"It seems he has agreed without us even having to reveal ourselves to ask."
Four other heavenly gods remained hidden in the air, having refrained from speaking.
Just those few earlier had been enough to extract an answer from Yan Yuqing.
At that moment, Yan Yuqing kept his head bowed, not daring to look at the towering deities filling the sky.
His heart was pounding wildly, whatever four books, five classics, benevolence, righteousness, and morality he had ever studied long discarded to the back of his mind.
Regarding Wen Zhuyun, he searched his memory. He recalled seeing her once at a gathering. She had possessed a dignified poise, and he had glanced her way several times.
Back then, people had even joked about him taking Wen Zhuyun into his chambers.
He had indeed entertained the thought.
Yet given Wen Zhuyun's family background, she could only ever be a concubine. Since he was not considering taking concubines at the time, he had put an end to the idea.
Now, these gods had descended to the mortal realm to ask him this very question.
Even a pig would know how to answer.
At present, what he rejoiced in most was that he had not yet taken a wife.
At the same time, a faint ambition sprouted in his chest as he prostrated on the ground.
What if she was a merchant's daughter? What if her ancestors had never produced high-ranking officials and nobles?
This was a match brokered by gods!
"Since you like her, how about... you get married right on the spot? Your grandpa here even moved the Civil Affairs Bureau over," the Giant Spirit God said in a booming, muffled voice.
There was a deafening crash.
The young noble scions present saw a massive multi-story building plummet out of thin air.
Seeing this, they groveled upon the earth, absolute terror seizing their hearts.
"A divine miracle!"
"A divine miracle!"
"Is that where the gods dwell?"
Yan Yuqing felt light-headed.
"I leave everything entirely to the Venerable Ones' arrangements," Yan Yuqing stammered in a trembling voice.
Just then, the Giant Spirit God thought of something and said slowly, "For this matter, we must still go and ask Wen Zhuyun's opinion. Head home first and ask your father and mother if they are willing."
Having said this, the Giant Spirit God and the other deities vanished into thin air.
The sky and earth brightened.
The young lords still knelt on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. An unreal sensation washed over them, making them feel as if what had just transpired was nothing more than an illusion.
"Just now... was I dreaming?"
"I suspect we all shared the same dream."
"No, it wasn't a dream! Look at that building... Civil Affairs Bureau!"
These young lords turned their gazes toward Yan Yuqing one after another, their expressions turning lively. The sharper among them quickly connected the dots.
"Congratulations, Young Master Yan!"
"Brother Yuqing, congratulations!"
What followed became very simple.
Following the Giant Spirit God's instructions, Yan Yuqing returned home.
And thus unfolded the following conversation:
"Father, I want to marry Wen Zhuyun. Properly and officially as my principal wife!"
"Whose daughter is this Wen Zhuyun? A merchant's? Preposterous!"
"Father, I truly like her. More importantly, this time is different. Her matchmaker is very..."
"Even if the current Emperor himself acted as matchmaker, he could not humiliate our Yan family like this!"
"Father, her matchmakers are gods!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Wait, the celestial anomaly today..."
***
On the other side, waiting at home, Wen Zhuyun felt extraordinarily uneasy.
She gripped the fragment of broken jade in her hand, her thoughts in turmoil, her maidenly heart leaping nervously in her chest.
Did Young Master Yan agree?
Will he look down on me for being a merchant's daughter?
Did Origin Celestial Venerable really send someone to ask?
Right at this moment, Qi Yuan sent a message to Wen Zhuyun in the group chat.
"I've already had someone ask Yan Yuqing. He said he likes you. It seems your feelings are mutual—truly something to celebrate."
Hearing this, Wen Zhuyun was overjoyed, a deep blush creeping across her ears.
"Really?"
"Mm. I already had him go back to ask his parents. If his parents agree, they will come to propose marriage. Are you willing to marry Yan Yuqing and become his wife?" Qi Yuan asked once more.
He never randomly forced mismatched pairings.
"Ah?" Wen Zhuyun felt an overwhelming sense of delight wash over her. "I am willing!"
Without the slightest hesitation, she gave her agreement straight away.
Qi Yuan was not surprised by this.
After all, Wen Zhuyun was thoroughly love-struck.
Meanwhile, the others in the group were also following the exchange.
Wu Santong in particular was eager to see whether this master he served was truly as formidable as claimed.
After some time, Wen Zhuyun posted a message in the group.
"Ahhh, the Yan family really came to propose! Origin Celestial Venerable, thank you!"
"How on earth did you convince them? The Yan family is an influential clan!" Wen Zhuyun was both ecstatic and astonished.
She never imagined that Young Master Yan Yuqing genuinely fancied her as well, let alone that he would take her as his principal wife.
"What do you mean 'convince'? I merely sent my people to ask. It just so happened he was interested in you too, so he answered that he liked you," Qi Yuan replied.
He never forced anyone and had always preferred persuading people through reason.
Of course, toward enemies, he dispensed with reason entirely, slaying them outright and attending their funeral feasts.
Inside the group, Zuo Jingyun's expression shifted slightly as he murmured, "He truly is an extraterrestrial fiend."
***
On Myriad Gods Mountain.
Qi Yuan looked at the messages in the All-Heavens Divine Mirror, an inscrutable look in his eyes.
"Several Divine Infants went in and found no danger. Should I head in to take a look myself and attend the banquet?"
Qi Yuan pondered.
Now that he had helped Wen Zhuyun fulfill her wish, it was time for him to enter her world to gather believers, harvest resources, and perfect his divine kingdom.
If he relied on Wen Zhuyun and Yan Yuqing to handle all this for him, progress would likely be dreadfully slow.
Given the backward labor capacity of that feudal dynasty, building divine statues and temples for him would take an eternity.
Besides, Qi Yuan had always been socially anxious and disliked inconveniencing others.
The commoners' lives were already hard enough; forcing them into corvée labor to erect temples and undertake massive construction projects felt wrong.
Just as he conveyed his intention to enter the Great Ruins, God Lord Feng Ye walked over to counsel him, "Your Highness must proceed with caution. Should you encounter any danger, please return to Myriad Gods Mountain immediately."
"Mm, I know." Qi Yuan was very calm.
From Feng Ye, he had learned a great deal about various plane worlds.
Many of the worlds connected by the All-Heavens Divine Mirror possessed a plane spirit.
In a cultivation world, a plane spirit was equivalent to a Heavenly Dao.
However, unlike the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Realm, most plane spirits possessed their own consciousness and intellect.
"Wen Zhuyun, I'll be coming over to attend your wedding feast. Don't turn me away," Qi Yuan said to Wen Zhuyun, having made up his mind.
Wen Zhuyun's face lit up with joy upon reading this. "All right!"
***
The Great Ruins State.
Whispers and gossip spread like wildfire.
"Have you heard? The son of the Vice Minister of Rites is actually marrying a merchant's daughter—and as his principal wife, no less!"
"How could that be? He is the Vice Minister of Rites!"
By all reason, shouldn't the Vice Minister of Rites care most about propriety?
"I heard the Emperor was infuriated and intends to strip Vice Minister Yan of his post."
"It seems the wedding is today."
"Now there will be a good show to watch."
Undercurrents surged through Chang'an City.
The son of the Vice Minister of Rites marrying a merchant's daughter was an outrageous breach of proper conduct in the Great Ruins State, a blatant disregard for etiquette and law.
And the one violating propriety was the Vice Minister of Rites himself.
How could the public not be stunned?
Great Confucian scholars had even begun speaking out in condemnation of the union.
Yet none of this affected the love-struck Wen Zhuyun.
It had little impact on Yan Yuqing either; he remained determined to see it through.
Outside the Yan family estate, celebratory music played amidst a bustling, joyous atmosphere.
Even though the wedding defied propriety, many people had participated in shooting water monkeys back then. Most of those individuals and the families behind them chose to attend.
"Auspicious greetings, my lord. May I ask your esteemed name?" a servant of the Yan family asked, unable to resist looking several times at the young man standing nearby.
This young man was far more handsome than their young master.
"Mm, Qi Yuan. I was invited by Wen Zhuyun to attend the feast."
Saying so, Qi Yuan presented his wedding gift.
His gift was simple: a scroll of calligraphy bearing four characters—"A Century of Harmony."
The servant looked at the calligraphy and could not help but praise, "The young master is truly a master calligrapher!"
He was genuinely surprised.
The young master's wedding had caused a huge commotion across the city. It was even said that the Emperor was furious and planned to dismiss the master from office.
Because of this, renowned scholars and great Confucians had avoided the occasion like the plague, with none coming to attend.
Evidently, he had mistaken Qi Yuan for a renowned scholar.
Guided by the servant, Qi Yuan was escorted into the upper hall to be seated.
Even if the union between Yan Yuqing and Wen Zhuyun violated propriety, it was still the household of the Vice Minister of Rites, so the banquet was arranged into upper, middle, and lower halls.
Qi Yuan sat casually, drawing occasional gazes. His appearance was simply too striking.
Attending the banquet aside, Qi Yuan did not sit idly by.
From time to time, he listened to the voices of all things, occasionally scanning through local books with his divine sense.
The more he read, the stranger it all seemed.
"This world is quite interesting."
"A prime minister born of a concubine kneels before a county commandant born of a principal wife."
"Classes are strictly defined, completely insurmountable."
"Yet an emperor would commit suicide for love."
"A grand general commanding a hundred thousand cavalry surrendered military authority just to save his dishonored wife's life."
The stories of this world were rather deranged.
To use an imperfect analogy, it was as if the Heavenly Dao of female-oriented romance novels had invaded.
Of course, it was not an actual female-oriented Heavenly Dao, but rather the tropes and memes some people held regarding "legitimate versus concubine-born," "rules above all," "imperial authority," and "love reigns supreme."
(Disclaimer: No disrespect meant to female fiction.)
It was the sort born of rigid stereotypes.
"This plane consciousness is rather interesting. I ought to pay it a visit."
According to historical records, this world had not always been like this.
It had only become this way three thousand years ago, ever since the Great Ruins State was founded.
The Great Ruins State had lasted three thousand years.
There had been periods of widespread misery and corrupt officials holding court, yet every single person adhered rigidly to the "rules," none daring to challenge the "legitimate emperor."
"Wen Zhuyun, I've finished your wedding feast. Bye for now, talk again next time."
After sending the message, Qi Yuan's figure vanished on the spot.
In the upper hall, the guests dining nearby froze.
"Huh? There was clearly a handsome young fellow beside me just now. Where did he go?"
"Who was he?"
Everyone looked baffled, doubting their own eyes.
However, those who had gone to shoot water monkeys before wore expressions of delighted surprise.
"Could that person just now have been... the divine being Sister-in-law spoke of?"
Those who had already tied themselves to the Yan family knew quite a bit.
They knew Wen Zhuyun had called upon beings to question Yan Yuqing back then.
And those terrifying deities were all subordinates of that Origin Celestial Venerable.
A few dozen breaths after Qi Yuan departed, Yan Yuqing, the Vice Minister of Rites, and several others came running out, urgent looks on their faces.
"Where is that lord deity?"
Not seeing Qi Yuan, Yan Yuqing felt deeply disappointed.
***
"So this is the plane spirit?"
Qi Yuan looked at the plane spirit with calm eyes, tinged with a hint of curiosity.
"This plane spirit is quite strong."
Qi Yuan appraised it.
When he was in the lower realms beneath the Immortal Realm, Great Venerables could swallow the Heavenly Daos of those worlds.
Yet this plane spirit was not something a Yin God could contend with.
"According to the system on Myriad Gods Mountain, it is likely already at the Divine Oracle realm."
The so-called Divine Oracle realm was somewhat akin to the Word of Law, formulating rules.
And the rules formulated by this plane spirit dictated that the legitimate outranked the concubine-born, rules reigned supreme, and love reigned supreme.
That was why so many bizarre spectacles occurred in the Great Ruins State.
Right at that moment, a harsh rebuke rang out:
"Insolent! Why do you not kneel before Us?"
This was an instinctive roar from the plane spirit.
Seeing a True God like Qi Yuan descend, it gave birth to greedy desires, wanting to suppress and devour him.
The original plane spirits of this world had all been devoured by this new plane spirit.
Now, it occupied the nest like a cuckoo.
"Why should I kneel before you?" Qi Yuan asked calmly.
In an instant, diverse divine lights spilled from the plane spirit, surging toward Qi Yuan.
Within them, Qi Yuan sensed the power of a divine oracle.
"We are the legitimate plane spirit, the master of this realm! All living beings who behold Us shall kneel!" the plane spirit declared instinctively.
Qi Yuan did not resist, allowing the divine oracle to wash over his body.
In an instant, he felt countless thoughts sprout in his mind.
He was concubine-born, so he ought to kneel to the legitimate.
He seemed to have fallen in love with the plane spirit and wished to die for love, proving to the plane spirit that he loved it above all else.
"So this is what influences the living beings of this world, affixing a lock upon their souls?" Qi Yuan murmured.
If the Giant Spirit God and the other deities had not appeared and bellowed with thunderous might, disrupting the local "divine oracle"...
Yan Yuqing likely would never have possessed the courage to marry a merchant's daughter.
Nor would those people have attended the wedding.
Those outside the Yan estate shouting denunciations and composing mocking songs were the true majority.
Qi Yuan sorely felt like saying: *Qiu Ya is having her wedding, and here you are singing and dancing.*
Qi Yuan shook his head, and the bizarre thoughts in his mind instantly dissolved.
"I rather like your divine oracle. It will be mine shortly."
Though he was in the Divine Kingdom realm...
His divine kingdom had been constructed from the Sole Palace.
He dared to clash even with those in the God Lord realm, let alone a mere plane spirit in the Divine Oracle realm.
"The concubine-born need not kneel to the legitimate!"
Qi Yuan spoke, divine light radiating from his form.
He took a step forward, a lotus blooming beneath his feet.
"Are kings, princes, generals, and chancellors born of noble stock?"
Instantly, another lotus emerged, vivid and radiant.
"Emperors take turns on the throne; tomorrow it could be my turn."
Qi Yuan had not reached the Divine Oracle realm, yet his words were like the sharpest of blades.
*Crack!*
*Snap!*
One after another, the chains of rules upon the plane spirit shattered at Qi Yuan's words.
"No!" The plane spirit let out an instinctive shriek.
It could not comprehend. It was clearly the legitimate plane spirit and held the Divine Oracle realm, holding far nobler status than this being in the Divine Kingdom realm. Why was the disparity in strength between them so vast?
Ultimately, amidst a wretched howl, this plane spirit fell completely silent in death.
Its divine oracle condensed into a rule oracle, landing squarely in Qi Yuan's hand.
Qi Yuan inspected the rule oracle, a look of curiosity in his eyes.
"This rule oracle seems capable of reducing an enemy's intelligence."
If he cultivated this rule oracle to an exceptionally profound level, could he tell a Dao Lord, *You are concubine-born, kneel before me!*
Suddenly, Qi Yuan felt a touch of wistfulness.
"Without this divine oracle in this world... I wonder if things will turn out better or worse."
"No matter. Placing their faith in me is bound to be a good thing!"
"After all, I am Lawful Good."
As Qi Yuan murmured to himself, everyone across the Great Ruins State suddenly froze, feeling as though something immensely important had been lost.
Chapter 596