Chapter 148 The Lost Bride

As I stood atop the city wall, the Yan Yu Louzhu’s (Rain Mist Manor Lord's) spiritual sense had already arrived, and soon I saw the scene from that year.

In the distance, the wedding procession stretched out from afar. The bridal sedan, matchmaker, and musicians were all present. The sound of the suona horns was festive, but more than half of the wedding party wore grim expressions.

The wedding procession entered through the city gate, where firecrackers exploded in unison.

My vision returned to normal only after the last person in the procession entered the gate.

I pondered, "Do the Miao people send wedding processions in the same way as the Han people?"

"No!" Cang Tianji said, "The wedding customs of the Miao people are different. Some don't use bridal sedans; the bride walks in full dress. Others do travel by sedan. The sedan itself isn't the problem here. The key is the musicians. That suona melody is wrong."

I couldn't help but frown slightly, "I've never heard that melody before."

When ancient people married, the suona music was nothing more than a few pieces like "Carrying the Bridal Sedan" and "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix." None of us had ever heard the melody played by this wedding procession.

Cang Tianji said again, "The Han people choose daytime for weddings, but according to the customs of the Miao people in this area, weddings should be held on the night of the full moon, symbolizing reunion and harmony. But look, the day they sent the bride, it was clearly a waning moon."

"That's not right then."

"Doesn't that mean that the wedding wasn't held according to either Han or Miao customs?"

An idea flashed through my mind, and I asked the Yan Yu Louzhu, "Who chose the date that day, and according to what customs was the wedding held?"

The Yan Yu Louzhu replied, "I chose the date, and the wedding was held according to Han customs."

"However, the wedding party was delayed for a day on the way, and didn't arrive at the Yan Yu Lou until night."

I countered, "What caused them to be delayed for a day? Did you investigate?"

"I did!" the Yan Yu Louzhu said. "At that time, Arena was blocked by the Miao Jiang (Miao border region) witches. Not all of the Miao Jiang witches agreed to her marrying me."

"When Arena was stopped on the road and negotiating with a group of great witches, I sent people to scout out information."

"If Arena hadn't stopped me, I would have killed them all long ago."

"In the end, Arena finally convinced them, but it also caused a day's delay."

"At that time, Arena was still there. I personally watched her get into the sedan."

I turned to look towards the city, "Let me see the process of the bride's disappearance again."

"Alright!" As the Yan Yu Louzhu spoke, the scene from that year reappeared.

Arena was the Miao Jiang Holy Maiden. The wedding procession numbered at least eight hundred, making it impossible for such a large group to enter and attend the ceremony at the same time. The Yan Yu Louzhu's side also divided the banquet into three venues.

The wedding party was also well aware of their status, and after entering the city, they gradually dispersed into the various venues under the guidance of the master of ceremonies.

The few of us kept our eyes fixed on Arena's figure, until she walked into the area of the Yan Yu Louzhu's building, where the groom came to greet her.

That was the first time I saw the Yan Yu Louzhu's appearance.

Although the Yan Yu Louzhu was already in his forties, he was elegant and refined. In particular, the aura of a king about him gave him a certain charm.

According to ancient etiquette, princes didn't need to personally ride a horse to greet the bride, nor did they need to accompany the bride back to her parents' home. Because when a prince chose a consort, there was a ritual between ruler and subject in addition to the marital relationship.

The king would not personally greet his subordinates.

Moreover, the Miao Jiang Holy Maiden was only a local title of respect for the Holy Maiden and had not been conferred by the imperial court, while the Yan Yu Louzhu was a real prince.

The Yan Yu Louzhu's welcoming her at the entrance was already a sign of respect for Arena.

As I watched the two of them walk to the wedding hall, the Yan Yu Louzhu suddenly flicked his palm towards Arena's veil.

When the red veil flew several meters away, I saw a headless bride beneath it.

"How outrageous!" The Yan Yu Louzhu was instantly enraged, and the city gates slammed shut without anyone touching them.

The Miao Jiang witches trapped in the city seemed to receive some kind of signal, and they stood up at the same time, revealing their weapons. Some of them engaged in a melee with the servants and masters of ceremony in the Yan Yu Lou, while more of them rushed towards the Yan Yu Lou.

A bloody battle was unavoidable, and I also saw the Yan Yu Louzhu's power and baleful aura. He almost single-handedly slaughtered all living beings in the city.

In the end, the Yan Yu Louzhu no longer distinguished between friend and foe. Everyone he saw died under his palm.

Only after the last person fell did the Yan Yu Louzhu stand amidst the mountains of corpses and frantically shout Arena's name.

I couldn't hear what he was shouting at the time, but I felt that he was constantly repeating a sentence: "Arena, I know you're in the city. Come out and see me! Come out and see me!"

Only when his voice was hoarse did the Yan Yu Louzhu seem to remember something, and he rushed out of the city and disappeared into the mountains.

When he returned, he brought back a string of captives with their shoulder blades pierced by iron chains.

After that, the Yan Yu Louzhu's actions were to constantly plunder, kill, and force people to reveal Arena's whereabouts, until the city was filled with mountains of corpses. Only then did he gradually stop, and began to deduce Arena's whereabouts over and over again.

The last scene I saw was the Yan Yu Louzhu holding a compass and walking aimlessly in the drizzle and blood.