"The auspicious hour has arrived! Bride and groom, take your places!"
The Main Hall soon fell quiet, and the musicians took their seats.
True Immortal Ruyi and Pipa stood side by side in the hall, their hands still clasped.
Jade Flute stepped aside, yielding the central spot. Wukong had asked him to call out the rites.
But today, Xuanzang would officiate.
Clad in the Brocade Kasaya, Xuanzang walked slowly to the front of the hall.
The Queen sat to one side, her gaze drifting involuntarily toward him, her eyes shining.
But Xuanzang did not notice her. He looked at the couple before him.
Pipa still wore a smile, while True Immortal Ruyi stood ramrod straight.
Xuanzang watched them for a moment, then began slowly, "Benefactors."
"The Buddha said: sentient beings have lived and died since time without beginning, turning through the long night, ignorant of the source of their suffering."
"Like a great rain, drop follows drop; once scattered, each falls in a different place. So too do sentient beings live and die: dying here and being born there, dying there and being born here, wandering without end."
"When life ends, each departs alone, without a companion."
Xuanzang continued, "Precisely because all beings are born alone and die alone, come alone and go alone, you should cherish this bond all the more. Today, a convergence of many causes has brought you here to marry, blessed with the chance to meet again."
At this, he looked at True Immortal Ruyi.
"But you must also understand that when conditions arise, we gather; when conditions cease, we must part."
"You must also understand that companions bind one another with every thought and deed. If something weighs on your mind, let the other know. If a decision must be made, do not make it