Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 393 - 344: The Ceremony Concludes

Chapter 393: Chapter 344: The Ceremony Concludes
RUSTLE—
Accompanied by a light sound, a crack split open in the floor of the secret chamber within the Golden City Mansion, and Li Ang emerged from underground.
He had already sent an Ink Silk Clone ahead to scout. Finding the mansion empty, he confidently slid open the chamber’s secret door and entered the study.
After a do-or-die struggle with Mo Si, followed by a hasty journey back from outside the city, Li Ang sat at the desk, taking a long, weary breath.
However, the night was not yet over.
He picked up the note on the desk and glanced at it. It was Chai Chai’s handwriting. The note detailed her ruse of using a Sound Mimicking Talisman to impersonate Li Ang when Qiu Feng, Galuo, and Li Leqing had visited. It also included instructions for Li Ang to rush to the wedding venue immediately.
"The clothes were dirtied by bird droppings, so I’m not wearing anything and will stay in the study..."
Li Ang rubbed his forehead with a mix of headache and amusement. "She really came up with that one."
For some reason, Chai Chai’s tone seemed somewhat guilty when mentioning the visit from Li Leqing and the others. Li Ang had no idea what exactly was said.
Well, I’ll find out when we meet.
With a flicker of flame at his fingertips, Li Ang burned the note to ashes. Just as he was about to leave, he felt a strange sensation in his chest.
This time it wasn’t Mo Si, but... the Bitter Realm Lotus.
The black lotus petals closed together uniformly, pointing to the southeast like a sunflower.
Li Ang’s expression changed slightly, and the image of the Huai Spirit flashed through his mind—the last time a similar change in the Bitter Realm Lotus had occurred, it had also been a call from the Huai Spirit.
"..."
Li Ang stepped on the ground, and countless ink filaments seeped out, merging into the earth below.
After tidying himself up, he took a carriage to Furong Garden. The Ink Silk Clone, carrying the Bitter Realm Lotus, headed in the direction indicated by the lotus.
The Huai Spirit still owed him a wish, and it was the perfect opportunity for him to probe and see if the old scholar who destroyed the Jialan Sect was right about the demon of Chang’an City being the Huai Spirit.
In Jing’an Square, within an uninhabited mansion, the Ink Silk Clone, cloaked in night clothes, stepped into the dense forest of the mansion’s backyard.
The Bitter Realm Lotus had undoubtedly pointed to this place.
The Ink Silk Clone stopped in its tracks and waited quietly.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Footsteps approached from afar. A figure wearing a hooded scarf came closer.
It was indeed Nie Yuhuan.
Having not seen her for a year, she had grown considerably taller. She first bowed respectfully to the Ink Silk Clone and then stepped slightly to the side.
RUSTLE—
Branches shook, and leaves rustled. Behind Nie Yuhuan, the ancient bark of a pine tree slowly transformed, revealing the silhouette of a woman’s face. It was the Huai Spirit.
The Ink Silk Clone asked hoarsely, "Are you looking for me?"
"Yes." The Huai Spirit’s voice was still ethereal. "According to our previous agreement, I still owe you a wish. Therefore, I took the initiative to convert that wish into information that you should find interesting."
"What information?"
"Chaos is imminent in Chang’an City." The Huai Spirit spoke calmly, "You can take this moment to leave Chang’an with the people you cherish and escape danger."
"Chaos is imminent in Chang’an?" The Ink Silk Clone furrowed his brows. "Because of what? When will the incident occur? Where is the location? Who are the involved parties?"
"There’s nothing I can tell you." The Huai Spirit said indifferently, "I only know that there will be danger, but I do not know in what form it will occur."
The Ink Silk Clone fell silent.
It’s highly likely that the Huai Spirit is an old creature that has existed since the time of the Former Sui, having lived for over four or five hundred years. In her view, the common people of Chang’an are no different from the ants that multiply ceaselessly just outside her doorstep.
’There is danger in Chang’an City’—such a description is far too vague. Even if I anonymously this to the garrison, they won’t know where to start their investigation.
Li Ang’s thoughts raced as he controlled the Ink Silk Clone to continue speaking, "A piece of vague intelligence, I’m afraid, might not be worth the value of a wish."
The Huai Spirit’s brows furrowed slightly. After a pause, she finally said, "Right now, two Candle Cloud Cultivators have infiltrated the city."
This piece of information was much more specific. Li Ang asked subconsciously, "Who?"
"Not clear. They wear clothes that block perception." The Huai Spirit said indifferently, "Their approximate location is Banzheng Square."
Banzheng Square?
Li Ang felt a chill in his heart. Banzheng Square was adjacent to the Imperial City. It housed a large number of temples and was a gathering place for scholars taking imperial examinations. Furthermore, it was also the site of the Right Army Patrol Institute, responsible for inspecting Chang’an, and... the headquarters of the garrison.
Two Candle Cloud Cultivators who secretly infiltrated the city aren’t distancing themselves from the garrison, but instead approaching it?
A sense of unease began to spread and take root. The Ink Silk Clone nodded at the Huai Spirit and Nie Yuhuan, then with a stomp of its foot, vanished into the shadows.
In Furong Garden, within the Purple Cloud Pavilion, the wedding proceeded meticulously.
With the gentle and amiable words of the Faith Cultivation Cardinal, Li Hui and Yan Xuan, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, drank from the wedding cups.
"With such a blooming face, what need is there for embroidered clothes? Eventually, as birds joined in flight, one day they will soar side by side."
A few Princes stepped forward and helped Li Hui remove his outer garments.
"With such beautiful hair by the temples, no need for a cap to cast a veil." "While artificial flowers might have birds adorning them, real flowers attract true admirers."
The female relatives removed the hair ornaments from Yan Xuan and took off the fresh flowers worn on her head.
"The Moon Shaluo Tree, with branches too high to climb. Borrow a comb for the moment, giving it back once the hair is done."
The male and female relatives combed and joined the hair of Li Hui and Yan Xuan.
After a series of complicated rituals, all eyes were focused on the newlyweds. Li Leqing also looked towards her brother and sister-in-law, temporarily not thinking about why Li Ang had not yet arrived.
Finally, the Faith Cultivation Cardinal, smiling, recited the last ritual words, "As the Weaver crosses the river’s edge, she comes to the Human World solely for love. All others stand far aside; from this day, the couple starts anew."
Atop a Changle Square restaurant, Lu Yunan reached out, pulling at the drawstring of the Brocade Bag.
At a food stall beside the streets of Banzheng Square, Yuan Sou yawned, and Ghost Shovel twisted his neck. The two slowly rose to their feet, leaving a few copper coins on the stall’s tabletop.
In Daye Square, Li Ang himself, seeing the motionless, congested crowd outside the carriage window, gritted his teeth. Under the puzzled gaze of the coachman, he leaped down from the carriage, running towards Furong Garden.
The Ink Silk Clone raced in the opposite direction, towards Banzheng Square.
Above the Purple Cloud Pavilion, the Faith Cultivation Cardinal took the red Seal Mud handed over by an attendant. All previous rituals had followed the ancient Rituals of Zhou. However, according to the customs of Taihao Mountain, they were to mark the foreheads of the newlyweds with the Seal Mud.
He touched some of the red mud, dabbed it on Li Hui’s forehead, and stretched his voice with a smile, "Thus..."
Then, turning towards Yan Xuan, he dabbed the red mud onto her forehead. "Ritual complete."
DANG! DANG! DANG—
The twenty-four sounds of the Haotian Bell rang out punctually. Simultaneously, splendid fireworks launched from all one hundred and eight squares of Chang’an City.
The common people of Chang’an looked up at the fireworks filling the sky, their eyes reflecting the brilliant colors. In the tents below the Purple Cloud Pavilion, guests raised their glasses to drink together, wishing Prince Yue and his bride eternal happiness and bliss.
HUM!
Atop the hall, Yan Xuan’s eyes turned completely stark white in an instant. She opened her mouth, silently screaming, while the Faith Cultivation Cardinal’s fingers seemed glued to her forehead, unable to move away.