They had now left the beautiful waterfalls hideout after biding Yun Chen, Beitang Ying and Yun Xi goodbye.
Ye Jing had said to them, "Hope to see you outside in two year time. By then your Little Yun Xi will be taller than now."
Beitang Ying smiled, "I hope to see you alive in two year time. So don't die on me." She paused briefly to whisper, "I hope that Dugu Fang and you can be together."
Ye Jing whispered back, "He already has Gong Nanyan. There is no need for a third party like me…"
Beitang Ying laughed softly as she shoved her away, "Liar…"
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As the party traveled in the mountains, they were some small fights with the desolate beasts but there were not nothing the four saintess and Xiaofang could not handle.
After a few days had passed, Ye Jing whispered to Xiaofang as they traveled while the other three saintess were walking in front. "You know. Suddenly I am so envious of Beitang Ying and Yun Chen. I don't know the actual reason why but I am just envious of them."
Xiaofang asked, "Oh? Why?"
Ye Jing said quietly, "It is just that it is so blissful that Beitang Ying and Yun Chen can have each other's love to themselves. Do you think that this is actually a wonderful feeling to have?"
Xiaofang grinned, "I think it is."
Ye Jing smiled, "But I don't think that I will know how wonderful this feeling of undivided love will be anymore since you also have Sister Nanyan now."
Xiaofang smiled weakly, "You are the one that sent me to the Lofty Snow Palace…"
Ye Jing giggled softly, "Right but I was hoping that you would get seduced by Xuan Danfeng and not by her protégé. But then Sister Nanyan is really a good parent to our Little Fenghuang. She must have suffered a lot with you for the past 8 years."
Xiaofang nodded as he sighed, "I was in a depression for some years. It is all thanks to Nanyan that I am able to pull myself. There is no way I can repay her…"
Ye Jing smiled gently as she quietly interrupted, "It is we that ought to repay her. Do you think that it is time for us to make our affair public?"
Xiaofang looked curiously at her, "You're not afraid anymore?"
Ye Jing looked away from him as she said softly, "Previously I was worried about our affair being a major scandal and a laughing stock in the celestial fraternity. But now I no longer care. I've become quite thick skin after being a villainess for such a long time. Moreover…"
She turned and looked at him, "If I don't get a hold on you from now on, I am afraid that you may have plenty of other consorts in the future."
Xiaofang was delighted as he asked, "Then, you will marry me?"
Ye Jing smiled shyly, "If my Mother Consort Ye agrees, then I won't refuse. Therefore you ought to make my Mother Consort Ye happy first. If she gives her approval then it is a lot of easier. You can't have the Holy Consort to elope to the mountains with you, right? After all, I am my mother's only daughter. So you ought to prepare an acceptable betrothal gift that will please her. But be wary, it won't be easy at all. My mother consort really has a high standard."
Xiaofang nodded eagerly but his expression was grave. It was because he was not particularly wealthy and he was now wondering what he would give to the Lady Consort Ye so as to gain her approval and favor.
But unknown to Xiaofang, the Lady Consort Ye had long given her acknowledgement to Xiaofang and Ye Jing to be together. So it did not matter to her what the betrothal gift would be. Furthermore, Ye Jing knew it as well and was only teasing Xiaofang.
Xiaofang was now a little nervous as he thought, "My future wife is a great saintess, the Nine Celestial Goddess as well as the successor to the Great Goddess Heaveness. How am I worthy of her? My most precious possession is my immortal sword. Maybe I can present it as a betrothal gift to the Lady Consort Ye?"
Ye Jing could sense what was troubling Xiaofang so she smiled, "Aren't we here to look for treasures in the first place? Maybe we can find some wondrous treasures that we can use as betrothal gifts? I'll help you of course."
Xiaofang was delighted and he was muttering, "That's right. There are plenty of wondrous treasures that can be found here. We can certainly find something useful here…"
Ye Jing smiled gently as she suddenly paused in her tracks, "Actually I do have a confession to make. Don't be angry alright?"
Xiaofang paused as well as he looked curiously at her with a smile, "I won't."
Ye Jing sighed softly as she stole a glance at him before she turned away again, "Actually, on that night of our mishap…"
She bit her lips, "I wasn't that drunk. It doesn't matter if the wines are drugged or not. It doesn't work that well on me."
Since she was young, she was already forced to experiment with drugs and exotic scents as part of her grooming so that she would gain immunity to the various poisons and drugs. The hidden fraternity of the patriarch clans was often treacherous and there were plenty of scheming between the patriarch clans.
She added quietly, "It is just that I was too carried away by the fine wines that the Celestial Yuehua had. After that…I had suppressed those memories. Anyway those were mild drugs that were meant for you rather than for me. I was…actually not that angry with you. I just hate you because you don't show up earlier."
Xiaofang smiled awkwardly, "Jing'Er, I am not upset. Thank you. Meeting you is actually the happiest day of my life. Since I had met you, I had already resolved to take you as my wife. But it was an impossible dream for me….so I had hidden away. To be able to watch you and knowing that you are safe, I am actually content enough."
Ye Jing looked at him shyly, "Is that so? You have already helped me more than enough. Actually sometimes I feel that I am not worthy of you. I am actually a spoil brat for most of my life."
Xiaofang laughed softly, "It doesn't matter anymore. It is all in the past. We should look forward now."
Ye Jing smiled with a nod as she took a rainbow pill from her pouch, "Here, take this and quickly hide it."
Xiaofang looked at the rainbow pill curiously, "This looks like the Rainbow Saint Pill?"
"Indeed it is and it can help you to reach sainthood in the future. So you've better treasure this pill."
Xiaofang was startled as he took it with his trembling fingers while looking at her, "It is for me?"
As promised, the Goddess Isa had sent the immortal pills to all the celestial clans that were affected by the Goddess Palace and the Devil Isle. Therefore the Lady Consort Ye on behalf of the Holy Citadel had received the compensation as well.
After Ye Jing was revived, she had paid her mother consort a visit. That was how she had got the Rainbow Saint Pill.
Ye Jing smiled, "My mother consort wants you to have it. I've just forgotten to pass to you."
Xiaofang grinned, "Help me to thank the Lady Consort Ye…"
Ye Jing chuckled, "You should address her as the Holy Consort now. Have you forgotten that you are still a protégé of the Holy Citadel City?"
Xiaofang asked curiously, "She is the Holy Consort now?"
Ye Jing laughed softly, "Well, she is the acting Holy Consort for the time being until my return."
Her mother consort was now the acting Holy Consort of the Holy Citadel City. Not only did the revival of the Holy Citadel City not met with any reprisals but it was a much welcome affair in the Nine Celestial Fraternity.
Many celestial clans were in fact, lamenting why the Nine Celestial Goddess did not pay their celestial clan a visit. As the Lady Consort Ye was the mother of the Nine Celestial Goddess, almost all the celestial clans were only too eager to make an alliance or maintain friendship with the Holy Citadel City.
All of a sudden Fan Yuqing had paused in her tracks as she looked back at them. She said, "Why are the two of you whispering so secretly and so far back behind us? Aren't you worried that you may lose us in the mountains?"
Ye Jing chuckled softly, "We are…erm…just admiring the views here."
Xuan Danfeng laughed, "I think the two of you are more and more like a couple."
Ye Jing protested weakly, "We…are not…"
Xuan Danfeng folded her arms as she laughed jovially, "Oh really?"
Feng Minyue and Fan Yuqing took a glance at each other. Although Ye Jing had insisted on numerous times that she and Xiaofang was not a couple but from the way Xiaofang looked at her, it was only too obvious and moreover there was no indication that Ye Jing had actually rejected Xiaofang.
Since they knew that Ye Jing could not make her interest for Xiaofang public, they all pretended to believe her otherwise.
Silently they could only pray that Ye Jing's elders would give their approvals and not forced Ye Jing to marry one of the young masters of the patriarch clans. If the other patriarch clans were to know that Ye Jing was still alive, then the number of patriarch suitors would be too numerous to count. After all, Ye Jing was now known to be the successor of the Heaveness and she was also the Nine Celestial Goddess.