37: Chapter 37 The Grand Wedding

Two days later, the eighth! The day of the grand wedding had arrived!

The gray, gloomy sky of the Soul Realm, unchanged for thousands of years, had rarely cleared up. Hun Tiandi had personally torn a gap in the black mist that churned high in the void year-round, allowing pale golden sunlight to pour down from the rift. It fell upon the plaza in front of the main hall, casting a hint of warmth over the dark red brocade carpets spread across the ground.

The entire Soul Realm was decorated with lanterns and festoons. The pillars were wrapped in bright red brocade, and rows of glazed palace lanterns hung beneath the eaves of the halls. Each lantern core contained a wisp of extremely fine soul flame, swaying gently in the morning breeze without being extinguished.

Observation seats were arranged on both sides of the plaza in front of the main hall. Dozens of long tables were covered with dark gold tablecloths and laden with aged fine wines and various delicacies unearthed from the Hun Clan's cellars.

Members of the Hun Clan, regardless of seniority, had changed into newly tailored ceremonial robes. They had even removed the dark-patterned insignias of the Tiangang Hall that they never left home without, instead pinning a tiny blood-red crystal to their collars to signify their status.

Hun Qian wore a new ink-colored robe today, his hair combed meticulously. He stood at the entrance of the main hall to personally welcome guests, his usual solemnity as an old steward rarely mixed with a touch of genuine joy.

There were not many guests invited, only the ancestral elders and branch elders from within the Hun Clan.

Hun Feng had not invited outsiders, and neither had Medusa.

She was the Queen of the Snake-People Tribe, but today she only wanted to be married as Cai Lin; she did not need any irrelevant people to join in the bustle.

Inside the main hall, Hun Tiandi had rarely changed out of his unchanging gray-white robes, wearing instead a formal black outfit. The Hun Clan emblem, embroidered in gold thread, hung from his shoulder to his waist, and his long silver hair was tied up with a jade crown. He appeared less lazy and casual, possessing instead the majesty of a patriarch who had lived for thousands of years.

He stood on the left side of the main seat, while Void Swallowing Flame stood in human form on the right. His eyes, burning with black flames, were uncharacteristically restrained, leaving only a faint, warm glow.

"Having known you for so many years, this is the first time I've seen you dressed so smartly."

Void Swallowing Flame tilted his head to look at Hun Tiandi, his voice still that low, grating tone like fire burning bone, but his tone lacked its usual rare mockery.

"When I had my grand wedding a thousand years ago, you were still squatting in the Demon Flame Space, so of course you hadn't seen it."

Hun Tiandi's lips curled slightly. "Today, the one sitting in the main seat is not the Hun Clan Patriarch, but that boy's elder. An elder should look like an elder."

Void Swallowing Flame did not speak again, merely casting his gaze toward the long path covered in dark red brocade carpets in the plaza outside the hall.

The end of the long path led to the East Courtyard; Hun Feng should be there right now waiting to receive his bride.

Hun Qinger was not sitting in the observation seats.

She had chosen a very secluded corner, leaning against a pillar. Her moon-white robe shimmered with a cold light in the morning sun, and the ice crystal lotus at her fingertips spun very slowly.

She looked at the red silk and glazed lanterns filling the hall, her face maintaining its eternal coldness, but the corners of her lips twitched slightly, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

Lin Qingwan had the same grand display when she married Hun Yuan back then, only the Soul Realm at that time was not as peaceful as it was now.

Now that Lin Qingwan's son was getting married—to two women, no less—the favor she owed Lin Qingwan could be considered repaid.

The main hall of the East Courtyard.

Hun Feng straightened his collar in front of the mirror.

He wore a bright red ceremonial robe today, the cuffs and collar embroidered with gold thread patterns intertwining the Hun Clan emblem and the Snake-People Tribe totem. A dark gold python-patterned belt was tied around his waist, and his long hair was meticulously tied up with a jade crown.

Yao Yao stood behind him, smoothing out the wrinkles on his shoulders, her movements as skilled as if she had done it countless times.

"This outfit looks more spirited than any groom I've ever seen."

Yao Yao walked around to his front and looked him up and down, her peach-blossom eyes full of pride. "I altered the collar three times last night; it's now exactly half an inch below your Adam's apple—Cai Lin likes this angle the most."

"You know what angle she likes?"

"Of course."

Yao Yao laughed, unabashed, and reached out to retie the tassel on the jade pendant at his waist.

She had also changed into a newly tailored ceremonial dress today, still black, but the material was much more formal than her usual attire. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with the same gold thread patterns as Hun Feng's, just without the Snake-People Tribe totem.

Her wedding day was also today, but she hadn't mentioned a word from beginning to end, simply tidying Hun Feng's attire as usual, as if the only protagonist today was Cai Lin.

Hun Feng watched her side profile in the mirror as she lowered her head to tie the tassel, and suddenly reached out to grasp her wrist.

Yao Yao paused, raising her peach-blossom eyes to look at him.

Hun Feng didn't say anything sappy; he simply fixed the brooch on her collar that was half an inch crooked, then flicked her forehead lightly. "Let's go, to receive her. After today, you won't be able to call me 'Young Master' for the rest of your life."

Yao Yao covered her forehead, her peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents.

There was no calculation or mischief in that smile, only a wholehearted devotion that hadn't changed since she was five.

Inside the bedchamber of the East Courtyard, Medusa sat before the vanity, the bronze mirror reflecting a face of peerless, cold beauty.

She wasn't wearing that matte white gown today, but had instead changed into the bright red wedding dress that Lin Qingwan had sewn with her own hands.

The material was extremely thin Soul-Devouring Silkworm silk, with the collar and cuffs embroidered in dark gold thread with patterns intertwining the Hun Clan emblem and the Snake-People Tribe totem, and an extra layer of purple cloud brocade as a lining—that was the color of her tribe.

Her long hair had been styled by Lin Qingwan into a complex cloud bun, adorned with a nine-colored phoenix-tail hairpin. The tassels hanging from the end of the hairpin were woven from fine threads that Yao Yao had removed from her own bone whip.

Lin Qingwan stood behind her, her hands resting lightly on her shoulders, looking dazed.

She had guarded the side hall in the Soul Realm for over twenty years, and now she had finally waited for her son to get married.

She reached out to straighten the tassels at the end of the hairpin, her movements extremely light and slow, as if she were tidying the wedding dress for her own daughter.

Mu Xiao lay beside the vanity, tilting her head to watch, her large eyes full of wonder. "Mommy is so beautiful today! Prettier than any of the ones I've drawn!"

She jumped off the stool and ran over to Medusa, looking up with her face tilted. She suddenly asked a question that stunned the three women present: "Mommy, since you and Aunt Yaoyao are both marrying Daddy today, does that mean I can call Aunt Yaoyao 'Mommy' from now on?"

Medusa was slightly taken aback, then bent down to pick up her daughter and place her on her lap, saying softly, "Yes, you can."

Yao Yao reached out from the side and tapped Mu Xiao on the tip of her nose, saying with a smile that she could call her whatever she wanted, as she would always be her aunt anyway.

Mu Xiao shook the silver bell bracelet on her wrist, half-understanding, and the crisp chiming echoed throughout the bedchamber.

On the plaza in front of the main hall, the long, melodious sound of a horn rang through the sky.

Hun Feng stood at the top of the main hall's steps, his bright red ceremonial robe glowing with a gentle luster in the pale golden sunlight.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing toward the end of the long path covered in dark red brocade carpets that led from the East Courtyard. When that slender figure, also dressed in red, walked slowly out from behind the bamboo curtain, his gaze could not move away even a fraction.

Medusa held Mu Xiao's hand and walked along the red carpet toward the main hall.

The bright red wedding dress was like fire and clouds in the morning light, and the nine-colored phoenix-tail hairpin swayed gently in her hair. Every step caused the tassels to dance, making her already coldly beautiful face appear even more stunning.

Mu Xiao was also wearing a little red dress today, with nine-colored ribbons matching her mother's tied in her braids. She looked around excitedly as they walked, and upon seeing Hun Feng on the steps of the main hall, she called out "Daddy" in a crisp voice, making all the guests in the plaza laugh.

Yao Yao did not walk on the red carpet.

She remained in her black ceremonial dress, quietly following half a step behind Medusa.

This was her own choice—Cai Lin would go first, and she would just follow behind.

Hun Feng waited at the entrance of the main hall.

He watched Medusa walk toward him step by step, the sunlight falling on the hairpin in her hair, refracting tiny nine-colored spots of light, and landing on the faint lip gloss on her lips.

Medusa stopped in front of him, raising her purple eyes to meet his gaze.

In those eyes, there was no longer the coldness and wariness of the past, only a very quiet, certain tenderness.

"You look beautiful today."

Hun Feng's voice was very low, so low that only she could hear it.

Medusa did not answer, merely curling the corners of her lips slightly.

Then she gently placed Mu Xiao's little hand into Hun Feng's palm.

"From now on, she is your daughter."

Her tone was calm but every word was clear.

Hun Feng gripped Mu Xiao's little hand tightly and lifted her onto his shoulders. The little girl giggled as she rode on her daddy's neck, the nine-colored ribbons on her braids dancing in the wind.

He turned to the hall full of guests and announced loudly, "Today, I, Hun Feng, marry Cai Lin as my wife and take Yao Yao as my concubine—a double celebration. Everyone, let us not stop until we are drunk."

Yao Yao walked up from behind Medusa and took the little hand Mu Xiao reached down.

She was about to say something to tease, but Hun Feng suddenly reached out, pulled her to his side, and lowered his head to plant a kiss on her forehead in front of all the guests.

Yao Yao froze for a moment, her peach-blossom eyes wide open, then she quickly lowered her head, the roots of her ears turning completely red at a rate visible to the naked eye.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Hun Feng had already let her go, his tone three parts serious and seven parts unarguable: "You've called me 'Young Master' for twenty years; starting today, change it to 'Husband'."

"...Husband."

Yao Yao squeezed out the two words in a low voice, so soft it was as if she were afraid they would be blown away by the wind.

Medusa watched this scene from the side, a faint smile rising in her purple eyes.

After the ceremony was completed, the banquet was set. Hun Tiandi rarely raised his glass to drink three rounds with Soul Yuan Tian. Void Swallowing Flame sat among the guests in human form, and for the first time ever, did not scorch the food and wine on the table with his flames.

Hun Qinger had moved from the corner to Lin Qingwan's side at some point. The two sat side by side, each holding a glass of wine without saying much, but the lines on their faces had softened significantly.

Hun Feng took Medusa and Yao Yao to toast at each table.

Medusa held her glass with her usual cold and composed demeanor, but she drank every cup decisively. The Snake-People Queen's alcohol tolerance caused several ancestral elders who wanted to get the groom drunk to end up being drunk under the table themselves.

Yao Yao was as lively as ever, following behind with a wine pot to pour for Medusa, occasionally blocking a drink for Hun Feng, her peach-blossom eyes full of unconcealable joy.

Mu Xiao followed at the very end, clutching a piece of fruit she had swiped from the banquet, her mouth covered in juice. She would occasionally tug on Hun Feng's robe and ask, "Daddy, when are we going to see the Void Beast?"

Hun Feng took a moment to pick her up and kiss her on the cheek, saying to wait until tomorrow, and that today they must take care of their mommies first.

The banquet continued into the afternoon, most of the proceedings had passed, and the guests were six or seven parts drunk.

Hun Feng put down his wine glass and looked around. A thin layer of drunkenness hung on his face, but his eyes remained as clear as a mirror.

The ceremony was complete, the wine was drunk, Cai Lin was sitting at the banquet, Yao Yao was standing by his side, and Mu Xiao was dozing off on his lap.

Everything was going according to his plan, but there was one last act left.

He turned his head to look at the gray void outside the main hall, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of his wine glass.

He knew that Xiao Yan must have arrived—the gap in the old wall he had left for him was within the range of sight from the main hall.

He had long since experienced Zi Yan's spatial talent in the Demon Flame Space; tearing open the spatial barrier on the outskirts of the Soul Realm was nothing more than a bit of effort for her.

And all he had to do was wait for Xiao Yan to walk out of that gap himself.

On the outskirts of the Soul Realm, between the third and fifth sentry posts, a forgotten section of the old wall stood silently against the backdrop of the gray void.

The wall was covered in dark vines that hadn't been cleared for hundreds of years. Occasionally, a tiny trace of spatial fluctuation would escape from the cracks in the stones—these were old wounds left over from when the Soul Realm was expanded, which had yet to fully heal.

A tiny golden rift opened silently on the inner side of the old wall, like a dragon's eye slowly opening.

A small, fair hand reached out from the rift first, followed by Zi Yan herself, who tumbled out. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her breathing was a bit more rapid than usual—the spatial barrier of the Soul Realm was denser than she had anticipated; even with her Dragon Emperor bloodline, it had taken quite a bit of effort to tear this gap.

But she had done it.

Xiao Yan followed closely behind, supporting himself with one hand on the edge of the rift as he flipped and landed. The xuan heavy ruler was already in his hand the moment he landed.

Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Yao Ming walked out of the rift one after another. The six figures landed silently in the shadows covered by vines on the inner side of the old wall.

Zi Yan gently closed the golden rift, leaving only a hair-thin crack as an escape route.

Xiao Yan's gaze crossed layers of pillars and brocade carpets, landing on the brightly lit banquet in the plaza of the main hall in the distance.

He saw the side profile of Mu Xiao giggling as she rode on Hun Feng's shoulders, and saw the two nine-colored ribbons on her braids, identical to Medusa's, dancing in the wind.

He saw Medusa—she was wearing a bright red wedding dress, with a nine-colored hairpin he had never seen before in her hair, and she was turning her head to speak softly with Hun Feng.

A faint smile hung on her lips, but that smile was not for him.

Xiao Yan gripped the xuan heavy ruler tightly, his knuckles turning white on the hilt.

But he did not move; he merely stood in the shadows, watching silently.

He had not come to stop the wedding—he simply wanted to see with his own eyes whether Hun Feng had been treating her and her daughter well.

Now, he had seen it.