Chapter 575: Life is Like a Play, It All Depends on Acting Skills

The wind blew, carrying the fragrance of petals. Melodious music echoed, bringing with it the joyous atmosphere of a grand wedding.

However, Xu Qing's heart was currently in turmoil. As he advanced with the procession, he withdrew his gaze from the captain.

Ever since arriving at the Weiyang Mountain Range, Xu Qing had verified the captain's unusual behavior more than once. From his deliberate attempts to speak extensively, to offering an apple, and his subsequent observations, everything made Xu Qing feel that something was amiss with the captain.

But this abnormality didn't seem instinctive; it was more like the captain was intentionally revealing flaws that only Xu Qing could recognize.

"He's trying to warn me," Xu Qing murmured inwardly. His heart could sense that the captain harbored no ill will towards him; he was very clear on this point. Even recalling the captain's behavior throughout their journey, this remained evident. Especially since this wasn't the first or second time they had undertaken major tasks together, Xu Qing was familiar with his senior disciple brother's style.

"This warning doesn't seem like a cry for help. It's more like there are things that can't be said directly, so he's using this method to make me pay attention." Xu Qing pondered, remembering the bird from earlier, and the reactions of those around him after he caught it.

"That bird was a real living creature, and real living creatures behave in variable ways, yet it returned to its original path, as if it couldn't help itself, as if it were being controlled." Xu Qing frowned and checked Ding Yisan'er, finding that the Divine Finger was completely normal and still sleeping. This indicated that it sensed no anomaly in the outside world.

"Also, earlier, everyone around me suddenly looked at me, as if my actions were very uncoordinated among them, or perhaps... the person I'm disguised as shouldn't perform such actions?" Xu Qing mused that everything had gone extremely smoothly since entering the Weiyang Mountain Range; if one didn't think too deeply, everything seemed perfectly normal.

"But this normalcy carries an oddness." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, remained calm, and continued with the procession. He intended to see what would happen at the wedding ceremony.

Time passed gradually. The wedding procession moved swiftly across the sky. An hour later, they approached the Xuanming Sect, where, from a distance, the land could be seen adorned with lanterns and festive decorations.

Mountains were dyed vibrant colors with magic, trees were covered in red lanterns, and even spells ascended into the sky, forming bursts of fireworks that boomed in all directions. Simultaneously, disciples from various sects and families across the Weiyang Mountain Range had mostly been invited and arrived early with their clan elders, surrounding the Xuanming Sect on all sides.

Men, women, young, and old — smiles adorned every face. A bustling clamor rose, and everything appeared extraordinarily lively.

Laughter and chatter were constant, and a festive atmosphere permeated the air. As the wedding procession drew nearer, the atmosphere reached its peak, and waves of blessings echoed through the sky.

The Xuanming Sect, directly ahead, was exceptionally colorful, nestled amidst the surrounding mountains.

The peak where the mountain gate stood radiated a seven-colored glow. The grand hall at the summit was arranged as the bridal chamber, countless red lanterns ascended into the sky, and even the heavens seemed to shed more sunlight at that moment.

Every disciple of the Xuanming Sect was exhilarated and came out to greet them. A colorful silk ribbon was spread from the mountaintop down to the base, covering every step.

The moment the sedan chair approached the Xuanming Sect, bells chimed from within the sect. A solemn aura enveloped the heavens and earth, suppressing all other sounds, and gazes from all directions converged on the sedan chair as it drew closer to the Xuanming Sect.

"Please, Immortal Xianghan, ascend the mountain." As the chanting reverberated, the captain, inside the sedan chair, looked wistful, her cheeks flushed. She rose and stepped out of the sedan chair, placing her foot on the steps.

Her figure was graceful, alluring, and she advanced step by step.

Most of the wedding procession behind her knelt, with only the maids and guards beside Youjing following the captain, moving with her.

Xu Qing was among them. He watched the captain's expression and her swaying gait, marveling at her superb acting. Had he not personally seen the captain shave his legs, he would truly believe the captain was Youjing at this moment.

Thus, with the continuous chiming of bells and the lingering echoes of chants, the captain slowly made her way to the mountaintop at the very front.

Today was his day of great joy; everything revolved around him. Xuanming Sect disciples along his path knelt before him.

Watching all this, Xu Qing, for some reason, found a sense of blessing rising within him.

When the bells chimed for the twenty-first time, the captain's figure ascended the last step to the mountaintop. The moment she stood there, the captain's past self emerged from the distant grand hall.

Today, the past self looked slightly different from when Xu Qing last saw him; his attire was now bright red, appearing more festive, though the stench and ugliness of his appearance were largely unchanged. The black gas he exhaled with each breath was particularly alarming.

"This is a wedding between oneself and the past." Xu Qing regretted that Wu Jianwu hadn't come; otherwise, witnessing this scene would surely have inspired Wu Jianwu to great poetic heights.

At this moment, the chanting resonated through heaven and earth.

"We cultivators take heaven as witness, earth as proof, and the Dao as our bond, performing the ritual of partners!"

The captain shyly lowered her head and bowed to her distant husband. The captain's husband also lowered his head, and after they bowed to each other across the expanse, this cultivators' wedding ceremony instantly reached its climax, with countless cheers and applause erupting simultaneously.

For a moment, auspicious light filled the sky, radiance was boundless, the heavens churned, and the earth trembled.

Then, amidst the extraordinary liveliness, the clamor of voices, and joyful laughter, the captain was escorted all the way to the bridal chamber, where she was to burn incense, calm her mind, and await her husband's arrival.

The banquet began at this moment. On the Xuanming Sect's plaza, leading figures from various sects gathered; only they were qualified to be invited to sit here. As for other disciples, they were not slighted; a larger banquet was held outside the Xuanming Sect, ensuring that all attendees were catered to, so lively sounds echoed in all directions.

As Youjing's guard, Xu Qing was not eligible to partake in the main banquet. He was assigned to maintain order alongside the Xuanming Sect guards.

Watching the people before him exchange toasts and laugh continuously, Xu Qing walked among them, recalling the scene where those around him had looked at him with blank expressions after he caught the bird.

Compared to that, a sense of strangeness once again rose from the depths of Xu Qing's heart.

"Actually, there's another way to test the peculiarity of this Weiyang Mountain Range."

Xu Qing murmured inwardly, looking up towards the bridal chamber where the captain was.

The plan had reached this point; everything now depended on the captain's performance.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and scanned the people around him.

"If everyone truly is like that bird..." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and silently ordered his shadow to control a cultivator.

Instantly, Xu Qing's shadow spread silently across the ground, swiftly approaching a Golden Core cultivator and overlapping with his shadow.

Soon, the possession was complete. But the person remained entirely normal, still drinking, still chatting and laughing, with no change whatsoever.

A faint glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. He sensed the intense emotional fluctuations emanating from the shadow.

"Cannot... interfere... forced death... strange..."

Xu Qing remained silent, ordering the shadow to continue with others. After several attempts, all yielded the same result, and enlightenment dawned in Xu Qing's heart.

However, he still needed to verify. So he ordered the shadow to forcefully attempt control. Soon, under the shadow's efforts, a Foundation Establishment cultivator's body paused. The hand that was reaching for a wine cup changed its trajectory, picked up chopsticks, and moved towards a dish.

The laughter and chatter around them instantly ceased, and countless gazes collectively turned towards that person.

Xu Qing's pupils contracted, and he immediately withdrew the control.

The cultivator, unaware, put the dish back precisely as it was, set down the chopsticks, picked up his wine cup again, and resumed the action he had intended.

After he took a sip, the laughter and chatter among those around him resumed, and everything returned to normal.

Xu Qing closed his eyes.

He understood.

"Everyone's trajectory is predetermined, just like that bird. They must follow this arrangement, and even if an accident occurs midway, it will automatically correct itself to continue completion."

"And all the strangeness began when we entered this Weiyang Mountain Range..."

"All living beings and things within this mountain range have had their fates altered, woven according to the will of some entity."

"Like a play."

"I am also in this play."

"Unbeknownst to me, my previous thoughts and actions have also been assigned roles, making me a character in this play."

"I imagine Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan are even more so."

"This is also why I experience blurring and overlapping — because the entities within me, perhaps the Divine Finger or perhaps the Purple Moon, cause me to be influenced yet also create resistance. That's why I saw the bird pause, and why I can still ponder the illogical aspects here."

"Only the captain..." Xu Qing looked up towards the mountaintop.

"He must know all this. He entered this 'play' voluntarily..."

Xu Qing understood. He lowered his head and waited silently.

Time slowly passed, and the banquet gradually drew to a close. As the sky grew dim once more and people began to depart, a sudden, piercing scream emanated from the bridal chamber on the mountaintop.

The scream spread in all directions, causing the heavens and earth to change color and clouds to gather from all sides.

At this very moment, Xu Qing's sense of dizziness resurfaced, and everyone around him suddenly looked up, their expressions turning blank, staring towards the mountaintop.

It seemed that something different from the predetermined script had occurred there!

Not only them, but all living beings within the Xuanming Sect's mountain gate, even the birds in the sky and the flowers and grass, turned towards the grand hall at this moment, remaining motionless.

Inside the grand hall, footsteps echoed after the scream. The captain's figure, clad in a red robe, emerged step by step.

In his hand, he held a person: his past self.

Finally, he stood before the grand hall, gazing into the distance.

Ignoring the blank stares of everyone around him, his gaze fell on Xu Qing in the distance. A smile appeared on his face as he spoke softly.

"Little junior brother, do you understand now?"

As he spoke, he took out a peach with his other hand and bit into it.