Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Grand Wedding - V

Chapter 137: Grand Wedding - V

When Rhain finally arrived at the riverbank, he was once again left surprised by the extent to which the sect had gone for their marriage.

Even the riverbank had been thoroughly decorated.

The banks of the Blooming Dawn River, which were usually overgrown with wild reeds, had been meticulously cleared.

Countless small, glowing clay lamps lined the water’s edge for miles.

Their tiny, flickering golden glow gently flowed across the rippling surface of the water, making the entire river look like a beautiful mirror reflecting the starry night sky.

It was extremely mesmerizing and tranquil.

For the past few days, the sect guards had strictly cordoned off this section of the river, forbidding anyone from approaching the sacred banks.

However, just beyond the perimeter of the guarded area, a staggering crowd of people had gathered.

Thousands of mortals and low-level cultivators from Greymist Town—those who did not possess the qualifications or the status to directly enter the Azure Cloud Sect and witness the grand ceremony—had crowded onto the distant shores and bridges.

They had waited for hours in the cool evening air, just to catch a single glimpse of the legendary Supreme Elder and his fairy bride.

When Rhain and Seris finally appeared on the illuminated riverbank, a collective gasp ripped through the distant crowd.

"Look... it’s them!"

"Oh my... the bride is so beautiful that she looks like a goddess descended from the fairy world."

"That handsome man is the who single-handedly destroyed the Ironpeak Sect... yet he looks so gentle holding her hand."

The whispers were filled with reverence and awe, for people like them, Rhain was not much different than a walking god.

Maren led them to the very edge of the water, where the golden light of the clay lamps reflected beautifully against Seris’s trailing crimson bridal gown.

Maren stopped and turned to face them, a playful, teasing smile brushing past her lips.

"This is where I leave you two to yourselves," Maren said softly. "Take out your clay lanterns, light them, and let them float upon the river to carry your vows to the heavens."

Rhain and Seris both nodded.

With a faint shimmer of spatial light, the two clay lanterns they had meticulously sculpted five days ago materialized in their hands.

Maren took a step back, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Oh, and I almost forgot," she added playfully, "The ceremony is officially complete. Which means... the ban is lifted! You are finally allowed to tell each other exactly what secret wish you wrote inside those lanterns!"

Hearing Maren’s playful reminder, Seris’s face instantly flushed a rosy red under the moonlight.

She held her clay lantern carefully with both hands, stealing a shy, nervous glance at Rhain.

With a fond chuckle, Maren retreated to a nearby tree, standing guard in the corner to ensure absolutely no one disturbed the couple, leaving them to share this sacred moment entirely alone.

Rhain and Seris looked at each other, the divine light of the countless clay lamps illuminating their faces.

He smiled, and raised his right hand, extending his index finger toward the wick of his lantern.

Fwoosh.

A blood-red spark ignited at his fingertip.

Rhain controlled its destructive nature with such flawless precision that the dark red fire merely sparkled gently, illuminating the inner walls of his lantern with a crimson glow.

Seeing this, Seris also raised her delicate, snow-white hand.

She channeled a tiny fraction of her innate essence.

Swish.

A beautiful icy-blue flame bloomed inside her lantern, glowing a dreamy, luminous silver-blue light that perfectly contrasted with Rhain’s crimson fire.

Side by side, they crouched down at the edge of the water.

With utmost care, they gently placed their glowing lanterns onto the rippling surface of the Blooming Dawn River.

The gentle current caught the clay vessels, carrying them slowly away from the bank.

The dark red and icy-blue flames danced beautifully together on the water, drifting far, and far into the distance.

Rhain stood up, gently pulling Seris up with him.

He wrapped his arm securely around her slender waist.

"So," Rhain murmured softly, leaning his head down so his lips brushed lightly against her ear, "What did you wish?"

"First you," Seris whispered softly, her pale purple eyes darting away nervously, completely unable to meet his intense gaze. "Tell me your wish, and only then will I tell you mine."

Rhain tilted his head slightly, a playful, devilish smirk curling the corners of his lips.

"Are you sure?" Rhain asked mischievously, leaning in just a fraction. "Do you really want to know what I wished for?"

Seris blinked, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in slight confusion, but she gave a firm nod. "I do. But why are you looking at me like that? What exactly did you write?"

"I wished," Rhain lowered his head even closer and murmured in her ears, "that you would bear my ten children in the future."

For a fraction of a millisecond, Seris’s mind completely went blank.

And then, an explosive, rosy blush rushed across her flawless face, spreading violently down her delicate neck and collarbones until she looked entirely like a ripe, burning apple.

"You...You...!"

She violently jerked her hand away from his waist, taking a hasty step back.

She stomped her small foot angrily against the stone bank, her chest heaving with flustered indignation.

"You are completely shameless!" Seris scolded, her pink lips pouting in extreme grievance. "It is our wedding day, and you are still teasing me! I... I won’t talk to you anymore!"

In the distance, the staggering crowd of onlookers watching from the bridges and far shores caught sight of her reaction.

Even when pouting and visibly angry, Seris’s otherworldly beauty was so breathtakingly vivid that it caused the hearts of countless men to skip a beat.

But as their gazes shifted to the dark-robed youth standing beside her, their awe was instantly replaced by a burning hatred and jealousy.

"What in the world did he say to her?" one man muttered, glaring at Rhain as if looks could kill. "To make such a peerless goddess so resentful... he must have said something incredibly evil and awful!"

"He is a monster!" a young man gritted his teeth, his eyes entirely bloodshot with envy. "If I had a wife as beautiful as the fairy, I would pamper her every single day! I would absolutely never let her feel wronged or make her angry like that!"

The man standing directly beside him let out a mocking scoff.

"Oh, really?" the man sneered, crossing his arms. "If you are so brave, why don’t you go over there and tell that directly to his face? Go tell the man who slaughtered the entire Barlowe family and Ironpeak Sect how to treat his wife."

The young man who had spoken earlier quickly clamped his mouth shut, his legs trembling as he shrank back into the crowd, not daring to utter another syllable.

Back on the illuminated riverbank, Rhain looked at the aggrieved girl standing before him.

Her flushed cheeks, her adorable pout, and the fierce, stubborn glare in her pale purple eyes made her look so ridiculously beautiful that Rhain felt his heart melt entirely.

In the face of such devastating cuteness, the supreme expert who had burned the three centuries old clan to ashes without blinking immediately raised his hands in surrender.

He accepted his complete defeat.

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding," Rhain chuckled softly, stepping forward and gently taking her delicate hands back into his own.

Seris tried to pull away, but he held on firmly, his dark grey eyes softening into a gaze of profound, boundless affection.

"I will tell you my real wish," Rhain whispered, his voice turning incredibly deep and solemn.

He looked straight into her beautiful eyes, completely stripping away his amusing expression.

"I wished that as long as I draw breath in this vast world, no one will ever make you shed a single tear of sorrow."

Seris’s petite body trembled, the feigned anger and embarrassment that had gripped her heart evaporated in an instant, replaced by a surge of overwhelming, sweet warmth.

Her pale purple eyes misted over.

Seris looked at his incredible handsome face with her blurry vision. She took a step closer, resting her head gently against his chest. Slowly, her red lips parted, and she revealed her own secret wish.

"And my wish..." Seris whispered in a very low voice. "I wished that if there is any suffering or danger destined for you in the future... may the gods let it fall upon my body instead. I only wish for you to always be safe, and happy."

Hearing her utterly selfless wish, Rhain felt as if the softest part of his soul had been struck.

He tightened his embrace, holding her delicate figure as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Ahem."

After a while, a soft, deliberate sound came from the distance.

Rhain and Seris looked over.

Maren walked back toward them.

"As much as I loathe to interrupt such a beautiful romantic scene," Maren said with an apologetic tone "we really should be returning now. The hour is getting quite late."

She stepped closer, her smile deepening into a suggestive smirk.

"Besides, it won’t be fine at all if our esteemed Supreme Elder and his beautiful bride end up spending their sacred wedding night shivering by the riverbank instead of in the warmth of their bridal chamber."

"E-Elder Maren!" Seris stammered, so thoroughly embarrassed that she wished the ground would simply open up and swallow her whole.

She hurriedly lowered her head, completely unable to meet Maren’s teasing gaze.

Rhain let out a helpless sigh.

’Well, she is not wrong.’

With a faint smile, he took Seris’s hand again, and the three of them made their way back up the mountain path.

As they approached the Azure Cloud Sect, the deafening sounds of boisterous laughter, clinking wine cups, and festive drums could still be heard echoing from every corner of the sect.

The banquet was in full swing.

When they reached the intersection leading toward the inner courtyards, Maren abruptly stopped and turned to face Rhain.

"Rhain, as the groom, it is your duty to go out to the main plaza and formally greet the guests who have traveled thousands of miles to celebrate your wedding."

Rhain’s dark grey eyes instantly showed a deep reluctance.

"Greet the guests?" Rhain frowned, a trace of visible annoyance brushing past his handsome face.

He absolutely detested making meaningless small talk with a bunch of fawning clan patriarchs.

Maren saw his reluctance and let out a soft laugh.

"Do not give me that look," she instructed playfully. "It is tradition! You only have to offer a few toasts and show your face. Until you are finished, I will take your bride with me."

Maren reached out, gently taking Seris’s delicate hand into her own.

"There are still a few... very important things I must teach her in private before you return to the bridal chamber."

The moment those words dropped, Seris’s body went completely rigid as a fresh wave of blazing heat exploded across her flawless face.

She nervously bit her pink lip, terrified of whatever these "important things" might be.

Rhain looked at Seris’s wildly blushing face, and then at the bustling, noisy plaza in the distance.

His shoulders dropped in resignation.

"Well, it’s the very last tedious task I have to do for this wedding,’ Rhain thought inwardly, forcefully suppressing his impatience.

"Fine," Rhain gave a reluctant nod. He turned his deep gaze back to Seris, his voice softening instantly. "Go with Elder Maren. I will finish this quickly and come to you soon."

Seris gave a tiny, incredibly shy nod, keeping her gaze glued to the ground.

With the matter settled, Rhain turned around, preparing to stride toward the noisy banquet.

But as he took his first step, his body abruptly stopped.

A gentle, resistive tug pulled at his wrist.

Rhain looked down.

There, wrapped securely around their intertwined hands, was the beautiful garland of white flowers that Harmon had personally tied during the ceremony on the altar.

All this while, neither of them had remembered to take it off.

They were still physically bound together.

Seris also looked down at the white flowers binding their wrists, her eyelashes fluttering as a sweet smile touched her lips

Rhain’s initial annoyance entirely melted away.

With deep care, Rhain used his free hand to gently unbind the delicate flower garland.

He slowly unwrapped the fragrant white petals, letting his long fingers brush softly against her snow-white skin one last time before finally pulling his hand free.

"Wait for me," Rhain murmured softly.

Seris nodded before walking away with Maren.

Rhain stood still and watched quietly as Maren led his blushing, beautiful wife away straight toward his private courtyard.

Only when her crimson bridal gown completely disappeared from his line of sight did Rhain finally turn around to finish his last duty.