The Sheng family, father and son, worked with remarkable efficiency. Within two days, news of the eldest son of the City Lord's mansion getting married on the fifth day of the next month had spread throughout the city.
There hadn't been a wedding in the city for a long time, so this news quickly became the hot topic of conversation among the townspeople.
Even walking down the street, one could hear vendors and passersby discussing it.
"The eldest son hasn't been home for ages, so why did he suddenly bring a girl back and decide to get married?"
"You don't know? I heard that the girl fell in love with him at first sight and insisted on marrying him."
"But I heard they were childhood sweethearts, and the marriage was arranged by their families."
Someone laughed, "You're all wrong! From what I know, the girl's father is his mentor, and the young master has been in love with her for a long time, chasing her for ages before finally winning her over."
Others worried, "But the white fox that's been kidnapping brides still hasn't been caught. How can they dare to have a wedding now? Aren't they afraid..."
"Hey, hush, you and your crow's mouth! Don't jinx the only happy event we've had in a while."
Xie Hanzhu initially just wanted to buy some roasted chestnuts, but ended up overhearing all sorts of gossip. She returned to the inn, holding a warm bag of chestnuts, and nudged Wen Miaomiao, who was sitting across from her, silently. "What do you think, does Meng Shuying know that Senior Sister is getting married on the fifth day of the month?"
Wen Miaomiao grabbed a handful of chestnuts, peeled them quickly, and handed them to the passing Hongdou with a smile.
"She definitely doesn't know."
Perhaps due to her impaired vision, Meng Shuying had hardly left her room in the past few days and only appeared during mealtimes.
Even though the whole city was abuzz with the news, she probably still didn't know.
"I wonder what she's been doing, cooped up in her room all day. We even invited her to move to the fourth floor, but she refused," Xie Hanzhu said, popping a chestnut into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Then, in a low voice, she asked, "What cultivation level do you think Meng Shuying has reached now?"
Wen Miaomiao replied, "I can't tell."
Xie Hanzhu was in the early stage of the Golden Core, and when they first met, she had realized that she couldn't gauge Meng Shuying's cultivation level.
Wen Miaomiao, who was already in the mid-stage of the Golden Core, surprisingly couldn't tell either.
That could only mean that Meng Shuying had either reached the peak of the Golden Core stage or had even advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.
Oh my goodness. Xie Hanzhu gasped in shock.
How old is she, twenty-five or twenty-six?
She's only been cultivating for ten years, and she's already about to reach the Nascent Soul stage?
Suddenly, the chestnuts in Xie Hanzhu's hand didn't seem as tasty anymore.
Hongdou, with a handful of chestnuts, waddled over to sit beside Meng Shuying, breaking the silence between the two.
"Sister Luowei, do you want some chestnuts?"
She placed the chestnuts on a small dish and pushed it towards Su Luowei.
Upon hearing the little girl change her address to "Sister," Meng Shuying's lips twitched slightly but she didn't say anything.
Su Luowei pushed the small white dish back with a gentle voice, "I'm not hungry, but thank you."
Hongdou then turned to Meng Shuying, "Do you want some chestnuts, Master?"
Meng Shuying pursed her lips and gently reminded her, "What should you call me when we're outside?"
"...Father."
Hongdou tilted her head and tried to feed a chestnut to Meng Shuying, looking around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered, "We've run so far already. Do you think those bad uncles will still chase after us?"
Meng Shuying's voice was calm, "We can't let our guard down."
Hearing their conversation, Su Luowei asked, "Is someone chasing you?"
Hongdou, quick to speak, immediately replied, "Yes! Some bad uncles have been chasing us for a long time. Master... I mean, Father was poisoned by them."
"What happened?" Su Luowei directed the question at Meng Shuying.
Meng Shuying was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "While traveling in the south, I had some conflicts with the cultivators of the Danyang Alliance."
Su Luowei didn't ask what the conflict was or what level the opponents were, but instead, she asked, "Is that why you're disguising yourself as a man and claiming Hongdou as your daughter?"
"Something like that," Meng Shuying nodded slowly.
Su Luowei's gaze lingered on Meng Shuying's face, studying her closely. She noticed a faint scar at the corner of Meng Shuying's left eyebrow.
It was barely noticeable unless you looked closely.
Compared to before she left the mountain, she appeared much more mature, exuding a calmness that only comes from experiencing hardships.
Perhaps sensing Su Luowei's gaze, Meng Shuying turned her face away slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Su Luowei decided to stop looking at her and instead focused on the teacup in her hand.
This time, upon encountering Meng Shuying again, Su Luowei felt an indescribable emotion whenever she looked at her.
Although Hongdou had assured her that Meng Shuying was delighted to see her, Su Luowei had not seen a trace of joy on her face.
She wasn't like this before.
Although she was never particularly outgoing or cheerful, she would at least smile, unable to hide her happiness when looking at Su Luowei.
But now, Su Luowei couldn't read her at all.
At the end of the month, Sheng Ruiming sent someone to the inn to reserve the entire place and informed Su Luowei that everything was ready, and he would come to the inn to fetch her on the fifth.
Under Sheng Ruiming's arrangements, the entire inn was redecorated. Lanterns were hung, and red banners with the word "happiness" were pasted everywhere. The place was adorned with red lanterns.
Only then did the innkeeper learn that the bride Sheng Ruiming was marrying was staying in his inn.
The next day, when Xie Hanzhu went out to buy some snacks, she heard rumors that the bride-to-be, the eldest son of the City Lord's mansion, was exceptionally beautiful—a rare beauty.
The inn, which had been bustling daily, suddenly quieted down, and Meng Shuying noticed something was off. She sent Hongdou out to gather information.
When Hongdou returned, she was holding a handful of peanut candy.
"The innkeeper said that the reason the inn is so quiet is that an important person is getting married here and has reserved the whole place. He also told us not to worry because someone had informed him that we wouldn't be asked to leave."
Meng Shuying was silent for a long time before asking, "What kind of wedding?"
The peanut candy had become sticky and gooey, and Hongdou chewed on it with some effort before finally swallowing it.
"The innkeeper said it's a person named Sheng Gongzi who is getting married. Master, what does 'getting married' mean?"
Meng Shuying's voice suddenly turned cold, "Who is he marrying?"
Sensing the flash of murderous intent in her master's heart, Hongdou shivered. She glanced at the peanut candy in her hand, hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered the courage to continue, "The innkeeper said...he's marrying the most beautiful fairy."
Meng Shuying suddenly stood up, her face dark as water, and murderous intent poured out of her.
For several days after that, Meng Shuying was nowhere to be seen.
On the morning of the fifth day of the month, just as the sky began to brighten, the bridal attendants and maids entered in a line to help Su Luowei dress and apply makeup.
Looking at the bridal attire and jewelry the maids were carrying, Su Luowei, who was already in a bad mood, became even more displeased.
Seeing her face darken, Xie Hanzhu took the initiative to chase the attendants out, "Leave the dress and the veil; take everything else away. Hurry, take them away!"
The head attendant, who had a large red silk flower on her head, blocked the maids from leaving and looked troubled. "But this isn't according to tradition. We still have to do the bride's makeup!"
Xie Hanzhu didn't care; she shooed them away like flies. Only after the room was finally quiet did she feel at ease.
At the hour of the dragon, the bridal sedan arrived at the inn's entrance right on time, but for some reason, the groom didn't show up.
This wedding was just for show, so no one cared whether the groom was there or not.
Su Luowei put on the red veil, and with Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao supporting her on either side, she slowly walked down the stairs and got into the red bridal sedan.
The sedan prepared by the Sheng family was spacious enough to comfortably seat three or four people.
Xie Hanzhu was about to get in with Su Luowei when the head attendant grabbed her firmly.
"The bridal sedan is only for the bride."
With everyone watching, Xie Hanzhu couldn't make a scene, so she withdrew her foot and, along with Wen Miaomiao, walked beside the sedan.
The sides of the road were packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of the bride. Everyone was craning their necks to see what kind of stunning beauty the bride was.
Xie Hanzhu glanced at the burly men clearing the way ahead, then looked back at the servants carrying the dowry, sighing softly. "I never thought the day would come when I'd be reduced to a dowry maid."
Wen Miaomiao sighed too, "We got the short end of the stick."
Su Luowei, who had been resting her eyes in the sedan, couldn't help but smile when she heard them.
The bridal procession couldn't take the same route back, so after picking up the bride, they had to take a detour through the outskirts of the city.
There were fewer people outside the city, so the sedan bearers quickened their pace. Noticing the sedan jolting up and down, Xie Hanzhu lifted the curtain slightly and whispered to Su Luowei, "Do you want them to slow down?"
The sedan was empty; Su Luowei was nowhere to be seen.
As soon as Su Luowei was gone, she sensed something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
To avoid alerting the enemy, she didn't lift her veil but instead called out softly, "Hanzhu, Miaomiao?"
There was no response.
Suddenly, a sigh was heard.
It seemed both near and far.
Su Luowei wasn't sure what the other party's intentions were, so she pretended to tremble slightly, feigning fear, and let her voice quiver, "Who's there?"
"Such a beautiful bride..." a voice whispered in her ear.
The voice seemed both distant and close, distant as if it came from the heavens, close as if it was right beside her.
Su Luowei held her breath, waiting for what would come next. She didn't pull off her veil but maintained her previous posture, her right hand slowly gripping the sword at her waist.
The moment she sensed any hostility, she would draw her sword and attack without hesitation.
But she waited and waited, and the expected attack never came.
Instead, something else happened.
Someone gently lifted the curtain and then stepped inside.
Through the gap in her red veil, Su Luowei saw that the person was also dressed in a red wedding gown. The hem of the gown trailed on the ground, layer upon layer, like a blooming peony.
Another bride.
Was someone else getting married besides her?
The bride sat down beside her, sitting very properly with her hands folded on her lap.
The wedding dress was bright red, making her skin look as white as snow. Her fingers were slender and elegant, with clear joints.
Perhaps because they were "fellow sufferers," the bride, after sitting down, reached out and gently held Su Luowei's fingers.
Her fingers were dry, but her palm was slightly damp. She seemed to notice this too, so she only gently pinched Su Luowei's fingertips.
Her grip wasn't strong, giving Su Luowei the impression that she was being carefully comforted.
The sedan started moving again, swaying as it carried the two brides forward.
Su Luowei wasn't sure what was happening and didn't know where the sedan was taking her, so she didn't dare act rashly.
She was a little nervous, but the person beside her seemed to be in a good mood, even moving half a step closer until half of their body was leaning against her.
This was really strange.
Why was she so calm?
The sedan continued for about a quarter of an hour before finally coming to a stop.
Footsteps approached, and someone stopped in front of the sedan, lifting the curtain.
"Huh? Why are there two brides?"