Yu Hong and Little Black were getting married. After the mess caused by Hong Meng and his posse, the two of them finally understood each other's feelings. Yu Hong too was willing to accept Little Black. After confirming their intentions, Lonemoon took it upon himself to help the both of them organise a couple's celebration.
Once news travelled out that the two of them got married, each of the ten continents sent gifts over as congratulations. Maybe in the last few thousands of years, immortals and demons had been living extraordinarily harmoniously. Or maybe Little Black's desires have always been known. Not only did no one make a scene after hearing of their marriage, most people even celebrated the marriage like it was what they had been expecting and hoping for a long time.
Of course... other than the ten Skyfiends of the Demonic Realm!
They should have been the happiest when their Demonic King finally married. Afterall, they were the ones who witnessed Little Black chase someone for thousands of years. Yet, they had not expected that Little Black would drag all of them down with him when he married. Once Yu Hong agreed to him, he immediately wiped his hands off all the thousand demons there were in the Demonic Realm. He cleansed himself and got hitched as soon as he could.
He even used the "new Demonic King" as an excuse not to go back to the Demonic Realm as king. To him, he was now a married man. He could not afford to let work affect his young family. Before he left, he even said: "You single demons will never understand!"
The ten Skyfiends each felt pain in their chest, as if someone had stabbed them. They tried in vain to persuade the Demon King to return. Looking at their directionless demons, they realised they had no choice but to seek help from Invincible Sect.
"What does that have to do with me!" Lan Hua said, addressing the ten Skyfiends who ran to him for help. "Why do you want me to be your king?"
"Among all the demons, only your cultivation level is high enough to be demon king," the ten Skyfiends wailed. Had they really no other choice?
"No way!" Lan Hua rejected them immediately. He had not even completely used up the year's worth of rent he paid before Lonemoon inflated the prices! What's more, his good-heartedness, and the rest were back. Now, he was free from even taking care of the sect's business. Why would he give up this relaxed life to clear up somebody else's mess in the demonic realm? Wouldn't it be great if he could just go to the rear garden every day to eat?
The ten Skyfiends were close to tears. They were trying to get someone to become the most powerful and authoritative figure in the Demonic Realm – why was everyone treating the position like it was crap? Seeing that Lan Hua's heart was made of steel, they realised there would be no way of persuading him to take up the role. Without any other choice, they decided to beg Lonemoon.
They couldn't care less. Lonemoon took their Demon King from them – he was responsible for returning one.
Lonemoon was not angry. Instead, he kindly showed the way to the ten Skyfiends. Since they were not able to request for Little Black, the previous Demon King, to return, they could look for the Demon King before him... Like a certain windpipe inflammation with the surname "Zhan".
As he guided them, he pulled out a map and charged them for it.
The Skyfiends emptied their pockets of all their immortal stones, took the map, and left Invincible Sect, not knowing whether to fully trust Lonemoon
That was how the Invincible Sect finally got to focus on planning the wedding celebration for Yu Hong and Little Black.
Perhaps it was because in the last few years, Yu Hong had managed the sect particularly well. The ten celestial emperors all turned up for the celebration. What's more, they all came with gifts prepared and their genuine congratulations. After they entered the main hall, they noticed the host of the wedding sitting at a table, chewing on her fruits and looking bored. They nearly tripped on their own feet. All of them paused at the main entrance, not knowing whether to move forward or to retreat.
Exalted... Exalted... Exalted Goddess!
(゚Д゚≡゚Д゚)
Were their eyes playing tricks on them? Since when did she return? Why didn't they receive any news of this? It was an illusion, it must have been!
"Hey!" Shen Ying raised the hand that was holding her fruit and waved to the group. "We haven't met in a long time!"
All of them trembled. They stole glances at the person seated right in front. Behind her stood His Majesty Yi Qing, and beside him was Lonemoon, who seemed to be looking at some menu. It was then that they were forced to accept that this was real! Invincible Sect's Sect Master, that living Patriarch, was back. That's... that's scary!
For some strange reason, they began to feel pain all over their bodies again.
'Exalted... Goddess!" They were Celestial Emperors afterall. After recovering from the initial shock, they walked forward and cupped their fists, greeting Shen Ying. Then, they greeted the other two companions by her side.
"Don't stand on ceremony, Celestial Emperors." Lonemoon kept the programme sheet he was holding and greeted them with a smile. "We haven't seen each other in several years. All of you are dressed in beautiful colours. Today, my Invincible Sect is celebrating a joyous occasion. There's no need for all of you to be so polite, please take your seats."
Lonemoon led all of them to their respective seats in the hall. He hosted them so warmly and passionately that the few Celestial Emperors forgot the fear they felt toward a certain someone still seated at the front of the hall. Before they knew it, everyone was seated. The initial shock they felt upon seeing Shen Ying was almost gone as well. For some reason, seeing Lonemoon this warm and passionate made them feel like they were about to lose something precious, very soon.
Shen Ying, on the other hand, went back to gnawing on her fruits after greeting them. She scanned the crowd for the nine Celestial Emperors who had since taken their seats. 3000 years had passed for them. But for her, only a few months had passed. She still remembered these people, like the one who was seated on the right.
"Hey, Little Birdie." She tilted her head, looking at Blackbird.
"Birdie... Birdie is here!"
"You've gained weight!"
Blackbird, who was just starting to get to his feet, felt his legs turn to jelly. He fell back down on his chair, looking like he was about to burst into tears. "Exalted... Exalted Goddess, you really cannot eat me!" He would go back and start a diet immediately!
"Huh?" She had no intention to eat him!
Seeing that he was not able to get to his feet, Shen Ying turned to face Biao Ting, who was seated on the other side of the room.
"Little Biao?"
"Biao is here!
"You smell like incense today, are you wearing..." a sachet?
Thud...
Before she could finish speaking, Biao Ting fell to the ground as well.
"Exalted... Exalted Goddess, my skin is rough and my meat is tough. I'm not delicious at all!"
Shen Ying, who was just trying to catch up with them: ""..."
My friends all sound like they're having calcium deficiencies.
"Master, I made some pastries yesterday. If you're feeling hungry, you can have that first." Yi Qing immediately set down a few plates of pastries next to Shen Ying's cup of tea.
Indeed, he successfully managed to distract Shen Ying. Shen Ying gave up trying to catch up with the other Celestial Emperors and focused instead on the pastries in front of her.
Little Birdie and Little Biao heaved a sigh of relief. Both of them shot Yi Qing looks of gratitude.
They did not know that His Majesty Yi Qing was such a kind-hearted person. They were truly thankful!
Yi Qing, who was feeding Shen Ying out of habit: "..."
****
The wedding celebration for cultivators was different from the ones carried out in the mortal world. In the immortal realm, two cultivators would sign a Deed of Symbiosis so that they would stay together until death. A contract had to be sealed to that effect. Weddings in the mortal world, however, only consisted of welcoming relatives, thanking elders and saying vows.
Since Little Black was marrying into the sect, Yu Hong woke up bright and early to fetch him from his home. There were many immortal guests from the ten different continents, so the main hall was extremely crowded and noisy. Shen Ying and others did not have to wait very long. After finishing just two plates of pastries, Little Black and Yu Hong entered.
The two of them were not dressed in as complicated a manner as in the movies – they were just wearing red dharmic clothing. After bowing to Shen Ying and greeting her as Sect Master, Little Black was accepted into Invincible Sect as a disciple.
They stepped forward to the Deed-Signing Stage and sealed the contract to make them Dao partners.
The Deed-Signing Stage was set up by Invincible Sect's disciples a couple of days ago. Yu Hong was their senior sister after all – she was naturally loved by all her juniors. That was why the stage looked especially beautiful. All around, there were fresh flowers bordering the stage. There were also rare immortal herbs and dandelions in the bouquets. It was obvious who was responsible for those.
When the Invincible Sect's disciples saw them, they pursed their lips.
"Go ahead!" Lonemoon stepped aside and looked toward the Deed-Signing Stage.
The two of them nodded and flew up to the stage. They smiled at each other as they locked gazes. In front of the huge audience, they held hands and began to conjure seals. The Deed of Symbiosis array beneath their feet suddenly lit up, causing flowers to rain down from the sky. After they formed the contract, two halves of a red seal appeared in their palms. Each half would join with the other to form a concentric lotus. It signified that the two of them would share in both life and death together.
The seal became clearer and clearer, until it was finally complete!
Little Black looked overcome with emotion. He refused to let go of Yu Hong's hand. "My wife..." He was just about to say something when the ground beneath his feet began to shake. His expression changed immediately. "Be careful!"
He pulled Yu Hong close to him and flew off the stage.
There were a series of crashes. The next thing they knew, the Deed-Signing Stage broke into pieces. The fresh flowers on the stage wilted immediately and a grey aura appeared, shooting straight into the sky. The usually bright and clear skies of the Nine-Layered Palace became dark...