The grand wedding plaza of Li Family Palace had turned into a sea of crimson and gold.
Scarlet lanterns floated lazily overhead.
Cultivators from every peak had descended except Fragrant Flower Peak.
Chen Jingshu's iron order had kept nearly all her disciples locked in secluded cultivation, but a handful of Chen Yuling's closest peak sisters had slipped away at the final hour to support her.
Even Patriarch Zhen had come.
He stood far at the edge of the venue, half-hidden behind a towering spirit-pine.
His presence was felt more than seen.
A distant, brooding mountain refusing to acknowledge the festival below.
Inside the private dressing chamber.
Chen Yuxuan sat before the bronze mirror.
She barely recognized the woman staring back.
Rouge kissed her cheeks, kohl lined her phoenix eyes, and her lips were painted the color of ripe cherries. The wedding robes clung to her motherly curves. She tilted her head to watch the phoenix crown catch the lamplight.
