adorably earnest look on her face, bowed properly, offered her congratulations with great solemnity, and presented a little gift of her own with both hands: “Congratulations, Big Brother. Congratulations, Big Sister.”
The others naturally brought generous gifts as well. On this day, every face wore a smile. Qi Luo announced she would host a feast right there in the Village of Heaven.
Ye Fan stopped her. “We go to the Ji Family.”
Something this momentous had occurred — how could they not report it to Ji Ziyue’s parents? It was only right that the two elders be the ones to decide, regardless of how much Ji Haoyue had taken it upon himself to arrange things.
That day, their whole party set out together in a grand procession, heading toward the stars of the Northern Dipper and descending into the Eastern Barren Territory.
Back in the Village of Heaven, only one person — little Que’er — stood with a trace of sorrow in her expression. But she wiped her tears clean and let a smile spread across her face.
“Elder Sister, you must be happy.” Hua Hua appeared at her side with his gleaming bald head.
“I know I will be. I will pray for the Divine Child.” Little Que’er smiled openly, wiping the last tear from her cheek.
“Elder Sister, that was nothing more than the admiration of a child looking up to a beloved figure. It wasn’t truly love — once you see that clearly, it will be easier.” Hua Hua, in a rare moment, was the one offering comfort, gently guiding her to see things differently.
“Little Baldy, my affairs are none of your concern. And besides — I am not your Elder Sister. You are to call me Grand-Master Aunt!” Little Que’er tapped his bald head with a knock and scolded him with her fiercest expression.
“Good heavens — is having a shaved head a crime now? Why does everyone want to knock on it the moment they see me? Keep this up and I’ll grow a hedgehog cut — and wear a steel helmet!” Hua Hua fumed.
The Ji Family estate. Before the gate, a great river flowed onward into the distance — named the Ji River, sharing its name with the river near the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor on Earth. This had always puzzled Ye Fan no matter how he thought about it.
He had asked about it once, and the answer the Ji Family gave was not satisfying — they said the river had been flowing for more than fifty thousand years and bore no particular connection to the one on Earth.
Yet Ji Zi had once mentioned with a touch of melancholy that he intended one day to go visit the Ji River sealed within the mountains of Earth, to see it for himself. The words had left Ye Fan with questions he could not quite resolve.
Today, the Ji Family estate was all celebration and cheer. Ye Fan had come to ask for Ji Ziyue’s hand. With the people of the Village of Heaven accompanying him and noble guests of the stature of the Holy Emperor’s Son arriving at the door, the clan threw its gates wide open to welcome them.
The family’s foundations had been relocated to another region of the starry sea, yet many important members remained — they could not all depart at once.
When Ji Ziyue’s parents saw their eldest son again, then pulled their grandchild close, they wept with joy. And when they heard the news about their daughter, their happiness knew no bounds.
On this day, the Ji Family sent out many formal invitations — to the Jiang Family, Jade Pool, the Wind Tribe, the Grand Xia Dynasty of the Central Province, and others — to attend the engagement ceremony.
Not only Ji Ziyue’s parents, but the entire Ji Family was delighted. The Holy Body of the Human Race — now a Great Saint who stood unrivaled across the Human Race’s Ancient Roads — was without question a worthy match.
Ye Fan’s rate of advancement was breathtaking. From the moment he stepped onto the path, he had almost never suffered defeat among peers. At this rate, ascending to another great realm was only a matter of time — and when that day came, he would be truly fulfilled. A Fulfilled Holy Body — who had not heard of it? Who did not know? It could contend with a Great Emperor. And at that point, it could directly stand against the ancient supreme sovereigns sealed within the Forbidden Life Zones!
What manner of battle power was that? One person’s achievement, and the realm at peace — in ages past, a Fulfilled Holy Body carried precisely that kind of weight. Even the Forbidden Life Zones would not dare come lightly to provoke.
This would be protection for the Ji Family for ten thousand years — and if the Immortal Road were to be contested, the advantage gained would be incomparable.
Of course, all of this hinged on one condition: protecting this future son-in-law, ensuring that no accident befell him on his path toward the Fulfilled realm.
Yet by now, it seemed the Ji Family no longer needed to do the protecting.
The entire Ji Family was overjoyed — even that Great Saint who had been sealed since ancient times, now exuding a faint musty air, came to have a long conversation with Ye Fan, affable and warm in manner.
The Ji Family estate was filled with spiritually charged land, adorned with beautiful mountain peaks floating in the sky, wreathed in drifting clouds, with spiritual birds flying freely among them — cinnabar cliffs and strange rocks, cascading waterfalls like white silk, and growing upon steep precipices and beneath sheer drops, ganoderma mushrooms and rosy mist layered in splendor.
On this auspicious day, only one person in the entire Ji Family wore a gloomy expression, sighing repeatedly — the Eighth Ancestor of the Ji Family, who had had many unpleasant dealings with Ye Fan in the past. Now he had been thoroughly overshadowed by Great Saint-level figures, lacking even the standing to approach and make peace — he simply could not get close enough.
“On behalf of the Great Holy Makahaka of the Great Thunder Sound Temple at Sumeru Mountain, we present this humble gift!”
“The Emperor Xiaoyiming of the Grand Xia Dynasty of the Central Province has arrived in person!”
“The Holy Lord Jiang Yifei of the Northern Domain Jiang Family has arrived in person!”
“The Queen Mother of the West of Jade Pool has arrived!”
And so the announcements rang out, one after another. Great figures arrived in a steady stream — and those who could not come in person had sent emissaries bearing lavish gifts, including Sumeru Mountain and the Nine Li Divine Dynasty.
Even those with whom there had been past friction offered gifts on this occasion, hoping to smooth over old grudges — unwilling to be remembered with resentment by a figure who, once Fulfilled, could stand toe to toe with a Great Emperor.
On this day, an endless procession passed through the Ji Family. Not only the leading powers of the Human Race — even Ancient Tribes were represented, and even some royal and imperial clans with whom fierce battles had been fought in the past set aside their pride and came.
Beyond them, sages from beyond the borders appeared as well, descending one by one, each making some gesture of regard.
It was very nearly a grand assembly — the powerful of all factions appeared, showing their faces one after another.
“A Divine King has arrived!”
At the sound of these words, Ye Fan’s expression shifted sharply. He shot to his feet: “Which Divine King?”
“The Divine King Jiang Taixu!”
“What?” Ye Fan stepped out in great strides, so moved that he went to welcome the guest personally. He had not expected that on this very day, the peerless White-Robed Divine King would return from beyond the borders.