This was a troubled world, so all those who had some strength all chose to create their own strongholds. Such a thing wasn’t too strange a sight. On the contrary, it would have been far stranger to see an ordinary residence.
“Who’s there?” a group of men called out as they came over and surrounded Zu An’s group, kicking up a spray of dust.
Zu An saw that some of them dressed in armor, but not too many. They clearly weren’t a proper army; rather, they seemed to be a peasant militia. He said, “We’re in a hurry to get to our destination. It’s already dark, so we wanted to find a place to stay.”
The one in the lead was a tough-looking, dark-skinned man. He said, “What a coincidence! We just happen to be holding a celebration. Why don’t you come and grab a drink?”
Someone quickly advised him, “Brother Zhang, you have to be careful of a scheme!”
The large, dark-skinned man replied, “Don’t worry. Judging from this little brother’s mighty appearance, he doesn’t seem to be a bad person. Besides, who brings two women with them to do bad things?” As for Wei Suo, he was just treated as an attendant and wasn’t even worth mentioning.
The man continued, “The miss has always been kind, and today is her day of celebration. If she found out we had refused people and put them in danger, she would definitely blame me.”
When they heard his response, the others no longer said anything else.
In response to the robust man’s invitation, Zu An cupped his hands and said, “Then we’ll be troubling you for a bit!”
Thus, the group was led into the manor by the men. They chatted with each other along the way, and Zu An learned that the man’s name was Zhang Yong. He was the leader of the manor’s guards. Meanwhile, today was the day of their young miss’ wedding.
Wei Suo couldn't help but sigh. With such a huge manor, no wonder she hadn’t married into another family, and they had taken in a son-in-law instead. He thought, Why can’t I enjoy any of these things…
When he remembered how Brightmoon City’s princess had taken in Zu An as a son-in-law, and how he now had the goddess-like beauty, Qiu Honglei, at his side, Wei Suo felt more and more miserable.
…
When they entered, they were suddenly stopped. An old man who seemed to be a bookkeeper gave them some cards, asking, “Are you related to the bride or the groom?”
From the looks of it, they were expected to give a gift.
Zhang Yong said in embarrassment, “Uncle Wang, they’re passing guests. I invited them just now.”
Zu An chuckled and said, “It’s fine. We should offer a gift, at least.” He took out some gifts and handed them over.
The bookkeeping elder immediately broke out into a big smile and said, “Oh my, you’re too kind. How can we take something like this…” Even though that was what he said, he quickly took the gifts.
“What should I call all of you?” he asked as he picked up a pen and began to write on the guest list. There were all sorts of other names too, as well as their gifts.
Zhang Yong slapped his head and cried, “Look at my memory! I forgot to even ask for your names.”
Zu An was about to reply when Jing Teng’s voice suddenly said in his ear, “Don’t give them your real names.”
Zu An was stunned, but he quickly understood and said calmly, “I’m Wu Yanzu.”
Qiu Honglei was also sharp and quickly thought of as an alias, saying, “I’m Qiu Xiang.”
Jing Teng said calmly, “Jing Tian.”
Wei Suo was stunned, but he wasn’t stupid either. He quickly said, “Wei Xiaobao.”
…
Meanwhile, deep in the manor, a woman dressed in red bridal clothes and a veil slowly opened her eyes. She said to herself, “Hm? They seem quite similar to the ones the Ghost King spoke of.”