Chapter 248: Chapter 40: Running Away from the Wedding
Half a month later.
At Kunlun Heavenly Pillar, in the Scriptural Repository of Jade Void Palace.
“This is the Shenxiao Thunder Method sent back by Fellow Daoist Zhang,” the elder Xu, who was guarding the Scriptural Repository, handed the scripture scroll over to Xu Changqing and said with a smile, “You’re quite lucky, you didn’t do anything and someone has already returned the Thunder Method.”
Qiu Changtian smiled without responding. Who said anything about not doing anything? He had slain a mountain of minor demons to rescue that person, hadn’t he?
“I heard that within Mount Tianmu, where Fellow Daoist Zhang resides, hides the secret realm of the ancient White Jade Capital,” Elder Xu remembered something and cautioned, “The trials within are greatly beneficial to a Sword Immortal.”
“The three orthodox sects have decided to open it once a year in January. If you can find the time, you can register with your master next month,” he said.
“Thank you for the reminder, senior,” Qiu Changtian responded with a smile, thinking to himself that he had already cleared the trial long ago.
“When cultivating the Thunder Method, don’t rush it,” Elder Xu cautioned again, “You are to be engaged tomorrow, you should conserve your strength and rest up today.”
Qiu Changtian agreed repeatedly, but deep down he was feeling rather sentimental.
In this world, it usually took half a year from engagement to marriage among the common folk.
The reason why the Xu Family had everything arranged in just half a month, rushing the couple to get married as though they were coercing ducks onto a perch, was clearly because they feared delays might lead to complications.
Or perhaps, they were all-too familiar with Xu Yinglian’s stubborn temperament and feared that if they delayed any longer, the girl might do something foolish and wreck the engagement.
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Of course, they weren’t wrong to worry. Xu Yinglian had said before that “even in choosing a Daoist companion, she wouldn’t want to have any regrets.”
If the Xu Family truly had chosen a Daoist companion she was dissatisfied with, she would probably have bolted from the marriage… He could only say it was fortunate that she met him.
“I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to throw up,” the Kunlun Mirror suddenly spoke up.
“Are you pregnant?” Qiu Changtian asked in surprise.
“No, do you really think her meeting you is lucky or unlucky, don’t you have any idea in your heart?” the Kunlun Mirror criticized him unabashedly, “If I may speak frankly, isn’t this just marriage fraud?”
“How is this marriage fraud?” Qiu Changtian asked with surprise, “Did I actively seek out this marriage to deceive someone? Weren’t the arrangements made by the Xu Family of Southern Heaven and the Ziwei Master and simply notified to me? If I want to remain in Kunlun, I have no room to turn things down!”
The Kunlun Mirror was silent for a moment, then said softly:
“Then… even if you were forced, isn’t it still marriage fraud?”
“I think ‘deception’ isn’t the right word,” the Green Duckweed Sword interjected, “Considering Sword Master didn’t use his real name to marry Junior Sister Xu, I think ‘fake marriage’ is a more appropriate term.”
“Correct,” Qiu Changtian said with satisfaction, “My Qing Ping truly understands reason better than some broken mirror that keeps empathizing all the time.”
The Kunlun Mirror went silent.
It wasn’t that it had nothing to counter with, but because it suddenly realized that whatever it said was useless at this point.
Was this person not understanding? No, he was feigning ignorance!
How do you awaken someone pretending to be asleep?
Qiu Changtian took his leave from Elder Xu and then rode his sword to visit Xu Changqing.
This newly-anointed Qing Yang True Person had just seen off a wave of old friends who had come to visit and offer their congratulations. Seeing Qiu Changtian approaching from afar on his sword, he immediately dropped the forced smile from his face, revealing an anxious expression as he sighed:
“The day before yesterday, I spoke to the clan and asked them to keep the ceremony as simple and modest as possible, but for some reason, the clan leader changed his mind a few days ago and insisted on a grand celebration with a wide array of guests…”
“Maybe they just want it to be more lively,” Qiu Changtian casually replied.
“The clan wants to use you to boost their reputation,” Qing Yang True Person said with annoyance, “Cultivator families have always prided themselves on their superior cultivation seeds, why bother with such empty fame now? It seems the clan leader has been pondering over the fact that for the past ten years, apart from Ying Lian, there have been no other outstanding younger generations, and thus wants to use this wedding to revitalize our reputation.”
“What I worry about is twofold: first, such a grand display by the clan will fool only the mediocre masses but not the discerning people, ultimately only revealing our shortcomings.”
“Second, Junior Brother Qiu, you’re already on the hit list of the Demon Cult. You were supposed to remain hidden and conceal your identity, and yet the clan is messing things up like this… Sigh!”
The more he talked, the angrier he got, and by the end, he flung his sleeve with such force he wished he could confront the clan leader and give him a piece of his mind.
Qiu Changtian, on the other hand, didn’t mind, because he had Invincible Character Setting synchronization values to farm.
But recently, as he couldn’t go out for trials, he could only discuss the profound with others within the sect, and the efficiency of farming synchronization values clearly wasn’t as satisfying as it used to be.
Xu Changqing said it was but an empty title, yet he didn’t realize that what Qiu Changtian needed at the moment was exactly these seemingly useless honors.
If the wedding could be held with great fanfare and Qiu Changtian’s glorious resume was promoted everywhere, wouldn’t it harvest a large wave of Synchronization Value?
However, considering what Junior Sister had said that day…
Thinking this, he started to murmur to Qing Yang True Person.
——————
The day of the wedding soon arrived.
The ceremony for a Cultivator to become Daoist Companions could be grand, simple, or even neglected, mostly depending on the Cultivator’s own wishes.
For a supreme Cultivator Family like The Xu Family of Southern Heaven, especially for Xu Yinglian who was renowned far and wide as the “Phoenix Immortal,” not holding the ceremony was definitely not an option.
As for the specific details of the ceremony, it was quite different from folk weddings and did not include picking up the bride or carrying bridal sedans… Cultivator Families needed to maintain a certain style, too festive and lively would seem no different than common folk, which would actually be demeaning.
Overall, it actually involved just two parts: ancestral rites within the clan and a banquet for the guests.
Ancestral rites within the clan were the core ceremony, involving a series of complicated steps such as honoring the ancestors, meeting the elders, and registering in the family annals. The purpose was for the relatives of the groom and the bride to quickly get acquainted and establish corresponding social connections.
Daoist Companion, where “Companion” refers not just to the partner themselves but also includes the partner’s social resources.
As for hosting a grand banquet for guests, it was an optional part. After all, many Cultivators are naturally reclusive and simply can’t find friends to invite, so there would be no guests to entertain at the banquet.
Xu Yinglian sat in her bridal chamber, attended by several maids helping her dress and apply makeup.
Once the makeup was finished, the maids bowed and stepped out of the room, waiting for the groom to finish the ancestral rites before coming to escort the bride outside to greet the guests.
Xu Yinglian sat blankly in front of the dressing table, feeling extremely depressed.
She was naturally strong-willed, and now she had to be “forced into marriage” by her family, which she found very upsetting.
In this way, what difference was there between the illustrious Phoenix Immortal and an ordinary girl who had not yet left her father’s side?
She wallowed in self-pity, unable to stop thinking about it, and inevitably laid her head on the desk, burying her face in her arms.
If the groom wasn’t my senior brother, I would… I would!
As she was immersed in her chaotic thoughts, she suddenly heard the sound of the door being pushed open.
Xu Yinglian slightly turned her head and saw Qiu Changtian enter the room in wedding attire, his face brimming with a smile.
“Why have you come?” she blurted out instinctively, then realizing her current posture was rather unruly, she quickly straightened her back and sat upright, revealing her beautiful figure and curves, and said with restraint, “Has the ancestral rite ended already?”
“It hasn’t even started yet.” Qiu Changtian pulled up a chair and sat down, “I just arrived, coming to check on you.”
“Are you here to take pleasure in my misfortune?” Xu Yinglian sighed.
“What do you mean by that?” Qiu Changtian asked in surprise.
“You know well that I’m unwilling to accept the family’s forced arrangement, and right now my mood must be gloomy. You’ve come just to see my frustrated expression, haven’t you?” Xu Yinglian said sullenly.
“Junior Sister, in your heart, am I the kind of person who takes joy in bullying you?” Qiu Changtian asked with a mix of laughter and helplessness.
Xu Yinglian turned her head away, thinking to herself that you’ve deliberately annoyed me so many times before. She decided to simply keep quiet and ignore him.
But suddenly her delicate hand was grasped firmly. She let out a soft cry of surprise and saw Qiu Changtian lean in close, asking earnestly:
“Junior Sister, you don’t object to becoming Daoist Companions with me, you just dislike ‘the family forcing you to become Daoist Companions with me,’ right?”
“Mm.” She was a bit shy, dodging Qiu Changtian’s gaze and still said, “Not bad. I didn’t expect you could solve the question I gave you.”
“What’s there not to solve?” Qiu Changtian threw in a casual remark, and seeing Xu Yinglian about to get angry again, quickly brought the conversation back to the main point with a smile, “Junior Sister, if you don’t want to have any regrets…”
“What now?”
“Let’s elope!” Qiu Changtian said with all seriousness.
“Ah?” Xu Yinglian hadn’t even processed it yet when she was pulled up by Qiu Changtian by the hand and led towards the door.