Fatty was taken aback. Then he saw Meng Hao’s awkward smile, suddenly shivered in realization, and then quickly changed the topic of conversation.
They stayed at the Golden Frost Sect for a night, and then left.
They didn’t return to the Blood Demon Sect or the lake. Meng Hao took Xu Qing to travel through the Southern Domain like mortals. They didn’t fly, they walked, through mountains and past rivers. During the days they strolled along together, and at night they slept in each other’s arms. They walked through deep mountain ranges and across vast plains, gracing them with the traces of their passage.
Occasionally they would encounter people, all of whom would immediately clasp hands in greeting. Soon, word began to spread through the Southern Domain of the Beatific Sweethearts.
During that month, they traveled to many places. Xu Qing laughed happily as she accompanied Meng Hao. Meng Hao stopped worrying about cultivation and the future. He focused on relaxing and enjoying Xu Qing’s company.
When the month was up, and their traveling finished, they proceeded toward the enormous lake that occupied the spot where the State of Zhao used to be.
The land there had undergone a complete transformation, and now looked like a celestial paradise. In the center of the lake, upon the rippling water, sat an island with jade buildings which had been ringed with ornamental statues and carvings. It was not excessively opulent, but held a great deal of charm.
That was where they settled down to wait for the half month until… the day of the wedding!
The sound of laughter rang out as tens of thousands of Blood Demon Sect disciples bustled about in the area surrounding the lake, using magical techniques to completely change the entire area. Occasionally, the disciples would look over their shoulders toward an island in the middle of the lake, and their faces would fill with fanaticism and benediction.
Soon, Southern Domain cultivators began to show up and gather in the area as they awaited the big day.
Meanwhile, in the central region of the Southern Domain, in a very ordinary town, was a street food stall that sold noodles. Two old men would set up the shop in this particular location around this time every year. Their noodles were quite famous in the area.
One of the old men had a stooped back, white hair, and a kindly expression. The other looked to be a bit younger, but still had quite a few gray hairs on his head. When he was younger, he had obviously been quite handsome.
The two men would often lounge together and watch the sunset while smoking from long-stemmed pipes. They usually sat together in silence and didn’t chat much.
Day after day, year after year, that was how they spent their time. When they moved to this place, they were middle-aged, but as time went by, they had become old.
On one particular evening, when the evening was being replaced by night and the twinkle of lamplight began to spread throughout the town, the stooped old man suddenly put his pipe down.
“Should we go?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
The other old man next to him also put down his pipe.
“You were the one who took a liking to him all those years ago. You paid quite a heavy price for the kid without a word of complaint. Now he’s famous. Probably couldn’t be any more famous, actually. When the wedding day comes… maybe I could decide not to attend, but you… could you really stay away?”
The stooped old man laughed and then stood up. “Alright, it’s settled. We’re going. I could tell as soon as I looked at that pup that he had potential!”
“Well, fine,” said the other man. “Neither of us have much longevity left. Let’s go see all the kids, then we will have accomplished everything and can die content.”
The two old men exchanged a glance, then disappeared laughing off into the night.
These two were none other than Grand Elder Ouyang and He Luohua from the Reliance Sect. All those years ago, Grand Elder Ouyang had already been running low on longevity; the fact that he was still alive now indicated that he had run into some sort of good fortune since then.
Similar scenes played out in the Black Lands.
Meng Hao’s grand wedding had sent all the lands astir.