Hua, Where Are You?

Chao Xian City.

Red bricks and green tiles, dark blue and white.

In the past, during major festivals and auspicious occasions, magnificent city gates, streets, shops, large buildings, and the doorways of every household would be adorned with bright red lanterns.

As night fell, the lanterns, lit up with fire, created a solemn, lively, and joyous atmosphere.

The same is true at this moment. Big red lanterns are hung from every house to the four raised corners of high-rise buildings. They are swaying in the wind and overlooking the world. The word "happy" that symbolizes the wedding is filled with beautiful meanings and is plastered everywhere in every corner of the city, stretching endlessly.

The streets were bustling with pedestrians and vehicles.

Although the two main characters had not yet arrived a few days prior, the pre-arrival hype had already created an exceptionally enthusiastic atmosphere in the city.

The morning market and the night market alternated back and forth, and the business of the vendors selling candy figures with happy characters was as hot as ever. The handicrafts with poems about immortals engraved along the edges were selling like hotcakes. The large influx of tourists from other places almost filled this city, which had once become extremely densely populated due to expansion, to an extremely full city.

To prevent the large number of visitors from causing too much noise and affecting the viewing experience, and to avoid unnecessary accidents on the wedding day, the [Chao Xian] organization basically set the rules for entry at the same time as sending out the message.

Apart from those who had prior business dealings with the wedding party or members of the [Chaoxian] cult, everyone else who wanted to enter the city within seven days before or after the wedding needed a formal invitation.

Jiang Rongyue did not intend to profit from this, but if it was not restricted, there was a risk of an unnecessary stampede on that day. The local inn business was not well-developed before, and even though construction had been expedited three months in advance, the capacity was still limited.

Five years ago, the number of visitors here was less than one-tenth of what it is now, so the local economy didn't need many guesthouses.

This is like the difference between regions with no famous historical anecdotes and regions with extremely famous ones. Given the current level of productivity, it will inevitably take more time to transform this situation.

But Jiang Rongyue had no interest in such things at the moment. All she had done in the past three months was to make her master's wedding day more festive.

Intrigue and manipulation, checks and balances among various parties, entangled interests, and the expansion of power.

All the things that happen along the way while being swept up by this goal are not important.

Jiang Rongyue paused for a moment in front of the grand entrance before slowly walking in, passing by the elegantly trimmed green plants and red flowers in the courtyard, until she reached the hall filled with bright red.

Inside the dimly lit room, on the tables on both sides, rows of miniature towers made of red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds stood out neatly. Silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry were stored in rows of red boxes, including many priceless rare items, but here they were all reduced to props to create an atmosphere, not favored by the owner.

Today, she was dressed as a wandering knight, just like when she first met the immortal five years ago. Her beautiful face appeared obedient and happy in the candlelight. The only thing missing was her [Demon Slayer] sword, which she never parted with, or perhaps her substitute sword. It seemed that she had deliberately kept it hidden for today's occasion.

The Sect Master of Chao Xian's eyes reflected that person's current appearance, and he was slightly stunned.

The girl's winter-gray hair was tied up in a flowing cloud bun. Her eyebrows were painted in the style of distant mountains, and her skin, which was as smooth as cream, was lightly rouged with a faint lychee color.

The immortal gazed down at the bronze mirror, holding a brush. Her eyes were lowered, her thick eyelashes fluttered, and the pale blue in her eyes revealed a gradient, reflecting her mostly exposed collarbone and the unfinished painting in the bronze mirror.

Crimson blossoms paired with emerald green branches and leaves, each branch, leaf, flower, and petal intertwined intricately, conveying an indescribable sense of poignant beauty—a pattern reminiscent of a begonia in full bloom.

The young girl smiled faintly, put away her brush and ink, and covered up the exposed scenery and spring colors. She tidied her clothes slightly, and soon she was dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, her bright red dress highlighting her cool and beautiful appearance.

"Rongyue, you've arrived."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyue snapped out of her daze and, as if afraid of disrespecting the immortals present, subconsciously lowered her gaze.

In her heart, her master was always a true immortal, sacred and inviolable, and she was not allowed to harbor any delusions. He was like a clay sculpture worshipped in a Daoist temple, naturally possessing a position and qualifications that transcended the world.

Yet here she was, adorned in the phoenix coronet and wedding robes typically worn by mortal maidens, meticulously embellishing herself, painting alluring patterns on her delicate skin. Every detail seemed to convey a desire for the other's favor, yet her sacred and aloof aura remained, only serving to accentuate the decadent air—quite...

She quickly composed herself, smiled, and replied:

"Yes, Master."

"Following your usual practice, I'll be your bridesmaid today."

Upon hearing this, the immortal glanced at her somewhat unfamiliar reflection in the bronze mirror, pursed her lips which were adorned with lip rouge, and felt unusually uneasy. She understood that worldly etiquette was of no use to her and Su Qing'an, but if they were to get married directly, it would seem to be a betrayal of Rongyue and Shishi's three months of hard work in preparing for this.

She asked softly:

What should I do next?

Jiang Rongyue replied with a smile:

"Master, you just need to wait. Shishi and I think that although you don't reject the people's blessings, you don't like being the center of attention in a noisy and chaotic environment. Let's just go through the ceremony."

"I think that time should belong only to you and your Grand Martial Uncle. You have always been used to spending those difficult and lonely years like this. For you, master and Grand Martial Uncle, you are each other's best witnesses."

"So, including Shishi and me, we will only see you off for a short while at the beginning. After that, we will wait for that moment to arrive together with all the people of this city."

She walked behind the young lady, helping to straighten her wedding dress, and then adjusted the hard-won phoenix coronet, whispering:

"Master, many similar venues have been set up in Chao Xian City today, and corresponding carriages and wedding processions have also been placed outside."

"Besides you, in a little while there will be dozens of bridal processions walking and crisscrossing along the main road of Chao Xian City. They are all girls selected from the city to confuse onlookers. After a while, they will be sent back to the newly decorated bridal chambers."

Fu Hua understood upon hearing this. This approach would maximize the chances of those who came to witness the wedding believing they had seen the process of the Immortal Chi Yuan's wedding ceremony, thus making their trip worthwhile and granting her considerable freedom. After all, the existence of Udu-dust was enough to obscure the subconscious thoughts of others.

On the other hand, it also resembled a large-scale march involving the entire city, living up to the months of preparation and anticipation of the people.

She didn't object, but she still had a question.

That is...

"Since so many wedding processions have been prepared, shouldn't we also set up a large welcoming procession?"

Jiang Rongyue parted her lips and smiled, saying:

"Master will find out then."

She skipped the topic and said softly:

"The city is very lively today, and there are some fun activities in various places. Master, you can go and take a look. We'll take care of Xiao Xuan."

The Armed Puppet, who had been sleeping on the Soul Steel Sphere for a while, slowly woke up when she heard her name mentioned in the conversation. She rubbed her eyes and sat up like a roly-poly toy floating in mid-air, which was quite cute.

If it weren't for the need to adapt to this external quantum computer, which put a huge strain on the intelligent module, she would have been busy as a bee in this bridal chamber full of novelties, instead of sleeping soundly.

Xiao Xuan blinked his big eyes at the immortal for a while, then immediately became lively. He immediately began to memorize the immortal's appearance into his database while excitedly circling around the Fu Hua, chattering away:

Wow, Chi Yuan, you look so beautiful today!

"Yeah, I knew that if you dressed up properly, you'd definitely be a stunning beauty."

"They'll be so happy if they see this! You must be happy today, smile a lot! This is a joyous day."

Fu Hua pinched the little girl's cheek, looked at her excited and joyful expression, and smiled, saying:

"Yes, thank you."

"I understand, Xiao Xuan."

Xiao Xuan was genuinely happy about this; it seemed as if she had been watching over this scene for those two for a very long time.

But fate is cruel, always subjecting the other to cruel trials and tribulations. Everything that is happening now is a scene that should never have occurred in this world.

Therefore, everything right now seems unreal, like a dream or a bubble, a miracle that cannot last long, which will soon be buried in the night breeze, leaving one only to glimpse distant lights that do not belong to oneself and the spreading darkness.

Xiao Xuan knew nothing about what the two had gone through. She was once Armed Puppet whose predetermined path meant she would never wake up again, but now she felt it was all incredibly dreamlike. She felt the chaos in the intelligent module and could only attribute it to the incompatibility of carrying a portion of the data that had been diverted from the quantum computer.

Even with this belief, the girl couldn't help but reach out and hug the immortal's waist, hoping to dispel the strange feeling in her heart.

The immortal remained silent. Even though the child's arm span was so small that he couldn't even touch his hands behind his back, she could still feel the profound emotions contained in this petite body that was exerting a little effort.

She thought, "It's always been like this."

Whether it's Cang Xuan, Dan Zhu, or Xiaoxuan who has been by his side ever since, each of them cares more about his future and his life than he does.

The former Chi Yuan was unable to give the response she deserved simply because she was burdened by too many shackles and the world was full of demons. But in this completely altered worldline, she was able to reach the warmth and emotions she could never have before, and she now had the right and opportunity to give a response.

This is a great blessing, and also a tenderness that I had not previously noticed.

The moment the girl realized this, she felt a sense of panic and emptiness. It was rare for her to feel this way, simply because she didn't know what to say to fill the void left by the Jalana that had unexpectedly appeared beside her. The waves of emotion surging within her Mind Lake only intensified the feeling of emptiness.

She said softly:

"It must be very hard for Xiao Xuan to stay by someone like me all this time."

During the days when I lived like a clay sculpture, the only vivid and lively presence around me was the Tome of Cangxuan.

Sometimes, Chi Yuan wondered if she was too indifferent and aloof, making it too difficult for the unruly Armed Puppet to live, but even her attempts to do so yielded little result.

There are always some things that cannot be changed by mere effort.

Xiao Xuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Yes, a little bit, but that's the original purpose of my existence. I have to take good care of Chi Yuan, otherwise they will be very disappointed."

"But after today, this task will be handed over to Susu."

The girl pursed her bright red lips and smiled as well:

"Okay, I'll leave it to Susu."

Xiao Xuan stopped snuggling in the other person's arms. She carefully smoothed out the slight wrinkles in the fabric that she had just hugged, and said:

"Let Rongyue and I see you off to the sedan chair."

"From today onwards, you will never be alone again."

As night first breaks through the clouds, the clear clouds gradually rise and fall at the horizon, and the sunset is a dark red with a slight purple tinge, like the crimson color of water infused with madder root, giving it an incomparably soft and beautiful hue.

The evening sun was setting, still carrying the lingering warmth of the dog days of summer, and a refreshing breeze was blowing; everything seemed just right.

Throughout the Chao Xian City, soft chants could be heard gradually rising and echoing across the sky, followed by the joyous and boisterous sounds of suona horns that slowly danced in the twilight as the city lights began to twinkle.

Outside the ancient gate, a procession dressed in elaborate red robes marched through the crackling of firecrackers, slowly making its way into the bustling street, and finally stopping at the gate.

Such scenes could be seen throughout Chao Xian City: one after another, young women in phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, their heads covered by red veils, stepped into a large sedan chair, and then allowed the carriages and horses to merge into the streets, which had been mostly cleared, to begin the planned parade.

In the eyes of the audience in Chao Xian City, this meant that the real Immortal Chi Yuan had entered the proper course of the wedding ceremony, and heated discussions had begun. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, almost everyone was pondering the same question.

Which of those girls, their faces veiled with red velvet veils, is truly a fairy?

However, the public could not even catch a glimpse of the brides' figures; they could only watch one sedan chair after another pass by, blindly guessing whether they had just brushed past the immortals and witnessed their journey into the bridal chamber.

It is precisely this ingenious design that gives all the guests a wonderful sense of participation.

All the palanquins pulled by carriages and horses would follow a prescribed route, meaning that no matter whether one guessed which route belonged to the immortal, the Immortal Chi Yuan had always passed in front of them.

This kind of feeling might be less common among star-struck fans in later generations, but for the people of Chao Xian City, who are as devout as religious believers, it is enough to make them feel that they have no regrets in this life.

This is a sacred ceremony that even generations of people protected by the Immortal Chi Yuan have never had the chance to witness or participate in. To bestow such a blessing upon such a being is truly an event that only happens once every thousand years.

A long time.

The first parade has completed its cycle.

As dusk settled on the horizon, red lanterns lit up the entire city.

The wedding procession stretched on and on, but the procession to welcome the bride was nowhere to be seen.

However, the people and guests throughout the city were not in a hurry. This was something they knew in advance. From the perspective of the people in the city, the fact that the Immortal Chi Yuan was willing to mingle among so many mortals, thus indirectly ensuring that the guests could also feel involved, was already a kind of grievance.

To suggest creating a large wedding procession with a bunch of fake grooms mixed in would be extremely disrespectful.

[The Immortal Ceremony] has already arranged the time and place for the marriage between the immortals. Everyone knows the exact time, but no one knows the location of the ceremony, except that it will still be held in the city.

Therefore, this grand wedding procession that circled the entire city at night was, in the eyes of those who were paying attention, merely a formality. It was likely that the Immortal Chi Yuan would only remain in the sedan chair during the initial procession, and perhaps leave afterward to meet the real groom, which would not be surprising.

Even though they saw this, no one dared to express their indignation. Rather, it was unreasonable to allow such divine figures to cooperate with the parade for so long and be allowed to observe.

The initial round can be considered as accepting the people's blessings, but if it continues indefinitely, it will not be a good thing.

After bidding farewell to Li Shishi, Su Qing'an abandoned the white horse and chose to walk alone into the bustling street.

The boy, dressed in a magnificent robe with flowing gold patterns, silently walked through the sea of people under the illumination of the surrounding red lanterns. His cool and aloof face was filled with a hint of bewilderment, as if he was struggling with whether or not to abide by the rules of the game.

Before parting, Li Shishi said that since there were no customary rules to follow between them, they might as well play a game based on their current circumstances.

That is, to find Fu Hua in this grand wedding procession.

But finding her directly using the Manas consciousness seems a bit too shameless, doesn't it?

For some reason, Su Qing'an suddenly recalled a distant memory at this moment.

He asked at that time:

[Weren't they saying we weren't allowed to use communicators?]

At that time, she answered:

[Should I just listen to what they say? What kind of logic is that?]

These are the words Fu Hua spoke to herself after she had previously overlooked the rules of the game that Headmaster Theresa had painstakingly set up in the ancient town.

However, though the scene has changed over time, it is still very similar to be surrounded by crowds of people, like two fish searching for each other in a vast ocean.

The boy parted his lips, unable to suppress a laugh, and repeated the words the other person had spoken:

"As a seasoned gamer, testing the limits of the rules is something I do occasionally."

Thus, the perception of the Manas consciousness swept over like a spring breeze, and through the red string swaying on the wrist, it conveyed that sentence:

"Hua, where are you?"