Chapter 427: Substituting the Peach for the Plum

Nie Qianyu grabbed Zhang Xiaohua’s sleeve and asked: “Brother Ren, you’ve worked so hard to escort us back. We can’t thank you enough for such a great kindness, but at the very least, shouldn’t you rest in our valley for a while and let me fulfill my duty as a host? What do you say?”

Zhang Xiaohua looked at the small hand tightly clutching his sleeve and smiled wryly. “Miss… Miss Nie, it’s not that I don’t want to stay, but I truly have something very important to take care of. This matter concerns the lives of my family, and I cannot afford any delay.”

“Just one day, Brother Ren. Just one day, is that alright?”

Nie Qianyu’s tears threatened to fall once more.

At this moment, Little Orange also walked over to Nie Qianyu’s side and whispered: “Young Master Ren, you’ve taken such good care of us along the way. If you leave now, my lady will remember it for the rest of her life. She will always regret not being able to repay her benefactor, even a little. If you want her to live with this regret forever, then you can turn and leave right now!”

One had to admit, despite Nie Qianyu’s usual cleverness, she was at a loss at this moment. It was Little Orange who immediately grasped Zhang Xiaohua’s soft-hearted weakness.

Zhang Xiaohua hesitated. Returning to Songning Town was not a matter of just a day or two, and whether the disciples of the Piaomiao Sect could deliver the message was another matter altogether. One day’s time, after all, wouldn’t make much difference.

At this time, Nie Qianyu’s two elder sisters also noticed something and realized that this young man must be their little sister’s benefactor. They both stepped forward and asked: “Little Yu, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”

Nie Qianyu blushed and introduced: “Eldest Sister, Second Sister, this is Ren Xiaoyao, Young Hero Ren. He was the one who saved us in Danhe City and escorted us all the way back.”

She then turned to introduce them to Zhang Xiaohua: “This is my eldest sister, Nie Qianrong, and my second sister, Nie Qianxiu.”

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly returned the greeting.

“Danhe City?!” Not only were Nie Qianyu’s two elder sisters shocked, but even the Valley Master Nie was greatly surprised. They had thought this young man had simply given Nie Qianyu a ride back, but if he had intervened in Danhe City, and thinking back to how Zhang Xiaohua had just evaded him, the Valley Master’s heart was already in turmoil: “This Ren Xiaoyao, which sect’s young expert is he from? Why have I never heard of him?”

Nie Qianrong and Nie Qianxiu also knew that Danhe City was a great distance from here. This meant that during the more than two months their little sister had been missing, it was this extremely ordinary young man who had been taking care of her. The two of them hurriedly saluted again and said: “Young Hero Ren, your great righteousness is something we sisters will always remember.”

Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly said he did not dare accept such praise and was just about to say something when the Valley Master Nie smiled and said: “Since Young Hero Ren has already agreed to rest for a day, there’s no need to say anything further. Come, follow this old man into the manor.”

This time, he no longer grabbed Zhang Xiaohua’s wrist, but simply made a “please” gesture. Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself: “Valley Master Nie, when did I ever agree? Wasn’t I still considering it?”

However, since the others were so warmly inviting him, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t refuse without losing face. Besides, his sleeve was still being tugged by Nie Qianyu. Forget it, he might as well go in.

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t want to go first and politely insisted that the others lead the way. The Valley Master Nie had no choice but to take the lead, and only then did Zhang Xiaohua, leading the Sibu Xiang, follow them through the manor’s main gate.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s gentle and humble manner, Nie Qianyu was already overjoyed, her face blooming with a radiant smile.

Nie Qianrong watched with delight, while Nie Qianxiu, however, frowned slightly.

After entering the manor’s main gate, Zhang Xiaohua finally understood why Valley Master Nie had only come out to greet them when the carriage reached the entrance. With his divine sense, he had already known the manor was enormous, but only after actually walking inside did he truly realize what “large” meant.

They walked for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before finally arriving at an extremely spacious main hall, upon which were inscribed three large characters: “Spring Rebirth Hall”.

Valley Master Nie smiled and said: “Young Hero Ren, please come inside for some tea.”

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua was still leading the Sibu Xiang, he added: “Young Hero, please hand your Sibu Xiang over to the servants for care. Our Spring Rebirth Valley also raises a Sibu Xiang—they will certainly not neglect it.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “That’s excellent, thank you for the trouble.”

With that, he took the longsword off the Sibu Xiang and handed Huanhuan over to the family servants.

The group then entered the main hall, found seats, and sat down. The servants brought fragrant tea, and Valley Master Nie naturally began to ask Nie Qianyu about her experiences during this period.

Nie Qianyu first smiled and said: “Father, don’t worry. The matter you entrusted to me has already been accomplished. There were many twists and turns on the journey back from Danhe City, and it’s not something I can explain in a short while. I think it’s better to wait until we have some leisure time, and then I’ll tell you and my sisters all about it in detail. For now, let’s deal with the matters at hand first.”

“The matters at hand?” Valley Master Nie couldn’t help but slap his forehead and say: “Seeing Little Yu return, I was so overjoyed that I forgot. There’s another joyous event waiting for us in front of the manor.”

Then, smiling, he said to Nie Qianyu: “Little Yu, you’re not so young anymore—it’s time to talk about marriage. Before, your father only thought you were too young and couldn’t bear to let you leave home. But this time, since you had an accident, I made the decision myself and arranged a martial arts tournament for your hand in marriage. I believe, with your intelligence, you must already understand your father’s good intentions. I was worried before that you wouldn’t make it back and that someone would see through the plan. But now, all is well—you’ve returned safely, and the tournament has reached its final day. Soon, we’ll select the most outstanding candidate. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Zhang Xiaohua was surprised to hear this: “Could it be that the customs in Mochou City are different from Lu Town and Guo Village? Girls can talk about marriage at just twelve years old? Hmm, it must be so. But, for Little Fish Nie to choose her own husband, why do I feel a bit uncomfortable? How strange.”

“Father, when mother left, didn’t she say that my marriage must have my consent? I understand your good intentions, but I still want to stay in Spring Rebirth Valley for a few more years. Let’s end this martial arts tournament here.”

When Nie Qianxiu heard this, she frowned and said: “Sister, these words put father in a difficult position. He’s racked his brains for your sake, working hard for more than two months just so there wouldn’t be any flaws in this martial arts tournament for your hand. If you stop it now, what is father supposed to do?”

Nie Qianyu shook her head and said: “If any of you want to get married, then you can. As for me, I’ll just stay in the valley.”

Nie Qianxiu raised her eyebrows and said: “That’s fine too. We’ll just recruit a son-in-law to join the family, that’s good as well.”

Nie Qianyu shook her head even more and said: “No way, Second Sister. I won’t get married, and I won’t look for anyone either.”

Nie Qianrong looked at Valley Master Nie with a bitter smile, but said nothing.

Valley Master Nie, with a kindly face, said: “Alright, alright. If Little Yu says no, then no it is.”

Then, he said to Nie Qianrong and Nie Qianxiu: “Fortunately, when I made my plan, I had already considered this possibility. Now is the time to put it to use—it will work.”

After speaking, he waved his hand and called to a servant nearby: “Mo Mei, come here.”

“Yes, Master.” A delicate and pretty maid stepped forward.

“What I told you before, do you still remember?”

“I remember, Master. From this moment on, you are my adoptive father, and this martial arts tournament for marriage is being held for your daughter’s wedding, not for the third young lady of the Nie family.”

“Ah?!” Not only Zhang Xiaohua, but even the three Nie sisters were dumbfounded—so the tournament for marriage could involve switching the bride?

Understanding her father’s intent, Nie Qianxiu immediately cried out: “Father, you must not do this!”

“Why not? When I announced the martial arts tournament for marriage, I never specified which young lady it was for. Mo Mei is my adopted daughter, so she is naturally also a young lady of Spring Rebirth Valley. My efforts on her behalf are perfectly legitimate.”

Nie Qianxiu shook her head and said: “But father, precisely because you didn’t specify it was for Mo Mei, everyone assumed it was for our little sister. This tournament has lasted for more than two months, and disciples from almost all the southern martial arts sects have come to compete, with even many disciples from major northern sects participating. If you suddenly change the candidate now, not only will today’s top contender refuse to accept it, but even those who previously competed may not agree. Father, these people already have designs on our Spring Rebirth Valley and have simply lacked an opportunity. If you change things now, aren’t you handing them leverage against us?”

After thinking for a moment, Nie Qianxiu continued: “It’s very likely that our Spring Rebirth Valley will face an unprecedented crisis!”

“What crisis could there be? Our Spring Rebirth Valley has stood in Mochou City for thousands of years—what storms and waves haven’t we weathered? Are we to fear a little turmoil like this?”

Valley Master Nie said in a deep voice.

Nie Qianxiu said: “Father, this is no small disturbance—this is facing almost the entire martial world! If those forces coveting our Spring Rebirth Valley deliberately stir things up, we might…”

“So what if they do? I can’t possibly force your younger sister to marry against her will, can I?”

Nie Qianyu, who was sitting to the side, had been firmly opposed to her father’s arrangement. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the dangers involved, but rather that she subconsciously chose to avoid them, only wanting… only wanting… But it wasn’t until Nie Qianxiu bluntly laid out the consequences that she truly realized the harm her actions could bring to Spring Rebirth Valley.

Yes, this meant facing the reproach of nearly the entire martial world. Could Spring Rebirth Valley withstand it?

In fact, Nie Qianyu did have other plans in her heart. However, after last night’s disappointment at the Yue Lao Temple, even if she spoke up today, would she still end up disappointed?

She didn’t dare to think about it.

So Nie Qianyu gritted her teeth and said in a trembling voice: “Father, Second Sister is absolutely right. Just now, your daughter was inconsiderate. I… I agree to Father’s wishes…”

“Young Miss, you mustn’t!” At this moment, Little Orange could no longer care about the manor’s rules and immediately cried out: “Miss, I know what’s in your heart, but even if things can’t go your way now, you can’t just marry someone at random, marry a man you’ve never met before. In the future, if you regret it, if you want to turn back, it will be impossible!”

Nie Qianyu, with tears streaming down her face, said: “Then, Little Orange, tell me, what choice do I have left?”

“There is a way!” Zhang Xiaohua, standing to the side, said in surprise.

Everyone, upon hearing this, was overjoyed.