Chapter 9: 9

Chapter 9 - Nie Teng

“Wenxue, you’re not spending your birthday at home with your parents this year?” Su Yi asked casually on their way to the Immortal Gathering House.

“I’m sixteen years already. It’s my birthday, so it’s up to me to decide how I spend it.” The girl beside him blinked her beautiful eyes, then smiled. “But later tonight, I’ll celebrate with Mom and Dad.”

She paused, then continued, “Besides, my grandmother is turning eighty the day after tomorrow. That’s a major birthday; my parents are busy preparing alongside the rest of the family. They have no time to worry about me.”

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded.

Wen Lingxue’s grandmother was the Wen Family’s matriarch, Liang Wenbi. She occupied a transcendent position within the family; even Family Head Wen Changjing didn’t dare go against her wishes.

She was about to turn eighty; the Wen Family naturally dared not be negligent. 

“Hurry up, Brother-in-law. It’s almost noon!” It was clear Wen Lingxue could barely wait.

“Alright.” Su Yi smiled as he caught up to her. At the end of the day, his little sister-in-law had only just turned sixteen, an age like a poem or painting, brimming with youthful vitality.

The Immortal Gathering House. 

Guangling City’s largest-scale, highest-level restaurant, considered the top establishment in town. 

Those who dined here were either rich or of noble birth. 

A common joke went that a single glass of wine at the Immortal Gathering House was comparable to ten years of a poor family’s income!

This was no mere exaggeration. 

When Su Yi and Wen Lingxue arrived, the attendants warmly guided them to a private room on the third floor. The decor was old-fashioned and the air smelled of incense.

Seven or eight people were seated inside already. Aside from one lone young man, all of them were girls roughly fifteen years of age. 

When Wen Lingxue arrived, she immediately received a warm welcome.

“Lingxue, you look stunning today! This is the gift I prepared for you. I hope you’ll pass the test to cultivate at Blueriver Sword Manor soon!”

“Hee hee, if our classmates found out today was Pinecloud Sword Manor’s number-one beauty’s birthday, I’m afraid they’d stand in line just to deliver presents!”

…..The girls gave her the presents they’d prepared, chattering away as they did so. Their demeanor was both proper and zealous. 

Su Yi’s gaze swept across the guests. One glance, and he could determine an awful lot.

These classmates of Wen Lingxue’s were all dressed to the nines, everything carefully chosen. It was obvious that they all had exceptional backgrounds and that they came from prominent families. 

Some were lively and generous, some were gentle and reserved, while others were valiant and noble…. In terms of both appearance and bearing, all of them were extraordinary.

However, presumably because Wen Lingxue was simply too well-dressed and too dazzlingly beautiful, when her classmates compared themselves to her, they all felt varying degrees of barely discernible envy.

They hid their jealousy well, but they couldn’t escape Su Yi’s keen eyes. 

He couldn’t help but find it funny. Girls’ friendships might seem close-knit, but in truth, all of them have a hidden agenda. Fortunately, it’s all innocuous. 

“Nie Teng, what are you doing here?” Wen Lingxue suddenly noticed the only boy among her guests. Her brows scrunched up, and her expression became noticeably colder. 

The vibrant atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat stifled.

The youth in question wore robes decorated with jade. His eyes were bright, his eyebrows dashing, and his bearing noble. 

The young man smiled, then stepped forward to greet her. “Wenxue, it’s your birthday. Here’s a little something I prepared for you. Please accept it.”

He held a box inlaid with gold and jade in both hands. He gingerly opened it, revealing a pale purple jade hairpin for all to see.

Someone had expertly carved it into a Luan about to take flight. It was so exquisitely detailed, it looked alive. It was obvious at a glance that this was the work of a master artisan. 

“The ‘Purple Luan Fluttering its Wings’ Hairpin! It’s Master Artisan Mo’s proudest work, and he’s one of the best craftsmen in the prefecture! They saw it’s made of a natural Cold Purple Spirit Jade. The materials alone are worth three hundred gold! 

“But after passing through Master Artisan Mo’s divine hands, it’s likely worth thousands!” One of the girls, whose make-up was particularly exquisite, lit up. She’d determined the hairpin’s origins at a glance.

“This…. Isn’t that a bit too precious?”

These girls all had illustrious backgrounds, but they couldn’t help but click their tongues. Nie Teng’s lavish spending left them shocked. 

Nie Teng was quite satisfied with this result. A faint smile spread across his face, and he asked gently, “Wenxue, do you like it? I prepared it specifically for you.”

When they heard this, the other girls’ expressions shifted; they couldn’t help but envy Wen Lingxue. 

Nie Teng. 

He was the son of the commander of the City Lord’s Old Guard. His talent was outstanding, his bearing handsome and noble.

He was just sixteen years old, but he was already the man of the hour at Pinecloud Sword Manor. Who knew how many girls admired him?

A talented, handsome youth like him had just spent a thousand gold to purchase a jade hairpin as an expression of his admiration. This was an enormous honor for any girl.

Who didn’t hope for things like this to happen to them?

Yet Wen Lingxue’s brow only furrowed even deeper, and her expression turned even frostier. “This gift is too precious for me to accept. You should keep it.”

Nie Teng’s smile froze, replaced by a hint of distress.

However, before he could respond, Wen Lingxue called for everyone to take their seats. She even specifically requested that Su Yi sit beside her. 

From beginning to end, she left Nie Teng completely hanging. 

However, when they saw Nie Teng’s predicament, some of the girls couldn’t help themselves. They spoke up, one after another, and warmly invited him to sit down.

Nie Teng quickly got his emotions under control and sat down with a smile, as if he’d already completely forgotten about his earlier awkwardness.

However, whenever his gaze landed on Su Yi, he felt an inexplicable discomfort. 

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To tell the truth, it wasn’t just Nie Teng. The girls were all baffled too. Why did Wen Lingxue invite Su Yi of all people?

Out of respect for her, they tacitly agreed not to say anything. Still, none of them took the initiative to greet Su Yi, much less to exchange pleasantries.

If not for Wen Lingxue, they would never have consented to sit at the same table as him. Who wanted to get acquainted with the live-in son-in-law everyone laughed at?

Thus, even though Su Yi was seated right there, it was as if he were invisible. They were ignoring him completely. 

“Brother-in-law, they might ignore you, but I won’t. Whatever you do, don’t get upset.” While the others weren’t paying attention, Wen Lingxue whispered in Su Yi’s ear.

Her breath was like the touch of an orchid, and her eyes were bright and lustrous. Her little face was fraught with concern as she tried to comfort him.

Su Yi didn’t quite know what to say. 

He had the mental fortitude of two lives. Why would he care about something like this?

Before long, a group of beautiful maidservants walked into the room carrying a sumptuous array of dishes. All of them were rarely seen delicacies.

Wen Lingxue tilted her head in confusion. “I didn’t order that much food!”

Nie Teng seemed to perk up, and he said heartily, “Wenxue, today is your birthday. How could we let you spend money on us? Our day at the Immortal Gathering House is entirely on me.”

His gaze swept across the other girls, and he put on a lofty air. “Everyone, please eat and drink to your heart’s content. Enjoying yourself is the best way to congratulate Wenxue.”

The girls laughed delightedly. Although their backgrounds were exceptional, they couldn’t just dine at a money-pit like the Immortal Gathering House all willy-willy. 

Wen Lingxue, however, was not impressed. She said coldly, “How much did this cost? I’ll reimburse you later on.”

Nie Teng laughed. “Wenxue, don’t be so distant. It’s just one meal. If you really pay me back, when I next return to Pinecloud Sword Manor, the other guys will curse me to death.”

Quite a few of the girls laughed and chimed in their agreement, urging Wen Lingxue not to worry about it.

Wen Lingxue hesitated, but in the end, she decided not to say anything more.

She did, however, whisper in Su Yi’s ear, “This guy is always like this. At Pinecloud Sword Manor, he loves nothing more than showing off. There’s nothing more irritating than vain guys like him!

“Also, I never even invited him to the Immortal Gathering House; he showed up of his own accord. His skin sure is thick!”

Su Yi laughed. Vanity was a common affliction among youths, and it wasn’t such a terrible vice.

Suddenly, Nie Teng glanced over.

He hadn’t heard what Wen Lingxue said to Su Yi. He could, however, see her pink lips in the intimate act of whispering into Su Yi’s ears!

His smile froze, and he could no longer suppress the flames of his jealousy. He even felt the urge to get up, wallop Su Yi, and send him packing. 

Nie Teng forced down his envy and feigned relaxed, casual curiosity. “Su Yi, you’re Lingxue’s brother-in-law, and this is her birthday party. I wonder what present you got for her?”

A faint, almost indiscernible hint of a smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips.

What kind of person was he? He could tell at a glance that this kid resented him and was trying to cause trouble!

As expected, the others all looked over, all of them with different expressions. They could roughly guess that Nie Teng was interested in comparing gifts.

Or perhaps, he was just seizing this opportunity to embarrass Su Yi.

Now that they thought about it, what right did a live-in son-in-law have to sit at the same table as them?

He was humiliating himself and he didn’t even know it!

This Nie Teng is really detestable! Wen Lingxue was starting to get angry. She’d long since realized that Su Yi had forgotten about her birthday. How could he possibly have prepared a present?

Yet Nie Teng just had to bring it up!

“I almost forgot about Lingxue’s birthday, which is why I didn’t have time to prepare a present. However, I’ll make it up to her later today, after we return home.” As Su Yi spoke, he looked at Wen Lingxue.

That was because his words were aimed at her; he didn’t care a whit what the others thought of him.

Wen Lingxue was briefly dazed. She pursed her pink lips, but inwardly, there were no words to describe her delight. Brother-in-law, he…. He cares about my birthday after all! Mm, that’s right. He’s just been busy lately, so he inadvertently overlooked it, that’s all. 

As she thought this, her eyes lit up, and a smile gradually spread across her face.

“So, you didn’t bring a present….” Nie Teng had finally found an opportunity to vent his bellyful of jealousy, and he couldn’t resist poking fun. “Lingxue’s been so good to a mere live-in brother-in-law like you for nothing. Look at you! I wouldn’t have guessed you’d forget even her birthday!” 

The girls in attendance couldn’t help but shake their heads. You can’t rely on a wall built in the mud. This Su Yi sure is inept!

But now that I think about it, he’s the Wen Family’s live-in son-in-law, a man who lives by mooching off a woman. What kind of gift could a guy like that even give?

Whatever it is, it’s sure to pale in comparison to Senior Apprentice Brother Nie Teng’s ‘Jade Purple Luan Hairpin’!

I really don’t get why Wen Lingxue cares so much about a live-in brother-in-law like him….

Many of the girls found it hard to understand, and in their hearts, they felt renewed disdain for Su Yi.

Nie Teng saw all of this, and he finally relaxed. But just as he was considering whether or not to strike while the iron was hot and give Su Yi a few more good kicks….

Bang!

Someone shoved open the private dining room’s tightly-shut door.

Seth's Thoughts

Just FYI, the word I’m translating as “matriarch” is not the female equivalent of the word used for titles like “Patriarch Reliance.” 

老太君 means the mother of the family head (or other male authority figure). There’s no direct English equivalent that I’m aware of. The closest matches I could think of were “matriarch” and “grande dame”. I chose the former because it seemed more fitting for the setting, and because she really is a matriarch-like figure within the family. 

You might have seen them in other novels, but if not, a “Luan” is a mythological bird, similar to a phoenix, but not quite the same thing, hence the different translation. 

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