The disciples of Qingyun Peak, who had recently joined the Spirit Field Group, were not only learning to work the fields but had also taken on a new task—seed cultivation.
Due to this seed cultivation effort, Lingxian Sect had stopped supplying spiritual rice. Nowadays, the meals provided at the Spirit Food Hall consisted mainly of vegetables, with staple foods being ordinary rice and noodles purchased by the Financial Hall from the mortal world.
All the remaining spiritual rice in the sect had been reserved by the Spirit Field Group to be used as seeds for the year. Even Xiao Luan, it was said, was engrossed in an experiment to merge the bloodlines of two different demon beasts it favored. However, the exact method of this fusion remained a mystery, as Xiao Luan kept it a secret.
With Xiao Luan being so preoccupied, the management of the Beast Garden and assigning tasks to the new disciples had fallen to Da Tao.
Lately, Liu Yunan, who had finally found some spare time, was puzzled by an interesting phenomenon. Although everyone had been eager to distribute work to the new disciples and lessen their burden, it now seemed that people were busier than they had been before the new recruits arrived.
Time flew by in the midst of these busy days, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
Today marked two important events for Lingxian Sect: the official start of mass production of the lock rings and the joyous occasion of Lin Lei's wedding, the eldest grandson of the Lin family.
Although recent years had seen an increase in the number of visitors to Xiushui Village, the security had been remarkably good. Not only had serious crimes vanished, but even the minor thefts and mischief that used to happen occasionally had completely disappeared.
In fact, during the first year of Lingxian Sect's establishment, there were still some local ruffians and mischievous kids from nearby villages sneaking around causing trouble. However, after being caught and scared off a few times by Hu Liang, who patrolled the surrounding area, no one dared to stir up trouble in Xiushui Village or the nearby villages again.
As for outsiders, they were even more cautious. Seeing the simple and honest folk of the village and knowing that an immortal sect watched over the area, regardless of who they were, visitors always put on a calm and friendly face.
Therefore, Lin Lei's wedding was not planned to be low-key. Everything was prepared according to the usual village customs.
This decision had been discussed early on during the wedding preparations between Old Master Lin, Village Chief Du, and the heads of the various families in the village.
On the day of the wedding, before dawn, the Lin family's ancestral home was already bustling with activity.
Since the Lin family hadn't stayed at the old house in the village for quite some time, they usually only came down occasionally to clean the house. Now, with the wedding approaching, the house had to be thoroughly tidied up.
Even though any one of the Lin family members could easily clean the house using a dust-removing spell, Grandma Lin was adamant that the entire house be scrubbed down with water.
Her reasoning was that a house left uninhabited for too long loses its lively energy. While the dust-removal spell could clean the place, it couldn't bring back that warm, lived-in feeling.
Thus, the entire Lin family set to work cleaning the house.
For the wedding banquet, Jiang Youfu proudly took on the responsibility of preparing one grand dish for each table, while Liu Shengsheng also committed to preparing one hearty dish. The rest of the food was to be handled by a few skilled women from the village.
Times had changed, and given the Lin family's current standing in Xiushui Village, it was clear how many people would come to celebrate and offer their blessings. Old Master Lin, not one to be stingy, decided with a wave of his hand that they would host a flowing banquet—a feast that would last throughout the day.
This meant an enormous amount of food had to be prepared.
Lin Lei's eldest uncle, who was in charge of purchasing the ingredients, returned to the village leading a convoy of carts packed with supplies. Those who saw the scene along the way marveled and congratulated him, while others quietly made plans to attend the banquet in the afternoon to offer their congratulations.
Beaming with pride, Lin Lei's uncle unloaded the ingredients into the kitchen, remembering with delight how people on the road from the town had praised and congratulated him.
By noon, after a quick lunch, it was time to fetch the bride.
In rural areas, families without much money would rent an ox cart for a day, while wealthier families might hire a donkey cart with a small cabin, sometimes decorated with red ribbons for festive occasions.
However, Lin Lei had long been planning something more special for fetching his bride.
Ever since the wedding had been arranged, Lin Lei had been brainstorming ways to surprise his bride. Since the banquet and other details were all handled by the elders, he decided to focus on making the wedding procession stand out.
He eventually thought of using a spirit boat.
Of course, the spirit boat nowadays was no longer the crude version Lin Xiao had casually crafted back in the day.
Now, Lingxian Sect's Artifact Hall had three spirit boats in storage, with capacities ranging from ten to one hundred people, each crafted with exquisite detail.
The designs were greatly influenced by Mo Yuanjiao, who grew up in luxury, Liao Pantao, with his vast experience, and Old Master Lin's expertise as a master carpenter.
But all three boats were crafted by the sect's most skilled artifact-makers, including Senior Liao.
Though Lin Lei was still learning and couldn't yet craft such items on his own, he had decided that he would personally build the spirit boat for his wedding. Every day, after completing his assignments in the Artifact Hall, he dedicated his time to learning how to craft the spirit boat.
Fortunately, the Artifact Hall had a complete manual on how to make a spirit boat. With his diligent study and the guidance of skilled mentors, Lin Lei's learning progressed quickly.
The actual construction process, however, was no simple task.
Thankfully, he completed it just before the wedding.
As the afternoon approached, Lin Lei could hardly contain his excitement. He gathered his brothers from the sect and headed out to fetch his bride.
Lin Xiao and the other unmarried young men climbed aboard the festive spirit boat Lin Lei had decorated with bright red ribbons as they set off for Songyang County.
Over the past few years, thanks to Lingxian Sect's frequent appearances in the mortal world, people's perception of immortals had changed. They no longer only associated them with the rare, once-in-decades discipleship ceremonies.
However, immortals were still not a common sight.
So, when the people of Songyang County looked up to see a festive boat adorned with red ribbons, capable of carrying around twenty people, flying steadily overhead, they couldn't help but cry out in astonishment.
"Mother, look! There's a flying boat!" a child exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the spirit boat.
Soon, people from all over the streets, alleys, and even those who heard the news gathered to watch the flying boat in awe.
At the entrance of the bride's home, someone was already waiting for the wedding party. Seeing the brightly decorated boat descending from the sky, and Lin Lei standing proudly at the bow of the ship, they also noticed the large crowd of curious onlookers trailing behind.
The old woman waiting hurriedly turned back and ran inside, her face flushed with excitement, shouting as she went:
"Gu Qing's family! Your son-in-law is flying here on a boat!" Her voice was high-pitched with excitement, a mix of surprise and joy.