Jinde slightly raised his brows at that stepson of his. Thankfully, Qiu Ling had managed to throw that guy off for now. He really didn't want to have his second wedding ruined by some random passerby. Well, in any case, they should better hurry so nobody else would get the chance to make trouble.
He turned to Yuchi Bing Xia as soon as he thought so, a beautiful smile lighting up his features. "Sect Master Yuchi, maybe we should start the ceremony then? I really can't wait any longer." He reached out to the side, interlacing his fingers with Leng Jin Yu's.
The two of them looked at each other, smiling faintly. They really were of one mind in this regard. They had already waited for so long, it would be best if they could start immediately.
Yuchi Bing Xia felt a bit flustered. From the moment he had first seen Jinde, he had always felt that this person was untouchable, that he was somebody far removed from the lives of mortals like them even though he was living so close by. That this person was now getting married to the disciple he had picked up in the wilderness … it really was a strange feeling. But, well, since this was what Jinde himself wanted, Yuchi Bing Xia naturally didn't say anything to try and dissuade him. He merely nodded and then motioned for everyone to be quiet.
"Let me thank everyone who has followed our invitation to my disciple's wedding. We are honored to have you witness this ceremony. I do not want to lose many words but I do want to give the two people in question my blessings up-front.
"Yu Jin has joined our Yun Zou Sect a long time ago and I have always been proud to be able to call him my disciple. I am also happy that — by giving him a place here — I was able to facilitate these two people meeting and thus finding their partner for life. I am glad that today, you can make this wish come true." He smiled at that, even though he also felt a little reluctant.
This was a bit like sending off his own child. Well, in fact, that wasn't that wrong. Yu Jin might have been a little older already when he took him in but he had always felt that it was fate that brought them together. Over the years though, he had seen less and less of this youngest disciple of his and he knew that after this wedding, it was only a question of time until Yu Jin and Jinde would pack their bags and go to the Jian Yi Sect. Then, he might not see him at all. Naturally, he would feel a bit sorry for himself.
He sighed faintly and then turned to Zhangsun Xun Yi next to him. "Grandmaster Zhangsun, would you please preside over the ceremony?"
Considering the identity of Jinde, Yuchi Bing Xia hadn't really felt comfortable presiding over the ceremony himself so he had discussed with Zhangsun Xun Yi as soon as the process of the ceremony had been decided on.
Naturally, Zhangsun Xun Yi hadn't refused. While he felt a little strange thinking of how they were both of a much older generation, as well as of a much higher level than him. But it would be hard or probably even impossible to find anyone in the mortal realm who would be able to fill this role without being in this kind of awkward situation. Their identities were just too special for that. At the very least, him doing this would allow them to make sure that nobody else would find out about their true identities.
The Grandmaster took a deep breath and then stepped forward, nodding at the two people in question. Even unrelated to their identities, he had never thought that he would ever be presiding over a wedding ceremony. The actual process wasn't difficult so he didn't think that it should be a problem though. He should manage to pull this off without a hitch.
He looked at the two people and then at the few people among the audience that knew: Qiu Ling and his two advisers, Xin Lan who had brought Hua Lin Yu along, and Sect Master Fei from the Jian Yi Sect. Everyone else was just there for appearance's sake because it was necessary for the sect. But these people were really here to witness a wedding and their expressions were solemn but happy.
Zhangsun Xun Yi lightly cleared his throat and then turned back to Leng Jin Yu and Jinde. "I am not a man of many words and Sect Master Yuchi has already spoken a few words of greeting so I will not bother to repeat them. I also think that you will probably prefer me to not do anything unnecessary to delay your actual wedding."
Jinde lightly chuckled at that. "If you wouldn't mind …" He squeezed Leng Jin Yu's hand at the side and glanced at him mischievously.
Their big day had finally come. While there had been a wedding in the style of his race before, this somehow seemed to make it more official. Maybe it was because they were finally incorporating Leng Jin Yu's heritage from this life or maybe it was because the matter with Chun Yin finally wasn't standing between them anymore in any capacity. In any case, he was more than ready for this.
Leng Jin Yu felt the same and faintly inclined his head. Neither of them wanted to wait.
Zhangsun Xun Yi showed a rare curl of his lips and nodded. "Very well. Then let us start with the ceremony. To take your wedding vows, I ask you to bow to each other."