Chapter 1623: The Grand Wedding of Mu Tianzun
In the past few days, both the Upper and Lower Capitals of Yankang had been bustling with noise and excitement, with people coming and going. The Green Ox reported to Banshan Jijiu, saying, "Master, the eldest lady is drowning her sorrows in the tavern. Wine jars are piled up on the tables and in the corners."
Banshan Jijiu immediately grew tense and said, "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her cause trouble. I'll go tell Granny Si!"
The Green Ox hurried back to the tavern, only to see a little girl of about ten years old, as lovely as ice and snow, sitting at a wine table and shouting loudly, demanding the tavern keeper bring her more wine. Her nine fox tails had already slipped out from behind her, and she was on the verge of revealing her true form.
However, the tavern's wine had already been drunk dry by her, and the keeper had no choice. Recognizing this drunkard, he dared not drive her away and could only stand by helplessly, listening to her complaints.
"...I've also bowed at the wedding ceremony! Though I wasn't the main wife, I was at least a concubine..."
Fox Ling'er was completely drunk, clumsily climbing onto the wine table, one leg stuck in a wine jar and the other dangling outside. She rolled up her sleeves, reeking of alcohol, her white fur coat soaked in the stench, and poured out her grievances to the keeper: "This time, I have to get some kind of status, right? Don't you think so..."
The Green Ox rushed forward in panic: "The Right Chancellor is drunk! Quick, quick! Send the Right Chancellor back to her mansion!"
"I'm not drunk. I recognize you. You're the third... no, the fourth! Wrong! Long Pi, Tian Shu, and Qi Jiuyi have sworn brotherhood, so you should be the sixth or seventh..."
Fox Ling'er continued to babble nonsense. The Green Ox quickly helped her down and escorted her to the Chancellor's Mansion of the Department of State Affairs.
When Fox Ling'er arrived at the Department, she squinted drunkenly and caught sight of the Left Chancellor. She sneered, "Here's another one in the same boat! Si Yunxiang, you're the second wife. You be the judge! Back then, Blind Master arranged for all three of us to be married off—we even bowed at the ceremony!"
Si Yunxiang, serving alongside her as a Chancellor of the Department, one left and one right, managed Yankang's financial power. But over the years of experience, she had become much more composed. Smiling, she said, "Little sister is drunk. Go back and rest first."
Fox Ling'er said carelessly, "Old Nine, I don't need your help! I can walk!" With that, she pushed the Green Ox away and staggered forward, only to tumble with a gurgle into a flower bed. Only her tail was left sticking out, twitching twice before going still.
The Green Ox was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "When did I become Old Nine?"
Upon receiving Banshan's report, Granny Si immediately became alert and said, "Banshan, find some people to keep an eye on certain dangerous individuals! At this critical juncture, nothing must go wrong!"
Seeing how seriously she spoke, Banshan hurriedly replied, "Rest assured, Granny. I'll handle this properly!"
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Which dangerous individuals need to be monitored?"
"The little fox is the first! And then there's that girl Si Yunxiang!"
Granny Si spoke rapidly: "Especially Si Yunxiang. The little fox is straightforward, but that girl is cunning—we must guard against her. Besides them, there are other key targets, like the wild girls from the Western Lands. They still practice the custom of walking marriage, so be careful they don't lure the groom into their rooms on the wedding night! Also, be wary of the Earth Virtue Primordial Lord..."
Banshan committed this to memory but looked troubled: "The Earth Virtue Primordial Lord's current cultivation and attainment have already reached the pinnacle of Yankang. Aside from figures like Old Patriarch Wei and Youming Crown Prince, who can stop her?"
Granny Si shot him a glare and said, "Even if you can't stop her, you have to!"
Banshan shrank his head.
Granny Si continued, "Besides them, you also need to watch out for Lang Wan..."
Banshan shuddered and quickly headed for the door: "Granny, you'd better find someone else! The Earth Virtue Primordial Lord is one thing, but Lang Wan is a Divine King, a Tianzun-level existence! In the entire universe, aside from a handful of people, who can match her?"
Granny Si quickly said, "Don't worry. Lang Wan is a person who has forgotten emotions. She prioritizes the interests of the Creators above all else and won't act recklessly. I'm just concerned that if she wants to bear a little Creator with the groom, it might cause trouble later. You don't need to watch her closely—just keep an eye on Mu'er. As long as he can control his belt, there won't be a problem."
Banshan Jijiu groaned in complaint: "If Junior Brother can't control his belt, can I control it for him?"
Granny Si laughed, "If he can't control it, it doesn't matter. At worst, we'll have a few more children. As for Ling Tianzun, she has no interest in Mu'er. The only one I'm not sure about is Yue Tianzun..."
Banshan's face turned ashen, and his legs trembled.
Granny Si continued, "...but she wouldn't go so far as to steal the groom. If she did, she'd have to consider her own reputation, right? We don't need to worry about her..."
She pondered left and right, drawing up a list of potential troublemakers. Unbeknownst to her, it had already reached late at night. Banshan Jijiu looked up at the starry sky and remarked with a smile, "This sky is strange too. It's the fifteenth, a clear night, but there's no moon..."
Granny Si suddenly realized something: "Damn it! I forgot about her! The moon's disappearance means she's definitely here! Go find your Junior Brother quickly, or else she'll have taken him away!"
Banshan Jijiu also snapped to attention and exclaimed, "You mean the one on the moon? This is indeed a big deal! I'll go find Junior Brother right away!"
He hurried off toward Qin Mu's residence. Before he even reached the place, he saw moonlight rippling there, illuminating the entire mansion.
Clearly, the moon in Yankang's sky had stealthily descended and fallen into Qin Mu's courtyard!
Banshan steeled himself and barged in, thinking, "No matter what, I must not let the Shanghuang Sword God ruin this marriage!"
As he entered the mansion, he saw the moon hanging about ten zhang above Qin Mu's courtyard. The moon had been refined into a treasure, able to expand or shrink, and now it hung there, only about a foot across.
Banshan rushed inside. There weren't many servants in Qin Mu's mansion, and they couldn't stop him in time, so he pushed through.
In front of the hall, Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er sat on the stone steps below the veranda—one with graying temples, the other still looking like a young girl.
They seemed to be chatting about something. When Banshan burst in and saw that their clothes were neat, he relaxed and bowed, saying, "Banshan pays respects to the Shanghuang Sword God. Junior Brother, you're about to get married. It's not appropriate to be alone in a room with another woman."
Qin Mu smiled warmly and said, "So Qiu'er and I are talking outside the hall, not going inside."
Bai Qiu'er stood up and waved her hand. The moon descended, growing larger and larger, stopping when it was about one zhang and four chi above the ground.
This woman stepped into the moon palace without looking at Banshan.
Banshan felt relieved: "As long as nothing happens at this critical moment..."
Standing in the moon palace, Bai Qiu'er let a ribbon drift down. She extended her delicate hand downward, a look of anticipation on her face.
Qin Mu stood up and raised his right hand. Their fingertips touched.
Banshan's scalp tingled, and he gave a heavy cough.
Qin Mu's fingers trembled, and he withdrew his hand.
Bai Qiu'er's expression darkened. She didn't pull her hand back. The moon slowly rose, the ribbon fluttering around it.
The moon ascended higher and higher, moving faster and faster, until gradually the moonlight filled the sky, too high to reach.
Qin Mu looked up for a long time before finally lowering his gaze and saying, "Senior Brother Banshan, don't worry about me. I know my limits and won't act recklessly."
Banshan Jijiu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm afraid your emotions might get the better of you. I've been through it myself, old brother. This is your most dangerous time."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Senior Brother, you're exaggerating. I'm getting married to delay the Heavenly Court's reckoning against Yankang and to put Hao Tianzun at ease. I certainly won't mess things up at this critical moment. Besides, Princess Xiu and I grew up together and have long since pledged ourselves to each other. The reason we've delayed the wedding until now is also due to the pressures of the times."
Banshan looked him over carefully and said, "With those words from Junior Brother, I can rest easy. For the next few days, I'll stay at your mansion. Make sure you treat me to good wine and good food."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder.
His gaze passed over Banshan and landed on Ling Yuxiu.
Ling Yuxiu had arrived at some point, presumably having noticed the moon descending into Qin Mu's mansion, but she hadn't come over immediately.
She only arrived when Banshan came.
Banshan tactfully left.
Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu walked side by side through the garden. Ling Yuxiu reached out to break a flower branch but stopped halfway and let it spring back.
"You have something on your mind," Qin Mu said.
Ling Yuxiu smiled. "Don't you?"
Qin Mu chuckled. "I understand what's on your mind. You're worried that our marriage is actually a way to delay the Heavenly Court, that we're getting married to dispel Hao Tianzun's suspicions about me. You don't need to think that way. You know my feelings. Even without all this, I would still marry you."
Ling Yuxiu looked at the flowers in the garden by the moonlight. A few buds hadn't opened yet. She gently touched them, and the buds bloomed softly in the moonlight. She said, "I always want to go back to the time when we first met at the Yong River. Back then, we were innocent and naive, our feelings the purest and most ignorant. If only we had gotten married then."
Qin Mu picked a flower and smiled. "People always have to grow up. You and I have grown up. After all these dangers, we've still ended up together—that's life. We've been through so many trials, and we'll continue to support each other and keep going."
Ling Yuxiu looked at him and said softly, "I always worry that there's some resentment in your heart, some reluctance to let go."
"There isn't."
Qin Mu embraced her, breathing in the fragrance of her hair, and murmured, "There isn't."
He looked at the bright moon in the sky, his heartbeat slowing for a beat.
The moon's descent was just a small episode in the wedding of Mu Tianzun, unnoticed by most.
On this day, Mu Tianzun's grand wedding took place. Envoys from all sides came in an endless stream. Rulers from countless realms sent their representatives to offer congratulations. Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and others returned from the Ancestral Court to attend the wedding.
The White Tiger Western Emperor, the Black Tortoise Northern Emperor, and the Vermilion Bird Southern Emperor all sent envoys with lavish gifts.
The newly promoted Tianzun, Long Xiao, also sent his adopted son Long Pi from the Beast Realm. Long Pi brought his own children to personally see Qin Mu, sighing with emotion and choking back tears as he said, "The Sect Leader finally doesn't need me to worry anymore..."
The couple from the Land of No Worries, Qin Hanzhen and his wife, also arrived, filled with emotion.
Tai Chu also sent someone to present a gift. In the gift box was a dragon scale.
On this day, guests gathered in the Upper and Lower Capitals of Yankang, bustling with excitement. The eight elders of the Crippled Village sat in the seats of Qin Mu's parents, with an empty seat placed beside them.
Emperor Yanfeng and the Empress, along with Qin Hanzhen and his wife, also sat in the hall, receiving the bows of Qin Mu and his bride alongside the eight elders. They all smiled but secretly turned away to wipe their tears.
On the day of the wedding ceremony, Fox Ling'er woke up from her drunken stupor and missed the ceremony.
When it came time for the bridal chamber, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu heard voices from outside: "You're still kissing! How shameless! Shame, shame—"
The Blind Man's voice came through: "Mu'er, don't panic. I'll chase Ling'er away!"
Ling Yuxiu took off her shoe and threw it, saying indignantly, "Blind Grandpa, are you eavesdropping too?"
From outside the window came an "ouch," and it sounded like a woman had been hit by the shoe. The voice seemed to be Si Yunxiang's.
Qin Mu laughed heartily, spread out a sheet of paper, and Ling Yuxiu ground ink for him. Qin Mu picked up his brush and began to paint. In no time, a painting of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains appeared on the paper.
The two held hands and stepped into the painting.
That night, in the painting, orioles sang and swallows chirped, the spring tide surged, rising and falling, melodious and lingering, indescribably wonderful.
——Zhai Zhu really didn't know today was May 20th. Zhai Zhu is already married and doesn't care about such things. It was absolutely unintentional, absolutely unintentional. I'm already married, yes, that's how it is, la la la!