Chapter 331 Chapter 331 – Alaric and Vivienne's Quality Time
Tiara, Alaric, and Vivienne remained behind, watching the backs of their teammates get further away.
"I don't feel like chasing them," Vivienne complained lazily, walking as slowly as a mortal woman on high heels.
"If you keep walking at this speed, you might catch up with them by nightfall," Tiara shrugged and walked away at a more reasonable speed for a sixth-stage cultivator.
"I'm injured, I can't run. Doctor's orders," Vivi retorted, letting her friend get away without any second thoughts.
Alaric, presented with the choice of sticking with the sleepy girl or following the annoying ice princess, picked the former. He felt like Ken and Henry had some disagreements, so he preferred not to follow them as they were both his friends.
"Hey, Vivi, how about the two of us go and explore the city? I have never seen a city made entirely of wood and flowers," Alaric slowed down to match his pacing with the woman's.
"Hmm, it sounds interesting, but I thought to rent a house and spend my day in bed…" Vivi thought about how to reject before adding, "recuperating," she nodded happily when she realized that she had the best excuse. She was going to reuse the injury explanation until nobody harbored a single drop of sympathy toward her.
"Oh, that's a shame. The cuisine in this city must be unique, who knows what kind of delicacies we could find," Alaric sighed, doing the best he could to prevent his lips from forming a curve.
"The cuisine?" Vivi's face turned contemplative, "Indeed, we are in a new place, I didn't think about it," she admitted. "Come, let's tour the place, we need to pick the tastiest ones to make the trip worthwhile."
"Tiara, do you want to come, too?" Alaric asked for politeness' sake, getting the answer he expected to hear.
"No, I'll go to cultivate," she replied before the distance between them turned too large to continue the conversation without a communication token. She was not interested in a mortal city. The highest grade of food they would serve was fourth grade if they were lucky.
"I guess it's just the two of us, what a shame," Alaric did his best to fake sadness.
"No need to pretend. Anyway, I sense many people in that direction, let's check it out. Perhaps it's a central district in the city."
The two strode in the noise's direction and soon made it to a wide avenue. A big chunk of it was blocked by a fence and the stores in that area were closed. Hundreds of people stood on the sides of the road yet the center of it remained open.
"Hey, Handsome. Do you mind telling me what is going on here?" Vivi leaned toward a random young man who tiptoed in a desperate attempt to see something that lay beyond the crowd blocking his way.
"Hm?" He turned around when he heard the feminine voice, only to be stumped by the beauty waiting for his answer.
"Ah… I-" He stuttered, confused. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?" He eventually uttered.
"What is going on here? Why are all those people here?" She repeated her question.
"Oh! I'm surprised you don't know it! it's a wedding between the young missy of the Fulgencio family and the young master of the Tuestague family, they blocked the main avenue for the wedding and invited the whole city to celebrate alongside them," the man explained.
He then looked at her expectantly, "If you don't know your way around the city, how about watching the wedding with me? I could take you to dinner afterward," he gathered the courage and asked.
"Haha," she giggled, "I would love to," she leaned over and whispered into his ear, making him almost jump in excitement. "But my boyfriend is right beside me, and he is a third-stage cultivator. Aiya…" she sighed regretfully, lamenting at the lost chance.
"I- I see. Forget it then, since you are taken, it's not good to talk with another man's woman," he said and stepped away immediately, glancing worriedly at Alaric.
"You didn't have to use me to get rid of him, you know," Alaric shook his head. He did not mind though, it was better than listening to Vivi flirt with men.
"It made things easier," the girl grinned.
"WOOOO!"
Claps echoed throughout the avenue when a woman adorned in red hanfu embroidered with intricate designs of gold walked down the road, two older people by her sides, presumably her parents. The three smiled widely, even waving back at the audience from time to time.
Alaric could only tell she had an alluring shape but had nothing to say about her beauty. She was covered with a red veil that hid her face, only showing a blurry silhouette behind it. However, he knew he would be numb to her visage even if she was a belle. Hanging out with Vivienne and Tiara every day took its toll on his standards.
The three reached the blocked area, remaining at the bottom of the staircase leading to a small stage. Red silk was hung above the stage on the wooden structure, a sign that a wedding was taking place.
"Who are the Tuestague and Fulgencio families?" Alaric asked an older woman standing by his side.
"Oh, Young Man, you must be from out of town. They are two of the most influential families in the Blooming Lotus City, and their heads are both said to be in the sixth stage. Their battles and skirmishes have been a pain in the rear for the normal citizens of the city; many were killed as collateral damage or lost their shops and homes without receiving any compensation."
"Then the wedding is a joyous event, I reckon they will not battle anymore," Alaric nodded and thanked her for the information.
"It's too crowded, how about we find a better spot to watch the event?" Vivi suggested, pointing at the rooftop of a building right in front of the stage. Without waiting for his confirmation, she leaped in one strong jump and landed right on the edge before folding her robes and sitting down.
"Huh, why phrase it as a question?" Alaric muttered to himself before joining his friend.
"It's the groom!"
Shouts and applause reverberated in the avenue again, pulling the duo's attention to a man in red clothes coming from the other side. By his side were his parents and his two brothers.
"They are quite impressive for non-sect members," Vivi commented when she sensed they were all in different phases of the fifth stage, excluding the older man who was in the sixth stage.
Alaric, having nothing better to do, took out his guqin, letting it float above his lap.
*Ting* *Ting* *Ting*
He started with a slow and relaxing tone. Vivi reclined back, enjoying the music and the festive atmosphere. The groom stood by the bride's side while the four parents climbed the staircase, waiting for the ceremony. As for the siblings, they stepped back for the time being.
"Who are you?! Get down and surrender yourselves!"
Two guards brandished their spears in Alaric and Vivienne's direction. The two chose to ignore them, not paying attention to random third-stage cultivators.
"Stand back," the patriarch of the Tuestague family ordered, "Two travelers, we are honored to have you attend the wedding of our children. Are you…" he tried to come up with the right way to ask his question. As a sixth-stage cultivator, he could sense enough to know that it'd be better not to fight the two, but he also wanted to know why they were there.
"We have nothing to do with the couple, we happened to pass by and wanted to watch the blessed event," Alaric said with a soft voice, his fingers still dancing on the strings, producing mesmerizing tunes.
"Let the ceremony begin!" The patriarch shouted, satisfied by their answer.
"Bow to the Heavens and the Earth!" The marriage officiant yelled. The bride and groom turned around slowly and bowed in tow.
"A second bow to your parents!" He instructed next, and the couple turned again, facing their parents before bowing.
"Bow to your spouse!" The two now turned to each other and bowed, big smiles on their faces that could not be hidden.
"Thus concludes the bows!" he ended the short tradition.
As the groom reached forward, his hands moved with gentleness, carefully lifting the veil that had shrouded his bride in mystery. As the delicate fabric slid away, it revealed the breathtaking visage beneath.
Her hair, dark as the midnight sky, was elegantly held in place by a golden hairpin with the design of a blooming lotus that seemed to grow from her hair. A tiara, crafted from the purest gold and studded with polished white jade, sat atop her head, accentuating her regal bearing.
Her features were a harmonious blend of traditional beauty; almond-shaped eyes, rich with anticipation and joy, sparkled like jewels under the ceremonial lights, and her skin, fair and flawless, seemed to glow with an inner radiance. Her lips, tinted the softest shade of pink, curved in a shy, yet joyful smile, completing the picture of a bride in her moment of elegance.
"The heavens willed this union, and may your love last for a thousand years! Now, a gift from the father of the bride!"
Alaric lowered the sound of his music, and the effect was enough to let the few who were on the verge of tears finally break.
"Jonathan, this is one of my family's heirlooms, the Azure Dragon Sword, crafted from the scale of a seventh-stage dragon. It's a seventh-grade sword and will serve you for the rest of your life."
The older man nodded and a young man stepped forward, holding a long wooden box in his stretched-forward arms.
"Please inspect it."
Before the groom could follow his instruction, a third man appeared on the rooftop.
"There is no fire like passion. There is no shark like hatred. There is no snare like folly. There is no torrent like greed."
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