The Mountain King turned to look at Mu Xueshi. Mu Xueshi forced a smile onto his face. Although it was somewhat strained, it looked far better than the expression he had worn when he first heard the news.
The Mountain King pulled Mu Xueshi up from his seat. Mu Xueshi concealed his emotions with extreme care, terrified that the Mountain King might notice something amiss and cause this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to slip away for nothing…
Poison Master Moru… Poison Master Moru… I couldn’t have heard wrong. There is only one Poison Master Moru. He deliberately deceived me once, and afterward stayed in the courtyard for an entire month. There’s no way I could mistake him…
“Wife, your hands are shaking,” the Mountain King suddenly said from beside him.
Mu Xueshi’s body stiffened. His eyes, which had only just regained some vitality, immediately turned toward the Mountain King, while his heart pounded furiously in his chest.
When the Mountain King saw the look on Mu Xueshi’s face, he hurriedly stroked his head affectionately and comforted him. “There’s no need to be afraid. With me here, they won’t harbor any ill intentions toward you. If anyone takes the initiative to speak to you later, just pretend you didn’t hear them.”
Mu Xueshi nodded stiffly. Suddenly, his vision turned red as something was draped over his head.
Mu Xueshi had probably never imagined that he would ever have anything to do with a bridal veil in this lifetime. A wave of sorrow immediately surged through him. With this thing covering his head, how was he supposed to see who had arrived?
Escorted over by several bandits, Poison Master Moru kept complaining about how difficult the mountain path was to traverse. He truly could not understand how these bandits managed to tell directions apart on a daily basis. With so many twists and turns, didn’t they ever get dizzy?
By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, Poison Master Moru felt that taking even one more step forward would be difficult. Looking ahead, all he could see was a dense sea of heads. The crowd’s shouting lacked any rhythm or order whatsoever. Blended together, it was impossible to tell what anyone was actually yelling.
With a single leap, Poison Master Moru sprang into the air, stepping across the shoulders of the bandits one by one as he ascended to the mountain summit. He landed directly at the foremost banquet table.
Most of the people here recognized Poison Master Moru, but he recognized very few of them. He had originally thought he might take this opportunity to reunite with some old acquaintances, only to discover that nearly every face before him was unfamiliar.
Now this is strange. No matter what, the Mountain King is fairly well-known in the jianghu. In particular, the thieving skills of his subordinates are practically unrivaled…
“Hurry, they’re coming! I see the King coming out!”
“The King! The King! The wife! The wife!”
“…”
Standing alone in a relatively secluded corner, Poison Master Moru watched the frenzied bandits and found himself increasingly curious. According to the letter, the Mountain King had fortuitously obtained a stunning beauty. The wording had emphasized just how astonishingly beautiful this person was.
However, Poison Master Moru was merely curious and did not harbor especially high expectations. After all, he had already met both the most beautiful man in the world and the most beautiful woman in the world. How extraordinary could a beauty from such a remote place really be? Recently, he had simply grown visually fatigued from staring at one perpetually gloomy face. He had come here hoping to feast his eyes on something pleasant and perhaps absorb a little festive joy before returning.
“Poison Master Moru?”
Hearing someone call his name, Poison Master Moru turned his head and found himself looking at a broad-faced man with thick eyebrows. His small eyes gleamed with a sly, sneaky light that made one uncomfortable from head to toe, especially someone as particular about appearances as Poison Master Moru.
“That would be me.”
Instead of being discouraged by Poison Master Moru’s perfunctory response, the man became even more excited. He cupped his fists respectfully and launched into an endless introduction of himself, explaining that he had recently become fascinated with gu arts and hoped to seek instruction from Poison Master Moru. He also spoke at length about the Mountain King’s wedding, but Poison Master Moru scarcely listened to any of it.
Everyone else had already focused their attention entirely on the two figures emerging from the building and had no time to spare on newly arrived guests. Poison Master Moru found another location that was even more difficult to stand in and balanced himself there in an elaborate pose, avoiding the crush of the crowd.
Had I known the wedding ceremony would be this conventional, I never would have come…
Poison Master Moru grumbled inwardly. He had originally thought that, as the ruler of several mountains and a man of remarkable courage and bearing when they first met, the Mountain King would surely break tradition and devise some innovative wedding ceremony. Instead, everything was proceeding with such rigid propriety.
What a disappointment…
Seeing that not a single person remained seated at the banquet tables, Poison Master Moru lightly jumped down and landed beside one. Taking a seat, he picked up a wild fruit and began eating it.
Listening to the deafening cheers outside, Mu Xueshi felt as though his ears had practically perked upright. He desperately hoped to distinguish a familiar voice among the thousands of people shouting, though he knew how naïve such a hope was.
“King, lift the veil!”
“That’s right, lift the veil! We want to see the bride!”
“…”
The Mountain King waved a hand at his brothers, signaling for them to quiet down, then said steadily, “We haven’t even completed the marriage ceremony yet. How can there be any reason to lift the veil already? Besides, lifting the veil is something that should only be done after entering the bridal chamber.”
The moment the Mountain King finished speaking, countless voices immediately responded, shouting for the marriage ceremony to begin at once. There were even a few bolder ones who claimed they would secretly lift the bride’s veil before the ceremony. However, judging from the Mountain King’s expression, it would be very difficult for anyone to get close to the beauty by his side today.
Watching thousands of people clamoring and shouting impatiently, even the guests who had arrived not long ago were itching with curiosity. Just what kind of wife could create such an exaggerated atmosphere?
…
Mu Xueshi felt himself being led up several steps. All around him, gongs and drums thundered while firecrackers exploded incessantly. When he finally stopped, he saw a red carpet beneath his feet. Someone helped him kneel upon it. After muddle-headedly kowtowing several times, Mu Xueshi heard the words, “The husband and wife bow to each other.”
The ceremony was already finished?
Mu Xueshi’s mind went blank, and he immediately lost all sense of direction. Once the ceremony was completed, did that mean he officially belonged to the Mountain King? Would he have to fulfill marital obligations from now on? And if he refused to fulfill those obligations, would there be some kind of punishment?
While Mu Xueshi was still thinking about all this, he felt his head knock heavily against the ground. Cheers erupted all around him.
It was over. It was already too late to back out…
“The bride and groom shall enter the bridal chamber.”
“Enter what bridal chamber? It’s still broad daylight! What’s the point of entering the bridal chamber now? Lift the veil and let us brothers have a look.”
“That’s right! The bridal chamber can wait until whenever. We can’t let all these guests who traveled from afar come for nothing!”
“Is the King afraid his wife isn’t beautiful enough and that he’ll embarrass himself?”
“…”
Knowing that the bandits were deliberately using reverse psychology on him, the Mountain King refused to take the bait. Watching them grow red-faced with impatience because they wanted to see Mu Xueshi only made him feel more pleased. He intended to keep them hanging. He himself had not even properly admired his beautiful wife yet. How could he allow this crowd to feast their eyes first?
Mu Xueshi, however, was in exactly the same state of mind as the people making all the commotion. They wanted to see him, and he likewise wanted to see them. If the veil was not lifted, how was he supposed to find Poison Master Moru? If he missed this opportunity, who else could he seek for help?
He absolutely had to escape before entering the bridal chamber…
“My wife is tired. I’m going to help him inside so he can rest for a while. Esteemed guests, please take your seats and enjoy some wine and meat. Once my wife is feeling better, he will naturally come out to greet everyone.”
A chorus of disappointed groans immediately erupted. Those who had been shouting the loudest moments ago now deflated. Some angrily smashed jars of wine on the ground to vent their frustration.
Suddenly, the noisy crowd fell silent. Poison Master Moru was the calmest person present. He had hardly reacted the entire time, merely sitting to the side and watching the excitement with a smile. Now that everyone had suddenly gone quiet, he found himself growing curious instead.
When things were lively, he had sat firmly at the back of the crowd like Mount Tai itself. Yet the moment things became quiet, he slipped straight to the very front. That was Poison Master Moru’s style…
And Mu Xueshi, at the exact moment the veil was lifted from his head, miraculously saw Poison Master Moru standing right at the front.
Both men froze.
Even the air above the boisterous mountain stronghold seemed too lazy to circulate. Curious spectators crowded closer to watch, making the two people locked in each other’s gaze feel even more suffocated.
Mu Xueshi swallowed hard. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was only a step away from rushing over and throwing his arms around Poison Master Moru. At this moment, he would have burst into tears of joy even upon seeing a mere acquaintance, let alone such a familiar face.
Unfortunately, Poison Master Moru’s shock had nothing to do with the fact that this person was Mu Xueshi. Rather, it was because this face was simply too much for him to bear. Had the mountain god of this mountain actually manifested a miracle and produced someone this beautiful? Even thinking such a thing felt unbelievable.
All of Poison Master Moru’s earlier composure vanished without a trace. He could not believe that the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life was standing beside this bandit king, holding a wedding ceremony in such a secluded mountain stronghold.
He blinked.
Sure enough, the face he had just seen disappeared, as though it had all been a dream.
Protected within the Mountain King’s embrace, Mu Xueshi was escorted back into the room. During the entire process, he desperately wanted to shout Poison Master Moru’s name, but not a single sound emerged. Only then did he remember that his voice was gone.
Watching a miracle that had been within arm’s reach slip away right before his eyes, Mu Xueshi felt like killing himself. Why did Heaven insist on tormenting him like this…?
Mu Xueshi struggled, trying to rush outside and find Poison Master Moru, but the Mountain King held him tightly in his arms, leaving him completely unable to move.
When the Mountain King saw the person in his arms gasping for breath while tears streamed down his face, he was badly frightened. He hurriedly wiped away Mu Xueshi’s tears and coaxed him gently.
“Wife, don’t cry. Fine, I won’t let you go outside. Those people are only curious, that’s all. A few words from me later and I’ll send every last one of them away. Today is our great wedding day. How can you be crying?”
Mu Xueshi shook his head and pounded several fists against the Mountain King’s chest, cursing furiously in his heart.
How can you be this terrible? If you really drive all of them away, I might as well cry myself to death right here…
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