"Could the Immortal please announce me? I am a maidservant from the residence of High God Yaoguang, and I have come to deliver a wedding invitation to the Emperor."
Outside the gates of Taichen Palace, Chonglin happened to be heading out when he ran into a maidservant. Seeing her panting and drenched in sweat, he stepped over to ask what she needed and thus learned she was here to deliver a wedding invitation.
"Come inside with me."
The young maidservant gasped for breath. She had witnessed the whole scene firsthand, watching Zheyan and Baizhen fall out. Then Zheyan had simply turned and walked away, leaving her standing all alone in the vast Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove. It had taken her a long time to snap out of it and remember that she still had work to do, at which point she had rushed in a panic all the way to Taichen Palace.
"Immortal, please let me catch my breath. Whew—"
After resting for a moment, the little maidservant followed Chonglin into Taichen Palace.
Only... why did the person sitting before Emperor Donghua look somewhat like Zheyan?
Noticing the little maidservant standing foolishly in place and staring at him, Zheyan gave a light cough.
"Hi, what a coincidence, we meet again!"
"Zhe—High God Zheyan?"
The maidservant's voice pitched upward, and under everyone's gaze, her face began to flush red.
"It's me, haha!"
"You've come to Taichen Palace as well? Why didn't you say anything to this servant..."
The little maidservant was named Yulan. Although she served as Yaoguang's maid, Yaoguang treated them all like disciples. She didn't have to do any heavy labor on ordinary days, mostly just serving tea and water. She was little different from the princesses of minor clans, and thoroughly spoiled.
Zheyan's casual remark directly drove Yulan to tears. When had she ever seen two High Gods quarreling right in front of her, let alone with Baizhen unleashing High God pressure upon her? If Yaoguang hadn't given her a life-protecting magical artifact, she would likely have become mere collateral damage in their game.
Thinking of something, the little maidservant wept all the harder, eventually bursting into loud wails. This spectacle was far more terrifying than any of the tearful fairy maidens the three of them had ever witnessed before; her tears could have sustained a desert.
Zheyan pressed his lips together and looked helplessly at Emperor Donghua.
*What should I do?*
*You made her cry, you coax him—or her, rather. Otherwise, watch out for Yaoguang coming after you.*
"Ahem, well, little girl, this deity didn't mean it either. How about this—I have a magical artifact right here, and I'll give it to you as compensation, alright?"
In response, Yulan's endless weeping continued.
It didn't work; the little girl was still crying.
Zheyan cast a plea for help toward his friend Donghua and Chonglin standing nearby. Yet at that moment, he truly understood the saying about subordinates taking after their masters.
The two men simultaneously took a few steps back and even erected barriers around themselves to ensure the little maidservant's crying wouldn't reach their ears.
With no other choice, after several rounds of territorial concessions and reparations, Zheyan finally managed to coax the little maidservant into stopping her tears. Unashamedly wiping away her snot, she turned around and put on a beaming smile once more.
"Emperor Donghua, my High God will be marrying High God Baize at Yaoguang Palace half a month from now. She invites you to be the witness, and this is the wedding invitation!"
She pulled a brilliantly golden invitation from her sleeve and handed it to Emperor Donghua.
At last, Donghua's heart felt at ease. He had known there was no way Yaoguang and Baize would marry without inviting him.
"Chonglin, go fetch the congratulatory gift I prepared and give it to this..."
"This servant is Yulan!"
"Give it to Immortal Yulan."
Although she was Yaoguang's maid, she possessed the cultivation of a High Immortal, and it was clear she was a hardworking little girl. It was just that her mood changed a bit too quickly. One moment she was shedding tears, and the next she was all smiles and laughter. An interesting child, indeed.
Just as Yulan thought she could leave once she received the gift, she saw Chonglin carrying a large tray and her little mouth instantly drooped.
"No matter, Chonglin will accompany you back to Yaoguang Palace."
"Many thanks, Emperor Donghua!"
Instantly, Zheyan felt a sour pang in his chest. It was clearly he who had suggested Chonglin escort her back, so why was this little girl thanking Donghua instead?
"Go on."
"Yes!"
The two turned and left Taichen Palace.
"Look around you, there are so many interesting people in this world; why waste time keeping company with a fox?"
Donghua hadn't missed the shift in Zheyan's mood. When a man began feeling curious about a woman, it marked the beginning of his downfall. Unlike himself, whose name was absent from the Sanshen Stone, Zheyan had every opportunity to find a good match. Why insist on accompanying a fox who schemed at every turn?
"We'll see. It's getting late, I'll take my leave."
Watching Zheyan depart, Donghua picked up his unread book once more. Without caring how many pages the wind had flipped past, he simply continued reading from the new page.
***
Half a month passed extremely quickly, in the blink of an eye.
The usually desolate Yaoguang Palace was decorated with red lanterns and festoons, exuding an air of joy everywhere. On this day, a dozen or so disciples from Kunlun Xu also came over to help. With these men pitching in, Yulan and her fellow sisters found things much easier.
The wedding of Yaoguang and Baize was not as complicated as mortal affairs; with Donghua as their witness, they simply paid their respects to heaven and earth. After hosting a few tables of banquets to gather with friends, the ceremony concluded.
In the bridal chamber, Yaoguang neatly shared the nuptial wine with Baize, then went out with him to celebrate alongside their old friends.
Because of their disrespect toward Baize and Yaoguang on that earlier day, Moyuan's disciples had been severely reprimanded by their master upon returning. Today, they bustled about busily, and now they approached one after another with wine cups to offer toasts, accompanied by a steady stream of auspicious wishes.
Only Siyin sat amid the crowd with a gloomy expression.
Ever since she returned that day, not only had she been injured, but her senior brother hadn't stood up for her either, instead accusing her of lacking proper manners. Then came Moyuan. Upon returning this time, she had sensed that her master no longer favored her as he once did. Sometimes, the look he gave her even carried a chill, leaving the usually self-important Siyin feeling deeply aggrieved.
She was certain it must be because Yaoguang had failed to win the master's secret affection and had lured him away somewhere to cast some forbidden spell, making the master stop liking her.
Besides, when Zheyan came today, the look he gave her hadn't been friendly at all—it was as if he were looking at something filthy. Yet Zheyan clearly liked her fourth brother; otherwise, why would he have helped him through his love trial in the past?
Her fellow apprentices went up to offer toasts one after another, leaving only Siyin sitting alone in her seat, her head lowered as she pondered who knows what. Still, no one paid her any mind.
"So little Baize has finally gotten his wish?"
He still remembered how Baize, back then, hadn't even understood what liking someone meant, yet had fixated on Yaoguang. He had even run to Taichen Palace to ask him how to charm people's hearts like the nine-tailed foxes of Qingqiu.
"That's right, A Ze has finally married Yaoguang, I'm so happy!"
Having just come of age, Baize was poor at holding his liquor. Combined with the cup he had drunk in the bridal chamber, it added up to five cups at most, and he was already peacefully drunk. He sat quietly in his seat, answering "yes, yes" and "mm, mm" to whoever spoke to him.
"His alcohol tolerance is lacking, so I'll take over for the rest."
Yaoguang took the proffered cup of wine and, without another word, drained it in a single gulp.