Chapter 381: Wedding Night

The Dragon Qilin carried them to the nearby town. The blind man immediately got busy, buying a phoenix coronet and robes, and preparing several outfits and a large red flower for Qin Mu. He then summoned some old women to help Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, Si Yunxiang, and Hu Ling'er change into their attire.

"Emperor Yanfeng lost his daughter and might come looking for her. To avoid any further complications, it's best to have the wedding night immediately!"

The blind man took some Dafeng coins from the little fox's pouch and rented a large mansion. He bought some maidservants and busied himself with preparations, intending for the wedding ceremony to take place that very day.

Qin Mu was tightly bound, but his cultivation remained. He secretly blew his golden flute, intending for several flood dragons to ambush the blind man and tie him up.

However, no sooner had the golden flute sounded than the blind man immediately noticed it, before Qin Mu could even establish a connection with the flood dragons. The blind man touched Qin Mu's forehead with his bamboo staff. Qin Mu immediately heard booming sounds from within his body as his Sixfold, Fivefold, and Spirit Embryo divine treasures were forcefully shut and sealed by the blind man.

Fearing that Qin Mu might try other tricks, the blind man also sealed Ling Yuxiu's and Si Yunxiang's divine treasures.

Seeing him approach, Hu Ling'er excitedly chirped, "Don't worry, Grandpa Blind, Ling'er won't run away!"

The blind man untied the golden rope from Hu Ling'er and said, "I'll untie you. You help me keep an eye on them. I'll go arrange a few tables for the banquet and invite a local opera troupe."

"Alright!" the little fox readily agreed.

"Traitor!" Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang glared at her in unison.

Hu Ling'er, looking pleased, jumped onto a chair and swung her braid.

"Grandpa Blind is truly experienced..."

Qin Mu marveled inwardly, filled with admiration. The blind man's divine ability to seal cultivation was effortlessly applied, sealing all three of them, preventing them from using any of their skills.

"Fat Dragon, come here."

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed as he called the Dragon Qilin. "Carry us and run quickly!"

The Dragon Qilin shook its head. "We can't outrun him, so there's no point in running." With that, it wagged its tail and went to guard the door.

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, thinking that the Dragon Qilin definitely needed to go on a strict diet.

By evening, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu were held by several old women and forcibly made to perform the wedding ceremony. The blind man had invited almost everyone from the small town to witness the wedding, accepting no gifts. The opera troupe was also a very ordinary one, with trumpets and suonas, giving the event a rustic feel.

The wedding was, naturally, extremely lively. Finally, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu were ushered into the bridal chamber by the boisterous town residents.

Hu Ling'er was unhappy that she wasn't the bride. She got completely drunk at the banquet and began babbling nonsense.

The blind man waved his hand and said, "Come again tomorrow! We'll have another ceremony tomorrow! The groom will be the same, but the bride will be different!"

"This groom is so lucky!" people exclaimed, then dispersed.

Hu Ling'er hopped onto the banquet table, clutching a wine jar larger than herself. Drunkenly, she slurred, "Grandpa Blind, I want to be the bride tomorrow!"

"Yes, yes," the blind man nodded repeatedly.

Inside the bridal chamber, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu sat on the edge of the bed, listening as the outside commotion gradually faded. Both felt a mix of apprehension and anxiety. After a moment, Ling Yuxiu lifted a corner of her veil and secretly peeked at Qin Mu, who sat beside her wearing a large red flower. Qin Mu was nervously pulling at the flower, and she suddenly let out a giggle.

Qin Mu glared at her. "You can still laugh! If your father finds out, he'll definitely have my head!"

Ling Yuxiu wanted to lift her veil. Her eyes darted around, and she said with a mischievous smile, "They say it's bad luck for a girl to remove her own veil in the bridal chamber; the man must do it."

"There's such a rule?"

Qin Mu was surprised. He lifted the veil from her head and couldn't help but stare. The girl, with her rouged cheeks, looked indescribably alluring in the candlelight. Ling Yuxiu, shy and bashful, lowered her head and gave him a sidelong glance. "What are you looking at?"

"You're truly beautiful."

Qin Mu stood up and pushed the door, but it didn't open. "Grandpa Blind locked the door. I'll check the window."

He opened the window, just about to jump out, when a bamboo staff tapped from below the window. The blind man's voice came through, "Go to sleep, don't even think about running."

Qin Mu jumped in surprise and angrily said, "Grandpa Blind, why are you lurking by the wall?"

"It's a custom."

The blind man said, "Don't worry, I'm blind. I can't see anything."

"As if!"

With a bang, Qin Mu slammed the window shut, then returned to the bed and sat down, muttering, "With Grandpa Blind guarding outside, I'm afraid we can't escape."

They sat on the edge of the bed, Ling Yuxiu tugging at her sleeve and Qin Mu pulling at the large red flower on his chest. After a long silence, the blind man's cough came from outside the window. "There's wedding wine on the table! Drink it quickly and go to sleep!"

Qin Mu grabbed the wine pot and threw it. The blind man became furious and walked away, leaning on his bamboo staff. A moment later, the sound of the blind man hitting a chicken came through. "What good is a rooster that doesn't crow? If it doesn't crow soon, I'll break its leg!"

"Is Grandpa Blind scolding the rooster or me?"

Qin Mu was puzzled. A moment later, the window opened, and a bamboo staff, holding a rooster with a broken leg, appeared in the window.

Qin Mu closed the window and returned to sit by the bed, mumbling, "We haven't seen each other for a long time."

Ling Yuxiu chuckled. "You still don't know what to say. I'm a little tired, I'll go to sleep first."

"Oh."

Ling Yuxiu hummed and turned over.

Qin Mu also lay down, pulling the covers over himself. They shared one pillow, facing each other. Qin Mu dared not breathe. Ling Yuxiu let out a giggle, her breath caressing his face, and Qin Mu's face instantly flushed. The girl under the covers quickly pecked his lips.

"You smell nice."

Qin Mu blinked. "Kiss me again."

Ling Yuxiu kissed him again, then burst into giggles.

"What good is just kissing?"

The blind man's irritable voice came from outside the window, gradually fading. "A rooster that doesn't crow is useless; I'll stew it and eat it... Hmm? Has Emperor Yanfeng caught up? The Emperor is family by marriage, so we can't neglect him. We must invite him to the wedding banquet. I'll slaughter this crowing rooster to entertain him!"

Hearing him walk away, Qin Mu quickly tiptoed out of bed, went to the window, and quietly opened it. He peeked outside, then waved to Ling Yuxiu, but she didn't follow.

Qin Mu looked back and saw that the girl seemed to be asleep.

Qin Mu clumsily climbed out and whispered, "Stop pretending to be asleep, get up quickly."

Ling Yuxiu's face flushed crimson. She quickly emerged from under the covers, put on her shoes, and crawled out the window. Qin Mu received her on the other side and helped her down. The two secretly crept along the wall towards Si Yunxiang's room. Arriving at her window, Qin Mu whispered, "Sister Xiang, are you asleep?"

"Not yet."

Si Yunxiang's voice came from behind him. Qin Mu jumped in surprise, quickly turned around, and saw Si Yunxiang quietly following them.

"When did you get out?" Qin Mu asked, surprised.

Si Yunxiang replied with a half-smile, "I've been out for a while. I wanted to eavesdrop, but all I heard was a little female cat in heat calling and calling, though it couldn't attract a male cat."

Ling Yuxiu sneered, "Some female cats aren't even qualified to call for male cats. Cowherd, should we go find the little fox?"

"Ling'er betrayed us!"

Qin Mu shook his head. "Let's go now, and keep quiet."

"Where are you going, Cult Master?" The Dragon Qilin suddenly appeared behind them, startling all three.

"Traitor!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth. "If you want to eat in the future, don't make a sound, or I'll have a full dragon feast for the New Year!"

The Dragon Qilin shivered and obediently followed him out. "Grandpa Blind has gone out. He said he's inviting Emperor Yanfeng for wedding wine. We can slip away."

Qin Mu looked behind him and saw more than a dozen flood dragons quietly following. He couldn't help but chuckle wryly. "Leaving Ling'er alone might be unsafe. Where is Ling'er?"

The Dragon Qilin lowered its head, revealing a snow-white fox splayed out and asleep on its forehead.

"Quick, let's go! If the Emperor arrives, we'll truly be beheaded!"

Qin Mu pulled the two girls, then vigorously jumped onto the Dragon Qilin's back. "Don't ride the fire cloud; Grandpa Blind will see us. His eyesight is excellent! Let's quietly leave the town without alarming anyone."

The Dragon Qilin carried them out of town, heading south. After galloping for a hundred li, Qin Mu relaxed. "We can run at full speed now!"

The Dragon Qilin increased its speed and ran all night, covering three to four thousand li. Qin Mu smiled. "Grandpa Blind's eyes shouldn't be able to see this far, Fat Dragon, we can stop and rest now... The Surging River is ahead. We'll go to the riverbank, follow it to the East Sea, and then detour to the capital. Is Ling'er awake? Tie up that little traitor!"

"She's still drunk."

They arrived at the bank of the Surging River, just about to look for a boat, when they saw a boat drifting from the middle of the river. Standing at the bow was an old blind man leaning on a staff.

Qin Mu's face turned ashen.

"I lured Emperor Yanfeng away; he's already chased them all the way to Great Thunderclap Monastery."

The blind man calmly stated, "Mu'er, I've waited for you for an hour, and you've only just reached here. You've disappointed me greatly."

Qin Mu slumped in despair. The Dragon Qilin quickly interjected, "Grandpa Blind, I knew you'd be here, so I rushed as fast as I could in this direction!"

Everyone had no choice but to board the boat, which immediately turned and headed towards the Great Ruins.

"Once we reach the village, it won't be too late to hold the remaining two weddings."

The blind man smiled. "Last night, I invited Emperor Yanfeng to eat chicken. He's likely already agreed to this marriage."

Qin Mu could already envision himself being led to the execution ground, about to be beheaded.

Suddenly, the river waters surged and became turbulent. Qin Mu paused, then quickly leaned over the boat's side. He saw the current abruptly change from turbulent to calm again, but the river surface where their boat was situated began to rise higher and higher, gradually surpassing the trees and hilltops on both banks.

Ling Yuxiu ran to the stern, and Si Yunxiang ran to the bow. They looked upstream and downstream and were stunned. The Surging River had lifted from its riverbed, resembling a long jade belt.

More and more river water floated in the air, like a water dragon.

Everyone on the boat stared blankly at the scene. The small boat, sailing within this long river in the sky, appeared even more minuscule.