The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

At the entrance of the Shen family villa.

Chen Xiaoyu tilted her head back, her jaw almost dislocated.

This house...this doesn't look like a house at all!

This is a city!

Extending inwards from the wrought iron gate is a driveway that seems to have no end, with lights illuminating both sides like an airport runway.

The fountain was spinning in the center, and the water jets were higher than her three-story house.

"Light rain."

Lin Keke tugged at her sleeve, her voice trembling.

"Are you sure this is your sister-in-law's house?"

"……uncertain."

Chen Xiaoyu swallowed.

"Then why did you drag me here!"

"To give you courage."

Lin Keke almost burst into tears.

"I need to muster my courage even more than you do now!"

Several cars were already parked at the entrance.

Chen Xiaoyu glanced at it and saw that it was the kind of car she had seen in the video, with an English letter at the beginning and a horse at the end.

There's another one; its logo is a shield.

Three men were standing next to the car.

One of them was wearing a suit, his hair was combed so neatly it reflected light, and he was holding a string of beads in his hand.

One of them was dressed casually, and the chain around his neck was so thick it could be used to tether a dog.

There was also the youngest one, smoking a cigarette, glancing at the two of them sideways.

The one with the cigarette in his mouth laughed first.

"Yo..."

He blew a smoke ring.

"Are these two also trying to scam someone?"

Even the man with slicked-back hair smiled.

"It looks like it. As soon as Shen Nianqing became a trending topic, everyone came to try and ride the wave."

"Little girl..."

Chen Xiaoyu, who was wearing a chain, pouted.

"Want to get into the Shen family? Go back. Even the Lu, He, and Zhou families can't get in if they're lining up. You two are nobodies, you won't even get a chance through the crack in the door."

Chen Xiaoyu pursed her lips.

She didn't want to waste her breath on these people.

She had the screenshot of the trending topic in her pocket, as well as a photo of the note her mother had stuck on the refrigerator.

My heart was pounding, and I was ready to mistake someone for someone else and run away at any moment.

Lin Keke whispered something in her ear.

"Xiaoyu, let's go. This isn't a place we can stay. What if we get arrested as scammers..."

"Creak!"

The vermilion gate opened.

A middle-aged man in a black butler's uniform walked out, his back ramrod straight, his expression even more composed than the stone lions at the entrance.

The three young masters instantly perked up.

The slick-haired guy was the first to go up to her.

"Butler Liu! I've been waiting for half an hour, and Miss Shen is here..."

"Zhou brought a gift as a token of our meeting."

The person with the chain pulled a golden gift box out of the car.

The man with the cigarette stubbed it out.

"I just want to ask one question: Is Sister Nianqing willing to see me?"

Uncle Liu stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the three people, as calmly as if he were looking at three potted plants.

"Gentlemen."

The three of them straightened their chests in unison.

"My young lady said so."

Uncle Liu paused for a moment.

"not see."

The air froze instantly.

The smile on his greasy face froze halfway through the journey.

"Not...see you?"

"Um."

"Then what are you doing out here?"

Uncle Liu walked past the three of them and his gaze fell on the two girls behind them who were shrinking their necks.

"Excuse me, which one of you is Ms. Chen Xiaoyu?"

Chen Xiaoyu's hand trembled.

"I...I am."

The ice on Uncle Liu's face melted instantly, revealing a smile that couldn't be more perfect.

He quickly descended the steps and bowed slightly to Chen Xiaoyu.

"Miss Chen, the young lady has been waiting for you. Please come in."

The entire room fell silent.

The expressions on the three young men went from shock to disbelief to utter disbelief.

He, who was smoking, pointed at Chen Xiaoyu, his finger trembling.

"Her? Ask her?!"

Uncle Liu didn't even turn his head.

"Young Master He, you are a guest of the Shen family, there's no need for you to trouble yourself."

Lin Keke was stunned, her mouth agape wide enough to fit a drone.

She secretly pinched Chen Xiaoyu's arm.

"pain."

Chen Xiaoyu inhaled.

"Then it's not a dream."

Lin Keke's voice was faint and ethereal.

"Xiaoyu, is your sister-in-law... really Shen Nianqing?"

Chen Xiaoyu did not answer.

She followed Uncle Liu inside, and as she passed the three men, she caught a glimpse of the slick-haired man pulling out his phone and frantically typing.

I bet she'd post in the group: "Holy crap, you'd never guess who Shen Nianqing invited in."

The corridor was ridiculously long, and any one of the paintings on the wall was worth more than her father's taxi.

Lin Keke walked close to her, muttering to herself.

"If we don't get out today, do you think they'll bury us in the garden or the back hill?"

"Shut up."

"I'm just planning ahead..."

We've arrived at the living room.

Chen Xiaoyu stepped inside and was completely paralyzed.

Everyone in the room was staring at her.

The old man sat in the main seat, with a cup of tea beside him still steaming.

The old woman sat next to him, her fingers twirling prayer beads, her eyes kind yet scrutinizing.

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit stood by the window, a gentle middle-aged woman sat beside him, and a young man with his legs crossed, holding half a watermelon, looking on with an expression that said, "This is going to be a good show."

A woman was sitting in the very center of the sofa.

Chen Xiaoyu had seen her face a million times on the trending topics, and now she was sitting there alive.

Shen Nianqing stood up, walked over, and extended her hand.

That hand was fair and slender, with a huge diamond ring on its ring finger that dazzled the eyes under the light.

"Hello there."

Shen Nianqing looked at her with gentle eyes.

"I am Shen Nianqing."

She paused.

"Your brother's fiancée."

Chen Xiaoyu's mind went blank.

it is true!

It really is her brother!

Her brother, who wore faded camouflage T-shirts, was never home, and only said "I'm fine, don't worry" on the phone.

The guy who always sent money back was always much more than the "allowance" he mentioned.

Chen Xiaoyu opened her mouth, and after a long pause, she blurted out a sentence.

"...Is my brother good enough for you?"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Shen Xingzhou "poof"ed, spraying watermelon juice all over the ground.

He coughed and patted his leg at the same time.

"Haha, that's interesting!"

The old woman smiled and whispered to the middle-aged woman next to her.

"This girl is just like her brother."

Shen Nianqing smiled, a very serious smile.

Her eyes were as gentle as a pool of spring water that could not be melted away.

"It's me, I'm not good enough for him."

……

At the same moment, thousands of miles away.

A Taoist temple sits atop a precipice, with cliffs on three sides and the sky on the other.

Above the gate, a plaque made of wood struck by lightning hangs high, bearing the inscription "Taiqing Palace".

The handwriting is ancient and simple, and it is said to have been written by the first Celestial Master three hundred years ago, using cinnabar mixed with thunder water, and it has not faded over the years.

There are 1,200 bluestone steps leading directly from the foot of the mountain to the front of the hall.

This is the ancestral temple of the Zhengyi School of Taoism.

Inside the main hall, twelve eternal lamps are arranged on both sides, with wicks made of thousand-year-old lamp wicks, and the flames remain steady and unwavering.

A group of white-bearded old Taoist priests sat cross-legged, their robes embroidered with patterns indicating their respective ranks.

There are those from the Three Heavens Gate, those from the Five Thunder Courtyard, those in charge of the Golden Register Ritual, and those who oversee the Purple Mansion Alchemy Room.

Each of them had white hair and beard, and profound cultivation. Any one of them would be treated as an honored guest by various sects.

At this moment, they all sat upright with their eyes lowered, their breathing restrained.

Because in the very seat at the head of the table, on the sandalwood throne that only the Celestial Masters of all dynasties could sit on, sat a person who was unbelievably young.

He wore a plain, faded Taoist robe, and his skin was a wheatish color, with a rough texture from years of exposure to wind and sun.

He sat there upright, his back straight as a sword's spine.

The first old Taoist priest at the bottom.

Xuanmo, the head of the Taiqing Palace, stroked his three-foot-long beard and spoke first.

"Celestial Master".

Chen Shidu opened his eyes.

"Seniors, you can just call me Shi Du."

"That won't do."

The old Taoist priest sitting third from the left shook his head, his tone both respectful and urgent.

"You attained the position of Celestial Master at a young age, establishing altars to transmit talismans and expound the Dharma to guide people. Even the patriarchs of the Three Heavenly Gates have recognized your Daoist title. This is a position bestowed by Heaven, and the proper etiquette must not be disregarded!"

An old Taoist priest on the right also nodded in agreement.

"Since the founding of the sect by the Celestial Master, there have been only seventeen Celestial Masters in a thousand years. You are the eighteenth. You are a once-in-a-century phenomenon, no, a once-in-three-hundred-year phenomenon."

Chen Shidu did not refuse again, but simply nodded slightly.

He knew the temperament of these old people; the more he refused, the more they would argue, so he might as well accept it.

Master Xuanmo cleared his throat, took out a crimson letter from his sleeve, and held it in front of him with both hands, his expression as solemn as if he were holding an imperial edict.

"Celestial Master, today we have summoned twelve elders from the four academies of Purple Mansion, Golden Register, Five Thunder, and Alchemy Room for a momentous occasion."

He paused.

"I heard...you're getting married?"

The hall was quiet for a moment.

All twelve elders turned their gazes toward them, some with curiosity, some with worry, and some with disbelief.

Chen Shidu's expression remained unchanged.

But deep in his eyes, a hint of warmth, barely perceptible to others, flickered.

"Um."

His voice was low and flat, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"I have someone I like."

"The daughter of the Shen family."

Xuanmo Zhenren's pupils contracted slightly.

"The Shen Group, that Shen family?"

"Um."

The hall remained quiet for three breaths.

Then, like a pot of boiling water...

"This marriage certificate must be written according to the highest regulations of our Taoist Golden Register Ritual! The seal of the Three Heavens Gate, the divination slip of the Purple Palace, the register of the Five Thunder Courtyard, and the talisman of the Alchemy Room—not a single one can be omitted!"

"The Celestial Master's wedding is a momentous event that requires an announcement to Heaven! There hasn't been a grand wedding ceremony for a Celestial Master in three hundred years since the seventh Celestial Master married!"

"The Celestial Master's betrothal requires the following procedures: [Three Letters and Six Betrothal Gifts, Nine Rites and Eighteen Ceremonies], including the betrothal ceremony, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony itself. Each step must be preceded by a golden altar!"

"And there are also ritual artifacts to be brought as part of the dowry: the Seven Star Lamp, the Purple Crape Myrtle Plate, the Landscape Painting... These old items need to be taken out of storage and 'auspiciously restored' in advance!"

The old Taoist priest became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his voice cracked.

"The dowry list for the last Celestial Master's wedding was a whole three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) long piece of silk!"

Chen Shidu raised his hand.

The movement was minor; he simply raised two fingers of his right hand.

The hall fell silent instantly.

"I promised her."

His voice was lowered, as if he were speaking to himself rather than to the elders.

"Even though I come from the mountains and live a poor life, I will not neglect any of the proper etiquette I should show her."

"The seniors are more familiar with the rules of the Celestial Master's wedding than I am."

He stood up.

The Taoist robe fluttered without wind, and the flames of the twelve eternal lamps in the hall trembled in unison. Then, all the flames leaped three inches higher, shining brightly.

The elders looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is a resonance of magical power; the Celestial Master's state of mind fluctuated, and even the magic lamp sensed it.

Chen Shidu stood with his hands behind his back before the Dharma seat, with the images of successive Celestial Masters behind him and the eternal flame of the Taiqing Hall burning for a thousand years above him.

He looked at the elders, his tone calm, yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"I want the whole world to know about this marriage..."

"I, Chen Shidu, am married to Shen Nianqing."

"A proper marriage, announced to all."

"The Three Realms bear witness, the sun and moon are the witness."

Outside the palace, the sky suddenly brightened.

Amidst the churning sea of ​​clouds, golden light shone through the thick clouds, falling directly onto the roof of the Taiqing Palace.

Master Xuanmo gazed at the beam of light, nearly dropping his whisk.

He had lived for ninety-seven years and had only ever seen such a record in ancient books!

The Celestial Master made a great vow, and Heaven and Earth responded.

The old man took a deep breath and bowed solemnly.

"Congratulations, Celestial Master, on finding your perfect match."

"We, the humble Taoist priests, will do everything in our power to organize this grand wedding!"

The twelve elders rose in unison, bowed deeply, and spoke in loud, clear voices.

"Congratulations, Celestial Master..."

"Find your perfect match!"

The sound shook the beams and pillars.

Chen Shidu stood in the light.

He reached out and rubbed the red string tied around his left wrist.

The red string was old, its color faded to white; it was tied by her own hands a long time ago.

He whispered something.

The sound was carried away by the wind, and no one heard it.

But if someone reads his lips, they'll see that he's saying...

"wait for me!"