Chapter 46: Ye Zhuxian’s Enlightenment.
“Sigh…”
A faint sigh dissolved into the room, laced with the strange scent of sandalwood.
Xie Qiyang stared blankly at the polished bronze mirror.
Gone was the silver-haired girl in plain clothes, tinged with defiance.
Reflected now was a bride, draped in a resplendent yet oppressively heavy crimson wedding dress.
The dress, like burning flames yet cool to the touch, was woven from divine silkworm silk.
Its intricate patterns of sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers weren’t embroidered but formed by flowing golden Dao runes, shimmering mysteriously in the candlelight.
The tailoring hugged her figure perfectly, accentuating breathtaking curves.
On her feet were matching crimson satin shoes, adorned with faint starlight, their upturned tips delicate and exquisite.
Xie Qiyang shifted her toes uncomfortably.
The shoes and elaborate gown made her feel like a meticulously wrapped gift, bound by an inexplicable sense of constraint.
The texture of the dress and shoes sharply reminded her of the divide between her past and present lives.
After tomorrow, her mindset would likely be entirely different.
She knew exactly what was coming but could only watch helplessly, like a powerless husband, as it unfolded.
What unsettled her most was her chest.
The dress’s neckline, though conservative, subtly supported and accentuated her feminine curves, the soft swell of her chest clearly outlined.
The delicate fabric clung to her skin, bringing an unfamiliar, undeniable presence.
In the mirror, her reflection screamed: You are a woman about to be wed.
A wave of absurdity engulfed her.
The bride in the mirror, with cascading silver hair and stunning beauty, was breathtaking against the fiery dress.
But Xie Qiyang wanted to scream: This is wrong! This body isn’t mine, this identity isn’t mine! I’m a man! How can I wear a wedding dress and “marry” another man?!
Accepting a female identity was hard enough; now, to be thrust into a man’s arms in this role…
After tomorrow, she’d be a wife, bound by the Heavenly Dao’s contract.
It had only been days—couldn’t fate give her more time to adjust?
As her emotions churned, nearly crushed by the weight of the dress, a figure appeared in the mirror behind her.
Ye Zhuxian.
Still radiant and heroic, dressed in simple cyan combat attire, her tall frame exuded an otherworldly aura.
Leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed, her stunning face bore a bright, dazzling… and utterly gleeful smile.
“Pfft…”
She couldn’t hold back a chuckle, its clear tone sounding like a devil’s taunting tease to Xie Qiyang.
Xie Qiyang shot her a fierce glare through the mirror, inwardly raging: Liar! You said you’d save me from this mess! Instead, you’re a chaos-loving spectator who can’t wait to see me dragged to the bridal chamber.
This type—she understands my suffering but offers only moral support, no real help.
In the end, I’m still getting screwed…
Xie Qiyang closed her eyes in despair, a surge of bitter frustration rising.
Sensing the girl’s near-tangible resentment, Ye Zhuxian toned down her radiant grin, though the mischief in her eyes remained.
She sauntered over with elegant nonchalance, standing beside Xie Qiyang, both gazing at their contrasting yet equally striking reflections.
“Come now, little Ningshuang, don’t look like the world’s ending.”
Ye Zhuxian tapped the furrowed brow of Xie Qiyang’s mirrored image, her touch affectionate and soothing, though her tone carried a playful lilt.
“It’s just marrying someone—the sky won’t fall. I was just as scared as you back then, but it’s honestly not bad. Relax.”
Xie Qiyang spun around, her eyes full of accusation.
“Master! You say it so lightly. This… how is it the same? I…”
“I know, I know.”
Ye Zhuxian cut her off, the teasing fading into a profound, sage-like depth.
“You reject this forced fate and the act of yin-yang union itself.
But yin-yang harmony is a universal truth.
Which great figure reached the peak, pure and untouched, without a Dao companion? I’ve never seen one.”
Her gaze, through the mirror, seemed to pierce into cosmic truths, her voice carrying compelling weight.
“Ningshuang, your Lunar Saint Body embodies the ultimate yin force.
Rejecting yin-yang is rejecting part of your own essence, which will only hinder your path and dim your Saint Body’s brilliance.”
She paused, her tone turning solemn.
“The Dao of yin and yang is the foundation of the universe, the framework of all things.
Lone yin doesn’t grow; sole yang doesn’t thrive.
Man is yang, woman is yin—their union isn’t submission but alignment with the Heavenly Dao, balancing origins, and pursuing the great path together.”
Her fingertip traced the flowing sun-moon runes on the dress.
“You see this dress as a cage, this marriage as humiliation.
But to me, it might… also be your opportunity.”
Her gaze grew distant.
“True strength lies not in rejecting what you are but in mastering what you can become.
The Lunar Saint Body is your foundation, and yin-yang harmony is a universal law.
Instead of resisting, understand it, control it… even wield it.”
She glanced at Xie Qiyang’s still-confused, resistant face, her lips curving into a gentle yet mischievous smile.
“So, little one, don’t fight it so hard.
Wearing this dress, you’re still Jiang Ningshuang.
Instead of fretting over not marrying, think… how to hold your heart steady in this yin-yang union, draw power from it, and maybe… turn the tables?”
She winked, a sly glint in her eyes.
“After all, compared to Li Tianxing, your gap is vast.
He’ll likely take the lion’s share of the benefits from this union.”
“But the Lunar Saint Body isn’t some flower for picking.
It’s a supreme weapon and Dao foundation in itself.
The key is how you use it.”
She patted Xie Qiyang’s shoulder, leaving a meaningful look and a line that threw her into further disarray:
“Time’s almost up, little Ningshuang.
I’m eager to see… how you’ll play this grand drama!”
With that, she turned and left the room with a carefree grace.
Xie Qiyang was left alone, facing the mirror’s stunning, crimson-clad bride, her heart a tangled mess, sinking deeper into thought.