Through the lifted curtain of the sedan chair, Su Luowei caught a glimpse of a pair of pink embroidered shoes, adorned with a small pearl.
The matchmaker who had caused a commotion earlier this morning had worn similar shoes.
"We've arrived, bride. Please step down," the person holding the curtain called out, her voice and tone identical to the matchmaker from the morning.
There was no mistake—it was her.
"Have we arrived? Han Zhu, come help me," Su Luowei feigned ignorance, trembling as she extended her hand.
The matchmaker immediately stepped forward, supporting her hand.
"Miss, your two maids have gone inside to prepare. You can lean on me."
Su Luowei stood up with the matchmaker's help, but the bride sitting next to her still held her hand, refusing to let go.
Su Luowei gave a slight tug, pulling the other bride to her feet as well.
Their sleeves fell, covering their hands. Before the matchmaker could speak, Su Luowei quickly interjected, "I took a nap during the bumpy ride, and when I woke up, there was another person in the sedan chair. What's going on?"
"Well..." The matchmaker wasn't sure when the extra bride had appeared in the sedan chair.
But seeing her dressed in a wedding robe with a red veil, slender waist, and graceful figure, she certainly looked like a new bride.
And besides…
The matchmaker's eyes darted mischievously.
Her current task was paid by the number of brides delivered. Bringing two brides meant double the payment.
It didn't take long for her to decide to make the best of this situation and deliver both brides to the wedding hall.
She even thought that if the groom was pleased with the situation, he might reward her generously.
Having made up her mind, she replied with a smile, "Everything is arranged by the young master. We're just following orders. If you have any questions, you can ask him after the ceremony."
Su Luowei stood still, as if upset by the situation.
The matchmaker coaxed, "Once you've exchanged vows, you'll be family. With your beauty, you'll easily win the young master's heart. Then, who's the elder sister and who's the younger sister will be up to you."
Su Luowei paused for a moment before huffing, "After the ceremony, I'll have to ask Sheng Lang what he means by marrying two women at once!"
"Yes, yes," the matchmaker replied with a laugh, "Let's hurry inside. We don't want to miss the auspicious time."
Su Luowei rested her hand on the matchmaker's wrist and followed her forward. But after only a few steps, she became suspicious: "It's my wedding day, so why is it so quiet?"
As she spoke, she reached up to lift her veil but was hastily stopped by the matchmaker.
"Oh no, the bride can't lift her veil before entering the bridal chamber, or it's bad luck! You there, start making some noise!"
As soon as the matchmaker finished speaking, the sound of drums, gongs, and firecrackers filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
In this noisy setting, Su Luowei slowly walked forward, holding onto the other bride's hand.
With her veil on, she couldn't see her surroundings, but she tried to peek through the small gaps as the veil swayed.
After only a few steps, they began climbing steps—seven in total, made of old, weathered stone.
Such high steps weren't common for ordinary households.
Then, the matchmaker led her over a threshold, black and worn, also unusual.
As she crossed the threshold, Su Luowei pretended to trip, hoping to get a better sense of her surroundings. But the person behind her reacted quickly, catching her waist and pulling her into their arms.
Suddenly enveloped in a soft embrace, Su Luowei was momentarily stunned, realizing that the other bride seemed… taller than her?
She had noticed that the other bride was taller while they were in the sedan chair, but she had assumed it was because of a headpiece.
But after her shoulder brushed against the soft chest of the other bride, she realized that this bride was indeed taller.
As these thoughts jumbled in her mind, she couldn't help but think that this bride was about the same height as Meng Shuying. A few days ago, she had noticed that Meng Shuying had grown taller than her.
She wondered when her vision would recover from whatever poison had affected it…
Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Meng Shuying in days. What had she been up to…
Her thoughts wandered, but she quickly snapped back to the present, stepping away from the strong presence of the hands around her waist.
Su Luowei steadied herself and quietly thanked the person who had caught her.
The other person withdrew their hands without saying a word and took her hand again.
Seeing that Su Luowei was fine, the matchmaker continued to lead them along a stone path, the stones worn and weathered at the edges.
The place they were in didn't seem like an ordinary residence, but rather an ancient Taoist temple.
The matchmaker led Su Luowei into a large, festively decorated hall.
As soon as they entered, Su Luowei smelled the musty scent of a long-abandoned building.
The matchmaker brought her to the center of the hall, released her hand, and knelt towards the main seat, bowing respectfully, "Young master, I've brought your bride."
"Cough... cough cough…"
The person the matchmaker addressed as "young master" seemed to be in poor health, breaking into a violent cough before he could speak.
"I'm not well today… cough… so you'll… cough… have to complete the ceremony yourselves."
His voice was hoarse and grating, like nails scraping across poisoned glass, sending chills down the spine.
The matchmaker agreed and quickly stood up. She then produced a red silk ribbon from somewhere and handed one end to each of the brides, saying, "This symbolizes eternal unity."
Su Luowei nearly laughed out loud. The young master was truly interesting. He had gone to the trouble of kidnapping a bride, only to leave them to complete the wedding ceremony by themselves.
Su Luowei let the ribbon slip from her fingers, and it drooped toward the ground. But the other bride suddenly lifted it, wrapping it around her wrist before placing it back into Su Luowei's hand.
The matchmaker stood before them, singing loudly: "Auspicious day, harmonious pair. From this day forward, you are bound in matrimony, tied by the red string of fate, together until old age…" (Note 1)
Before the last line was finished, a loud crash came from outside the hall, followed by the sound of a fierce battle. Amidst the noise, a woman's voice rang out, "Hand over my senior sister, or I'll level this place!"
It was Xie Hanzhu.
Su Luowei cursed under her breath, quickly pulling off her veil, but it was too late. The ribbon fell to the ground, and the hall was empty, save for her and the matchmaker.
Without hesitation, she rushed to the matchmaker, grabbing her by the collar and demanding, "Where did they go?"
The matchmaker, trembling under the pressure of Su Luowei's formidable presence, suddenly realized that she had completely misjudged her!
This seemingly gentle woman was actually a powerful cultivator!
At that moment, Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao entered with a group of people. Leading them was Xie Hanzhu, who drew her sword with a sharp sound and stormed up to the matchmaker, shouting, "I knew it! You're up to no good!"
The people accompanying them surrounded the matchmaker. The leader, whom Su Luowei recognized as an aide to the city lord, stepped forward.
What was going on?
Noticing her confusion, the aide explained that the procession that had come to the inn this morning wasn't from the city lord's residence.
After setting out, the actual wedding party encountered a strange wind that left them unable to see.
When the wind finally died down, they found themselves trapped in an illusionary maze, unable to escape for nearly two hours.
Once they broke free, they hurried to the inn, where they ran into Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao, learning that Su Luowei had been kidnapped.
Xie Hanzhu added, "I knew something was wrong when I lifted the sedan curtain and found you missing. The people in the procession acted strangely too—they claimed they'd search for you but ran off as fast as they could. Luckily, Miaomiao remembered the tracking charm on you, so we followed it here."
Su Luowei handed the matchmaker over to the aide for interrogation, who quickly learned that the one who had ordered the kidnapping was indeed the white fox of Fox Mountain.
The matchmaker had been working for the white fox, delivering brides to this place in exchange for life-extending pills.
For each bride she delivered, the white fox would give her a pill that added five years to her life. Over the past two years, she had delivered over ten brides in exchange for these pills.
Upon hearing her confession, the aide shook his head in disbelief, "You endangered innocent women for your selfish desires."
The matchmaker, however, laughed maniacally, "And what makes you any better? The human traffickers in the city run rampant, and you do nothing! If we're no different from goods in the eyes of those above, what's wrong with trading that for some extra years?"
Her words visibly disturbed the aide.
He ordered his men to drag the matchmaker out and carefully observed the three "immortals" in the hall. Seeing that their expressions remained calm, he relaxed slightly and said, "Since the white fox was just here, he can't have gone far. Please rest while I send out a search party. I'll inform you immediately if there's any news."
But Su Luowei replied, "If the white fox can take human form, his cultivation is at least at the Golden Core stage. You're just mortal warriors; you have no chance against him."
She meant well, but the aide dismissed her concern, "According to the matchmaker, the white fox is injured, and he needs these brides to heal. How strong could a severely injured fox be? We may not win in a one-on-one fight, but he'll tire in the face of overwhelming numbers."
Xie Hanzhu frowned, about to argue when Wen Miaomiao gently pulled her back.
"Why are you stopping me?" Xie Hanzhu whispered, displeased.
If mortals faced the white fox, it would be a slaughter. The aide didn't understand the danger of demons and was speaking out of ignorance.
Wen Miaomiao, her expression calm and slightly cold, replied, "Do you know why sects send their disciples down the mountain?"
"Of course, to maintain peace and protect mortals from harm, and to help disciples grow through experience."
"Yes, that's the original intent. But… cultivators have protected the mortal world for so long…" Wen Miaomiao gazed at the departing mortals, her expression unreadable. "So long that they've forgotten the dangers of the mortal world."
As they left the hall, Su Luowei confirmed that they were indeed in an abandoned Taoist temple.
The temple was vast, with the main hall, side halls, a training ground, and a small garden, as well as two or three dozen rooms for visitors to rest. It must have been a bustling place in its heyday.
But that was all in the past.
Whether it was a place of decline or glory, Su Luowei felt nothing. She was busy pushing open one door after another, searching for any sign of the other bride.