Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Year 3 of Yuanping.

It was the month of December.

On the 25th day.

It was an auspicious day for engagements, weddings, and moving into a new home.

Today was the day of the wedding between the Third Young Master of the Chengguo Residence and the daughter of the Qin family.

Both the Luo family and the Qin family were well-known families in Mo City.

Logically speaking, even if the marriage between the two families was not extravagant, it should at least be a lively one. The entire city should know about it.

However, on this day, the two residences were quiet.

There were no festive decorations on the streets outside the mansion.

There were no firecrackers, no gongs or drums, no noise.

There were only a few guests who came to congratulate both families.

The two families seemed to have discussed this beforehand. They held this marriage in an abnormally quiet and low-key manner.

After someone asked around, he finally understood the reason for it and informed everyone else about it. Only then did everyone come to a realization.

It turned out that the Third Young Master of the Chengguo Residence was going to marry into the Qin family and become a matrilocal son-in-law!

“It’s said that the Third Young Master is a child of unknown origin, and he’s not the biological son of the Old Master of the Luo family. Hence, he can’t even compare to an illegitimate son.”

“I heard that the eldest daughter of the Qin family is so gravely ill that she turned into a fool. This marriage was done in the hopes that it will hasten her recovery.”

“I see,”

Luo Qingzhou thought.

“To these two noble families, this marriage is an embarrassing matter. No wonder they don’t dare to publicize it.”

In the streets and alleys, people were discussing animatedly.

The groom, Luo Qingzhou, had already dressed up and set off from the Chengguo Residence at nine in the morning.

There were no horses nor brightly colored decorations.

There was no accompaniment of gongs and drums as he headed for the Qin residence, nor was there a majestic and grand procession.

There was only a small sedan chair, a few servants, a few maidservants, and a few gifts.

The procession moved quietly and quickly through the streets.

It was as if they were afraid of attracting attention and embarrassing themselves.

Luo Yannian and the others had already arrived at the Qin residence before them.

It was as if they were ashamed to be in the same group as the wedding procession team.

The Qin residence, on the other hand, was a little livelier.

In addition to the Qin family and the Luo family members, several respected elders of Mo City were also invited to the wedding.

They did not invite anyone else.

The palanquin did not stop outside, and it directly entered the residence.

They passed through the spacious courtyard and stopped outside the hall.

They lifted the curtain.

Luo Qingzhou walked out of the palanquin. He was dressed in a red robe, looking very much like a bride who had left her maiden home for that of her husband.

He would be lying if he said that he was not flustered upon seeing everyone, both inside and outside the hall, staring at him.

However, panicking would only cause him to make mistakes and make him a laughing stock.

Therefore, he had to stay calm!

Luo Qingzhou composed himself, put on a calm look, and faced everyone.

There was a brazier in the doorway outside the hall.

A strong coal fire was burning in the brazier.

The Qin family hired an old experienced maidservant to oversee the marriage procedure. She was dressed in a gaudy outfit. Standing beside Luo Qingzhou, she said in a high-pitched voice, “Groom, lower your head and step over the brazier. Once you do that, you’ll burn any bad luck away and have a prosperous future!”

After a pause, she smiled and added, “Be careful. Don’t burn your crotch.”

Upon hearing that, the surrounding servants and maidservants, as well as the younger members of the Qin family and the Luo family, all burst into laughter.

If Luo Yu was the one getting married, this old maidservant would definitely not dare to make such a joke.

Xiao Die stood at the side, feeling angry and aggrieved for Luo Qingzhou.

She could not believe that he was humiliated as soon as he entered the Qin residence.

With an impassive look on his face, Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and walked forward. He lifted his leg and stepped over the brazier.

He entered the hall and stood by the door.

In the hall, his nominal father—Luo Yannian—and the elders of the Luo family sat in the guest seats and looked at him coldly. None of them greeted him.

As for First Madam, she did not even turn up.

“Groom, wait here for a while. The bride will be here soon.”

The old maidservant had followed him in.

Luo Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat as he looked outside.

He was looking forward to seeing his future wife.

He wondered what his bride, who everyone called a fool, looked like.

He figured that she was most likely wearing a red veil, so he would not be able to see her appearance.

However, he could have a look at her figure and her mannerisms first, so that he was mentally prepared.

Behind Luo Yannian stood the Second Young Master of the Luo family, Luo Yu.

Originally, he should not have come today.

The Qin family did not welcome him.

Besides, he was busy cultivating and preparing for the upcoming exam. Hence, he had a lot on his plate.

And yet here he was.

Luo Yu wanted to see what the bride, who he had broken the engagement with, looked like.

Of course, he was merely curious about her looks.

No matter how ugly or beautiful the other party was, no matter if the other party was a fool or not, he would not regret breaking off their engagement.

He only had one goal now, and that was to enter the Capital’s Dragon Academy.

Once he entered Dragon Academy, he could have any kind of talented girl he wanted.

After all, that was the capital, a place where geniuses gathered!

A long time ago, Big Brother had advised him to have a long-term vision. He should not focus on a small place like Mo City. Additionally, he should not allow himself to be deceived and restrained by people in such a small town.

Of course, he understood what his big brother meant.

Therefore, when his mother mentioned this marriage to him, he rejected it without any hesitation.

That was how this younger brother of his, who had appeared out of nowhere, became a substitute for him.

The hall was very quiet.

It was very quiet in the Qin residence.

When the old maidservant said to wait for a while, it was obvious she did not really mean that. Luo Qingzhou knew that he had to wait a lot longer than that. Probably that was a test, and they wanted to see how patient the groom was.

When noon arrived.

The old maidservant shouted outside, “Let’s welcome the bride to the hall!”

Luo Qingzhou looked outside.

Luo Yu also looked outside.

The brazier was removed.

The red carpet was laid out, and the maidservants scattered flower petals at their feet as they entered.

A group of people surrounded a bride who was dressed in a red robe, with a red veil covering her face.

Luo Qingzhou was a little disappointed.

The red veil was too big and wrapped too tightly. Not only could he not see the bride’s appearance, but he could not even see her skin.

Even the bride’s hands and figure were covered by her wide sleeves and wedding robe.

However, he could roughly tell that she was not fat and was tall.

What made everyone’s eyes light up was that the girl in pink who was supporting the bride had a slender figure and was very pretty. Moreover, she had a sweet smile on her face, which made her look really perky and adorable.

The bride stopped beside Luo Qingzhou.

The old maidservant said, “Groom, what are you waiting for? Take the bride’s hand. It’s time to perform the ceremonial bows!”

Luo Qingzhou paused and reached into the bride’s wide sleeve. After searching for a while, he touched a cold hand.

He held it gently. It was soft and tender. His heart skipped a beat as their hands entwined.

Someone who had such a beautiful hand could not be ugly, right?

Luo Qingzhou was actually looking forward to their wedding night.

“Hold the bride’s hand and move forward.”

The old maidservant instructed him in a high-pitched voice.

Luo Qingzhou held onto his bride’s hand and walked forward step by step.

How cold!

The bride’s hand was incredibly cold.

It was as if he was holding onto a piece of ice. It was so cold that his skin hurt.

He wondered if the bride had been playing in the snow outside earlier.

It was understandable if she did that. After all, she was a fool.

However, when he saw that his wife had such beautiful hands, Luo Qingzhou felt that having a fool for a wife was acceptable.

After all, he could still live off of her.

“Stop. Bow to heaven and earth!”

The old maidservant pointed outside.

Luo Qingzhou knew that after the first bow, it did not matter how he viewed this marriage. In this world, he was considered a married man.

Although he was a little unwilling and did not even know what the bride looked like, he was powerless to change anything.

Fine. He would go through with this wedding.

It was more important to survive.

Luo Qingzhou held the bride’s hand and bowed.

At the same time.

At the corner of the street not far away from the Qin residence, a young man in white with an extraordinary temperament was looking at the entrance of the Qin residence with a complicated look.

Beside him stood a hunchbacked old man. He glanced at the man in white and said respectfully, “Young Master, it’s not too late now.”

When the white-robed man heard that, he chuckled. “If I wanted to snatch the bride, I would have done so a long time ago. She is someone who would rather die than submit to me, so why should I ask for trouble? Since she would go as far as to marry a random man rather than become my woman, I’ll let her go.”

Then, he said, “Have you asked around?”

The hunchbacked old man lowered his head and said, “He is indeed a weak scholar. He has no foundation in cultivation, and there are no cultivators around him. Furthermore, he is a man of humble origins. His mother was born in a mountain village. Back then, his mother was raped by Luo Yannian—who passed by that area—and she ended up giving birth to him.”

“He’s a pitiful person.”

The white-robed man sighed softly, but an odd smile appeared on his face. “It’s good that she married such a person.”

The hunchbacked elder immediately said, “She only has herself to blame. Young Master, don’t worry. If she marries such a person, she will never be able to have her day.”

The white-robed man was someone who destroyed whatever was unattainable.

No matter how white and noble a flower was, if it fell into the mud, it would end up covered in filth.

The old man knew very well that his Young Master got a thrill from exacting his revenge.

“Let’s go. It’s time to end this.”

The white-robed man’s figure began to blur.

In an instant.

The two of them disappeared on the spot as if they had never appeared.

At this moment.

In the main hall of the Qin residence, the old maidservant was saying one last sentence.

“Send them into the bridal chamber.”