Translator: Aristophaneso
Her brilliant voice and clear words rang out in the ears of everyone gathered around the Ancestral Temple.
Ning Yi called out in calm praise: “Good!”
Feng Zhiwei sighed emotionally: “Brother Yan has great fortune!”
Yan Huaiyuan stared numbly at the belly, slowly retrieving his hand and turning back into the temple. Raised voices could be heard from within, and finally Old Man Yan called out in his shaky, aged voice: “Hua Qiong, what a shameless and unbecoming widow! How dare you speak so wildly before the Yan Family’s Sacred Ancestral Temple? You still dare to stand here where you do not belong!”
“Those who speak wildly should know who they are!” Hua Qiong called back without hesitation. “Under the great Yan Family founder’s sacred spirit tablet, none are allowed to speak lies or call white black for fear of calling down calamity on the entire family! As a revered elder, are you not afraid of heaven’s condemnation?”
Grandfather Yan choked in anger, crying out furiously when he regained his breath: “You want our Yan Family to open our ancestral gates for a woman of a different surname simply because you claim you are pregnant with our family’s grandson? Keep dreaming!”
“This Yan Family’s generation has offended heaven and has few sons and grandsons.” Hua Qiong called back with a cold smile. “Since your Second Branch’s grandson drowned at sea, only granddaughters are left in your bloodline. Now that I am pregnant with the Eldest Branch’s Eldest Grandson, you dare stand in my way? The Family rites command that the duty of Family Head shall pa.s.s through the Eldest Branch’s Eldest Son’s legal wife. Your Eldest Young Master ran away from home and now you want to use your grudge against him to kick aside Huaishi, but the son in my womb has never left and never made a mistake. You cannot stand in his way!”
“Who do you think you are? Just a widow who should be mourning her husband? You have never stepped through our Yan Family’s gates, and you still dare speak of bloodline before our sacred doors?”
“Huaishi!” Hua Qiong stepped back and yelled out brightly. “Have you not heard? Let me ask you now, will you marry me?”
Everyone froze as so many silent statues, even their breathing stilling as they waited for the reply to the young woman’s bold and decisive words.
The sun shone brightly upon the young woman in a sea of guards, her belly exposed as she called out a marriage proposal, risking her name and her life for the man she loved.
The short silence dragged on unbearably as the held breaths began to pinch, and finally Yan Huaishi’s voice replied, calling out from deep within the Ancestral Temple.
One word:
“Yes!”
Certain and determined with no thought of turning back.
The thousand guards forgot their posts for a moment and cried out in loud fervor, and Feng Zhiwei’s eyes glittered in the bright light, her cold blood suddenly pounding hot.
Ning Yi had not spoken for a long while as he watched her, but though Feng Zhiwei did not dare meet his gaze, her ears could not help but hear his quiet sigh.
Hua Qiong looked up at the heavens, held back tears filling her eyes.
“Even if he marries you,” Old Man Yan finally called out, his voice hoa.r.s.e. “How can you be certain it is a boy? A girl will not be allowed to enter!”
“Easily.” Hua Qiong smiled disdainfully.
Feng Zhiwei’s heart jumped.
“Shua.”
Hua Qiong flourished her two harpoons, the razor sharp edges gleaming with eye dazzling brilliance.
“Let’s take a look!”
The metal flashed as she pierced the harpoons down at her belly!”
“Stop!” Old Man Yan cried out in terror.
In that moment his old heart was so scared that it almost gave up on beating.
No one could take a Yan Family members life around the Ancestral Temple, and anyone responsible would be expelled from South Sea with both legs broken. If the baby really turned out to be a boy, Grandfather Yan’s life would not be enough to pay back for this sin.
“Pa.”
A walnut flew forward and knocked aside the weapons, saving Yan Changtian.
Ning Cheng was already beside Hua Qiong, the harpoons in his hands. As he stepped away, he patted Hua Qiong’s shoulder and chuckled: “Perfect timing.”
Hua Qiong did not react, her hands covering her belly. Her move had been so ferocious and sudden, and though it had been blocked, the sharp tip of the harpoon had still cut the skin of her belly and blood was dripping down to the blue stone tiles below.
The thousand guards stood in quiet amazement — ever since this woman had appeared out of nowhere, everyone had been shocked and startled by her time and time again, all of them having long since lost their capacity for speech.
“You asked me to prove it.” Hua Qiong suddenly spoke again, smiling with her canines like some sort of mountain animal. “Now, open the gates. The Eldest Grandson Yan Changtian wants to enter.”
Grandfather Yan stared at her for a long moment, his eyes filled with despair and defeat. Finally, he silently gestured.
The doors slowly opened, allowing the sun to fan out on the cold, dark ground behind the dark iron gate.
Feng Zhiwei watched as the sun expanded in the darkness of the temple and regarded proud Hua Qiong as she held her belly, and the young woman let out a long breath.
Then she stepped back and found a level piece of ground to sit on.
Ning Yi immediately turned his ears from his careful observation of the temple to Feng Zhiwei.
“Ning Cheng,” Feng Zhiwei calmly called out. “Watch your master, don’t let him close. And if you can, help me stop Brother Gu as well.”
With those words, she collapsed backwards, falling supine.
Her vision spun as lights glittered and flashed, and she could almost see someone rushing over.
A voice called out loudly:
“Zhi Wei!”
Gu Nanyi had rushed over as Ning Yi called out, neither of them stopped by Ning Cheng.
Gu Nanyi’s Kung Fu was extraordinary and he naturally arrived before Ning Yi, but just as he was reaching out to grab Feng Zhiwei, Ning Yi caught up. Ning Yi did not try to fight for Feng Zhiwei, instead reaching out to pat Gu Nanyi’s hand.
Gu Nanyi hated physical contact and immediately shrunk back, and so Feng Zhiwei easily fell into Ning Yi’s embrace.
Ning Yi knelt on one knee as he held her, his hand at her waist to take her pulse. His face fell dark as Ning Cheng finally arrived, his guard’s hands outstretched to move Ning Yi: “Master, no! Plague!”
“Shut up!”
Ning Yi immediately whipped his head around, his unfocused gaze glaring at Ning Cheng, his voice dark and cold.
“Where did you go?”
Ning Cheng gaped and stuttered as he explained the small mountain village. Ning Yi’s face grew uglier and uglier before he finally asked: “Why are you all fine?”
“We all took medicine. I don’t know why she... she was fine just now.” Ning Cheng replied.