The next day, Lin Tiannan and Lin Yueru bid farewell to Lin Shen, who had transformed back into the guise of the wandering Taoist he wore when he first entered the Lin Manor.
After the group walked out to the main entrance, Lin Tiannan clapped his hands, and a servant brought over a wooden tray holding several silver ingots.
"Taoist priest," Lin Tiannan said, "thank you for clearing our doubts. Please accept this humble token of my appreciation."
"I am a traveler of the open road," Lin Shen replied. "Wealth is merely an external thing. If you truly wish to thank me, a single cup of wedding wine will suffice."
Lin Tiannan stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "Very well, very well! On the day of my daughter's wedding, I shall certainly invite the Taoist priest to our manor for a gathering."
Lin Shen cupped his hands in salute. "The hour is late, please return inside, everyone. I take my leave." With that, Lin Shen turned and walked away, shaking his bells as he went and calling out, "Knowing life, knowing death, knowing the noble, knowing the base..."
Lin Tiannan went back inside, while Lin Yueru stood at the front gates watching Lin Shen depart. After a long while, a shout echoed from within: "Ruer, it's time to practice your martial arts!"
Only then did Lin Yueru snap out of her daze. "Coming, Dad!" she called back, before turning and heading into the manor.
Lin Shen walked to a secluded spot and used the Dimensional Travel Technique to return to the Time Chamber.
Seeing Lin Shen return, Palace Master Lingyue asked, "How did it go?"
"Not bad. Went and took a look at Lin Yueru."
Lin Shen recounted his encounter at the Lin family estate to Palace Master Lingyue, who sighed and said, "Master Lin has a fine daughter, but it is a pity she dies young in the end. What shall we do now?"
Lin Shen thought to himself: *At this point, there are still six months left before the story of Chinese Paladin begins, and matters at Lin Family Fortress are settled. Now I actually don't know what to do. Although Zhao Ling'er's spiritual power awakening requires a few secret treasures, it seems a bit too early to go fetch them right now. Oh well, if all else fails, I'll go kill some time in the labyrinth; the new Summoning Technique can summon various monsters I've defeated, which might prove useful in future battles.*
"Taoist priest," Lin Shen said, "let's go pass the time in the labyrinth. After all, there are still six months until the tragedy on Xianling Island, so we might as well venture into the labyrinth and build up our strength."
And so, Palace Master Lingyue and Lin Shen teleported back to the desolate graveyard. The two of them continued to team up, hunting down various zombies and defeating them one by one. Whenever they couldn't find any, they used the Demon-Arousing Flute to summon a batch of zombies and cut them down.
To Lin Shen's surprise, however, he found the scrolls for the Rokushiki and the Demonic Contract on one of the zombies, and naturally learned the techniques within them.
In this manner, the two of them stayed in the desolate graveyard for an unknown length of time, until one day, the System's prompt sounded: "Main quest issued: Prevent Xianling Island from being washed in blood!"
Lin Shen thought: *This day has finally come.*
"System," Lin Shen asked, "what is the current situation with Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er?"
The System searched its data and replied, "Those Black Miao Clan members have just checked into the Li Family Inn."
Lin Shen thought to himself:
*There are two ways to resolve this situation:*
*One is to swap out the Forget-Worry Powder that Li Xiaoyao ingested;*
*The other is to stick to the original plan and make our move when the Black Miao Clan members launch their surprise attack on Shuiyue Palace.*
*The first option isn't out of the question, but it comes with a sequela: the plot between Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru won't unfold properly. After all, if he does that, Li Xiaoyao will remember he is a married man and won't stumble into a martial arts duel with Lin Yueru. The second option will have a relatively smaller impact on subsequent events.*
*Then we shall proceed according to the original plan. But honestly, I'd really love to see the wedding Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er hold at Shuiyue Palace.*
After eradicating the final batch of zombies, Lin Shen did not use the Demon-Arousing Flute. Palace Master Lingyue asked, "My young friend, what is it?"
"The time is almost here."
"Does my young friend mean the time when Young Master Li breaks into Xianling Island and Shuiyue Palace is washed in blood?"
"Yes."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"I'm just asking for your opinion. After Li Xiaoyao breaks into Xianling Island, doesn't he marry Zhao Ling'er on that very day? Since she is your disciple, if you want to go watch the wedding, we can tidy up a bit and set off. If you don't want to, we'll just find a place to lie in ambush for the Black Miao people."
Palace Master Lingyue pondered for a moment before saying, "If we go watch the wedding, will it affect your plans?"
"If we use the Invisibility Gu and hunker down in a quiet corner, it should be fine. But there's a catch: the Invisibility Gu only lasts for half an hour, so we can't stay too long."
"So be it. To watch Ling'er get married, even if only for a glance, is enough."
And so, after making a few preparations, the two of them used the Dimensional Travel Technique to arrive at Xianling Island.
By the time they reached the island, night had already fallen. Shuiyue Palace was brightly lit, and two large red lanterns hung outside the gates, each bearing a giant double-happiness character.
The two of them sneaked up to the gates of Shuiyue Palace. Sure enough, Granny Jiang was seated in the place of honor inside, a Daoist nun stood beside her, and a young man wearing a grand red wedding robe stood before her.
Lin Shen recognized the groom as Li Xiaoyao, but Ling'er was nowhere to be seen. A dozen Daoist nuns stood in two separate rows.
Observing the scene, Lin Shen thought: *It seems we aren't late, though we'll miss the scene where Li Xiaoyao bumps into Zhao Ling'er taking a bath.*
With that, Lin Shen pulled out two Invisibility Gu and handed one to Palace Master Lingyue. After swallowing them, the two of them slipped stealthily into Shuiyue Palace and hunkered down in a corner with a decent vantage point.
At that moment, the Daoist nun standing beside Granny Jiang called out, "The auspicious hour has arrived." Three women emerged from the rear. The woman in the center wore a green wedding robe and a red bridal veil over her head, her arms supported on either side by a Daoist nun.
Both Lin Shen and Palace Master Lingyue guessed that the one wearing the red veil must be Ling'er. Though Lin Shen felt something was slightly amiss, he figured it made sense: since Li Xiaoyao was the only male of the household in the entire Shuiyue Palace, he couldn't possibly be expected to act as groom, master of ceremonies, and handyman all at once; some adjustments were bound to be made.
Just then, a Daoist nun handed the two ends of a red silk ribbon to Xiaoyao and Ling'er. The two of them paid their respects to Granny Jiang, and then bowed to each other.
At this juncture, Granny Jiang said, "Xiaoyao, Ling'er's master left us early. I entrust Ling'er to you. You must treat her well."
Li Xiaoyao answered respectfully, "I will!"
Granny Jiang and the others escorted Xiaoyao and Ling'er to the bridal chamber, while distributing dried fruits, copper coins, and the like to each of the Daoist nuns. Lin Shen and Palace Master Lingyue followed quietly behind, watching as the nuns tossed the items in their hands onto the bed. Before long, a great expanse of various trinkets covered the bed.
Lin Shen couldn't help but mentally complain: *Sleeping on that at night has got to be lumpy and uncomfortable. Oh well, it's for good fortune, so no need to nitpick.*
Afterwards, a Daoist nun came forward with a pair of scissors and gently snipped a lock of hair from each of them, tying the strands together. Granny Jiang explained that this was called "tying the hair in a knot," symbolizing that the couple would grow old together in harmony. Finally, another Daoist nun brought over two cups of wine. Xiaoyao and Ling'er drank the nuptial wine.
A Daoist nun cried out, "The ceremony is complete!"
Someone else added, "A moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You may retire."
Seeing that the gathering had dispersed, Lin Shen and Palace Master Lingyue hurried to sneak away.
Not long after the two of them slipped out of Shuiyue Palace, the Invisibility Gu wore off.
Observing Palace Master Lingyue's rather subtle expression, Lin Shen said, "Daoist priest, do you feel a bit regretful? As Ling'er's master, you couldn't attend, nor could you make the slightest sound."
"Not at all. Though the only one sitting on the dais was Qiluo, being able to watch Ling'er get married means I am already quite content."
"For now, let's figure out where is best for an ambush."
The two of them wandered around the island until Lin Shen recalled that there was a narrow path running between the dock and Shuiyue Palace. Flanked by two small earthen mounds, the path formed a treacherous valley wedged between hills.
Once the road was blocked off, anyone inside would have nowhere to escape, and anyone outside could not get in.
Lin Shen mentally grumbled: *Xianling Island is great in every way, except for one fatal flaw—there is only a single exit at the dock, just like the MAC team in Ultraman Leo. Once you block the way out, the people inside are destined for total annihilation.*
And so, the two of them arrived at the location by the earthen mounds. "Right here," Lin Shen said.
However, Palace Master Lingyue noticed a small boat at the dock, with a man dressed as a fisherman aboard it.
Remembering that the fisherman, Third Brother Zhang, was the one who rowed Li Xiaoyao across to Xianling Island, Lin Shen said, "That's Li Xiaoyao's fellow townsman. We can just go around him." With that, Lin Shen used the Dimensional Travel Technique to teleport himself and the Palace Master up onto the earthen mound.
The two of them lay in ambush on the mound all through the night. Early the next morning, they saw Li Xiaoyao running in a panic from the direction of Shuiyue Palace toward the dock. Palace Master Lingyue asked what was happening.
Lin Shen explained, "Li Xiaoyao only came to Xianling Island to beg for medicine to save someone, so marrying Zhao Ling'er feels a bit like a forced purchase or a shotgun wedding. Now, while Granny Jiang is giving..."
At this point, Lin Shen wore an awkward expression and stopped talking.
Palace Master Lingyue asked, puzzled, "Giving what?"
Lin Shen struggled for a moment before continuing, "Giving... when paying respects at your grave, Ling'er secretly let Li Xiaoyao slip away."
"Ah, of course. They still don't know I'm alive. With such good news, it's only right to come pay respects at the grave."
Watching the distant figures of Third Brother Zhang and Li Xiaoyao retreating, Palace Master Lingyue asked, "When are we going to show ourselves?"
"Tonight," Lin Shen replied calmly, "the truth will out."
And so the two of them lay in ambush on the mound for another day, until the dead of night when they spotted several small boats sailing in from the direction of the dock.
(End of Chapter 14)