Chapter 103: Ninth Brother-in-law

“Do you dare to swear an oath to the Heart Demon that you had no part in harming Jin Chun?” Granduncle Ning’s voice was sharp and aggressive.

For those who cultivate, if they swear a Heart Demon Oath falsely, they will surely be punished by the laws of Heaven. Yu Youwei could not, and would not, make such an oath—she did not care to give this old man that satisfaction. Smiling, her words were soft yet edged with hidden barbs: “Ning Jinxiu’s actions during the trial were seen by all. I will have to ask the Ning family elders to judge impartially. Do you think we should resolve this here, or wait until we return to the Ning estate?”

Granduncle Ning’s face flushed a deep, angry purple, but he could only swallow his rage and say, “The Ning family rules are clear: a married woman of the Ning family may not interfere in the affairs of her birth family. You will come back with me!”

The members of the Xiang family all looked pleased, while the Wu family, who had been watching, were delighted. On the other hand, the heads of the Wen and Yuwen families, who were friendly with the Yu family, wore anxious expressions.

“Ninth Sister, for the sake of the greater good, we must sometimes endure small slights,” Yu Shiyu said, gripping her hand with concern.

“Second Brother, I truly had no grand designs when I married into the Ning family.” She winked her left eye and smiled. “Don’t forget, you threatened and forced me, and I only married because my luck ran out and I couldn’t escape. If the Ning family cannot accept me, there’s no reason for me to cling to them.”

Hearing her mention the past, Yu Shiyu felt as if a lifetime had passed, and was a little afraid recalling his boldness back then.

That dusky evening, as the rain clouds cleared, his ninth sister stepped out from the osmanthus grove, the last light of day softly draping her form. The scent of osmanthus drifted on the breeze, and raindrops like tiny jewels fell from the swaying branches behind her. As she walked slowly onto the stone arch bridge, her dress and sash fluttered lightly—he even feared the wind might sweep her off the bridge. How could anyone connect such a delicate, ethereal woman with the infamous Poison Maiden?

A notorious flirt, he fell for her at first sight—but she was his cousin, and even a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its own burrow. He would never pursue her, but the look of disdain in her eyes stung him, prompting him to want to teach her a lesson.

To this day, he still marveled that he actually threw her into the Egret River that day. He ought to be grateful she couldn’t swim, and even more grateful she hadn’t meant to kill him—or perhaps, at that time, her strength was still far beneath his, and that was why his sneak attack succeeded. Truly, the most important thing was that she hadn’t meant to kill; otherwise, even back then, she could have made sure he never left the Mu Manor alive.

“I was too hot-headed that day, Ninth Sister. I’m sorry,” Yu Shiyu said sincerely, then explained, “At that time, that mad dog Ling Yanfeng forced me to leave the Sword Sect for a while—he even sent assassins after me outside.”

This belated apology left Yu Youwei momentarily stunned, then she smiled sweetly. Shaking her head to show she did not mind, she said, “You stay here in the capital to help Grandfather. I’ll go to the Sword Sect and have a look.”

When Ninth Sister was angered, she could do something as mad as releasing thirty venomous crocodiles to self-destruct in the Xuancha Palace—yet still come away unscathed. The Sword Sect’s strength was on par with Xuancha Palace; even if it was stronger, it was not by much. Yu Shiyu was not especially worried and nodded. “All right. It’s late today. Set out tomorrow. Recruiting and gathering men can wait; let’s go home first.”

“Mm. I’ll listen to you, Second Brother.” Without another glance at the Ning family, Yu Youwei took her grandfather’s other arm, and together with her brother, escorted him out of the square.

The crowd parted automatically, opening a path for the three generations of Yu family to pass through. Whether they were old friends or rivals, people felt a deep respect for them.

Granduncle Ning, his face green with fury, roared, “Yu Youwei, if you go, don’t ever think of setting foot in the Ning family again!”

Yu Youwei acted as if she hadn’t heard.

Instead, it was Ning Yixuan who caught up and said, “Sister-in-law, let me accompany you to the Sword Sect.”

“Yixuan, come back! If she doesn’t care about being a Ning family woman, you’re not to concern yourself with her. I want to see how Yu Youwei can remain so arrogant without the support of the Ning family!” Granduncle Ning bellowed.

The Yu family patriarch halted, but his grandchildren firmly pulled him forward.

“Bad Second Granduncle! Don’t you dare scold Youwei!” A clear male voice rang out overhead.

Everyone looked up and saw, thirty meters high in the air, a fluffy cloud suspended. From the cloud, a figure tumbled out, as if someone had given him a hard kick.

“Mo Fei?” Yu Youwei was surprised.

Ning Mofei fell like a kite with its string cut, but Yu Youwei reached out to steady him just in time. Oblivious to all the onlookers, he threw his arms around her and shouted angrily at his granduncle, “I’ll ask the Ancestor to cane you and pluck out all your beard!”

“What are you doing here?” She pinched his soft, round cheek, a warm feeling rising in her heart.

“I waited for you in that tower for days. You never came back—I was so bored! I promised Old Ancestor Shui I’d massage her shoulders, so she brought me to find you.” As he spoke, Ning Mofei pointed up at the sky.

Everyone looked up. Overhead, a fluffy cloud hovered, yet no one could see a person. Still, no one doubted that an elder from the Celestial Traces sect was watching from above.

Yu Youwei heard Ancestor Shui’s voice in her ear, “I’ve delivered your silly boy. No returns or exchanges.” She smiled and squeezed Ning Mofei’s hand to show she had ‘claimed delivery.’

Completely unaware he’d been treated as cargo, Ning Mofei beamed, “Old Ancestor Shui said with you on the team, our Ning family is sure to win the championship, right?”

“No, the Yu family won. My second brother is stronger than me,” Yu Youwei replied, shaking her head.

“Your brother from the Yu family won?” Biting his lip, Ning Mofei said regretfully, “Then that’s fine. If anyone else had taken it, I’d have asked Ancestor Shui to beat him up!”

The Yu family elders felt gratified at his words, while the Ning family’s expressions were a sight to behold. Even those who had believed, after Granduncle Ning’s harsh words, that Yu Youwei had no place in the Ning family, now saw the wisdom in offering the Yu family a helping hand.

Yu Youwei flicked Ning Mofei’s forehead, unable to help but laugh. “Do you think Ancestor Shui is your personal bodyguard?”

“Can’t Ancestor Shui help me beat people up?” Rubbing his head, Ning Mofei obediently revised his words, “Then can I ask Third Brother to do it?” Everyone knew Third Brother Ning doted on this silly younger brother, so no one took his words as a joke.

Yu Shiyu was completely smitten with this silly brother-in-law, wanting nothing more than to scoop him up and smother him with affection.

Beside him, the Yu family patriarch, finding Ning Mofei more and more adorable the longer he looked, stood even straighter. He was secretly pleased: although the boy was a bit dim, at least he was devoted to Youwei.

Those who had grudges against the Yu family slipped away quietly, not wanting to draw attention from the Yu elders.

Yu Shiyu’s group of idle friends—the young scions of the capital—had been tightly controlled by their elders, but now, freed, they crowded around, led by Wen Shaokun, calling out affectionately, “Brother-in-law!”

“Are you talking to me?” Ning Mofei asked. When everyone confirmed, his smile nearly split his face.

“Brother-in-law, are you going back to the Ning family, or coming with us to the Yu household?” Wen Shaokun teased deliberately.

Without hesitation, Ning Mofei replied, “I’ll go wherever Youwei goes.” A perfect picture of a devoted and simple husband, his bright smile so infuriated Granduncle Ning that his mouth twisted, but he could do nothing and left with the Ning clan’s disciples, save for Ning Yixuan and a few direct descendants, who followed the Yu family instead.