Misty Rain of the Old Times

First bow to heaven and earth to witness the marriage; second bow to the parents for their nurturing grace; husband and wife bow to each other to become husband and wife; then they are led into the bridal chamber to become a couple; from now on, husband and wife will grow old together, forever united in heart and mind for the rest of their lives.

The ceremony was successfully completed in the presence of numerous relatives and friends.

After that, I said goodbye to being single. I was no longer all alone, nor was I a child anymore. I had someone to discuss everything with. Now that I had a family, I needed to be more mature, support my family, and shoulder responsibilities. I could no longer be as willful as before.

Watching the newlyweds leave, Chen Xuan felt a strange mix of emotions.

Fourteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. Since going to the Gao family, he and Gao Jingming have gone through their childhood, adolescence, and youth together. Now, he has witnessed Gao Jingming start a family and build a career.

From this moment on, Xiao Gao's life will enter a completely new stage, and the past can never be returned to.

Those joyful laughter and laughter of youth will only be fondly remembered in casual conversation...

Standing beside Chen Xuan, the little princess withdrew her gaze and murmured, "I heard they were engaged for many years, and now they've finally tied the knot. How wonderful!"

She didn't know why, she just felt compelled to speak.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan thought to himself that not every couple who get engaged can walk down the aisle. It's good, but it doesn't prevent the two of them from arguing and bickering in the future.

Gently taking her small hand in his, Chen Xuan said, "No need to be envious. We'll live a good life and make them so envious."

There were many people around, but the little princess did not struggle. She simply nodded seriously and said "Mmm." She was already fortunate enough to have found the best man, so why should she envy others?

Not long after, Gao Jingming returned alone, beaming with pride, and called out, "Ah Xuan, Lin Zi, you two will have to help me from now on."

"Sure, sure."

The group readily agreed and followed Gao Jingming.

After bowing to heaven and earth and entering the bridal chamber, they didn't immediately start making a baby. Gao Jingming still had to toast and thank the guests, so he needed Chen Xuan and the others to help him drink. Otherwise, Gao Jingming wouldn't have the strength to consummate the marriage if he drank alone.

Almost everyone who came today was a relative, from Gao Jingming's side and the guests from Lü's side who were seeing off their relatives. They all needed to be toasted and thanked.

After a round of drinking from dusk till night, the guys had all drunk quite a bit and were all tipsy, but Chen Xuan was faking it.

After the guests had all been toasted, the closest of friends set up a separate table for a private time, promising not to rely on their cultivation to sober up and to drink until they were completely drunk.

After drinking and having a good time, someone started reminiscing about their youth, those happy, melancholic, and hopeful days, which had quietly disappeared from their lives, and they could no longer find that carefree joy.

Seeing the group of guys chatting and laughing with their arms around each other, not knowing how long they would go on, and realizing it was getting late, the little princess quietly said goodbye to Chen Xuan, and then, escorted by Xia Mei and the others, took her leave. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to stay any longer.

They drank until late at night, changing the snacks several times, and piling up a huge pile of wine jars. All the guys were drunk, especially Luo Taiyun and Tian Xueyu, who were drunk under the table halfway through the night.

After Deng Lingfeng collapsed, Chen Xuan, still barely conscious, reeking of alcohol, said, "They were all bragging like crazy at first, but now they're completely out of it. They're so weak, I can't even wake them up, hiccup... Oh well, let them go. We'll continue later."

Chen Xuan then looked at Gao Jingming, who was swaying and about to collapse at any moment, and said, "Young Master, let's call it a day. You're the groom, it's time to go to the bridal chamber. Don't keep the bride waiting."

Drunk and confused, Gao Jingming shook his head vigorously, swayed as he got up, and said, "That's settled then. Ah Xuan, please look after them for me. We'll continue tomorrow after we say goodbye to our relatives and friends."

"Okay, go ahead, I'll take care of things here," Chen Xuan said drunkenly, waving his hand and slumping onto the table, not wanting to move.

They were indeed drunk, but they had maids and servants attending to them, so there was no need to worry about being left unattended.

With Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye's help, Gao Jingming arrived at the courtyard where the wedding room was located. At first, he had difficulty walking, but once he got there, he straightened up immediately. Apart from smelling of alcohol, there was not much drunkenness in his eyes.

Under Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye's astonished gazes, he blinked and whispered, "Don't make a sound. I was just pretending before. How could I forget the important matter? Hmm, but they really can drink. I almost couldn't handle it. Luckily, I secretly forced the alcohol out through my fingertips, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to fool them."

The two immediately understood. Xiao Ye asked, "Young Master, we prepared a hangover soup in advance. Would you like to take a bath now?"

They haven't officially given him a title yet, so they've always called Gao Jingming "Young Master." They'll only start calling him "Husband" once he's given a title.

Waving his hand, Gao Jingming used his internal energy to dispel the smell of alcohol and said, "No need to trouble yourself. It's getting late, you should all go and get some rest."

"Alright, then we won't disturb you any longer, young master. We'll stay in the side room. Please feel free to let us know if you need anything."

As experienced women, they knew that the young master was about to undergo a formal marriage ceremony, so it was inconvenient for them to disturb him. They had been looking forward to this day for a long time, because with the official wife in place, they would be able to help Gao Jingming have children and continue the family line.

Before stepping into the bridal chamber, Gao Jingming touched his pocket. Although he was confident in himself, he had also prepared a "carefree pill" in advance, worried that he might leave a bad impression on his wife if he got excited. That was a lifelong matter, and he couldn't be careless.

Of course, he didn't ask for it from Chen Xuan on short notice. He had taken quite a lot from Chen Xuan before, and he kept some for himself. He would secretly take it when they drank the nuptial wine later, which was also for the sake of a harmonious married life in the future.

Composing himself, he pushed open the door and said, "My wife, your husband is here..."

On the other side, no sooner had Gao Jingming left than Chen Xuan, who was no longer showing any signs of drunkenness, coughed and said, "Are you guys still pretending?"

"Hehe, Ah Xuan, you figured it out?" Deng Lingfeng looked up and grinned, showing little sign of drunkenness.

Then even Zhou Lintian and Xueyu raised their heads. Although they were a little drunk, they were still relatively sober. They were all pretending to be drunk.

Rubbing his hands together, Chen Xuan winked and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go make a ruckus in the bridal chamber!"

"I've been waiting to hear that. Jingming can really drink; it wasn't easy to get him drunk. I can't hold my liquor, so I'm glad I pretended to be drunk beforehand, otherwise I definitely would have missed it," Tian Xueyu said, standing up. The group was sneaking off to the bridal chamber when Zhou Lin suddenly asked, "By the way, where's Taiyun?"

"Under the table, he's really drunk, sleeping like a pig," Deng Lingfeng said speechlessly as he picked up Luo Taiyun, who was still snoring in his hand.

Tian Xueyu shook her head and said, "Forget it, let's ignore him and let him rest first. Hurry up, or the show will be over."

He then had Luo Taiyun's maid take him away, so they didn't need to worry about it.

Deng Lingfeng looked at Tian Xueyu and teased, "Xueyu, you look so refined, I didn't expect you to be so interested in wedding night pranks. I misjudged you."

"We're all brothers, why pretend to be serious? Of course we should be happy. We've been the closest of friends since we were kids," he said nonchalantly.

Chen Xuan then cautioned, "Let's split up. I reckon the bridal chamber has already made arrangements, and they're definitely keeping a close watch on us to prevent any disruptions. Whether we can actually make a scene in the bridal chamber depends on our individual methods."

“That’s right, then let’s split up. Don’t worry, I’ve scouted the place beforehand and made preparations, you can’t stop me,” Deng Lingfeng said, patting his chest.

Nodding, ignoring them, Chen Xuan said, "Alright, I'll go first."

Next, the brothers used various methods to try and enter the bridal chamber courtyard to make a ruckus. Deng Lingfeng, whose cultivation was decent, found a corner and used his lightness skill to sneak in. Zhou Lin didn't have that ability, but it didn't stop him either. This guy actually found a small hole and crawled in. As for Tian Xueyu, she was simply amazing. She had 'bribed' the people around the courtyard in advance and secretly dressed up as a maid to sneak in.

All I can say is that these guys really went to great lengths to make a ruckus during their wedding night.

As for Chen Xuan, no one can stop him from going wherever he wants.

Inside the bridal chamber, the character for "happiness" was hung high, and red candles dimly illuminated the silk curtains.

Gao Jingming turned and closed the door, then walked back into the inner room. Looking apologetically at Lü Qingrong, who was dressed in a phoenix coronet and red veil on the wedding bed, he said, "I've taken up a little time, my wife, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Even though she had been looking forward to this day for a long time, Lü Qingrong still couldn't help but blush under her veil and said, "It's alright, my husband's time to entertain his guests is more important."

"Actually, I should have come back a long time ago, but Ah Xuan and the others can drink too much and tried every means to get me drunk, so I had to deal with them before coming back. Hmph, I won't let them off the hook when they get married," Gao Jingming laughed.

On their wedding night, who talks about such things? Lü Qingrong changed the subject, reminding him, "Husband, it's time for you to lift the veil and we'll drink the nuptial wine."

"Thank you for reminding me, my wife. I almost forgot the important matter," Gao Jingming said somewhat embarrassedly, as it was his first marriage and he had no experience.

Actually, he was also a little excited and nervous at this moment. Although he had already completed his coming-of-age ceremony with Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye, this was the first time a young woman had ever been married and entered the bridal chamber.

Just as he was about to step forward to lift the veil, he rolled his eyes in annoyance, took two steps to the window, opened it abruptly, and looked at Deng Lingfeng, who was staring in astonishment outside, saying with a wry smile, "Well, so you were faking it all along? I'm telling you, Lingfeng, with your meager cultivation, don't be ridiculous. Are you leaving on your own, or should I send you off?"

"Haha, um, I'm just passing by, I'll go by myself, I won't disturb Jingming's wedding night," Deng Lingfeng smiled awkwardly, turned around and left by climbing over the wall. He had already been discovered, so the wedding night celebration was off.

As he left, Gao Jingming was about to turn back when he looked at the maid waiting outside the door with admiration and said, "Xueyu, did you really go to such lengths? You actually disguised yourself as a maid?"

"How could you find out? I just arrived, all my efforts were for nothing," Tian Xueyu said speechlessly. Since she had already been discovered, she had no choice but to leave.

Then Gao Jingming looked at the corner of the wall and laughed loudly, "Linzi, you're still trying to crawl through? Go back the way you came! Aren't you afraid of getting stuck? Otherwise, I'll throw you out, believe it or not!"

"I finally made it halfway through, but I didn't see anything fun and I even made a fool of myself. I shouldn't have come," Zhou Lin said awkwardly as he returned the way he came.

Everyone had left, and Gao Jingming was about to close the window and continue when he suddenly glanced around and said, "Ah Xuan, come out here. Don't think I don't know you're here. Can't you let my wife and me rest in peace?"

He was self-aware enough to know that Chen Xuan wouldn't be able to find out if he didn't want to, so he spoke directly.

As if he had vanished into thin air, Chen Xuan emerged from under the eaves and said listlessly, "You're being silly by not pointing it out, young master. Fine, I won't bother you anymore. Try to have a big, healthy son next year. I'm outta here."

After making a joke, he turned and left.

Finally, things quieted down. Gao Jingming closed the doors and windows and turned back to say, "Wife, let's continue."

Then he went over and lifted the veil. The couple drank nuptial wine under the red candlelight, their eyes meeting, and the atmosphere began to become ambiguous, developing in a direction that made people blush and their hearts race.

During the drinking of the nuptial wine, Gao Jingming secretly took a pill of carefree joy. Lü Qingrong, a weak woman with no cultivation, did not notice his little trick at all.

Just as the young couple's eyes were practically brimming with longing, a pleading voice suddenly came from outside the window: "Quick, give us a kiss!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jingming was almost startled. He turned around and glared at Chen Xuan, who was standing outside the window, which had been slightly ajar. He said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Xuan, that's enough."

Lu Qingrong blushed and quickly separated from Gao Jingming, crawling into bed, extremely embarrassed. She wasn't angry about the wedding night pranks; only close friends would joke like that.

Chen Xuan was also very sensible and did not go too far into the room to 'observe' the ceremony up close.

"Oh dear, I was too impulsive. I should have waited until you kissed me before suddenly speaking to scare you. I'm leaving now, I won't bother you anymore, this time I'm really leaving," Chen Xuan waved his hand, closed the window for them, and slipped away.

Since he had said he was really leaving, Gao Jingming naturally believed he wouldn't turn back, so he walked towards the bed and said, "Wife, it's time for us to retire."

"Yes, I hope my husband will cherish me."

What followed was the blush-inducing, heart-pounding night of passion, so shy that even the crescent moon hid behind the clouds… (End of Chapter)