The Purple Spider's Second Chance

Enggagement Party?

After our little meeting a few months ago, I was waiting for him to summon me to his study or something but it never came. Actually, after that 'talk' we've had, he's been avoiding being in the same room as me which is quite hard because we are A-li parents and we both have to take part in her wedding.

Right now, we have finally made the final preparations for her wedding and are having the engagement party at Lanling. I smiled from where I sat as I looked at all the people wishing the lovely couple good fortunes of their marriage and of course smiling and having small conversations with the people that came up to our table.

Ah, yes, as the father and the mother of the bride, me and Jiang...sect leader Jiang are seated together as per traditions. We both are happy to oblige as it is our daughter's wedding after all. We both smiled and talked the entire night until finally everyone left for their quarters and me, sect leader Jiang, Qingxue, master Lan, and Qingheng jun are left.

We gathered at one of the tables drinking alcohol whilst the Lans of course drank tea. "Congratulations again on your daughter's marriage, Madame Yu and sect leader Jiang!"said Qingheng-jun while holding up his cup.

We both held up our cup  and drank together with him. "Thank you, Qingheng-jun, although I am sorry for making you miss your curfew."  I answered with an apologetic smile on my face as it is way past their 9 o'clock bedtime. He looked at me with a bemused smile which I find quite cute in a way.

"Well, I find breaking a few rules is okay, as long as we repent and of course for special occasions such as this." he said with a teasing tone.

"Ow, well then I am honored that the honorable Qingheng-jun is willing to break his own sect rule as well as writing his now 4000 sect rules around 100 times as I recall for breaking curfew for my daughter's wedding." I teased as well.

"Now, now, madame Yu, don't forget Qiren now and I believe it's 150 now while doing a handstand thanks to Yunmeng Jiang's first disciple." he said without trying to hold his laugh this time. I chuckled and shook my head.

"So, what's it like travelling around the world, Ziyuan?"asked Qingxue with a small smirk.

"Great, me and A-Fei went sight-seeing and got to taste a lot of different cuisines." I answered with a satisfied smile.

"Come now, you know I'm not talking about that, have you found someone yet, there's got to be a lot of handsome men out there that's begging for your attention."she probed without hiding her smirk and blatantly looking at Jiang...no...sect leader Jiang,never mind I'm just going to call him Fengmian in my head, sect leader Jiang is mouth full.

I shake my head at her antics. "I believe not, though I think A-Fei's stink eye every time a guy comes near me is a big factor in that."I chuckled followed by the others except for the man beside me.

"Now, enough about me, how about you Qingxue, now that your coward of a husband is in prisoned, have you met any men yet?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope and I'm not planning too, no offence to you men but I've had enough of dealing with boy trouble for a lifetime."she huffed out whilst shaking her head and having a slight frown on her face.

"No, I don't blame you at all madame, with the number Jin Guangshan pulled on you, I'd say you're faring quite well." Lan Qiren added in with a frown.

"Thank you, master Lan though I am a bit surprised you stated..."said Qingxue when master Lan landed face first on the table. We all stood up only to realise there's the smell of alcohol in his cup. I raised an eyebrow and took the  teapot in front of the Lans. 

I looked at Qingheng-jun with a slight frown and a bemused smile. He just smiled at me and put his fingers to his lips when everyone was trying to get Lan Qiren to wake up. After everyone decided to just carry him to his quarters, he suddenly stood up from his seat startling everyone and ran out the door. We all looked at each other and chased after him.

"Shit, his nowhere to be found." Qingxue cursed out loud when we're at the courtyard.

"We should split up," suggested Fengmian with a worried look.

"Okay, me and sect leader Jiang will go right, Ziyuan, you and Qingheng-jun go left!" agreed Qingxue while dragging a flabbergasted Fengmian to the right. I shook my head and prayed for his safe return and went with Qingheng-jun towards the Jin pavilion.

We walked together side by side in silence. "Why did you do that?" I asked finally.

"Do what exactly, madame Yu?" Qingheng-jun innocently asked me with a slight smirk which surprised me considering I didn't even know Lans could smirk but then again I didn't know Lans could pull a prank and this was their sect leader who did it.

"Give master Lan alcohol and how do you not get drunk too, I thought you Lans don't have very good alcohol tolerance." I stated.

"I'm shocked that you would want me to run around like my brother, madame Yu." Qingheng-jun teased,a teasing smile on his face.

I stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow which made him look at me with a bemused smile. "In my seclusion, after...my wife died, I was in a dark place so I usually sneak out of the sect during the night and by the emperor's smile from Qaiyi town."he said simply.

I merely nodded and we continued to walk along the road.

"It's fine you know  to loosen up a bit, trust me I know what it's like to try to put on a strong facade for your kids, it gets tiring sometimes." I said again without looking at him after a long silence. 

He looked at me surprised that I actually understood him rather than judge him. "Thank you, madame." he said with a kind smile, I was about to reply when we heard a sound coming from the bolder a few feet from us.

We quietly walked to the source of the sound which I find quite familiar. We jumped to one of the tree trunks to only look at each other in shock at what we saw. It was A-cheng and Zewujun who were having quite a heated argument. I looked at Qingheng-jun and we both made a silent agreement. We both masked our qi and hid between the leaves. Silently, we listened in on their conversation.

"A-cheng, will you please listen to me!" said Zewujun with a pleading voice. "What is there to talk about Zewujun."said A-cheng with a slight edge to his voice. "Me and A-yao..." tried Zewujun but was interrupted by A-cheng.

"Save it, I do not need to hear the name of the person my supposed lover cheated on me with." he snapped while holding out his hand.

WAIT WHAT??