Mu Yuan's smile was different from usual, and it actually frightened her.
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As the bridal sedan chair approached the hall, the musicians began to play. When the chair stopped, the young woman who had stepped out greeted her.
Through the beaded curtain, Xuezhi could vaguely see the dashing groom in front of her. Every time she got closer to him, she no longer feared anything.
The young woman helped her step over the crimson saddle, onto the red carpet, and slowly walked forward. Until she stood before him, on his right, everyone else seemed to vanish from her sight.
Amidst the fragrant aromas of flowers and wine, and the lively, festive music, they exchanged a glance, a knowing smile playing on their lips.
In the main hall, the leaders and disciples of various sects sat in the guest seats, quietly watching the two walk toward the main incense burner and their parents.
Flowers were in full bloom in the garden, but Mu Yuan stood far away, under the lilac branches, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
The master of ceremonies shouted, "First bow to Heaven and Earth!"
The two followed the one who was initiating the incense offering and bowed towards the door.
"One bow—two bows—three bows!"
"Bowing to the parents twice!"
The two turned around and bowed again to Lin Yuhuang, Shangguan Xingzhou, and Fu Yuelan.
"One bow—two bows—three bows!"
Lin Yuhuang looked at the two people in front of her with a beaming smile, just like the Imperial Advisor and his wife beside her, smiling like bodhisattvas. But if she looked at Xuezhi a few more times, she would rub her eyes and look away.
"Husband and wife bow to each other!"
Auspicious smoke and wisps of smoke gently swirl around, while incense and candles fill the air with fragrance.
The two turned around to face each other. Through the beaded curtain, Xuezhi still couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes.
She used to follow her sister Zhaojun around, making her laugh and joke, or she would act spoiled and clingy towards her brother Tou when she was sad... and suddenly he became her husband overnight.
"One bow—two bows—three bows!"
A moment that felt unreal, blissful, yet tinged with melancholy.
Shangguan Tou took the golden scale bar and lifted the beaded curtain in front of Xuezhi.
Xuezhi lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes casting deep shadows beneath them. After a moment, she looked up at him, took a soft breath, and smiled slightly.
After receiving the tea from the matchmaker, the two of them offered tea to their parents.
When toasting the Imperial Advisor and his wife, the elderly couple seemed to have completely forgotten about their son, staring at Xuezhi in utter astonishment. Then, Fu Yuelan said to Lin Yuhuang, "I say, Master Lin, what you said is not just not an exaggeration, it's an absolute exaggeration. Our daughter-in-law is truly... a beauty of unparalleled grace."
Shangguan Xingzhou said, "Xiao Tou, you've never given me a moment's peace since you were little. You unfilial son, you've finally done one thing right."
Shangguan Tou felt both proud and frustrated, and could only whisper, "Father is right."
Fu Yuelan said, "You're using your son as an example again. Today is his wedding!"
"So what if he gets married? Does that mean he's no longer my son?"
Xuezhi held the teacup high above her head and said, "Please have some tea, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law."
The two elderly people accepted the teacups and drank the tea with beaming smiles.
Then the two knelt down before Lin Yuhuang and the empty seat next to him. Shangguan Tou and Lin Yuhuang were already familiar with each other, and they couldn't help but smile as they exchanged pleasantries. After he served tea, Xuezhi held the teacup and said softly, "Second Father, please have some tea."
Lin Yuhuang took the tea from Xuezhi, her fingers trembling slightly.
The soft, white baby who used to snuggle in his arms had long since blossomed into a beautiful young woman, and now she was about to become a wife. He vaguely remembered a day many years ago when Chonglian carefully held her, trying to pry open her little hand that was tightly gripping Lin Yuhuang's index finger, and gently called out, "Zhi'er, Zhi'er, don't hold onto your second father. Your second father loves you the most, he won't go anywhere. Huang'er, bring Zhi'er's cotton-padded coat, she seems a little cold."
It was a simple and ordinary little thing, but it had appeared in Lin Yuhuang's dreams countless times, and it had brought tears to his eyes at this moment.
Xuezhi then offered a teacup to Chonglian's memorial tablet: "Father, please have some tea."
Amidst the swirling smoke, Chonglian's memorial tablet resembled an ancient stele that had stood for a thousand years.
No one spoke.
Xuezhi poured the tea onto the chair.
Even with a thousand words to say and a heart full of longing, all I can do is offer a deep bow.
Because of Chong Xuezhi and Shangguan Tou's special status, this wedding was different from that of ordinary couples. After the wedding ceremony, the two could not consummate their marriage. After seeing off their parents, they were also responsible for entertaining the guests who came to visit.
Among the first few people to offer a toast was Feng Cheng. Feng Cheng was very cheerful and somewhat joking as he blessed the newlyweds. When he spoke to Xue Zhi, he didn't blush or skip a beat, as if what happened in the Huashan Secret Passage was just a dream of Xue Zhi's. Xue Zhi was somewhat unable to suppress her anger, but seeing that Shangguan Tou also returned the greeting politely, she didn't say anything more.
Because Xuezhi was pregnant, the responsibility of drinking fell to Shangguan Tou. He would drink a full cup every time someone offered him a toast. Cup after cup of sorghum liquor went down his throat, and although he appeared unchanged, Shangguan Tou's eyes were already somewhat unfocused. He put his arm around Xuezhi's shoulder and gently hooked her chin with his fingertip: "Zhi'er, what will we name our child?"
Xuezhi glanced at the people around her and whispered, "Let's talk about this when we get back."
"But I haven't touched you in so long. After the baby is born, will you want him and not me?" Shangguan Tou mimicked her and said earnestly and quietly, "I'll tell you something secretly—I haven't touched you in so long."
Xuezhi gently pushed his handsome face away: "You're drunk."
Shangguan Tou obediently turned his face to the side, only to see the person standing at the door.
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The man was ragged, disheveled, and wore a foolish smile. He muttered incantations, but the noise in the hall made them impossible to hear. Shangguan Tou gently patted Xuezhi. Xuezhi followed his gaze.
If you don't look closely, you might mistake him for a beggar.
But she soon realized that she had seen this person in Suzhou.
Before long, everyone present noticed him. So, the auditorium quickly quieted down.
And so, everyone heard him say: "Whom shall I kill, whom shall I love? Whom shall I love, whom shall I kill? Whom shall I love, whom shall I kill? Whom shall I kill, whom shall I love..."
Shangguan Tou and Xuezhi looked at each other, then hugged her and stepped back a little.
I thought he would say something else after a while. But a long time passed, and when everyone's patience had reached its limit, he was still repeating the same few sentences.
Just then, Feng Cheng stepped forward and said, "Where did this beggar come from? Can't you see someone is having a wedding? Guards, throw him out!"
"Wait a minute." Lin Xuanfeng interrupted him, took a few steps forward, and squinted her eyes, saying, "This person... are you, Qingmei?"
Xia Qingmei tilted her head slightly, still smiling foolishly: "Who do I love? Who do I love?" After saying that, her gaze slowly swept over everyone present.
Lin Fengzi turned her head away in disgust and hid in the crowd, afraid that he would see her.
Just then, Xia Qingmei's gaze fell on Feng Zi, and she suddenly stopped talking.
"Not good." Xue Zhi took a step forward, but was stopped by Shangguan Tou. He shook his head, indicating the danger ahead. Before she could speak, Xia Qingmei had already given Feng Zi a strange smile:
"I love you, and I want to kill you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his rusty sword from his waist and thrust it at Feng Zi—his swordsmanship was so fast and ruthless that the trajectory was impossible to see.
Shangguan Tou hurriedly drew the knife from his subordinate's waist, preparing to block the attack. However, because they were too far apart, and Xue Zhi was behind him, there was no chance for them to even exchange weapons. Fortunately, Feng Zi reacted in time, leaning back to dodge the attack.
Xia Qingmei was still unwilling to give up and shouted, "Zi Mei, don't run away! I love you!" As soon as she finished speaking, another sword struck.
Lin Xuanfeng drew his sword and stepped forward, blocking Feng Zi's path: "Protect my daughter!"
Only then did those present realize what was happening, and they all drew their weapons. However, not one dared to step forward.
More than twenty years ago, the Plum Shadow Sect Leader mastered the "Hibiscus Heart Sutra" and single-handedly fought against hundreds of heroes from various factions within the Underworld God Sect. For all the older generation, this was a nightmare. They all warned their descendants that going against the will of Heaven would inevitably bring divine retribution. However, after recalling the Plum Shadow Sect Leader's godlike skills, not one could resist the temptation of this evil art.
It was no secret that Xia Qingmei was practicing the "Hibiscus Heart Sutra".
The claim that he went mad from his cultivation is just a rumor.
However, the former leader of the Plum Shadow Cult was also in a state of demonic possession back then, and killed hundreds of people.
Many people began to back down. Some even quietly left the auditorium.
Xia Qingmei brandished her longsword, attacking Lin Xuanfeng repeatedly—it was still a sword from Lingjian Manor, but the authentic Lingjian moves had long since become chaotic, and were mixed with many strange and extremely evil sword techniques.
Xia Qingmei's attacks were unpredictable; Lin Xuanfeng couldn't decipher the origins of her moves and struggled to parry them. Just as Xia Qingmei was about to strike his face, Lin Xuanfeng dodged, but Xia Qingmei suddenly changed her attack several times, her movements so fluid they were dazzling.
As Lin Xuanfeng was pondering how to retaliate, Xia Qingmei flashed around behind him and attacked Feng Zi's throat at extremely close range.
They were too close together.
Almost everyone could see the dismembered state of Feng Zi.
The sword's edge was sharp and its sound piercing.
A strong wind swept by.
Inside Aotian Manor, lilac petals danced wildly and erratically.
However, just as the sword was about to strike Feng Zi's throat, it stopped.
When they looked at Xia Qingmei again, everyone held their breath. His right shoulder had been pierced, and it took a long time before blood began to seep out.
However, the object piercing through his shoulder was a long whip.
Blood flowed down the long whip, gradually staining it completely red, turning it into a blood whip.
Blood dripped onto the floor, making a soft, rhythmic sound. The stench of blood mingled with the scent of flowers, filling the auditorium. Many people covered their mouths, nauseated to the point of almost vomiting.
Xuezhi felt both disgusted and astonished. The scene before her reminded her of something that happened when she was a child: she and Haitang had gone out together, and she had bought a bluestone embroidery panel for Lin Yuhuang. Lin Yuhuang said that Chonglian liked such things and asked her to give it to Chonglian. When they arrived at Xinlian Pavilion, Chonglian was fiddling with his purple clay teapot and cups, so Xuezhi gave him the embroidery panel and asked him to hang it on the wall. Chonglian agreed. Haitang was saying she was going to get something to make a hole, but Chonglian, still thinking about his teapot, asked her to give him a whip. Then, Haitang held the embroidery panel firmly, and Chonglian gently flicked the whip, creating a hole in the bluestone embroidery panel. He then hugged Xuezhi and asked her to hang the embroidery panel on the wall.
From that day on, Xuezhi learned that a whip could also be used to pierce through objects and be used as a sword. But after that day, she never saw anyone use a whip to pierce through hard objects again.
At that moment, a man's voice drifted from the courtyard:
"Qingmei, you deserve to die."
As soon as the words were spoken, a pale green figure floated down at the entrance of the auditorium. The person had loose hair, no ornaments on their head, soft features, and fair skin, but had an Adam's apple. Although the voice was male and they had an Adam's apple, their chest was noticeably protruding, with soft lines that did not resemble those of a man.
No one recognized her.
Except for Feng Zi.
Because the clothes this person was wearing were ones she had bought a long time ago.
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