After the ceremony master sang the wedding escort verses, the Xiao family courtyard remained silent for a long time. Wei Xun and the others could all hear the breathing sounds of many people inside the yard, but for some reason no one spoke.
The ceremony master knew this was the bride’s family’s way of testing the groom, so he added submissive words and sang loudly again: “When bandits come we must fight, when guests come we must see, people are tired and horses weary, wishing to stop and rest, we hope sisters-in-law will show mercy and let us in!”
After waiting quite a while longer, finally a loud middle-aged woman’s voice came from the Xiao family: “The night is deep and moon bright, stars shine clearly together, we don’t know what honored guests these are, arriving at our gate in the night?”
Hearing there was finally a response, Pang Liangji quickly raised his ivory tablet and recited the prepared answer written on it: “We are gentlemen from a noble house, a famous family of Jade City, seeking the fair lady—a gentleman’s good match!”
Through the gate and high walls, both sides exchanged many verses back and forth. Finally the door opened a crack. Pang Liangji was delighted and immediately dismounted, preparing to enter, but saw a woman in her forties emerge, holding a tray with a large full wine vessel on it.
The woman called out loudly: “The wine is grape wine, to be presented to the honorable lord, please graciously drink it all, to gain ten thousand years of spring.”
Pang Liangji knew he would have to drink much wine at today’s wedding, but didn’t expect it to start right at the gate. He stepped forward to thank this sister-in-law, took the wine vessel with both hands and brought it to his lips, but after just one small sip he stopped, his expression changing drastically.
The wine had a prickly, numbing sensation like added peppercorns. Having wandered the martial world for years, he recognized this as the taste of henbane seeds, what martial people called knockout drug wine—it would take effect immediately upon drinking, causing instant dizziness and collapse, with the person unable to wake for a day or two.
Seeing he had tasted it, the woman wasn’t afraid but smiled smugly: “The wine is grape wine, a thousand coins for one measure, drink to the bottom of the cup, then you may enter the gate.” Her meaning was clearly that he couldn’t enter without finishing it all.
With the groom holding the wine without moving, the watching crowd grew restless, shouting loudly: “Drink! Drink! Can’t even handle the first cup?”
Seeing Pang Liangji’s hesitation, Wei Xun grew suspicious and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Pang Liangji was in great difficulty, saying quietly in underworld slang: “It’s drugged.”
The surrounding clamor grew louder, the woman blocked the doorway, the situation was pressing—he had no choice but to drink.
The three sect members exchanged glances. Wei Xun took the wine vessel from Pang Liangji’s hands, tilted back his head, and drank the entire large vessel of knockout drug wine drop by drop, placing it back on the woman’s tray.
It was natural for a groomsman to drink for the groom. Seeing his complexion remain normal, the woman was shocked and dismayed, carrying the tray back inside.
Wei Xun relied on his deep internal energy to drink the drugged wine for Pang Liangji, forcibly suppressing the henbane’s toxicity. The surrounding crowd didn’t know the danger involved, only thinking this young groomsman had heartily downed a large cup, and all cheered for him.
Beginning with knockout drug wine, the Xiao mansion’s gate finally opened for the groom.
Torches were lit in the courtyard, revealing dozens of women of all ages holding clubs and sticks, standing brazenly armed on both sides of the path, all wearing malicious smiles. This was the “testing the groom” custom—these women were all sisters-in-law and female relatives of the bride’s family, who would freely torment and tease the groom.
Seeing this murderous formation, Huo Qi Lang sucked in a cold breath and whispered: “Good heavens, no wonder the first line at the gate was ‘when bandits come we must fight’—looks like today we three are the bandits to be beaten!”
Pang Liangji forced an awkward smile while breaking out in cold sweat, reminding his two martial brothers again: “You absolutely cannot fight back!”
Wei Xun and Huo Qi positioned themselves beside Pang Liangji, the three walking shoulder to shoulder toward the gate like going to their doom. The spectators outside all laughed loudly and jeered: “A groom is the wife’s family’s dog, beat him to death without paperwork! Beat him! Beat him hard!”
These three sect members were all battle-tested heroes, but this scene before them was more terrifying than any life-or-death situation they’d faced before. Not only could they not get angry and fight back, their opponents were untouchable noble ladies—after being beaten, they still had to respond with smiling faces.
Dozens of women swarmed forward, clubs and sticks falling like raindrops. The three men raised their arms to protect their heads and faces, leaving other parts for people to beat at will. Some particularly bold and unrestrained sisters-in-law, seeing all three were young and handsome men, spoke various teasing words that made one unable to lift their head.
Amid the chaotic beating, Wei Xun said seriously to Pang Liangji: “I take back what I said about being a groomsman being a trivial matter. For a funeral you only need to carry out one horizontal body, but if a wedding goes wrong you might need to carry out several horizontal bodies.”
Huo Qi Lang, having been groped several times in the chaos, was equally shocked: “Are all other people’s weddings like this?”
Pang Liangji still had to spare one hand to hold the wild goose, smiling bitterly: “This is also my first time being a groom—I truly didn’t know it was such a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den!”
Fortunately the sisters-in-law hadn’t practiced martial arts, and all three men had sturdy physiques, so this beating wouldn’t seriously injure them. However, various frivolous phrases like “spread the silk on the brocade bed, young man dismount and come, slowly we shall discuss” made them break out in cold sweat, harder to withstand than the most powerful internal energy palm techniques.
Pang Liangji couldn’t walk fast to escape, and Wei Xun and Huo Qi shouldered the responsibility of protecting the groom, letting most attacks fall on themselves while escorting him slowly toward the middle gate.
Amid the barrage of sticks, Wei Xun suddenly felt a strong wind attacking from behind, aimed straight at the back of Pang Liangji’s head, completely different in force from the other women’s attacks. He quickly reached back with his hand to intercept the weapon, but what he caught wasn’t a wooden stick but an iron rod.
Wei Xun snatched the rod away and was about to turn to see who had struck so viciously when another swift wind swept along the ground toward Pang Liangji’s ankles. Pang Liangji’s legs had long been broken—his upper body could still withstand beatings, but his lower body had no defensive power at all. This sweeping strike would definitely knock him to the ground unable to rise. Wei Xun stepped down to block it—another iron rod.
Looking at the attacker, it was just an ordinary woman in a skirt with makeup. Having her weapons taken, she wasn’t flustered but smiled and retreated into the crowd of women, disappearing. These two sneak attacks were fierce and vicious, aimed at serious injury and disability. Wei Xun was puzzled but, constrained by not being able to fight back, could only casually throw the iron rods onto the roof and continue forward with the crowd.
At every threshold they had to respond with verses, at every step they faced teasing beatings or forced drinking. Thus fighting through obstacles and debating with the crowd of sisters-in-law, they finally reached the main hall, where a curtain hung across the doorway. The ceremony master quickly told the groom to throw the wild goose in his arms over the curtain, then recited makeup-urging poems, requesting the bride to appear.
Fortunately, with Bao Zhu’s guidance, Pang Liangji had ivory tablets with cheat sheets hanging at his waist, reciting famous works by talents like Lu Chang, Jia Dao, and Lu Chu without a single error. The hundred-plus attendants the Pang family brought began shouting in unison from outside the gate: “Bride, come out!”
With both literary and martial pressure, a shadowy figure in ceremonial robes appeared behind the curtain. Pang Liangji was almost in tears, calling out “A Ran,” but no one paid attention to him. Boys and girls removed the curtain, revealing the bride in a deep blue wedding dress with a large apron covering her head, her face invisible.
The bride and groom performed the wild goose ceremony, bid farewell to the bride’s parents, and two female attendants helped the bride walk out of the Xiao mansion and onto the wedding carriage the Pang family had brought. Pang Liangji wanted to take the opportunity to say a few words to his beloved, but due to the noisy crowd and the bride being covered by the apron, she couldn’t hear him.
Upon stepping outside, Wei Xun’s first glance swept the crowd and saw the flagpole with peach branches standing steadily outside, immediately relaxing. He then thought the flag was actually unnecessary—even in a sea of people, she remained dazzling, visible at a glance wherever she went.
The groom mounted his horse and rode three circles around the wedding carriage, officially beginning the escort procession.
Bao Zhu saw Wei Xun riding his horse and looking this way, immediately standing on tiptoes to wave at him. She thought this red outfit really looked good and wanted to tell him to dress like this in the future, but unfortunately this person wouldn’t even cooperate with wearing a sword—otherwise he would be the dashing young hero in fresh clothes on an angry horse described in poetry. Then she thought his martial world nickname was “Blue Shirt Guest”—if he changed clothes, would he have to change his nickname too? That would indeed be troublesome.
As the wedding carriage began moving, the Xiao family started carrying out the bride’s dowry load by load—a magnificent procession of over a hundred loads. A spectator exclaimed in amazement: “The Xiao family has long been in decline, yet they have assets to prepare such impressive dowry for their daughter?”
Another person sneered: “Miss Xiao was remarrying and had her dowry confiscated by her former husband’s family—she returned to her natal home empty-handed. Old Man Xiao probably couldn’t even spare a quilt, how could he possibly provide another dowry? This hundred-load dowry was carried to the Xiao house by the Pang family under cover of night last month to give the new wife prestige, fearing she’d leave home empty-handed and embarrassed.”
The first person was surprised: “The Pang family not only paid a million in betrothal gifts but added another dowry? Truly unimaginably generous. Does Young Master Pang really fancy that remarried woman so much?”
Another person said excitedly: “You all don’t know—there’s quite a story here. The Xiao family used to live right next to the Pang mansion. These two were childhood sweethearts with an early romance. Later when the Xiao family fell into decline and couldn’t afford their mansion, they sold the house to the Pang family and moved away. Though the Pang family was wealthy, they were just local tyrants. When they sought to marry Miss Xiao, Old Man Xiao, considering his family’s noble lineage, looked down on them completely and married his daughter to a Lu family son instead.
Young Master Pang left home in anger to learn martial arts. After several years he somehow broke his legs and was carried home disabled. Last year the Lu son died of illness, and Young Master Pang renewed his intentions to marry her. Old Man Xiao originally wanted his daughter to remain a widow for a virtuous reputation, but the family was so poor they had nothing left to pawn. Unable to resist the pile of wealth at their door, he sold Miss Xiao for a high price. This created enmity with the Lu family from her first marriage—they confiscated the daughter-in-law’s dowry and drove Miss Xiao away empty-handed. Though this wedding looks grand, it’s really a cripple marrying a remarried woman, hehe, chastity can’t buy rice…”
Squeezed in the crowd, Bao Zhu was forced to hear many different versions of rumors and found them very distasteful. The Tang imperial family had bold Hu customs and didn’t strictly observe Central Plains Confucian morals—princesses remarrying immediately after their prince consorts died was common and not worth discussing. The spectators’ repeated commentary on the bride’s remarriage made her feel extremely disgusted.
However, Pang Liangji knowing the bride’s difficulties and specially preparing dowry for her—she hadn’t expected that beneath his infuriating personality lay such thoughtful consideration, which was truly surprising.
Parading dowry through the streets was meant to show off wealth. Spectators pointed and commented with much envy and jealousy. Another idle man held forth grandly, critiquing the dowries of women throughout the realm, saying the most impressive should be Princess Wangshou from Chang’an, who had already passed away.
The man said with flying spittle: “Such a pity she died so young. My clansman in Chang’an saw with his own eyes—her dowry was used as burial goods, the carriage procession stretched for dozens of li, that was truly the richest in the world. If she were still alive, tsk tsk, such a beautiful and wealthy little darling, who knows which scoundrel would benefit.” His tone and manner were quite vulgar.
Not expecting to be forced to hear gossip about herself while attending someone else’s wedding, Bao Zhu’s expression changed drastically. She drew her riding whip to strike the man, but the spectator crowd was shoulder to shoulder—though she could hear his voice, she couldn’t squeeze through, stamping her feet in anger. Shisan Lang silently lifted his flagpole, reached far over to poke the man in the waist, making the idle fellow kneel on the ground, then struck his back with the pole.
Shisan Lang said solemnly and seriously: “Benefactor, there’s a gossip demon clinging to your back. You feed it with idle chatter, and it will devour your lifespan.”
Seeing it was a proper-looking little monk who struck the man and spoke so convincingly, the crowd somewhat believed him, all telling the man to quickly shut his mouth.
Bao Zhu was delighted and praised: “Wonderful! My daily care for you hasn’t been wasted!”
Since such an episode had been immediately avenged, she turned and forgot about it, not taking it to heart. Turning back to follow the wedding procession, she glimpsed a white banner reading “Miraculous Healing” flash through the spectator crowd. Though she didn’t see who was carrying it, it looked very familiar.