Nighttime Upheaval

On the night of the wedding, the bright moon hung high.

Gongs and drums clamored through the mountain stronghold, while firecrackers exploded in unison.

In the central clearing, an enormous bonfire blazed toward the heavens, staining the night sky a fiery red.

Under the guidance of the local Five Venoms Sect people, the travelers who had come from afar sang and danced around the flames, drinking and singing to their hearts' content.

Shen Yi helped Lan Meng and his wife busy themselves with receiving the guests.

Ji Congyun, Guo Yan, and Situ Xuan were competing in drink.

Tang Fengming eagerly pulled the two young ladies along, hopping and dancing around the bonfire.

The Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian trio put on airs as though they had transcended worldly affairs, secretly discussing whether Shen Yi's crimson robe was a little too bright.

Mo Xianyou held a chicken leg in his hand and crowded among the eminent monks of Heavenly Heart Temple. Watching the youngsters frolic, he lamented that he was getting old.

The atmosphere was exceptionally joyous.

A' Yue's bridal chamber.

A' Yue wore the traditional attire of the Southern Borderlands. A silver crown sat upon her head, and a short purple top exposed her fair, slender waist. A moonlike silver ring circled her neck, while earrings and a waist chain adorned her. Rings and pendants also decorated her wrists and ankles, chiming crisply with every movement.

Tao Tao, Liu Qingci, and Xie Xiaolou were all in A' Yue's room, helping her dress and apply her makeup. Now that they had finished, she looked like a peerlessly radiant enchantress of the Southern Borderlands—so beautiful that even women would be moved at the sight.

Tao Tao rubbed her eyes.

"Little Moon, you're far too beautiful."

"That brute Shen Yi is really getting off