Gathering his crew together, Jie informed them he would be marrying Ai the following day, to cheers and loud applause. "So today, we will be building a temporary alter right here." he said as he pointed down at his feet.
Looking up at him wide eyed he laughed. "Right here, in this exact spot that I am standing is where Ai chose the location of our home, so it is only right that we marry in this exact spot." he said, pushing a stick into the ground to the mark it.
Then going through the ritual with them, and of course including them as their wedding guests and witnesses, they all quickly followed his strict instructions on the layout and finer details. It took the whole day to prepare, but once done, Jie had his crew build a palanquin.
"Be here at the usual time, we will all collect her in the morning." he smiled at them before sending them home.
Then leaving them to work on his instructions, Jie left immediately for town. There was a little store he had seen earlier that sold wedding apparel, which he headed to first. The first things he purchased was the wedding gown and matching robe, veil, slippers and accessories. Then a wedding blanket, pillows, goblets, candle holders, candles and everything the store owner recommended. It was quite an exhausting 3 hours, but once he had everything he would need, he had them all delivered to his Ais little home.
Now that, that was ready, Jie immediately returned to the construction site and his crew, who had almost finished the alter and were preparing to take a break. Unloading his horse of the rest of his purchases, he gathered his crew in front of him and began to hand out packages to each one. These are for tomorrow, he told them smiling as they all opened their parcels amid gasps and wide smiles.
Their parcels contained new robes, small trinkets and money. Even though it was they who should have given him the gifts, he knew they could not afford it, and being an unconventional wedding anyway, he didn't see any point in creating more hardship for them. Explaining to them that he did not want gifts or money, only their presence, they all stood and bowed before he sat them back down again.
The amount of money he had gifted each of them, was a years wage, so a substantial fortune, but when he explained why, they were understood and were very grateful for it. "I have hired more men to assist you in completing my home, I need it finished within two weeks, even less if possible." he said as he looked at his young crew whom he had grown to love.
Understanding that more crew would mean less time to earn more money, they thanked him for his generosity and foresight. It was more than they could have hoped for, and it was enough money to prepare their own futures. Jie, would always remain their number one concern in life, they felt indebted to him and grateful that their futures looked brighter than it had only moments ago and they would not disappoint him. From that moment on, they all referred to Jie as Father.
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When the parcels arrived at Ais little home later that day, she burst into tears. The thought that she was marrying Jie, suddenly became a reality. But it was when she unwrapped the wedding blanket that she came to a complete halt.
Jie would be staying with her while his home was being built. Rising quickly, she raced through every room to remove any remnants of her Immortal life. There could be nothing for him to suspect her of being anything other than Ai, a common Mortal woman.
It was when she picked up the luminous Pearl, that her mind once more returned to the night that Jie had picked it up. That he knew what it was, once again had her thinking how that was possible, and her zither too. She had watched his reaction to it, as if he knew that it didn't belong there.
And though she was suspicious, she didn't dwell on it too much, after all there were many Immortal artifacts in the Mortal world and hers were just two more. Then magically removing everything else that did not belong there, she looked at the wedding dress. Red and Gold, the traditional wedding colors and as she held it up against her, she began to cry.
That her family would not be there, hurt her more than she thought it would. After all, her marriage to Jie would only last a mere 3 Immortal months but still, she was marrying a man she truly loved, yet there was no one close to her to share with it, other than Jie and maybe his crew.
Not even her young girls would be invited, so the sadness she felt at that moment had her wondering if she was really doing the right thing. But that thought too did not linger too long. In her heart, all that mattered was her love for Jie and whatever time fate gave to them.
Preparing the wedding bed brought on a steady stream of blushes, as she thought of what would happen once they returned for the bedding rights. She was quite old to still be a virgin in the Mortal Realm, and having been there for 20 years already, her age would be almost 38 years of age, but because she had not aged herself, she still looked to be about 18 and even that was considered old to be marrying. Mortal girls normally married once they began menstruation, so for that reason alone, she was happy they would not have too many guests, it would have been embarrassing to marry at such an old age and the people there could be rather blunt with their criticisms. Though, she needn't have worried, none of the Mortals actually knew how old she was anyway.
Yet the thought of losing her virginity brought on mixed feelings. Jie was the only man she would have allowed to take her maidenhead, yet when her mind went back to Mo Yuan, the intensity of her desire for him had almost allowed him take her in a moment of sheer madness. Mo Yuan had once again began to edge into her thoughts, yet though she considered him to be handsome beyond belief, she could not understand the burning desire she continued to feel for him after that night in the forest.
And the more she thought about him and their night of heated passion, she suddenly had a thought. It was one that had appeared to her the moment they had arrived in the forest, but had been swept from her mind when he kissed her. That he had chosen to bring her to that particular place out of all the thousands of the forests in the whole world, why that that one? Did he know she was here? Did he know about Jie? Is that why he tried to seduce her? Was he trying to force her back to the Immortal Realm?
But no. There was no way he could know about Jie, no one knew about him, because for one, she was in disguise. None of her family knew of it or her home, or they would have turned up months ago to drag her back. In the end, she decided that perhaps it was just a coincidence and nothing more.
With only the banners left to hang, Ai decided to only decorate her front door, the less conspicuous the better, though she fully decorated their bed chamber. Then deciding at the last minute that she needed flowers, she quickly rushed outside to gather a large bouquet of scented flowers which wafted beautifully through her whole house.
Once everything was ready, she decided to take a quick walk into the main township itself. She needed a dowry, and as she only had the afternoon to gather as much as she could, she did not waste any time. This wedding had to be perfect for Jie, as they were his customs and she did not want to disappoint him by leaving out any of the rituals that the Mortals followed.
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The next morning, Jie was the first to arrive at the wedding site. His crew had created a beautiful palanquin for Ai, and with the red silk curtains and ornate door, it was truly beautiful. There was still an hour before his crew were due to arrive, so he busied himself preparing the alter and the fresh fruit, vegetables and wine as their gift to the Gods. Though that did bring a small smile to his face, considering he was one of them, but he was following Ais customs so he quickly rid himself of the urge to laugh as he nervously attached his horse to the palanquin.
By the time he had finished, his crew had begun to arrive, and he heard them all before he saw them. All of them were dressed in their new matching robes, and carrying every conceivable instrument as well as fire works and lanterns, it was quite a remarkable scene, and Jie suddenly felt very nervous.
But smiling broadly, laughed at the sight as they drew nearer, their ribald jokes and banter were loud, boisterous and happy which also had him excited. Today he was getting married, and nothing was going to ruin it for either of them.
Pulling his horse forward, he greeted his men, who looked at him in awe. Dressed in fine red silk with gold trimming, his hair loose and blowing about his face in the soft breeze, he looked every bit the groom, and his young crew could not have been happier. Forcing him up onto the horse, they set off immediately to collect his bride.
Ai could hear them well before she saw them, but she waited patiently in her little home on the seating in her full Bridal gown and veil listening to the rowdy din as it grew ever closer and her stomach churned and twisted. "Jie." she cried softly to herself, as they arrived at the front of her house.
Entering with his most senior crew member, Jies smile grew wider as he took in her loveliness. Though he couldn't see her face, he suddenly wanted desperately to kiss her, but he kept himself in check, though he was sad she had no family with her. Sending his young crew member outside, he took her hand pulled her to her feet.
"Ai, are you sure this is what you want?" he asked her softly. "I can wait for your family." he added but she merely shook her head sharply.
"This is what I want Jie." she said just as softly, as she began to lead him forward, causing him to laugh.
"Ai, I lead you." he said laughing even more when her head suddenly ducked down. He could envisage her shy blushing cheeks, and that merely made him happier, her demure shyness was something he loved the most about her. She was exceptionally sweet, pure and innocent, she had no idea how much her demure ways moved his heart, he loved her more than anything in the world, and as he led her towards her future, one lone tear fell, which he quickly wiped away before his young crew saw it.
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The ceremony itself was simple and brief. Just as Ai wanted it. She did not want a huge fuss, though the travel was exciting, she could not prevent herself from sneaking a few quick peeks out her side window, which merely earned her a harsh growling from her crew friends each time she poked her head out. With beating drums and loud bangs and booms from the fire crackers as well as the ribald jokes and banter, she spent the entire ride laughing, which now and them Jie could hear, causing him to also laugh.
Now that the ceremony was finished, and they were declared married, Ai was once more led back to the palanquin and the long loud ride back to her home began. And if she thought it was noisy arriving, it was even louder on the way back, that she wondered if they had perhaps picked up extra people on the way.
But the sound of Jies laughter had her laughing along with him, as her tears began to fall. She was now a married woman! And that she was married to Jie, increased her tears of happiness, that she desperately wanted out of the Palanquin, to be in his arms was all she could think about. She knew he would be a gentle lover and he would ensure she would not be put through any more pain than was necessary, and she had never wanted any man than she did at that moment, as desire and want began to wash over her.
But the ride did soon come to an end, and as the door flew open and Jies hand took hers, the excitement suddenly turned to fear. What if she wasn't satisfactory? What if he wanted something more than a docile virgin? Should she give him a little of her skills or should she lie there and let him do everything? As a Mortal woman, she had lived her Mortal Realm life how a woman of good breeding would act, and that was the woman he had fallen in love with. She was docile, meek and demure. She was feminine, delicate and graceful. She was not Bai Qian.
But those thoughts were soon washed away when Jie suddenly picked her up into his arms and walked her into her house himself, before slamming the door behind him, leaving his young crew outside to either stay and create mayhem or leave, he didn't care. Ai was finally his.