Although the five days were tight, the preparation for the grand Ye family wedding was bustling and lively. The family frequently dispatched many stewards to purchase various wedding items, including precious silk and satin, decorating the entire Ye family mansion in bright red, creating a festive atmosphere.
Previously, the reputation of the Ye family was excellent, spreading a good story, and the people of the city praised it. However, there were also many discerning individuals who secretly harbored doubts, and members of the other two prominent families sneered at it — what good story? Just deceiving the public, who knows how many hidden schemes are behind it.
However, no one dared to voice these thoughts, fearing it would lead to conflict and ruin everyone’s reputation.
Hong Yuan, while flirting with Ye Jun, eagerly awaited becoming the bride. She understood deep down that Ye Jun was marrying her mostly because of the divine arts, but she believed that once they were married and she bore his child, everything would be different. She was convinced they would grow old together, and Ye Jun’s wife would only be her.
And at this very moment, she forgot to give the “Young Master Shu” an invitation… This Ye Clan is a place of sorrow, Young Master Shu, he should not come here after all!
As for the disregarded Young Master Shu, he had already descended from the mountain once again.
This time happened to be the day for vegetable delivery. Ye Shu waited under the tree early in the morning and saw a servant boy who came to collect vegetables for Yan Changlan. The servant boy recognized Ye Shu and knowing he had some acquaintance with their young master, dared not be negligent and came over to bow.
Ye Shu said, “Today, I have something to discuss with the young master, I wonder…”
The servant quickly smiled and said, “The young master has said that if Young Master Shu ever wants to find him, he should just let me lead the way.”
Ye Shu nodded, “Thank you for your help.”
The servant boy repeated, “It’s my pleasure.”
Then, Ye Shu followed the servant boy all the way to the back of the Lord’s Mansion, entered through the side gate, and went straight to the courtyard where Yan Changlan resided.
Although Yan Changlan was the young master, his residence did not exude much luxury. It was generally arranged to be tidy and comfortable, with a large martial arts practice field and a weapon rack displaying various weapons… all eighteen types.
At that moment, Yan Changlan was practicing martial arts with a long sword in hand.
His swordplay was as swift as the wind, his body akin to a swimming dragon. Wherever the sword flowers swirled, they stirred up little white waves, and with each turn of the wrist, blossoms of sword flowers bloomed, countless cold lights shot out in all directions, truly dazzling and dazzling, making one’s eyes blurry.
Ye Shu saw this scene and nodded slightly.
This set of swordsmanship was considered decent in the mortal realm, but in his eyes, it had many flaws. Yan Changlan danced it quite well, but it wasn’t remarkable. However, what he admired was that although Yan Changlan might lack experience and couldn’t modify the swordsmanship, he unconsciously concealed these flaws with his body movements while wielding it. As a result, the seven or eight flaws became only two or three obvious ones, and even those had follow-up moves to cover them… Whether it was Ye Jun or the original Ye Shu, in terms of martial arts talent, they were far inferior to this young master.
According to the standards of the mortal realm, the current City Lord Yan Bei was a top-notch master in the martial arts world, Yan Changlan was already close to first-rate, Ye Jun was originally only close to second-rate, but after practicing the “Divine Arts,” he also jumped to second-rate, heading towards first-rate.
Ye Shu’s gaze deepened.
If Yan Changlan were Tian Lang, he would surely have spiritual roots and talent in cultivation. However, the spiritual roots of Tian Lang back then were very peculiar, seemingly altered by evil techniques, transforming into something resembling crimson blood. What his spiritual roots were like now, however, remained unknown.
Regardless… he stopped dwelling on it.
Yan Changlan was quite pleasant to the eye; whether or not he was the former Tian Lang, he could still be considered a friend.
After completing a round of swordsmanship, Yan Changlan noticed Ye Shu’s arrival and stopped, gliding over to him. “Brother Ye, what brings you here today?”
Ye Shu said, “I’ve come with a request.”
Yan Changlan smiled, “Brother Ye, you overestimate me. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do my best.”
Ye Shu’s tone was casual, “It’s not about anything else… I wonder if brother Yan has the wedding invitation for Ye Jun’s wedding?”
Yan Changlan was taken aback, “Ye family’s invitation?” Then he remembered the person’s background and sighed lightly, “The Ye family’s invitation has indeed been sent, but my father is busy with seclusion and has no time to attend, so I’m here to represent him. If brother Ye is interested, you can join me to the Ye family for the ceremony.”
Ye Shu understood that Yan Changlan had some misunderstanding but didn’t explain, only nodded, “In that case, thank you, brother Yan.”
As the wedding day was just two days away, Yan Changlan insisted that Ye Shu stay here temporarily.
However, Ye Shu had his own secrets and couldn’t stay, so he politely declined.
Yan Changlan was somewhat disappointed but didn’t insist. After giving Ye Shu a new and shiny outer garment, he personally escorted him to the door.
Ye Shu accepted the outer garment, realizing it was tailored for him. Now that he had it, it would be suitable for attending the ceremony in two days.
Then, Ye Shu left.
He continued with his formations and cultivation—although he was somewhat interested in Ye Jun’s wedding with Hong Yuan, ultimately, his own cultivation was more important. Currently, he still lacked a lot of power at the Qi Refining level, so he needed to put in a lot of effort.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Shu tidied himself up a bit and put on the outer garment before heading down the mountain.
Upon arrival, he saw a carriage parked ahead and stopped to take a look.
As the carriage door opened, a spirited young man in a snowy white silk robe jumped out. He exuded an elegant demeanor and radiant spirit, flashing a smile at Ye Shu. “Brother Ye!”
Ye Shu walked over. “Brother Yan.”
Yan Changlan said, “Brother Ye, you’ve arrived just in time. Let’s go together.”
Ye Shu replied, “I appreciate Brother Yan coming to pick me up. I should be waiting for you at the Lord’s Mansion.”
Yan Changlan waved it off, “I arrived a bit faster. Please, brother Ye.”
Ye Shu didn’t say more and got into the carriage directly.
The carriage wasn’t spacious, but since both Ye Shu and Yan Changlan were still teenagers, it wasn’t crowded.
The carriage indeed was quite fast, and before long, it arrived outside the Ye family mansion.
In front of the crimson gate, dozens of Ye family members with red ribbons welcomed guests. Standing tall and straight below the gate, Ye Jun wore a red wedding gown, his handsome features accentuated by his remarkable demeanor.
Yan Changlan got off the carriage first.
Ye Jun hurriedly approached, “Young Master City Lord, your presence truly honors us.”
Yan Changlan nodded to him and said, “Congratulations.” Then he turned around and addressed the people in the carriage, “Please come down and follow me inside.” To avoid embarrassment for Ye Shu, he didn’t address him directly.
A young man descended from the carriage, his eyes slightly lowered, dressed neatly, following behind Yan Changlan.
Ye Jun glanced at the young man, only taking a rough look at his outline, assuming him to be Yan Changlan’s attendant. Without further inquiry, he politely ushered Yan Changlan into the mansion.
Yan Changlan didn’t explain either and simply walked ahead.
Ye Shu followed behind him into the mansion.
However, he couldn’t help but think that despite Ye Jun’s constant suppression of his original self, he had never paid him any attention. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have failed to recognize each other face to face.
As he thought this, Ye Shu entered the mansion with Yan Changlan and was seated at the forefront of the table.
As this table represented the Lord’s Mansion, there were no others at the table. Yan Changlan asked Ye Shu to sit beside him, occasionally chatting with him in a low voice to prevent him from being reminded of past wounds.
In the Ye family’s mansion, Ye Shu felt a sense of detachment. Seeing this scene, he didn’t feel particularly sorrowful. But Yan Changlan’s comforting words carried goodwill, so he responded to Yan Changlan’s kindness with a few words in return.
Seeing that Ye Shu didn’t show much discomfort, Yan Changlan felt slightly relieved. He pushed the tea and snacks brought by the maid towards Ye Shu and urged him to try some first.
Ye Shu couldn’t refuse such hospitality, so he picked up a piece and tasted it.
As the two calmly interacted, some people approached Yan Changlan to exchange pleasantries. Although Yan Changlan was young, he handled the situation with ease. Occasionally, when someone asked about Ye Shu next to Yan Changlan, he simply referred to him as a “friend” and didn’t elaborate. Despite this, Ye Shu was still offered a few glasses of wine.
When most of the guests had arrived and the auspicious time had come, everyone stopped socializing and returned to their seats.
The groom’s parents, Ye Zhen and Madame Tang, quickly took their seats at the high platform, and the ceremony singers also swiftly positioned themselves. Amidst a chorus of congratulations, the smiling groom, Ye Jun, led the bride, dressed in wedding attire, forward with a red ribbon.
The couple bowed to each other.
Ye Shu watched this scene with a calm expression.
Others might not notice anything, but he knew within himself that deep inside, it felt as if a speck of dust had been gently wiped away. His soul and body seemed more integrated, and even the spiritual power within the yellow sprout spiritual dew suddenly increased by two strands.
He understood very well that even though the original owner was no longer present, he now occupied this body. However, witnessing Hong Yuan and Ye Jun’s marriage with his own eyes, the final obsession of the original owner fulfilled, the body now belonged to him completely, without any trace of discord.
This was also why Ye Shu, who clearly knew the eventual outcome of that couple, still came to witness the ceremony with Yan Changlan.
After the ceremony, the bride was escorted to the bridal chamber, while the guests enjoyed food and drinks, creating a lively atmosphere.
The banquet table was filled with delicious dishes and wine, but Yan Changlan and Ye Shu quietly ate some without joining the others in the festivities. After one round of eating, Yan Changlan stood up to take his leave, and Ye Shu followed suit.
At the moment, Ye Jun was occupied and couldn’t break away, so a core member of the Ye family escorted Yan Changlan to the door.
Yan Changlan brought Ye Shu onto the carriage and left.
Along the way, Yan Changlan extended another invitation, “It’s already late today, brother Ye. Why not stay overnight at my place?”
This time, Ye Shu glanced at the sky and didn’t refuse.