Red Hairpin

Jiang Lin was pulled out of bed by Bai Ling early in the morning.

At this time, Jiang Lin was in the palace of White Emperor City, while Bai Jiu Yi had gone to the imperial Imperial Villa in the suburbs.

After all, it's a wedding procession; you can't possibly hold the ceremony in the whole house...

Jiang Lin, who had been pulled up, was like a salted fish, as if he would collapse if the grip were loosened.

Although cultivators are not required to sleep, Jiang Lin, who had developed the habit of sleeping 7 hours every night, always felt that something was missing if he didn't sleep.

In Mi Hu, Bai Ling wiped Jiang Lin's face, rinsed his mouth, and then changed him into a very festive groom's outfit.

Sitting in front of the mirror, Jiang Lin suddenly realized what was happening when he saw the clothes he was wearing.

She wore a big red flower pinned to her chest! Yes, just like in TV dramas.

The groom's attire was naturally predominantly bright red, with a basic style reminiscent of a Confucian scholar's blue robe, his hair styled in a bun, and he wore Groom's hat. Well...

Even knowing it was a fake marriage, Jiang Lin almost thought he was really getting married.

"How is it? Does it fit?"

Jiang Lin stood up, and Bai Ling, dressed in a red pleated corset with overlapping hems, straightened Jiang Lin's clothes.

A Red Hairpin pierced her long hair, which cascaded down to her waist with silver strands. She wore light red makeup, and the pale red eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes was as beautiful as the moon and the valley.

Indeed, all foxes are beautiful.

"It fits perfectly."

Unlike the dress she wore to the Engagement Banquet last time, this outfit fit her perfectly and was extremely comfortable to wear. It wasn't heavy at all, and it felt as cool as silk being spun by an ice silkworm.

"It fits perfectly, this outfit belongs to the master..."

Hearing Jiang Lin's answer, Bai Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but she still let slip what she had said.

"But what?"

Jiang Lin lowered his head and asked.

"Nothing..."

Finally, he straightened Jiang Lin's sleeves and temporarily removed the big red flower from his chest.

"By the way, how are Master and Niannian doing?"

"Don't worry, your master and Niannian have entered the central magic array of the White Emperor City Imperial Villa along with the other white foxes below the Golden Core Realm. There will be no danger."

"That's good."

Last night, Jiang Lin went for a walk in the courtyard with his master, hoping to persuade him to go to safety together.

After all, Master had suffered considerable injuries during his seclusion at the Sun Moon Sect.

Although his injuries have improved considerably, he is still very worried if his master participates in that battle tonight.

Moreover, although his master said he was still in the Jade Purity Realm Mid-Stage, Jiang Lin suspected that his master might have already fallen to the early stage of the Jade Purity Realm.

Just then, Niannian and the Little White Foxes also needed care, so Jiang Lin went through a lot of trouble last night to finally persuade his master.

The conditions are that you absolutely cannot consummate your marriage with Jiu Yi, and you must always carry the sensing magic item given to you by your master.

Jiang Lin naturally agreed to both conditions, since fighting was the main focus tonight, how could he possibly consummate the marriage?

However, Jiang Lin had to tamper with the sensing artifact his master had given him. After all, he was prepared to revive himself ten or more times tonight, and if his master sensed that he was dead, his master would go crazy...

After tidying up his clothes, Jiang Lin asked Bai Ling about the preparations. Only after confirming that everything was in order did Jiang Lin breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon leaving the palace, Jiang Lin saw more than a dozen white foxes at the Golden Core Realm standing on both sides.

The white foxes raised their tails high behind them, touching and overlapping each other to form a white Fox Tail Gate.

"What is this...?" Jiang Lin was a little confused.

"This is our fox clan's marriage custom; please follow the rules, Young Master Jiang."

Bai Ling bowed slightly to Jiang Lin from behind, her tone and address becoming considerably more respectful.

Jiang Lin took a small step back and whispered in Bai Ling's ear, "Isn't that unnecessary? Doesn't it have to be so complicated?"

Bai Ling's cheeks flushed slightly as Jiang Lin's words gently brushed against her ear. She took a small step away and Heart-Lake Transmission:

"The maids in the palace all believe that you and your master are truly married, so everything must be done according to protocol, otherwise it will be exposed."

"..."

Although I felt really shy inside, Bai Ling's words made sense.

After all, if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way; it's just being pretentious.

After mentally preparing himself, Jiang Lin a deep breath and walked towards the passage formed by stacked fox tails.

After passing through the Fox Tail Gate that exuded a faint fragrance, Jiang Lin still felt a little unsatisfied, after all, there were so many beautiful girls and so many fluffy tails.

In short, Jiang Lin wanted to go through it again...

And at the very moment he passed through the Fox Tail Gate, a thin red line appeared faintly on Jiang Lin's ring finger.

Upon leaving the palace, Jiang Lin saw a group of fox-woman warriors, though not all of them were white foxes, as white foxes were few in number, and about half of them had been hidden by Jiang Lin within the magic array beneath the Imperial Villa.

Even if they weren't white foxes, these fox-woman women were all exceptionally beautiful.

And they all seem to suit my aesthetic sense, how come...?

"These were all chosen for you by Bai Qiao. The master said that, apart from the white fox, you can take any of the other fox-girls into your room if you like them. They are all virgins."

"No, no, I'm a very serious person."

Jiang Lin broke out in a cold sweat.

That's just Jiu Yi being polite. If I actually did that, she'd probably break my legs.

But how did Bai Qiao know about my aesthetic preferences...?

"Bai Qiao knows exactly which maidservant walks past you and how long you look at them."

As if she could see through Jiang Lin's thoughts, Bai Ling Heart-Lake Transmission.

Jiang Lin was speechless for a moment.

Although Jiang Lin knew that Bai Qiao was usually quiet but very observant, there was no need to be this observant...

This is really...

It's so bad...

In order not to miss the auspicious time, Jiang Lin followed the maid's lead, mounted his horse, and then hung the big red flower that Bai Ling handed him on his body. He then straightened his clothes and looked extremely pleasing to the eye.

Jiang Lin was already quite handsome, and now, dressed in a formal suit, his face, flushed red, seemed slightly shy, which made the Fox Demon girls stare at him with admiration.

Even some white foxes were thinking about it.

Becoming this young master's maidservant wouldn't be so bad.

Jiang Lin rode his horse out of the palace gate, crowds of people lined both sides of the road.

For the groom who was able to marry their king, not only the local people of White Emperor City, but also gentry, scholars and wealthy merchants from other parts of the White Empire came for days, just to catch a glimpse of Jiang Lin.

And you know what? The groom was really handsome, elegant and dashing, especially under the red Confucian scholar's robe, which made him appear even more gentle and refined.

Many young ladies blushed as they watched, thinking how wonderful it would be if he were their husband.

As expected, our king has excellent judgment.

Upon seeing Jiang Lin, both men and women began throwing flowers at Jiang Lin, followed by a game of dropping handkerchiefs.

Several women even tried to throw their undergarments at Jiang Lin...

Naturally, Bai Ling stopped Jiang Lin from wearing such intimate clothing, much to his dismay.

Besides ordinary citizens, many reporters also gathered along both sides of the official road in White Emperor City.

They were livestreaming while carrying the Mirror Flower Water Moon Spirit Artifact, seemingly chanting, "At this moment, approaching us is the wedding procession of Jiang Lin, the husband of the White Empire's Empress..."

This reminded Jiang Lin of the opening ceremony at his high school sports meet...

Honestly, Jiang Lin hadn't considered such a grand scale.

Even Jiang Lin was somewhat flustered.

Surely none of these journalists are from other continents?

It was probably only broadcast in the White Empire, right?

If there are reporters from other continents... then if my senior sister sees this, won't she kill me when I go to the Ten Thousand Swords Continent to pick her up?

Even disregarding her senior sister, Little Jia would probably punch herself to death...

In fact, within the Sun Moon Sect, as Jiang Lin, adorned with a large red flower and riding a bright red horse, went to fetch his bride with a radiant glow, Chen Jia had already smashed a hole in a mountain...

Meanwhile, at the Lin Qingwan's residence, sword energy raged even more fiercely. Clenching her small fists, she stared at the Mirror Flower Water Moon, her pearly teeth drawing blood from her lower lip...

Please accept my greetings, young master.

Bai Ling handed a basket to Jiang Lin. The basket was full of loose silver coins, each weighing about five or six taels.

The original regulations from the palace stipulated that Low-Grade Spirit Stone would be issued, but one Low-Grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to 100 taels of silver in the mortal world.

For ordinary people, this is a considerable amount, and such a situation could easily lead to unrest and excessive competition.

That might not be a happy event then.

So Bai Ling Bai Qiao were exchanged for silver.

Each piece of silver was wrapped in a red cloth strip, making it very exquisite.

Then, led by Jiang Lin, the wedding procession began scattering coins...

Countless silver coins, wrapped in cotton, were thrown from the wedding procession into the countless crowd, like torpedoes falling into a fishpond, instantly elevating the atmosphere to a new level.

Although the amount of silver is not much, it is definitely not a small amount either. Finding more is like making a profit, and finding less won't make much of a difference. Most importantly, it brings good fortune.

So they scattered silver all the way, until their hands were numb, before Jiang Lin's wedding procession finally left the palace.

As they walked towards the outskirts, the area became more spacious, and the number of spectators not only increased but increased considerably.

Finally, Jiang Lin arrived at a bridge.

Red flowers have been tied to the various Little Eagle on the bridge, and a White Fox Girl stands in front of the bridge, bowing slightly to Jiang Lin:

"Please compose a poem, young master."

This is one of the wedding customs of the White Empire – "Poetry Recital Over the Bridge".

Jiang Lin needs to compose a poem for it to pass.

This custom seems to commemorate the story of the white fox ancestor and the scholar.

Although Jiang Lin didn't know why he had to Poetry Recital Over the Bridge at the Imperial Villa... he hadn't even brought Jiu Yi to the palace yet...

Upon hearing that Jiang Lin was going to compose a poem, the people became excited, and the scholars' eyes lit up especially.

After all, it's said that the famous poem "Azure Jade Table" that has spread throughout the entire Vast and Righteous World was written by this groom!

Now is a day of great joy, a time of sharp wit and triumphant success! Surely, there will be some fine poems!

Jiang Lin looked at the white fox girl in front of the bridge, who seemed to be saying, "If you don't write poetry, I won't let you get married," and at the countless expectant gazes around her.

Jiang Lin had no choice but to apologize again to the ancient beings of Earth...

I'm going to have to plagiarize again...

Jiang Lin lowered his head and pondered for a while, then began to select verses from his mind.

Then Jiang Lin realized there was a problem!

There don't seem to be any famous lines in poems depicting the beautiful atmosphere of a wedding night; people in ancient times often expressed their feelings of melancholy and wistfulness in autumn...

"Young Master?"

Seeing Jiang Lin deep in thought for a long time, Bai Ling gently reminded him with her Heart-Lake.

There's no other way; we can't miss the appointed time.

Raising his head, Jiang Lin began to recite poetry:

"I stand leaning against the high tower, a gentle breeze blowing. Gazing into the distance, spring sorrow rises darkly on the horizon. Amidst the fading sunlight, the grass and mist blend. Who can understand the unspoken thoughts of one leaning on the railing?"

This is a poem, and the first stanza sets a melancholic atmosphere. Although it's beautiful, something feels off, especially since this is supposed to be a joyous occasion... What's with the "sorrow" you're using?

You married the Number One Beauty Under Heaven, and a white fox at that. I'm worried for you.

Jiang Lin had anticipated the change in atmosphere and continued reciting the second stanza.

I intended to indulge in unrestrained revelry and get drunk. But even singing and drinking, forced joy tasted bland.

I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets. For her sake, I have become haggard and worn.

As Jiang Lin's magnetic voice rang out, the verses slowly drifted out, echoing endlessly in everyone's hearts.

The last sentence, in particular, was repeated over and over by everyone. The man gradually fell silent, and the woman quietly shed tears.

They understood!

This is Young Master Jiang expressing his longing for the King before he marries him!

"I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets; for her sake, I grow haggard and worn."

What a beautiful line of poetry! What profound emotion!

This poem will surely be remembered for eternity! And I am a witness to its creation.

"Good!"

Someone shouted from the crowd, and the crowd erupted in noise as everyone expressed their excitement.

Jiang Lin was a little confused as to why they were so excited, because he himself regretted reciting the poem afterward.

but...

The results are pretty good?

"Miss, may I cross the bridge now?"

Looking at the White Fox Girl with moist eyes in front of him, Jiang Lin smiled.

"Young Master's longing for his master is indeed beyond my comprehension. Please, Young Master."

The White Fox Girl made way, and Jiang Lin's wedding procession crossed the bridge one after another.

The accompanying civilians were no longer allowed to proceed, as the area ahead belonged to the royal forbidden zone.

After much effort, Jiang Lin finally arrived at the Imperial Villa; it was already close to noon.

Gradually, Jiang Lin really felt like he was getting married.

Just when Jiang Lin thought he was finally about to see his bride, he dismounted and entered the Imperial Villa. In the huge courtyard were the guests who had been granted special permission to enter the palace.

Among them were the thirty-six princes of the White Empire, officials of the White Empire, representatives of various immortal cultivation sects in the Ten Thousand Demons Continent that were on good terms with the White Empire, well-known rogue cultivators, and a small number of sect representatives from other continents.

A quick glance revealed that there were probably over a thousand visitors, with men and women making up about half and women and transgender people in a 3:2 ratio.

Some of them had attended the engagement party before, but most were new faces.

"Please, Young Master Jiang, extend your joy once more..."

An elderly woman dressed in festive attire approached Jiang Lin Jiang Lin and gave him a basket of... High-Grade Spirit Stone?!

These High-Grade Spirit Stone were all wrapped in red cloth and adorned with embroidered pendants, making them quite exquisite.

There are at least several hundred High-Grade Spirit Stone stones in that large basket!

This isn't just throwing money around, it's throwing diamonds around...

Especially after Jiang Lin finished scattering one basket, Bai Ling handed him another basket. Jiang Lin felt like he had scattered a full two thousand High-Grade Spirit Stone!

Two thousand! That's enough to buy a mid-level sect!

After scattering coins again—no, after scattering spirit stones—it was nearly noon, and the luncheon was about to begin.

Jiang Lin still hadn't seen his bride.

However, the red string on Jiang Lin's ring finger became increasingly noticeable.