Chapter 229: Getting Married
Chen Chang'an listened to the clear, crisp sound of the wind chime. For some reason, his heart subconsciously calmed down.
He followed the sound, and through the swirling mist and clouds, he vaguely made out an elegant small house. Wind chimes hung from the eaves, ringing softly with the breeze.
Just as he dismounted, the door of the small house slightly moved, and a figure walked out.
A phoenix coronet and robes of rank, with a red silk covering the head, made the figure look even more graceful and slender.
Chen Chang'an subconsciously held his breath. Although he already had a hunch in his heart, when that familiar figure truly stood before him, his heart still trembled—
He immediately felt like laughing and crying.
It was Miss Ah'Li.
It turned out that, like himself, it was an external incarnation.
They were getting married without their true bodies even meeting, with only their external incarnations present. What kind of arrangement was this exactly?
It seemed quite thrilling...
The figure beneath the veil seemed to sense his gaze and slightly tilted her head. Though her expression was unseen, it somehow made him feel like she was giving him a side-eye.
Chen Chang'an opened his mouth. Before a belly full of questions could be asked, he heard someone call out loudly—
"The auspicious time has arrived, please bring the bride into the sedan chair!"
Suddenly, drums and music erupted all around, filling the air with joy. Chen Chang'an's throat moved.
He could only follow suit, reaching out to offer a perfunctory helping hand, but he saw that Miss Ah'Li had already stepped into the bridal sedan chair by herself, her movements swift and without any dragging.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, flipped onto his horse, and the welcoming procession grandly headed toward the direction of Immortal Spirit City.
Inside Ping'an Ward.
The welcoming procession slowly advanced along the bluestone road, the sounds of gongs and drums echoing through the alleys.
Chen Chang'an rode on his horse, his deep red wedding robe accentuating his clear and bright features.
He occasionally looked back at the bridal sedan chair behind him. The red silk curtain was drawn low, remaining completely still.
"How is she able to be so composed?" he sighed internally, unable to resist pinching himself again to confirm he wasn't dreaming.
He... was actually getting rid of his bachelor status like this?
Chen Chang'an's hands gripping the reins trembled slightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
This thought constantly swirled in his mind, carrying a sense of unreal bewilderment.
The white horse trod softly, yet he felt his whole body floating, as if he were walking on clouds.
In his previous life, he had also been on a horse like this.
But it was a Mazda horse.
Memories surged like a tide.
It was a gloomy winter evening, and he was wearing cheap work clothes, the tie constricting his neck.
The rear-view mirror reflected his tired face—puffy eye bags from overtime, new white hairs at his temples.
"You're thirty already! Still not thinking about marriage, what kind of appearance is that!"
His father's table-pounding sound seemed to explode still in his ears, water from the teacup splashing onto the mottled dining table.
"Next door Old Li's grandson is already old enough to buy soy sauce..."
His mother's voice, mixed with the roar of the range hood, listed the requirements of the blind date while frying vegetables, as if she were enumerating precious family possessions:
"The girl works at a public institution, has a formal position, and her family owns a house in the north of the city..."
At that time, he could only remain silent.
After all, in that world, he was just an ordinary corporate slave, squeezing onto the subway during the morning rush hour and working overtime until the last train stopped running.
The numbers on his salary card could never catch up with the housing prices; he even had to budget carefully when drinking coffee.
Where was there any leisure time for romance? How could he dare to hope for mutual affection?
"In this life..."
Chen Chang'an looked down at the wedding robe embroidered with gold threads, his fingers tracing the fine cloud patterns on the sleeve.
He looked back again at the bridal sedan chair adorned with tassels behind him.
The sedan curtain was drawn low, yet it couldn't hide the person sitting inside.
It was Ji Hongli.
That girl who, without him noticing, had walked into his heart.
There were no parents forcing marriage, no demands for houses, bride price, or even any of those mundane calculations and compromises.
It was just... her, and him.
The procession passed through the familiar streets and alleys, lined with neighbors and residents from Ping'an Ward.
The neighbors held bamboo baskets, scattering peanuts and red dates by the handful. Uncle Wang the blacksmith clanged a copper gong, smiling widely, showing every tooth. Several snot-nosed children, while arguing, followed the procession, making noise.
This was a wedding belonging to mortals.
There were no immortal cranes or auspicious clouds, no arrayed cultivators, only the old pagoda tree at the alley entrance hung with red silk ribbons, swaying softly in the wind.
The bridal sedan chair finally stopped at the residence where he had been previously held—in less than an hour, the neighbors had tidied it up and given it a fresh look. Large red "囍" characters were pasted on the door, lanterns hung beneath the eaves, and even the old plum tree by the courtyard wall was tied with red silk.
Chen Chang'an flipped off his horse. Just as he stood steady, he saw the curtain of the sedan chair move slightly—
Ah'Li lifted the curtain herself and slowly walked out.
With a phoenix coronet and robes of rank and the red silk covering her head, her figure was straight, and her steps were composed. She did not need anyone's help at all.
Chen Chang'an was momentarily stunned. He then reacted and quickly stepped forward, reaching out a perfunctory hand to steady her, and whispered: "Ah'Li, I..."
A soft hum came from beneath the veil, seemingly of annoyance or coquetry, but ultimately, she did not shake off his hand.
"New couple enters the courtyard—"
Following Aunt Zhang's loud shout, the two walked side-by-side up the stone steps, heading toward the main hall, step by step. Chen Chang'an could sense the presence of the person beside him; her aura was cool with a hint of familiar subtle fragrance, making his heart beat faster involuntarily.
"How... is she so calm, even when getting married?" he muttered internally, yet he couldn't help but steal a side glance.
The veil covered her face, but her slender neck and slightly pressed lips all reminded him—the person before him was his neighbor from Ping'an Ward, Miss Ah'Li from the general store, not the aloof Saint Realm cultivator from Immortal Spirit Valley.
But, did it make any difference?
Inside the main hall, candlelight flickered.
Two Grand Tutor chairs were placed side by side, but they were empty.
Chen Chang'an's gaze narrowed slightly—on the chair on Ah'Li's side, a wooden plaque quietly stood, etched with the characters "Míng Xīn."
He knew that this Míng Xīn was not that Míng Xīn.
However, following the great battle ten years ago, the unruly monk in white, like snow, from Ji Hongli's memory had ceased to exist with the fall of the Immortal Venerable Míng Xīn.
The master of ceremonies chanted loudly, and the two performed the bows in order.
First Bow to Heaven and Earth—
As Chen Chang'an bowed, his peripheral vision caught Ah'Li's sleeve slightly trembling, seeming a little nervous.
His heart stirred. He quietly reached out, his fingertip gently touching her cuff.
The figure beneath the veil froze for an instant, then subtly moved half a step to the side, increasing the distance between them.
Chen Chang'an: "..."
Second Bow to the High Hall—
The two bowed deeply toward the empty Grand Tutor chairs. Chen Chang'an noticed that as Ah'Li stood up, her fingertip lightly brushed the wooden plaque, a movement so quick it was almost imperceptible.
Third Bow, The Couple Bows to Each Other—
The two stood facing each other. Chen Chang'an looked at the figure covered by the red silk veil before him and suddenly felt a little lost.
"That sentence I shouted before I fell into slumber ten years ago... Did she really agree?"
He slowly bent forward, and Ah'Li also lowered her head slightly.
Their strands of hair briefly crossed in the air, then quickly separated.
"The Rites are Complete—Send them to the Bridal Chamber!"
Cheers erupted suddenly. The neighbors laughed and shoved the couple toward the new room. Before Chen Chang'an could react, he was ushered into a side room covered with the pasted characters.
The red candles burned high, and a brocade quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks covered the entire bed.
Ah'Li sat properly on the edge of the bed, the veil still completely motionless.
Chen Chang'an stood near the door, suddenly feeling his throat go dry.
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