Mirror Space

The wedding procession marched along to the beat of gongs and drums, but not a single person spoke.

A crowd of villagers floated along behind them, following in silence. Unlike the lively onlookers at an ordinary wedding, these villagers said nothing, as though they were taking part in some kind of ritual.

The five members of the White Phoenix Squad followed at the back of the crowd. Bai Xiaowen even activated Mental Scan to check the area.

Qin Bing was nowhere nearby, though he might have been concealed by high-priority stealth that the scan could not detect.

Liu Family Hamlet was not large. The procession played its way through the village and soon reached its destination: a threshing ground.

Several homes stood beside the threshing ground.

Bai Xiaowen noted that they were on the edge of the village, fitting the Zhou Family's status as outsiders.

A tall, thin villager in the procession, who vaguely resembled an elderly gentleman, floated forward and called out:

"The auspicious hour has come!"

"Bride, enter the sedan!"

The procession parted. Four sturdy villagers carried a plain red bridal sedan to the door of one of the houses.

Bai Xiaowen tried Insight and found that the elderly gentleman and the sedan bearers alike were under the protection of Pale Netherstone. He could not target them, much less examine them.

So much for making a move. For now, they could only watch.

The sedan bearers called out several times, but the door stayed shut. No one answered.

The elderly gentleman at the front raised his voice. "We must not miss the auspicious hour. Bring out the bride!"

At the head of the procession stood two stout, middle-aged women in red, holding signs that read "Wedding Procession" and "Make Way." At his words, they rushed forward and drifted