As destiny shifted in the mortal struggle for dominion, some who wished to stay out of it had become involved all the same. When the two who had departed came up, Yan Bo took it in stride, saying only that they should let nature take its course.
Though everyone here was meeting for the first time-even He Yunqiao, in everyone else's eyes, was meeting Yan Bo for the first time-they had a thoroughly pleasant conversation, setting aside rank and cultivation alike.
The Great Toad King dug up fine wine he had buried in the mountain. He was drinking and talking with a friend he had not seen in ages, welcoming a newly arrived fellow cultivator to the mountain, and, above all, celebrating his daughter finally finding a husband to her liking.
With fine wine and friends and family around him, they talked for days without letting their cups sit idle. The Great Toad King grew ever more exuberant. After gulping down another cup, his face flushed and his courage swelled, and he slammed his cup onto the stone table at the summit with a bang, drawing everyone's attention.
"Good! I, Chanshang, have decided!"
Decided what?
He Yunqiao looked at the Great Toad King, as did Ya Ci, Yan Bo, and the others. The Great Toad King rubbed his belly and smiled at his daughter and Ya Ci.
"All the Four Seas Dragon Lords except you were injured this time. Once you return to the North Sea, the wedding inside the Dragon Palace may be grand, but it'll really just be going through the motions. It'll be confined to the North Sea, too-a summons for the dragon subjects to pay their respects to the empress. Such an occasion is dreadfully dull, and hardly resembles a wedding!"
"So before you return to