Zhang Zitong was startled and quickly retracted her gaze.
That demon’s cultivation is really scary... I only gave him a few more glances, and yet he already sensed it.
She understood her limits well. If she was discovered by this great demon, with her cultivation, there was no chance of her winning.
Fortunately, the Yin Yang Path Master approached Lu Sanyuan with a big smile to talk to him, which made him retract his gaze. He began to converse cheerfully with the Yin Yang Path Master.
Soon after, the bride’s escort returned. The bridal carriage stopped by the entrance. A bride with a red veil over her head slowly walked in, supported by her maids.
When they saw her fair and graceful figure, many people sighed in astonishment. They shot Fang Long envious looks.
Just what kind of damned luck does that guy have?
Even Zhang Zitong couldn't help but sigh in amazement. The saintess really was as beautiful as a goddess. Even though her face was covered under the red veil, just the natural grace she walked with tugged at the heartstrings of the people watching. That wasn’t something she could compare to at all. Previously, she had seen that the Heavenly Devil Path’s Pan Qiaoqiao was also full of charm, but she was still inferior to the saintess.
...
Shortly after, the bride entered the main hall. The Yin Yang Path Master gave her a look.
However, someone suddenly asked, “Why isn’t the groom leading the bride in yet? We're about to celebrate the wedding soon!”
Fang Long seemed to awaken from a daydream. He quickly ran over.
The Yin Yang Path Master bowed and invited Lu Sanyuan to sit in the seat of honor. Lu Sanyuan replied with a smile, “You are the host here today, and the newly married will bow to you in honor. What would I do in that seat? I’ll be fine sitting below.”
The Yin Yang Path Master Fang Zhonghe bowed and said, “The Path-Sect Master[1] is the wedding witness, as well as the heaven and earth of our Holy Sect. If your respected self won’t sit in the seat of honor, how could we dare?”
The elders all cursed inwardly.
This guy’s obseqious attitude is truly nauseating.
However, none of them dared to express anything.
Meanwhile, the middle-ranking members of the sect who were a bit farther away were stunned.
How did the Vice Sect Master become the Holy Sect’s heaven and earth? What about Sect Master Yun?
Lu Sanyuan was clearly very satisfied with the Yin Yang Path Master’s attitude. He thus nodded and said, “Since brother Fang has invited me to do so with such hospitality, it would be impolite to refuse.”
Meanwhile, Li Feiqing watched as Fang Long approached the saintess. The wedding was already about to start, so he was feeling incredibly nervous. Previously, he'd already coordinated with that bastard Fang Biao, and yet he couldn't find the other person at all. He wondered if something had happened. And what was Pan Qiaoqiao doing? Why did he still not see any sign of her? There was no way those two could have eloped, right?
The World School’s Wang Cong moved over to his side and quietly said, “Brother Li, Pan Qiaoqiao has died.”
“Died?” Li Feiqing repeated. His entire body trembled. He quickly asked about what had happened.
Wang Cong then gave him a summary of the assassination on the way. The Freedom Path’s members were all immersed in the arts, so their information network was naturally not as good as the World School’s.
Li Feiqing’s expression darkened. He hissed, “Just what the hell was Pan Qiaoqiao doing? Didn’t we already decide to switch her out in the bridal room? Why did she do it ahead of time, even hiding it from us?”
“It’s already meaningless to ask about those things. She's already dead,” Wang Cong said with a sigh, “Things are way too strange. I'm backing out, but I wish brother Li the best.” He shook his head and left afterward.
Li Feiqing was left standing there with a blank expression. His fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh. He knew everything was over. Fang Biao was missing, Pan Qiaoqiao had been assassinated, and Wang Cong had backed out. Their meticulously-made plan was now all wasted effort. There was no way he could succeed all alone. Could it be that he really just had to watch as the woman he loved married another?
When he saw Fang Long reach out toward the embroidered sphere the saintess was carrying with a big smile, his eyes turned completely red. At that moment, he couldn't hear any of the noisy surroundings. All of his attention was on the bride and groom.
In the end, he took a deep breath and roared, “Stop!”
Fang Long jumped in fright and reflexively pulled back his hand.
The entire hall also fell silent, and the people all looked at Li Feiqing. Those who were standing closest to him moved aside, as if they were worried that they would be associated with him.
The Yin Yang Path Master gave the Freedom Path Master an unhappy look and asked, “Brother Hua, what is going on here?”
The Freedom Path Master smiled apologetically, replying, “Brother Fang, please do not worry. I will properly discipline that idiot disciple.” Afterward, he immediately shouted with an angry expression, “Idiot disciple, this is the Yin Yang Path’s day of celebration! What kind of nonsense are you creating here? Back down this instant!”
At this point, Li Feiqing was going for broke, however. He hollered, “I feel as if something isn’t right with this wedding! There's no way the saintess would marry Fang Long!”
A group of people immediately became rowdy. It was obvious that there were many people who admired Qiu Honglei, and none of them wanted her to marry Fang Long.
When he heard that, Fang Long frowned and replied, “Mister Li, I invited you out of good intentions, and yet you insist on causing trouble here. In that case, you cannot blame me for doing what a host must.”
He made a gesture with his eyes, and his trusted aides rushed out to chase Li Feiqing away.
However, Wang Cong stepped forward between them and said, “Brother Li, what you said has no proof or basis. Aren’t your words going a bit too far?”
A grateful look appeared in Li Feiqing’s eyes. Even though Wang Cong appeared to be criticizing him, his body blocked the aides' path and gave him a chance to continue speaking. As such, he continued, “In all these years, the saintess has never shown any interest in Fang Long. That's something everyone can see with their own eyes! They know she doesn’t like Fang Long, so how could she possibly suddenly agree to marry him?”
Many people nodded. That was also what they were confused about. Everything was too abnormal. A lot of them even felt that their own relationship with the saintess was better than that of Fang Long. She had always lived cleanly and honestly, hating the scoundrels from the Yin Yang Path the most.
Fang Long’s expression darkened. He replied, “With things like emotions, who can say for certain? The saintess does normally treat me indifferently, but that is nothing more than a reflection of how much she cares about me. The more you care about someone, the more you avoid them and try not to show it.”
“Tsk~” Sounds of disapproval filled the air from all around. It was clear that the onlookers didn’t like his answer.
Fang Long’s face twitched. He secretly looked toward the higher seats and saw that Lu Sanyuan and the others were drinking tea with indifferent expressions. They clearly intended to test his ability to handle this crisis. He gritted his teeth and said, “Mister Li, I know that you have always liked the saintess and cannot accept the reality that she is marrying me. So, I can just let bygones be bygones over your actions today. However, I advise you to take this offer and not do anything foolish because of your feelings.”
Those who were on good terms with him voiced their agreement. They reprimanded Li Feiqing for causing trouble all because he was jealous and liked the saintess. Meanwhile, when they heard those words, the ones who had spoken up for Li Feiqing also became a bit hesitant. Li Feiqing was a fanatical pursuer of the saintess; that was something everyone knew. Perhaps he really was just causing trouble.
When he saw that the people around him were starting to give in, Li Feiqing immediately panicked. He continued, “The saintess is Sect Master Yun’s beloved disciple, but why isn’t the sect master here on such an important day? Saintess, were you fooled?”
When he heard that, Lu Sanyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The people around him immediately felt a chill.
The Freedom Path Master Hua Feihua hurriedly exclaimed, “Idiot disciple, what are you saying? Sect Master Yun is cultivating in seclusion and cannot leave. She has already sent some people to express her blessings.”
“That is right,” Elder Xi from the Heavenly Devil School said as he stood up. “I am here on behalf of Sect Master Yun to participate in niece Qiu’s wedding, to offer her blessings on the sect master’s behalf.”
Many people present nodded. Elder Xi’s status in the Heavenly Devil School was extremely high, making him practically number two among them. Since he had spoken up, he had to be expressing Sect Master Yun’s intent.
When he saw the current situation, Li Feiqing couldn't help but feel despair. He naturally didn’t know what was happening among the higher-ups and just assumed Sect Master Yun really had agreed to the wedding.