Marrying in Gratitude?

"Little Ning..."

"Little Grand-Uncle! It's been a long time."

As their eyes met, the girl tilted her head slightly, her phoenix eyes narrowed into two crescent moons.

Her thin lips were touched with vermilion, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with rouge. The sunset's afterglow acted as a natural blush, adding a touch of fox-like charm to her features.

She looked down to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, then smiled and asked softly, "Little Grand-Uncle, aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"

Xu Xian was slightly taken aback. "Uh, it might not be very convenient."

A frown creased Nangong Ning's brow. She was somewhat displeased by the boy's lack of romantic sensibility. Her smile stiffened, and her red lips pouted.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid I'm going to eat you?"

Xu Xian rubbed the bridge of his nose and stepped aside to make way.

Nangong Ning poked her head past the door first before stepping inside, curiously scanning the room.

It was a small room with nothing in it except for a slightly yellowed prayer mat.

After thinking for a long time, she could only manage to squeeze out one sentence.

"Little Grand-Uncle's room is truly... clean!"

Xu Xian cleared his throat, putting on a bit of an act. "If one cannot sweep a room, how can one sweep the world?"

Nangong Ning shook her head with a smile. She moved to a spot in front of the prayer mat, her sleeve fluttering to disperse a few specks of dust as she gracefully sat down. She looked around the room again before turning back to the boy, saying softly:

"It's quite good. You live simply and work hard; you should be an example for us all."

Xu Xian was speechless. He sat down on the prayer mat and said lazily, "If you don't know how to give a compliment, you don't have to force it."

Speaking was an art.

Clearly.

The people of the Wendao Sword Sect were all very well-versed in this art.

It was like when he was so poor he could only eat porridge, they insisted on saying he simply loved porridge.

Now that his room was completely empty, they said he lived simply.

Was he sick or something?

Was he supposed to enjoy suffering for the sake of it?

Nangong Ning pouted. "Little Grand-Uncle, you're really bad at making conversation."

Xu Xian scratched his nose awkwardly and got straight to the point. "Tell me, what did you come here for?"

"Can't I come to see you just because?" Nangong Ning countered.

"I didn't mean it like that."

Nangong Ning suddenly became serious. She said slowly, "I came to see you for three things."

"Three things?"

"Yes."

Xu Xian chuckled and teased, "As long as it's not asking me to return your merit points, everything is negotiable."

Nangong Ning was confused.

"What merit points?"

"Never mind. Just tell me what's on your mind."

Nangong Ning sat up straighter, the curve of her chest becoming more prominent. She took out a spirit bag from her sleeve and handed it over.

"The first thing: returning this to its rightful owner."

Xu Xian took it. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."

"Grand-Uncle, check if anything is missing from inside."

Xu Xian waved his hand. "No need. With our relationship, we've shared life and death. How could I not trust you? Go on."

"Alright." Nangong Ning nodded, her expression becoming even more solemn. Her gaze toward Xu Xian was filled with apology as she said sincerely:

"The second thing: I am here to confess my crimes to Little Grand-Uncle and beg for your forgiveness."

This sentence left Xu Xian completely bewildered. As he tucked the spirit bag into the storage bag at his waist, he asked in a daze, "Confess your crimes? What crimes?"

Nangong Ning said, "Before we left for Yecheng, Junior Sister Wen specifically sought me out and told me I must ensure Little Grand-Uncle's safety. I promised her. According to the rules of the Wendao Sword Sect, it is the duty and obligation of the strong to protect the weak. However, due to the negligence of the three of us, Little Grand-Uncle was placed in mortal danger. Furthermore, to save us, you nearly lost your life."

"We three are guilty of failing to protect Little Grand-Uncle."

"Junior Brother Qingshu and Junior Brother Ruan Zhong unfortunately died in battle. Only I survived, so I should be the one to take responsibility."

"I have already applied to the sect to have my basic stipend docked for a hundred years."

"By right, I should have come to apologize as soon as I heard Little Grand-Uncle was safe a few days ago. It's just that I've been so busy with the disciple recruitment that I've only managed to come now..."

Xu Xian was completely stunned by this. He quickly interrupted her.

"Wait, stop right there."

Nangong Ning's voice cut off abruptly as she stared at the boy in silence.

Xu Xian spoke plainly, "Little Ning, are you sick?"

Nangong Ning was confused and shook her head innocently.

"I don't understand what Little Grand-Uncle means?"

"What crime do you have? I don't even know what you're talking about. Are you trying to mock me or something?"

Nangong Ning lowered her gaze, her tone deepening.

"I... I didn't mean that."

Xu Xian couldn't stand seeing a woman frown, especially a beautiful one. Moreover, looking at Nangong Ning's posture, she really didn't seem to be joking.

He compromised, "Fine, have it your way. I forgive you. Is that enough?"

Nangong Ning lowered her head and bit her lip.

"Thank you, Grand-Uncle."

Xu Xian offered some comfort. "Alright, don't overthink it, and don't take all the blame on yourself. This isn't your fault. Yecheng is in the Southern Borders; although demonic cultivators cause trouble from time to time, no one would have expected the city to collude with them. We just happened to run into it. It was bad luck. Besides, you don't owe me anything. What's all this about protection? Do I, the great Little Grand-Uncle, really need people to guard me?"

Nangong Ning remained silent.

"Did someone make things difficult for you? Tell me, and I'll go reason with them."

Nangong Ning quickly waved her hands. "No, no. The Sect Master told me the same thing back then. No one blames me."

Xu Xian adopted a serious, elder-like posture and lectured, "Then I must have a word with you. This is where you are in the wrong. You're being very unreasonable."

"Huh?"

"The matter is over. Do not mention it again in the future!" the boy said sternly.

Nangong Ning nodded in agreement.

"Mm!"

Xu Xian's heart was a mess of emotions. To be honest, the moral compass of the people in the Wendao Sword Sect was straighter than the place he had come from.

Their sense of responsibility was too strong.

They were a bit stubborn about it, too.

It made him feel somewhat ashamed of himself.

He couldn't help but marvel.

The world was vast indeed; there truly was no end to the wonders one could find.

"Continue, then. Isn't there a third thing?"

Nangong Ning hesitated.

Xu Xian gradually grew impatient.

"Well, say it!"

Nangong Ning took a deep breath as if she had made a major decision. She mustered her courage and said:

"I cannot repay Little Grand-Uncle's life-saving grace with anything else, so I can only marry you in gratitude!"

Xu Xian's mind went blank. For a moment, his brain stalled.

"Huh?!"

Nangong Ning gazed at him affectionately, her eyes no longer darting away as they had before.

Xu Xian was completely flabbergasted. This kind of plot, which only happened in television dramas, was actually playing out on him.

"No... Little Ning, are you really okay?"

"Why does Grand-Uncle ask that again?"

Xu Xian pointed at his own head and asked weakly, "Did you get a brain injury that night?"

"I didn't!"

"Then why are you talking nonsense?"

Nangong Ning pursed her lips and stared straight at Xu Xian.

"I am serious."

Xu Xian felt a massive headache coming on. He leaned his head on his hand and sighed.

"Who taught you this?"

Nangong Ning said earnestly, "That's how it's written in the storybooks of the Jianghu. If a woman is saved by a man, she should naturally marry him to repay the debt. Otherwise, wouldn't the man have saved her for nothing?"

Xu Xian: "..."

Nangong Ning continued, "I also know that if the woman is ugly, doing this would be bad—it would be repaying kindness with enmity. But I am not ugly."

He was doomed.

She knew too much. Xu Xian was actually at a loss for words.

"Or does Little Grand-Uncle think I'm not pretty?"

Xu Xian couldn't help but steal a glance at her. Not pretty? To say that would be lying through his teeth. But...

After a fierce internal struggle, Xu Xian still chose to tell the truth.

"No."

Nangong Ning asked shyly, "Then Little Grand-Uncle agrees?"

"Agrees to what?"

Nangong Ning's cheeks flushed like a rising tide as she said softly, "Agree to take me."

She had come to his door voluntarily.

She didn't want a bride price.

She was gentle and elegant.

She was poised and generous.

She had extraordinary talent.

He had heard that her family background was also excellent.

Most importantly, she was beautiful, had a great figure, and a lovely face...

Who could resist this?

Xu Xian's throat tightened. "I'm not even eighteen yet!"

Nangong Ning: "???"

Xu Xian emphasized deliberately, "A minor cannot take a wife. Sorry! I have things to do, see you later!"

Without waiting for Nangong Ning's response, he stood up and bolted out the door.

He left Nangong Ning sitting there blankly, completely confused.

"A minor?"

It was such an obscure term.

She murmured to herself, "What does that mean?"