Chapter 069: Drawing the Immortal of Wine

Song Ye opened the game’s Guardian Summoning interface and used the newly acquired Guardian Summoning Ticket. A flash of golden light appeared on the screen.

“Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing the Gold-tier Guardian [Cheng Wanting].”

[Guardian Name]: Cheng Wanting
[Tier]: Gold
[Background]: The sole inheritor of the Celestial Secrets Sect, renowned in the world as the “Wine Immortal” for her love of wine.
[Cultivation]: First Realm of Shattering the Void
[Skill]: Celestial Secrets, Pure as Dust

Song Ye’s luck could only be described as extraordinary—he had drawn another Gold-tier Guardian. There were five Guardian tiers in total: White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Gold. The higher the tier, the lower the chance of obtaining it. To draw two top-tier Guardians in succession, as Song Ye had, was an almost negligible probability.

Generally, only those who had passed away could appear in the “Guardian Pool.” In other words, those who became Guardians and could be summoned by players no longer existed in this world; they were figures you’d only find in the annals of cultivation history. The two Guardians Song Ye now possessed—Yu Muqiu and Cheng Wanting—had both ascended to immortality many years ago.

A new resident, the “Wine Immortal” Cheng Wanting, appeared in the [Guardian Sanctuary]. The Sanctuary was an independent space where all Guardians could reside, living as if they were real people. Only Gold-tier Guardians were eligible to live in the Sanctuary; lower-tier Guardians would not appear there. Song Ye could view each Guardian’s daily mood, growth, and other details in the Sanctuary.

At that moment, Yu Muqiu was practicing her swordplay beneath a tree. Her outfit was rather scant and barely contained her alluring figure—something that became all the more apparent as she moved.

Song Ye reluctantly tore his gaze away from Yu Muqiu and went in search of Cheng Wanting. Soon, he spotted the new resident in a small courtyard within the Sanctuary. A luohan bed stood in the courtyard, where Cheng Wanting lay on her side, dressed in a pale yellow gown. One leg was bent, revealing her fair, delicate thigh. In her right hand, she held a wine gourd, tilting her head back to drink.

Her figure was in no way inferior to Yu Muqiu’s, and her beauty even surpassed Yu Muqiu’s by a small margin. Since coming to the Xuan Ying Continent, among all the women Song Ye had seen, aside from Qin Xuanxi, none could compare to this “Wine Immortal,” Cheng Wanting. It was a pity that such a beauty had long since fallen, and now could only be seen in the Sanctuary, her peerless looks preserved.

Before her death, Cheng Wanting had lost her right arm, but here in the Sanctuary, she was whole and unblemished. Guardians were not created based on their final moments, but rather at their peak—when their cultivation and beauty were at their zenith. Of course, Song Ye knew little of Cheng Wanting’s past; her background was summarized in a single line. He certainly didn’t know about any connection between Cheng Wanting and his young lady Qin Xuanxi.

In truth, a Guardian’s appearance and figure were of little practical importance—they were, at best, a feast for the eyes. What mattered most to Song Ye were their Guardian Skills. He couldn’t summon Guardians to fight for him directly; he could only use their skills.

The new Guardian, Cheng Wanting, possessed the skill “Celestial Secrets, Pure as Dust.” Both Cheng Wanting and Yu Muqiu were sword cultivators, so their techniques were all of the sword path. This sword path was separate from elemental disciplines like water, earth, or lightning. “Celestial Secrets, Pure as Dust” was, naturally, a sword technique as well.

From the brief description of the skill—“Summon the giant sword ‘Pure as Dust’ to strike a designated target!”—Song Ye could tell it was a single-target offensive ability, whereas Yu Muqiu’s “Annihilate All Beings” was a large-area, indiscriminate slaughter technique.

“Brother Ye, what are you daydreaming about? Eat up!” Qin Xuanxi’s voice pulled Song Ye’s mind out of the Guardian Sanctuary. He looked down to find his bowl piled high with food, forming a small mountain—obviously all placed there by Qin Xuanxi.

At this moment, Wang Demao said to Qin Xuanxi, “Princess, seven days from now is one of the best days of the year, highly auspicious for marriage. If you wish to conclude the wedding soon, why not choose that day?”

Song Ye was stunned. They were already discussing the wedding date, yet he, the groom, hadn’t uttered a word since sitting down. Wang Demao had consulted the Prince’s and Qin Xuanxi’s wishes, but entirely overlooked him, as if his opinion mattered little in this marriage.

After all, this union was a match of a strong woman and a weaker man—Qin Xuanxi marrying Song Ye, not the other way around. Song Ye was the one joining her household. Qin Xuanxi probably piled so much food into his bowl just to keep him quiet.

“Seven days is too soon!” Qin Xuanxi said. “A wedding for someone of my station cannot be rushed. It requires careful planning. Besides, my father will certainly invite his friends from Luojing to attend. The journey from Luojing to Yan City takes at least two months, so the ceremony should be scheduled for three months from now.”

Wang Demao nodded. “The princess is right—it was my oversight. In that case, let’s look for an auspicious day three months from now.”

Qin Xuanxi’s true intention was to give herself enough time to spread news of the wedding, ensuring that the Flute Immortal would hear of it. If they married in only seven days, as Wang Demao suggested, the ceremony and bridal night would be over before the Flute Immortal even learned that Su Yunhe’s daughter, Su Qingyu, was getting married. All her efforts would be wasted.

Thus, the wedding date could be set early, but it must be at least three months in the future.

Throughout this, Qi Shuyi remained silent, not eating a thing, like an outsider at someone else’s gathering. To her, this breakfast felt like an awkward social obligation.

Just then, an unexpected guest barged into the back courtyard of the magistrate’s office. Everyone looked up. It was none other than Huangfu Xiaoyun of the Huangfu clan.