Chapter 1632: Heavenly Sovereign's Grand Wedding

These past few days, Upper and Lower Yankang Capital have been exceptionally lively, bustling with people. Azure Ox told Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan, “Master, First Sister is getting drunk at the tavern. There are wine jars everywhere, by the tables and in the corners.”

Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan immediately grew anxious, saying, “Keep a close eye on her; don’t let her cause trouble. I’ll go tell Granny Si!”

Azure Ox hurried to the tavern, only to find a cute, snow-like little girl of about ten years old sitting at a wine table, shouting loudly and ordering more wine from the proprietor. Her nine fox tails were already peeking out from behind her, almost revealing her true form.

However, she had already drunk all the wine in the tavern, and the proprietor, recognizing this drunkard, was helpless and dared not send her away. He could only stand by, listening helplessly to her complaints.

“...I’ve also performed the marriage ceremony. Even if I’m not the main wife, I’m still a concubine, right?”

Hu Ling’er, completely drunk, clumsily climbed onto the wine table. One leg stood in a wine jar, while the other dangled outside. With her sleeves rolled up, reeking of alcohol, even her white fur coat was soaked in the smell of wine, she complained to the proprietor, “This time, I must get a proper title, mustn’t I? What do you say?”

Azure Ox rushed forward anxiously, “Right Minister is drunk! Quickly, quickly! Take Right Minister back to her residence!”

“I’m not drunk! I know you. You’re Third Brother... uh, no, Fourth Brother. Wait! Long Pi, Tian Shu, and Qi Jiuyi became sworn brothers, so you should be Sixth Brother or Seventh Brother…”

Hu Ling’er continued her drunken rambling. Azure Ox quickly helped her down and escorted her to the Minister’s residence in the Department of State Affairs.

Upon arriving at the Department of State Affairs, Hu Ling’er, with drunken eyes, spotted Left Minister. She sneered, “Look, here’s someone just as miserable as me! Si Yunxiang, you’re the second wife. Come and judge for us! Back then, Old Man Blind made the arrangements, and all three of us were married and performed the ceremony!”

Si Yunxiang, also a Minister in the Department of State Affairs, serving as the left to Hu Ling’er’s right, managed Yankang’s finances. However, years of experience had made her much more composed than Hu Ling’er. Smiling, she said, “Sister, you’re drunk. Go back and rest first.”

Hu Ling’er declared boisterously, “Ninth Brother, I don’t need your help, I can walk!” With that, she pushed Azure Ox away and staggered forward, plopping into a flowerbed with a thud, only her tails visible outside, which twitched twice before becoming still.

Azure Ox didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “How did I become Ninth Brother again?”

Upon receiving Ba Shan’s report, Granny Si immediately became alert, saying, “Ba Shan, find me some people to keep an eye on certain dangerous individuals! At this crucial moment, nothing can go wrong!”

Seeing her seriousness, Ba Shan quickly said, “Don’t worry, Granny. I’ll handle this perfectly!”

He paused, then asked, “Which dangerous individuals should I monitor?”

“The little fox is the first! And that girl, Si Yunxiang!”

Granny Si quickly continued, “Especially Si Yunxiang. The little fox is straightforward, but that girl is extremely cunning and must be guarded against. Besides them, there are other key individuals to monitor, such as the wild girls from the Western Earth. They have a custom of ‘walking marriage,’ so be careful they don’t lure the groom into their rooms on the wedding night! And then there’s Earth Virtue Primordial Monarch; you must also be wary…”

Ba Shan listened intently, then couldn’t help but ask, troubled, “Earth Virtue Primordial Monarch’s cultivation is already at the pinnacle in Yankang. Besides beings like Old Cult Master Wei and Crown Prince You Ming, who can stop her?”

Granny Si glared at him, saying, “Even if you can’t stop her, you must try!”

Ba Shan recoiled.

Granny Si continued, “Besides them, you also need to be wary of Lang Wo…”

Ba Shan shivered and hastily walked away, “Granny, you’d better find someone more capable! Earth Virtue Primordial Monarch is one thing, but Lang Wo is a Divine King, a Celestial Venerable-level being. In the entire primeval universe, besides a handful of individuals, who can stand against her?”

Granny Si quickly said, “Don’t worry, Lang Wo is dispassionate; she prioritizes the Creator’s interests and won’t act recklessly. I’m just worried that if she wants to have a small Creator with the groom, it might cause trouble in the future. You don’t need to watch her closely; just watch Mu’er. As long as he can control himself, there won’t be any problems.”

Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan complained endlessly, “If Junior Brother can’t control himself, can I control him for him?”

Granny Si chuckled, “It’s fine if he can’t; at worst, we’ll just have a few more babies to hug. As for Celestial Venerable Ling, she has no interest in Mu’er. It’s only Celestial Venerable Yue that I’m a little unsure about…”

Ba Shan’s face turned ashen, and his legs trembled.

Granny Si continued, “...But elopement is unlikely. If she were to elope, wouldn’t she have to consider her reputation? So, she’s not a concern…”

She thought long and hard, compiling a list of potential troublemakers. Without realizing it, it was late at night. Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan looked up at the starry sky, seeing the twinkling stars, and chuckled, “The sky is strange tonight. It’s the fifteenth day of the month, a clear day, and there’s not even a moon…”

Granny Si suddenly realized, “Oh no! I forgot about her! The moon disappearing means she must be here! Go find your Junior Brother quickly, or she’ll kidnap him if you’re too late!”

Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan also realized, blurting out, “You mean the one on the moon? This is indeed a big problem! I’ll go find Junior Brother right away!”

He hastily departed, heading straight for Qin Mu’s residence. Before he even reached Qin Mu’s abode, he saw moonlight shimmering, illuminating the entire mansion.

Clearly, the moon from Yankang’s sky had quietly slipped down and landed in Qin Mu’s residence!

Ba Shan braced himself and charged in, thinking to himself, “No matter what, I cannot let Sword God of the High Emperor ruin this marriage!”

He burst into the mansion and saw the moon hanging above Qin Mu’s courtyard, about ten *zhang* high. The moon had been refined into a treasure, capable of expanding and contracting, and now hung there, only about a foot square.

Ba Shan hurried inside. Qin Mu’s residence had few servants, and they couldn’t stop him in time, so he pushed past them.

In front of the main hall, Qin Mu and Bai Qu’er were sitting on the stone steps below. One had graying temples, while the other still looked like a young girl.

They were talking about something, unknown to him. When Ba Shan burst in, he saw them both fully clothed, which put his mind at ease. He bowed and said, “Ba Shan greets Sword God of the High Emperor. Junior Brother, you are about to get married; it is inappropriate for you to be alone with other women.”

Qin Mu smiled gently, “That’s why Qu’er and I are talking outside the hall; we haven’t gone into a room.”

Bai Qu’er stood up and waved her hand. The moon descended, growing larger and larger, stopping about thirteen or fourteen feet above the ground.

The woman walked into the moon palace, not looking at Ba Shan.

Ba Shan felt relieved, “As long as nothing happens at this critical moment…”

Bai Qu’er stood in the moon palace, with a ribbon fluttering down. She extended a slender, jade-like hand downwards, her expression one of expectation.

Qin Mu stood up and raised his right hand. Their fingertips met.

Ba Shan’s scalp tingled, and he coughed loudly.

Qin Mu’s fingers trembled, then withdrew.

Bai Qu’er’s face saddened, but she didn’t retract her hand. The moon gradually ascended, its ribbons fluttering around it.

The moon rose higher and higher, moving faster and faster. Soon, its moonlight filled the sky, too high to reach.

Qin Mu looked up, and after a long time, he lowered his gaze and said, “Senior Brother Ba Shan, don’t worry about me. I know my limits and won’t act recklessly.”

Sacrificial Wine Ba Shan breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “I was afraid you couldn’t control your emotions. Your old brother here has been through it all; you’re at your most vulnerable right now.”

Qin Mu smiled and said, “Senior Brother, you’re overthinking it. My marriage is to delay the Heavenly Court’s reckoning against Yankang and to put Celestial Venerable Hao at ease about me. I certainly won’t mess things up at such a critical moment. Furthermore, Princess Xiu and I have been childhood sweethearts since we were young and long ago pledged our lives to each other. The only reason our marriage was delayed until now is due to the circumstances of the era.”

Ba Shan examined him closely, then said, “With those words from Junior Brother, I feel relieved. For the next few days, I’ll stay at your residence, and you can treat me to good wine and meat.”

Qin Mu burst into laughter and patted his shoulder.

His gaze passed over Ba Shan and landed on Ling Yuxiu.

Ling Yuxiu had arrived sometime earlier, unnoticed by him. She must have noticed the moon descending and sinking into Qin Mu’s residence but hadn’t come over immediately.

Only after Ba Shan arrived did she come.

Ba Shan discreetly left.

Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu walked side by side in the garden. Ling Yuxiu raised her hand to pluck a flower branch, but halfway through, she let go, and the branch sprang back.

“You have something on your mind,” Qin Mu said.

Ling Yuxiu smiled, “Don’t you?”

Qin Mu laughed, “I understand what’s on your mind. You’re worried that our marriage is merely a means to delay the Heavenly Court and to alleviate Celestial Venerable Hao’s suspicions about me. You don’t have to think that way. You know my true feelings. Even without these reasons, I would still marry you.”

Ling Yuxiu looked at the flowers in the garden by moonlight; several buds had not yet opened. She gently touched them with her fingertips, and the buds subtly bloomed in the moonlight. She said, “I always wish I could go back to when we first met at Yongjiang. Back then, we were innocent children, and our feelings were the purest and most naive. How wonderful it would have been if we had married then.”

Qin Mu picked a flower and smiled, “People always grow up. You and I have grown up, endured so many dangers, and yet we can still be together. This is what life is about. We’ve gone through so many trials, and we will continue to support each other and move forward in the future.”

Ling Yuxiu looked at him and said softly, “I always worry that you might have some lingering feelings or reluctance in your heart.”

“Not at all.”

Qin Mu embraced her, inhaling the scent of her hair, and murmured, “Not at all.”

He looked at the bright moon in the sky, and his heart skipped a beat.

The moon’s descent was merely a minor, unnoticed interlude in Celestial Venerable Mu’s wedding.

On this day, Celestial Venerable Mu’s grand wedding saw an endless stream of envoys arriving from all sides. Rulers from myriad heavens and worlds also sent envoys to offer congratulations. Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and others rushed back from the Ancestral Court to attend the wedding.

White Emperor of the West, Black Emperor of the North, and Vermilion Emperor of the South all sent envoys with lavish gifts.

Newly appointed Celestial Venerable Long Xiao also ordered his adopted son, Long Pi, to rush from the Beast World. Long Pi, accompanied by his children, personally came to see Qin Mu, sighing with emotion and choking back tears, saying, “The Cult Master finally doesn’t need me to worry about him anymore…”

Qin Hanzhen and his wife from Carefree Village also arrived, filled with emotion.

Grand Beginning also sent someone to present a gift: a dragon scale in a gift box.

On this day, guests gathered in droves in Upper and Lower Yankang Capital, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere. The Eight Elders of Disabled Elderly Village sat in the parents’ seats, with an empty seat beside them.

Emperor Yanfeng and the Empress, as well as Qin Hanzhen and his wife, also sat in the hall. Together with the Eight Elders, they received the kowtows of Qin Mu and his wife, each smiling, yet secretly turning away to wipe away tears.

On the day of the wedding ceremony, Hu Ling’er woke up from her hangover and missed the wedding.

Later, as it was time for the bridal chamber, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu heard voices from outside, “You’re still kissing! How shameless! Shame, shame!”

Blind Man’s voice came through, “Don’t panic, Mu’er, I’ll chase Ling’er away!”

Ling Yuxiu took off her shoe and threw it out, asking angrily, “Grandpa Blind, are you also eavesdropping?”

From outside the window came a cry of “ouch.” It was unclear which woman had been hit by the shoe, but by the sound, it seemed to be Si Yunxiang.

Qin Mu laughed heartily and unrolled a piece of paper. Ling Yuxiu ground ink for him, and Qin Mu picked up his brush to paint. In just a moment, a magnificent landscape painting of vast rivers and mountains sprang to life on the paper.

The two held hands and walked into the painting.

That night, within the painting, warblers sang and swallows chirped, a spring tide surged, its sounds rising and falling, melodious and intricate, utterly wondrous.

Zhai Zhu genuinely didn’t know it was May 20th today. Zhai Zhu is already married and doesn’t pay attention to such dates. It was absolutely unintentional, absolutely unintentional. I’m already married, yep, that’s how it is, la la la!