inspire-indiana Chapter 4 Half-Feast
Chapter 4 Half-Feast
“Li...Li Xingjie?” Zhang Yunling was stunned. He had long heard of Li Xingjie, the eldest son of the Li family. In this area, no matter which household he met, they would respectfully call him Young Master Li.
"Coming, coming." Zhang Yunling quickly ran over to open the door. As he ran, he suddenly felt as if his body had become light and airy. Indeed, the feeling of becoming a cultivator was different.
Upon opening the door, Zhang Yunling saw Li Xingjie's smiling face and stepped aside to greet him, saying, "I was unaware of Young Master Li's presence at my humble abode. May I ask what brings you in such a hurry?"
Li Xingjie didn't bother with pleasantries; the two quickly entered the inner hall and got straight to the point before they were even seated.
"Brother Ling, the real reason I've come today is to discuss a marriage proposal. I have a younger sister named Li Mengxuan, as you probably know. She is beautiful, gentle, and virtuous. If you were to marry my sister, our two families would be united in marriage, and with the help and support of the Li family, your future would be incredibly bright!"
Zhang Yunling was stunned by this long list of benefits. It seemed that the Li family, to put it bluntly, only wanted to win him over through marriage because they saw him pass the imperial examination and become an official. But thinking about it, it made sense. Back then, he was just a poor scholar. What merit did he have to be worthy of marrying into the Li family?
Thinking of this, Zhang Yunling didn't stand on ceremony. He already knew about this matter, and today, Li Xingjie, the eldest son of the Li family, came to invite him personally. So Zhang Yunling made arrangements for everything in the mansion, asked his father to wait at home, and went to the Li family with Li Xingjie.
The Li family, the Li residence.
"What? Is this true?! That's wonderful!" Li Mengxuan was overjoyed when she heard from her father that her sweetheart Zhao Zhenyu was coming to propose to her. She had already forgotten all the unpleasantness of the past few days. "Father, when will we hold the wedding banquet?"
Looking at his overjoyed daughter, Li Hao felt a pang of reluctance, but ultimately restrained his doting instincts and made up his mind, saying, "My dear daughter, are you ready for today?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mengxuan jumped up excitedly, "That's great! I've been looking forward to this day for so long! I'll go back and pack right now!"
Meanwhile, Li Xingjie's side was also ready. Zhang Yunling changed into the bright red groom's suit that had been prepared in advance and waited for Li Mengxuan's reaction.
Li Xingjie looked Zhang Yunling up and down, nodding slightly from time to time in praise: "Hmm! Not bad at all, what a fine newlywed official! Not only is he handsome, but he also exudes the air of a refined scholar. He's really something, hahaha!"
Zhang Yunling frowned slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable after being showered with compliments by Li Xingjie. Back when he was just a poor scholar, this eldest son of the Li family had never given him a second glance whenever he passed by.
Now that Zhang Yunling has risen to the rank of an official in the imperial court, Li Xingjie is quite pragmatic and is willing to marry off his own sister to win him over.
If this really works out, Zhang Yunling will definitely try to squeeze a good amount of money out of the Li family; he can't take the hardship of these past few years anymore.
The Li family held a grand banquet in the backyard of their mansion, inviting all the major families in the town, but notably omitting the Zhao family. Li Xingjie even brought gifts to pay them a special visit.
Somehow, the matter was brought up, and the Zhao family accepted the money and gifts brought by Li Xingjie and let it go. Zhao Zhenyu had been studying diligently at home, with his father often giving him strict instruction, leaving him with no opportunity to leave the house.
The Li family's wedding banquet was held that night.
Li Mengxuan was arranged by Li Hao to wait in the bridal chamber. She already had a good figure, and her red wedding dress could not hide her sexy and proud figure.
At this moment, she was quietly waiting for her young lover, Zhao Zhenyu, to lift her red veil. However, she was somewhat puzzled. Shouldn't the groom be carrying the bride into the bridal chamber? Why had she skipped all the previous steps, such as drinking the wedding wine and bowing to the parents, and gone straight to the bridal chamber?
Li Mengxuan felt increasingly uneasy. Zhao Zhenyu and she were usually very affectionate, and they had even promised that he would propose to her after he returned from his studies. But this hastily arranged wedding was truly suspicious...
At the wedding banquet, Zhang Yunling greeted the elders of the various families who had been invited to the town. He was increasingly uneasy. Why was this marriage proposal not quite what he had imagined? Why didn't Li Mengxuan come out to see him?
Seeing Zhang Yunling hesitate, Li Xingjie quickly stepped forward and shoved him towards the bridal chamber. Li Hao also squeezed through the crowd and joined Li Xingjie in pushing Zhang Yunling into the bridal chamber.
"Zhang... no, brother-in-law! Hahahaha! If you enter this bridal chamber today, everything will be perfect. You'll have a beautiful woman in your arms, and your family will be harmonious. How wonderful, how wonderful!"
Li Xingjie, beaming, pushed Zhang Yunling forward. Zhang Yunling burst into laughter, "Hahahaha! Good! I've heard that Miss Xuan'er has long admired me. Today, I won't care about anything else. Let's just make it a fait accompli and become in-laws! Hahahaha!"
After saying that, Zhang Yunling unconsciously revealed a lecherous look on his face.
In the sky, a long rainbow shot from afar, heading straight for the Li family's wedding banquet. At the same time, Li Mengxuan opened the door to the bridal chamber and anxiously asked:
"This isn't Zhenyu's voice, who are you?" With that, she tried to lift the red veil from her head. Li Hao immediately rushed over to stop her, "No, no, Xuan'er, the red veil must be lifted by the groom himself!"
At this moment, the figure finally stopped above the banquet in the backyard of the Li family, standing there in mid-air.
Zhang Yunling sensed the presence of a cultivator and turned around sharply to look. Sure enough, the person who had arrived was Chu Yanbing.
"Young Master Zhang, it feels like three autumns have passed since we last met. Look at your attire..." Chu Yanbing raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and she looked at Zhang Yunling's wedding dress with a hint of mockery.
Upon hearing this, Li Mengxuan staggered, nearly falling to the ground. "Zhang...Young Master Zhang? Zhang Yunling?!" Hearing this address, Li Mengxuan abruptly ripped off her red veil, her beautiful eyes widening as she stared intently at Zhang Yunling, who was dressed in a red scholar's robe. Her lips trembled as she roared:
"How could it be you, you poor scholar?! Where's my Zhenyu brother? Zhao Zhenyu! Where are you? Come out now! I almost married the wrong person!!!"
Zhang Yunling was terrified by those roars. What? Wasn't I the man she was going to marry? And who was Zhao Zhenyu?
Zhang Yunling rushed forward, grasped Li Mengxuan's trembling hand, and whispered, "Wife, don't be afraid, your husband is here!" But to his further astonishment, Li Mengxuan flung his hand away, grabbed the red veil she was holding, and threw it at his head, yelling:
"Get the hell out of my way! Let me tell you, Zhang Yunling, you poor scholar, you'll never get anything out of me! I don't know what happened today, but let me tell you, there's only one person I'm going to marry, and his name is Zhao Zhenyu!!!"
At the end, Li Mengxuan emphasized Zhao Zhenyu's name, as if afraid that the people at the wedding banquet wouldn't hear it.
Upon hearing Li Mengxuan's remarks, Li Hao and Li Xingjie intended to step forward to stop her, but Zhang Yunling raised his arms to block them one by one.
Chu Yanbing watched the scene with great interest from the air, while everyone at the banquet also noticed the woman in a black robe standing suspended in the air above them and exclaimed, "An immortal! It's an immortal!" However, most people's attention was still focused on the argument among the Li family members.
Li Hao reprimanded, "Xuan'er! What kind of bewitching potion have you drunk? What nonsense are you spouting here?! Get back to your room right now! The wedding is over, and your husband is this Zhang..."
Before Li Hao could finish speaking, Zhang Yunling interrupted him again: "No need to say more, Patriarch Li. I roughly understand what happened today, but I don't want to get involved in this mess any further."
Zhang Yunling turned away with a gloomy expression. Seeing this, Li Xingjie hurriedly grabbed his arm to try to stop him, but then Chu Yanbing, who was suspended in mid-air, slowly descended.
“Young Master Zhang, if you wish to leave this wedding banquet, then let us leave together. I also have something to discuss with you.” Chu Yanbing put away her smile at the right moment and said with a serious expression.
She thought it was the young official's wedding night, but things were not as simple as she had imagined.
Zhang Yunling nodded slightly, grasped Chu Yanbing's outstretched fair hand, and turned to the Li family father and son and Li Mengxuan, saying, "Although you have humiliated me in front of everyone, I will not take today's matter too seriously. Now that I have become an immortal, I will never have any dealings with the Li family again. Go your own way, Zhang will take his leave."
Zhang Yunling had thought that the Li family valued him because he had passed the imperial examination and turned his life around, but now, seeing his miserable state, he felt that he had been played for a fool. Why not leave this mundane world and go with Chu Yanbing to see what was really going on?
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Yunling was led by the hand by Chu Yanbing, who slowly floated up and gradually flew into the distance.
Li Hao was already in a state of panic, and when he saw the female immortal take Zhang Yunling away, his vision went black, and he fainted on the ground, unconscious.
Upon seeing this, Li Xingjie and Li Mengxuan rushed forward, and the crowd at the banquet also snapped out of their shock at witnessing the immortal's true appearance and rushed toward Li Hao.
This farce, where Li Mengxuan thought she was going to marry Zhao Zhenyu and Zhang Yunling thought he was going to marry Li Mengxuan, ended in such a tragic way. Zhang Yunling was taken away by Chu Yanbing to escape the wedding, and Li Hao, the head of the Li family, was so angry that he fainted at the wedding banquet. Li Xingjie's brilliant plan now seems to have completely come to nothing.