The wedding day arrived, and the hall was packed with guests.
Fang Xuan, the groom, stared at the crowd before him, feeling a little at a loss.
The worst part was that he barely knew any of the people who'd come. He'd only met a few from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Then there was Tang Yuehua, but she preferred quiet and wasn't among the crowd. She'd gone to the back to find Ye Lingling.
As for Ye Qinru, she was off arguing with Dugu Bo. She'd swindled him out of plenty of good stuff.
But couldn't she take him with her? He couldn't handle this crazy scene by himself.
Just as Fang Xuan was getting a headache, a figure walked toward him.
Fang Xuan turned to look. The person seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.
Still, a guest was a guest, so he politely greeted him.
"Hello. I haven't been in Heaven Dou City long, so I don't know many people. May I ask who you are?"
"Just call me Xue Qinghe."
Xue Qinghe gave Fang Xuan a polite smile. He'd come in disguise this time; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to get this close to Fang Xuan.
"Qian!... Crown Prince, forgive my rudeness."
Fang Xuan had nearly blurted out his real name.
If he remembered correctly, the real Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, had died long ago. The person standing before him now was Qian Renxue in disguise.
"No need to be so nervous. This time, only Xue Qinghe is here. There's no Crown Prince."
"Besides, you're the main character at today's wedding banquet."
Xue Qinghe had heard Fang Xuan's first syllable, but hadn't paid it much mind.
She'd come for two reasons: first, to show her support, and second, to get another close look at Fang Xuan.
Their last meeting had been too brief, and judging by his reaction, he apparently didn't remember her.
But that was fine. They could get to know each other again. They'd have plenty of chances to spend time together in the future; there was no need to rush.
"You're too kind, Crown Prince. Why don't you go sit in the back courtyard? Senior Dugu and the others are there."
He really couldn't handle this one. He'd have to call in one of the big shots.
"No need. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving shortly."
"The Crown Prince's seat isn't an easy one to fill. You'll need capable ministers to assist you."
After leaving him with those meaningful words, Xue Qinghe departed.
Watching him go, Fang Xuan couldn't help wondering what he was planning.
So I've caught their eye. Still, that's not a bad thing. If I establish ties with Spirit Hall ahead of time, it'll make things easier when I deal with Tang San later.
Tang San was definitely going to die. Spirit Hall already had a grudge against him, so they'd make a perfect blade for Fang Xuan to wield.
But he'd need to plan carefully to figure out how to use that blade.
The guests kept arriving, and Fang Xuan gradually got used to the scene.
It was just a matter of saying the right thing to the right person—or even to a ghost. He was used to that.
Still, after greeting people for ages, he hadn't seen Dugu Yan anywhere.
Dugu Bo was already here, so where had she gone?
Just as Fang Xuan was wondering about Dugu Yan, he saw her appear in the distance with Yu Tianheng.
But it looked like quite a few people were following behind them.
Holy crap! What's with this lineup? They aren't using the chance to crash the wedding and beat me up for revenge, are they?
It wasn't impossible. After all, he'd stolen her best friend from her. It would be perfectly reasonable for her to beat him up to vent.
Huh? Wait, that burly man over there has such a powerful aura!
Titled Douluo!
Fang Xuan had only ever met one Titled Douluo in his life: Dugu Bo. But the aura of the man before him seemed even stronger than Dugu Bo's.
That outfit... He's from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanzhen?!
Damn! They're showing me that much respect? They actually brought Yu Yuanzhen out for this.
Fang Xuan was dumbfounded. He was just getting married. Wasn't bringing Yu Yuanzhen a little over the top?
"Old Thunder Dragon, what brings you here too? What, are you here to back your grandson?"
Dugu Bo sensed Yu Yuanzhen's aura and rushed out from the back courtyard.
The appearance of two Titled Douluo immediately drew everyone's attention.
Yu Yuanzhen smiled when he saw Dugu Bo.
"Old Poison, long time no see. How have you been?"
"I'm doing just fine. I'll still be alive after you're dead."
Dugu Bo was downright hostile toward Yu Yuanzhen.
To be precise, he was unhappy seeing Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan all lovey-dovey.
"So that's why the brat disappeared first thing this morning. I thought she'd come here, but she actually went to find that boy."
"Once this is over, I'm going to skin that boy alive!"
At this point, Dugu Bo couldn't find a single thing he liked about Yu Tianheng.
He'd just been in the back courtyard with Ye Qinru, discussing whether they should marry Dugu Yan off to Fang Xuan as well.
After all, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were close. Surely there wouldn't be any conflict.
As for Yu Tianheng, he'd simply ignored him.
"Ha. Don't get worked up. I didn't come here to argue with you. I came to bring a wedding gift and a betrothal gift."
As he spoke, he pulled a beautifully wrapped box from his robe and tossed it toward Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo caught it and opened it. His pupils immediately contracted.
"A Soul Bone!"
"That's right. It's a nine-thousand-year-old Head Soul Bone, my betrothal gift to you on behalf of my grandson, Yu Tianheng."
The guests were stunned when they heard that.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan really knows how to splash out. They're giving away a Soul Bone right off the bat."
"Seriously? Stop trying to outdo each other! The 'Seven-Day Kneeling Talk' just happened, and now you're using a Soul Bone as a betrothal gift. Are the rest of us supposed to just keel over?"
"We can't stay in Heaven Dou City anymore. The competition here is freaking insane! Can't you leave us a way to live? Or find some other arena to wreak havoc in? Spare a thought for us single people!"
The crowd wailed. With this, the standards for proposals across all of Heaven Dou City were going to shoot up several notches.
Was this even something normal people could do? The imperial capital was already competitive enough. Couldn't all you big shots keep your private affairs private? Why did you have to make such a spectacle of it?
Standing in the crowd and listening to everyone grumble, Fang Xuan was grinning to himself.
At last, I get to enjoy someone else's gossip.
But he hadn't been happy for long before Yu Yuanzhen pulled out another box and tossed it to him.
"Catch, lad. This is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's wedding gift to you."
"This Soul Bone is a little inferior to the one I gave Old Poison. It's only six thousand years old, so be understanding. My grandson's life-long happiness has to come first."
Fang Xuan was a future prodigy, while Dugu Bo was already a big shot.
A prodigy still had to grow and might not make it. A big shot didn't require any such considerations—you could bring him over and put him to work right away.
It was obvious which one mattered more.
Of course, he could have done right by both of them. But there were some things he couldn't make too obvious. He'd start by making a good impression.
"N-no, I don't mind."
Fang Xuan gave an awkward smile.
"Wait, couldn't you give that to me later? I'm in no rush."
He'd only been halfway through enjoying the show when Yu Yuanzhen dumped him right into the middle of it. What was that about?
The other onlookers were just as dumbfounded.
"Damn, even wedding gifts are a competition?!"
"Fuck this! You bunch of try-hards!"
Just as everyone was buzzing with discussion, another commotion rose from the distance.
"Well, it's lively here today. I didn't expect even Old Thunder Dragon to come out and stretch his legs."